From The Tribune staff reports
TRUSSVILLE – The Trussville Rotary Daybreak Club heard from five Hewitt-Trussville High School coaches during its most recent meeting on Wednesday morning.
“It’s always a pleasure to have with us some of the teachers and coaches from Hewitt-Trussville High School,” said Rotary President Ty Williams.
Hewitt Athletics Director Lance Walker introduced each of the winter sport coaches, which joined via Zoom. Wednesday’s guests included girls basketball coach Tonya Hunter, boys basketball coach Jeff Baker, bowling coach Tommy Abney, track & field coach Tom Esslinger and wrestling coach Chris Pike.
Hunter is a two-time state champion coach, who has her varsity girls off to a 10-0 start to the season. “We can’t get this year back, and we’re just trying to make this year as normal as possible for the kids,” said Hunter.
Baker is in his third year with the Hewitt boys basketball team. “Culture comes from the top but it comes to life from the bottom up,” said Baker.
This year the team honors a HT basketball alum at each home game.
Abney’s boys bowling team is 7-0 on the season thus far, and the girls currently sit at 5-2, beaten only by a two-time state championship team. Abney also hopes to start a middle school bowling program soon.
Esslinger is new to Hewitt. He has 31 state track & field championships on his resume’, has been named the Alabama Coach of the Year four times, and was the 2017 National Track & Field Coach of the Year. After one meet this season, his boys are ranked No. 2 in Class 7A. The Hewitt-Trussville girls rank No. 3 early on.
Pike, in his first season leading the wrestling program, says he has come home after graduating from HTHS in 1996. While an assistant coach at Thompson, he was a part of four state championship teams and was a two-time assistant coach of the year. This year, Pike has researched the Huskies wrestling program and now has photos of several former standouts hanging in the gym.
The Club currently meets at 7 a.m. on the first through fourth Wednesday mornings of each month, mostly by Zoom. For more information on the Trussville Rotary Daybreak Club, or to help with one of our projects, please email Diane Poole at dianepoole1225@centurytel.net.