Photo by David Leong
Hoover running back JR Mosley (3) is stopped by Vestavia Hills defensive lineman Rush Harper (24) and defensive lineman Josh Arendall (93) during a game between Vestavia Hills and Hoover on Fri, Oct. 24, 2025, at Thompson Reynolds Stadium. Photo by David Leong.
Vestavia Hills High School's home football game against Hoover has been moved from Thursday, Oct. 8 to Friday, Oct. 9, after the Alabama High School Athletic Association Central Board ruled on the matter last week.
The Vestavia Hills athletic department announced the change, stating the game was ordered moved to the district's student holiday on Oct. 9.
Vestavia Hills head coach Robert Evans said Vestavia Hills initially requested the game be played on Thursday. Hoover disputed the date, and the matter escalated to the AHSAA's Central Board.
"The long standing precedence has always been that the home team gets to decide the date and time, and almost everyone chooses Friday," Evans said. "But there are legitimate scheduling conflicts."
The board ultimately ruled in favor of Hoover, meaning the game will be played on a Friday, a decision Evans said isn't stated anywhere in the AHSAA handbook.
"We have looked through the handbook left and right and there is no rule that mandates a Friday night at 7:00 game," Evans said.
Evans pointed to Hoover's own scheduling history as evidence of that precedent. Hoover played its fall break home game on a Thursday last year, and Spain Park, the other Hoover school, is set to host its fall break home game against Tuscaloosa County on a Thursday this season.
"It's common sense practice for larger schools to play on Thursdays because it is incredibly difficult to staff the event when the school district is closed for the day," Evans said.
The AHSAA didn't inform Vestavia Hills of its decision until July 20, nearly five months after the schedules were drawn. Vestavia Hills appealed the ruling and won unanimously in District 5, but the Central Board later overturned that decision.
Evans said the handbook clearly delineates between regular season and championship play scheduling rules.
Evans said he doesn't expect the change to affect how his team prepares for the game, though he anticipates a smaller crowd than usual since much of the school will be traveling during the break.
"I've lived through fall break games at Vestavia," Evans said, noting that a large portion of the school's families typically head out of town for the break.
Evans said the ruling does nothing to enhance a rivalry that once ranked among the best in the state.
"Not at all," Evans said. "In fact, I feel sorry for players from both sides that deserve to play this game in a great environment. This used to be the best rivalry in the state of Alabama."
"Thursday night would have been the best environment this year because of the district holiday," Evans continued. "Our program will always play anyone, anywhere, at any time. Some programs don't think that way."
Despite the ruling, Evans said his program's approach to scheduling won't change going forward.
Vestavia Hills opens fall camp Monday and begins its season Thursday, Aug. 20 against Parker.
"This is the best time of year," Evans said. "We're under three weeks. We play a great Parker team to get the season started and can't wait to play on a Thursday night to open the season. It's incredible."
