Rebels host Oxford in non-region game Friday

Vestavia Hills (3-1, 2-1 Class 7A, Region 3) steps out of region play on Friday when the Rebels host Oxford.

Kickoff is 7 p.m. on Buddy Anderson Field at Thompson Reynolds Stadium.

The Rebels are coming off a dominating 37-7 performance against rival Mountain Brook. They rebounded nicely from a tough loss at Hewitt-Trussville, the Rebels’ first loss and also a region loss.

Still, the win over the Spartans put Vestavia Hills back in good position in the Region 3 race. Hoover and Spain Park are tied atop the region at 3-0, with Vestavia and Hewitt at 2-1. Thompson and Oak Mountain are 1-2 and Mountain Brook and Tuscaloosa County are 0-3. After this Friday out of region play, the Rebels hit a crucial make-or-break stretch of region games at Thompson, at Spain Park and then against Hoover at home.

There are no region games this week.

The Rebels have matched last season’s win total already, showing how much improvement Buddy Anderson’s team has made from last season. Brett Jones has stepped in at quarterback and provided an effective passing attack and a host of running backs, led by Walker Minor, have run behind a strong offensive line.

Against Mountain Brook, the defense forced four turnovers, two for touchdowns, and also picked up a safety on a bad Spartans snap on a punt.

“Our defense played great,” Anderson said. “We played physical, we played great. We didn’t have a good game last week and they just came out and worked their hands off in practice this week to get better.”

Levi Wiggins returned a fumble 41 yards for a score and Reid Adams had a 48-yard fumble return for a TD for Vestavia Hills.

Oxford, which is in Class 6A, took a 55-0 whipping from No. 4 Opelika. The Yellow Jackets (2-3) beat Vestavia last year 35-14, but the Rebels won’t have to deal with Tre Gamble on Friday. Last year, the Yellow Jackets senior scored five touchdowns, rushing for 173 yards and racking up 77 receiving yards. He’s taken his talents to East Central Community College in Mississippi, where he continues to put up big numbers.

Instead, Oxford relies on sophomore quarterback Brody Syer and running backs Trey Franks and Diquae Calhoun. Jakolbe McClendon is a top receiver.