Hewitt storms back late to defeat Vestavia

By Sherry J. Parker, Special for the Tribune

The twentieth meeting between the Hewitt-Trussville Huskies and the Vestavia Hills Rebels inside of Thompson Reynolds Stadium was one for the ages.

The Huskies overcame an early deficit to win their fifth straight over the Rebels by a score of 18-14.

A slow and messy start, matching the weather, left the two teams scoreless for most of the first quarter.

As with the two previous Hewitt games, the Huskies found themselves trailing 7-0 in the first quarter after Bruce Littleton scored on a two-yard run early in the second quarter.

The Rebels took a 7-0 lead into halftime.

Hewitt’s Colton Argo secured the Huskies’ first points with a 32-yard field goal with 5:27 left in the third quarter.

After a final seven yard touchdown and successful PAT from Vestavia, Hewitt-Trussville led 14-3. The score would remain the same until midway through the final quarter of play.

What showmanship Hewitt lacked during early play, they more than made up for in excitement to end the game.

With 5:56 left in the final period of play, Senior quarterback Noah Dobbins connected with James Kelly for a 14-yard touchdown on fourth down. After a successful two-point conversion attempt by Dobbins to Dylan Cope, the Huskies trailed Vestavia 14-11.

With 20 seconds left to play, Dobbins completed a 14-yard pass to Jacob Serena for the go-ahead score. The successful PAT essentially ended the nail-biter at 18-14.

“I’m proud of our guys for finding a way to win,” said Hewitt head coach Josh Floyd.

“We didn’t play well tonight; we give Vestavia credit. They honestly outplayed us, but when it came down to it, our guys made plays,” he said. “I think it says a lot about our program and our kids. It’s something we can learn from.”

Dobbins was 10 of 29 for 128 yards. Hewitt’s high-powered offense was limited to 254 yards, with the majority coming in the fourth quarter.  The Huskies host the Hoover Buccaneers next Friday.