Editor’s note: This is an opinion column.
By Bobby Mathews, sports editor
There’s a lot of good football being played in The Tribune’s coverage area, with four teams ranked in the top 10 in the Alabama Sports Writers Association polls and a couple of others nipping at their heels. Here’s a look at where those teams are at mid-season.
Hewitt-Trussville
The Huskies took a shellacking from Thompson after keeping it close in the first quarter and most of the half. The Huskies are 4-1, and they’re going to need to play some really good ball in order to beat Hoover and potentially host a playoff game. This team’s fortunes rest on the shoulders — more specifically the right arm — of Cade Ott Carruth, and he’s coming off of the worst game he’s had all season in the loss to the Warriors. The Husky offense is potent, and there are weapons aplenty. Using those weapons effectively over the course of the season is going to be key from here out. Hewitt-Trussville has a chance to go 9-1 or 8-2 in the regular season if they take care of business.
Biggest surprise (in a good way): James Hammonds and Connor Thomas both shine at running back. Neither guy is what you’d call big, but if they get a crease, they’re getting positive yards. Hammonds is lightning quick, and Thomas has great, shifty speed. TE/FB Matt Miller will be back for the Huskies this week after missing a couple of games with an injury.
Biggest surprise (in a bad way): Fumbles on special teams. The Huskies don’t handle punts and kickoffs nearly as well as their coaches would like. They’ve dropped several punts so far this season and a fumbled kickoff against Thompson led directly to a Warriors touchdown. That’s got to be fixed in order for Hewitt to make a deep playoff run.
Clay-Chalkville
What can you say about a team that’s piled up 261 points over the course of five games, averaging 52.1 points a game? Clay-Chalkville is, at this point, clearly the class of 6A football. With Khalib Johnson at quarterback, Marquarius White and Jaylen Mbakwe at receiver and the underrated Ed Osley at tailback, this offense is built to pile up points. And they do.
But here’s what no one is talking about when it comes to Clay: Their defense has pitched three shutouts — one to open the season at Shades Valley, then against Gardendale, and once more against Minor. (The one score that Minor had came on the opening kickoff return, so that doesn’t count against the defense.) Linebacker D’Angelo Barber is an excellent defender with a chance to be great, while Rodarius Sykes is versatile enough to play DE or OLB … if there’s an edge to rush, he’s there.
Biggest surprise (in a good way): The absolute killer speed of this team is amazing. Osley may not have the fastest 40-yard dash, but when he hits speed, he is gone. Rodreckus Johnson as well. If former NFL owner Al Davis was right about anything in his life, it was this: speed kills.
Biggest surprise (in a bad way): Kickoff coverage. The Cougars are susceptible to the big play on kickoffs, and that’s something that Drew Gilmer and his staff will continue to address, I’m sure.
Pinson Valley
It’s easy to forget that Pinson Valley lost two games last season on their way to yet another 6A state championship. The Indians were 4-2 after six games into the 2020 season. They weren’t beaten again all year. Right now, they’re at 3-2 after a surprising loss to Jackson-Olin. But here’s the thing: Pinson Valley is a very good football team. Have they lost some horses from last season? Unquestionably. But they’re still ranked No. 8 in the ASWA poll, and they’re going to be dangerous as long as Zach Pyron is behind center.
This week T.J. Metcalf will have to step it up for the Pinson Valley running game, as Jalen Taylor and Mike Sharpe may not play. He’s as capable as anyone else in that crowded backfield, so if he has a big game, the Indians should get back in the win column.
Biggest surprise (in a good way): Senior defensive end BJ Diakite. That kid is GOOD. Nominally listed also as a receiver/tight end, Diakite has definitely made his presence known defensively for the Indians.
Biggest surprise (in a bad way): 3-2 … that loss to Jackson-Olin really stings. They’re missing some horses in the defensive backfield (and how could they not, after losing Koolaid McKinstry?), and teams are looking to take advantage of that.
