Spartans romp Mortimer Jordan
MOUNTAIN BROOK – Clinching a first-round home playoff game was the furthest thing from Mountain Brook High School head coach Chris Yeager’s mind Friday night.
“I hadn’t thought a whole lot about that,” Yeager said, following his Spartans’ 54-14 blowout win over Class 6A, Region 5 foe Mortimer Jordan at Spartan Stadium.
The win locks up the No. 2 seed in the region for Mountain Brook, which improves to 6-2 overall and 4-1 in the region.
But more than anything, Yeager wanted to see his team rebound from last week’s loss to Parker, which gave the Thundering Herd the region title.
“We were anxious to get back on the field [after last week],” Yeager said. “When you have a game like you did last week, you wish you had a game on Monday. It’s been a long week waiting for it to get back out here.”
It was worth the wait for the Spartans, who rolled up 501 total yards in a dominant effort on both sides of the ball.
Cole Gamble led the way per usual for the Mountain Brook rushing attack. He ran 16 times for 196 yards, with three rushing touchdowns. He added a fourth touchdown with a 97-yard kickoff return in the second quarter, after the Blue Devils got the on the board for the first time.
Mountain Brook broke the game open by scoring four touchdowns in the second quarter. The Spartans held a 7-0 advantage after a quarter, with Jack King’s 14-yard run accounting for the only points on the board. But Gamble scored on a 16-yard run and ran the kickoff back in the second quarter to make it 21-7.
Clark Sanderson took a pop pass from John Cooper 69 yards for a score, and King’s 3-yard run made it 35-7 at the break. The last touchdown came courtesy of a short field provided by Mountain Brook’s defense, which stopped Mortimer Jordan on fourth down deep in its own territory.
“I was hoping they would be put in that kind of situation, where they would have to rise up for the whole team,” Yeager said of the defense. “And they did. We needed to be in that situation. That was a big turning point in the game, big play by them.”
Mountain Brook’s defense forced three turnovers on the night. On the Blue Devils’ first drive, Harris Crumpton knocked the ball out and Tucker Crawford recovered. Drew Widener and William Grier McDuffie intercepted passes on the night as well. McDuffie also notched a sack in the game.
Yeager wanted to see consistency from his team, and that’s what he got in this one.
“We didn’t play bad against Parker,” he said. “We were just very inconsistent. Tonight, the challenge was to play consistent, solid football. Just do what we do and we did in a great way.”
King finished with 78 rushing yards and the two touchdowns, while Stuart Andrews scored a late touchdown on a 31-yard run. John Cooper didn’t have to do much, completing 5-of-7 passes for 159 yards. Sanderson was on the receiving end of four of those passes for 140 yards.
Yeager said the Mortimer Jordan combination of quarterback Garrett Ames and running back Terence Gaines was one of the best his team would see all season. The Spartans did a solid job of containing the passing attack, outside of a 44-yard touchdown from Ames to Sean Taylor in the second quarter.
Ames was 9-of-25 for 158 yards in the contest, throwing a touchdown and a pair of interceptions. Gaines busted a 73-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter and finished with 210 yards on 24 carries.
Mountain Brook and Mortimer Jordan wrap up region play next Friday. The Spartans head to Gardendale, while the Blue Devils head home to take on Jackson-Olin.
“I can’t believe how fast this season has gone,” Yeager said. “I am excited about next week. I’m going to enjoy this one for a little bit. I’m excited to travel up to Gardendale and play.”