By Erik Harris
Trussville Tribune writers Erik Harris, Chris Yow and Kyle Parmley will be awarding Players of the Week in each high school football matchup of the 2015 season. Players or position groups will be awarded based on more than just statistics. The awarded player(s) will also be evaluated based on the timeliness of their performance. Tribune Players of the Week will be announced weekly on Tribune Sports Live.
Pinson Valley 24, McAdory 21.
Pinson Valley defensive back Jay Woods talks with the Tribune following the Indians’ 24-21 overtime win over fourth-ranked McAdory. Photo by Jason Bradley
In the only area action of the week, Pinson Valley rebounded from a pair of blowout losses with a win in one of the state’s toughest Class 6A environments.
Cornerback Jay Woods provided production on both sides of the ball in an upset win over No. 4 McAdory in non-region action. He was asked to hold up in coverage against elite playmakers Malcolm Askew and Willie Langham while also taking snaps from the Indians’ backfield.
“They’re great athletes,” Woods said of Langham and Askew. “I just had to be on my game tonight. They’re big-time recruits, I’m a big-time recruit, so big-time players make big-time plays.”
One of the big-time plays he delivered came on McAdory’s fourth drive of the night when he intercepted a Jordan Jones pass which was intended for Askew on a deep post rout.
With three-time Tribune Player of the Week Torrey Hendrix inactive at running back, Woods knew he would be called upon to provide an offensive spark on Friday night.
“We had a couple players banged up after the Clay game, so I just had to fill a couple spots and help my team,” Woods said. “I’m an athlete, so I’m going to do whatever I can to help my team.”
Sophomore running back Khymel Chaverst has spelled Hendrix all season in the Pinson Valley backfield, and filled in nicely as the starter in a harsh road environment. Chaverst proved to be a hard runner, going for 50 tough yards on 18 attempts against the Yellow Jackets.
But when head coach Matt Glover went to his Seminole Package, which was previously designed to create rushing opportunities for former standout Nick Gibson, Woods played the leading role. He unofficially took five snaps from that formation, two of them coming in third down situations.
“I had to learn the plays all week because I had not played (any offense),” Woods said. “We did good. I thought I caught on to it well. We got a couple of first downs on a couple of third-and-short (situations).”
He ran with it five times for 18 yards, moving the chains in some key situations. Glover showed tremendous confidence in his senior South Alabama pledge in the second quarter. On a fourth-and-six play with the Indians trailing 6-0, Woods took the shotgun snap, rolled right and delivered an accurate ball into the flats that should’ve moved the sticks if not for some shaky hands. Woods is awarded by Erik Harris.
Follow Erik Harris on Twitter @jeharris2.
