Photo by David Leong
Vestavia Hills head coach Robert Evans reacts to play during a game between Vestavia and Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa on Fri, Sept. 12, 2025, at Thompson Reynolds Stadium. Photo by David Leong.
The countdown to the high school football season is on, with July 14 marking 37 days until the season kicks off.
Vestavia Hills will play on the first day of AHSAA competition, as the Rebels will take on Parker on Aug. 20.
Head coach Robert Evans is entering his fifth season as head coach of the Rebels, back at his alma mater.
He was a state championship-winning free safety with the Rebels in 1998. He was hired in January 2022, taking over for Sean Calhoun and becoming the third Rebels head coach in as many years following Buddy Anderson's 43-year run.
The results have followed. Vestavia Hills has reached the playoffs in each of Evans' first four seasons, winning 22 games over his first three seasons and reaching the second round of the playoffs each time. Last fall, the Rebels went 8-3, falling in the first round of the playoffs.
Evans arrived at Vestavia Hills after four years as defensive coordinator at Mountain Brook, where he helped build one of the top units in the state, and eight years at Hoover before that, five as defensive coordinator, a stretch that produced four state championships.
