By Lee Davis
Believe it or not, somebody will actually score points against the Hoover Bucs in the 2010 football season.
Gadsden City, the fourth-ranked team in Class 6A, could be the team that finally lights up the scoreboard when it visits Hoover Sept. 24.
Then again, the Titans might not be the ones that finally earn a point against the rugged Buccaneer defense. But trust me, sometime and somewhere, a team will score on Hoover. It might even get a touchdown.
If you doubt my words, it’s understandable. In the first four games of 2010, the Bucs’ defense has been perfect: four wins and four shutouts, with nobody really coming close to making Hoover break a sweat.
The Bucs opened their season with a 14-0 win over Byrnes, a perennial power in South Carolina. Some critics questioned the Hoover offense after that game, but the questions have been answered in the three weeks that have followed. The Bucs’ scoring machine has averaged more than 50 points in Region 6 wins over Spain Park, Oak Mountain and Thompson, as each game’s outcome was settled by the end of the first quarter.
And while four weeks into any season is far too early to make any long-term predictions, it may be safe to say that this Hoover team might be the program’s best since the Bucs began dominating Alabama high school football in 2000.
Since that season – Rush Propst’s second as the Hoover coach – the Bucs have won six state championships and finished in the runner-up spot three other times. Only one of those championship teams, the 2004 squad, produced a spotless 15-0 record. The present-day Hoover team has a shot at going undefeated as well.
Propst built Hoover’s program into one of the best in the nation before his scandal-ridden tenure ended in 2007. Josh Niblett, Propst’s successor, may have made the program even better. The Bucs reached the Class 6A finals in 2008 but lost a close verdict to Prattville.
The next year, Niblett led Hoover to its first title since 2005.
This edition of the Bucs seems to be a team without a weakness. Quarterback Ryan Carter – an excellent passer, runner and leader – is taking his place with the great signal-callers in the school’s history.
Carter is, literally, living his dream. The senior has wanted to be Hoover’s quarterback since his elementary school days, and he plays like someone who relishes every moment on the field.
Hoover has its usual assemblage of outstanding offensive linemen and receivers and a terrific open field runner in halfback Justin McArthur. Larsen Real is a standout kicker – which will be good to know if the Bucs ever experience a close game.
But the play of Hoover’s defense may be the biggest story of 2010. The unit has completely throttled every offense it has faced. Not only that, it is opportunistic and can produce points.
For example, in last Friday’s 50-0 demolition of Thompson, Buc defensive back Montez Carlton intercepted Warrior passes on two consecutive possessions and returned them both for touchdowns.
To be fair, Hoover’s last three opponents – Spain Park, Oak Mountain and Thompson – are struggling. Four weeks into the season, they have only two wins between them. But the Bucs’ streak of 16 consecutive quarters without giving up a point is impressive in anybody’s league.
Another characteristic of Hoover football under Niblett is the team’s business-like approach. The Bucs don’t seem to get super-emotional for any game, but that’s a good thing: For every emotional high a team has, there’s always the risk of a corresponding emotional low.
In the previous regime, Hoover developed an occasional tendency to “sleepwalk” through games it was supposed to win easily. The Bucs would usually get away with that because of superior talent. Propst himself even admitted that he got stale – except for a few big games – in his final years as the coach.
Since Niblett took over, Hoover seems to perform at a more or less even keel every week, regardless of the opponent.
As good as the Bucs are looking, there are plenty of tough tests ahead. Gadsden City could conceivably be one of those challenges this Friday. Certainly, Vestavia Hills will be a serious hurdle for Hoover on Oct. 15. And Buccaneer fans would be foolhardy to dismiss their Oct. 22 meeting with Mountain Brook as a cakewalk.
Plus, there are other factors to consider – like injuries – that are beyond a team or coaching staff’s control. For right now, however, Hoover is on pace to have its best team – possibly ever.
But rest assured, the Bucs will give up a point in 2010.
At least that’s what you would think.
