Mountain Brook shuts out Gadsden City

Fri. November 04, 2011 at 10:30 p.m. | By Times Staff

Mountain Brook’s Hatton Smith gets a hand on Gadsden City’s CJ Moore during the Class 6A first-round state playoff game Friday. (Photo by Linda Stelter | The Birmingham News)

BIRMINGHAM ­— After the ruling on Thursday night that allowed Gadsden City to compete, the Titans fell to the Mountain Brook Spartans 21-0 in the first round of the Class 6A high school football playoffs.

With the Titans (6-5) going three-and-out on their first two drives of the game, they held the Spartans for the better part of the first half, with the first first-down of the night not made until 6:41 in the first quarter. Spartan running back Mark Rector was injured on that play that landed Mountain Brook in Titan territory and sat out the rest of the first quarter.

With replacement running back Gavin Golsan, the Spartans pounded their way down to the Titan 3-yard line. And with 2:08 left in the first quarter, Edward Aldag completed a 3-yard pass to tight end Coates Doss for six points. Warren Handrahan tacked on the extra point, giving the Spartans a 7-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Mountain Brook (11-0) increased its lead to 14-0 with 1:12 remaining in the first half when Rector bulldozed his way in from the 3-yard line.

Mountain Brook then surprised Gadsden City with an onside kick, which was recovered by the Spartans at the 45-yard line. Just 32 seconds later, Mountain Brook found the end zone again and made the 21-0 lead hold throughout the second half.

Gadsden City drove into Mountain Brook territory for the first time with 6:36 remaining in the game, but that possession ended at the 46-yard line with a punt.