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Photo by David Leong.
Briarwood Christian quarterback Josh Thompson (7) throws the ball during a game between the Briarwood Christian School Lions and the Pelham High Panthers on Sept. 15, 2023 at Lions Pride Stadium in Birmingham, AL. Photo by David Leong.
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Photo by David Leong.
Briarwood Christian quarterback Josh Thompson (7) celebrates after a touchdown during a game between the Briarwood Christian School Lions and the Pelham High Panthers on Sept. 15, 2023 at Lions Pride Stadium in Birmingham, AL. Photo by David Leong.
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Photo by David Leong.
Briarwood Christian quarterback Will Clark (3) runs the ball during a game between the Briarwood Christian School Lions and the Pelham High Panthers on Sept. 15, 2023 at Lions Pride Stadium in Birmingham, AL. Photo by David Leong.
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Photo by David Leong.
Briarwood Christian head coach Matthew Forester speaks with his team during a game between the Briarwood Christian School Lions and the Pelham High Panthers on Sept. 15, 2023 at Lions Pride Stadium in Birmingham, AL. Photo by David Leong.
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Photo by David Leong.
Briarwood Christian quarterback Josh Thompson (7) throws the ball away before getting tackled during a game between the Briarwood Christian School Lions and the Pelham High Panthers on Sept. 15, 2023 at Lions Pride Stadium in Birmingham, AL. Photo by David Leong.
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Photo by David Leong.
Briarwood Christian kicker Garrett Heinemann (99) attempts a point after during a game between the Briarwood Christian School Lions and the Pelham High Panthers on Sept. 15, 2023 at Lions Pride Stadium in Birmingham, AL. Photo by David Leong.
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Photo by David Leong.
Briarwood Christian defensive lineman Garrett Witherington (90) makes a tackle during a game between the Briarwood Christian School Lions and the Pelham High Panthers on Sept. 15, 2023 at Lions Pride Stadium in Birmingham, AL. Photo by David Leong.
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Photo by David Leong.
Briarwood Christian defensive back Ethan Carr (27) discusses a play with head coach Matthew Forester during a game between the Briarwood Christian School Lions and the Pelham High Panthers on Sept. 15, 2023 at Lions Pride Stadium in Birmingham, AL. Photo by David Leong.
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Photo by David Leong.
Briarwood Christian Cheerleaders prepare to excite the crowd before a game between the Briarwood Christian School Lions and the Pelham High Panthers on Sept. 15, 2023 at Lions Pride Stadium in Birmingham, AL. Photo by David Leong.
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Photo by David Leong.
The Briarwood Christian marching band entertains the crowd before a game between the Briarwood Christian School Lions and the Pelham High Panthers on Sept. 15, 2023 at Lions Pride Stadium in Birmingham, AL. Photo by David Leong.
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Photo by David Leong.
Briarwood Christian head coach Matthew Forester surveys the field during a game between the Briarwood Christian School Lions and the Pelham High Panthers on Sept. 15, 2023 at Lions Pride Stadium in Birmingham, AL. Photo by David Leong.
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Photo by David Leong.
Briarwood Christian linebacker Jack Cornish (4) and defensive lineman Max Luster (9) celebrate during a game between the Briarwood Christian School Lions and the Pelham High Panthers on Sept. 15, 2023 at Lions Pride Stadium in Birmingham, AL. Photo by David Leong.
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Photo by David Leong.
Briarwood Christian kicker Garrett Heinemann (99) attempts a point after during a game between the Briarwood Christian School Lions and the Pelham High Panthers on Sept. 15, 2023 at Lions Pride Stadium in Birmingham, AL. Photo by David Leong.
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Photo by David Leong.
Briarwood Christian School football team captains prepare to take the field before a game between the Briarwood Christian School Lions and the Pelham High Panthers on Sept. 15, 2023 at Lions Pride Stadium in Birmingham, AL. Photo by David Leong.
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Photo by David Leong.
