By Rubin E. Grant
Briarwood Christian football coach Matthew Forester had a few choice words for Pleasant Grove coach Darrell LeBeaux after the two teams played in September.
But it was an exchange of pleasantries instead of vitriol after the Lions fell 26-14 to the Spartans in a Class 5A, Area 4 contest.
“I told him I hoped we would play again in the playoffs,” Forester said, recalling the conversation. “I told him they had a great team and if we played again it would mean we have both had great seasons.”
The Lions and Spartans will meet again. Briarwood (12-1) will play host to Pleasant Grove (12-1) Friday at 7 p.m. in the Class 5A semifinals. The winner will advance to the Super 7 Championships next week at Jordan-Hare Stadium on the Auburn campus.
“It’s crazy that it actually came to fruition,” Forester said of the rematch. “We’re excited to be playing against them again.”
The Lions earned their shot at a rematch with a 7-3 victory against previously unbeaten Bibb County last Friday in the quarterfinals at Lions Pride Stadium.
Freshman quarterback Christopher Vizzina threw a 65-yard touchdown pass to Blake McKenna midway through the first quarter and the Lions’ defense held the Choctaws (12-1) to a lone field early in the fourth quarter.
“We knew Bibb County had a tough, physical football team and we knew they had a good defense, and it was going to be low scoring,” Forester said. “We knew we had to stop the run, wrap up and tackle and not give up any big plays.”
Briarwood has reeled off 11 consecutive wins since the loss to Pleasant Grove to reach the semifinals in Forester’s first year as head coach, replacing the legendary Fred Yancey.
“I think you’ve seen how gritty and resilient our boys are,” Forester said. “The players are coming out and playing tough, physical football and doing what they need to do to win. It hasn’t always been pretty, but they’ve done a pretty good job of doing just enough.”
