Sarah Finnegan
Vestavia Hills Football at Helena
Vestavia cheerleaders rush out onto the field followed by the football team during a game between Vestavia Hills and Helena on Friday, Sept. 29, 2017, at Husky Stadium in Helena.
The Vestavia Hills High School football team has erased its forgettable start to the 2017 season. After idling to an 0-2 record, the Rebels (3-2, 2-1 in Class 7A, Region 3) have clicked off three consecutive wins.
On Friday, they will try to make it four against Thompson (5-0, 3-0 in region). Kickoff for the pivotal contest is set for 7 p.m. at Thompson Reynolds Stadium.
“We know they’re a really good team, and we’ve got to play really well to beat them,” said Vestavia Hills running back William Schaffeld. “But if we listen to our coaches and put together a good game and bust our butts, then we feel like we have a good chance.”
Vestavia Hills enters the matchup coming off last Friday’s 14-0 victory at Helena. It was the second shutout in three weeks for a Rebels defense that has held its ground consistently during the current win streak. Vestavia Hills beat Oak Mountain 7-0 on Sept. 15 and allowed only 12 points in its triumph at Huffman Sept. 21.
“Everybody’s got a job to do. Our job’s to stop them,” Vestavia Hills defensive coordinator Chad Merrill said. “We tell the defense that we want to set the tone for the whole team.”
It has.
The Rebels have forced six turnovers in the past two games, turning the tide in Vestavia Hills’ favor. Luke Denney has accounted for half of those recent takeaways. The senior defensive back has recorded three interceptions, two of which have been returned for touchdowns. His 55-yard pick-six against Helena provided his team with a cushion it desperately needed given its inconsistencies on the other side of the ball.
“In games like this when our offense might be struggling a little bit, this is when we’ve got to play our hardest and really buckle down and make some stops,” Denney said.
That task will become significantly more difficult against a high-powered Thompson team that has been averaging nearly 45 points per game. Excluding their one-point, season-opening win against an out-of-state opponent, the Warriors’ slimmest margin of victory has been 27 points. They have outscored region opponents Tuscaloosa County, Mountain Brook and Oak Mountain 152-39.
Thompson’s offensive proficiency begins with its quarterback, Taulia Tagovailoa, the younger brother of University of Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Frequently, he has targeted the receiving tandem of Ahmad Harris-Edwards and Mo Edwards. The Warriors enter this matchup coming off a 51-21 triumph over Pelham.
The Vestavia Hills offense will need to increase its production in order to stay in the game. At times, the Rebels have run the ball at will. At others, the rushing game has struggled to move the chains. Schaffeld, Matthew Paugh and Reed Stockton will be the ball carriers to keep an eye on. Schaffeld rushed for 85 yards and a touchdown against Helena, while Paugh and Stockton each contributed bursts.
Thompson took last year’s meeting 17-10 thanks to a third-quarter passing touchdown. Vestavia Hills leads the teams’ all-time series, 14-7.
Both teams will continue region play next Friday. The Rebels will travel to Mountain Brook, and Thompson will visit Spain Park.
