Hewitt-Trussville used a dominating defense and scored on their first eight possessions of the game to down Bob Jones 56-14 in the opening round of the Class 7A playoffs.

The Huskies held the Patriots to 34 yards of total offense in the opening half and did not let the Patriots cross midfield at Hewitt-Trussville Stadium.

“Our defense played great,” Hewitt-Trussville coach Josh Floyd said. “They had a back that had gained close to 1,300 yards on the season. It was a great job by our defense.”

Senior Jaqson Melton set the tone of the game as he sprinted 40 yards on the game’s first play. That set up a Peyton Floyd 14-yard scoring strike to Dylan Cope.

“It was a great way to start the game,” coach Floyd said.

An errant snap on a Patriots’ punt attempt gave the Huskies (8-3) a first and goal. Kennedy Mitchell scored on a 10-yard run after the miscue.

“Hewitt-Trussville is a very good football team,” Bob Jones coach Kelvis White said. “We shot ourselves in the foot too many times, especially in the beginning of the game.”

Peyton Floyd, who only played in the opening half, finished 9-of-10 passing for 170 yards. He threw touchdown passes of 14, 62, and 23 yards. The senior quarterback added a 1-yard scoring run.

Tyren Washington scored on runs of three and 56 yards to prevent the Patriots (5-6) from being shutout.

Hewitt-Trussville had 464 yards of total offense in the victory.

Star turn: Hewitt-Trussville running back Kennedy Mitchell ran five times for 93 yards. The senior scored on runs of 10 and 54 yards.

He said it: “I am proud of our kids. They battled through a lot of injuries and hardships. We played four different quarterbacks this year. After losing our starting quarterback to an injury in the second game, I am proud of them to make it to playoffs. We are a young team and should be better next year.” – White

Coachspeak: “We had a lot of one-play drives tonight. To win a state championship, you have to beat Hoover.” — Josh Floyd

What’s next?: The Huskies host Hoover in second-round action at home. Hewitt-Trussville beat Hoover 28-7 earlier in the season.