Bucs handle rival Jags with 52-10 win

Hoover High School quarterback Bennett Meredith and running back Ahamari Williams were stars in the Buccaneers’ 52-10 win over rival Spain Park on Oct. 8.

Meredith completed 10-of-16 passes for 140 yards with a touchdown to Williams and an interception for the Class 7A No. 2 Bucs.

Williams rushed for 126 yards on 11 carries with a score, playing just more than a half of action.

Meredith’s big play came with 8:23 left in the second quarter. The Bucs held a 7-3 lead. He took a 15-yard loss on a sack on first down, but got the Bucs back to a fourth and four at the Jags’ 47. After a timeout, the Bucs went for it, and Meredith hit Williams with a quick pass to the right, and Williams took it all the way down the right sideline for a score.

Until that point, the Jags were in the game. They took a 3-0 lead on the first drive following Braxton Sumpter’s 37-yard field goal. They intercepted Meredith once and had chances to make more big plays but could not.

Sophomore Mitchell Nutter made his first varsity start and only threw two passes. Spain Park did get 160 yards on the ground, 98 coming on 16 carries from sophomore fullback Sam Lee. The Jags’ only touchdown came on a 1-yard fourth quarter run from Ethan Gutowski.

It was all Hoover otherwise. Kamal Amerson gave Hoover a 7-3 lead on his 12-yard touchdown run on the first drive, and he scored on an 8-yard run in the third quarter.

Peyton Argent kicked a 26-yard field goal and Williams’ 15-yard scoring run gave the Bucs a 24-3 lead at halftime. 

In the second half, along with Amerson’s score, Josh Giddens scored on runs of 7 and 11 yards. Jack Lamey had a 41-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown and Lamey would have had a second touchdown, but Hoover was flagged for having too many men on the field after the fumble recovery, but before Lamey crossed the goal line.