Eagles look to eclipse last season's win total

The Oak Mountain High School football team will look to build on a 3-0 start when it travels to Vestavia Hills (0-2) Friday for a Class 7A, Region 3 battle.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Thompson Reynolds Stadium.

The Rebels fell to Homewood, 6-0, two weeks ago in their season opener. Last Friday, they dropped their first region game to Spain Park, 33-14. Afterward, the team was left wondering what could have been.

Vestavia Hills turned the ball over twice in the game’s first four minutes, including a fumble on the opening kickoff. The miscues spotted Spain Park prime field position and an eventual 17-0 first-quarter lead that Vestavia Hills could never surmount. But it tried.

After the early miscues, the Rebels played generally well on both sides of the ball. Running back William Schaffeld paced the offense, totaling 80 yards on 16 carries. He also scored a 2-yard touchdown.

Jonathan Hess and Spencer Lawson helped lead a Vestavia Hills defense that buckled down in the second half. The Rebels surrendered a single touchdown over the final two quarters.

“We didn’t give up, and we kept on fighting until the end,” said Lawson, a safety. "Spain Park’s a good team.”

Vestavia Hills now welcomes an Oak Mountain squad that has jetted out to a fast start. The Eagles, who began last season 0-3, have picked up victories over Chelsea, Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa and Huffman. Oak Mountain steamrolled Huffman last Friday in its region opener, winning 31-0. The Eagles potent rushing attack rolled up more than 220 yards, and its defense caused four turnovers in the triumph. Linebacker Jackson Murphy accounted for two of those turnovers. He recorded an interception, recovered a fumble and posted a safety.

“Jackson has a knack for making plays,” Oak Mountain head coach Cris Bell said. “He is just a great leader from the sense of what you want in a linebacker.”

Oak Mountain took last year’s matchup against Vestavia Hills in convincing fashion. The Eagles dispatched their foe 34-7 at Heardmont Park in what Bell later called his team’s best performance of the 2016 season.

Friday's game will feature two prominent rushing attacks, as both Oak Mountain and Vestavia Hills rely heavily on the ground game. Schaffeld and Reed Stockton will lead the Rebels’ charge. Oak Mountain will lean on Luke Percer, Connor Wilson and Ethan Duncan.

Sean Smyth has started the past two games at quarterback for Vestavia Hills, and he too has demonstrated the ability to move the chains with his feet. In the loss to Spain Park, Smyth, a junior, scampered for a handful of big gains and looked comfortable with the ball in his possession. 

Connor Webb, a senior, will start under center for Oak Mountain as the commander of Bell’s split-veer offense. This is Webb’s first year playing the position on the varsity level. Last season, he lined up at safety.

Webb is a dual threat who can extend drives his arm and legs. He rushed for two touchdowns in the first half of Oak Mountain’s win over Huffman last Friday. This week, Vestavia Hills will be tasked with shutting him down.

The Rebels lead the all-time series, 10-3.

Karl Hunt contributed to this report.