Vestavia Hills Overcomes Early Adversity, Pulls Away From Benjamin Russell
An injured starting quarterback, an hour-long stadium-light delay and a turnover on the opening kickoff gave Vestavia Hills plenty to overcome Friday night. None of it knocked the Rebels off course.
Vestavia Hills controlled the line of scrimmage and scored the game’s final 16 points to defeat Benjamin Russell 23-7 in a matchup between two of the state’s top-ranked teams.
Benjamin Russell couldn’t have asked for a much better start. Vestavia fumbled the opening kickoff return, giving the Wildcats an immediate opportunity that quarterback Kingston Preyear turned into a touchdown pass and an early 7-0 lead. The Rebels responded to eventually even the game at seven, but adversity continued when starting quarterback Charlie Taaffe went down with an injury during the first half.
That put junior backup quarterback Hudson Mote into the spotlight. Thrown into a difficult road environment against one of the state’s top teams, the junior played with great composure. Vestavia continued to lean on its rushing attack, controlling the line of scrimmage and working its passing game off the success it found on the ground.
Then came one of the strangest moments of the night. With the game tied 7-7 midway through the second quarter, a stadium light went out and play was suspended for roughly an hour. In an unusual bit of déjà vu for Benjamin Russell, the Wildcats had already seen their scheduled season opener against Mae Jemison postponed due to a power outage at Alabama A&M.
This time, the lights eventually came back on and so did the Vestavia offense.
Mote broke the tie with a 31-yard touchdown run, putting the Rebels ahead 13-7. Benjamin Russell threatened to answer, aided by another impressive diving catch by WR Eric Young, but the Wildcats came away empty after missing a field goal.
Vestavia took advantage and drove the other direction and connected on a field goal right before the break to take a 16-7 lead into halftime. The Rebels carried that momentum into the third quarter. A long completion moved them deep into Benjamin Russell territory before another rushing touchdown extended the advantage to 23-7. That would be the final score.
Vestavia’s defense created pressure on Preyear all night. After surrendering a touchdown following the turnover on the opening kickoff, the Rebels held the Wildcats scoreless.
Much of Vestavia’s success started up front.
The Rebels consistently created running lanes offensively and established an advantage at the line of scrimmage. That success on the ground opened opportunities through the air and allowed Vestavia to continue moving the football despite losing its starting quarterback.
Vestavia head coach Robert Evans credited the quality of both programs afterward and pointed toward the value the matchup could provide moving forward.
“I think both programs have tremendous respect for one another,” Evans said. “I hope that this game made them better, and it made us better, seeing some of the size and speed we’re going to see next week versus Thompson.”
Vestavia Hills will now turn its attention to region play, traveling to Alabaster on Friday, Sept. 4 to take on Thompson. The Warriors enter the matchup 2-0 after defeating Clay-Chalkville 37-13 Thursday night.
Benjamin Russell will also open region play on Sept. 4, traveling to Montgomery to face Park Crossing. The Wildcats will look to bounce back after Friday night’s loss and finally settle into a normal game week after an unusual start to the season.
