With a playoff game on the line, the Vestavia Hills Rebels rose to the challenge on Friday. They blew past Austin 38-17. The score was close at the half, but Vestavia Hills pulled away in the second half with 21 points.
Vestavia Hills was led to victory by John Paul Head and William Tonsmeire. Head rushed for 83 yards and two touchdowns, while Tonsmeire rushed for 133 yards and two touchdowns on only 13 carries. Head is on a roll when it comes to rushing touchdowns, as he's now punched in two or more in the last six games he's played. Keown Richardson was another key contributor, picking up 114 receiving yards and a touchdown.
When it comes to explaining why Austin lost, one person who can't be blamed is Gavin Fuqua. Despite the final result, he rushed for 114 yards and a touchdown, and also threw for 15 yards and a touchdown while completing 100% of his passes. Hayden Wynn did his part by putting the 'special' in special teams, booting in four field goals and 47 extra points.
The win (which was Vestavia Hills' fourth in a row) raised their record to 9-2. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 44.3 points per game. As for Austin, their defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 8-3.
Vestavia Hills will face off against Thompson at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Thompson is also coming in off of a big victory, so somebody is in for a big reversal of fortune. Austin does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
