1 of 44
Frank Couch
Hoover's CJ Sturdivant strides into the end zone for Hoover's first touchdown. Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
2 of 44
Frank Couch
Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
3 of 44
Frank Couch
Hoover band members before the game. Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
4 of 44
Frank Couch
Hoover coach Josh Niblett on the sidelines. Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
5 of 44
Frank Couch
Hoover's CJ Sturdivant on an early run. Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
6 of 44
Frank Couch
Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
7 of 44
Frank Couch
Hoover's CJ Sturdivant looks for some running room with Vestavia Hills Ethan Guidry closing in. Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
8 of 44
Frank Couch
Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
9 of 44
Frank Couch
Vestavia Hills Thomas Minor finds some blocking in the first half. Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
10 of 44
Frank Couch
Hoover's KJ Vault chases down the play from behind. Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
11 of 44
Frank Couch
Vestavia Hills Thomas Minor is brought down by Hoover's Christon Taylor. Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
12 of 44
Frank Couch
Hoover defenders Khamari Brown, Kholbe Coleman and Rubin Stinson look to the sideline for a play. Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
13 of 44
Frank Couch
Vestavia Hills Remington Patterson runs into a wall of Hoover defenders. Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
14 of 44
Frank Couch
Hoover's R.J. Randle is tackled from behind by Vestavia Hills Reid Adams. at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
15 of 44
Frank Couch
Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
16 of 44
Frank Couch
Hoover's Barret Pickering kicks a field goal in the first half. Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
17 of 44
Frank Couch
Vestavia Hills William Schaffeld juggles the ball behind the line of scrimmage after an errant shuffle pass. Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
18 of 44
Frank Couch
A loose ball is recovered by Vestavia. Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
19 of 44
Frank Couch
Vestavia Hills Coleman Petway dishes off the ball. Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
20 of 44
Frank Couch
Hoover's KJ Vault brings down Vestavia Hills William Schaffeld behind the line of scrimmage. Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
21 of 44
Frank Couch
Hoover's PJ Hall carries the ball for a short gain. Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
22 of 44
Frank Couch
Hoover's Jimmie Johnson hauls in a pass for a first down. Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
23 of 44
Frank Couch
Hoover band members before the game. Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
24 of 44
Frank Couch
Hoover's Jimmie Johnson is brought down by Vestavia Hills defenders Nate Lewis and Jackson Ewing. Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
25 of 44
Frank Couch
Hoover's Davis Haley is brought down after a short run. Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
26 of 44
Frank Couch
Hoover's Davis Haley is brought down after gaining a first down. Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
27 of 44
Frank Couch
Hoover's CJ Sturdivant takes off on a short touchdown run. Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
28 of 44
Frank Couch
Hoover's Austin Carter bucks on an extra point attempt. Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
29 of 44
Frank Couch
0Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
30 of 44
Frank Couch
Vestavia Hills Travis Saunders hauls in a pass resulting in a first down. Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
31 of 44
Frank Couch
Vestavia Hills Travis Saunders hauls in a pass resulting in a first down with Hoover's Temarcus Bryant bringing him down. Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
32 of 44
Frank Couch
Vestavia Hill Brett Jones makes a quick pass. Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
33 of 44
Frank Couch
Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
34 of 44
Frank Couch
Vestavia Hills Brett Jones scrambles away from Hoover's Christon Taylor in the first half. Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
35 of 44
Frank Couch
Hoover's Kholbe Coleman tracks down Vestavia Hills Brett Jones on Vestivia's final drive of the first half. Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
36 of 44
Frank Couch
Vestavia Hills coach Buddy Anderson on the sidelines. Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
37 of 44
Frank Couch
Members of the Vestavia Hills band play at halftime. Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
38 of 44
Frank Couch
Members of the Vestavia Hills band play at halftime. Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
39 of 44
Frank Couch
Members of the Vestavia Hills band play at halftime. Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
40 of 44
Frank Couch
Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
41 of 44
Frank Couch
Hoover cheerleaders lead players onto the field. Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
42 of 44
Frank Couch
Hoover fans carry flags out before the team. Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
43 of 44
Frank Couch
Vestavia Hills cheerleaders lead out the players. Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
44 of 44
Frank Couch
Hoover's Cortez Hall is brought down after a short run. Vestavia at Hoover in the 2nd round of the AHSAA class 7A playoffs Friday November 13, 2015 at the Hoover Met. Photo by Frank Couch.
Vestavia Hills quarterback Brett Jones was assisted off the field in the final seconds of the Rebels 24-0 loss to host Hoover Friday night.
After throwing his second interception of the game, he injured a shoulder after trying to make a tackle as he tried to rally the Rebels to a score and a semblance of redemption.
But just like the rest of the game, Vestavia Hills was shut down.
A dominant Hoover defense that gave up nothing was too much for Vestavia Hills to overcome in the second round of the AHSAA Class 7A playoffs. The sixth-ranked Rebels (9-3) were held to just 138 total yards and nine first downs. The fifth-ranked Bucs (10-2) forced five three-and-out drives and eight punts.
Hoover advanced to face top-ranked Spain Park next week in the third rounds. Just like the Rebels, which defeated the Bucs 20-13 in October, Spain Park posted a 21-0 win over Hoover this regular season.
“I thought they played a lot better but we just shot ourselves in the foot a lot, didn’t give ourselves a lot of chances,” said Rebels running back Walker Minor. “We just didn’t do enough to in, that’s all.”
Minor led Vestavia in rushing all season, averaging 4.9 yards per carry and had a team-high 10 touchdowns. In this game all he could muster was 22 yards on 17 carries. The Rebels as a whole had just 40 rushing yards.
Jones completed 12 of 31 passes for 98 yards to go with two interceptions.
“We made mistakes,” Vestavia Hill coach Buddy Anderson said. “You can’t make mistakes and we made mistakes.
“They did a good job, they’re a good football team. They are a good defensive football team. They have some players over there and our kids battled and we just came up short. We were not able to run the ball like we wanted to, and they had a lot to do with that.”
And the effort was truly a team wide for Hoover. No Buc had more than six tackles (Temarcus Bryant and Kholbe Coleman led with six each), and Will Singleton and Jayden Jordan snagged the interceptions.
It wasn’t that the Hoover offense was so hot either. The Bucs had just 178 yards and nine first downs, but when the opportunities to score came, Hoover pounced.
Running back C.J. Sturdivant had 77 yards on 14 carries and scored twice, and quarterback Christopher Vacarella threw a touchdown pass.
“I just want to thank the defense,” Sturdivant said. “They just did a heck of a job tonight.”
The Bucs finally took advantage of the battle for field position in the middle of the second quarter for the only two scores of the first half.
After the Rebels quick-kicked to give the Bucs the ball at Vestavia 33, Hoover got a 35-yard field goal from Barrett Pickering with 8:57 left in the half.
Vestavia went three-and-out on the ensuing drive, and a 15-yard punt set up the Bucs at the Rebels 17. Four plays later Sturdivant rumbled in from 5 yards out with 5:28 left in the half to give Hoover a 10-0 lead.
The Rebels got nothing going offensively all half and put up just 44 yards in the first two quarters. Hoover was not much better, with just 89 total yards.
Sturdivant scored again on a 7-yard run with 7:34 left in the third quarter for a 17-0 lead, and Javan Jackson caught Vacarella’s 36-pass over the middle in traffic for a score with 3:29 left in the quarter to complete the scoring.
