AUBURN – The Vestavia Hills High School football team hung with Auburn for much of the night, but the Tigers pulled away in the second half to secure a 52-41 win Friday in the opening round of the Class 7A state playoffs.

The Rebels came out firing behind senior quarterback Charlie Taaffe, who accounted for more than 350 total yards and three touchdowns. Carson Purdy found the end zone twice on short runs that sandwiched a Taaffe touchdown, as the Rebels built early momentum with a 21-0 opening quarter lead.

But Auburn (9-2) poured on the scoring from there behind quarterback Cason Myers, who delivered a spectacular performance with 431 total yards and five total touchdowns. Myers ran for four scores and threw an 80-yard touchdown strike to Antonio Welch, who finished with 138 yards on s

See Full Page