Second Time Around:
New Alignments Weren’t
So Bad for Area Teams
By Lee Davis
The 2012 football season was supposedly a transitional one for Over the Mountain schools, but if the worksheet was any indication, it’s easy to come away with the conclusion that change is sometimes a good thing.
Regional realignments implemented that season broke area schools into an oddly gerrymandered set of divisions, and sadly, ended more than one traditional rivalry. Classic matchups such as Mountain Brook-Homewood and even Hoover-Spain Park bit the dust as a result of the changes, leaving fans shaking their heads.
The new setup, which remains intact this season, placed Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills in Class 6A’s Region 6 with Carver-Birmingham, Gardendale, Hewitt-Trussville, Huffman and Shades Valley.
Spain Park and Oak Mountain moved to Class 6A’s Region 4 with Chelsea, Pelham, Prattville, Stanhope Elmore, Thompson and Wetumpka.
Hoover branched off on its own to join Class 6A’s Region 5 with Bessemer City, Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa, Hueytown, Jackson-Olin, Minor, Northridge and Tuscaloosa County.
Homewood, after years of being overmatched in Class 6A, moved to smaller Class 5A. The Patriots joined Region 4, which included longtime neighbors Briarwood and John Carroll Catholic.
“We weren’t really sure how it was all going to work out,” Mountain Brook Coach Chris Yeager said. “But when it’s all said and done, you’re still playing football.”
It worked out pretty well, as no less than four area schools–Hoover, Mountain Brook, Vestavia and Spain Park–won at least 10 games. The Bucs finally ended their two-year streak of facing bad luck and heartbreak in the Class 6A finals by rolling to a 15-0 record to claim their first title since 2009.
Oak Mountain, under first-year coach Cris Bell, surprised almost everyone by going 7-4 and earning a playoff berth.
In Class 5A, Homewood immediately reasserted itself as a power with a 9-1 regular season record and date in the postseason.
Of course, all of the teams that did well might have done so regardless of the region in which they happened to be competing. As Yeager said, at the end, it’s all about who can play football the best.
Speaking of the best, the Hoover Bucs enter 2013 as the clear choice to repeat as Class 6A champs. Coach Josh Niblett’s team rolled through the season and the playoffs without facing a truly serious challenge on the way to the big blue trophy.
Loaded once again with a bevy of great athletes, it’s hard to see what can stop Hoover this season. All eyes will be on the versatile Marlon Humphrey, who begins his senior season as perhaps the state’s most highly-touted high school athlete.
Buccaneer fans are already buzzing about the season opener against Colquitt County of Georgia, led by former Hoover coach Rush Propst. Niblett truly showed courage and self-confidence by scheduling this game against his predecessor, as it’s really a lose/lose situation for him. If Hoover wins, as it should, critics will say, “What did you expect?”
But if Propst and Colquitt County pull the big upset, it’s easy to guess what we will hear.
What we hear in December, however, is much more important than what we hear in August. And the story of the year’s final month is likely to be that Hoover claims yet another Class 6A crown.
Some coaches go gracefully into retirement. They often become teachers or principals or get jobs selling insurance or graduation supplies. Buddy Anderson just keeps coaching and winning. Anderson is 63 and only four wins shy of his 300th career win after 35 years as head coach at Vestavia.
With the Rebels, the question is never whether they will be good: The question is almost always, how good is Vestavia? With the Rebels coming off a 10-3 mark and Region 6 championship, the odds are that they will be strong again. Two of their losses came at the hands of Hoover, and Sept. 27 is the date that the Rebels square off with their old rival again.
Vestavia may lose that match, but it’s not likely to lose many more.
Winning has become a way of life at Mountain Brook under Yeager, and last season was no exception as the Spartans rolled to an 11-2 mark, losing only to Vestavia in regular season play followed by a playoff defeat at the hands of Clay-Chalkville.
If a young offensive line can jell quickly, Mountain Brook could be in for another big year. At the minimum, the Spartans should qualify for yet another playoff date.
With their team coming off a fine 10-3 mark, Spain Park boosters were surprised to see popular coach Chip Lindsey leave campus to take a support role at Auburn University. But the Jaguars raided the staff of crosstown rival Hoover to bring in former Buc defense coordinator Shawn Raney as their leader.
Spain Park will miss the skills of former quarterback Nick Mullens, who set school and state passing marks before moving on to the college ranks. The talent pipeline is well in place, so don’t be surprised to see the Jags win a region title and perhaps go even further. And maybe–just maybe–they’ll get a shot at Hoover in the postseason.
Cris Bell turned heads a year ago when he took over a struggling program at Oak Mountain. He promised to “condemn the house and start over.” That’s exactly what Bell did and showed excellent results for his efforts. The Eagles’ 7-4 record in 2012 was only one win less than the team’s total victory output over the previous three seasons combined.
Bell’s contagious enthusiasm has brought new life to the Oak Mountain community. The fact that the Eagles have some fine athletes under his command helps, too. So now the question is, what do Bell and Oak Mountain do for an encore?
Homewood showed its appreciation of being back in its old stomping ground of Class 5A by rolling to a 9-1 record before falling to Greenville in the first round of the playoffs. The Patriots went through one incredible six-week run where they dominated their opponents by an average score of 59-7.
Homewood could easily be every bit as dangerous in 2013. Patriot fans will learn much about their team early in the season. Homewood hosts Class 6A power Vestavia in the season opener, and region rival Briarwood comes to Waldrop Stadium on Sept. 13.
Briarwood’s Lions had a soft roar early in 2012, as they stumbled out of the gate with an uncharacteristic 1-3 beginning. Coach Fred Yancey rallied his troops, and his team reached the third round of the Class 5A playoffs before being eliminated.
Don’t expect a slow start this time. Barring injuries, Briarwood’s offense should be much more versatile, and Ethan Simmons may be the best linebacker in metro Birmingham. It’s a safe bet that the Lions will greatly improve on last season’s 6-7 mark.
John Carroll Catholic fans will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 1973 state championship team this season. New Cavalier coach Tim Sanders hopes to give his fans something more current to be excited about as well.
Carroll has some fine athletes, but depth is a problem. The Cavs simply can’t afford the types of injuries that decimated the final two years of former coach Chris Musso’s regime. If John Carroll can shake the injury bug, the team has a chance to make Sanders’ maiden voyage a pleasant one.
There is a new wave of excitement at Shades Mountain Christian as Dickey Wright moves in as the new head coach. Wright has big-time credentials as the former defensive coordinator and later head coach at Homewood. The Eagles have a long way to go, but the commitment of the school to bring in a coach of Wright’s stature is a good omen for the future of the program.
