Rebels beat Mountain Brook in overtime thriller
VESTAVIA HILLS -- Patrick Nuss didn’t even have to look.
The Vestavia Hills senior offensive lineman turned and bolted for the home sideline as soon as the ball left Manraj Singh’s foot.
“We’ll remember this one forever,” Nuss said.
Indeed, the Rebels will. Singh booted an 18-yard game-winning field goal in the second overtime to lift Vestavia Hills (4-3, 2-3 in Class 7A, Region 3) to a 17-14 victory over rival No. 9 Mountain Brook (5-2, 3-2).
Tied 7-7 at the end of regulation, neither team struggled to score in the first overtime. Vestavia Hills scored on its second play of the first overtime when Toliver Chatwood darted for a 4-yard score. Mountain Brook answered one play later when quarterback Hamp Sisson found paydirt from 10 yards out.
Mountain Brook had the ball first for the second overtime, and Vestavia’s Earl Bradberry intercepted Sisson on third-and-goal from the 13-yard line. Chatwood then churned out nine yards to the 1-yard line before Singh kicked the game-winner.
“This is almost better than Hoover last year,” Chatwood said. “The amount of hype leading up to this game and the amount of trash-talking between us two and just the rivalry between us is just better than anything you can describe.”
Chatwood said that Singh, a senior kicker, has worked hard ever since his freshman year.
“He’s come a long way,” Chatwood said. “He’s one of our best players now.”
The game was a slugfest throughout. After a scoreless first quarter, Mountain Brook got on the board first when Harold Joiner rushed for a 2-yard touchdown just three minutes into the second quarter. Late in the quarter, though, Vestavia Hills brought pressure on a fourth-and-seven punt from the Spartans’ own 17-yard line, and blocked it. Jonathan Hess scooped up the blocked punt and ran it in to tie the game.
Mountain Brook head coach Chris Yeager said that was the one play in the game that stood out to him. He said his team works on protection every week, but things broke down on that play. Had it not occurred, the Spartans would likely have won the game 7-0.
“It was just the perfect storm,” Yeager said.
For Vestavia Hills, Coleman Petway completed 8-of-14 passes for 106 yards. Mitchell Langley caught four passes for 68 yards. For Mountain Brook, Sisson completed 10-of-19 passes for 89 yards and an interception. He rushed 14 times for 58 yards and a score.
The story of the game was defense. Vestavia Hills totaled 207 yards, while Mountain Brook managed 224. The teams combined for nine second-half punts.
The Vestavia Hills win gives head coach Buddy Anderson his 324th career victory, one more than former University of Alabama head coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. It makes Anderson the winningest coach at any level of football in the state of Alabama.
“That doesn’t make any difference,” Anderson said. “These kids are what make the difference.”
Nuss said the feat for his coach is great.
“I mean, I’m playing football for the winningest coach in all of Alabama football, so I mean, that’s pretty fun to say right there,” he said.
Vestavia Hills will take its momentum into a game at rival Hoover next week.
“We’ve just got to go one day at a time,” Anderson said.
For now, the win over the Spartans will be celebrated.
“This is the best game I’ve been a part of,” Chatwood said.
- William Galloway contributed to this report.