John Perry
Sophomore quarterback Hamp Sisson rolls out to pass against Oak Mountain.
The Mountain Brook Spartans are 2-5 overall and 1-4 in Class 7A, Region 3, but they’re left to wonder what could have been to this point.
The Spartans dropped their third 21-14 decision Friday to Oak Mountain, matching losses by the same score to Hoover and Thompson. It doesn’t take an expert to realize that a handful of plays could have Chris Yeager’s squad at 5-2 and 3-2 ands in the thick of the playoff hunt.
As it stands, though, the Spartans will be on the outside looking in when the postseason rolls around.
They’ll head to Trussville to face the Hewitt-Trussville Huskies on Friday night at 7.
The mistake-prone Spartans turned the ball over three times in their loss to Oak Mountain and they’ll need to clean that up to knock off the Huskies, who are in line to make the playoffs with a 5-2 overall and 4-1 region record.
“Turnovers made the difference,” Yeager said of the most recent loss. “They won the turnover ratio and they won the game. That’s usually how it is most of the time in our region.”
The Spartans lost three fumbles, two leading to Oak Mountain touchdowns and another killing a Mountain Brook scoring threat. The Eagles had only one turnover on a fumble early in the fourth quarter.
Sophomore quarterback Hamp Sisson has stepped up and every game he plays is a building block toward the future. Sophomores Owen Conzelman and Harold Joiner are getting time at running back and junior Sims Herron is a key receiver.
Hewitt is coached by Gus Malzahn protégé Josh Floyd. Floyd played quarterback for the Auburn coach at Shiloh Christian in Arkansas, then eventually became the head coach before coming to Hewitt last season. The Huskies run an uptempo offense, led by quarterback Zac Thomas, as dangerous as a runner as he is as a passer, and by running back Jarrion Street, an Ole Miss commitment. Defensively, senior linebacker Bailey McElwain is a physical, hard-nosed player who is a Stanford commitment. Junior Christian Smith is a 6-foot-2, 270-pound defensive lineman who transferred back to Hewitt-Trussville after starring at Leeds.
The Huskies beat Thompson 35-17 last week. Spain Park almost certainly will win the region, barring a collapse, but Hewitt still has a shot at hosting a first-round playoff game. The Huskies need to beat the Spartans and then knock off Hoover next week at the Met. The Huskies’ only losses this season were at Nashville’s Montgomery Bell 21-16 in the opener and a 31-28 loss to Spain Park in overtime.
