Rebels look to rebound against upstart Huffman

The Rebels have to pick themselves off the ground, as a trip to Oak Mountain did not go as desired last week. The Eagles ran away with the game in the second half and took a 34-7 victory.

“In this region, you’ve got to be ready to play every Friday night or you’ll get it handed to you,” Vestavia Hills head coach Buddy Anderson said following the game. “We got it handed to us tonight. If you’re not ready to play, you’re going to get it handed to you.”

Vestavia Hills is off to an undesirable 0-2 start in Class 7A, Region 3, one of the toughest regions in the state. But Anderson’s team has no time to sit and sulk.

“There’s no time off,” Anderson said. “This region is brutal. You’ve got to be ready to play every Friday night.”

In the game, Toliver Chatwood rushed 18 times for 89 yards. Quarterback Coleman Petway added 55 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. He completed 4-of-10 passes for 41 yards. William Schaffeld and Cooper Jones each rushed seven times for 31 yards. Defensively, Spencer Lawson grabbed an interception for the Rebels.

Tonight, the road to the first region win is a tough one, more difficult than initially believed. The new face in Region 3, Huffman, sits atop the standings with Hoover at 2-0 after victories over Oak Mountain and Tuscaloosa County. On the fringe of being bumped up from Class 6A, the Vikings have come out of the gates well.

Anderson said he’s seen film of Huffman’s 21-11 win over Oak Mountain. “They’re very impressive,” he said.

Huffman opened the season with a 7-0 loss to still-unbeaten Parker, before following that up with the win over Oak Mountain and a 24-14 victory against Tuscaloosa County.

The Vikings are led by the rushing attack of Jacoby Johnson and Rodarrius Brooks. The two combined for over 250 yards rushing in the win last week. However, they did not complete a pass, making the ground attack all the more impressive.

The Rebels have a formidable rushing attack of their own, as they rely on Chatwood, Jones and Schaffeld to carry the load, along with the legs of Petway from the quarterback position.

Vestavia Hills is coming off a two-game skid, after handling Homewood, 20-3, in the season opener and falling at Spain Park, 28-14, in the region opener.

The Rebels and Vikings played each other often in the late 1980s and early ‘90s, and Vestavia Hills holds an 11-6 edge in the series. The Rebels have won each of the last four in the series, and have not lost since 1993 in a game at Lawson Field.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Thompson Reynolds Stadium. Vestavia Hills stays at home next week against Helena.