By Rubin E. Grant
D.J. Estes is the bandit. At least that’s the role he plays in Hoover’s defensive scheme.
“I play the nickel safety, what we call the bandit,” Estes said. “I play in the box (near the line of scrimmage) against the run and also man-to-man against the pass. It gives me a good chance to make plays.”
The 5-foot-9,182-pound senior defensive back has made a bunch of plays this football season for the Bucs.
Four weeks ago against Mountain Brook, Estes blitzed off the edge to sack the Spartans’ quarterback, stripping him of the ball and recovering the fumble at the Mountain Brook 27-yard line with 21 seconds remaining in the first half.
“I knew we were going into halftime and I knew they were going to pass,” Estes said. “I saw the way the tackle was playing, the way he had positioned his hips, so I ducked around him. All I could see after that was the ball and I just told myself to go get the ball.”
The strip-sack set up Peyton Argent’s 29-yard field goal as the half expired, breaking a 7-7 tie and giving Hoover a 10-7 lead at the break. The Bucs went on to win 26-14, handing Mountain Brook its only loss of the season.
Last week, Estes recorded three of Hoover’s six sacks in the Bucs’ 38-0 victory against Chelsea.
“I just feel like I had the timing down of the snap cadence of the quarterback,” Estes explained.
Hoover coach Wade Waldrop said it’s a combination of athleticism and intelligence that enables Estes to be so disruptive.
“He’s blessed athletically, as talented as any player we have,” Waldrop said. “He’s an explosive player and a smart player, and he plays really hard. There’s no doubt he will play at the next level. Some schools value a player like him.
“It’s fun to watch him play. He’s a safety, but we’ve asked him to do different things in coverage and at the line. We bring him on the blitz, and he’s created a lot of big plays for us.”
Estes, who played defensive end and linebacker when he was younger, enjoys chasing down quarterbacks.
“They’ve been sending me a bunch on blitzes,” he said. “I like blitzing.
“I feel like I’ve had a good season. I worked hard in the offseason to get better, but there’s still some stuff I can improve.”
‘Bunch of Dogs’
Estes is part of a defense that has been rock solid throughout the season. The Bucs are allowing only 9.1 points per game and have shut out two of their past three opponents. They blanked Oak Mountain 40-0 on Sept. 30.
“I feel like we’ve got a bunch of dogs on defense,” Estes said. “I think our front seven is the best in the state and on the back end, we’ve got a lot of experience. We’ve jelled together during spring training and fall camp and throughout the season.
“Coach Waldrop and Coach (Granville) Eastman (defensive coordinator) changed our defense a little bit on pass coverage and we’re bringing more pressure, too.”
The Bucs’ biggest test of the season comes Friday, when Hoover (8-1, 6-0) visits Thompson (7-2, 6-0) in a game that will decide the Class 7A, Region 3 championship. The Warriors, the three-time reigning Class 7A state champions, have won six of their past seven meetings against the Bucs, including eliminating Hoover in the semifinals the past four years.
But Estes is not ready to concede anything to the Warriors.
“I feel if we come together and have a good week of practice, we’ll have a good chance to win,” Estes said. “We’ve got a lot of haters and doubters, but if we play as a team, we can do what people don’t think we can do.”
Regardless of the outcome, Estes said it won’t stop Hoover from chasing its ultimate goal.
“Before the season, all the seniors met and said our goal was to win the state championship, nothing less,” Estes said. “When we go to practice and play games, that’s all that’s on our minds.”
