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The Hoover Bucs have become accustomed to winning state championships and anything less is a bust. The 2012 season would be no different. They opened the season as the top-ranked team in Class 6A with their sights firmly set on a return trip to the Super Six championship game in December.           Junior Marlon Humphries returned along with QB Connor Short. Last season Short threw for 2,289 yards and 18 touchdowns as the Bucs finished as the runner up in Class 6A to Prattville. They lost in the title game 35-34. Short will have Michael Powers who caught 57 passes last year returning at wide receiver.            With abundant talent at most every position, the second largest school in the state enters every season as the favorite for another championship.

Hoover 0   14   14   7   35     South Panola 0   0   10   0   10

The Hoover Bucs opened the 2012 season with a statement. The No. 1 team in Alabama easily handled one of the best teams from Mississippi. Hoover defeated South Panola 35-10 for their second straight win over South Panola.           Connor Short completed 17-of-24 passes for 190 yards in the first half as the Bucs built a 14-0 lead. Hoover broke the game open in the third period with two more scores and a 28-0 lead. Calen Campbell scored on a 67-yard run and Devon Earl returned an interception 29 yards for the second touchdown in the third quarter.

Hoover 14   10   14   7   45     Hueytown 0   0   0   6   6

Hoover trounced Hueytown in week two by a score of 45-6. Quarterback Connor Short tossed three touchdown passes on a 15-yard strike to Michael Powers, a 22-yard pass to Sterling Thompson and a 8-yard toss to Kyler Jackson. Short finished the night 15-of-22 for 189 yards.           Sophomore Alex Elam dashed 84 yards for a touchdown on a kickoff return. The win was the first of the season in region play.

Jackson-Olin 0   0   0   0   0     Hoover 37   7   0   6   50

The Hoover Bucs built a 37-0 first quarter lead as they shutout Jackson-Olin 50-0 at home. Calen Campbell scored on runs of 11 and 68 yards and Connor Short threw touchdown passes of 35 yards to Taylor Brown and 23 yards to JeMarcus Taylor all in the opening period.

Hoover 14   27   14   0   55     Northridge 0   7   0   0   7

Connor Short tossed six touchdown passes while playing a little more than one half of football as the Bucs trounced Northridge 55-5 in week four. The defense held Northridge to just 124 yards of total offense in the game.           John Michael Powers and Jarrett Brown each caught three touchdown passes. Powers snagged eight passes for 116 yards and Brown scored on each of his three catches in the game for a total of 81 yards. Coach Niblett cleared the benches in the second half as the younger players gained experience. Marlon Humphrey returned a kickoff 72 yards and blocked a punt in the contest.

Hoover 7   7   14   7   35     Vestavia Hills 7   0   0   8   15

The Hoover Bucs defeated their arch-rivals Vestavia Hills 35-15 in week five. Connor Short completed 20-of-27 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns. Calen Campbell added 115 yards on the ground and scored on a 52-yard run on a fourth down play to wrap up the scoring.           The win was the 11th win for the Bucs in the past 14 games against the Rebels. Vestavia Hills actually scored first for a 7-0 lead before Hoover came back with 28 unanswered points for a 28-7 lead as the fourth quarter began.

Bessemer City 7   0   0   0   7     Hoover 7   21   10   0   38

Hoover dominated Bessemer City 38-7 at Regions Park to run their season record to 6-0. Once again, Hoover fell behind 7-0 but answered with 38 straight points over the first three quarters for a big lead.           Connor Short completed 10-of-19 passes and tossed a touchdown pass to Justin Johnson of 27 yards. He also scored on a 6-yard touchdown run to give Hoover a 14-7 lead in the second quarter. Calen Campbell scored on a 4-yard run, Kyler Jackson added a 2-yard touchdown run and Taylor Brown opened the scoring with a 5-yard run.

Hoover 7   7   3   14   31     Hillcrest 7   0   7   0   14

The Hoover defense collected seven turnovers as the Bucs defeated Hillcrest 31-14. Hillcrest kept the game close as Hoover only led 14-7 at intermission. The Bucs only led 17-14 after three periods before pulling away with two fourth quarter touchdowns.           Quarterback Connor Short found Michael Powers open for a 71-yard scoring pass to lead the way.

Minor 0   0   0   0   0     Hoover 7   0   7   0   14

Hoover played without their starting quarterback due to an injury. The offense struggled as the Bucs only led 7-0 at halftime before adding a third period score for a 14-0 win over Minor. Backup quarterback Jack Hutcheson got the starting nod from Coach Niblett in the game.

Hoover 0   7   0   21   28     Tuscaloosa County 0   0   10   0   10

Calen Campbell rushed for 124 yards on 18 carries as the Bucs came back from a fourth quarter deficit to defeat Tuscaloosa County 28-10. It was the first time all season Hoover trailed in a game after halftime.           With Tuscaloosa County leading 10-7 as the last period began, Campbell scored on a 1-yard run and later added an 80-yard run as Hoover scored 21 fourth quarter point to pull away from the Wildcats. Connor Short returned to action by completing 16-for-28 for 213 yards with two touchdowns after missing last week's game with an injury. His scoring passes went for 12 and 41 yards to Michael Powers.            The win gave Hoover the region championship and a perfect 9-0 record.

