Photos by Barry Stephenson
Hoover Football Spain Park Football
Action during a game between Hoover and Spain Park on Friday, Sept. 15, 2017, at Jaguar Stadium in Hoover.
The crosstown rivalry game lived up to the hype.
Last Friday, the Hoover High School football team came back and knocked off rival Spain Park, 27-24, on Shedrick Jackson’s 25-yard touchdown reception with 1:18 to play in the game.
The win moved the Bucs to 3-1 on the young season, and 2-0 in Class 7A, Region 3 play.
Friday night, Hoover will entertain another region foe, Tuscaloosa County (1-3, 0-2 Region 3), to conclude the first half of the regular season. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Hoover Met.
The last three meetings between the two teams have gotten out of hand quickly, as the Bucs have asserted their will on the County program.
In last fall’s 62-7 win for the Bucs, Hoover took a 41-0 lead into the half thanks in part to Chase Brown’s pick-six and Jackson’s passing touchdown on a trick play.
Larry McCammon also scored in that contest, on a 40-yard run in the fourth quarter.
After opening up with a 27-24 win over Paul Bryant, Tuscaloosa County has dropped three straight, including a pair of region contests. Thompson dispatched County, 63-22, and Huffman notched a tight 32-29 victory last week.
The Bucs will have a bye week after Friday's contest, essentially splitting the regular season in half.
Hoover comes into the game playing solid football, having won three straight following a season-opening loss at Grayson (Ga.). A blowout victory over Meridian (Miss.) led to tight region wins over Mountain Brook and Spain Park, undoubtedly two of the top region opponents for the Bucs.
Last week, the Bucs secured the win thanks to a final drive that was nearly stopped dead in its tracks. Quarterback Jalen Parker found George Pickens on a deep pass, but the Bucs were called for a holding penalty, resulting in a 20-yard loss.
On third-and-25 with the game on the line and deep in his own territory, Parker threw one deep for Pickens again, and with two Spain Park defenders blanketing him, he somehow came up with the reception, for a 44-yard gain.
The Jags scored consecutive touchdowns in the third quarter to turn a seven-point deficit into a seven-point lead. Braxton Barker hit Michael Rogers for a 17-yard touchdown to tie the game at 17-17 with 4:02 remaining in the third quarter.
Hoover fumbled the first snap on the ensuing possession, and four plays later, Spain Park was back in the end zone and took the 24-17 lead.
Pickens got the scoring started in the game with a 57-yard punt return that saw him break out of a mass of players twice, as he broke what seemed like a dozen tackles on his way to pay dirt.
McCammon capped off a seven-play drive early in the second quarter with a 2-yard touchdown run. Although that was his only score, he was impressive, piling up 146 yards on 19 carries. Fellow backfield mates Vonte’ Brackett and Jacquez Allen racked up 73 total yards.
Parker wrapped up his evening 13-of-22 passing for 218 yards and the final touchdown of the game. Jackson finished with 67 yards on three grabs and Pickens wound up with four catches for 79 yards.
