Bucs sail to Tuscaloosa, capture state title
TUSCALOOSA — After his team’s 11-point loss to IMG Academy on Nov. 3, Josh Niblett encountered a number of questions regarding the makeup of his Hoover High School football team.
It didn’t matter that the Buccaneers had held their own against the country’s second-ranked squad. Skeptics simply saw another check in the loss column, which had accumulated more than two tallies for the first time since 1999.
But Niblett remained resolute that his team, then 7-3, possessed the pieces to make its fifth title run in six years. The Bucs validated his confidence on Wednesday night.
After sailing smoothly through the first three rounds of the playoffs, Hoover (11-3) dropped anchor at Bryant-Denny Stadium and stormed to its second consecutive Class 7A title with a 48-20 victory over McGill-Toolen (13-1).
“Praise to be God. We give him all the honor, glory and praise,” said Niblett, whose Bucs also beat McGill-Toolen in the 2016 state final. “I can’t say enough about this group. We just finished up beating three undefeated teams to win a state championship.”
Hoover knocked off Hewitt-Trussville in the quarterfinals and Thompson in the semifinals. Like McGill-Toolen, neither team had lost a game all season — until meeting the Bucs. Niblett called it an “unprecedented” run, and his team capped it with a similarly unprecedented showing.
The Bucs’ eye-opening point total reset their own 7A title game scoring record from 2014, when they hung 35 on Prattville.
The outcome was decided by halftime.
Quarterback Jalen Parker, a senior, threw for three touchdowns and more than 200 yards as Hoover held a 34-6 lead entering the intermission. Parker connected with George Pickens on touchdowns of 7 and 54 yards during a 27-point second quarter. He also zipped a 70-yard scoring toss to Shedrick Jackson, who found himself wide open on a designed play-action rollout.
Parker finished the game 11-of-15 for 265 yards and four touchdowns. Pickens and Jackson, playing in front of their future coach at Auburn University, Gus Malzahn, hauled in two touchdowns apiece. Jackson paced the receiving corps with six receptions for 160 yards.
“Our game plan throughout the whole week was to get the ball in those guys' hands,” said Parker, the state final MVP.
The quarterback’s prolific second-quarter passing performance came after a modest opening frame in which he completed only two passes for 22 yards. But that was partially due to the Bucs early reliance on running back Larry McCammon, who initiated Hoover’s scoring with a 16-yard rushing touchdown. The off-tackle scamper capped a methodical, eight-play possession that saw the junior pick up 45 of Hoover’s 71 yards.
“We pounded them and kept moving the ball,” McCammon said. “It was as simple as that.”
McCammon’s persistence eventually gave way to the explosiveness of Parker, Pickens and Jackson, who helped turn a 7-3 first-quarter advantage into a one-half runaway.
The defense also played a critical role. McGill-Toolen twice advanced inside Hoover’s 15-yard line, and twice it settled for field goals from place-kicker Chase Mahler. The kicks were not enough to overcome Hoover’s high-powered attack, especially when coupled with self-inflicted wounds.
Bucs linebacker Isaiah Hubbard recovered a fumble at the Yellow Jackets 42-yard line on the first play from scrimmage following Jackson’s 70-yard score. Hoover running back Vonte’ Brackett cashed in four plays later on a 4-yard rush to extend his team’s lead to 28-6.
“I think you’ve got to play really, really good red zone defense in big-time games,” Niblett said. “Once we got down inside the 20, we really helped ourselves on first down because we got negative plays.”
The Bucs defense continued its tight performance after the break. The only touchdowns it surrendered came after Hoover had opened a 42-point edge, as the offense carried its momentum into the second half.
Parker fired a 16-yard touchdown pass to Jackson in the third quarter, and running back Jacquez Allen danced through the defense for a 9-yard score in the fourth. The Bucs inserted their reserves for a significant chunk of the final frame
That decision signaled the dominance of Niblett’s squad, which had initially run into the frigid December air through a daring pregame banner.
It told the opposing team to name a more iconic duo than Hoover and a blue state championship map. Across the bottom read the words, “I’ll wait.”
After a triumphant trophy presentation under the stadium light, the Bucs were still waiting — but with a 13th program title tucked snugly in their arms.
“What they have accomplished this year, this will be something really, really special to go down in the history books of Hoover High School,” Niblett said. “I can promise you that.”