Photo courtesy of ActionSportsPix.SmugMug.com. Additional photos of the state championship game and the celebration are available at this website.
Photo courtesy Ted Melton / actionsportspix.smugmug.com
Photo courtesy Ted Melton / actionsportspix.smugmug.com
Photo courtesy Ted Melton / actionsportspix.smugmug.com
Photo courtesy Ted Melton / actionsportspix.smugmug.com
Photo courtesy Ted Melton / actionsportspix.smugmug.com
Photo courtesy Ted Melton / actionsportspix.smugmug.com
Photo courtesy Ted Melton / actionsportspix.smugmug.com
Photo courtesy Ted Melton / actionsportspix.smugmug.com
Photo courtesy Ted Melton / actionsportspix.smugmug.com
Photo courtesy Ted Melton / actionsportspix.smugmug.com
Photo courtesy Ted Melton / actionsportspix.smugmug.com
Photo courtesy Ted Melton / actionsportspix.smugmug.com
Photo courtesy Ted Melton / actionsportspix.smugmug.com
Photo courtesy Ted Melton / actionsportspix.smugmug.com
Photo courtesy Ted Melton / actionsportspix.smugmug.com
Photo courtesy Ted Melton / actionsportspix.smugmug.com
Photo courtesy Ted Melton / actionsportspix.smugmug.com
Photo courtesy Ted Melton / actionsportspix.smugmug.com
Photo courtesy Ted Melton / actionsportspix.smugmug.com
Photo courtesy Ted Melton / actionsportspix.smugmug.com
Photo courtesy Ted Melton / actionsportspix.smugmug.com
Photo courtesy Ted Melton / actionsportspix.smugmug.com
Photo courtesy Ted Melton / actionsportspix.smugmug.com
Photo courtesy Ted Melton / actionsportspix.smugmug.com
Photo courtesy Ted Melton / actionsportspix.smugmug.com
Photo courtesy Ted Melton / actionsportspix.smugmug.com
Photo courtesy Ted Melton / actionsportspix.smugmug.com
Photo courtesy Ted Melton / actionsportspix.smugmug.com
Photo courtesy Ted Melton / actionsportspix.smugmug.com
Photo courtesy Ted Melton / actionsportspix.smugmug.com
Photo courtesy Ted Melton / actionsportspix.smugmug.com
Photo courtesy Ted Melton / actionsportspix.smugmug.com
Photo courtesy Ted Melton / actionsportspix.smugmug.com
Photo courtesy Ted Melton / actionsportspix.smugmug.com
Photo courtesy Ted Melton / actionsportspix.smugmug.com
Photo courtesy Ted Melton / actionsportspix.smugmug.com
Photo courtesy Ted Melton / actionsportspix.smugmug.com
The Hoover Bucs won an old-fashioned slugfest in route to a 20-3 win over Auburn High School and another Alabama Division 6A state championship.
The win marked the 10th state title for Hoover, and the eighth since the turn of the century. The victory also marked the 30th consecutive victory for Hoover, which extends the school record and the state's longest active winning streak.
The scoring began when Hoover's Micah Bagley blocked a punt and Chris DeMoss recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown.
The game remained tight until the third quarter, with Hoover carrying a 7-0 lead into halftime. After an Auburn field goal narrowed the score to 7-3, Bucs senior All-American Marlon Humphrey made two plays that helped turn the game into a rout.
Humphrey stripped the ball from an Auburn back while making an open-field tackle, causing a fumble and changing the momentum of the game. Later, Humphrey returned a punt into Auburn territory to set up another score.
Hoover's star running back Bradrick Shaw scored both offensive touchdowns for Hoover, taking a short pass 39 yards for a touchdown and hitting paydirt on a one-yard run for the game's final score.
Neither offense was particularly effective during the game, as they battled torrential rain the first half and near-freezing temperatures in the second. The teams combined for only 323 yards.
Hoover (15-0) finished the year with an undefeated record, wire-to-wire status as the number one 6A team, and a top-five national ranking by USA Today.