Photo courtesy of Shawn Bowles.
Mountain Brook DL Braxton Wetzler (57) tackles an opponent during a game against Woodlawn on Sept. 3 at Lawson Field in Birmingham.
Chris Yeager happened to be at the ballpark watching a Mountain Brook youth recreational baseball game. A kid stepped into the batter’s box and launched a home run into the trees beyond the outfield fence.
Yeager, the head coach of the Mountain Brook High School football team, posed a question.
“Who is that?” he wondered.
It was Braxton Wetzler, a player who is wrapping up a stellar high school football and baseball career this school year. He has contributed in a significant manner each of his four years on the gridiron, especially.
Wetzler plays the nose along Mountain Brook’s football defensive line, a position Yeager calls the cornerstone of the defense. But that’s not where he has made all of his impact over the last four seasons.
After playing defensive line his whole life, the Spartans needed some depth along the offensive line. As a ninth-grader, Wetzler moved over to the offensive side of the ball in a selfless move.
“He showed up at a young age wanting to make a contribution and impact,” Yeager said. “Incredible maturity level, as far as knowing what he wanted to accomplish for our team.”
Against rival Vestavia Hills his freshman year, Wetzler started at left guard for the Spartans, marking the first time and still only time in Yeager’s 21 years at Mountain Brook a freshman has started along the offensive line.
Wetzler started every game at left guard as a sophomore as well. He’s one of only three sophomores to start along the offensive line for Yeager.
“That wasn’t bad, I just kind of went with it,” Wetzler said of the move to offense.
Yeager said he knew Wetzler would be able to contribute as a young player based on older brother Will’s contributions to the Mountain Brook program. He was part of a class responsible for turning around a program that suffered through consecutive 3-7 seasons before going 8-3 in 2016.
“I knew that the blood line that he came from, they were serious about football,” Yeager said.
Prior to his junior season, the younger Wetzler got his wish and was moved back to the defensive side of the ball.
“I just felt like that was where I needed to be, because I’ve always dreamt of being there, being No. 57 on that D-line,” Wetzler said.
Yeager believes Wetzler possesses many of the same traits as his brother, who played linebacker for the Spartans.
“A lot of times, people think that the nose man is a space hog or whatever, but Braxton is a playmaker,” Yeager said. “Braxton is a linebacker in a big body.”
Yeager believes Wetzler’s quick feet make him a perfect offensive center at the next level, likening his ability to longtime Colts center Jeff Saturday. But Wetzler loves where he’s at and feels adequately equipped to do the job on the Spartans defense.
“I feel like I’m smart enough to do my job and lead the D-line and kind of help everybody get where they need to be and really just fill gaps and make plays on the ball. I’m a big guy but I’m able to move fast enough to catch a running back in the hole,” Wetzler said.
Wetzler does want to play football in college, but he’s soaking in this senior season, one he has dreamed of since elementary school. In mid-October, the Spartans clinched the program’s first region title since 2011 and are gearing up for a playoff run.
“You get a few of them in your whole career,” Yeager said. “He’s a rare one.”
