Rebels cruise to jamboree victory

VESTAVIA HILLS -- Vestavia Hills High School signal-caller Eli Sawyer tossed three first-quarter touchdowns, and the Class 7A Rebels cruised over 5A Briarwood Christian School 38-3 in Friday's jamboree at Thompson Reynolds Stadium.

The Rebels opened the game emphatically when Sawyer used play-action to find a streaking Chandler Merrill down the Vestavia Hills sideline, resulting in a 67-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. Merrill was also on the receiving end of a 13-yard scoring strike from Sawyer, while Wells Watts hauled in a 9-yard touchdown via a precise fade in the back, left corner of the end zone.

Sawyer connected on seven of his nine attempts for 126 yards, sitting for the majority of the second half. Joe Phifer (12 yards) and Brayden Duke (7 yards) capped the scoring for Vestavia Hills with third-quarter trips to pay dirt.

“We are young on offense except for Eli, a few receivers and one offensive lineman, but I was pleased that we played hard,” Vestavia Hills head coach Buddy Anderson said. “We had a few mistakes, but we will get better from those. The key for us is getting better every week. I am proud of our defense.”

The Rebels defense limited the Lions to only two first downs in the opening half, smothering the Briarwood rushing attack to a meager 21 yards. Jermaine Harris and Cole Johnston notched big plays for Vestavia Hills with an interception and sack, respectively.

The Lions scratched across the scoreboard in the fourth quarter when Seth Alford connected on a 22-yard field. Briarwood head coach Matthew Forester made his debut, marking a new leader on the sidelines for the Lions for the first time since 1990.

“It was fun and a neat experience to be out there with Coach Anderson and his 40-plus years of experience as my first game. It was just an honor to be on the field with him,” Forester said. “Having our boys step out there and compete was a learning experience, and we know we have a lot to do but we will be all right and are excited about the season.”

Alastair Harris aided the Lions’ defense with an interception, and freshman quarterback Christopher Vizzina paced the offense with 36 passing yards. 

Vestavia Hills opens the 2019 season next week with a road contest against Homewood, while Briarwood hosts Chelsea.

Click here to purchase photos from the game.