NationalHSFootball.com
– Dallas Jackson, NationalHSFootball.com
Longtime followers of national high school football know the deal: Your placement in the final rankings can sometimes hinge on things outside your control.
Over the next two weeks, NationalHSFootball.com will look at the teams from the start of 2008 through the recently completed 2013 season and place them in an overall Top 25.
Not only will we find out the best team of the HSFB100 era – we’ll find out the best teams. Which years were stronger than others. Which great teams had the unfortunate fate of playing in the same year as an all-time great.
| No. 23 — Hoover (Ala.) High, 2012 | No. 6 in HSFB100, 15-0 |
Looking Back: In what may be the perfect example of a Josh Niblett coaching job, the 2012 Hoover team used a healthy mix of seniors, juniors, and sophomores as well as five-star talent with quality high school football players to dominate its schedule and win another Alabama Class 6A title. The team marched to a championship and the No. 6 ranking in the HSFB100 at season end.
The senior class only had one player go on to get a college scholarship as safety Devon Earl chose South Alabama over several higher profile colleges. Its junior group featured five-star Marlon Humphrey and Bringham Young-bound defensive tackle Jaterrius Gulley. Its impact sophomores were Christian Bell and Darrell Williams on defense with Braderick Shaw seeing a limited role on offense.
Connor Short was the leader of the 2012 Hoover team. View his Rivals.com profile.
Short was the question mark coming into the season after an up-and-down season as a junior but the chemistry with his receivers and command of the offense was a bright spot for the Bucs. Short completed nearly 65-percent of his passes and had 30 touchdowns versus just nine interceptions on the season.
The amazing part of the team was the collection of undersized, interchangeable wide receivers that routinely found holes in zones, ran great routes, and always caught the ball. It was a group led by Mike Powers and his 57 receptions for nearly 1000 yards and bolstered by Sterling Thompson and junior Alex Elam — who would go on to be the hero of the 2013 season.
Calen Campbell was the leading rusher for the team in his only year starting with over 1079 yards and a 6.79 yards per carry average. He was spelled by Kyler Jackson, Taylor Brown, and Shaw.
The offensive and defensive lines did its normal rotation to keep players fresh.
Hoover used seven players on a regular basis on the offensive line and rotated in as many as nine on a normal game on the defensive line.
The back seven of the defense was the strength. Landry Tullo, Chandler Coskery, and Darrell Williams were tremendous in stuffing the run as the defensive line was predicated on gap control and allowing the backers to make plays.
The combination of Humphrey and Earl in the secondary was difficult for any program to pass on and that made the other positions better.
Defining Game: The early season victory against Batesville (Miss.) South Panola was a nice start but the way South Panola struggled to open the season against West Point (Miss.) High — and then get crushed by Bentonville (Ark.) High two weeks after the Hoover game — took the wind out of the sails for that game.
Class 6A semi-finals game against Pinson (Ala.) Clay-Chalkville was probably the most anticipated game of the playoffs and the game that won the state championship as both were likely to be favored over Opelika (Ala.) High.
Hoover and Clay-Chalkville entered with a combined 25-1 record and the top teams in the state. The teams were equally balanced on offense — averaging 390 and 380 yards, respectively — and even the senior talent edge went to Clay-Chalkville.
Hoover went on to win the game 44-20 and made a statement that it was still the top team in the state before winning its state title 30-0 over Opelika.
Rankings Rewind: Hoover held off a series of spread, high-octane teams behind it in the final ranking for 2012 as DeSoto (Texas) High, Miami (Fla.) Central, Miami (Fla.) Booker T. Washington, and Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) University School were all close in the rearview mirror.
The defense and the discipline of Hoover gave it the edge in the final poll as the Bucs still feel like it was correctly placed at No. 6 in 2012.
The Countdown of the Top 25: View the complete list of teams.
The Varsity Board: Sound off on the 2012 Hoover Bucs and their placement at No. 23.
