Vestavia huddles up before a game between Oak Mountain and Vestavia on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, at Heardmont Park. Photo by Richard Force
SEMMES – The Rebels did it again.
For the third straight season, the Vestavia Hills High School football team went on the road and thumped its opponent in the opening round of the Class 7A playoffs.
This year’s victim was Mary G. Montgomery, the winner of Region 1 with a 9-1 regular season record.
Vestavia rolled up 437 total yards Thursday night and marched to a 42-21 win over MGM. The Rebels (6-5 overall) advance to the second round of the playoffs, where they will play the winner between James Clemens and Central-Phenix City on Friday night.
“We’re built for this, and we are,” Vestavia Hills head coach Robert Evans said. “Our schedule has hardened us. We’ve seen the best the state has to offer. We’re playing better than we played early, and on a given night, if we play clean football, we’ll be with anybody in the end in the state.”
Quarterback Charlie Taaffe was a star Thursday, posting huge numbers and doing it in efficient fashion. As a passer, he completed 22-of-28 for 244 yards and a touchdown. On the ground, he rushed for 94 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries.
Vestavia rushed for 193 yards in the game, with Bruce Littleton scoring a pair of touchdowns as well. Littleton, Whit Williamson and Carson Mann each gained at least 20 yards on the ground.
“No one plays our season,” Littleton said. “No one has had a rougher season than us, so we were ready for this team. No disrespect to that team, they’re a great team, great players, but they didn’t play anybody like we did.”
Chase Webb was Taaffe’s top target, catching seven passes for 90 yards and a touchdown. Littleton had eight grabs for 73 yards, while Luke Stubbs caught five passes for 74 yards.
Jacob Watson led the way for the Vestavia defense with eight tackles. Spence Hanna and Daniel Richardson each logged six tackles, with Richardson posting a couple tackles for loss.
“We haven’t had him since Hillcrest and he’s done an amazing job getting back into shape,” Evans said of having Watson back on the field. “He’s the bell cow for our defense. It’s noticeable when he’s on the field for us. He’s a leader, kids follow him.”
The two teams exchanged touchdowns to begin the game. Taaffe hit Webb for a 21-yard score, before Mary Montgomery responded with quarterback Shondell Harris’ 1-yard touchdown run to make it 7-7.
Vestavia scored 21 straight points after that, with Taaffe scoring on a pair of 1-yard runs and Littleton scoring on a 4-yard run, as the Rebels stretched the lead to 28-7. Mary Montgomery narrowed the gap to 28-14 at the half on Harris’ 4-yard scoring throw to Sedrick Brown.
Mary Montgomery made it 28-21 in the third quarter, but the Rebels scored the final two touchdowns to put the game away. Taaffe scored on an 18-yard run in the third quarter, and Littleton scored on a 2-yard run in the fourth to finish things off.
Evans said, “Ecstatic to get back to Birmingham and have a chance to advance and have another week with the team. This time of year, time is our most precious commodity and I wanted to be around these guys another week.”
Alabama 7A Football contributed to this report.
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