Rebels end year on 3-game winning streak
IRONDALE – The Vestavia Hills High School football team would have much rather qualified for the playoffs this fall.
But the Rebels capped things off about as well as they could.
Vestavia Hills notched a 17-0 shutout win over Shades Valley on Thursday night at Frank Nix Stadium, winning its third straight game and finishing off head coach Sean Calhoun’s first year in a positive manner.
“It was a great way for these seniors to go out. We were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs but it was great to see their fight,” Calhoun said.
Vestavia Hills (4-6) sputtered offensively much of the night and finished with 278 total yards. The Rebels’ best drive was in the third quarter, as they marched 80 yards and scored. Bryant Agee, who returned from injury after missing several weeks, broke a long 60-yard run on that drive to get his team down close.
Tucker Smitha finished off the drive with a 2-yard run to give the Rebels a 10-0 advantage. Sophomore kicker Jack Brewer kicked a 28-yard field goal in the second quarter to give Vestavia a 3-0 halftime edge.
Agee led the team with 94 yards on nine carries. Smitha finished with 17 rushes for 72 yards.
The Rebels defense was “lights out” all night, according to Calhoun. Shades Valley (3-7) mounted just 181 yards of offense in the game.
John Ross Ashley had a huge night defensively, coming up with multiple big plays. Ashley intercepted a pass and blocked a punt in the fourth quarter. That punt was scooped up by John Mark Richter, who returned it for a touchdown to give the Rebels a 17-0 lead in the final minutes.
Houston Owen led the Vestavia defense with 10 tackles on the night, while Trey Saunders and Max Neuroth each finished with six tackles.
Mitchell Towns completed 9-of-18 passes for 61 yards for the Rebels on the night. Max Stewart went for 27 yards on two catches to lead the team.
Shades Valley finished in a three-way tie for third place in Class 6A, Region 5 and entered play with a chance to make the playoffs, although the Mounties’ fate was out of their hands. With Homewood and Chelsea both losing, the Mounties were eliminated and their season ends with the loss.
Calhoun hopes to not be in this position very often in his tenure at Vestavia, watching from outside the lines as the playoffs begin. But he is encouraged by what he has seen over the last few weeks.
“I am really excited about the momentum that we have right now,” Calhoun said. “Any time you don’t make the playoffs, if you can have some kind of momentum, some kind of great energy going into the preseason to get ready for next year, I think that’s great.”