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Charlie Taaffe (11) leaps over defenders in the Vestavia and Prattville game October 3, 2025 at Thompson Reynolds Stadium at Vestavia Hills High School. Photo by Lindsay Handey
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Price LaMaster (9) finds a receiver down field in the Vestavia and Prattville game October 3, 2025 at Thompson Reynolds Stadium at Vestavia Hills High School. Photo by Lindsay Handey
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Daniel Richardson (18) makes the interception in the Vestavia and Prattville game October 3, 2025 at Thompson Reynolds Stadium at Vestavia Hills High School. Photo by Lindsay Handey
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Daniel Richardson (18) on the run in the Vestavia and Prattville game October 3, 2025 at Thompson Reynolds Stadium at Vestavia Hills High School. Photo by Lindsay Handey
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Walker Hogue (26) prevents a Prattville touchdown in the Vestavia and Prattville game October 3, 2025 at Thompson Reynolds Stadium at Vestavia Hills High School. Photo by Lindsay Handey
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Noah Boylan (2) on the run in the Vestavia and Prattville game October 3, 2025 at Thompson Reynolds Stadium at Vestavia Hills High School. Photo by Lindsay Handey
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Matthew Pattillo (25) gets the interception in the Vestavia and Prattville game October 3, 2025 at Thompson Reynolds Stadium at Vestavia Hills High School. Photo by Lindsay Handey
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Meredith Robison was announced Homecoming Queen at halftime of Vestavia's game against Prattville on October 3, 2025 at Thompson Reynolds Stadium at Vestavia Hills High School. Photo by Lindsay Handey
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Major Weaver (1) breaks through defenders in the Vestavia and Prattville game October 3, 2025 at Thompson Reynolds Stadium at Vestavia Hills High School. Photo by Lindsay Handey
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Vestavia Cheerleaders pregame for the Vestavia and Prattville game October 3, 2025 at Thompson Reynolds Stadium at Vestavia Hills High School. Photo by Lindsay Handey
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Vestavia Majorettes in the pregame show for the Vestavia and Prattville game October 3, 2025 at Thompson Reynolds Stadium at Vestavia Hills High School. Photo by Lindsay Handey
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Vestavia's Marching Band pregame in the Vestavia and Prattville game October 3, 2025 at Thompson Reynolds Stadium at Vestavia Hills High School. Photo by Lindsay Handey
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Vestavia Lettermen pregame for the Vestavia and Prattville game October 3, 2025 at Thompson Reynolds Stadium at Vestavia Hills High School. Photo by Lindsay Handey
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Vestavia captains, Caleb Boylan (53), Major Weaver (1), Josh Arendall (93) and Walker Hogue (26) walk out for the coin toss for the Vestavia and Prattville game October 3, 2025 at Thompson Reynolds Stadium at Vestavia Hills High School. Photo by Lindsay Handey
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Sloan Morgan (20) kicks the extra point in the Vestavia and Prattville game October 3, 2025 at Thompson Reynolds Stadium at Vestavia Hills High School. Photo by Lindsay Handey
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Pax Ussery (50) holds off Prattville lineman in the Vestavia and Prattville game October 3, 2025 at Thompson Reynolds Stadium at Vestavia Hills High School. Photo by Lindsay Handey
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Carson Purdy (15) runs through multiple defenders in the Vestavia and Prattville game October 3, 2025 at Thompson Reynolds Stadium at Vestavia Hills High School. Photo by Lindsay Handey
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Caleb Boylan (53) blocks against Ricardo Parker (44) in the Vestavia and Prattville game October 3, 2025 at Thompson Reynolds Stadium at Vestavia Hills High School. Photo by Lindsay Handey
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Luke Stubbs (14) breaks through defenders in the Vestavia and Prattville game October 3, 2025 at Thompson Reynolds Stadium at Vestavia Hills High School. Photo by Lindsay Handey
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Walker Hogue (26) and Rush Harper (24) tackles Prattville receiver to prevent a touchdown in the Vestavia and Prattville game October 3, 2025 at Thompson Reynolds Stadium at Vestavia Hills High School. Photo by Lindsay Handey
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Luke Stubbs (14) pushes for teh touchdown in the Vestavia and Prattville game October 3, 2025 at Thompson Reynolds Stadium at Vestavia Hills High School. Photo by Lindsay Handey
