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Photo by Ted Melton.
Spain Park was determined to not have a down year following a state championship appearance in 2015.
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Photo by Barry Stephenson.
Hoover has won an incredible 11 state championships in 31 playoff appearances.
Hoover and Spain Park’s high school football programs have each experienced more playoff success than the law of averages suggests they should.
According to the Alabama High School Football Historical Society, the Buccaneers have reached the state playoffs 32 times, including this year. In the previous 31 appearances, Hoover has lost just 20 times. That means the Bucs have received a state championship trophy in more than 35 percent of their trips to the postseason.
Last fall happened to be one of the 20 times Hoover has fallen short of the pinnacle, as the Bucs lost to crosstown rival Spain Park in the Class 7A semifinals, 7-6.
Last season was also the first time Hoover has not advanced to at least the state championship game since 2007, making it the first time a Josh Niblett-coached Hoover team failed to reach that mark. However, the 2016 edition of the Bucs looks more than capable of making it back to that point.
“Sometimes you’ve got to lose something before you appreciate how much you enjoyed having it,” head coach Niblett said before the season. “You hate to see it happen that way, but it did.”
Hoover locked up the Region 3 championship Oct. 7, with a dominating win over Huffman. As the season has progressed, the offense has looked more comfortable under the guidance of quarterback Garrett Farquhar each week, and the defense has shut down opponents with frequency.
Spain Park has only fielded a football program since 2002, so the Jaguars have not had the same amount of time as Hoover to build up as extensive of a resume, but their first nine playoff appearances since the formation of the school have been nothing to turn a nose up at.
According to AHSFHS.org, the Jags are 14-9 all-time in the playoffs, meaning they have not been able to achieve the ultimate goal of a state championship. They have been on the doorstep twice, reaching the title game in 2007 and 2015, dropping low-scoring affairs in both situations.
Last fall, the Jags dropped a tight 14-12 decision to McGill-Toolen in the Super 7, but the rebound this year has been different than the season following Spain Park’s first state championship showing.
After reaching that point in 2007, Spain Park trudged to a 4-6 record in 2008 and failed to qualify for the postseason. Head coach Shawn Raney alerted his team of that piece of history during the summer, determined not to have that happen again.
Back-to-back losses to Hoover and Mountain Brook following a 3-0 start put the Jags in a tough spot, prompting Raney to emphasize to his team that the Huffman game on Sept. 30, coming off the team’s bye week, began the “playoffs” for Spain Park.
Given that mindset, the real state playoffs will not require any shift in focus for the Jags.
The Hoover Sun will continue to have in-depth online coverage of the Hoover and Spain Park football teams as the season progresses into the state playoffs at hooversun.com. The first round of the playoffs is set for Nov. 4.
Also, be sure to like The Hoover Sun’s Facebook page and follow us on Twitter, @HooverSun, to stay up to the minute on all the action.
