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Photos by Richard Force.
Vestavia wide receiver Luke Stubbs (14) runs with the ball during a game between Oak Mountain and Vestavia on Oct. 11 at Heardmont Park.
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Photos by Richard Force.
Vestavia head coach Robert Evans chats with the officials before the game.
The Vestavia Hills High School football team will be making its third consecutive trip to the state playoffs this fall.
It certainly has not been an easy ride for the Rebels this year. A young team combined with injuries and one of the toughest schedules in the state made for a challenging season.
Each of the last two years, the Rebels have advanced in the state playoffs, falling to Thompson in the second round both times.
This fall, the matchups have shifted in Class 7A, meaning Region 3 will now play Region 1 in the first round of the playoffs.
As of press time, Vestavia was the No. 4 seed in Region 3, meaning the Rebels would travel to the top seed out of Region 1, likely to be either Mary Montgomery or Baker. Those are two programs in the Mobile area that the Rebels have never played in program history.
Vestavia Hills will begin its playoff run on Nov. 8 after finishing the regular season against defending 6A state champ Clay-Chalkville. The 7A playoffs take place on Nov. 8, 15 and 22, leading up to the state championship game on Dec. 4. The title game kicks off the Super 7 Championships at Birmingham’s Protective Stadium on that Wednesday.
Vestavia Hills has become a regular playoff team since Robert Evans took the helm of his alma mater. Prior to 2022, the Rebels had only had two playoff appearances over the previous nine years.
The Rebels have a long and historical playoff track record. They burst onto the scene in the late 1970s with consecutive state runner-up finishes, before breaking through with a state title in 1980.
They continued to be a playoff mainstay throughout much of Buddy Anderson’s tenure, qualifying for the quarterfinals in 1993, 1995 and 1996. In 1997, the Rebels broke through to the semifinals once again, losing in triple overtime. They got the job done the following season, posting a 15-0 mark to win the 1998 title.
Vestavia has been to the semifinals four more times in the years since (2003, 2006, 2007 and 2013).