Rebels fall on late touchdown
BIRMINGHAM – If Evan Smith got another chance, he vowed to himself he would make the most of it.
He didn’t break his promise.
Smith scored twice in the final 2:13 of the ball game, his 9-yard run with 12 seconds remaining lifting the Oak Mountain High School football team to a wild 35-28 victory over Vestavia Hills on Friday at Heardmont Park.
“It was the last man standing,” Oak Mountain head coach Cris Bell said following the game. “You just can’t quit and our guys didn’t quit.”
The fourth quarter featured multiple momentum swings.
Vestavia Hills (0-4) extended its lead to 28-20 early in the final frame on quarterback Braden Glenn’s 35-yard run. He plunged up the middle on third-and-1, but no Eagles defender touched him and he wound up in the end zone.
Oak Mountain (4-0) marched down the field on its next possession, chewing up the Heardmont grass and time on the clock. But on a pivotal third down, Smith and his tailback were unable to connect on a pitch, resulting in a 10-yard loss.
“The reality is we just kept shooting ourselves in the foot,” Bell said. “We’ve got to clean that up, but the thing I love about these guys is they just keep playing.”
The Eagles punted the ball away with four minutes to go. But on the first play of Vestavia’s following drive, the Rebels fumbled and Dean Null fell on the loose ball, giving the ball right back to the Eagles.
Smith and the Eagles had their second chance. This time, they made the most of it. Six straight running plays led to Smith’s 1-yard dive into the end zone. Smith ran it in for the two-point conversion as well to tie the game at 28-28 with 2:13 to play.
Vestavia Hills was unable to convert a first down the next time it had the ball, so the Eagles took over yet again near midfield with 1:15 left. Judah Tait carried much of the load on that quick drive, as the Eagles quickly reached field goal range. But Smith took no chances, scoring himself on a 9-yard run to push the Eagles across the finish line.
“It was a rollercoaster,” Smith said of the fourth quarter. “But you just had to stick with it and we found a way to win it.”
Smith capped off a dazzling evening with the final touchdown run. He rushed for 140 yards and three scores on 18 carries, and completed 9-of-18 passes for 71 yards. Tait joined him over the century mark with 139 yards on 24 carries. Cade George had 31 rushing yards as well. Noah Young was Smith’s favorite target through the air, as he secured six catches for 50 yards.
The Eagles and Rebels were both utterly dominant on the ground all evening. Vestavia Hills piled up 313 rushing yards, while Oak Mountain ran for 344 yards.
George opened the game’s scoring, as his 8-yard touchdown run put the Eagles ahead 6-0 midway through the opening frame. Vestavia Hills answered on Alex McKinstry’s 23-yard run to take a 7-6 edge after the opening 15 minutes.
The Rebels extended the lead to 14-6 on the first of Bryant Agee’s two long touchdown runs. He went 45 yards in the second quarter, before adding a 63-yard sprint in the third quarter. Those two scores were sandwiched around a pair of Oak Mountain touchdowns, as Smith scored from 9 yards late in the second quarter and Tait ran for a 28-yard score in the third quarter.
Agee led the Rebels on the ground, rushing for 154 yards on just 13 carries. McKinstry added 68 yards on 11 touches. Taiyo Crawford also went for 66 yards on eight carries.
Vestavia Hills had a chance to add to its 14-12 advantage heading into halftime, but defensive tackle Jacob Katona penetrated the line and got a hand on the 33-yard field goal attempt to block it.
“That probably is the play of the game,” Bell said. “They get the ball coming out of the locker room and to keep them from getting points was big.”
The win lifts Oak Mountain to 4-0 overall for the first time in school history. The Eagles are also now 2-0 in Class 7A, Region 3 play.
“It’s huge,” Smith said. “It gives us a lot of confidence going into a big game next week.”
Bell is proud of the way his team has played to this point, but he’s focused on that big game at Hoover in a week’s time.
“We’ve got another one next week, so we’ll look to keep making history,” he said.
Vestavia Hills hosts Tuscaloosa County next week in another region contest.
Click here to view and purchase photos from the game.