Photos by Barry Stephenson
Hoover Football
Senior Night helmets before a game between IMG and Hoover on Friday, Nov. 3, 2017, at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover.
The Hoover High School football team (7-3) lost its final two games of the regular season to Thompson and IMG Academy (Florida). But Bucs head coach Josh Niblett said he isn’t too concerned.
“What’s happened happened, and what’s done is done,” Niblett said after the loss to IMG. “We learn from it.”
Hoover will aim to put its newfound knowledge to use on Friday night when it begins its quest for a second consecutive Class 7A state title. The Bucs will battle Sparkman (7-3) at the Hoover Met in the first round of the playoffs. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
“They’re ready to get it started,” Niblett said.
Hoover enters the postseason as the No. 2 seed from Region 3 — behind Thompson — and Sparkman enters as the No. 3 seed from Region 4. This will be the Senators' first trip to the playoffs since 2006.
Sparkman went 5-2 in region play this fall, with its only losses coming to Bob Jones and Hewitt-Trussville. The team’s other defeat occurred last Friday against 6A Decatur, 38-20. The Senators are guided by first-year head coach Laron White, who will face a tall task as he prepares his team for Hoover.
Even though the Bucs dropped three regular season games for the first time since 1999 — Rush Propst’s initial year — they still flashed the potential of a bona fide contender. It was especially evident in the second half of last Friday’s game against IMG, the country’s second-ranked team.
Trailing 23-0 at halftime, Hoover rallied in the final two quarters to score 21 points before eventually falling, 32-21.
“I know there are probably some people wondering why we were playing this game, but this was why,” Niblett said. “You just found out kind of what we’re made of.”
Hoover was held to 84 yards in the first half, but it flipped a switch on its opening drive of the third quarter. Quarterback Jalen Parker, who went 3-of-15 passing in the first half, zipped four completions to wide receiver George Pickens. Their final connection produced a 2-yard touchdown that put Hoover on the board.
“We just had to get in our mind, just know that coming out of the half, it’s 0-0,” Parker said. “It’s like it’s a start of the game. We just had to come out strong and try to get some points on the board, so that’s we did.”
Parker also threw a second-half touchdown pass to wide receiver Shedrick Jackson. Parker finished the game 12-of-29 for 160 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Running back Larry McCammon also found the end zone on a 4-yard rush in the third quarter.
The Hoover defense, meanwhile, held IMG to 108 yards in the second half after it surrendered 261 in the first two quarters. The Bucs will attempt to parlay the momentum it established on both sides of the ball into this week’s test against Sparkman.
The winner will face either Hewitt-Trussville or Spain Park in the second round of the playoffs on Nov. 17.
