Photo by Todd Lester
Hoover DE Devon Scott (94) rushes the passer during a game between Thompson and Hoover on Friday, Oct. 27, 2017, at the Hoover Met in Hoover.
The Hoover High School football team faced one of its most challenging tests of the season last week against Class 7A, Region 3 foe Thompson.
But Friday's home game against IMG Academy may be its toughest yet.
The Ascenders, based in Bradenton, Florida, will send their blue team to the Hoover Met for a 7 p.m. kickoff. The prep school fields two teams — blue and white — that are stockpiled with college talent.
“We’ve got IMG next week, so we don’t have time to feel sorry for ourselves,” Hoover head coach Josh Niblett said after last Friday’s 32-25 loss to Thompson. “We’ll regroup and our guys will be ready to play next week.”
Hoover (7-2, 6-1 in region) fell to Thompson in the de facto Region 3 title game, which more than 10,000 fans attended. The game lived up to the hype.
Hoover built a 13-3 lead over the Warriors in the second quarter behind two Larry McCammon touchdowns. The junior running back scored on dashes of 80 and 5 yards. McCammon finished the game with 167 yards rushing on 14 carries and three touchdowns.
But Thompson countered with two rushing touchdowns of its own — courtesy of Shadrick Byrd — to take a 17-13 lead before halftime. The Warriors extended their edge to 24-13 in the third quarter.
Hoover responded.
McCammon recorded his final score of the night, and defensive back Chase Brown returned an interception for a touchdown. Hoover held a 25-24 advantage in the fourth quarter.
Thompson mounted a late 14-play, 98-yard drive with that ended with a 12-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa to Mo Edwards. The fourth-quarter strike pushed Thompson ahead for good. Tagovailoa, who completed only 4-of-11 passes 84 yards in the first half, finished the game 14-of-27 for 226 yards.
“Defensively, we played really well,” Niblett said. “You’re not going to stop them, but you’ve got to contain them. I thought we did a pretty good job of not giving up the big plays.”
The win, which was Thompson’s first over Hoover, sealed the Warriors’ region title and locked up their top playoff spot. Hoover finished second in the region and will host Sparkman in the first round of the playoffs Nov. 10.
But first it will battle IMG (6-0). Although they have never played, the two schools share a connection. According to Wayne Wood, an expert on Hoover High athletics, IMG head coach Kevin Wright guided the Union High (Okla.) team that Hoover beat 34-7 in 2006 before a national TV audience.
The Ascenders’ trip to Hoover will be the fourth out-of-state game on their schedule. Earlier in the year, they earned victories over Chandler (Ariz.), Centennial (Calif.) and East (Utah). They also knocked off in-state powerhouses Miami Central and Miami Northwestern.
IMG is currently ranked second in the country by USA Today.
According to the recruiting website 247 Sports, eight of Florida’s top 25 prospects in the Class of 2018 play for IMG.
The list includes Xavier Thomas, a five-star defensive end committed to Clemson; Brendan Radley-Hiles, a four-star cornerback committed to Nebraska; TJ Pledger, a four-star all-purpose back committed to Oklahoma; Houston Griffith, a four-star cornerback committed to Florida State; Ayodele Adeoye, a four-star linebacker committed to Texas; Artur Sitkowski, a four-star quarterback committed to Miami; Stephon Wynn, a four-star defensive end committed to Alabama; and Brian Hightower, a four-star wide receiver committed to Miami.
- Kyle Parmley contributed to this report.
