Photo by Lindsay Handey
Mountain Brook’s Stuart Andrews (10) on the run against Hueytown Sept. 5 at Spartan Stadium.
Stuart Andrews probably thought, “This is too easy.”
The Mountain Brook High School running back rushed into the game with starter Cole Gamble needing a bit of a breather. Gamble had already rushed for 200 yards in the game, but the Spartans were down big, and the backup got his chance.
Andrews, a sophomore at the time, took his first ever varsity carry into the end zone, giving Mountain Brook its only touchdown in a 35-10 loss to Vestavia Hills in the 2023 season opener.
Granted, not every carry has resulted in a touchdown like that, but Andrews has had plenty of success in his varsity career. He backed up Gamble two years ago, watching Gamble put together an unbelievable season. Gamble rushed for 2,000 yards and scored 30 touchdowns, earning Under the Lights All-South Metro Offensive Player of the Year honors.
Andrews got his chance to take the reins last fall and nearly replicated Gamble’s success. He ran for over 1,800 yards and carried the ball 25 times per game, getting his own All-South Metro Offensive Player of the Year award.
Now in his senior year, Andrews is hoping to back up his standout season with another one. He knows defenses are paying more attention to the Spartans’ running game this year but he’s determined to be part of a successful offense no matter how it looks.
“I do feel like people are keying in a little bit on the run, but that just opens up the pass game,” Andrews said. “Having the ability to pass the ball whenever we want, and Sam Smith and Trey Vinson and all those guys accept that role.”
Mountain Brook head coach Chris Yeager has seen a desire for continual improvement from his running back, a trait that will serve him well as he continues to progress throughout the season.
“Stuart has been very coachable. His best thing has been coming to us and asking, ‘How can I improve and how can I get better?’ If he does that over a long period of time, he’ll get exactly where he wants to be,” Yeager said.
Andrews is the next one in a long list of successful Mountain Brook running backs but he wouldn’t have envisioned that just a few years ago. He wanted to be a safety on the high school football team because of his desire to dish out hits.
But during spring ball leading into his freshman year, Andrews’ coach told him he had to go back to offense at a position he had played his entire life.
“Our coach liked me there, but he was like, ‘Man, you got to get back to running back. I can’t not let you play running back,” Andrews recalled.
That move has worked out for him.
“I’m glad he did. I love where I am,” Andrews said.
Photo by Todd Lester
Mountain Brook’s Stuart Andrews, the 2024 Under the Lights All-South Metro Offensive Player of the Year, returns for his senior year. He is shown at a preseason photo shoot at Heardmont Park on July 10.
Andrews credits much of his football success to his time spent on the wrestling mat where he has placed four times at state in high school competition.
“There’s no other sport that gets you more prepared than wrestling does,” he said. “And even if you’re not the best wrestler and don’t have the best technique, you’re still going to get out on the football field and just feel stronger and more powerful when you run the football.”
Yeager certainly sees those wrestling attributes exhibit themselves but he also sees a different side of his running back.
“He’s sort of a paradox to me. He’s an incredibly gritty young man. He was a state champion finalist in wrestling as a sophomore. He is unbelievably gritty. But sometimes he’s got this free spirit about him. He really enjoys life and the people around him,” Yeager said.
Andrews certainly has a stout offensive line paving the way for him and a great backfield mate in quarterback Cayden Hofbauer. He knows he doesn’t have overwhelming physical traits so attention to detail is something that separates the Spartans offense from the rest.
“Our offense is so complex,” Andrews said. “We’ve been talking all year about how precise we need to be. If we’re precise, we’re going to win football games.”
Yeager calls it the “aggregation of marginal gains” that allows Mountain Brook’s offense to excel.
Andrews hopes the accumulation of those small improvements allows the Spartans to put together another strong season. They are looking to make the playoffs for the 10th straight year and they have advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs the last five years.
“Yes, we want to make it deep in the playoffs, but the reason why I want to do that is not just because of the football part. It's because we'll have more weeks to hang out with our guys,” he said.
Andrews also has aspirations of playing college football but is not wishing away his final year in the green and gold. He wants to maximize it in every way.
“I’m not too worried about it, I’m just really worried about the success of the team this year. We’ll figure that out after the season or whenever that comes,” he said.
Yeager said Andrews’ personal motivation is remarkable.
“Incredible personality, but when you peel the layers back, there’s a kid with a lot of desire and a lot of discipline.”
