Late rally comes up short for Bucs
MONTGOMERY -- A top five Class 7A battle of the two largest schools in Alabama went to No. 3 Auburn High School, as the Tigers held off a second-half rally by fifth-ranked Hoover to win the AHSAA Kickoff Classic, 17-14, at Cramton Bowl on Friday.
Hoover appeared to have momentum on its side midway through the fourth quarter, but lost the ball on its own 21-yard line, and Auburn's Mark Toland recovered with 5:21 left. The turnover led to a 36-yard field goal by Towns McGough to put Auburn in front with 2:31 remaining. Auburn's defensive pressure held true in the final minutes, forcing a turnover on downs with 1:41 left at the Hoover 31 and Da'vaioun Williams helped run out the clock, picking up Tigers first down after first down and finishing the game with 82 yards.
The 2022 season opened with both teams keeping the ball on the ground in a grind-it-out scoreless first quarter. Early in the second quarter, Auburn held Hoover on a fourth-and-1 at the Tigers' 20 and sparked an 80-yard scoring drive. Clyde Pittman hit Logan Blomeyer for a 76-yard pass to set up a 2-yard touchdown run by Williams with 8:01 left in the quarter. Williams later punched in a 15-yard touchdown run to give Auburn a 14-0 halftime lead.
Hoover's special teams shifted momentum and flipped the field with around eight minutes left in the third quarter. Keith Christein downed a Hoover punt at the 1 to pin the Tigers deep. After three-and-out, Christein blocked Auburn's punt from the back of the end zone, and Devan Carlisle recovered for a Bucs' touchdown, cutting the score in half, 14-7, with 7:26 left in the third.
Ahamari Williams, who led Hoover with 131 yards rushing, opened the fourth quarter with a 27-yard touchdown run for the Bucs to tie the game, 14-14, with 11:52 to play. After forcing an Auburn punt, Hoover took over on its own 16 with 9:27 left. Williams broke a 34-yard run on third-and-9 to push Hoover into Auburn territory. However, the TIgers defensive front forced and recovered a fumble at the Hoover 48 on third-and-12. The Bucs' defense forced another punt, but that drive led to the Bucs' final turnover.
Auburn out-gained Hoover 270-240 on the night, but the biggest difference was the passing game, as the Tigers compiled 157 yards by air and applied pressure to hold Hoover to 82 yards. Pittman completed 11-of-18 passes for 140 yards.Brewer Smith and Jonah Winston split time under center for the Bucs.
Andrew Parrish and Jay Avery led the Bucs' defense with seven tackles each. Caleb Powell and DJ Estes each had six.
Hoover (0-1) will open its home schedule next Friday when it hosts Bartlett (Tenn.) at the Hoover Met. Auburn (1-0) evens the all-time series against the Bucs at 1-1 with the Tigers' eighth-straight season-opening victory.