John Perry
Rebels celebrate their rivalry win over Hoover last week.
The ninth-ranked Vestavia Hills Rebels, coming off their first win over archrival Hoover since 2009, will try to close out Class 7A, Region 3 play with a win at Tuscaloosa County on Friday.
The win over the Bucs, in the 50th meeting, ended a seven-game losing streak. It also put the Rebels in the playoffs after a year’s absence. All that remains to be decided is where the Rebels will finish, and that might not be determined till next week.
Spain Park is the region champ with a 6-0 region mark. Hewitt-Trussville is 5-1, and faces Hoover, which is 4-2. The Rebels are also 4-2 (6-2 overall). A Hoover win (and a Rebels win) creates a three-way tie that would have to be determined in the final week of the regular season by a deep tiebreaker that takes beaten non-region opponent’s wins into account.
If Hewitt beats Hoover, however, that leaves Hoover and Vestavia in a tie for the third spot, and the Rebels hold the tiebreaker via its head-to-head win.
The Wildcats (0-8, 0-6) are having an uncharacteristically rough year. They haven’t lost eight games in a season in 20 years and haven’t gone winless in 40 years.
Thompson shut them out 27-0 last week. Generally, offense has been the problem. They’ve scored more than a touchdown in just three of their eight games, and their highest output is 16 points.
They were burned by big plays by Thompson last week.
The Rebels will use the method that’s been successful this year -- physical line play and strong defense. Offensively, it’s been the punishing running game mixed with play-action passing. Walker Minor rushed for 99 yards on 29 carries and scored the game-winning touchdown last week against Hoover.
County High won last year’s game 14-7 and leads the series 6-5.
Kickoff at Tuscaloosa County’s Wildcat Stadium is 7 p.m.
