Spartans tripped by Hewitt-Trussville

TRUSSVILLE -- Despite a slow start on the scoreboard, the Hewitt-Trussville Huskies used a stifling defense and a few big plays to earn another region win Friday night at home over Mountain Brook by a score of 35-14.

Hewitt-Trussville (6-2, 5-1 Class 7A, Region 3) had two drives stall in Spartan (2-6, 1-5 Class 7A, Region 3) territory in the first quarter, but was able to take advantage of a Mountain Brook turnover to get an early score.

“Our red zone efficiency wasn’t very good the first half. I think we were able to move the football, we just didn’t do a very good job sticking it in. It could’ve been 21-0 in the first quarter,” Huskies’ head coach Josh Floyd said. “Give Mountain Brook credit, they were doing a lot of different stuff on defense.”

A pair of missed field goals in the first quarter from Hewitt-Trussville kicker Parker Colburn allowed the Spartans to stay close throughout, and keep the game within two scores for the majority of the contest.

It was the Husky defense, however, that shined in the first half. Forcing a pair of turnovers and giving up just 18 yards of total offense to Mountain Brook was the key early on.

“Our defense played lights out, especially in the first half,” Floyd said.

Indeed they did, holding Spartans’ sophomore quarterback Hamp Sisson to minus-1 yard passing and tight end-turned-running back Owen Conzelman to just 16 yards on 13 carries in the first half. The Spartans gained just one first down in the half.

On the first play from scrimmage, Mountain Brook center snapped the ball over Sisson’s head, and Nathan Helms recovered it. Zac Thomas then found Bradley Turner on fourth down for a touchdown pass from 2 yards out.

From there, both defenses were stout. Hewitt-Trussville wouldn’t score again until Thomas tossed a screen pass to Elliot McElwain with three offensive linemen, led by Brandt Selesky, out in front of him, and he scampered 56 yards for a score just before the half.

The second half was a bit opposite, as the two offenses seemed to find their rhythm.

Mountain Brook took the second-half kick and marched 70 yards, with the aid of 20 yards of defensive penalties, including drawing the Huskies offside on fourth-and-4.

On the touchdown play, Sisson scrambled away from defenders and found a wide-open Wilson Higgins for the touchdown, cutting the lead to 14-7.

“They came out and were a little more attack mode, they came out and made some plays in the second half,” Floyd said of the Spartans’ offense.

Mountain Brook head coach Chris Yeager was proud of the way his team reacted coming out of the locker room.

“I felt like our kids responded the second half,” Yeager said. “I thought our kids played hard, I’m pleased with that.”

Hewitt-Trussville answered quickly, however. With running back Jarrion Street sidelined with an apparent shoulder injury, Noah Igbinoghene stepped in and caught a pair of passes from Thomas on the ensuing drive, including a short hitch rout that he took 48 yards to the end zone.

“Jarrion just came to me after he got out and said, ‘It’s your time to step up,’ so I decided to do that. I was real fired up about it, I was kind of nervous a little bit, but I stopped after the touchdown,” Igbinoghene said.

The Huskies bookended their offense’s turnover on downs with a pair of forced punts by Mountain Brook before icing the game with another Igbinoghene touchdown catch.

He capped an 11-play, 83-yard drive with a 33-yard touchdown catch from Thomas where the senior signal-caller threaded the needle between two defenders and let his athletic receiver go up and get it.

“(The ball) usually doesn’t come to me (on that play), but I was in the end zone wide open so I just started waving my hands and luckily (Thomas) saw me,” Igbinoghene said.

Mountain Brook was not going to go away too quietly, however, and Sisson hit Higgins again for a long pass, and then took a designed quarterback-keeper to the end zone from 33 yards out in less than a minute on the drive.

The ensuing onside kick was recovered by Hewitt-Trussville, however. The Huskies added a final score when backup tailback Grayson Cash found paydirt from 7 yards out for the game’s final score.

Yeager said he was proud of his team for fighting back throughout the game, and despite being out of the playoff race, he expects his team to compete for the rest of the season.

“I think the biggest thing is giving your best in whatever you do. It’s about finishing strong. It’s not what happens on the scoreboard,” he said. “This has been a valuable year for us, and it’s important that we finish it correctly. You’re going to face setbacks in your life. How do you stay motivated? Because in your heart you’re a winner.”