Vestavia Hills senior John Paul Head showed again Friday that he’s a dual-threat quarterback.

Head ran for two touchdowns and threw for another as sixth-ranked Vestavia Hills beat No. 10 Austin 38-17 in the first round of the Class 7A playoffs. He scored from 15 and 2 yards in the second half at Austin Field in Decatur.

He threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Keown Richardson in the second quarter. The Rebels (9-2) led 17-14 at halftime of their fourth straight win.

William Tonsmeire opened the scoring with his 68-yard run early in the first quarter. He had a 15-yard touchdown run in the fourth.

Owen Simpson kicked a 49-yard field goal on the final play of the first half and he made all five extra points.

Gavin Fuqua threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Nick Crayton for Austin (8-3). Fuqua also scored on a 9-yard run and Hayden Wynn kicked a 41-yard field goal for the Black Bears. Austin saw the end of its six-game win streak and year.

“First off you can’t start the discussion of this game without crediting Austin,” Vestavia Hills coach Robert Evans said. “They had a great plan, and they’re the best team in North Alabama and they played like it. We made good adjustments at halftime and our kids executed.”

Play of the game: After Austin’s field goal tied the score 17-17 in the third quarter, Vestavia responded with a five-play, 75-yard drive. Head scored from the 15 and Simpson kicked the extra point to put the Rebels up 24-17 at 6:36 in the third.

Stat sheet: Vestavia Hills – Head had 17 carries for 83 yards and two touchdowns. He completed 11-of-22 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown. Tonsmeire had 13 carries for 133 yards and two touchdowns. Richardson had eight catches for 114 yards and a touchdown. Defensive end Jordan Ross, a senior and Tennessee commitment, made seven tackles and one sack. Austin – Fuqua threw a touchdown pass and had 22 carries for 108 yards and a touchdown. Easton Palmer made eight tackles.

By the numbers: 377 – Vestavia total yards with 252 rushing and 125 passing. … 327 – Austin total yards with 169 rushing and 158 passing. … 1 – Austin turnover on an intercepted pass. … 6 – Vestavia wins in six games against the Black Bears. The Rebels won 52-10 last year.

Coachspeak: “We go to Alabaster (next week to face Thompson in Round 2), and we can’t wait to get there. This is the fourth time we’ve played them in two years. We’ve been close in second halves, and we’ve got to find a way to get over the hump. But they’re an outstanding team and they’re the four-time defending champ for a reason.” – Evans

“I thought our kids played hard, executed well and just came up short. We finished 29 seniors. They’ve had a great career. I’m very appreciative and proud of all their hard work and dedication to our program.” – Austin coach Jeremy Perkins

They said it: “I think we started off rough but at the end we got it all back together.” – Ross

“I think we just played really well. We had a good game plan against them. On to the next.” – Richardson

“We did exactly what we wanted to do. And ran the ball well. And we passed when we needed to. We know it’s gonna be tough (next week at Thompson). They’re the best team we’ve faced all season.” – Head

Next week: Vestavia Hills will visit second-ranked Thompson (9-1) in a rematch of a Week 3 loss in the 7A second round.