By Kyle Parmley
PINSON – The ingredients are starting to come together at just the right time for the Pinson Valley offense.
An offensive unit that has lived without its starting running back for over a month has searched under every rock to find a spark. That spark finally lit the scoreboard on fire in the fourth quarter against Shades Valley, as the Indians scored 21 in the final quarter and 28 unanswered points to win the game.
Torrey Hendrix was the steadying force of the offense at the running back spot for the first half of the season. He could be counted on to run hard, make plays, and even catch passes out of the backfield. But since his knee injury, Pinson Valley has struggled to find consistency.
Khymel Chaverst has done an admirable job in the place of Hendrix, but the running game has found little to no holes in recent games, leading the Indians to open up the passing attack.
Led by sophomore quarterback Jackie Matthews, the passing game has relied on big plays throughout the season. Senior receiver Errius Collins is capable of such any time he touches the ball. Pinson Valley’s first touchdown of the season – in a win over Hartselle – was a deep ball thrown to Collins.
Those big plays also dried up, as the offense struggled against the likes of Huffman and Center Point.
But the Shades Valley game may have been a turning point, as Matthews began to spread the ball around to different targets with success. Collins has garnered the majority of the attention all season, and Liallen Dailey has had flashes, but those two have been the only consistent receivers.
On that night, Kris Lewis, Keimon Norman, and Marshal Tanner also decided to show their quarterback that he has an array of options.
Lewis, Norman, Dailey, and Collins each caught a touchdown pass from Matthews in the 35-21 win over Shades Valley, while Tanner caught a 34-yard pass down the middle of the field and nearly scored when the offense ran up to the line and ran the same play.
Matthews finished that night 17-of-30 passing for 302 yards and the four scores. Collins and Dailey each caught six of those passes, and the passing game clicked with great efficiency.
The Indians are looking to get Hendrix back in time for a playoff run, and if so, they may have unlocked the key to their offense. A dynamic passing attack is only strengthened by a solid ground game, and once both of those pieces come together, Pinson Valley could be a team to watch in the Class 6A playoffs.