Mountain Brook High School (3-1) hung onto and defeated a pesky Thompson team, 20-17, in front of a home crowd at Spartan Stadium in Mountain Brook, Alabama.
“Mark Freeman is a great coach and he works hard to throw different things at you. We knew he was going to throw something different at us and he did,” Mountain Brook head coach Chris Yeager said.
The game came down to the final seconds and it was a defensive stop that put it away. Thompson took over on its own 15-yard line with 58 seconds left in the game, trailing by a field goal. The Warriors were able to drive down to the 42-yard when quarterback Caleb Ragland’s pass was picked off by defensive back Chandler Cox.
“Thompson was working the sidelines doing exactly what they were supposed to do, Yeager commented. “But big players make big plays. Chandler tore his ACL last year against Tuscaloosa County and the thing that amazes me about him is how he’s battled back from it. This game epitomizes what he’s about, tough and able to battle.”
Mountain Brook scored its first touchdown when Zachary Carroll intercepted Ragland’s pass and ran it back 21 yards for the pick six.
The Spartans’ only other touchdown came when Hamp Sisson hit Sims Herron from 39 yards out to put the Spartans up 20-10 late in the third quarter.
Place-kicker and punter Mason Dillard was true on both of his field goal attempts. His first one was a booming 46-yard attempt that gave the Spartans an early 3-0 lead. He would go on to drill a 36-yarder late in the second quarter.
Yeager said, “Dillard is one of the hardest working kids on this team. Everyone thinks that because he’s a kicker he doesn’t have to work hard in practice, but I’ve seen him out here in the pouring rain kicking field goals. He was a difference maker tonight.”
For Mountain Brook Sisson finished 15 of 21 for 125 yards and one touchdown. He rushed for four yards on 11 carries.
Harold Joiner led the Spartans in rushing with 51 yards on 12 carries.
For Thompson, Ragland finished the night 10 of 26 for 214 yards with two touchdowns, but also two interceptions.
The Warriors used five different rushers, but Shadrick Byrd led them with 43 yards on 10 carries.
Mountain Brook travels to Hoover for a matchup with Spain Park next week. Thompson returns home to take on Oak Mountain.