Briarwood Christian head coach Matthew Forester speaks to his team after a game between the Briarwood Christian School Lions and the Pelham High Panthers on Sept. 15, 2023 at Lions Pride Stadium in Birmingham, AL. Photo by David Leong.
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Photo by David Leong.
The Briarwood Christian marching band entertains the crowd before a game between the Briarwood Christian School Lions and the Pelham High Panthers on Sept. 15, 2023 at Lions Pride Stadium in Birmingham, AL. Photo by David Leong.
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Photo by David Leong.
The Briarwood Christian School marching band entertains the crowd during a game between the Briarwood Christian School Lions and the Pelham High Panthers on Sept. 15, 2023 at Lions Pride Stadium in Birmingham, AL. Photo by David Leong.
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Photo by David Leong.
Briarwood Christian players look to the sideline during a game between the Briarwood Christian School Lions and the Pelham High Panthers on Sept. 15, 2023 at Lions Pride Stadium in Birmingham, AL. Photo by David Leong.
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Photo by David Leong.
Briarwood Christian quarterback Josh Thompson (7) runs the ball during a game between the Briarwood Christian School Lions and the Pelham High Panthers on Sept. 15, 2023 at Lions Pride Stadium in Birmingham, AL. Photo by David Leong.
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Photo by David Leong.
Briarwood Christian head coach Matthew Forester calls a time out during a game between the Briarwood Christian School Lions and the Pelham High Panthers on Sept. 15, 2023 at Lions Pride Stadium in Birmingham, AL. Photo by David Leong.
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Photo by David Leong.
Briarwood Christian quarterback Josh Thompson (7) looks for a receiver during a game between the Briarwood Christian School Lions and the Pelham High Panthers on Sept. 15, 2023 at Lions Pride Stadium in Birmingham, AL. Photo by David Leong.
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Photo by David Leong.
Briarwood Christian linebacker Luke Reynolds (8) attempts to sack the quarterback during a game between the Briarwood Christian School Lions and the Pelham High Panthers on Sept. 15, 2023 at Lions Pride Stadium in Birmingham, AL. Photo by David Leong.
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Photo by David Leong.
Briarwood Christian quarterback Josh Thompson (7) looks for a receiver during a game between the Briarwood Christian School Lions and the Pelham High Panthers on Sept. 15, 2023 at Lions Pride Stadium in Birmingham, AL. Photo by David Leong.
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Photo by David Leong.
Briarwood Christian wide receiver Garrett Cooper (9) runs the ball during a game between the Briarwood Christian School Lions and the Pelham High Panthers on Sept. 15, 2023 at Lions Pride Stadium in Birmingham, AL. Photo by David Leong.
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Photo by David Leong.
Briarwood Christian cheerleaders cheer on the crowd during a game between the Briarwood Christian School Lions and the Pelham High Panthers on Sept. 15, 2023 at Lions Pride Stadium in Birmingham, AL. Photo by David Leong.
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Photo by David Leong.
Briarwood Christian defensive players break up a passing play during a game between the Briarwood Christian School Lions and the Pelham High Panthers on Sept. 15, 2023 at Lions Pride Stadium in Birmingham, AL. Photo by David Leong.
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Photo by David Leong.
Briarwood Christian wide receiver Garrett Cooper (9) gets brought down in the backfield during a game between the Briarwood Christian School Lions and the Pelham High Panthers on Sept. 15, 2023 at Lions Pride Stadium in Birmingham, AL. Photo by David Leong.
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Photo by David Leong.
Briarwood Christian wide receiver Sawyer Click (11) runs the ball during a game between the Briarwood Christian School Lions and the Pelham High Panthers on Sept. 15, 2023 at Lions Pride Stadium in Birmingham, AL. Photo by David Leong.
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Photo by David Leong.
Briarwood Christian kicker Garrett Heinemann (99) attempts a point after during a game between the Briarwood Christian School Lions and the Pelham High Panthers on Sept. 15, 2023 at Lions Pride Stadium in Birmingham, AL. Photo by David Leong.
