Bucs put 5 on All-State team

The Hoover High School football team was unable to win a third straight Class 7A state championship in 2018, but the Bucs did have several players put together standout seasons. Those efforts were honored on the Alabama Sports Writers Association All-State team.

Hoover was represented well on the 7A team, with three players garnering first-team accolades, two named to the second team and two more making the honorable mention list.

On the first team, running back Larry McCammon capped off his high school career with a big season. He was the Bucs’ workhorse out of the backfield and carried the ball 207 times on the year for 1,413 yards and 16 touchdowns. McCammon also caught 25 passes for 312 yards and a score. 

Auburn commit George Pickens was also a first-team selection after a stellar senior campaign. The 6-foot-4, 207-pound receiver hauled in 73 passes on the year for 1,368 yards and 16 scores. He also proved to be dangerous in the punt return game throughout his career, and in his final year he returned punts for 284 yards and scored once.

Will Reichard, an Alabama signee, joined Pickens on the first team. The senior kicker  proved more than capable in his first season without Barret Pickering, who is a year older than Reichard and is now playing at Nebraska.

As the Bucs’ primary kicker in 2018, Reichard nailed 27-of-31 field goal attempts and successfully converted all 109 of his extra-point attempts. His kickoff numbers were unheard of for high school kickers, as 186 of his 188 kickoffs went for touchbacks (99 percent).

Ellis Adams was the Bucs’ offensive representative on the second team. Adams, a senior right guard, graded out at 92 percent on the season, in grades kept by the Hoover coaches. Adams also did not allow a sack all season and registered 47 knockdowns. 

Also making it on the second team was outside linebacker Greg Russell. For the season, Russell led the second level of the Hoover defense and registered 121 tackles, 12 of them for loss. He also notched three sacks and two fumbles.

Junior quarterback Robby Ashford was honorable mention, with Thompson’s Taulia Tagovailoa and Hewitt-Trussville’s Paul Tyson, both Alabama commits, taking up the first- and second-team honors for the role. Ashford excelled in his first season as a starter, combining for nearly 30 touchdowns. As a passer, he completed 148-of-269 passes, racking up 2,542 yards and 22 touchdowns. He rushed the ball 100 times for 623 yards and seven scores. 

On the defensive side, defensive back Jabari Moore was also named honorable mention. The senior corner racked up 57 tackles on the year, with two interceptions and four fumble recoveries. 

Hoover will see all but one of those players (Ashford) graduate, but the Bucs have demonstrated the ability to reload over the past two decades, having won 11 state titles since 2000.