By Daniel Cheng and Eddy Pang
With a dominating shut-out win against Helena, the Vestavia Rebels capped off an impressive 8-2 season. The final regular season game ended in a 44-0 rout, as the Rebels dominated their opponents by a combined score of 139-0 over the last three weeks of the season. In the game against Helena, a 6A team with an 8-1 record coming into the game, the Rebels were nothing short of spectacular. The team routed the Huskies offensively and defensively, making crucial plays and stops on both sides. In total, quarterback John Paul Head finished the night 5-of-9 passing with 100 yards through the air and added 91 yards rushing on 11 carries with three total touchdowns. Additionally, a collective of 357 rushing yards by the Rebels meant that they eclipsed the Huskies by over 200 total yards on the night with a 471-207 advantage, according to the Vestavia Voice. To read more about the game, check out the Pillar article by Carol Li.
The Helena game may be the final home game at Buddy Anderson Field for the senior class, but as Coach Robert Evans stated in a post-game interview with the Rebel Broadcasting Crew, “You never know what could happen, there’s a scenario out there where we could be back, and I hope we can get back, but our focus is totally on Austin. I want [the seniors] to enjoy this with their friends and family, in all likelihood this is the last time they will play at Thompson-Reynolds Stadium.”
The chances are slim, but not impossible. With the playoff brackets released, 16 teams will hope to lift a Blue Map by the beginning of December. Vestavia will travel down to Region 4 runner-up Austin in the first round of the playoffs on November 10. If they win, they will face the winner of Thompson and Florence. The road to the championship ends at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, but Vestavia will have to pull off a few superb games to get there. The last time the school won a state championship was in 1998 when the Rebels had a record 15-0 season.
This season, the Rebels ended as the third seed out of Class 7A, Region 3, with Thompson as the first seed, Hewitt as the second seed, and Hoover as the fourth seed. The Rebels went 8-2 overall and 5-2 in region play, with their two losses being to Thompson and Hewitt-Trussville. The Vestavia offense, led by quarterback John Paul Head (Sr.), relied heavily on the run game, as the Rebels compiled nearly 2500 rushing yards for the season. The defense, led by players such as Tennessee commit Jordan Ross (Sr.) and Jacob Watson (Jr.), held opponents to a season total of 122 points. This is an improvement from last year, where the Rebels scored 347 points and gave up 203 points and ended the season with a 6-4 overall record and 4-3 in region play. For context, the most points ever allowed in a season by Vestavia was 291 in 2001, and the most points scored was 484 in 1998. As the school ends their 2023 regular season, they will hope for more success in the playoffs.
2023 Regular Season Schedule:
8/24 - at Mountain Brook - won 35-10
9/01 - vs Homewood - won 43-0
9/08 - at Thompson - lost 3-21
9/15 - vs Hoover - won 26-7
9/22 - vs Spain Park - won 26-8
10/06 - at Chelsea - won 45-21
10/13 - vs Hewitt-Trussville - lost 27-55
10/20 - vs Oak Mountain - won 50-0
10/27 - vs Tuscaloosa County - won 45-0
11/02 - vs Helena - won 44-0
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