By Bobby Mathews, sports editor
PINSON — After bringing home the third 6A state title in four years, Pinson Valley is in the unenviable position of opening the 2021 season with a lot of newly minted starters.
The Indians lost 15 total starters from the 2020 championship team, and nine of those were on the defense.
“We’re a lot younger this year,” PVHS head coach Sam Shade said. “We only have three senior starters on the defense, so whether or not we have a successful year this season really depends on how quickly we can gel as a team.”
Pinson Valley goes into Friday night’s game at Hewitt-Trussville having lost to the 7A power 44-19 to open the 2020 season. But for Shade’s squad, there are no thoughts of revenge.
“That’s never been my thing,” he said. “Every team is different. This team is different from last year. At this point we are just feeling the excitement of being able to play the first game of the season against arguably one of the best teams in 7A.”
PVHS will rely on Zach Pyron to lead the offense for the second straight season. Pyron, who has committed to play at Baylor, had 150 completions on 275 attempts last season. He threw 23 touchdowns and ran for three more, against 11 interceptions.
“Their quarterback is really good,” Trussville head coach Josh Floyd said. “He can really spin it. But he’s also a good enough athlete that he can hurt you with either his arm or his legs.”
The Indians return three starters on the offensive line, including Cameron Ambrose at right tackle and Joel Brown at left guard. Also returning is junior center Carson Moore.
Defensively, B.J. Diakite will be key on the defensive line for Pinson Valley. He’s a versatile enough player that he’ll also line up at tight end and wideout in order to give Pyron more options and the offense a different wrinkle.
But the linchpin for PVHS may be senior running back Mike Sharpe. The 5-feet, 11-inch, 185-pound senior running back came on late in the 2020 season after an injury had sidelined the Indians’ starting back and helped the team to the state title.
“He’s got some D1 offers, so he’s really good,” Shade said. “He came on the second half of last season, and he does a little bit of everything for us. Mike covered punts and kickoffs for us … he’s a guy who’ll do whatever you need.”
Pinson Valley visits Trussville Friday night at 7 p.m.