Vizzina, Anderson lead Lions past Shades Valley
BIRMINGHAM — Briarwood Christian School quarterback Christopher Vizzina summed up the bond this way.
“I know he’s going to catch it, I’ve just got to get it there,” Vizzina said of wide receiver Ethan Anderson. “And he knows I’ll get it there.”
Vizzina’s words are about as direct as the eight targets Vizzina had to Anderson on Friday at Lions Pride Stadium. Anderson caught them all for 134 yards and two touchdowns, and the third-ranked Lions overcame a slow start to win 28-7 over Shades Valley.
After both Class 6A, Region 5 teams traded first-possession punts, Shades Valley running back Jordan Pearson broke free for a 79-yard touchdown midway through the first quarter.
Briarwood (7-0, 4-0 in region) tied the game in the second quarter when Vizzina found Anderson in stride for a 67-yard score. Briarwood took a 14-7 edge into halftime on a 5-yard touchdown run by Vizzina, an 80-yard drive in three minutes that featured four of Anderson’s receptions for 47 yards.
“He’s been such a hard worker,” Lions head coach Matthew Forester said of Anderson. “He’s worked hard for three years and it’s his moment to shine. He’s done it several times, but tonight was probably his biggest night. He was just on fire and doing a great job. We knew he could catch, knew he was a great route runner and he just had the opportunity tonight where they were leaving him open and he we could find him and hit him.”
Briarwood capped a five-minute, 16-play drive to open the third quarter with the second Vizzina-to-Anderson connection, this time from 11 yards. Vizzina iced the game midway through the first quarter when he raced 73 yards to pay dirt.
Vizzina finished 17-of-19 for 231 yards and two scores. He rushed for 96 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. Jay Butler added four catches for 58 yards. Cooper Higgins rushed for 70 yards on seven carries and Riley Margene toted the ball eight times for 41 yards. The Lions amassed 433 total yards.
“We got off to a slow start, but I was never in doubt [that we’d lose],” Anderson said. “I didn’t panic at all. We stayed calm, we executed when we had to in the passing game.”
Briarwood running back Luke Reebals left the game after Briarwood’s first offensive snap — a play he rushed the ball for 13 yards — with an apparent shoulder injury.
For Shades Valley (1-5, 1-2), Pearson rushed 12 times for 122 yards and a touchdown. He left in the third quarter with a leg injury. Quarterback J’Caius Moore completed 11-of-19 passes for 40 yards. The Mounties totaled 143 yards in the game.
“We knew they’d come out and fight,” Forester said of Shades Valley. “We knew they’re much better than their record indicates. They showed that tonight. I’m proud of our guys for the fight they have, the determination. We’re not perfect. We showed that tonight plenty of times, but at the same time we were able to keep overcoming our mistakes.”
The Lions have their biggest region game to date next Thursday at No. 5 Mountain Brook (5-1, 3-0), which had its open date this week.
“We’ve just got to come into the week focused, no distractions,” Anderson said. “It’s the toughest team we’ve played all year, so we just have to have a good week of practice and stay super focused.”