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Many Hoover Bucs fans believe this is the greatest of all the Hoover teams over the past 14 seasons. After winning three of the previous four Class 6A state championships this team was the only one in the Rush Propst era to complete a season with a perfect 15-0 record.           Returning players included; QB Jarod Bryant, 5-10, 185, Sr.; WR Mason Dueitt, 6-0, 180, Sr.; DB Jahi Word-Daniels, 6-0, 175, Sr.; DB Cory Reamer, 6-4, 200, Sr.; DB Joel Caldwell, 6-0, 185, Sr.; DB Bobby Brooks, 5-11, 185, Sr.; DE Danny Stiff, 6-2, 225, Sr.; RB Cameron Campbell, 5-10, 205, Sr.; OT James Bennett, 6-2, 235, Sr.; LB Tony DeJohn, 6-1, 210, Sr.; WR Cornelius Williams, 6-2, 185, Jr.           Head coach Rush Propst had a staff of assistants that included Todd Watson and Jeremy Priutt to go along with the talented players. His last four teams had finished a combined 55-4 and 19-1 in the playoffs.           Jarod Bryant had big shoes to fill in replacing the departing quarterback John Parker Wilson. An experienced offensive line and a ton of talent at every position gave the Bucs the makings of  a special season. The Bucs opened the season ranked eighth nationally and first in Alabama. Hoover was still the team to beat for the 6A state title in 2004.

Hoover 6   21   3   3   33     Daphne 3   3   0   7   13

The top-ranked Hoover Bucs opened the 2004 season with a 33-13 victory over the Daphne Trojans in the Pepsi Classic in Daphne. Quarterback Jarod Bryant completed 9-of-14 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown to lead the Bucs to the win. Hoover broke a 6-6 tie by scoring 21 second quarter points.           The statistics were much closer than the score but three Daphne turnovers played a big role in determining the outcome.

Thompson             17     Hoover             49

Hoover quarterback Jarod Bryant threw for 244 yards as the Bucs defeated Thompson 49-17 in week two of the season. Bryant directed the offense and led them to six straight touchdown drives in the game.

Hoover             51     Florence             6

Hoover rolled up 616 yards of offense on their way to a 51-6 thrashing of Florence on the road at Braly Stadium. The Bucs rushed for 325 yards and threw for another 291 as Bryant completed 8-of-11 passes for 211 yards and four touchdowns. His scoring passes covered 21, 46, 57, and 15 yards.            Chris Graham ran for 114 yards on only four carries, including a 66-yard touchdown. His backup, Cardell Abbitt rushed for 119 yards on nine carries. Coach Propst emptied the bench as the reserves played the entire second half.

Tuscaloosa County 0   0   0   0   0     Hoover 0   21   6   9   36

Quarterback Jarod Bryant completed 15-of-19 passes for 255 yards and three touchdowns as the Bucs rolled past Tuscaloosa County 36-0 in week four. Hoover built a 21-0 halftime lead on three second quarter touchdowns against the Wildcats. Cornelius Williams caught five passes for 75 yards and Mason Dueitt caught three for 116 yards.           The Bucs entered the game ranked No. 4 in the USA Today high school poll and showed why they deserved such a high ranking.

Vestavia Hills 7   0   7   0   14     Hoover 0   7   7   7   21

Hoover trailed 14-7 in the second half against their rival, the No. 3 ranked Vestavia Hills Rebels, before coming alive with two touchdowns for a 21-14 win and a 5-0 record. With the score tied 14-14, Cornelius Williams blocked a punt that was recovered by Jason Pickens at the 13-yard line. The Bucs scored the winning touchdown on a pass from Bryant to Williams and back to Bryant on third down with 8:33 left to play.           Cameron Campbell had tied the game on a 1-yard run just three minutes earlier. After the Rebels rolled up over 260 yards in the first half, the Bucs defense took control of the game and limited them to just 56 in the second half.

Hoover 0   10   7   7   24     Mountain Brook 0   0   0   0   0

The top-ranked Bucs got their second shutout of the season in a 24-0 blanking of third ranked Mountain Brook in week six of the season. The win pushed Hoover's season record to 6-0 and 3-0 in region play. After a scoreless first quarter, Hoover scored on a field goal and a Bryant to Michael Bell 34-yard touchdown pass just 54 seconds before halftime.            Bryant finished 16-of-20 passing for 160 yards and tow touchdown passes. The second scoring pass went to Mason Dueitt and covered 14 yards in the second half. The win was the third in a row against a ranked opponent.

Hoover 6   11   21   0   38     Pelham 14   0   0   6   20

The Bucs overcame a 14-6 deficit to score 32 unanswered points on their way to a 38-20 win over a fired up Pelham Panther team. Hoover took the lead when Jarod Bryant ran 10 yards for a touchdown with 15 seconds remaining in the half.           Chris Graham scored on runs of 12 and 6 yards in the third quarter to pad the lead. Backup quarterback Ross Wilson threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Nate Hepburn to wrap up the scoring.

Hoover             38     Oak Mountain 0            20

The Hoover Bucs wrapped up the Region 6 championship with a 38-20 win over Oak Mountain in the eighth week of the season. Hoover controlled the game from the outset and Coach Propst was inserting the reserves in the first quarter.           The win assured the Bucs of a first round home game in the playoffs and pushed their season record to 8-0.

