Getting his chance

The Mountain Brook High School defense needed a lift, and got it from an unlikely source. 

With the Spartans struggling to contain Hoover’s passing game in the first half of a region contest last September, cornerbacks coach Mike Thorsen was searching for anyone who could help slow down the Bucs duo of George Pickens and Shedrick Jackson.

Robert Reed was the man for the job.

“Coach Thorsen called my name and threw me in,” Reed recalled. “I was shocked, honestly. I had no idea who George Pickens was, or Shedrick Jackson.”

He quickly found out about the pair of future SEC wideouts. Jackson is now at Auburn, with Pickens to follow to The Plains after this year. 

But Reed held his own that night. Most notably, he helped Mountain Brook hold Hoover to a field goal just before halftime after breaking up a pass intended for Pickens in the end zone. Pickens stands about six inches taller than Reed — who is 5-foot-7 or 5-8, depending on who you ask — but Reed was able to pry the ball out of his hands on the way down.

Guarding a bigger receiver was nothing new for Reed, who had been training for moments like that his whole life.

“Every time growing up, my dad said you’re going to have to play bigger, act bigger, be more physical than everyone,” he said.

The Spartans trailed 24-7 at the half, but the defense allowed just seven more points in the second and allowed Mountain Brook to make a game of it. Even though the Spartans eventually fell, 31-21, the game allowed them to find their top corner.

“Coach put me in, I got my chance and it was awesome,” Reed said. 

The rest is history. Reed started every game the remainder of the season and entered the 2018 season as the Spartans’ top corner on a defense that returned nine starters. 

“He came from not being on the radar to being our lockdown corner,” Mountain Brook head coach Chris Yeager said. “He just started making plays and he never made mental mistakes and was always making big plays.”

But Reed almost gave up before he got his opportunity. As a sophomore, Reed struggled to crack the rotation on the junior varsity team. 

“We had so many guys ahead of me,” he said. “I didn’t like being on the sidelines.”

Reed decided that he was going to do everything in his power to get on the field as a junior and worked “really hard in the offseason.” Despite that work not paying immediate dividends in terms of playing time — he didn’t play much the first three games — he stuck with it. And he proved there’s more to his game than meets the eye.

“You look at him and you can think of 100 reasons why he shouldn’t be playing,” Yeager said. “He’s too small, he’s too light. But man, the guy makes plays.”

With his role somewhat defined, Reed used the recent offseason to put on about 30 pounds.

“I’ll definitely be able to tell a difference with physicality,” Reed said.

Even on a defense with so many returning players, Reed has also attempted to be more of a leader on the team. He’s a quiet guy, but instead lets his actions do most of the talking.

“Everybody on our football team respects the job he has to do,” Yeager said. “He’s got credibility because he’s got to do it and he does it so well.”

Reed’s current plan is to attend college at Auburn University and step away from football, but if he puts together another strong season, he may be presented with yet another opportunity. If so, he’ll attempt to seize it the same way he did for the Spartans.

“He’s what I wish every Mountain Brook player would be,” Yeager said. “His development and tracking in his journey, he’s getting the most out of what ability God’s given him.”

Spartans preparing for tough September

After opening the season with a trip to Northridge on Aug. 24, Mountain Brook hosts Center Point on Thursday, Aug. 30. The Spartans, who return nine starters on defense but are breaking in several new players on offense, will hope to work out the kinks in those first two games before the critical Class 7A, Region 3 slate.

Mountain Brook begins region play Sept. 7 with a trip to Tuscaloosa County. The Spartans have knocked off the Wildcats each of the last four seasons, including a 31-7 victory last fall. 

The following week, on Sept. 14, Mountain Brook hosts Spain Park. Last year, the Spartans outlasted the Jags, 51-50, in triple overtime in one of the most entertaining games of the whole season in the area.

The Spartans play host to Vestavia Hills on Sept. 21, in what has been an even rivalry throughout recent years. Mountain Brook has won six of the last 11 meetings, between the two teams, including a 17-10 victory over the Rebels last fall. Mountain Brook concludes the month with its bye week.