By Rubin E. Grant
In the first 50 years of the Alabama High School Athletic Association football playoff system for all its classifications, which began in 1967, Over the Mountain schools frequently won state championships.
John Carroll Catholic was the first, in 1973, followed by Homewood in 1974, Mountain Brook in 1975 and 1976, Berry (now Hoover) in 1977 and Vestavia Hills in 1980.
After their initial crowns, the Bucs and Patriots continued to stuff their trophy cases with multiple state titles, but the Rebels had to wait until 1998 for its second championship. John Carroll and Mountain Brook haven’t earned another. The Spartans were runners-up in 1996, their last championship game appearance.
Briarwood joined the AHSAA in 1983 but didn’t win its first title until 1998 and claimed another the next year. The Lions also captured a title in 2003.
Oak Mountain, which played its first season in 1999, and Spain Park, whose first season was in 2002, have never won a state title in football, although the Jaguars were runners-up in 2007 and 2015.
But in the past five years, no OTM school has hoisted the AHSAA blue map title trophy. The last one to do so was Hoover in 2017, when the Bucs claimed the Class 7A title, their state record 13th overall.
The only other OTM school to even appear in a championship game in that span was Briarwood in 2017, which finished as Class 5A runners-up that season.
Since Homewood’s last title in 2005, the Patriots’ sixth overall, Hoover is the only OTM school to win a state title.
What has caused the drought? Is it simply a matter of other football programs catching up with OTM schools, having more talent or better coaching? Or are other factors involved?
With the 2022 state playoffs kicking off Friday, I reached out to first-year Vestavia Hills head coach Robert Evans and Mountain Brook head coach Chris Yeager, who is in his 17th season at the helm of the Spartans, for some answers.
Evans was on Vestavia Hills’ 1998 championship team and spent several years as an assistant at both Hoover and Mountain Brook before returning to his alma mater this season. He has guided the Rebels to their first playoff berth since 2019.
Vestavia Hills (6-4) will travel to Decatur to play Austin (7-3) in a first round Class 7A game Friday. Hoover (9-1) also is in the Class 7A field, while Mountain Brook (8-2) and Homewood (8-2) will be competing in Class 6A.
Mountain Brook will host Pinson Valley (6-3) in the first round, Homewood will host McAdory (6-4) and Hoover will host Bob Jones (5-5).
Community-Based Factors
Evans believes the road to a Class 7A title is rather narrow.
“The simple fact is, in Class 7A, only four or five teams can win the state championship,” Evans said. “You have Hoover, Hewitt(-Trussville) and Thompson in the north (bracket) and Central-Phenix City and Auburn in the south.
“When Hewitt and Thompson decided to commit to football, they started contending for titles. They have money, resources and affordable living in their communities. Those three things are the perfect storm for success. It’s not rocket science.
“I’ve been on both sides, at places with talent, great coaching, resources and affordable living.”
Thompson is the three-time reigning Class 7A champion and has appeared in four consecutive champion games, eliminating Hoover in the semifinals each time. Hewitt has never won a state title but is making its ninth playoff appearance in 10 seasons.
“I think players are attracted to successful programs,” Evans added. “We want to have success so we can be attractive, too.”
Yeager, who has taken the Spartans to the Class 6A semifinals the past two seasons, believes Thompson and Hewitt have benefited from having more transient communities.
“Since the early 2000s, we’ve seen more transition to communities where people have loose community ties,” Yeager said. “Most of our players were born here, grew up here and have relatives who played here.
“When Vestavia won in 1998, they had all homegrown Vestavia kids. But the day of community football teams is just about over.”
For that reason, Evans said, “If we’re able to win a state championship it will leave a sweeter taste in my mouth because it will be community based.”
Yeager said part of the reason players leave one community and transfer to schools in another community is what transpires during the offseason.
“A lot of these kids play on 7-on-7 teams together and they have some of the best players around, and then they transfer to schools where they can play together,” Yeager said. “I think right now we’ve got some kids that doesn’t affect, although (Spartans junior quarterback) John Colvin and (senior wide receiver) Jackson Beatty played on different 7-on-7 teams.”
Another contributing factor, Yeager said, is that when a school has highly recruited players, it attracts players from elsewhere who want to play with them to receive more exposure.
“It is what it is,” Yeager said, “but I still think there’s championship-caliber football being played as far as the Birmingham metro area is concerned. Week in and week out, you’re seeing a rich quality of football.
“I think the model or formula we had for success, with schools and communities investing in their football programs, has been copied in other places.”
