Photo by James Nicholas
Spain Park players prepare to run on the field during pregame festivities before a game against Sparkman High School on Friday, Aug. 23, 2024, at Spain Park High School, Jaguar Stadium in Hoover, Ala.
I must admit, it was a little odd to not experience the stifling heat and humidity that normally accompanies the first few weeks of the high school football season.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s still been warm. But it’s certainly been worse.
Nevertheless, one of our favorite times of year has returned. On the opening weekend, some games went as expected, but there were some surprises as well. Let’s dive into what we saw from our Under the Lights roster.
Hoover played Saturday night in south Florida, taking on Western as part of the Broward County National Football Showcase. The Bucs played far from their best game, but found a way to come back and win 17-14 on James Bryant’s 38-yard field goal in the final seconds. Jamar Moultrie was undoubtedly the star of the game, as he blocked an extra point kick, broke up multiple passes and returned a kickoff for a touchdown in the game.
The Bucs have one less day than normal to prepare for their next opponent, which happens to be city rival Spain Park. The two are no longer in 7A, Region 3 together, with Spain Park dropping down to 6A this year. But the Jags appear to be a formidable bunch, blowing past Sparkman 38-7 to start the year. Quarterback and recent commit Brock Bradley looked in midseason form, firing five touchdown passes.
I was impressed by what I saw from Mountain Brook in its 28-0 win over Demopolis. There are a lot of questions surrounding the Spartans, with so few returning starters from last season. They were clearly the superior team to Demopolis, a fringe top 10 team in 5A. But new Mountain Brook quarterback Cayden Hofbauer impressed with his dual-threat ability and the defense was lights out.
We chose a good one for our first Game of the Week, as Briarwood and Oak Mountain treated us to a good one at Heardmont Park. The Eagles, winners of just one game last fall, looked like a rejuvenated team, finishing strong and winning 38-28.
Senior quarterback Will O’Dell was on the mark all night, as he gashed the Lions with his running ability and was about as efficient as one could possibly be through the air. He ran for 194 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while completing 21-of-26 passes for 208 yards. He completed his last 16 throws on the night.
Briarwood certainly competed well, especially as a Class 5A team competing against a 7A squad. The Lions lost star player Luke Reynolds early, and that certainly didn’t help things. Briarwood made some things happen on special teams. John Campbell returned a kickoff for a touchdown and the Lions executed a trick play for a two-point conversion. I’ll allow head coach Matthew Forester to let you all know how he came up with that one.
Chelsea is another team that dropped to 6A this fall, and the Hornets began the year by smacking the defending 3A state champs, Mobile Christian, 24-3. The Hornets really ran the ball well, with Chase Stracener and C.J. Durbin both having terrific games out of the backfield.
Hewitt-Trussville trailing J.A.G. at any point Friday was certainly not expected, but the Jags returned the opening kickoff to take a 6-0 lead. That lasted about 90 seconds before the Huskies scored, and scored again. Noah Dobbins threw three touchdown passes. CJ Davis, Parker Floyd and Steven Fisher each ran for one as well. The Huskies defense held J.A.G. to negative total yardage in a dominant effort. The competition ramps up this week against Gadsden City.
There would be no fireworks this time around in the Battle of Lakeshore, as Homewood handled John Carroll 35-6. The Patriots have nearly all of their production back from last season and played like a veteran group from the opening whistle. Will Myers commanded things from the quarterback spot, while he and running back Evan Ausmer each scored twice on the ground. Maleik Smiley returned an interception for a touchdown as well.
Vestavia Hills ran up against a Carver-Montgomery team that is likely to become a household name this season. The Wolverines are stacked with talent, and that talent proved too much for the Rebels to keep up with in a 41-19 loss at the Cramton Bowl. Vestavia closed the gap to 13-12 late in the second quarter, but Carver scored 28 unanswered points to put the game out of reach. The Rebels turned the ball over too often and made too many mistakes to give themselves a chance. They’re a young team with a front-loaded schedule.
Clay-Chalkville impressed in Stuart Floyd’s debut as the Cougars’ head coach, beating Hueytown 28-7. Aaron Frye and Jabari Staples established an immediate connection, teaming up on three touchdown passes.
Here’s an early look at the Week 2 slate:
- Briarwood at Homewood
- Chelsea vs. Wetumpka
- Clay-Chalkville at Ramsay (Thursday)
- Hewitt-Trussville vs. Gadsden City
- Spain Park at Hoover
- John Carroll at St. Michael
- Mountain Brook vs. Parker
- Oak Mountain at Pelham
- Vestavia Hills at Auburn
This is a weekly column from sports editor Kyle Parmley. Follow him on X at @KyleParmley.
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