Rebels slip up in region game at Oak Mountain
BIRMINGHAM -- Vestavia Hills has a lot of work to do.
Those were the words of head coach Buddy Anderson after a 34-7 Class 7A, Region 3 defeat at Oak Mountain on Friday night.
“We didn’t execute tonight, so we’ve got a lot of work to do,” Anderson said.
In just his second start, Oak Mountain sophomore quarterback Jackson Kimbrell found his groove, passing for 117 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for 69 more yards and another score.
“He did great,” said Oak Mountain senior running back Daniel Salchert. “He was making great reads. He’s just an athlete.”
Oak Mountain grabbed the lead early in the second quarter when Jaylin Gaines darted 16 yards for the game’s first score. A blocked point-after attempt left the Eagles with a 6-0 advantage.
Vestavia Hills (1-2, 0-2) answered quickly. Junior quarterback Coleman Pettway darted 23 yards to give the Rebels a 7-6 lead with 5:30 left until halftime. Salchert scampered 75 yards to pay dirt two plays later to give Oak Mountain a 12-7 halftime lead.
With 4:54 left in the third quarter, Kimbrell connected with junior Ethan Duncan for a 61-yard touchdown to break the game open. Salchert ran the ball in for the two-point conversion and a 20-7 lead. On the Eagles’ next possession, Kimbrell rushed 27 yards for a touchdown with 1:54 left in the third quarter. Salchert added a four-yard touchdown run with 2:15 left in the game to round out the scoring.
Salchert finished with 101 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries.
“We just had a chip on our shoulder from last year,” Salchert said. “Vestavia gave it to us last year. We just knew we could do it.”
For Vestavia Hills, Toliver Chatwood rushed 18 times for 89 yards. Pettway added 55 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. he completed four of his 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.
Anderson said he knew that Oak Mountain had a formidable offense.
“In this region, you’ve got to be ready to play every Friday night or you’ll get it handed to you,” Anderson said. “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 plays host to Huffman next week. Anderson said he’s seen film of Huffman’s 21-11 win over Oak Mountain.
“They’re very impressive,” he said.
Anderson said the focus after an 0-2 region start is on just the next game.
“There’s no time off,” Anderson said. “This region is brutal. You’ve got to be ready to play every Friday night.”