Hoover Buccaneers
Photo by Army National Guard
The afternoon was filled with excitement as the
Hoover Buccaneers received the Army National Guard national ranking trophy as part of the 8th Annual MaxPreps Football Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard. The Bucs went undefeated (15-0) this season and clinched the Alabama 6A State Championship after decisively beating Opelika, 31-0, for the title.
With the prestigious trophy displayed in front of the city council and the mayor, the students could not keep their excitement contained. As Principal Hulin began the presentation, the student body cheered as he honored the undefeated football team. Hoover is not accustomed to losing — as was evident by all the trophies throughout the school.
Next, Principal Hulin called up a few of the city council members, because not only was the school receiving the trophy from MaxPreps, but they were also be honored by the Alabama Athletic Association for winning the state championship.
Athletic Director Myra Miles then called Marina Conte of MaxPreps, who explained how out of 16,000 schools, Hoover was ranked No. 8 according to the MaxPreps Freeman Rankings. And with that, the crowd erupted in applause.
Pride in oneself and one's school is what First Sergeant Marty Jones of the Alabama Army National Guard used to explain how the students and football team should feel about their amazing season. He then passed the microphone to Sergeant Xavier and Staff Sergeant Stefani McCullan who bestowed upon Coach Niblet and the team the Army National Guard national ranking trophy and rafter banner.
Clearly honored by the recognition, Coach Niblet and the varsity players circled around the trophy and held it high with pride. The players expressed their gratitude to both the school and the fans for the support throughout the season. All in all, the ceremony was a great boost of spirit to not only the Hoover football team, but also to the whole school and community as well.
