Vestavia Hills Knocks Down Hillcrest in Dominant 49-17 Victory

The Hillcrest Patriots fell to the Vestavia Hills Rebels in an aggravating 49-17 loss Friday afternoon.

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Before kickoff, officials from both schools elected to move the game's start time up to 4 p.m. to avoid inclement weather.

After trading stops, the Rebels got on the board first with a touchdown pass from Charlie Taaffe to wideout King Smith, putting Vestavia ahead 7-0.

The Patriots would tie up the game four minutes later, as quarterback Bryson Kimbrough found his go-to target Khaden Smith for a passing touchdown.

Disaster would strike for the Rebels on the ensuing kickoff. A botched return caused a fumble in the endzone, resulting in a safety against the Rebels, putting the Patriots ahead 9-7.

After a quick stop by the Vestavia Hills defense, the Rebels' offense would go on a 21-point unanswered scoring run, capped off by a William Tonsmeire rushing TD to score 28-9 in favor of the Robert Evans and Vestavia.

At the end of the first half, the Patriots began to fight back, finding the endzone on an impressive touchdown run. A two-point conversion cut the lead to 11.

Hillcrest would block a Vestavia field goal attempt in the waning moments of the first half, and momentum seemed to swing in favor of the Patriots heading into the second half.

However, as the rain began to fall on Patriot Parkway, so did Hillcrest.

The Rebels would tack on three rushing touchdowns, two from quarterback Charlie Taaffe, to bury the hopes of a Hillcrest comeback.

The Rebels (1-3) pick up their first win of the season as they get ready to face the Thompson Warriors (3-1) at home next Friday,

Hillcrest (2-2) will look to get back on track after a two-game skid next Friday against Hewitt-Trussville.

For more Alabama Football, Basketball, and Baseball content from Simon Besnoy, follow him on X/Twitter at @SimonBesnoy and stay tuned to Tide1009.com for daily news.