Sarah Finnegan
Vestavia vs. Mountain Brook Football
Vestavia Hills' Earl Bradberry (35) in a game between Vestavia Hills High School and Mountain Brook High School on October 7, 2016 at Thompson Reynolds Stadium.
“This is almost better than Hoover last year.”
That’s what Vestavia Hills running back Toliver Chatwood said following the Rebels’ dramatic double overtime win over Mountain Brook last week.
“The amount of hype leading up to (the Mountain Brook) game and the amount of trash-talking between us two and just the rivalry between us is just better than anything you can describe,” he continued.
Tied 7-7 at the end of regulation, neither team struggled to score in the first overtime. Vestavia Hills scored on its second play of the first overtime when Toliver Chatwood darted for a 4-yard score. Mountain Brook answered one play later when quarterback Hamp Sisson found paydirt from 10 yards out.
Mountain Brook had the ball first for the second overtime, and Vestavia’s Earl Bradberry intercepted Sisson on third-and-goal from the 13-yard line. Chatwood then churned out nine yards to the 1-yard line before Manraj Singh kicked the game-winning 18-yard field goal.
Last fall, the Rebels (4-3, 2-3 Class 7A, Region 3) knocked off Hoover for the first time since 2009, before the Bucs exacted revenge with a 24-0 win in the second round of the state playoffs.
This season, the Rebels desperately needed that win over Mountain Brook to remain alive in the Region 3 playoff hunt. They’ll likely need wins in each of their final two region contests to make it back to those playoffs.
The first test is a tough one, as Vestavia Hills will visit the Hoover Met on Friday at 7 p.m. to face the Bucs, who are unbeaten in region play.
“We’ve just got to go one day at a time,” head coach Buddy Anderson said.
In a 38-6 win over Huffman last week, Hoover totaled 399 yards of offense: 192 rushing and 207 passing. Quarterback Garrett Farquhar went 15-of-21 for 207 yards and 3 TDs, while R.J. Randle paced the ground attack with 47 yards on eight carries and a touchdown. Wide receiver Jimmy Turner led the receiving corps with six catches for 57 yards.
The Bucs also clinched the Region 3 crown with the win, their 11th since 2001.