Opelika 0   0   0   7   7     Hoover 14   7   7   2   30

Hoover capped off a perfect 10-0 regular season with a 30-7 win over Opelika. It is the fourth time they have accomplished that feat since 2000 and the seventh time in school history.            Connor Short completed 13-of-26 passes for 182 yards in the game and Calen Campbell gained 111 yards rushing on 13 carries. The defense held Opelika to just three first downs through the initial three quarters at Regions Park in Hoover. The Bulldogs finished the first half with one first down and 66 yards of offense.

Shades Valley 0   0   7   0   7     Hoover 3   14   14   7   38

Hoover opened the playoffs with a 38-7 trouncing of Shades Valley. The offense rolled up 477 total yards as Connor Short completed 20-of-33 passes for 312 yards and three touchdowns. Alex Elam caught six passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns and Sterling Thompson snagged six for 99 yards and one score.           The Bucs led 17-0 at the half after Calen Campbell raced 53 yards for a second quarter touchdown. The defense held the Mounties to 74 yards in the second half as the Bucs advanced to the second round of the playoffs.

Pell City 7   6   0   13   26     Hoover 7   21   21   0   49

Calen Campbell ran for 112 yards on 15 carries and scored two touchdowns as the Bucs rolled past Pell City 49-26. Hoover scored on each of their first seven drives and led 49-13 after three quarters of play at Regions Park.           Quarterback Connor Short tossed touchdown passes to Alex Elam, Hagan Scott and Cooper Caden. The offense rolled up 460 yards of offense in the contest. The win sent Hoover to the quarter-finals of the playoffs for the thirteenth consecutive season.

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

The plan was simple. Give the football to star running back Calen Campbell. That is exactly what Coach Niblett did against the Vestavia Hills Rebels in a 21-7 win over their rival. Campbell carried the football 32 times for 194 yards as the Bucs did not gain a single yard passing in the second half but then again, they did not need to throw the ball.           Hoover scored on their opening possession on a 5-yard run by Campbell before Vestavia tied the score 7-7 later in the first quarter. Michael Powers broke the tie in the second period with a 33-yard touchdown pass from Short and Campbell put the game away with a 11-yard run with 10:04 remaining in the game.

Clay-Chalkville 7   7   6   0   20     Hoover 17   13   14   0   44

Many felt the only team capable of defeating Hoover in 2012 were the Clay-Chalkville Cougars. As it turned out in the semi-finals, they were not able to keep up with Hoover on the football field. The Bucs offense moved the ball at will and did not punt until well into the fourth quarter.           Calen Campbell ran for 194 yards as Hoover amassed 523 yards of offense and scored on an 80-yard run to put the game away in the third quarter. Connor Short finished 14-of-18 for 278 yards.           Hoover continued to dominate in the semi-finals of the playoffs. They are 15-1 all-time and have won twelve straight semi-final games.

