Mountain Brook 37, Shades Valley 11
Walker Cox’s 91-yard kickoff return on the game’s first play sparked the Spartans to an impressive opening night win.
Cox’s brother Crawford also contributed to the scoring. He tackled the Mounties’ Nathanial Turner for a safety and recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown.
John Beck scored two touchdowns for Mountain Brook. The first came on a one-yard run in the first period; the second came on a 12-yard pass reception from quarterback Edward Aldag.
Homewood 50, Bessemer City 6
The Patriots’ potent tandem of Ameer Abdullah and Aaron Ernest combined for five touchdowns in the rout of the Tigers. Abdullah scored on runs of 44 and three yards and caught an eight-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Stephen Baggett.
Ernest scored on a 57-yard run and an 87-yard kickoff return.
Homewood’s defense held Bessemer to just seven first downs for the evening.
Vestavia Hills 36, Florence 7
After falling behind 7-0, the Rebels rebounded to chalk up an easy victory. Vestavia quarterback Patrick Prewitt – making his first start – passed for two touchdowns and ran for one. Neil Gannaway was at the receiving end of both scoring tosses.
Running back Georgie Salem rushed for 114 yards on 23 carries and scored twice.
Vestavia’s defense forced the Falcons into six turnovers.
Briarwood 23, Demopolis 13
The Lions began their season on a strong note by upsetting the defending Class 5A state champions. Wilson Whorton’s two field goals and Matthew Furuto’s 27-yard touchdown pass to Michael Lathem gave Briarwood a 13-0 second quarter lead.
After Demopolis rallied to tie the score at 13-13, Whorton’s 31-yard field goal put the Lions back out in front.
Samuel Whitaker’s eight-yard touchdown run sealed the verdict for Briarwood.
John Carroll Catholic 56, Jacksonville 28
The Cavs started their season with an impressive rout of the Golden Eagles.
Buckhorn 34, Oak Mountain 28 (4 OTs)
After battling to a 14-14 tie with the Bucks in regulation play, the Eagles lost a tough decision in overtime. The two teams traded scores in the first and third overtime periods, with Bradley Bostick and Rico Dunn scoring touchdowns for Oak Mountain.
Buckhorn scored the winning touchdown in the fourth overtime period.
Parkway Christian 6, Shades Mountain Christian 0
The Eagles fell in their opening contest of the season.
Hoover 14, Byrnes (S.C.) 0 (Saturday)
The Bucs used a strong defense to hold the Rebels to a mere 127 total yards.
Hoover’s first touchdown came on Caleb Sims’ 20-yard dash in the first quarter. Quarterback Ryan Carter’s 45-yard touchdown pass to Jaylon Denson was responsible for the Bucs’ second score.
Justin McArthur led Hoover’s rushing attack with 60 yards in 13 carries.
Grayson (Ga.) 20, Spain Park 9
Jaguar interim head coach Ben Berguson – filling in while Coach David Shores is on administrative leave – lost his debut. Kegan Gaither earned all of Spain Park’s points with three field goals of 37, 32, and 44 yards, respectively.
Second string quarterback Reid Reinagle sparked the Jaguar offense by rushing for 83 yards on 12 carries.
Outstanding Performances
Homewood’s Ameer Abdullah had 137 all-purpose yards on just 12 touches and scored three touchdowns in the first quarter of the Patriots’ rout of Bessemer City.
Mountain Brook’s Crawford Cox recovered a fumble for a touchdown and added a safety for the Spartans in their easy win over Shades Valley.
Vestavia Hills’ Georgie Salem rushed for 114 yards on just 23 carries with two touchdowns as the Rebels ripped Florence.
Briarwood’s Wilson Whorton kicked two field goals, put four kickoffs in the end zone and had a punt downed at the Demopolis one yard line, as the Lions upset the defending state 5A champions.
