Photo by Richard Force
Chelsea players celebrate a win after a game between the Chelsea Hornets and the Pelham Panthers at Ned Bearden Stadium on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024 in Birmingham, Ala.
Region play is officially underway for most teams. It feels odd that so many of those first region games meant so much to teams that will almost certainly be competing for playoff spots and berths over the next several weeks as the season unfolds.
But last week seemed really important for a few teams across the area. Let’s dive into what we saw.
Chelsea continues to be one of the stories of the season so far, knocking off region foe Pelham 36-33, as Chase Stracener capped off a huge night with a touchdown run with three seconds to play. Stracener totaled over 300 yards on the night, as the Hornets improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2016.
Oak Mountain’s dream start came to an end with a loss to Prattville. The Eagles had their chances in the Class 7A, Region 3 opener, but rallied from a halftime deficit to make it interesting. The playoffs were always going to be a big mountain to climb for the Eagles this year, and a loss to Prattville will decrease their chances even more. But being competitive in several of their region games this season will be a significant step forward this fall.
Briarwood also fell to 0-3 with a loss to Ramsay on Friday. The Lions have now faced three teams that would be tough matchups for any Class 5A team, with Oak Mountain, Homewood and Ramsay proving too much for the Lions so far. The hope is that this only makes Briarwood stronger in the long run, having already played the region favorite in Ramsay. There are several winnable games ahead in the coming weeks.
Mountain Brook was not one of those teams putting it all on the line last week, as the Spartans had one final tune-up before their region slate begins this upcoming week.
The Spartans nearly let a dominant first half go to waste, as they needed a late Anderson Roberts field goal to knock off Hueytown 23-21. Mountain Brook’s running attack is the certain strength of the offense so far, with Stuart Andrews and Cayden Hofbauer combining for more than 270 rushing yards in the game. Now, the Spartans head into region play against Pell City this Friday.
Homewood has been utterly dominant to start the season, blasting Mortimer Jordan 49-21 to go to 3-0. The Patriots have an offensive trio of quarterback Will Myers, running back Evan Ausmer and wide receiver Kylen Newell that is going to be tough for any opponent to contain. So, when receivers like Tomon Felton step up and have big games, that makes the Patriots even more dangerous. Homewood certainly looks like one of the favorites in its region.
John Carroll’s tough start to the season continued last Thursday, as the Cavaliers fell to Carver-Birmingham 26-7. Things appear bleak at the moment for John Carroll, which fell to 0-3 with the loss, but the Cavs’ region does not appear to be stocked with world beaters. There is hope at a playoff run if the Cavs can figure some things out with their young team.
Hoover was quite impressive in a 35-6 drubbing of Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa on the road. The Bucs scored five touchdowns in the game, each one scored by a different offensive player. It was a great rebound for Hoover following the disappointing defeat in the final moments against Spain Park the week prior. The win put the Bucs in a great position to start Region 3 play.
The Under the Lights Game of the Week delivered for the third straight week, as Hewitt-Trussville and Vestavia Hills played a game down to the wire. Jacob Serena of the Huskies caught the game-winning touchdown pass with 20 seconds to play to give his team its only lead of the game.
Vestavia has been battered and bruised over the first three weeks of the season with an unrelenting schedule. Despite being 0-3, there is hope yet for the Rebels. They played much better against the Huskies than they did the first few weeks, and welcomed back a couple offensive playmakers. A pivotal trip to Hillcrest awaits this week, a game Vestavia almost has to win to position itself for a future playoff berth.
It wasn’t pretty, but Hewitt will take it. The offense sputtered much of the night, before a pair of sustained drives in the fourth quarter proved the difference. Serena and CJ Davis made big plays on the final drive, as quarterback Noah Dobbins hung in there and made some tough throws. The Huskies are 3-0 and welcome Hoover to town for a big game this week.
Be sure to follow Under the Lights on social media and sign up for the Saturday morning newsletter to have all of the weekend’s coverage sent directly to your inbox, all in one place.
Also, subscribe to the Under the Lights podcast presented by SYNLawn of Alabama on YouTube, to be the first to know where we’ll be headed for our Game of the Week this Friday.
Here’s an early look at the Week 4 slate:
- Briarwood at Carver-Birmingham
- Clay-Chalkville vs. Shades Valley
- Hoover at Hewitt-Trussville
- Homewood vs. Woodlawn
- John Carroll vs. Hayden
- Mountain Brook vs. Pell City
- Oak Mountain at Thompson
- Spain Park at Helena
- Vestavia Hills at Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa
This is a weekly column from sports editor Kyle Parmley. Follow him on X at @KyleParmley.
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