Opelika 0   0   0   0   0     Hoover 14   0   3   14   31

In the Class 6A state championship game at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, the Hoover Bucs dominated Opelika 31-0 for another title. Calen Campbell earned MVP honors by running for 191 yards on 30 carries in the game.           The defense played flawlessly and shut down the Bulldogs every time they neared the Hoover goal line. Campbell score the first touchdown on a 64-yard run for an early 7-0 lead. Star cornerback Marlon Humphrey intercepted a pass on the next Opelika offensive play and returned it 42 yards to the 3. Campbell scored on the next play for a 14-0 lead.           A 22-yard field goal by Hunter Schmith in the third period, a 7-yard touchdown pass from Connor Short to Cooper Carden in the fourth quarter and a 45-yard touchdown by Campbell wrapped up the scoring for the Bucs.           Marlon Humphrey and Michael Powers were named to the first team all-state squad by the ASWA. Calen Campbell and Connor Short were selected to the honorable mention team. Hoover 2012 8/31 35 South Panola MS . . . . 10 9/7 45 Hueytown . . . . . . . . . . 6 9/14 50 Jackson-Olin . . . . . . 0 9/21 55 Northridge . . . . . . . . 7 9/28 35 Vestavia Hills . . . . . 15 10/5 38 Bessemer City . . . . . 7 10/12 31 Hillcrest Tuscaloosa . 14 10/19 14 Minor . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 10/26 28 Tuscaloosa County . . . 10 11/1 30 Opelika . . . . . . . . . . . 7 11/9 38 Shades Valley * . . . . 7 11/16 49 Pell City * . . . . . . . 26 11/23 21 Vestavia Hills * . . . 7 11/30 44 Clay-Chalkville * . . . 20 12/7 31 Opelika # . . . . . . . . . 0 544 15-0 136 * Playoff game # State championship game 2012 Hoover Bucs No. Player Pos. Yr. Ht. Wt. 1 Justin Johnson WR So. 6-2 187 2 Kyler Jackson RB Jr. 5-8 182 3 Jeremy Williams DB So. 5-8 147 3 Taylor Brown RB Sr. 5-8 174 5 Calen Campbell RB Sr. 5-9 164 6 Michael Powers WR Sr. 5-8 170 7 Devon Earl DB Sr. 5-11 175 9 Danterrius Buggs DB Jr. 5-7 140 11 Jack Hutcheson QB So. 6-2 170 12 Josh Campbell DB Sr. 5-11 168 13 Jarrett Brown WR Jr. 5-10 182 14 Cole Chiselko DB Jr. 5-10 175 15 Jay Burton QB Jr. 6-0 185 16 Connor Short QB Sr. 6-0 175 17 Cooper Carden TE Jr. 6-1 225 18 Andrew Prickett DB Sr. 5-10 168 19 Alex Elam WR So. 5-9 155 20 Daniel Lucas DB Jr. 5-9 167 21 Tyren Spurling DB Jr. 5-11 165 22 Isaiah Johnson TE Sr. 6-0 200 23 Demetrious Garland DB Sr. 5-9 145 24 Chris Fort DB Sr. 5-10 170 25 Chandler Coskery LB Jr. 6-0 200 26 Marlon Humphrey DB Jr. 6-0 180 27 Bradrick Shaw RB So. 6-0 182 27 Braderick Shaw WR, RB So. 28 Joe Stephens DB Jr. 5-10 155 28 Trey Brackett WR So. 5-10 175 29 Brooks Bennett DB Jr. 6-0 170 30 Jamare Gillard RB Sr. 5-9 185 31 P.j. Cochran RB Sr. 5-8 170 32 Hunter Richey DB Sr. 5-9 142 32 Julian Lucas WR Jr. 5-10 147 33 Nic Brown DB Jr. 5-9 142 34 J.d. Cason DB Jr. 5-10 152 35 Grayson Payne DB Jr. 5-10 157 36 Tuck Borie P Jr. 5-11 184 37 Jaysen Cook-Calhoun DE So. 6-1 195 38 Kris Parker RB So. 5-8 185 39 John Weaver DB Jr. 5-11 182 40 Ryan Sargent DB Jr. 5-11 181 41 Jason McCay LB Jr. 6-0 190 42 Jamal Lucas LB Sr. 6-1 225 43 Colin Silva TE Jr. 5-11 189 44 John Robinson DE Sr. 6-1 194 45 Brady Smith TE Jr. 6-1 225 46 Chris Chambless K Jr. 5-8 140 47 Hunter Schmith K So. 5-9 150 48 R.j. Arnold LB So. 5-10 194 49 Christian Bell DE So. 6-3 198 50 Landry Tullo LB Sr. 6-0 194 51 Trey Davis LB So. 5-9 155 52 Dylan Akins DE Sr. 6-0 187 54 Josh Creekmore LB Sr. 6-0 180 55 Malcolm Cox DE So. 6-2 193 56 Chris Floyd OL Jr. 5-11 238 57 Bobby Kennedy DT Sr. 6-1 302 58 Chris Davidson DT Jr. 6-1 258 59 Darrell Williams LB So. 6-2 195 60 Vince Brown OL Jr. 6-0 268 61 Jon Smith OL Jr. 6-0 216 61 Naterrious Williams DT Sr. 5-10 275 62 Hunter White OL Sr. 6-2 225 63 Cliff Farrow OL Jr. 6-3 259 64 Nick Bodden OL Jr. 6-1 228 65 Tom Sturm DE Jr. 6-0 174 66 William Aguirre OL Jr. 6-0 214 68 P.J. Hatcher OL Jr. 6-0 240 70 Dylan Ward OL Sr. 6-2 252 71 Marc Lefebvre OL Jr. 6-0 209 72 Zach Armstrong OL Sr. 6-1 254 75 Patrick Neill OL Jr. 6-1 250 76 Jack Morgan OL Sr. 6-3 265 77 Eddie Foster OL Sr. 6-1 298 78 Jason Perry OL Jr. 6-1 212 79 Evan Watson OL Jr. 6-4 325 80 Carter Allums WR Jr. 5-8 135 81 Jeremy Harris WR Jr. 6-1 158 82 Marcus Taylor WR Sr. 6-0 170 84 Sterling Thompson WR Sr. 5-9 158 85 Nick Sissa WR Jr. 5-9 162 85 Taylor Mitchell DE Jr. 5-11 175 86 Tyler Bender WR Sr. 6-1 210 87 Logan Garrett WR Jr. 5-10 160 88 Wesley Paul WR Jr. 6-0 150 89 Hagan Scott WR Jr. 6-2 173 90 Brian Hatcher DT Jr. 5-10 180 91 Cam Hardy DE Sr. 6-0 200 92 Ford Brown DE Jr. 5-11 170 93 Blake Neill DE Sr. 6-0 200 94 Jaylen Underwood DE Jr. 6-2 210 95 Doss Harman DT Sr. 5-11 225 97 Ryan Whatley DT Sr. 5-11 188 98 Dylan Ackerson DE, DT Jr. 6-1 245 99 Jaterrius Gulley DT Jr. 6-3 345

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


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