Spartans fall to Vestavia Hills in overtime
VESTAVIA HILLS -- Mountain Brook head coach Chris Yeager called it “the perfect storm.”
Late in the second quarter, nursing a 7-0 lead, all his Spartans had to do was get the punt away. But Vestavia Hills broke through, blocked the punt and Jonathan Hess returned it for a game-tying touchdown.
Vestavia Hills and Mountain Brook later traded touchdowns in the first overtime to tie the game at 14 apiece. Spartans quarterback Hamp Sisson was intercepted in the second overtime, and three plays later Vestavia Hills kicker Manraj Singh won the game on an 18-yard field goal.
The 17-14 win moves Vestavia Hills to 4-3 overall and 2-3 in Class 7A, Region 3. Mountain Brook falls to 5-2 overall and 3-2 in the region.
“Right now we’ve got to focus on the next thing, which is us getting better,” Yeager said.
Tied 7-7 at the end of regulation, neither team struggled to score in the first overtime. Vestavia Hills scored on its second play of the first overtime when Toliver Chatwood darted for a 4-yard score. Mountain Brook answered one play later when Sisson found paydirt from 10 yards out.
Mountain Brook had the ball first for the second overtime, and Vestavia’s Earl Bradberry intercepted Sisson on third-and-goal from the 13-yard line. Chatwood then churned out nine yards to the 1-yard line before Singh kicked the game-winner.
The game was a slugfest throughout. After a scoreless first quarter, Mountain Brook got on the board first when Harold Joiner rushed for a 2-yard touchdown just three minutes into the second quarter. Late in the quarter, though, Hess scooped up the blocked punt and ran it in to tie the game.
“It is what it is,” said Mountain Brook senior linebacker Will Wetzler. “It’s Mountain Brook versus Vestavia. It’s a dogfight all the way to the end.”
For Vestavia Hills, Coleman Petway completed 8-of-14 passes for 106 yards. Mitchell Langley caught four passes for 68 yards. For Mountain Brook, Sisson completed 10-of-19 passes for 89 yards and an interception. He rushed 14 times for 58 yards and a score. Joiner was held to 23 yards on 12 carries.
The story of the game was defense. Vestavia Hills totaled 207 yards, while Mountain Brook managed 224. The teams combined for nine second-half punts.
After the game, Yeager told his players that the season is no longer a marathon.
“We’re in the last lap of this marathon and the light is at the end of the tunnel, so our ability to improve has got to accelerate,” he said.
Yeager said that for many seniors, their careers are coming close to an end. There are three regular season games left, and then the Class 7A playoffs.
“I would savor it,” he said. “We’re going to try to squeeze the most out of it.”
Mountain Brook travels to Oak Mountain next week.
“We’re going to fix our mistakes and not let it happen again,” Wetzler said.
- William Galloway contributed to this report.