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Charlie Taaffe (11) finds an open receiver for the two point conversion in the Vestavia and Prattville game October 3, 2025 at Thompson Reynolds Stadium at Vestavia Hills High School. Photo by Lindsay Handey
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Zachary Lewis (3) and Will Ainsworth (88) celebrate a tow point conversion in the Vestavia and Prattville game October 3, 2025 at Thompson Reynolds Stadium at Vestavia Hills High School. Photo by Lindsay Handey
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Parker Simpson (4) defends against Prattville's offensive Lineman Watson Kidd (58) in the Vestavia and Prattville game October 3, 2025 at Thompson Reynolds Stadium at Vestavia Hills High School. Photo by Lindsay Handey
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Vestavia defense stops Prattville in the Vestavia and Prattville game October 3, 2025 at Thompson Reynolds Stadium at Vestavia Hills High School. Photo by Lindsay Handey
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Haines Bridges (56) defends against Prattville lineman in the Vestavia and Prattville game October 3, 2025 at Thompson Reynolds Stadium at Vestavia Hills High School. Photo by Lindsay Handey
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Vestavia students stand for the National Anthem before the Vestavia and Prattville game October 3, 2025 at Thompson Reynolds Stadium at Vestavia Hills High School. Photo by Lindsay Handey
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Walker Hogue (26) tackles Prattville receiver in the Vestavia and Prattville game October 3, 2025 at Thompson Reynolds Stadium at Vestavia Hills High School. Photo by Lindsay Handey
VESTAVIA HILLS – Vestavia Hills High School took an important step in Class 7A, Region 3 play with a 54-28 win over visiting Prattville on Friday night. Don’t let the final score fool you, though, this one was far from easy for the Rebels.
“Well, I mean, we took a bunch of punches in the first half and that's football,” said Vestavia Hills head coach Robert Evans. “They had a great plan, changed their offense over the off week, changed quarterbacks and did completely new stuff. And I was scrambling. We were scrambling. And so you credit them. They had a great plan. But we responded in the second half. We were aggressive and kind of got back to what we do.”
One of the prime ingredients was putting the ball in the hands of Charlie Taaffe, who had a sensational evening from the start. The junior quarterback was 19-of-26 for 281 yards with three touchdown passes and an interception. He rushed 17 times for 64 yards with two touchdowns. What he did best was come up with big plays in timely spots.
“That's him,” said Evans, whose team was 9-of-13 on third down and converted on its lone fourth down attempt. “As he goes, so we go. That's really our team. Everybody knows it. If you got a quarterback, you got a chance, and we got one of the best ones in the state, and I wouldn't trade him.”
Both teams traded blows in the first half with Vestavia (4-2 overall, 2-2 in region) having trouble stopping running back Tristin Blackmon on the ground and giving up some big chunk plays through the air. But Vestavia answered with touchdown passes of 34 yards to Zachary Laws, 25 yards to Will Ainsworth and a 2-yard run by Taaffe. The defense also came up with a huge stop late in the half with an interception by Matthew Pattillo at the Vestavia 2-yard line to keep the score tied at 21.
The Rebels set the tone on the second half kickoff with an onside kick. The ball squirted out of bounds but it showed that the Rebels were going to be aggressive.
“We took a lot of chances on special teams because we needed this game desperately to stay in the playoff picture,” Evans said.
Vestavia Hills got a fourth down stop on the opening possession of the second half and quickly moved down the field, sparked by passes of 30 yards to Braxton Hunt and 43 yards to Luke Stubbs. The Rebels scored on a 3-yard run by Carson Purdy, who finished the game with 145 yards on nine carries. A two-point pass failed, leaving the Rebels up 27-21, but the Rebels got another defensive stop. It took Vestavia Hills six plays to extend the lead to 35-21 on a 24-yard pass from Taaffe to Stubbs and a two-point conversion pass to Ainsworth.
Evans called for another onside kick and this one was successful. The Rebels once again moved quickly down the field before Purdy finished off the bruising drive with a 2-yard touchdown run. Prattville (3-3 overall, 2-2 Region 3) countered with a 71-yard touchdown pass from Will McKay to Braylen Graham to trim the deficit back to two touchdowns.
But Vestavia Hills closed the scoring on a 14-yard fake field goal pass from Price LaMaster to Hunt and a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Taaffe.
“I tip my hat to those guys,” Evans said. “They had an outstanding plan and that's the fun of high school football. We responded, and that's how you have to play this time of year to get to the playoffs.”
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