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Photo courtesy of Mountain Brook Athletics
Mountain Brook High School QB Cayden Hofbauer (11) prepares to catch the snap when facing off in the first game of the season against Demopolis.
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Photo courtesy of Mountain Brook Athletics
Mountain Brook vs Demopolis Football
Mountain Brook offensive lineman Boyd Cooper (58) rushes to congratulate his teammates following a touchdown.
DEMOPOLIS, Ala. - After seeing an eight-year streak of season opening victories snapped last August, Mountain Brook returned to the Week 1 win column with a 28-0 shutout at Demopolis High School to kick off the 2024 football season. The Spartans' defense collected its ninth shutout in the last four seasons, while handing Demopolis its first at home inside Tiger Stadium since the 2002 Class 5A semifinals.
Stuart Andrews and Cayden Hofbauer combined for more than 230 yards rushing and four touchdowns in the game, and the Spartans were able to play a lot of depth late in the game. However, Mountain Brook head coach Chris Yeager says he saw plenty to build upon.
"We made a lot of first game mistakes tonight, and there's a lot of areas we can improve.This was an incredible game for us to learn from," Yeager said.
Penalties and lost yardage kept the Spartans from further extending their lead at times, but Yeager saw bright spots in how his team responded off the field.
"The most encouraging thing from this game is we came out and took the fight to them. We didn't let them set the tempo, we set the tempo. I felt we got better as the game went on. Throughout the game, guys were self correcting and encouraging one another. That's the sign of a team that can grow," Yeager said.
Mountain Brook scored in each quarter, while holding Demopolis to less than 100 yards total offense.
Andrews scored Mountain Brook's first touchdown from 14 yards out with 4:43 to play in the first quarter. The drive was set up by King's interception at the Demopolis 23.-yard-line. After holding the Tigers, the Spartans took over on their own 10-yard-line with 2:48 to play and built a six-play, 90-yard drive to extend their lead, 14-0, on an 11-yard run from Hofbauer early in the second quarter. The score was aided by a 52-yard reception from Hofbauer to Sam Smith.
Andrews added a touchdown in the third and fourth quarters to finish with three TDs and extend the green and gold's lead.
Mountain Brook (1-0) is set to host Parker on Friday, Aug. 30 at Spartan Stadium.
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