Spartans storm back to beat Huntsville in opener
Ford Alexander was so emotional he couldn’t describe Mountain Brook’s stirring season-opening victory against Huntsville.
“I can’t think right now. I have no words,” the Spartans’ senior defensive end said after they rallied from a two-touchdown deficit to beat the Panthers 16-14 Friday night at Mountain Brook.
The Spartans lost 22-21 to the Panthers last year when Huntsville kicked a field goal with three seconds remaining.
“We’ve been feeding off that field goal all summer,” Alexander said. “It’s the greatest feeling in the world to win this game.”
Huntsville was driving in the final minute Friday night with the Spartans holding a two-point lead. The Panthers reached Mountain Brook’s 36-yard line when Alexander came up with the biggest defensive play of the game for the Spartans.
He broke through to sack Huntsville quarterback Matthew Nowlin for an 8-yard loss and on top of that Nowlin was flagged for intentional grounding when he tried to get rid of the ball. The resulting 5-yard penalty pushed the Panthers back to the Spartans’ 49 with only 45 seconds remaining.
Three plays later, facing fourth-and-23 from the 49, Huntsville tried a quick pass and a lateral, but the lateral went awry and Mountain Brook’s Will Wetzler recovered the fumble at midfield to seal the victory.
The Spartans trailed 14-3 at halftime, then began their comeback after waiting nearly two hours before the start of the second half because of a weather delay due to lightning in the area.
Mountain Brook scored its first touchdown when junior wide receiver Sims Herron caught a quick screen from junior quarterback Connor Adair, who was making his first varsity start. Herron slipped two would-be-tacklers and then made a nifty cutback near the goal line for a 28-yard TD reception, pulling Mountain Brook within 14-10 with 6:22 remaining in the third.
The Spartans took the lead on Harrison Pyburn’s 4-yard touchdown run with 11:13 left in the fourth quarter. Pyburn finished with 26 carries for 110 yards and his score capped a 10-play, 72-yard drive that was aided by two pass interference penalties against the Panthers.
Harrison Ritchie’s kick on the extra point hit the right upright, leaving the Spartans with a 16-14 lead, but the defense made it stand up with some encouragement from the coaches during lengthy delay.
“The credit goes to our coaches,” Mountain Brook coach Chris Yeager said. “During the delay our coaches got the kids together and made some little adjustments and we came out and were productive from the start (of the second half).
“The delay turned out to be a blessing.”
Huntsville scored first on Gary Fearn's 44-yard run on a fourth-and-2 play with 2:10 remaining in the first quarter.
Mountain Brook mounted a scoring threat midway through the second quarter, but it ended when Adair's ill-advised pass into right flat was picked off by the Panthers' Thomas Birchfield. Birchfield returned the interception 98 yards for a touchdown, extending Huntsville's lead to 14-0 with 5:36 remaining in the second quarter.
The Spartans received a break when the Panthers attempted a surprise onsides kick from its 25-yard line, following Birchfield's touchdown and a 15-yard personal foul penalty.
The kick went out of bounds at the 36, giving Mountain Brook excellent field position. The Spartans failed to take advantage and wound up punting from the 34.
Mountain Brook finally scored on Ritchie's 24-yard field goal with 43 seconds left in the half.
Huntsville's Dashun Grays returned the ensuing kickoff 71 yards to the Spartans' 28, but the Panthers ended up turning the ball over on downs at the 25, leaving them with a 14-3 lead at the break.