Vizzina throws 5 TDs in win
BIRMINGHAM – Any time a quarterback throws more touchdowns than incompletions, chances are it’s been a solid night.
Briarwood Christian School quarterback Christopher Vizzina completed nine passes on Thursday night, with five of them going for touchdowns in the Lions’ 42-14 win over Huffman in a Class 6A, Region 5 contest at Vikings Stadium.
“Our offense was hitting tonight,” Briarwood head coach Matthew Forester said following the game.
Vizzina completed 9-of-12 passes in an incredible and efficient performance, throwing for 239 yards and five touchdowns. Ethan Anderson and Jay Butler each hauled in two scoring passes, with Sawyer Russell adding one of his own.
Anderson hauled in a 31-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the game, right after Cace Reynolds recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff. Luke Gilbert scored on a 10-yard run on Briarwood’s next drive, the only touchdown Vizzina did not account for. But two plays earlier, Vizzina hit Gilbert on a 41-yard pass to set up the score.
Butler hauled in a 28-yard pass from Vizzina on a beautifully thrown ball midway through the second quarter, a pass so nice it prompted a chest bump from offensive coordinator Bobby Kerley. Anderson hauled in another 31-yard pass to give Briarwood a 28-14 lead at halftime.
In the third quarter, Vizzina hit Butler once more for a 20-yard score. On Vizzina’s last throw of the evening, he hit Russell in stride for a 54-yard bomb.
Vizzina spread the ball around to five different receivers, with running back Luke Reebals getting in on the action as well. The Lions are doing this without Nic Dicen, who was expected to be Briarwood’s leading receiver heading into the season. He is recovering from an injury and the Lions hope to have him back in a few weeks.
“You hate it for Nic Dicen to be out for as long as he has been, but that’s the great thing, was guys had to step up and they did. I’m excited about Jay Butler, Ethan Anderson and Luke Gilbert. They’ve done a great job stepping up and being big time contributors,” Forester said.
Will Clark played the final period at quarterback and completed the only pass he threw, a 17-yard completion to Riley Margene. Margene got the majority of the carries in the fourth and finished with 55 rushing yards on nine carries. Reebals finished with 52 rushing yards and 34 receiving yards on the night.
Huffman’s offense had some success as well, with running back Makhi Hughes and quarterback Mekail Alexander-Johnson playing solid games. Hughes scored on a 53-yard run in the first quarter and punched it in from half a yard out in the second quarter, tying the game each time.
Hughes finished with 93 yards on 19 rushes, which was better than the 151 yards the Lions allowed to him last year.
“That was a big time challenge,” Forester said. “If we get a hand on him, we’ve got to tackle him. That’s something we didn’t do well last year. To look at the improvement we made from one year to the next on tackling a big time back, that was a big time game for [the defense].”
Alexander-Johnson rushed for 52 yards and completed 12-of-22 passes for 117 yards.
With the win, Briarwood improved to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in region play. Next week, the Lions return home to face Mortimer Jordan for homecoming. Huffman plays at Hewitt-Trussville next week.