4 region matchups on tap for Spartans in September

When the Mountain Brook High School football team kicks off region play this month, head coach Chris Yeager said his team’s attention will be keyed in on one thing: itself. 

“The only thing you can control is yourself,” Yeager said. “I know every coach says that … you try to train yourself to focus on us. You just try to do better every day, control what you can control, and that’s what we’re doing.”

Yeager said it’s the only approach his team can rely on, especially after a spate of tough breaks and unexpected injuries marred the Spartans’ 2015 season. Last fall, the team went 3-7 while accumulating a 1-6 record in Class 7A, Region 3 competition. Its woes included a 0-4 stretch during the month of September. 

“There’s so much parity in our region, and it’s so good from year-in to year-out,” he said. “Every year there are some good football teams sitting at home in the playoffs.”

Mountain Brook was one of those teams last fall, but beginning this month, the Spartans will attempt to reverse their fortune. 

Mountain Brook opens Class 7A, Region 3 play when it travels to Hoover High School Sept. 2. The game at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium will be the first of four region matchups for the Spartans in September. Other opponents include Thompson, Spain Park and Tuscaloosa County. 

Mountain Brook began the season with a pair of non-region games against Gulf Shores and Helena. 

Last fall, Mountain Brook lost a hard-fought battle to then-top-ranked Hoover. The Spartans kept it close for much of the matchup, but a scoring drive late in the fourth quarter boosted the Bucs to a 21-14 victory. 

Mountain Brook has lost seven of its past eight games against Hoover; its most recent triumph came in 2011. 

Up next, Mountain Brook will host Thompson Sept. 9. The 2015 meeting between the two teams yielded a near-identical result to the Spartans’ duel with Hoover: final-quarter defeat. 

After falling behind early, Mountain Brook persistently fought its way back into the game. Former quarterback Connor Adair threw a touchdown strike to wide receiver Sims Herron with less than five minutes left in regulation, tying the score at 14-14. The Warriors, however, scored a touchdown on the following possession to clinch a 21-14 victory. Prior to the defeat, Mountain Brook had won nine of its last 10 matchups against Thompson. 

“You don’t make the number of mistakes that we did and win in this region,” Yeager said after the game. “As hard as the region is, it’s very unforgiving on this stage.”

Following their home date with Thompson, the Spartans will play an away game at Spain Park Sept. 16.

Even though Mountain Brook suffered a 21-7 loss to the Jaguars in 2015, the game provided then-sophomore quarterback Hamp Sisson valuable playing time. Sisson replaced Adair under center toward the end of the season, and he is now the Spartans’ full-time starter.  

 “A 10th-grader should never have to start in our region.” Yeager said in regard to Sisson. “[This season] we’re going to see somebody that’s a lot more comfortable.”

When inexperienced underclassmen are thrust into a starting role, like Sisson was in 2015, Yeager said they have a tendency to focus solely on their own performance. But as the players gain experience and confidence, Yeager said they become more aware of their influence on the team as a whole.

In 2016, he said he expects that to be the case with Sisson. 

“The big thing when you come into the game as a 10th-grader, just don’t get us beat. Do your job, and do only your job,” Yeager said. “Well, when you’re coming in now as a junior, that changes. You’ve got to make sure that the people around you — you’re a true leader — that they’re performing. When you step into the huddle, their play has got to elevate, and that’s what every great quarterback does, so I expect that type of leadership and that kind of impact and influence from Hamp this year.”

The Spartans have an off week after traveling to Spain Park, but will return to action at home against Tuscaloosa County Sept. 30. 

Mountain Brook has won seven of its past eight matchups against Tuscaloosa County, and in 2015, the team’s lone region victory came against the Wildcats. 

Mason Dillard, the Spartans’ place-kicker, converted a game-winning field goal as time expired to give his team a 17-16 victory. The triumph secured Yeager’s 100th career win as a head coach.  

Yeager said he expects Dillard, along with long snapper Alex Pankey, to be assets throughout the season. 

“As much as they’ve worked together, that brings me quite a bit of comfort,” Yeager said. “It’s all about reps, and those two together have had quite a few. I think they’re going to perform and have a great year this year.”