10 • Thursday, August 22, 2013
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OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal
The 2013 Hoover High School varsity football team includes Justin Johnson, Kyler Jackson, Jeremy Williams, Logan Garrett, Micah Bagley, Josh Stevenson, Alex Elam, John Ethridge, Danterrius Buggs, Marcus Webb, Jack Hutcheson, Nicholas Austin, Cole Chiseklo, Jay Burton, Hagan Scott, Cooper Carden, Josh Hall, Kaderrius Wesley, Tyren Spurling, Chris DeMoss, Malcolm Cox, Jacob Hamner, Jared Smith, Chandler Coskery, Marlon Humphrey, Braderick Shaw, Joe Stephens, Brooks Bennett, Corey Price, Tyrelle Copeland, Julian Lucas, Faheem Khan, Tuck Borie, Jaysen Cook-Calhoun, Kristopher Parker, John Weaver, Joey Mollica, Jason McCay, Colin Silva, David Brooks, Andre Murrell, Chris Chambliss, Hunter Schmith, R.J. Arnold, Christian Bell, Trey Davis, Kyle Flint, Chance Pruitt, Trevin Pierre-Noel, Nicholas Tylka, Chris Davidson, Darrell Williams, Vince Brown, Clay Banks, Zyggy Arledge, Robert Courson, Nick Bodden, Diego Sialer, Connor Kilgore, P.J. Hatcher, Sean Flynn, Alex Horn, Noah McLaney, Patrick Neill, Tykeem McGhee, Jason Bell, Jason Perry, Jackson Warren, Trey Brackett, Leonard Wood, Nick Sissa, Harry Sullivan, Brian Hatcher, Taylor Mitchell, Ford Brown, Zack Eldridge, Jayland Underwood, Matthew Crochen, Anthony Monroe, Dylan Ackerson and Jaterrius Gulley. Journal photo by Marvin Gentry
By Cary Estes
Journal Sports Writer
T
he Hoover Buccaneers don’t really set goals any more. They make plans. Namely, they plan to end the football season playing for the Class 6A championship. And why shouldn’t that be on their to-do list? After all, Hoover has advanced to the title game an astounding 12 times in the past 13 years, winning it all seven times. That includes last season, when the Bucs ended a two-year championship drought (if you can actually call two years without winning the title a “drought”) with a perfect 15-0 record. “We don’t concern ourselves with setting goals,” said Hoover head coach Josh Niblett, who is beginning his sixth season leading the Bucs. “It’s a given where we want to be at the end of the year, and that’s playing for a championship.” That doesn’t mean the Bucs take any of this for granted or that they are content to live leisurely upon past success. In fact, Niblett’s approach has always been to leave the past firmly in the past and concentrate only on the current season. “This team is different from last year’s team, and the quicker we can get last year out of our heads the quicker we can start getting better,” Niblett said. “We’ve got to be focused on what we’re doing and understand day in and day out what we have to do to get better. If you work hard in practice, you’ll get what you deserve, and if you don’t work hard in practice, you’ll also get what you deserve, and it won’t be good. “The biggest thing that concerns us is us. We’ve got to get better every week. We can’t get caught up in who we’re playing or where we’re playing. We just have to get ready to play.” Hoover has quite a few holes to fill on offense, most notably at quarterback, where junior Jack Hutcheson and senior Jay Burton will
forward focus Hoover Isn’t Resting on Last Year’s Laurels
be battling to replace Connor Short. “Jack is a dual-threat guy,” Niblett said. “He’s
got good speed, good height and he throws well. He has to work on getting (the ball) out quicker. He’s a little more mobile. Jay is more of a pro-style passer, but he can do some things in the running game, too. In our offense, you love that the quarterback can run, but he has to be able to throw the football, get it out on the perimeter.” The one area of the offense that has quite a few experienced players is at running back. That group is led by senior Kyler Jackson and juniors Brad Shaw and Kris Parker. “I feel good about the running backs. We have three running backs who are good and two others who are like fullbacks,”
Key Players
Hoover Coach Josh Niblett with Buc players Marlon Humphrey, #26, and Jack Hutcheson, #11. Journal photo by Marvin Gentry
Hoover High
at a Glance
2012 record: 15-0; 7-0 (region). Won Class 6A championship. Head coach: Josh Niblett Stadium: Buccaneers Stadium (11,500) Class 6A, Region 5 Region opponents: Hueytown, JacksonOlin, Northridge, Bessemer City, Hillcrest Tuscaloosa, Minor, Tuscaloosa County State championships: 1977, 1982, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2012
Niblett said. “I’m really excited about Brad, and I really expect good things out of Kris. He’s a dual guy. He can play a little fullback, and you can split him out a little like a tight end. We’re going to use him in a lot of different ways. He’s sort of an X-factor.” Among the receiving corps, seniors Hagan Scott and Logan Garrett and juniors Alex Elam and Justin Johnson all return from last season. Junior Trey Brackett, senior Danterrius Buggs (who moved to receiver from the secondary) and senior Joey Mollica will also be counted on. The key for the unit might be senior Cooper Carden, who returns at tight end. “He can do a few different things,” Niblett said. “He’s physical. He’s a throwback player because he understands how to play the game physically. He’s got great hands, and he’s a good blocker. He’s well-rounded.” On the offensive line, guards Nick Bodden and P.J. Hatcher are back for their senior seasons. Senior Vince Brown and junior Chance Pruitt will compete for the starting center position, while senior Jason Perry and junior Alex Horn