Gardendale got off to a fast start and scored the first two touchdowns of the game, but it was all Mountain Brook from that point on as the host Spartans won by a 35-14 score Friday night.

Jordan Howard, coming back from sitting out last week’s game against Woodlawn to heal up from a physical game the week before, scored on a 6-yard run midway through the first quarter, then again from three yards out on the first play of the second quarter.

But Mountain Brook took over from that point, as running back Gene Bromberg put the home team on the board with a 12-yard touchdown run with eight minutes left in the half.

The Spartans tied the game with 2:28 left in the half on a 4-yard run by Tawarren Grant.

Will Brewster put Mountain Brook up for good with a 30-yard scoring run four and a half minutes after intermission. He also scored at nearly the same point in the fourth quarter on a 19-yard dash.

Grant scored again with 1:35 left in the third, this time on a 1-yard plunge.

The Rockets (1-2, 0-2 region) kept fairly even on the stat sheet, relying more on the passing of quarterback Hunter Crookwho was 14-for-21 for 132 yards. Coupled with 126 yards rushing, Gardendale gained 258 yards for the night compared to 298 for the Spartans (3-0, 2-0).

Howard finished with 106 yards on 18 carries for the night. Jesse Blackburn caught six passes for 51 yards, and Gabe Hill had two catches for 34 yards.

Christian Riley led the Rocket defense with 13 tackles and two assists, with Damien Boys adding eight tackles and two assists.

Gardendale hosts Vestavia Hills next week, while Mountain Brook is at home against Woodlawn.