Photo by Barry Stephenson.
The Bucs finished the season with an 11-2 mark, winning at least 10 games for the 19th time in the last 21 years.
Only one team was able to trip up the Hoover High School football team during the 2020 season. Unfortunately for the Buccaneers, those two losses came at the hands of Thompson, the eventual Class 7A state champion.
After starting out 9-0 on the year, Hoover suffered a 39-23 defeat to Thompson on Oct. 23 to wrap up the regular season and hand the Region 3 title to the Warriors. Nearly a month later, the Warriors upended Hoover 52-14 in the 7A semifinals to advance to the state championship game.
The Bucs finished the season with an 11-2 mark, winning at least 10 games for the 19th time in the last 21 years.
Hoover began the year with an impressive 45-35 win over Central-Phenix City, a team that also advanced to the semifinals. Central jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the game and held a 28-21 edge at the half before the Bucs scored 24 unanswered points to begin the second half.
The following week, the Bucs stormed past Bessemer City in a 62-0 victory, setting up the rivalry showdown between Hoover and Vestavia Hills on Sept. 4. Due to COVID-19 wiping out the Rebels’ first two games, Vestavia played its first game of the season against Hoover, the region opener for both teams.
In that game, Hoover withstood a late rally to beat the Rebels 24-21. Hoover controlled the game and was up 17 points entering the fourth quarter, but Vestavia made it tight at the end. It was the first game for the Rebels in Buddy Anderson’s 43rd and final season as head coach.
The next week, Hoover trounced Gadsden City 38-0 before routing Oak Mountain 42-7 on Sept. 18. The Eagles entered the game 4-0 for the first time in school history and were flying high, but Hoover pounced early and never relented.
On Sept. 25, the Bucs took care of Prattville 28-6 in a non-region game. The following Friday, Hoover notched perhaps its most impressive win of the season in a 29-28 win at Hewitt-Trussville. Hoover overcame a 28-16 deficit in the second half, getting a pair of key rushing touchdowns from Jaylen Taylor.
Hoover outlasted rival Spain Park 47-34 on Oct. 8 to earn its eighth straight win to begin the season. The two teams accumulated more than 1,000 total yards in the game, but the Bucs had enough firepower to push to the win.
Hoover took care of Tuscaloosa County 48-21 before the regular season finale against Thompson. In the 39-23 defeat, Hoover’s defense forced three turnovers, including a score by Markus Clark, but the Bucs were unable to muster enough offensively to challenge the potent warriors.
The Bucs began the playoffs with a convincing 49-14 win over Sparkman on Nov. 6 and followed that up with a 24-21 win over Oak Mountain on Nov. 13. The rematch with the Eagles was much closer than the regular season contest, with the Bucs overcoming a nearly 13-0 hole and stopping Oak Mountain on a late fourth down to preserve the win.
In the semifinal loss to Thompson, the Warriors jumped ahead 21-0 and led 31-7 at the half, leaving no doubt as to the result of the game. It was the fourth year in a row Hoover and Thompson have met in the semifinals, with Thompson winning the last three of those.
