Kyle Parmley
Hoover Volleyball
Hoover's Mackenzie Martin (7) celebrates during a Class 7A North Super Regional match between Hoover and James Clemens on Friday, Oct. 27, 2017, at Von Braun Center in Huntsville.
Over the course of the year, the Hoover Sun will keep you up to date on the various Hoover and Spain Park high school athletic teams. Here is the eighth installment. If you missed last week's edition, click here.
FOOTBALL
The Hoover High School football team came up just short against Thompson on Friday night, falling victim to a late touchdown to drop a 32-25 decision. The Warriors clinched the Class 7A, Region 3 title with the win. Click here for a full recap of the contest.
Spain Park struggled in a 29-3 loss to Oak Mountain on Friday. Click here for coverage from that game.
Both teams conclude the regular season this week. Spain Park hosts Minor on Thursday and Hoover entertains IMG Academy (Florida) on Friday.
VOLLEYBALL
The Hoover High School volleyball team claimed its spot at the state tournament by winning the Class 7A, Area 5 tournament on Tuesday and winning in the opening round of the North Super Regional on Friday.
Click here for the rundown of the Bucs' area tournament win, and click here to read about their win over James Clemens at the super regional tournament.
On Saturday, Hoover lost both of its matches and will be the No. 4 seed from the north in the state tournament. The Bucs fell to Mountain Brook, 3-1 (27-25, 22-25, 20-25, 18-25) in the semifinals and dropped a 3-0 (23-25, 23-25, 19-25) decision to Oak Mountain in the consolation round.
The Bucs play McGill-Toolen in the quarterfinals of the state tournament at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Birmingham CrossPlex.
Spain Park fell to Oak Mountain, 3-1 (15-25, 26-24, 18-25, 26-28) in the opening round of the Class 7A, Area 6 tournament on Tuesday, as the Jags' season came to a close. Click here for a recap of that contest.
CROSS-COUNTRY
The Hoover and Spain Park high school cross-country teams were off this past week, but they will return to action on Thursday at the Class 7A, Section 3 meet. The competition will be held at Veterans Park in Hoover, with the girls race scheduled for 9 a.m. and the boys race scheduled for 10 a.m. The top three teams at sectionals will qualify for the Nov. 11 state meet.
To get ready for championship season, check out these features from our November print edition. One spotlights a pair of Hoover seniors who form a formidable 1-2 punch, and the other examines the yet-to-be realized potential possessed by the Spain Park boys team.
NOTABLE ALUMNI
Three former high school standouts competed this past weekend at the SEC Cross Country Championships in Athens, Georgia. South Carolina sophomore Sarah-Sims McGrath, a Spain Park alum, placed 111th in the 6K race with a time of 23 minutes, 33 seconds. She finished one spot ahead of Auburn sophomore Presley Weems, a Hoover alum. The Auburn women placed 11th and the South Carolina women placed 12th in the team standings.
Auburn freshman Tommy McDonough, also a Hoover alum, placed 91st in the 8K race with a time of 26:22. The Auburn men finished ninth.
In other cross-country action, South Alabama’s Dylan Pausic and John Paul Rumore helped their team to a fourth-place finish on Saturday at the Sun Belt Cross Country Championships in Boone, North Carolina. Pausic, a Shades Mountain Christian alum, completed the 8K course in 26:46 to place 33rd, and Rumore, a Hoover alum, ran 27:18 to place 47th.
The Vanderbilt women’s soccer team will open up SEC Tournament play against Tennessee on Tuesday led by top point-scorer Simone Charley, a Spain Park alum. She totaled 14 points (four goals, six assists) during the regular season, with the most recent coming on an assist in last week’s 2-1 victory over Auburn.
-- What did we miss? What else would you like to see mentioned? For any suggestions, feel free to email sports editor Kyle Parmley at kparmley@starnespublishing.com.
