By Loyd McIntosh
Mountain Brook kept their playoffs alive following another cardiac-special, come-from-behind win at Pinson Valley Thursday, 39-35. Once again, with their backs against the wall, the Spartans found a way to take control of the game in the fourth quarter, thanks in large part to the improvisational skills of Cayden Hofbauer.
With Hofbauer at quarterback, defibrillators really should be handed out at the gate as the crafty senior scrambled his way to three rushing touchdowns to accompany his two passing scores. However, while Hofbauer and workhorse running back Stuart Andrews receive most of the focus, the defense came up big in this important 6A Region 6 win on the road.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Pinson Valley was driving deep into Mountain Brook territory with an opportunity to put the game out of reach. However, the Spartans’ defensive line held strong, stuffing Pinson Valley quarterback Rico Freeman on a 4th and short, giving possession to the Mountain Brook offense on their own 14-yard line.
Hofbauer relied on his running ability to march the Spartans 86 yards, slicing through the Pinson Valley defense, capping the drive with a 25-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion attempt failed, and with 2:59 to play in the game, Pinson Valley held a slim lead over Mountain Brook, 28-26.
On the ensuing drive, Spartan linebacker Miller Lee intercepted a Freeman pass, returning the pigskin to the Indians’ 18-yard line. Moments later, Hofbauer found a seam in the middle of the line, darted to the left sideline, juked a defender out of his jockstrap at the one-yard line, and crossed the goal line for a score. The two-point conversion attempt was no good, but with less than two minutes to play in the game, Mountain Brook held a slim lead over Pinson Valley, 32-28.
Right on cue with the 2025 Spartans, things quickly became nerve-racking.
On the second play of the Indians’ next possession, Freeman connected with wide receiver Maurice Allen for a 65-yard touchdown. In the blink of an eye, Pinson Valley regained the lead, 35-32, as Mountain Brook’s playoff hopes seemed to be hanging by a thread.
With a little over 90 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Hofbauer took control, leading yet another late drive. Hofbauer connected with receiver John Colvin at key moments and relied on Andrews to move the ball upfield.
With just over 40 seconds left on the clock and the ball on the Indians’ 25-yard line, Hofbauer rolled to his right looking for an open receiver, felt the play breaking down, and improvised his way around several Pinson Valley defenders for his third rushing touchdown of the night. With 35 seconds remaining in the contest, Mountain Brook led, 39-35.
Pinson Valley made a valiant effort on the next possession; however, the Spartans were able to force the Indians to turn the ball over on downs for the second time in the fourth quarter to hold on to a four-point victory.
Mountain Brook head coach Chris Yeager acknowledged the cardiac-kids nature of the 2025 Spartans makes things interesting, but says he and the coaching staff emphasize playing as hard as you can to the last whistle. He added that the performance of the offense and defense down the stretch was key to the must-win.
“They definitely give you your money’s worth,” Yeager said. “If you’re going to come watch a football game and you want to see a good one, this group will give you great entertainment, for sure.
“The guys just rose up on both sides of the ball, keeping everybody together,” Yeager said. “The greatest test is you rise, you get knocked down, and you rise again.”
Mountain Brook rang up 405 total yards: 137 passing, 268 rushing. Hofbauer completed seven of 16 passing attempts with two touchdowns and one interception. Hofbauer was the Spartans’ leading rusher with 159 yards on 14 carries and three touchdowns. Andrews had 25 carries for 112 yards and one touchdown.
Colvin was Mountain Brook’s leading receiver with 64 yards on three catches and two touchdowns, followed closely by Sam Smith with two catches for 51 yards.
With the win, the Spartans improved to 5-3 overall, 2-2 in region play, but more importantly, the victory keeps their playoff hopes alive. Mountain Brook can guarantee a playoff appearance with wins at home over Huffman next Friday, October 17, and Shades Valley on October 24 to close out the regular season.
