By Shane Paschal, For the Tribune
Pinson, Ala.-Hueytown visited Pinson Valley to end the regular season for 2024 and left with a 57-42 win.
Hueytown had already won the 6A Region 4 championship, while Pinson Valley had ended its first season of missing the playoffs since 2009 with a streak of 14 playoff appearances.
Pinson received the opening kickoff and went four-and-out, punting to Hueytown. Hueytown took possession and quickly marched downfield, scoring on a two-yard run. With the extra point, the Golden Gophers would lead 7-0 with 9:45 to go in the first quarter.
Pinson would punt right back to Hueytown, who would quickly take it down for a 24-yard quarterback keeper for a touchdown. The extra point would be good with 6:51 left in the first quarter.
Hueytown would extend its lead to 14-0. On Hueytown’s next possession, the Golden Gophers would score on a 46-yard pass from Jebron Ellington to Jackson. The extra point would give them a 21-0 lead with 2:33 left in the first quarter, which would be how the quarter would end.
Pinson scored on the second quarter’s second play with a Rico Freeman pass to Christian Thomas. The two-point pass from Thomas to Edwards was good, and Pinson narrowed the lead to 21-8 with 11:49 left in the half.
Hueytown’s Anthony Richardson would get the points right back, returning the kickoff for a touchdown. The extra point would be no good, and with 11:35 left in the half, Hueytown was back out to a 27-8 lead.
On Hueytown’s next possession, they would punt for no yards, giving Pinson the ball at the Gopher 29. Pinson would capitalize, scoring on a pass from Freeman to Calhoun. Freeman would run the ball in for two, and with 6:02 left in the half, Pinson narrowed the lead to 27-16.
Hueytown would drive right back down and score on an Anthony Robinson run. The extra point was good, and with 4:48 left in the half, the Golden Gophers would now lead 34-16. Hueytown would again extend their lead when Donivan Moore intercepted an Indian pass and ran it back 30 yards for a touchdown. With the extra point, Hueytown would extend their lead again, making it 41-16 with 1:51 left in the half.
Pinson drove down and scored on the last play of the half, a 12-yard pass from Freeman. The two-point pass was no good, and the visitors’ halftime score was 41-22.
Hueytown started right where they left off, returning the second-half kickoff for a touchdown. With the extra point, they extended their lead to 48-22 with 11:41 left in the third quarter.
With 4:53 left in the third quarter, Hueytown would get a 32-yard field goal to extend their lead to 51-22. That would be how the third quarter ended.
With 11:20 left in the game, Pinson’s Zion Moffett would score on a one-yard run. The two-point run was no good, and Pinson closed the Hueytown lead to 51-28.
Hueytown would answer with an eight-yard Jaedyn Powell touchdown pass to Zayvion Green. The conversion would be no good, and with 6:36 left in the game, the Golden Gophers lead would stand at 57-28.
Pinson would respond with a spectacular 87-yard touchdown pass from Rico Freeman to Christian Thomas. A reverse by Demarcus Waldrop would give the Indians two points, and the lead would shrink to 57-36 with 4:06 left in the game. Pinson recovered the onside kick, drove down, and cashed in with a 9-yard reverse from Demarcus Waldrop for another Indian score. The two-point run would be no good, and with 2:35 left in the game, Hueytown’s lead would be 57-42. Pinson wouldn’t get the ball back, and Hueytown left Pinson with a track meet win, 57-42.
Hueytown (7-3), winners of 6A, Region 4, will host Percy Julian next week in the first round of the playoffs. Pinson Valley ends its season with a 1-9 record. The Indians set a school record for allowing the most points in a season (442), also tied their school record for most losses in a season, and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2009.
