Spartans clinch double OT thriller
MOUNTAIN BROOK — Mountain Brook High School wide receiver Wilson Higgins had one job on the final play of Friday night’s game against Spain Park: Get to the pylon.
So he did.
As Spartans quarterback Hamp Sisson called for the snap on his team’s two-point conversion attempt in double overtime, Higgins motioned across the shotgun formation before darting to the front, right corner of the end zone.
Sisson, rolling toward Higgins’ destination, placed the 2-yard pass where only his receiver could reach it, hovering above the sideline. But Higgins hauled it in with arms outstretched and one foot dragging on the turf.
He fell to the ground with the ball wrapped snugly in his grasp, lifting Mountain Brook to a heart-pounding 51-50 victory over Class 7A, Region 3 foe Spain Park.
“We knew our offense was rolling,” Higgins said shortly after he emerged from a green-and-gold dog pile. “We knew they couldn’t stop us.”
The two-point conversion halted Mountain Brook’s losing skid at two games, as the Spartans (3-2, 1-2 in region) dropped their first two region games against Hoover and Thompson in back-to-back weeks.
But for Sisson, there was never a doubt about his Spartans’ composition.
“We knew we were a good team, we knew we’re going to fight, and we knew we were going to win this game coming into [it],” Sisson said. “Nobody ever doubted throughout the game.”
They could have.
After taking a 36-33 lead with 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter — thanks to a 10-yard rushing touchdown from Sisson — Mountain Brook watched as Spain Park quarterback Braxton Barker guided his team down the field.
Jags place-kicker Cole Starr capped the last-ditch drive by sneaking a 41-yard field goal over the crossbar as time expired. The successful kick tied the game at 36-36 and sent it to overtime.
“We’ve got some kids that will fight,” Spain Park head coach Shawn Raney said.
The circumstances presented a prime opportunity for doubt to creep in, but instead Mountain Brook brushed it off. Running back Harold Joiner, who finished the game with three touchdowns and 85 yards rushing, barreled into the end zone on the first play of OT.
Spain Park (3-2, 1-2 in region) responded with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Barker to Jo Jo Dennis, tying the game at 43-43.
Still, Mountain Brook hung tough, even as it allowed Jags running back D’Arie Johnson to find the end zone on the second play of double overtime.
Sisson, who completed 16-of-20 passes for 243 yards, countered by humming a 6-yard touchdown to wide receiver Hamp Greene, who finished with 10 receptions for 141 yards. The strike pulled Mountain Brook to within one, 50-49, leaving head coach Chris Yeager with a decision: Kick the extra point or go for two?
“The kids had already given everything they had,” Yeager said. “We had enough gas in the tank left for one more play.”
So Sisson scrambled out of the pocket and looked for Higgins, who accomplished his task. He got to the pylon, where he made the highlight-reel catch.
“I feel like we had an incredible game plan coming in,” Sisson said. “Our whole offense and our whole defense executed it greatly.”
Spain Park led Mountain Brook 14-7 at the half, but the teams entered the final quarter tied 21-21. Barker finished the game 22-of-28 passing for 311 yards and four touchdowns. Johnson carried the ball 18 times for 72 yards and three touchdowns.
In addition to his passing performance, Sisson racked up 87 yards on 23 carries. He wrapped up his night with four total touchdowns -- two through the air, two on the ground -- along with the successful two-point attempt.
Both Mountain Brook and Spain Park will take their bye next week before returning to region action Oct. 6.