Rivalry game highlights October for Bucs, Jags

With half of the high school football regular season already in the rearview mirror, Hoover and Spain Park are staring at four straight Class 7A, Region 3 games in October in an effort not only to qualify for the playoffs, but to grab the best possible seed.

Most notably, the city rivalry takes place Oct. 12 at Jaguar Stadium. Hoover and Spain Park have met on the gridiron 17 times since Spain Park’s inception, with the Bucs winning 15 of those contests. Spain Park’s only victories in the series came in its magical 2015 season, as the Jags beat Hoover in the regular season and again in the playoffs to advance to the state championship game.

Last fall, Hoover needed a late Shedrick Jackson touchdown to overtake Spain Park, 27-24. 

Hoover comes off its bye week at the end of September and opens October at home against Tuscaloosa County on the first Friday of the month. The Bucs have not lost to Tuscaloosa County since 2005 and have won eight consecutive meetings in the series. The recent matchups have been particularly one-sided, with Hoover notching wins of 62-7 and 63-0 the last two years.

Following Spain Park, Hoover travels to Vestavia Hills on Oct. 19. The series has also been fairly one-sided in recent years as well, as the Rebels have just one win in the series since 2010. Hoover won a low-scoring battle last fall, defeating Vestavia Hills 17-7. The Rebels beat Hoover 20-13 in the 2015 regular season, but the Bucs got their revenge with a 24-0 shutout victory in the playoffs. 

Hoover rounds out the month at home against Mountain Brook on Oct. 26. Last fall, the Bucs knocked off the Spartans, 31-21, after Mountain Brook mounted a second-half charge. Hoover leads the all-time series32-7.

Spain Park also takes its open week the week of September 28 and opens the month of October with a stern test at Thompson. The Jags did not fare well against the Warriors’ high-flying offense last fall, losing 40-17. The loss snapped Spain Park’s eight-game winning streak in the series.

Following Hoover, the Jags head to Oak Mountain on Oct. 19, looking to erase the memories of one of their worst games in 2017. Last year, Spain Park was dominated by Oak Mountain, 29-3. But the Jags hold a 12-4 all-time lead in the series.

Spain Park rounds out the month on Oct. 26 by hosting Tuscaloosa County. The two teams have met six times, two of those games at Jaguar Stadium. Tuscaloosa County has failed to dent the scoreboard in either of those meetings (2015 and 2016). Last fall, the Jags won 24-19 in Northport.