Hoover, Shades Valley to test Rebels on path to playoffs
Halfway through September, the Vestavia Hills High Rebels had proven their eyes were on a state title in 2013.
The Rebels unveiled a devastating ground game in their 2013 season opener, literally running away with a convincing 34-14 win over rival Homewood Patriots.
The following week, Vestavia Hills once again used a balanced attack and suffocating defense to dominate its opponent. On Sept. 6, the Rebels scored a thoroughly convincing 24-3 win over Hewitt-Trussville.
Then, with Head Coach Buddy Anderson’s 300th career win on the table, VHHS completely dominated all phases of their game Sept. 12 with a 30-8 win over the Huffman Vikings.
Anderson’s 300th win places him just nine victories away from tying the Alabama high school record for wins, currently held by former Fayette coach Walden Tucker.
The Rebels paid tribute to their coach with an offensive explosion similar to their performances against Homewood and Trussville. A 27-yard touchdown toss from Landon Crowder to Patrick Haywood started the scoring in the first quarter. Before the period ended, Crowder found Haywood again, this time for a 53-yard scoring pass and a 14-0 lead.
Vestavia scored 16 more points but didn’t need them, thanks to a suffocating defense that only allowed a score in the game’s closing moments.
Following its game against the Gardendale Rockets on Sept. 20, VHHS takes on the Hoover Buccaneers on Sept. 27 for what looks to be one of the toughest matchups of the year for both teams. As of Sept. 15, the Bucs were ranked No. 1 in the state and the Rebels were No. 3 according to The Greater Birmingham Boys Football Rankings on maxpreps.com.
Even if VHHS gets past Hoover though, the Rebels aren’t out of the woods. Close on their heels are the Shades Valley Mounties, ranked No. 7 in the state. The two teams are set to face each other Oct. 18.