The Reset: Bucs football advances, cross-country ends, basketball begins
Over the course of the year, the Hoover Sun will keep you up to date on the various Hoover and Spain Park high school athletic teams. For previous weekly updates, click here.
FOOTBALL
The Hoover football team survived and advanced, defeating Bob Jones 26-18 last Friday in the first round of the playoffs. This Friday, the Bucs host Mountain Brook in a second-round matchup.
CROSS-COUNTRY
The Hoover and Spain Park cross-country teams wrapped up their seasons at the Class 7A state meet on Saturday in Moulton. Both Hoover teams placed sixth overall, while Spain Park had a few competitors as individuals.
For the Hoover boys, three racers came home in the top 30. Drew Kilgore (24th, 16:25.1), Will Couch (26th, 16:27.41) and Lane Tincher (28th, 16:28.25) all finished close together. Also running were Owen Marquardt (31st, 16:30.57), John Michael Williamson (47th, 16:56.07), Brody Church (64th, 17:17.24), Jacob Villani (96th, 17:46.91), Kyle Epperson (111th, 17:59.42) and Sam Rigsby (123rd, 18:17.9).
For Hoover’s girls, Emma Langley paced the team, as she finished 18th overall with a time of 19:24.65. Erin Cannon (35th, 20:13.98) and Anna Caroline Knight (37th, 20:14.34) were the next two finishers, followed by Haley Stallworth (42nd, 20:24.82), Reagan Hendricks (43rd, 20:25.78), Alyssa Halcomb (46th, 20:29.15), Abbi Pearman (57th, 20:48.58), Anna Kay Clark (72nd, 21:14.03), Lauren Wallace (90th, 21:50.35) and Grace Sears (92nd, 21:52.83).
Mackenzie Culpepper was the top performer for Spain Park, as she finished 14th with a time of 19:16.69. Holland Lidikay (45th, 20:27.07) and Lyric Bryant (68th, 21:07.56) also competed in the girls race, while Jacob Warner (23rd, 16:24.63) ran in the boys event.
BASKETBALL
Hoover
The Hoover boys basketball team began its season last week, as the Bucs defeated Demopolis, 74-32, on Thursday. The Bucs led 51-18 at the half and finished 23-of-27 from the free throw line in the contest. The Bucs were led by Ahman Ellington, who poured in 21 points and pulled down seven rebounds. CJ Melton posted a double-double, with 15 points and 11 boards. Alex Price had 13 points and four rebounds, while DJ Fairley contributed 11 points and three rebounds.
This week, the boys continue in action while the girls begin their season. Both teams host McAdory on Tuesday night and Huffman on Thursday. The girls play at Hazel Green on Friday.
Spain Park
The Spain Park basketball teams started their seasons last week as well. The boys team played three games and sits with a 2-1 record after the first week. The Jags began things on Tuesday with a 52-48 win over Cornerstone. Parker Boswell led the team with 14 points and Isaiah Walton added 11. On Thursday, the Jags fell to Huffman, 60-51. Austin Laatsch posted 15 points, followed by 11 points from Chip Culpepper. The Jags knocked off Minor, 55-41, as part of Ramsay’s Tip-Off Showcase. After being up just 21-16 at the half, they pulled away with a big second half. Boswell had 16 points, Laatsch posted 11 and Cam Crawford had nine points.
The Lady Jags pulled out a thriller in their season-opener, as they defeated Huffman 56-53 in overtime. Ahrielle Parks led the way with 23 points, while Sarah Ashlee Barker had 21 points.
This week, both teams play at Ramsay on Monday and host Homewood on Thursday. The Lady Jags begin play in the Bryant Bank Classic at Hewitt-Trussville on Saturday.
— What else would you like to see mentioned? For any suggestions, feel free to email sports editor Kyle Parmley at kparmley@starnespublishing.com.