Kick return sends Hoover past Rebels
VESTAVIA HILLS — Jacquez Allen’s 87-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to start the third quarter provided the Hoover High School football team with the spark it needed to beat Class 7A, Region 3 rival Vestavia Hills 17-7 on Friday night at Thompson Reynolds Stadium.
“You’ve got to find ways to win, and we found ways to win,” Bucs head coach Josh Niblett said. “That was a big momentum boost for us.”
Allen’s return doubled Hoover’s lead to 14-0. Vestavia Hills (3-5, 2-4 in region) held the Bucs (7-1, 6-0) to only seven points in a tight first half.
Hoover quarterback Jalen Parker connected with Shedrick Jackson on a 41-yard strike early in the second quarter. A few plays later, Parker, who finished 16-of-22 for 184 yards, found Xavier Long for a 6-yard touchdown.
The score compensated for a missed field goal on the Bucs' opening drive, when Barret Pickering’s 23-yard attempt sailed wide. Hoover’s only other first-half drive ended in a punt.
“We gave up two big plays,” Vestavia Hills head coach Buddy Anderson said of Allen’s return and Jackson’s catch. “I feel like that was the difference in the ball game.”
The Rebels, relying heavily on the rushing game, possessed the ball in the opening half for more than twice as long as the Bucs. They ran 32 times for 123 yards. William Schaffeld accounted for the bulk of those and finished the game with 114 yards on 27 carries.
But Vestavia Hills struggled to capitalize even as it controlled the tempo. One first-half drive stalled when the Rebels turned it over on downs at the Hoover 28, and another came up empty when Caleb Huber’s 40-yard field goal fell short.
Any points would have helped Vestavia Hills after it fell behind by two scores on the first play after halftime.
“The kickoff return should have never happened,” Anderson said. “We just broke down somewhere. That was a killer.”
Neither team lit up the scoreboard again until the final quarter, when Hoover kicker Will Reichard converted a 32-yard field goal. He came on to replace Pickering after he missed a 30-yard attempt on Hoover’s first full possession of the second half.
“It was one of those deals where Will came in, got an opportunity and made the most of it,” Niblett said.
Vestavia Hills quarterback Coleman Petway scrambled in from 10 yards on his team’s ensuing possession to cut Hoover’s lead to 17-7, but the Bucs defense allowed nothing more.
Defensive back Myles Spurling iced the outcome by picking off Petway on the game’s deciding drive.
“We got stops when we needed to get stops, and that’s what it’s all about,” Niblett said.
After the game, which was designated a Great American Rivalry, Hoover junior linebacker Nick Curtis was named MVP. He recorded six tackles and a sack.
Niblett compared him to former Hoover and current University of Florida standout Jeremiah Moon, who watched Friday’s game from the Hoover sidelines. The Gators are on a bye week.
“We want to continue to get him to improve because we know how much of a good player he can be,” Niblett said of Curtis.
Hoover and Vestavia Hills will wrap up region play next week. The Bucs will host Thompson for the region title, and the Rebels travel to Tuscaloosa County.
“We know how big next week is, but we’ve got some stuff we’ve got get fixed before we worry about that,” Niblett said.