By Sherry J. Parker, For the Tribune
TRUSSVILLE, Ala. – A dreary night, which began with a lightning delay and a 7:15 pm kickoff saw the Hewitt Trussville Huskies host the Hoover Buccaneers throughout intermittent showers.
The Huskies ended the night with a heartbreaking last-minute 8-7 defeat to the Bucs in Region 3.
The opening quarter of play remained scoreless until CJ Davis broke free for a 43-yard gain, positioning Hewitt’s offense at the goal line with a first-and-goal situation.
With 2:13 remaining before halftime, Noah Dobbins made the one-yard sneak for a Husky touchdown; with the Colton Argo PAT good, the Huskies held a 7-0 lead.
The score remained unchanged as the teams headed off the field at halftime.
When the two teams returned to play for the second half of play, neither side could put points on the board drive after drive.
The Husky offense was held in check and ran only fourteen plays while the Hoover offense had over forty snaps.
Despite their offensive woes, the Huskies appeared to have sealed the victory after turning the Bucs away after a twenty-play, 80-plus yard drive that ended on fourth and goal with a little more than three minutes on the clock.
The Husky offense was unable to run the clock out and handed the ball back to the Bucs.
The Bucs put together a 52-yard drive that culminated in a one-yard touchdown run with 26 seconds left on the clock. Hoover converted a two-point conversion and held an 8-7 lead.
The Huskies had one last chance to steal the victory in the closing seconds. Dobbins hit James Kelly for a 21-yard completion down the sideline.
Kelly stepped out of bounds with two seconds on the clock. That set up a 44-yard field goal attempt by Hunter Curtis. The field goal sailed wide right and the Bucs left Trussville with an all important region win.
“I told the guys that we had to find a way to win,” Trussville’s Coach Floyd. “The weather didn’t exactly cooperate, but no excuses. No matter what the conditions, we have to play hard; play our best and find a way to win as we look toward next week.”
Next Friday night the Huskies will face Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa in a Region game at Husky Stadium.
