After solid start, Eagles host Hillcrest
Oak Mountain High School’s football team wanted to change the tide heading into this season, and the Eagles will aim for a 2-0 start when they host Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa at 7 p.m. Friday.
Last fall, Oak Mountain lost its first three games on the way to a three-win season.
The team started off with a 21-10 win last week over Chelsea and now takes on a Hillcrest team that defeated the Eagles 41-21 last season.
Hillcrest ripped off 11 wins in a row in 2016 before falling to Spanish Fort in the second round of the state playoffs, but Oak Mountain should feel much better about its chances against the Patriots this time around. Hillcrest no longer has electric running back Brian Robinson, who eclipsed 100 yards against the Eagles last fall.
Hillcrest also failed to score last week, falling to Oxford, 21-0, to begin the season.
Early turnovers proved to be the difference in last year’s matchup, as Oak Mountain fell behind 34-0 at halftime and were never able to get back into the game.
The Eagles should feel good about themselves heading into the second game of the season, after dispatching Chelsea, 21-10, last week.
“It’s a good first win for us,” Oak Mountain head coach Cris Bell said. “It feels a whole lot better tonight than it did a year ago.” Last fall, Chelsea won 49-33.
Carson Bobo’s big hit after a third-quarter punt seemed to be the turning point in the game. Luke Percer notched a pair of touchdown runs in the second half to extend Oak Mountain’s lead from four points to 21-3, before Chelsea added a late score.
Oak Mountain broke in Connor Webb as the new starting quarterback, and he conducted the offense effectively. He only put the ball in the air seven times, but completed five passes for 36 yards.
“I thought the thing that he did was he battled all night,” Bell said of Webb. “He was better the last quarter and a half than he was the first two and a half quarters, and that’s what we’ve got to see.”
Percer, Connor Wilson and Ethan Duncan combined for 179 yards on the ground at halfback. Webb added 42 yards from the quarterback spot.
Sam Chandler contributed to this report.