Photo by Ron Pride
Mountain Brook Assistant Coach Brad Easley during a game between Mountain Brook and Hueytown on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, at Hueytown High School.
The official start of high school football season is in 27 days as of July 24, with teams permitted to begin AHSAA competition on Aug. 20.
Mountain Brook will open the season in 28 days, as the Spartans head to Hueytown on Friday, Aug. 21.
As kickoff approaches over the next several weeks, Village Living and Under the Lights will count down the days until the opening kick.
Mountain Brook offensive coordinator Brad Easley said the offense's identity is built around the running game, specifically the wide zone and stretch concepts that have become a staple in the NFL.
"We're a run-first offense, and we run the wide zone on the stretch," Easley said. "We mimic after the 49ers, and I know the Seahawks did a lot of that stuff this past year too, so that's kind of our identity."
Easley said the scheme has more variation built into it than shows up on a given Friday night, even if the foundation stays consistent.
"There's a lot of tricks to the trade, things that we save, things that people don't know about," Easley said. "Game to game it can look different, but without giving away too much, we're going to be a run-first team, and we're going to play ball control and protect our defense."
Executing that identity starts up front, and senior center John Bradford said the offensive line has embraced the responsibility that comes with it.
"We're almost like the leaders of the team," Bradford said. "Like we start everything off, and if a play goes wrong, it's on us. As men, we accept that and we understand that."
Easley echoed that sentiment when describing the group, praising its effort and selflessness.
