Layton Dudley
Oak Mountain Football
Both teams prepare at the line during a game between Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa and Oak Mountain on Friday, Sept. 1, 2017, at Heardmont Park in Birmingham.
The Oak Mountain High School football team wanted to reverse course upon entering the 2017 season.
So far, it has.
A victory Friday in the Eagles Class 7A, Region 3 opener against Huffman will match their win total from a season ago, when they went 3-8. Oak Mountain (2-0) has started its current campaign with consecutive wins over Chelsea and Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa — both teams it lost to in 2016.
The Eagles relied on a relentless rushing attack, along with stout defense, to plow past Chelsea in their season opener, 21-10. Hillcrest provided more of a challenge last Friday. Oak Mountain fell behind by two touchdowns in the opening half before mounting a late comeback.
In the final quarter, linebacker Jackson Murphy shifted the momentum with a 50-yard fumble return touchdown, and running back Ethan Duncan ran in the go-ahead score from 1 yard out.
Oak Mountain held a 28-21 lead with less than two minutes to play. But it wasn’t over yet.
Hillcrest found the end zone with 19 seconds left in regulation, but it opted to attempt a potential game-winning two-point conversion instead of kicking the extra point. The Eagles defense kept Hillcrest out of the end zone to preserve a 28-27 victory.
Oak Mountain quarterback Connor Webb, who played safety last year, completed 11-of-13 passes for 156 yards in the triumph. That’s an uptick from the week prior, when he attempted only seven passes in the win over Chelsea. Duncan, Luke Percer and Connor Wilson have all contributed significantly to the Eagles’ potent rushing attack.
This week, Oak Mountain will host a Huffman team that defeated Parker last Friday in its season opener. Huffman beat Oak Mountain 21-11 in last year’s contest as the Eagles started the season 0-3.
Huffman is led by senior Allen Love, a 6-foot-3 inch, 285-pound defensive tackle committed to Ole Miss.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Friday at Heardmont Park.
*Robert Carter contributed to this report
