Photo by Laura Chramer.
Vestavia Hills running back William Tonsmeire (1) runs the ball during the first half of a football game against Homewood at Thompson Reynolds Stadium on Aug. 26. The Rebels shut out the Patriots, 35-0.
The Vestavia Hills High School football team will conclude the inaugural regular season of head coach Robert Evans’s tenure in October.
Three of the Rebels’ four games will be on the road, and three of them will be against Class 7A, Region 3 foes.
Through September, Vestavia Hills has played four region games, with the final three coming over the first three Fridays in October. The Rebels get the month started with a trip to Hewitt-Trussville on Oct. 7.
Vestavia Hills has a 13-4 edge in the all-time series against Hewitt-Trussville, but the Huskies have had the better end of things in recent years. Hewitt entered matchups the last couple years as favorites, but Vestavia put forth tremendous efforts to make the games close. In 2020, Hewitt won 42-35, while the Huskies won 49-35 last fall.
Vestavia’s last win in the series was in 2019, but the Huskies won the previous two before that as well. Those wins snapped the Rebels’ 12-game winning streak over Hewitt-Trussville.
The following Friday, the Rebels make a trip to Oak Mountain for a game that could be for a playoff berth in Region 3. Vestavia has similarly dominated this series, winning 13 of the 18 games the two programs have played against each other. Oak Mountain has won each of the last two years, winning 24-14 last year and 35-28 the year before.
Vestavia Hills finishes up region play Oct. 21, as the Rebels host Tuscaloosa County in what will be the final regular season game at Thompson Reynolds Stadium for the year. Vestavia has a 12-6 lead in the series between these two foes, but they have flipped the series with seven straight wins over the lowly Wildcats in recent years.
Last fall, a 50-0 win over Tuscaloosa County was exactly what the doctor ordered for the Rebels, as they earned their first win of the year after a tough 0-4 start. It was the first win for Sean Calhoun in his lone season leading Vestavia Hills.
The Rebels close out the regular season on Oct. 28 with a visit to Helena, a strong Class 6A foe. The two teams played in 2016 and 2017, with the Rebels winning both of those contests. Helena put forth a 9-1 regular season last fall and will be a tough matchup for Vestavia.
Vestavia Hills hopes the Helena game will serve as a playoff tune-up. Finishing in the top four of Class 7A, Region 3, would allow the Rebels to advance to the postseason for the first time since 2019. After being a playoff fixture for many years, Vestavia has made the playoffs just twice since 2013, but Evans hopes to turn that tide back in the other direction.
