Bucs kick off football season on ESPN

Hoover High will kick off its football season before the national cameras of ESPN.

Hoover Athletic Director Myra Miles made the long-expected announcement official on June 30.

Coach Josh Niblett’s Buccaneers, predicted by some national experts to be national championship contenders, will host Miami Central of Florida on ESPN at 11 a.m. on Aug. 23 at Buccaneer Stadium. It is part of a doubleheader at Hoover. Clay-Chalkville will face Niceville, Fla., at 3 p.m. That game will air on ESPNU.

Hoover and Clay-Chalkville had originally been scheduled to face each other in the season-opener before the opportunity arose for a “border war” doubleheader against two Florida schools.

“We are thrilled to once again to be able to afford our student athletes the opportunity to play on the national stage by playing on ESPN,” Miles said. “This is great for our school and also awesome for our city. I am also very pleased for Coach [Jerry] Hood and his Clay-Chalkville team to be able to be a part of this great day.

“With this doubleheader, our stadium and facilities will be showcased on national TV for six or seven solid hours. We are very proud of our kids and coaches, and we are thankful that our facilities, school and community will be a main attraction across the country.”

Hoover won back-to-back Class 6A state championships and moves up to the new Class 7A this season carrying a 30-game winning streak, the best in the storied program’s history.