Hoover 7   28   3   7   45     Spain Park 3   7   0   7   17

Mason Dueitt caught two touchdown passes while Jarod Bryant completed 15-of-17 passes for 265 yards, mostly in the first half, as the Bucs rolled past No. 8 ranked Spain Park 45-17. Hoover led 35-10 at the half and cruised to their ninth win of the season. The offense rolled up 202 yards rushing and a total of 467 yards.           Dueitt caught scoring passes of 74 and 58 yards in the second quarter. The Bucs were penalized 134 yards on 11 penalties but did not turn the football over during the game.

Decatur             21     Hoover             49

Jarod Bryant threw for 313 yards and four touchdowns in the first half as the Bucs romped over No. 9 Decatur 49-21 at home to close out the 2004 regular season with a perfect 10-0 record. It was the second perfect regular season in the Propst era.            Hoover led 42-0 at the half and cruised to the easy win. Cornelius Williams caught 5 passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns.

Grissom 0   0   6   13   19     Hoover 7   25   6   8   47

The Hoover Bucs opened the playoffs with a 47-19 win over Grissom at home. Once again the Bucs jumped out to a big halftime lead and coasted to another rout. They led 32-0 at the half behind a couple of Bryant touchdown passes and a 20-yard interception return by Jahi Word-Daniels in the second quarter.            Jarod Bryant completed 13-of-15 passes for 160 yards and his backup Ross Wilson completed 7-of-12 for 162 yards and a touchdown. The offense rolled up 446 yards and and 22 first downs.

Hoover 14   14   7   7   42     John Carroll 0   0   0   0   0

Quarterback Jarod Bryant finished 11-of-15 passing for 128 yards and a touchdown as the Bucs shutout John Carroll 42-0 in the second round of the playoffs. The ground game clicked and rolled up 173 yards while the defense held John Carroll to just 14 yards rushing and 68 yards passing.            The win was the 21st in a row for Hoover and the 12th of the 2004 season.

Spain Park 0   7   0   0   7     Hoover 7   7   3   7   24

Linebacker Cory Reamer led the Bucs defense to a 24-7 win over Spain Park Friday night by registering 14 tackles and two interceptions. Senior quarterback Jarod Bryant completed 10-of-16 passes for 126 yards and ran for 90 yards on 19 carries to lead all ball carriers. He scored the final touchdown on a 16-yard run.             Jahi Word-Daniels returned a blocked punt 35 yards for the first touchdown of the game to set the tone. The win sent the Bucs to the semi-finals against old foe Mountain Brook.

Mountain Brook 3   0   0   0   3     Hoover 0   10   7   0   17

In a rematch of a 24-0 win during the regular season, Hoover continued their dominance of the Spartans with a 17-3 victory. The defense held Mountain Brook to just 41 yards rushing and a total of 95 yards in the game. Jarod Bryant scored on a 2-yard run and Cameron Campbell ran 0ne-yard for to wrap up the scoring in the third period.            Bryant, who finished 19-of-26 passing for 172 yards, led the offense that did not punt in the first half and scored on a 94-yard drive for the first score of the second quarter.

Prattville 0   0   0   7   7     Hoover 15   0   7   0   22

Linebacker Cory Reamer, blocked two punts and registered an interception as the Hoover Bucs won their fourth state championship in the past five seasons. The defense held Prattville to 17 yards rushing as they beat the Lions 22-7 in what was to become a heated rivalry over the next few seasons.           Reamer's block in the first quarter led to a one-yard run by Jarod Bryant. After a field goal, he blocked another Prattville punt but this time he managed to pick up the loose football and returned it 12 yards for a touchdown and a 15-0 first quarter lead. Reamer was named the MVP of the game for his efforts.           Duiett scored the other Hoover touchdown on a 69-yard pass reception from Jarod Bryant. He finished the night by completing 12-of-23 passes for 208 yards and the one touchdown.           The Bucs also wrapped up their first undefeated season in school history. The 15 wins were also a team record. The team ended the season riding a 24 game winning streak. It was the fifth overall championship as they won two as the Berry Bucs in 1977 and 1982.           Jarod Bryant finished the year by completing 213-of-307 passes for 3,068 yards with 4 interceptions and 29 touchdown passes. Chris Graham rushed for 754 yards on 119 carries and 10 TDs; Cornelius Williams had 55 catches for 910 yards and 9 TDs; WR Mason Dueitt (47 catches, 926 yards, 12 TDs); LB Cory Reamer (95 tackles, 6 INTs); DB Jahi Word-Daniels (5 INTs).           The Bucs' offense had just 15 turnovers all season, while averaging right at 400 yards per game. Overall it was an impressive season for the Hoover Bucs. Hoover 2004 8/28 33 Daphne . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 9/3 49 Thompson . . . . . . . . . . 17 9/10 51 Florence . . . . . . . . . . 6 9/24 36 Tuscaloosa County . . . 0 10/1 21 Vestavia Hills . . . . . 14 10/8 24 Mountain Brook . . . . . 0 10/15 38 Pelham . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 10/22 38 Oak Mountain . . . . . . 20 10/29 45 Spain Park . . . . . . . . 17 11/3 49 Decatur . . . . . . . . . . . 21 11/12 47 Grissom * . . . . . . . . . 19 11/19 42 John Carroll * . . . . . 0 11/25 24 Spain Park * . . . . . . 7 12/3 17 Mountain Brook * . . . 3 12/9 22 Prattville # . . . . . . 7 536 15-0 164 * Playoff game # State championship game

Amazing Seasons, a series on the greatest seasons in high school football history


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