Cougars fall in quarterfinals
MOUNTAIN BROOK – The game plan worked to perfection.
The Mountain Brook High School football team wanted to run the ball all night long, holding onto the pigskin as long as possible while driving the ball down the field.
The Spartans did just that, as they knocked off visiting Clay-Chalkville 21-10 on Friday night at Spartan Stadium in the Class 6A quarterfinals.
Mountain Brook advances to the semifinals for the first time since 2010. Next Friday, the Spartans will travel to Pinson Valley with a berth in the state championship game on the line.
Mountain Brook (12-1) put the ball in the air just four times all night and piled up 186 rushing yards in a physically dominant performance.
“We made plays, we had long sustained drives, which is what we wanted. We wanted to control the clock and give them few possessions,” Mountain Brook head coach Chris Yeager said.
The first two possessions of the fourth quarter sealed the outcome of the game. Mountain Brook was gifted 40 yards worth of penalties on its first drive of the final frame and ended up going 64 yards in 12 plays. The Spartans capped off that drive with Michael Brogan’s 1-yard run to make it 21-10.
Clay-Chalkville (11-2) head coach Drew Gilmer did not hide his displeasure with some of the called penalties on that drive, but also bemoaned his own team’s mistake on a fake punt attempt that drew the Cougars offsides and gave Mountain Brook a first down.
“It’s just one of those ball games,” he said. “Hats off to Coach Yeager and Mountain Brook. They’re a heck of a ball team and they deserved it tonight.”
Blake Pugh intercepted a Khalib Johnson pass on Clay-Chalkville’s next drive to effectively put the game on ice.
The Spartans defense held Clay-Chalkville to just 242 total yards and 10 points, despite the physical absence of defensive coordinator Robert Evans, who missed the game due to COVID-19. Yeager said he was able to watch the live stream of the game and communicate adjustments throughout the contest.
Mountain Brook got its normal strong play from quarterback Strother Gibbs, who pounded out 111 rushing yards on the night, including a pair of first-half touchdowns. He got the Spartans on the board on their first drive with a 4-yard run and scored on a 1-yard plunge in the second quarter to make it 14-7.
“We just had a game plan of pounding the rock, which I felt like the offensive line did a great job of getting a push up front,” Gibbs said.
Gibbs also completed all four of his passes for 35 yards. Brogan added 91 rushing yards on 23 carries as well.
Clay-Chalkville’s lone touchdown came on its second drive, as Edward Osley scored on a 14-yard run. Osley finished the night with 101 yards on 17 carries. Jaren Van Winkle cut the deficit to 14-10 late in the third quarter with a 35-yard field goal.
Johnson finished the night 10-of-18 passing for 94 yards, while rushing for 47 yards.
Yeager said he is most excited to have another week to practice with his team, which doesn’t sound satisfied with merely reaching the semifinals.
“We’re hoping to reach a goal further than that,” Gibbs said.