No. 6 Rebels host Mounties for Homecoming 2015
The sixth-ranked Vestavia Hills Rebels close out the 2015 regular season as they welcome Shades Valley to Buddy Anderson Field/Thompson Reynolds Stadium on Friday.
The Rebels (7-2, 5-2 Class 7A, Region 3) are playoff bound. The Rebels return to the playoffs after a year’s absence. The Rebels sit in a three-way tie entering this week’s play for the runner-up spot behind Spain Park in Region 3. Hoover and Hewitt-Trussville are also 5-2 in the region, and the tiebreaker system employed by the Alabama High School Athletic Association comes down to Tiebreaker “L” – the number of wins by the non-region opponents you have beaten. So Thursday night’s Hoover-North Marion game and Friday’s games for Hewitt at Clay-Chalkville and Rebels-Mounties clash will shake out who gets to open the playoffs at home and who travels.
The Rebels got their feet back on the ground after a special win over Hoover and dispatched region foe Tuscaloosa County 15-7 last Friday. Curry Howard kicked three field goals and Morgan Long added a touchdown run to lead the Rebels offense. Brett Jones completed 9-of-12 passes for 133 yards, while Toliver Chatwood (89 yards) and Walker Minor (65 yards) carried the bulk of the Rebels’ 182 rushing yards. Vestavia collected 315 total yards.
Shades Valley (2-7, 2-4 in Class 6A, Region 7) is led by quarterback Claude Newell. Against Pinson Valley last week, Newell went 24-of-42 for 243 yards and a scoring pass to go along with a pair of rushing scores. First-year head coach David Partridge coaches the Mounties.
This is the 43rd meeting between the two schools. The Rebels have dominated the series 32-9-1. The Mounties won last year 26-21, ending a Rebels’ 14-game winning streak.
Kickoff is 7 p.m.