By Lee Davis
Walker Minor and his Vestavia Hills teammates got right down to business against Oxford on Sept. 25.
On the first play from scrimmage, the senior tailback dashed untouched 75 yards for a touchdown. The early score proved to be the difference as the Rebels earned a hard-fought 17-10 win over the Yellow Jackets at Thompson Reynolds Stadium.
“Give all the credit to my offensive line,” The ever-modest Minor said. “All I had to do was run. I’m just glad we won the game.”
The Rebels have been doing a lot of winning lately, and Minor has been a big part of the success. Entering October, Vestavia had posted a 4-1 record, a far cry from last year’s final worksheet of 3-7.
Minor said the new season brought a new attitude to the Rebel program. “Last year was one big disappointment,” he said. “Losing so many games wasn’t fun and we were determined not to let it happen again.”
The biggest tangible change is the improvement of the offensive unit, he said.
“Our defense is just as good as last year, but our offense has gotten a lot better,” Minor explained.
Vestavia’s best overall effort of the season may have come in the Rebels’ 37-7 rout of Class 7A Region Three rival Mountain Brook the previous week. The offense made few mistakes, while the defensive unit completely shut down the Spartans’ attack and returned two fumbles for touchdowns. Minor also gained 64 yards rushing and scored a touchdown.
“It takes a lot of pressure off of the offense when the defense scores two touchdowns,” Minor said.
Vestavia’s impressive early start is a vindication of Coach Buddy Anderson’s long-time philosophy that focusing on a strong running game and a stingy defense can be successful in this era of spread formations.
Minor’s efforts in 2015 have been a good example. Through five games, he has run for 431 yards on 78 carries for a 5.5 per carry average and seven touchdowns. Minor has also caught two passes for 67 yards and one score.
“It’s all about the team concept,” Minor said. “You can’t do anything in football if everybody isn’t on the same page. Any individual success I’ve had goes to the whole team.”
He got things off to a good start in Vestavia’s 41-7 opening night rout of Homewood by gaining 108 yards on 20 carries and scoring three touchdowns.
“That game set the tone,” Minor said. “We’ve beaten Homewood in the past but it’s always been a competitive game. This time we dominated, and (it) gave us lots of momentum.”
As Minor says, he isn’t a one-man show. The development of the offensive line, led by Alex Robin and Clayton Harris, has been a key. And the Rebel defense – inconsistent at times last season – has been stellar in the first five outings. Nolan Turner is outstanding in the secondary.
While the good times seem to have come back to Vestavia football, the road ahead is long and difficult. The month of October is particularly daunting. After facing a vastly improved Thompson team last week, the Rebels play Spain Park and Hoover.
“One thing Coach Anderson always tells us is that there are no easy games – especially in our region,” Minor said. “All we can do is work hard to get better every week. If we do that, we’ll have a good season.”
Anderson – who became the state’s all-time winningest high school coach in 2014 – is an inspiration to his players, according to Minor.
“It’s difficult to imagine playing for any other high school coach in Alabama,” Minor said. “Coach Anderson has been so successful for so long that it’s a unique experience to play for him. He cares about all of us.
With a strong finish, Minor has a chance at reaching the exclusive 1,000-yard rushing plateau, but that’s not a priority with him.
“I’ve never really thought much about it, but I guess it would be special to rush for 1,000 yards,” Minor said. “But mainly I just want to help the team win. When it’s all over, the only numbers that matter are on the scoreboard.”
Those sound like words coming from a young man who believes in getting down to business.
