Unified Rebels savor state experience
AUBURN — After the game ended, it was hard to tell which team had won Wednesday’s Unified flag football state championship.
Players from both Baldwin County and Vestavia Hills high schools flashed wide smiles during the postgame awards ceremony at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
All wore celebratory medals and sported navy blue hats, the word “CHAMP” inscribed across the front.
“Everybody’s a winner after this game,” said Vestavia Hills head coach Terry Tingle, whose team fell 26-18. “We actually came in on the same bus. When would two teams be coming in on the same bus together? These guys just love to compete.”
Unified flag football pairs traditional and special needs students at participating schools. According to Jeff Segars, Vestavia Hills athletic director, this was the third year the Rebels fielded a Unified team.
They have advanced to the state title game each season.
“It’s so much fun,” Vestavia Hills athlete Parker Turner said. “I love just coming out with these kids and playing football. It’s just awesome.”
The Rebels defeated Hewitt-Trussville in November to secure their spot in Auburn. Even amid tough conditions, they embraced the high-stakes atmosphere. Temperatures hovered around 40 degrees throughout the game, and a breeze persisted.
Vestavia Hills did too.
After falling behind 7-0 early in the first half, the Rebels scored on consecutive possessions to dig out of their deficit. Weyman Prater and Winston Bosworth rumbled into the end zone on rushes of 32 and 35 yards to give their team a 12-7 lead.
Prater won a dash down the right sideline, while Bosworth crisscrossed the 40-yard field with a sequence of jukes.
Bosworth gained 82 yards on six carries. He also added five receptions for 20 yards with the aid of quarterback Austin Ballard, who savored the opportunity to play in one of college football’s most fabled stadiums.
“It feels amazing,” said Ballard, sporting a blue jacket after the game. “A lot of superstars came out here.”
Ballard completed 7-of-19 passes for 44 yards. His 3-yard touchdown toss to Bosworth with 29 seconds left in regulation finalized the scoring.
Between Bosworth’s two TDs, Baldwin County found the end zone three times through the air.
Tre Morrissette caught a pair of 35-yard touchdowns, and Jaron Hyatt added an 8-yard scoring grab.
But Vestavia Hills' defensive lapses were quickly forgotten once the clock hit zeroes.
Baldwin County and Vestavia Hills players received their medals and hats before lining up near the 15-yard line. During the team awards ceremony, Davis Spain accepted Vestavia Hills' participation plaque and lifted it above his head for his peers to see.
He couldn’t stop grinning.
“It’s one of the pinnacles of their lives,” Tingle said. “They get to play out there where Cam Newton played, all their heroes. They love it. It’s like them pretending to be their heroes, and they have fun.”
In addition to the aforementioned Vestavia Hills players, the Rebels' roster includes Philip Trawick, Jarmarkese Moore, Harrison Washington, Ian Waugh, Garret Vance, Wilson Taylor and Daniel Morson.