Photo by Barry Stephenson.
Hoover’s Jonah Winston (4) reaches for a first down during a game between Hoover High School and Hewitt-Trussville High School on Sept. 13 at Hewitt-Trussville.
The Hoover and Spain Park high school football teams are gearing up for the final stretch of the regular season as October arrives.
Each team will play its final four region games over the month, ahead of hopeful playoff runs. Hoover is in its traditional spot in Class 7A, Region 3, while Spain Park now plays in 6A, Region 3.
Hoover begins the month with a home game against Oak Mountain on Oct. 4. The two teams have played nearly every year since 2002, but Oak Mountain has never been able to topple Hoover. The Bucs have won all 22 previous meetings between the teams, including a 62-14 drubbing last fall.
There is a similar history with Hoover’s opponent the following week, Tuscaloosa County. The Bucs head to Northport to take on the Wildcats. Hoover has a robust 20-3 record all-time against County, notching a 37-10 win last fall. County’s last win in the series came back in 2005, and the Wildcats have not made the playoffs since 2014.
Hoover makes a trip to big rival Thompson on Oct. 18, for a game that has often decided the region title. The two teams met six straight years in the state semifinals, including last season. In 2021 and 2022, the Bucs got the better end of things in the regular season, before Thompson avenged the loss in the playoffs.
Since Thompson notched its first win in the series history in 2017, the Warriors have a 9-4 mark against Hoover.
Hoover wraps up its regular season at home on Oct. 25 against another rival, Vestavia Hills. The Bucs have enjoyed plenty of success in recent history in this series, one of the best rivalries in the nation according to Great American Rivalry Series. But the Rebels got the better end of things last fall with a 26-7 win. It was only Vestavia’s second win in the series since 2010.
The Bucs take an open date on Nov. 1 during the regular season’s final week.
Spain Park has a key slate of region games in October as well. The Jags begin the month on Oct. 4 with a trip to Pelham. The teams played every year from 2002 through 2013, before picking the series back up in 2022. The Jags have won the last two meetings, including a 39-0 win last fall.
The Jags head back home the following week to play Chelsea. Spain Park has won all four games in series history, most recently a 38-21 win last fall. The teams were region foes in 2012 and 2013 before meeting up again the last two years.
Spain Park hosts Calera on Oct. 18 in another pivotal region game. The Jags have beaten Calera each of the last two years, with a 55-0 result last year.
The Jags wrap up the region slate on Oct. 25 with a trip to Chilton County. It will be the first meeting between the two programs.
Spain Park wraps up the regular season on Nov. 1 with a trip to Gardendale. The teams last met in 2009, and the Jags have won three of four previous meetings.