Bucs fall to IMG Academy in regular season finale
HOOVER -- This was no week of rest for No. 3 Hoover heading into the Class 7A playoffs.
For the third straight year, the Buccaneers lost the regular season finale to IMG Academy, a school based in Bradenton, Fla., which boasts elite talent from all over the country.
In this 38-7 Ascenders win, Kaytron Allen rushed for 153 yards and three touchdowns. Hoover finished the regular season 8-2 and will host Sparkman, the No. 3 team in Region 4, next Friday. The Bucs finished second in Region 3 behind Thompson.
“We’re going to play the best competition we can play around here,” Hoover head coach Josh Niblett said. “We’ll learn something from this. We’ll lock in and get ready for the playoffs. This is the season we play for around here and we’re excited about it.”
Allen’s first-half touchdowns came on runs of 4 and 13 yards, and he scored on a 79-yard run to open the second half.
Hoover had some chances. Quarterback Josh Lundy barely overthrew a wide open Cooper Tullo, who was streaking down the middle of the field, after IMG took a 10-0 first-quarter lead. Down 17-7, Hoover forced a third-and-15, but Ari Allen took a screen pass and went 46 yards for a touchdown. IMG Academy (9-1) led 24-7 at halftime.
“We had some opportunities in the game,” Niblett said. “We had a couple of times offensively to connect and make some plays. We get a score and cut it to 17-7 and they get a big play on us.”
Hoover’s lone touchdown came on a second-quarter 3-yard run by Anthony Hayes, who led the Bucs with 45 rushing yards.
IMG Academy rushed for 255 yards in the win and held Hoover to 100 total yards. Lundy finished 7-of-19 for 52 yards and threw an interception to Elias Ricks, a five-star recruit ranked as the No. 12 player in the country by 247Sports. He is committed to LSU.
Melvin Jordan, a sophomore committed to Florida State, also intercepted a pass. IMG Academy featured a safety in Lejond Cavazos who is committed to Ohio State and a Clemson commit in offensive lineman Demonte Capehart, along with several other high-profile recruits throughout all classes.
Niblett said that Robby Ashford, the Bucs’ electric senior quarterback who is committed to Ole Miss, will return for the playoffs. He injured his foot in the third game at Thompson and has not played since.
“Our biggest thing this week is we’ll learn something from this, grade this tape, figure out where we’re at and get ready for Sparkman this week,” Niblett said. “This is what we play for.”
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