By Loyd McIntosh, Sports Editor
TRUSSVILLE — Hewitt vs. Hewitt.

The Hewitt 6th Grade White team. (Photo courtesy of Wes Legg)
It may sound like the title of a 1980s melodrama, but that very scenario is about to take place as a pair of sixth-grade football teams from Trussville play each other in a championship game this weekend. The Trussville White and Trussville Red teams will compete for the championship of the Jefferson Shelby Youth Football League (JSYFL) at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex Saturday night.
Each team comes into the championship game undefeated with identical records of 10-0. Competing in opposite divisions in the league made up of teams from such communities as Hoover, Vestavia Hills, Oak Mountain, and Chelsea, the Trussville Red and White teams were put together to take advantage of the talented players in the age group and make the two teams more equitable.
Coaches Wesley Legg (White) and John Gibson (Red) worked with many of these kids in fifth grade getting to know each other along the way. As they began to prepare for the 2022 season and realized there were enough players for two teams, they scrapped the typical A-team B-team idea. Instead, they formed two equally talented teams, often practicing with each other and developing a special bond in the process.
“Coach Gibson and I got together before the season started and realized we had a real opportunity for something special,” explained Legg. “We thought if we worked together, we could have two really competitive teams. We built both teams to make it to the championship game and play each other.”
“We were fortunate enough to have a lot of good players and we decided to organize the teams this way so we could help each other out,” said Gibson. “This is a great group of kids. We’re just loaded with talent, and we do a lot of stuff together.”
Gibson and Legg have also worked to prepare the boys for middle school and, eventually, to play for Hewitt-Trussville Head Coach Josh Floyd. They run the same offense as the high school hoping to give the players a head start as they age out of the youth program.
Trussville Red and White were the only undefeated teams in the regular season and will now face each other for the JSYFL title. Both coaches want to win the championship, of course. However, they also realize the uniqueness of the moment. They’ve already had a championship banner created celebrating the accomplishment of both teams and would like the attention focused on their players and the community.
“It’s a very friendly competition so the pressure is off,” said Legg. “These guys are already champions.”
The JSYFL 20220 Championship is scheduled for Saturday, November 18 at 7 p.m. at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex.