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Mountain Brooks vs. Huffman
#12 Strother Gibbs carries the ball against Huffman on Friday night.
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Photo by James Nicholas
Mountain Brook Football 2020
Mountain Brook LB Win Horn during a game between Mountain Brook and Huffman on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Viking Stadium in Huffman.
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Mountain Brook Football 2020
Huffman QB Justice Christian #4 during a game between Mountain Brook and Huffman on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Viking Stadium in Huffman.
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Mountain Brook Football 2020
Huffman WR Dominick Jackson #2 during a game between Mountain Brook and Huffman on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Viking Stadium in Huffman.
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Mountain Brook Football 2020
Mountain Brook RB Michael Brogan #32 during a game between Mountain Brook and Huffman on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Viking Stadium in Huffman.
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Mountain Brook Football 2020
Mountain Brook RB Michael Brogan #32 fumbles the ball during a game between Mountain Brook and Huffman on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Viking Stadium in Huffman.
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Mountain Brook Football 2020
Mountain Brook LB Trenton Wright #33 tackles Huffman RB Makhi Hughes #22 during a game between Mountain Brook and Huffman on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Viking Stadium in Huffman.
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Photo by James Nicholas
Mountain Brook Football 2020
Mountain Brook QB Strother Gibbs #12 during a game between Mountain Brook and Huffman on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Viking Stadium in Huffman.
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Photo by James Nicholas
Mountain Brook Football 2020
Mountain Brook WR Jake Thompson #17 during a game between Mountain Brook and Huffman on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Viking Stadium in Huffman.
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Photo by James Nicholas
Mountain Brook Football 2020
Mountain Brook WR Jake Thompson #17 during a game between Mountain Brook and Huffman on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Viking Stadium in Huffman.
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Mountain Brook Football 2020
Huffman RB Makhi Hughes #22 during a game between Mountain Brook and Huffman on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Viking Stadium in Huffman.
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Mountain Brook Football 2020
Mountain Brook WR Jake Thompson #17 during a game between Mountain Brook and Huffman on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Viking Stadium in Huffman.
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Mountain Brook Football 2020
Mountain Brook QB Strother Gibbs #12 during a game between Mountain Brook and Huffman on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Viking Stadium in Huffman.
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Mountain Brook Football 2020
Mountain Brook’s Mac Smith (56) during a game between Mountain Brook and Huffman on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Viking Stadium in Huffman.
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Mountain Brook Football 2020
Huffman DB Byron Austin #3 tackles Mountain Brook RB Michael Brogan #32 during a game between Mountain Brook and Huffman on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Viking Stadium in Huffman.
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Mountain Brook Football 2020
Huffman RB Makhi Hughes #22 during a game between Mountain Brook and Huffman on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Viking Stadium in Huffman.
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Mountain Brook Football 2020
Mountain Brook QB Strother Gibbs #12 during a game between Mountain Brook and Huffman on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Viking Stadium in Huffman.
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Mountain Brook Football 2020
Huffman DB De'mariay Bimbo #13 during a game between Mountain Brook and Huffman on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Viking Stadium in Huffman.
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Mountain Brook Football 2020
Mountain Brook PD SRO officers during a game between Mountain Brook and Huffman on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Viking Stadium in Huffman.
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Mountain Brook Football 2020
Birmingham PD officer Joseph during a game between Mountain Brook and Huffman on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Viking Stadium in Huffman.
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Mountain Brook Football 2020
Mountain Brook players before a game between Mountain Brook and Huffman on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Viking Stadium in Huffman.
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Mountain Brook Football 2020
Mountain Brook players before a game between Mountain Brook and Huffman on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Viking Stadium in Huffman.
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Mountain Brook Football 2020
Mountain Brook players before a game between Mountain Brook and Huffman on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Viking Stadium in Huffman.
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Mountain Brook Football 2020
Huffman Band Members before a game between Mountain Brook and Huffman on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Viking Stadium in Huffman.
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Mountain Brook Football 2020
Huffman Band Members before a game between Mountain Brook and Huffman on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Viking Stadium in Huffman.
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Mountain Brook Football 2020
Huffman Cheerleaders being interviewd by SIDELINE! before a game between Mountain Brook and Huffman on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Viking Stadium in Huffman.
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Mountain Brook Football 2020
Huffman students before a game between Mountain Brook and Huffman on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Viking Stadium in Huffman.
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Mountain Brook Football 2020
It was Seniors night at Huffman, Jaquarrius Cunningham’s family was in full force to represent their senior before a game between Mountain Brook and Huffman on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Viking Stadium in Huffman.
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Mountain Brook Football 2020
Birmingham Fire Department members before a game between Mountain Brook and Huffman on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Viking Stadium in Huffman.
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Mountain Brook Football 2020
Huffman LB John McMillan #44 during a game between Mountain Brook and Huffman on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Viking Stadium in Huffman.
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Mountain Brook Football 2020
Mountain Brook players listen to Head Coach Chris Yeager’s pep talk before a game between Mountain Brook and Huffman on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Viking Stadium in Huffman.
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Mountain Brook Football 2020
Mountain Brook players before a game between Mountain Brook and Huffman on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Viking Stadium in Huffman.
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Mountain Brook Football 2020
Mountain Brook students before a game between Mountain Brook and Huffman on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Viking Stadium in Huffman.
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Photo by James Nicholas
Mountain Brook Football 2020
Mountain Brook students before a game between Mountain Brook and Huffman on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Viking Stadium in Huffman.
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Photo by James Nicholas
Mountain Brook Football 2020
Mountain Brook students before a game between Mountain Brook and Huffman on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Viking Stadium in Huffman.
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Mountain Brook Football 2020
Mountain Brook’s socially distanced sideline during a game between Mountain Brook and Huffman on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Viking Stadium in Huffman.
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Photo by James Nicholas
Mountain Brook Football 2020
Mountain Brook RB during a game between Mountain Brook and Huffman on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, at Viking Stadium in Huffman.
BIRMINGHAM — Mountain Brook High School head football coach Chris Yeager never lost confidence in starting quarterback Strother Gibbs.
Neither did Blake Pugh, the Spartans’ ball-hawking senior whose defense kept Mountain Brook competitive even as Gibbs wobbled out of the gates.
“I never lose confidence with Stro,” Pugh said. “Stro’s a different animal, a different breed. He’s the G.O.A.T.”
Gibbs showed why on a muggy night at Huffman’s Viking Stadium.
After throwing two early interceptions, Gibbs rebounded to score four touchdowns — three of them in the final quarter — and lead top-ranked Mountain Brook to a 28-7 victory over its Class 6A, Region 5 foe.
“It was definitely a slow start, but we came out and we stuck to the game plan, kept going with it,” Gibbs said, “and we ended up getting the outcome we wanted.”
Gibbs ran for a 2-yard touchdown in the second quarter that drew the score even at 7-7. The teams remained deadlocked until early in the fourth, when Gibbs guided his team on three consecutive scoring drives.
The first began at Mountain Brook’s 9-yard line and culminated in a 32-yard touchdown pass from Gibbs to Paulson Wright along the right sideline.
“He’s grown throwing the football, so that was very, very encouraging, the passing tonight,” Yeager said. “We knew that he could run, we knew that we were capable of running the football, but the passing part of our offense was very encouraging tonight.”
The Spartans (3-0, 2-0 in region) navigated a much shorter field on their ensuing possession, which began at Huffman’s 27 following Pugh’s second interception of the night. His first came in the first quarter.
“I knew we needed a stop, because the whole halftime we were preaching, ‘We’ve got to have a turnover, we’ve got to change the speed of the game, we’ve got to put it on our momentum,’” Pugh said. “I saw the quarterback...and picked it off and set up the offense. It worked out in our favor. It was perfect.”
Mountain Brook capitalized on the friendly field position with a powerful 10-yard scoring run from Gibbs, who plowed through a couple of tackles before stretching into the end zone. The run gave the Spartans a 21-7 lead with 6:49 to play.
They scored their final touchdown of the night on a similar scamper from Gibbs the next time they had the ball. He finished with 118 rushing yards on 15 carries and completed 6-of-11 passes for more than 100 yards.
“He’s an iron horse. You just can’t knock him out,” Yeager said of his quarterback. “He just keeps on going, keeps on going.”
While Mountain Brook’s offense roared to life late, its defense buckled down. The Spartans forced two turnovers on downs, two punts and Pugh’s interception on Huffman’s five second-half drives.
“We’ve got I think seven or eight returning starters. We lost a few big guys, but we just have the best chemistry,” Pugh said of his defense. “It’s awesome being out there with those guys, and there’s nothing like it.”
Huffman running back Makhi Hughes led all rushers with 141 yards on 22 carries, but Mountain Brook prevented him from reaching the end zone. Michael Brogan toted the ball just as much for the Spartans, totaling 106 yards on 22 attempts. Jake Thompson paced the Mountain Brook receiving corps with four receptions for 34 yards.
Next week, the Spartans host Region 5 opponent Shades Valley on Thursday at Spartan Stadium. Huffman (3-1, 1-1) plays at Briarwood on Friday.
Click here to view and purchase photos from the game.