Jimmy J. Mitchell
Vestavia Hills vs. Hoover Football
Hoover quarterback Jalen Parker in a game last fall.
GRAYSON, Ga. – A battle of reigning state champions will take place across state lines on Friday night.
At 7:30 p.m. ET (6:30 CT), the Hoover High School football team will travel to Grayson, Georgia, to take on the Rams to open up the 2017 season.
The two teams met last November in a nationally televised game, a contest that Grayson won 36-14 in Hoover’s regular season finale. That proved to be the Bucs’ final negative result of the 2016 campaign, as they ran through the playoffs en route to the state title.
This fall, the Bucs are replacing much of a defense that was nothing short of dominant. Hoover held 10 of its 14 opponents in single digits and allowed just 10.2 points per game last season.
Guys like Ricky Palao and Kholbe Coleman-Abrams have departed for college, and it will take several new faces to fill the void.
“We’ve got a lot of guys who we’ve got to put them in a fire and see how they’re going to react,” Hoover head coach Josh Niblett said.
Chase Brown is one of the defense’s veterans in the secondary, along with Tyrell Goldsmith and a few others. Niblett will count on them to lead the way, as the unit attempts to continue the program’s strong play on that side of the ball.
On offense, the Bucs will be replacing state champion quarterback Garrett Farquhar. Niblett has yet to confirm who will start, but Jalen Parker, Robby Ashford and Seth Compher all received snaps with the first-team offense over the summer.
“It’s a situation where we’re going to play the best guy,” said Niblett, who also coaches the quarterbacks.
At the skill positions, Hoover lost a handful of solid players, but returns Vonte’ Brackett and Larry McCammon in the backfield. On the outside, Shedrick Jackson and George Pickens – a pair of Auburn commits – will spearhead the receivers.
The Bucs also boast a pair of Division I kickers in Barret Pickering and Will Reichard. Pickering will kick, with Reichard punting primarily.
