Spartans begin region play with shutout
MOUNTAIN BROOK – The Mountain Brook High School football team put together a third straight dominant performance on Friday night.
The Spartans jumped on Woodlawn and never relented in a 49-0 victory at Spartan Stadium in the Class 6A, Region 5 opener for both sides.
“Tonight, we took a step in the right direction,” Mountain Brook head coach Chris Yeager said following the game.
Mountain Brook (3-0) possesses a significant talent edge over visiting Woodlawn (1-2) and the Spartans played to the level expected of them, much like they did in wins over Vestavia Hills and Huntsville to begin the year.
“We told them going in that when you’re a championship caliber team, you focus on yourself,” Yeager said. “The DNA of every champion as a competitor is you’re going to play at your absolute highest level every time you come on the field.”
Yeager was pleased with the execution level of his team, which came out and scored four touchdowns in the opening quarter. First-year starting quarterback John Colvin dialed up touchdown passes to his top three receivers in that frame.
Colvin swung it out to Jake Thompson on the fourth play of the Spartans’ opening drive. He took it the rest of the way for a 46-yard score to crack the scoreboard first. Colvin also hit Sims Brown for a 6-yard score and Jackson Beatty for a 13-yard touchdown.
Colvin finished the night 5-of-6 passing for 82 yards and the three scores.
Mountain Brook’s defense got in on the fun as well, as Trent Wright picked up a fumble and took it 15 yards for a touchdown. The ball was jarred loose by a John McMillan sack. Wright had a sack of his own in that opening quarter, while Jones Beavers picked off two passes.
Yeager said he was also impressed with senior defensive linemen Gray Doster and Tompkins Richardson for their leadership and production early in the season.
The Spartans kept the ball on the ground for the remainder of the game. They opened the lead up to 35-0 early in the second quarter, as Heath Griffin and Jack King began taking the majority of the carries. King finished off an eight-play drive with a 7-yard touchdown run.
John Cooper made his first appearance at quarterback on the team’s next possession, and he scored on a 21-yard scramble to make it 42-0. King broke off a 60-yard run down the right sideline early in the third quarter to finish the game’s scoring.
King finished the night with 92 yards on nine carries. Griffin led the team with 99 yards on 9 rushes. Grady Breland ran the ball 11 times in the second half for 40 yards.
Senior Duncan Holsey also earned a sack late in the game and was one of the many backups who got a chance to showcase their abilities in the second half.
“I was more pleased with our backups tonight,” Yeager said. “They were getting to the ball. Fits were better, execution level was better, and that has to do with the older guys; they’re starting to coach those younger guys.”
Asher Hawkins led Woodlawn with 35 rushing yards on eight carries.
Next week, Mountain Brook takes on another region foe as the Spartans host Huffman. Woodlawn takes on Briarwood.