1 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover WR Jonah Winston (4) scores winning touchdown during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
2 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover K Matthew Daibes (90) cinches the OT win with a FG during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
3 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover RB JR Mosley (13)scores a touchdown during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
4 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover WR Jonah Winston (4) catches ball during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
5 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover cheerleaders celebrate win during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
6 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover defense attempts to block FG during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
7 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover CB Jamar Moultrie (2) blocks pass during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
8 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover QB Mac Beason (15) looks for a pass during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
9 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover WR Avery Crawford (3) runs for a pass during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
10 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover RB JR Mosley (13) runs the ball during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
11 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover drum major during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
12 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover fans during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
13 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover player with a "Danger: Beware of Dog" sign on his back during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
14 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover cheerleader under the full moon during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
15 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt.
Hoover TE Christopher Warren (1) catches the ball during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
16 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover WR Reggie Jackson (6) calls a complete catch during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
17 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover WR Ar'Mari Towns (7) and CB Jeremiah Robinson (24) look to their sideline during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
18 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover OLB Kendall Finley (92) celebrates a play during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
19 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover defense attacks Thomspon during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
20 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover FS Cam Spates (22) dives for tackle during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
21 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover QB Mac Beason (15) passes the ball off during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
22 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Band members cheer during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
23 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
The image of the Hoover team reflects in the face shield of WR Tre Darden (3) during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
24 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover CB Jamar Moultrie (2) runs into offense during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
25 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover FS DJ Waluyn (1) grabs for punt during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
26 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover CB Donnell Williams (26) grabs for the punt during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
27 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover CB Jeremiah Robinson (24) and CB Tre Darden (0) run onto the field together during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
28 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover CB Jamar Moultrie (2) runs into defense during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
29 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover HC Chip English talks to players during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
30 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover band soloist plays during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
31 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover saxaphones play during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
32 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover drum major conducts band during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
33 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover Trey Sanders (ILB) goes after ball during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
34 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover DL Darien Carlisle (94) lines up during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
35 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover RB JR Mosley (13) celebrates a play with teammate Christopher Warren (1) during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
36 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover WR Avery Crawford (3) catches pass during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
37 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover DL Pa'Landing Drammeh (2) reaches to block FG during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
38 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover band members play during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
39 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover dance team during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
40 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover RB JR Mosley (13) scores a touchdown during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
41 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover RB JR Mosley (13) runs the ball during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
42 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover WR Jonah Winston (4) runs ball during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
43 of 43
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Hoover fans during the Hoover vs Thompson game at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 18, 2024.
ALABASTER – The region title belongs to the Bucs once again.
Hoover High School’s football team outlasted Thompson in a back-and-forth showdown on Friday night, winning 27-26 in overtime in a thrilling Under the Lights Game of the Week.
Jonah Winston’s 10-yard touchdown run, followed by Matthew Daibes’ true extra point, lifted the Bucs to the top of the Class 7A, Region 3 standings.
Thompson took the ball first in overtime and scored quickly, on Trent Seaborn’s 7-yard pass to Darion Moseley. But the snap and hold on the extra point was not clean, leading to Trey Sanders blocking the attempt, leaving the Warriors with a 26-20 lead.
At that moment, the Bucs felt confident. Hoover interim head coach Chip English elected to put Winston in at quarterback. Winston is primarily a receiver but does take snaps occasionally. Two plays later, he found the end zone for the score. Daibes had no trouble with the game-winning PAT.
“Routine,” Daibes called the game-winning kick.
“We felt like we could do some things down there, only having 10 yards [to go],” English said of the decision to have Winston at quarterback in overtime instead of starter Mac Beason. “We knew with the ball in his hands, we had an opportunity. Mac played lights out all night. We knew it was going to be a team effort and take both those guys back there. He came up big in the moment.
It was the second touchdown Winston scored on the night. His first one came midway through the third quarter, as he broke free after taking the direct snap on fourth-and-1 and scoring from 30 yards out. That broke a 10-10 halftime tie to make it 17-10.
“It’s just grit. My guys up front said they got me, just follow them, and that’s what I did. Both my touchdowns, I went in untouched,” Winston said.
Hoover started strong and was the better team most of the night, but the Bucs dealt with their share of adversity. They started the game with a solid drive, scoring on JR Mosley’s 5-yard run. Hoover extended the lead to 10-0 on the first of Daibes’ two field goals, this one a 42-yard effort.
Thompson got on the board thanks to a Hoover special teams mistake. The Bucs muffed a punt, allowing Thompson great field position, but the Hoover defense held and forced John Alan McGuire to kick a 27-yard field goal.
However, Thompson tied it up in the final moments of the first half, scoring on Michael Dujon’s 5-yard run with 18 seconds to play in the second quarter, knotting the score at 10-10.
“We knew it was going to be back and forth a little bit,” English said. “It wasn’t just all the sudden going to be a 35-0 game.”
Undeterred, Hoover made the most of its opening drive of the second half, with Winston’s first touchdown.
Thompson tied the game back up on the ensuing drive, in large part due to Seaborn’s 48-yard connection with Moseley. Seaborn scored on a 1-yard run to tie it at 17-17, then McGuire’s 50-yard attempt scraped over the crossbar to give the Warriors their first lead at 20-17 late in the third.
Daibes drilled a 29-yarder with 3:19 to play in regulation to make it 20-20, setting up the overtime finish.
The winner of the Hoover-Thompson matchup has claimed the region title each year since 2016, and the win clinches that for the Bucs with one regular season game left next week.
“This is big,” English said. “Coach [Mark[ Freeman runs a great program [at Thompson] and to get a big win for a region title, I’m happy for our guys.”
Beason led the Hoover offense most of the evening. He completed 11-of-19 passes for 135 yards. He ended up as the team’s leading rusher, with 55 yards on 12 carries.
Winston ran for 46 yards, while Mosley and Keilan Jefferson each went for 40 yards. Winston led the Bucs’ receivers with 86 yards on eight grabs.
For Thompson, Seaborn was 13-of-28 for 175 yards, with a passing and rushing score.
Dujon carried it 11 times for 88 yards and the score. Moseley was the top receiver, catching five passes for 84 yards.
Hoover wraps up the regular season next week at home against Vestavia Hills. Thompson remains at home to play Prattville. Both teams are now guaranteed home playoff games in the first round of the playoffs Nov. 8.
Click here to sign up for our Under the Lights newsletter and follow us on social media.
Click here to view and purchase photos from this week's games.
