Hoover rolls past Jags in city rivalry
HOOVER – George Pickens did everything right except haul it in.
Pickens, the Hoover High School standout receiver, beat his man and quarterback Robby Ashford lofted a perfect pass into his arms in the end zone for what should have been a 50-yard touchdown. But Pickens dropped it.
That would be the only egregious error by the Hoover offense in a 32-7 win over city rival Spain Park on Friday night, as the Bucs emerged victorious in the Class 7A, Region 3 showdown at Jaguar Stadium.
“On the drop, I was very complacent,” Pickens said. “I tried to catch it, but I took my eye off the ball and I dropped it. I just bounced back. Coach told me to stay calm and you’ll be good.”
After that, Pickens and Hoover locked in and put on a dazzling display. Pickens caught touchdown passes of 56, 26 and 2 yards from Ashford to finish the night with 125 yards on nine grabs.
Hoover (5-2, 4-1 in region) began the game with Josh Lundy as the team’s quarterback on the first drive, as Ashford served what head coach Josh Niblett called “in-house discipline.” All Lundy did was march the Bucs right down the field and cap off a 61-yard drive with an 11-yard pass to MJ Rogers, who transferred from Spain Park before the school year.
Lundy then gave way to Ashford, who was 11-of-17 passing for 179 yards and the three scoring strikes to Pickens.
“I’m proud of our kids,” Niblett said. “It’s a big win for us any time you play your rival. We’ve got to continue to try to improve.”
Spain Park (1-6, 0-5 in region) has struggled since a season-opening win over Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa, and the Jags were only able to dent the scoreboard on an 11-yard pass from Harrison Barker to Jalen Henderson in the second quarter. Barker rolled out as the original play broke down and floated a ball to Henderson in the end zone for the score.
A safety and a 41-yard field goal from Will Reichard preceded that Jags touchdown, which cut the Hoover lead to 12-7.
“We’ve had to play three of the better teams in the state after losing some of our confidence,” said Spain Park head coach Shawn Raney. “But we’ve got three games here. We’ve got to rally, come back, keep playing. All I know is keep showing up and working and trying to show these kids what to do to get better, and that’s what we’re going to continue to do.”
Following Henderson’s touchdown, Pickens’ three touchdown receptions capped the game’s scoring and allowed the Bucs to pull away.
Niblett said, “It’s a big win, any time you come over here. When it’s a rivalry, it’s an emotional game. It always is. These kids know each other, they’ve grown up with each other. For us, it’s a win and we’re excited about that.”
Spain Park started the game with a promising drive, as starting quarterback Mason Pronk completed four passes on the drive. But a few penalties derailed the momentum and Hoover’s defense came up with a stop on fourth down.
Pronk played the majority of the game for the Jags and went 12-of-24 passing for 106 yards. Henderson led Spain Park on the ground with 52 yards on 13 carries. Michael Callens caught four balls for 60 yards and Jacob Jenkins picked up 47 yards on three catches.
Larry McCammon had 64 rushing yards on the evening to lead the Bucs, while Ashford accumulated 48 yards on the ground. Niblett said Ashford’s ability to run the ball hasn’t been displayed much this season, but it “puts a lot of pressure on the defense” when he does tuck it and go. Hoover put up 380 total yards on the evening, but Niblett would still like to see his offense be steadier at times.
“We’re really good at chunk plays, making plays, making off-schedule plays, but we’ve got to get more consistent with what we’re doing,” he said.
Next week, Hoover takes to the road to take on another rival in Vestavia Hills. Spain Park travels to Oak Mountain, as both teams are still seeking their first region victory.
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