Photo by David Leong
Vestavia Hills tight end Will Ainsworth (88) and Vestavia Hills offensive lineman Pearson Tucker (54) celebrate in the endzone during a game between Vestavia and Westside on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, at Thompson Reynolds Stadium. Photo by David Leong.
The second half of the high school football regular season gets crammed into the month of October, with five Fridays on the calendar for teams to jockey for playoff position or play out the string on a disappointing campaign.
Vestavia Hills splits its season in half this year, playing five games ahead of an open date Sept. 26. The five weeks that follow are critical, as the Rebels will look to finish strong in Class 7A, Region 3 play and qualify for the playoffs for the fourth year in a row under head coach Robert Evans.
Oct. 3 vs. Prattville
For these two proud programs, last year’s meeting was their first ever. Vestavia Hills ran away with a 49-14 victory, as the Rebels rushed for 314 yards and had a 35-0 edge at halftime. This year’s game will likely be much more competitive, as Prattville hired Bobby Carr as the program’s new head coach. Carr is a longtime, highly successful coach in the AISA ranks and put together an impressive season at Carver-Montgomery a season ago. The Lions hope Carr is the man to put the program back in the upper echelon of 7A programs in the state.
Oct. 10 vs. Oak Mountain
The Rebels host an Oak Mountain program that has struggled in recent years. Vestavia has had no trouble with the Eagles over the last three years, including a 42-14 victory in 2024. In that game, Vestavia rolled up 364 yards on the ground and picked up a key region victory. Oak Mountain jumped from one win in 2023 to four wins last year, and the Eagles are looking for more improvement this fall. Head coach Shane McComb has stated the Eagles are shooting for a playoff berth, but Region 3 is difficult to break through.
Oct. 17 at Tuscaloosa County
Vestavia Hills has not allowed a point to Tuscaloosa County in the last two years, winning 45-0 and 42-0. The Rebels will hope to continue that trend against the Wildcats, as Vestavia heads to Northport for its final road game of the regular season. Cris Bell has taken over at Tuscaloosa County, and will presumably bring the option offense that he had so much success with at Oak Mountain from 2012-2020.
Oct. 24 vs. Hoover
The Rebels get their biggest rival at home this year, as they cap off the region slate with Hoover. The Bucs ran away with a 38-20 win last season, as things fell apart for Vestavia after taking a 14-10 lead late in the first half. Hoover has owned the series in recent years, winning nine of the last 10 meetings. This game could have a big impact on playoff seeding for both teams.
Oct. 31 vs. Montgomery Catholic
This will be the first meeting between the two programs. Once considered a mediocre program, Montgomery Catholic has risen to prominence in the last decade. The Knights have won state championships the last two years (4A in 2023 and 5A in 2024) in undefeated campaigns. The two years before that, their only loss of the year came in the semifinals. The year before that, they were the state runners-up. But Jonathan Chandler is in his first year at the helm now, so it remains to be seen what Catholic will look like on the field this year.
