Yeager, Spartans ready for battle starting tonight at 7 @ Gulf Shores

Chris Yeager is heading into his 11th season as head football coach at Mountain Brook High School, and likes the look of his 2016 team. Yeager has led his Spartans teams to the quarters in 2011 and 2012 and commandeered his team in the semis in 2010. The Spartans beat powerhouse Hoover in 2011, and they’ve got a shot this season once again to do well in Class 7A, Region 3. They kick it off tonight at 7 @ Gulf Shores, a playoff team from 2015

After posting un-Mountain Brook like 3-7 seasons in 2014 and 2015 with a young group that struggled with injuries, Yeager now has a veteran group led by 40 plus seniors, and players in both the junior and sophomore classes whom he feels really good about too. 

There are 502 boys at Mountain Brook High School, and Coach Yeager has 133 of them on his football team. He calls this team, “scrappy,” and adds he likes the fight in this team and the spirit of the group.

It starts with the signal caller, junior Hamp Sisson, who took over the job as a sophomore last season in game six and started the final five games. Yeager calls Sisson “a dual threat, who makes great decisions.” Sisson has a 4.0 GPA and Yeager expects him to make a 36 on the ACT. The quarterback position is in good hands with Sisson under center. Sophomore Paul Tyson is Sisson’s backup, and Yeager loves what Tyson brings to the table as well. He’s a pro style passer. Yeager will have Sisson two more years and Tyson three more years.

The running back position is loaded led by junior Harold Joiner, a 6’2″, 215 back who has 4.3 speed and will have colleges very interested if he has good games against Gulf Shores tonight , next week versus Helena at home, and in week three @ Hoover. Senior Sam Everette has played a lot of football at Mountain Brook and he will give Joiner great relief as Everette is a top flight back who has great toughness and has really worked on his speed in the offseason according to Yeager. There are three more in senior McKee Brown, who had a 70 yard run against Spain Park last year. Sophomores Daniel Wilbanks and A.J. Gates will also provide depth at the position. “You have to have a lot of depth at running back in this region,” Yeager said. “Because they’re going to take a lot of punishment, and you need’em fresh.”

A lot of the older guys had to play as sophomores and some as freshmen, so they’ve got great experience.

“In high school football, experience is a real key,” Yeager said.

Yeager calls senior Sims Herron his “go to guy” at wide receiver. Herron is a three year starter. Senior J.P. Darnall and junior Wilson Higgins and super soph Hamp Greene, who Yeager says could very well start and calls, “phenomenal,” will be the other key guys out wide.

Tight end is solid with junior Clay Stearns and senior Wilson Golden leading the way. The o line is very good on the left side led by senior John Pelham. Senior Price Delk is leading the right side. Delk has battled a sprained MCL, but should be good to go tonight. Center is manned by junior Sean Doud, who only weighs 180 pounds, but is tough, smart and an excellent leader along with Delk and Pelham. The rest of the line averages 225 to 240 across the front.

Yeager feels good about his defense even though the Spartans lost some key players to graduation. Yeager thought his defense was stellar against Shades Valley in the spring game. Senior free safety Zachary Carroll, senior middle linebacker Will Wetzler and senior nose guard Butler Wilbanks and junior nose guard Joe Bird, have the middle of the field well taken care of. On the d line, Sam Colvin, Michael O’Leary, Stav Pappas and Ian Reilly help man the front. Yeager has seniors Tanner Dean, Mabry Crane, Conner Bussman, Jack Grant, Henry Barze, and junior Nick Belt at outside linebacker, so that position looks solid. Yeager has five corners he can rely on; senior Chandler Cox, junior Joey Keating, senior Reid Hogue, senior Jeb Brown and senior Warren Fitzpatrick.

The kicking game is in the highly capable hands of senior Mason Dillard, who kicked the game winning field goal against Tuscaloosa County last season. Dillard is an outstanding kicker and punter. Senior Alex Pankey, Pat Sullivan’s grandson, is a highly reliable snapper.

So everything looks to be in place for a very good season at Mountain Brook.  They’ll have to navigate Region 3 and perennial powerhouse Hoover on the road on Friday, Sept. 2nd, Spain Park on the road, Friday, Sept. 16th. They’ll play @ the always outstanding Vestavia Hills on Friday, Oct.7th, and @ Oak Mountain, Friday,, 10-14. Tuscaloosa County is @ home on Friday, Sept. 30th.

I asked Coach Yeager what it will take to beat Hoover, Spain Park, which was in the state championship game last year and features running back Larry Wooden, who is 6’1″, 187 and ran for over 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns last season and is the best player in the region according to Yeager. Also, there’s always Vestavia Hills lurking.

“No.1, our defense needs to stop the big play,” he said. “We need to get’em in third and long, our kicking game and special teams need to put them inside the 20, we have to play opportunistic offense, run the ball well and win the turnover battle.”

It’s a heavy load, this Region 3 in Class 7A, but one Yeager and his Spartans are ready to meet the challengehead on.

“We’ll know what kind of team we’ll have the first three weeks playing Gulf Shores, Helena (at home) and Hoover (on the road). Gulf Shores runs this Wing T and we’ve never seen that before. They went to the playoffs last year. Helena went 9-3 last year and made it to the playoffs and they have a lot of people back. And Hoover is Hoover.”

Should be a riveting year for the Spartans in Class 7A football. They’ve got a shot to be special.