Photo by Barry Stephenson
Hoover tight end/fullback Jabari Gaines (4) hauls in a touchdown pass during a game with Vestavia Hills High School on Friday, Sept. 3, 2021 at the Hoover Met in Hoover, AL. Photo by Barry Stephenson.
Over the course of the year, the Hoover Sun will keep you up to date on the various Hoover and Spain Park high school athletic teams. For previous weekly updates, click here.
FOOTBALL
The Hoover and Spain Park football teams began region play last Friday night. Hoover earned a convincing win over rival Vestavia Hills. Click here to read the recap of that contest.
Spain Park put up a tough fight against Hewitt-Trussville, but the Huskies pulled away late in the game. Click here for the story of the game.
VOLLEYBALL
The Hoover volleyball team had a busy week last week. The Bucs beat Mountain Brook 3-1 on Monday and fell to Spain Park 3-1 on Tuesday. Against Mountain Bro, Rya McKinnon had 24 kills and 10 digs. Bella Guenster had 12 digs and Baxley Downs finished with 35 assists and 7 digs. In the Spain Park match, McKinnon had 23 kills and Alanah Pooler finished with 4 kills and 4 blocks.
Over the weekend, Hoover competed in the Nike Tournament of Champions in Orlando, Florida.
The Bucs won their three matches on Friday, beating Canterbury (Fla.), Dr. Phillips (Fla.) and Bishop Kenny (Fla.) by 2-1 scores. On Saturday, Hoover suffered losses to St. Pius X (Ga.), Leon (Fla.) and Trinity Catholic (Fla.).
This week, Hoover plays at Thompson in a Class 7A, Area 5 match Wednesday. The Bucs play at McGill-Toolen on Thursday and play in Bayside Academy’s tournament over the weekend.
Spain Park took down Hoover on Tuesday before also heading to Orlando for the Nike Tournament of Champions over the weekend.
The Jags lost to Clearwater Catholic (Fla.) and DeLand (Fla.) on Friday but rallied to beat Bishop Kenny (Fla.), Hagerty (Fla.), Winter Springs (Fla.) and First Academy (Fla.). McGill-Toolen beat Spain Park in the bronze division championship match to finish the tournament. Spain Park is now 18-3 on the season.
Some stats from the week:
- Audrey Rothman: 129 kills, 34 digs, 11 aces and 7 blocks
- Lilly Johnson: 174 assists, 23 digs and 4 aces
- Emily Breazeale: 70 kills, 13 aces, 37 digs and 4 blocks
- Brooklyn Allison: 63 digs, 9 assists and 7 aces
This week, Spain Park hosts Hewitt-Trussville in a Class 7A, Area 6 match Thursday.
CROSS-COUNTRY
The Hoover cross-country team began the season at the Warrior 2 Mile Invitational last Thursday and performed well. The boys team won the meet, while the girls team finished second.
For the boys team, Elijah Joseph, Sam Kilgore and Charles Morris swept the top three spots in the race. Joseph crossed the line in 10:13, with Kilgore and Morris right behind him. Danny Tackett placed sixth and Zander Dakis finished eighth. Zach Cooper (14th) and Brody Church (15th) also scored points.
Mountain Brook swept the top six spots in the girls race, with Ashley Girouard, Catherine Wallace, Lila Hunter and Lana Kate Hammonds crossing the line next. Sarah Hertz (12th), Tamsyn Gibbs (21st) and Lauren Harding-Smith (22nd) also accumulated points.
— What else would you like to see mentioned? For any suggestions, feel free to email sports editor Kyle Parmley at kparmley@starnesmedia.com.
