Jonathan M. Norris
Oak Mountain Football
Oak Mountain captains going out for the coin toss before game between Oak Mountain and Tuscaloosa County on Friday, Oct. 13, 2017, at Heardmont Park in Birmingham.
After navigating a brutal beginning to the Class 7A, Region 3 schedule, the Mountain Brook High School football team (5-2, 3-2 in region) has emerged as a near lock for the postseason.
The Spartans drew Hoover and Thompson off the bat to begin region play and suffered defeat at the hands of both. But since, they have ripped off wins over Spain Park, Tuscaloosa County and Vestavia Hills to put them on solid ground entering the final stretch.
Oak Mountain's season has followed an opposite trajectory. After starting 3-0, the Eagles (3-4, 1-4 in region) have suffered defeats to Vestavia Hills, Thompson, Hoover and Tuscaloosa County in region play.
On Friday, both teams will look for a positive result, as Oak Mountain travels to Mountain Brook for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
Last week, the Spartans pulled off a 17-10 overtime victory against Vestavia Hills. The win was capped off by Collin Bussman’s fourth-down stop to deny the Rebels a potential tying score.
“That was an incredible high school football game,” said Mountain Brook head coach Chris Yeager. “Neither team deserved to lose, and that’s what it’s all about. Both teams carry big lessons from this game.”
Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills entered overtime tied 10-10, but the stalemate didn’t last long. On the Spartans' first possession, Mountain Brook quarterback Hamp Sisson zipped a short touchdown pass to running back Harold Joiner. Sisson scored on a 19-yard scramble in the fourth quarter to even the game at 10-10.
“Our team never doubts,” he said. “We always believe."
Oak Mountain found itself on the opposite side of a tight result last Friday.
Taking over on downs on his own 23-yard line with a six-point deficit and 1:43 left in the game, Oak Mountain quarterback Connor Webb connected with Cole Thomas for gains of 8 and 14 yards and Carson Bobo for a 26-yard gain to help move the Eagles as far as the Tuscaloosa County 20-yard line.
However, a couple of close incompletions and a sack ended what could’ve been an impressive comeback for Oak Mountain, which fell 33-28.
“We did the best job we could right there at the end,” Oak Mountain head coach Cris Bell said. “The problem was we just did a lousy job playing defense all night. We should’ve never been in that situation.”
Webb, who threw for 145 yards and a touchdown on 12-of-16 passing, led Oak Mountain. He added 45 yards rushing. Luke Percer tallied 101 yards and a score on the ground, while Jonathan Bennett rushed for 22 yards and two touchdowns. Bobo had 40 yards receiving, and Cole Thomas had 47. Defensively, Zach Nelson had an interception.
Both teams take to the road to round out region play next week. Oak Mountain takes on Spain Park, while Mountain Brook plays Huffman.
- Sam Chandler and Brandon Miller contributed to this report.
