Spartans face Oak Mountain team in same situation
Mountain Brook and Oak Mountain find themselves in the same situation despite very different paths in the 2016 season.
The Spartans (5-2, 3-2 Class 7A, Region 3) rose to the top half of the region standings thanks to a strong start and an upset of Spain Park, before a gut-wrenching double overtime loss at Vestavia Hills last week.
The Eagles (3-4, 3-2) have been on a rollercoaster that has not stopped yet. They lost the first three games of the season, and starting quarterback Wyatt Legas was injured. But Jackson Kimbrell slowly adjusted and has led Oak Mountain to wins over Thompson, Vestavia Hills and Tuscaloosa County.
The two teams will square off Friday, Oct. 14, at 7 p.m. at Heardmont Park. The winner likely locks up a playoff berth. The loser is left to fight for its life and depend upon other results the following week.
It will be interesting to see how Mountain Brook responds following the loss. The Spartans have shown toughness this season, most notably in the win over Spain Park. The Jaguars took the lead in that game late in the fourth quarter, although the Spartans had dominated the majority of the second half. But the offense drove the field and set up Mason Dillard’s game-winning field goal.
“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,” head coach Chris Yeager said.
Oak Mountain was overmatched in every facet of the game in a loss to Hoover two weeks ago, and had to come from behind last week to overtake Tuscaloosa County. In a game of this magnitude, the Eagles can ill afford another slow start.
Last week’s win gave Oak Mountain head coach Cris Bell a 29-21 record in five seasons as Oak Mountain’s head coach, passing Jerry Hood (28-26) for the most wins in school history.
“It’s more the kids. They’ve done a remarkable job. The reality is, they’ve got a chance to be the winningest senior class to come through here, but we’ve got to come out and get better each week,” Bell said following the game. “I’m proud of these kids and how they’ve battled.”