Spartans roll, advance to 2nd round
MOUNTAIN BROOK -- It didn’t take long for the Mountain Brook High School football team to seize momentum and the lead on Friday night.
Jackson Beatty took the opening kickoff all the way back to the house, and it was just a sign of the dominance the Spartans would show all night, as they soundly defeated visiting Southside-Gadsden 63-0 in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs at Spartan Stadium.
Mountain Brook used a strong ground game, which produced more than 250 yards, and yet another outstanding defensive performance to coast to the win. In the first quarter, Parker Avery stopped the Panthers on a fourth down play.
Two plays later, quarterback John Colvin hit Jake Thompson for a 71-yard touchdown, and Michael Lorino added to the Spartans lead near the end of the first quarter, giving them a three-touchdown cushion after 12 minutes.
Southside-Gadsden was never able to maintain offensive momentum throughout the game. Quarterback Brooks Nesmith was able to gain 57 rushing yards on 12 carries, but had just two pass completions over 10 yards, finishing 6-of-23 passing for 48 yards and three interceptions. The Panthers were paced on the ground by running back Tyler Green, who ran for 58 yards on 20 carries.
Mountain Brook’s defense posted its sixth shutout of the season and ensured Nesmith felt pressure all night, keeping the Panthers offense from putting together long drives. Following another punt by the visitors, Cole Gamble carried his team down the field, picking up 32 yards on the ensuing drive, with Lorino scoring again from 2 yards out.
The Spartans defense grabbed the first of three interceptions, this one by Mac McCowan, on the next Panthers drive. That drive was capped off by Colvin’s second touchdown of the night, an 11-yard strike to George Cain with just under nine minutes left in the first half.
Mountain Brook scored again on its next drive, led by Will Waldrop, who punched it in from 10 yards out.
Gamble got his first touchdown of the night with a 32-yard rush following a fumble recovery by Trent Wright, giving Mountain Brook a 49-0 lead at halftime.
William-Grier McDuffie picked off Nesmith on the first drive of the second half, though Mountain Brook was forced to punt on the ensuing drive.
Things went from bad to worse for the Panthers on their next drive, as a bad, high snap on a punt was mishandled, giving the Spartans a first and goal at the 5-yard line. Mountain Brook’s Jack King capitalized, scoring on a 1-yard rush on second down, after referees had previously ruled he scored on first down.
King was one of six running backs used by the Spartans on the night. He would score on a 14-yard touchdown, the last score of the night, early in the fourth quarter following an interception by Mountain Brook’s Will McIlvaine.
King finished with 9 carries, 37 yards and two touchdowns. Waldrop led the team on the ground, finishing with 102 yards on eight carries. Gamble had 89 yards, also on eight carries, while Grady Breland capped off the night as the last back featured, gaining 36 yards on eight carries. George Cain added 10 yards on three carries, while Lorino had 12 yards on his only two carries of the night, both of which ended in the end zone.
Colvin finished 6-of-11 passing with 123 yards and two touchdowns. Mountain Brook didn’t turn the ball over until its final drive and had just three penalties for 25 yards.
“I thought we played the cleanest game we played all year,” Mountain Brook coach Chris Yeager said.
The key, he said, was taking it one play at a time. Yeager said the average high school play takes six seconds, and he preached to his team to focus on the next six seconds.
All three components of the team – offense, defense and special teams – worked together to get the win, Yeager said.
In order to continue advancing in the playoffs, Yeager said the team needs to continue to focus on one thing at a time.
The Spartans will host Jackson-Olin next Friday night in the second round.