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Photo by David Leong.
Briarwood Christian quarterback Josh Thompson (7) throws the ball away before getting tackled during a game between the Briarwood Christian School Lions and the Pelham High Panthers on Sept. 15, 2023 at Lions Pride Stadium in Birmingham, AL. Photo by David Leong.
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Photo by David Leong.
Briarwood Christian fans celebrate during a game between the Briarwood Christian School Lions and the Pelham High Panthers on Sept. 15, 2023 at Lions Pride Stadium in Birmingham, AL. Photo by David Leong.
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Photo by David Leong.
The Briarwood Christian School marching band entertains the crowd during a game between the Briarwood Christian School Lions and the Pelham High Panthers on Sept. 15, 2023 at Lions Pride Stadium in Birmingham, AL. Photo by David Leong.
BIRMINGHAM – Halftime adjustments are often an overrated point of conversation surrounding a football game.
But it’s hard to deny the effectiveness of whatever Briarwood Christian School did at the break Friday night.
The Lions held Pelham scoreless over the final two quarters to hold off the Panthers 28-21 in a pivotal Class 6A, Region 3 game at Lions Pride Stadium.
Rylan Hamm batted away a fourth-down heave with just over a minute to play to seal the win for Briarwood (2-2, 2-0 in region).
“Pelham’s really good and you know they’ll be in the playoff mix,” Briarwood head coach Matthew Forester said following the game. “Getting a leg up on them is huge.”
Briarwood gave up 21 points to Pelham in the first half, but nothing over the final two quarters. The Lions defensive line took over and dominated, coming up with several key sacks and tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
“Luke Dickinson, Max Luster, Andrew Kassouf and Garrett Witherington did an amazing job of controlling the line of scrimmage,” Forester said.
It was a flip of the Briarwood-Pelham game from a season ago, when Pelham made a late charge to knock off the Lions.
“It means a lot, because last year we came up short,” Luster said. “That was a great win. I love my teammates.”
First-year starting quarterback Josh Thompson played a tremendous game for Briarwood, showing poise and efficiency all night. He finished 17-of-21 passing for 200 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
“Josh has done an amazing job of taking command and control, and we’ve had other guys really accept their roles and accept them really well,” Forester said.
Will Clark and Cooper Higgins were effective in the backfield as well, with Higgins scoring on a 1-yard run in the second quarter.
Briarwood got on the board first, scoring on its first drive on Thompson’s 7-yard pass to John Paul Harbor. Thompson scored on a 15-yard run in the second quarter as well.
Pelham quarterback Clayton Mains had a brilliant first half, throwing three touchdown passes. He connected on a 14-yard pass to Brock Isbell in the first quarter, then hit Cortez Tolbert for big plays of 41 and 75 yards to give Pelham a 21-18 lead at the half.
Mains finished 17-of-26 for 255 yards and ran for 21 yards, many of his positive yards erased by the sacks in the second half. Tolbert had 5 catches for 171 yards.
The Lions got the lead for good in the middle of the third quarter, as they caught Pelham’s defense off guard for a 49-yard touchdown pass from Thompson to Sawyer Click.
Kicker Garrett Heinemann rebounded from a tough first half to drill an extra point and a key 37-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
“Garrett really did a great job. We fixed our issues at halftime on the PAT. Garrett just trusted his process and he didn’t deviate,” Forester said.
Grey Reebals had a big special teams play for the Lions, returning a kickoff for a touchdown that was called back for holding. For the Briarwood offense, Click finished with 98 yards on 9 receptions. Caleb Keller had a few key grabs and had 4 catches for 71 yards.
Briarwood heads into an open week on a two-game winning streak. The Lions will return to action against Oak Mountain on Sept. 29. Pelham hosts Helena next week.
“It’s a whole lot better to go into bye week with a win than a loss,” Forester said. “We’re going to take that in, use that momentum to go forward.”
Check out all of our high school football photos from this week.
