Spartans stay unbeaten, top Rockets
Charles Prince
The North Jefferson News
The Mountain Brook Spartans proved why they’re the No. 4-ranked team in Class 6A on Friday night, as they came from behind to whip the Gardendale Rockets, 35-7.
Gardendale went up early 7-0, when quarterback Conner McCain connected with tight end Alan Jackson on a 20-yard scoring pass.
Jackson ran a seem route and beat a Spartan linebacker up field. He hauled in McCain’s pass inside the 10-yard line and then dragged the Spartans defender into the end zone for the game’s first score.
Gardendale still led 7-0 late in the second quarter, when a miscue in the kicking game gave the Spartans life.
A bad snap on a fourth down sailed over the Rocket’s punter’s head with 3:18 left in the half.
Gardendale covered the ball, but Mountain Brook took over on downs at the Rocket’s 25-yard line.
Four plays later, running back J.D. Marsh burst up the middle to score standing up from the 2-yard line.
In the second half, the Spartans running game produced several big plays that let the visitors take control of the contest.
The Spartans took the opening kickoff of the second half and went ahead for the first time by driving 69 yards in six plays to grab a 14-7 lead.
Spartan quarterback Jud Golsan faked a hand off to Marsh and kept the ball up the middle on a quarterback draw out of the shotgun formation, as he raced 56 yards to put Mountain Brook on top.
Later in the half, Marsh would score from nine yards out. Then Golsan scored for a second time, this one coming from 16 yards out with 4:55 to play.
Then with less than two minutes to play, with backups playing on both sides, Mountain Brook’s Murphy Walters scored from nine yards out to cap the scoring.