Title bout
It’s been viewed as the most anticipated matchup of the Class 7A, Region 3 slate for at least the last six weeks.
It’s here.
Friday night, the Hoover High School football team (7-1, 6-0 in region) meets its match. The Bucs host Thompson (8-0, 6-0) at 7 p.m. at the Hoover Met in a battle for the region crown.
No one is surprised that Hoover is back at the top of Region 3, and the summer-long hype surrounding Thompson has been backed up with dominant play on the field.
Following a defeat at Grayson (Ga.) to begin the season, Hoover has rolled off seven straight victories. The Bucs withstood challenges from Mountain Brook and Spain Park early on, but have since allowed no more than seven points in each of their last four games, as the defense has started to dig in and become quite stingy.
Thompson has not been challenged in its region games, as its closest margin of victory was a 23-point (40-17) win over Spain Park on Oct. 13. Quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa has shredded defenses all season long. He has peppered receivers Ahmad Harris-Edwards and Mo Edwards with brilliant throws each Friday night.
The Warriors also have a defense that has been stout, even without receiving the attention that their offense does. Opponents have eclipsed the 20-point mark only three times to date.
Last week, Hoover held off longtime rival Vestavia Hills, 17-7. Jacquez Allen’s kickoff return to begin the second half extended the Bucs lead to 14-0, and proved the difference in the contest.
Hoover quarterback Jalen Parker connected with Shedrick Jackson on a 41-yard strike early in the second quarter. A few plays later, Parker, who finished 16-of-22 for 184 yards, found Xavier Long for a 6-yard touchdown for the only score of the first half.
Will Reichard added a 32-yard field goal to increase the margin to 17-0 in the fourth quarter. Vestavia Hills quarterback Coleman Petway scrambled in from 10 yards on his team’s ensuing possession to cut Hoover’s lead to 17-7, but the Bucs defense allowed nothing more.
Defensive back Myles Spurling iced the outcome by picking off Petway on the game’s deciding drive.
“We got stops when we needed to get stops, and that’s what it’s all about,” said Hoover head coach Josh Niblett.
The two teams have matched up on the field 20 times previously, with each decision going Hoover’s way. Last fall, the Bucs shut out Thompson, 20-0, but the Bucs likely haven’t seen a signal-caller as talented as Tagovailoa in recent years.
The winner of the game will wrap up the Region 3 title, thus earning the top seed in the 7A state playoffs, set to begin Nov. 10.
Regardless of the result, Hoover and Thompson have locked up the top two seeds from Region 3, ensuring each at least one home game in the postseason. Region 3 crosses with Region 4, meaning that Sparkman, Gadsden City or Huntsville are the likely first-round opponents for the two teams.
Hoover wraps up the regular season next week when it hosts IMG Academy (Fla.).
- Sam Chandler contributed to this report.