Leeds
The Green Wave is rolling in. Leeds is 5-0 and just doing whatever it takes to win. Jarod Latta is playing well; Josh Ruff is back; C.J. Douglas continues to be a grown man in the defensive backfield; and the entirety of the team is playing hard-nosed, physical football. It’s not always pretty, but this Leeds squad is doing everything that coach Jerry Hood is asking of them. There have been some ugly games (specifically that 19-13 win over Lincoln) but there have been some great triumphs, too, including the latest, a 41-0 beating of hapless Hayden. This is a battle-tested team, and they’re going to cause some folks headaches in the playoffs.
Biggest surprise (in a good way): Nothing, to be honest. When I looked at Leeds’ 2020 record and saw what they had coming back, I thought they’d do very well. So far, so good. This looks like a Jerry Hood team. They’re hard-nosed and determined, and they play until the whistle on every play.
Biggest surprise (in a bad way): The biggest surprise I saw was the preseason loss to Helena in the jamboree. And since Helena, a 6A program, is currently undefeated too? That “loss” doesn’t look so bad at all.
Center Point
What a difference two weeks makes. After getting their first win by forfeit when Wenonah couldn’t play in Week 0 due to COVID-19 issues, the Eagles lost two in a row. Give those kids in Center Point credit, though: They didn’t give up. There was no quit in the Eagles, as they battled back and have scored 40 points or more in back to back games. First, they beat the brakes off of a Lincoln team that gave Leeds all it wanted, 44-10, and then beat Moody 40-11. Coach George Bates has those kids moving in the right direction.
Biggest surprise (in a good way): The offensive explosion over the last two games. Jabari Collier is throwing the ball just enough to keep teams honest, and then he’s also running them silly. Troy Bruce is a very good back who’s going to get his yards. Harold Holloman is coming into his own as a reliable receiver.
Biggest surprise (in a bad way): The Eagles had a tough time two weeks in a row, against Fairfield and then against Alexandria. In both losses, the defense was unable to get off the field. However, they look to have turned things around in the last two games, especially against Moody, who has been racking up yards and points against almost everyone … until they played Center Point.
Moody
Speaking of the Blue Devils: If the season ended tomorrow, this could be considered the best Moody team in nearly a generation. Three wins doesn’t make a great season, no. But the Blue Devils (3-2) think they have a realistic shot to go 4-1 the rest of the way and secure a playoff bid. That would be an incredible turnaround for a team that went 0-9 in 2020. The biggest turnaround, it seems, is in attitude. These Blue Devils are going into their games knowing that they have a chance to win. With a really good quarterback in A.J. Wallace, a 6-4 receiver in Davion Dozier, as well as a very dangerous Nick Burrell in the backfield, the Blue Devils can put up points in a hurry.
Biggest surprise (in a good way): There are three of them, really. First of all, Moody went 3-0 to open the season. Wow. Second, the offensive line has been playing well and giving Wallace time to throw. Receiver Kolby Seymour has also been clutch. It’s easy to get lost in the shadow of a very talented receiver like Dozier, but Seymour’s carved out his own niche as a reliable wideout with good hands.
Biggest surprise (in a bad way): The offense has faltered a little in the last two games, both losses for the Blue Devils. They’ll need to do better down the stretch in order to have a shot at the playoffs.
Springville
It’s not quite the halfway mark on the 2021 season for the Tigers (2-2), but they’re playing .500 ball and coming off of a long road trip to Scottsboro, where they whipped the Wildcats thanks to a strong defensive effort. It’s always a fun thing when you can beat a team at their homecoming game, and the Tigers accomplished that. Ashton Frye, a very good athlete at quarterback, got to play the entire game as the signal-caller. It’s going to be beneficial for the entirety of the Springville roster if Frye can continue to solidify himself as the quarterback.
Biggest surprise (in a good way): The Tigers are 2-2 in Jon Clements’ first year. That’s hard to beat, to be honest. It’s early, but this team’s playing hard and learning under two new coordinators as well. They’re not a bad team by any means, but they’re going to be even better by the end of the season, I think.
Biggest surprise (in a bad way): It’s appeared that there have been some issues with the quarterback-center exchange that have stymied some of the offensive possibilities for the Tigers. With a physical, tough, experienced line, that shouldn’t happen. Springville’s got to clean that up to have a strong second half to the season.
Sports editor Bobby Mathews can be reached at bobby.mathews@