20 • Thursday, August 22, 2013
vest a via hills
OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal
The 2013 Vestavia Hills High School varsity football team includes Jordan Haywood, Keon Prowell, Skylar Lee, Daniel Sims, Coleman Kitchens, Grady Evers, Joshua Denney, Patrick Haywood, Brett Jones, Thomas Capps, Daniel Burton, Levi Wiggins, Hunter Webb, Matthew Farris, Sam Wiggins, Patrick Rumore, Sonny Potter, Landon Crowder, Daniel Gosdin, Zach Meadows, Nicholas Hilburn, Nathan Turner, Steadman Gully, Reid Adams, Christian Palmer, Michael Stockard, Bobby Morgan, Tiyan Jackson, Evan Swanagin, James Harris, Jackson Ewing, Brooks Sexton, Alex Thomas, Josh Wall, Justin Green, Jake Bruington, Jordan Johnson, Hunter Acton, Joseph James, Conner Estes, Tyler Queen, Bo Norman, Ry Esdale, John Michael Pierce, Trey Thurston, Ryan Dobbs, Dalton Campbell, Will Kerby, Walker Minor, JoJo Ross, Sam Baker, Carter Jacobs, Remington Patterson, Cole Gannaway, Michael Woods, Morgan Long, Jake Swinson, Whitt Harrelson, Lamar Gillbert, Kyle Schilling, Austin Chandler, Addison Stewart, Connor Koch, George Dazzio, Hayes Lucas, Walker Padgett, Jonathan Couch, McNeil Gardner, Jack Mundy, Austin Maynard, Jeffrey Smith, Tim Davis, Garrett Greiner, Parrish Nichols, James Edwards, Alex Goodwine, Nate Lewis, Stone Brooks, Clayton Farris, Clay Kerby, Ty Roberts, Alex Robin, David McLean, Dillon Campbell, Whitt Watts, Perry Sims, Ben Cage, Jacob Edwards, Ryan Childers, Aaron Dixon, Tristan Tahmaseb, Prescott Gilbert, Clarkson Smith, Sam Lawson, Cason Fisher, Grant Logsdon, Nolan Turner, Riley Williams, Max Hopkins, Sam Harvey, Kyle Sitzler, Davis Gurosky, Andrew Tinory, Sam Jenkins, Curry Howard, Kevin Williams, Dezmond Spencer, Ford Waters, Caleb Beedle, Cameron Tipton, Adam Pitts, Jack Hatchett, Foster Hackney, Tre Hayes, and managers Kate Adcock, Wyatt Cantrell, Cole Coffey, Daniel Moultrie and Grayson Till. Journal photo by Mandi Halbrooks
By Lee Davis
Journal Sports Writer
B
uddy Anderson is by nature a modest man, but occasionally he will compare himself to Nick Saban, the ultra-successful coach of the University of Alabama. “Coach Saban and I have a lot in common,” the longtime Vestavia coach said recently, with a grin tipping off the fact that a punch line was right around the corner. “We both coach football. We are both in our 60s. The only difference is that Saban makes about $8 million a year more than I do.” Anderson may not have $8 million in his bank account, but he probably does have that many happy memories in his 35-year run as coach of the Rebels. The official worksheet reads 297 wins, only 121 losses, two state championships and a bucket load of region titles and postseason berths. And while technology has changed the world greatly in four decades, Anderson sees football as one of the few things that hasn’t changed much since the days when “text” referred to a book used in a classroom. “Kids are used to everything being instant today,” he said. “With Facebook and cell phones and so many other things, they are used to having everything now. There’s nothing instant about football. The greatest thing about it is the hard work required to be successful.” The work paid off for Vestavia in 2012, when the Rebels posted a 10-3 record and won the Class 6A Region 6 championship. Anderson is cautiously optimistic as the new season nears. “We lost a lot of good players. We’ve got some good ones coming back,” he said. “Just like always, we have a long way to go, but that’s why we have practice.” Vestavia’s quarterback will be junior Landon
rebel in winter Anderson Hopes 36th Season Will Bring Good Memories
Crowder, who has a chance to take his place with the great signal callers in Rebel history.
“Landon can be a really good one for us–and has a chance to be special,” Anderson said. Senior Matthew Farris and junior Patrick Rumore are competing for the backup role. The tailback is Jordan Johnson, who is coming off an outstanding junior season in 2012. Also seeing playing time will be juniors Carter Jacobs and Christian Palmer and senior Skylar Lee. Splitting time at fullback will be seniors Joseph James and Connor Estes. Junior Dan Gosdin is also in the picture. Crowder will have quite a few receivers as potential targets. The frontrunners may be senior Ry Esdale,
Key Players
Vestavia Coach Buddy Anderson with Rebel players Ry Esdale, #37, and Bobby Morgan, #22. Journal photo by Mandi Halbrooks
Vestavia Hills at a Glance
2012 record: 10-3; 7-0 (region). Advanced to third round of Class 6A playoffs. Head coach: Buddy Anderson Stadium: Thompson Reynolds Stadium at Buddy Anderson Field (5,000) Class 6A, Region 6 Region opponents: Carver, Gardendale, Hewitt-Trussville, Huffman, Mountain Brook, Shades Valley, Woodlawn. State championships: 1978, 1980
the son of a former Rebel star, and junior Patrick Haywood. Others working in the rotation are Thomas Capps, Grady Evers, Sam Wiggins, Sam Harvey, Keon Prowell, Remington Patterson, Cole Gannaway and Michael Stockard. As usual, the Rebels are deep in the front trenches. Senior Ryan Childers may be the leader at center, with Hayes Lucas, Connor Koch and Clay Kerby all in contention. Koch will also see time at guard, along with Hayes Lucas, McNeil Gardner and Austin Chandler. Perry Sims is solid at one tackle, and Chandler is also in the mix. Other hopefuls at tackle include Ben Cage, Garrett Greiner, David McLean and Whitt Watts. The tight end is senior Kyle Sitzler, with Grant Logsdon right behind. “We’ve got good numbers, but what we need to do is develop depth with guys that can step in and play,” Anderson said. Cameron Tipton will likely handle placekick-