The Hoover Bucs will play Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa in a Class 6A, Region 3 game on Friday night in Tuscaloosa. Both teams want to win their first region before starting region play. Hoover is coming off a close loss to Spain Park, while Hillcrest is coming off a win at Sparkman.

Hoover is 1-1 on the season with a road win over Western, Florida, by a 17-14 score while dropping a tight one to Spain Park last Friday night at the Hoover Met. The Bucs took a fourth-quarter lead but couldn't hold on as Spain Park scored with only 50 seconds left to get the Jags to win. "That one was tough to lose the way we did to Spain Park," said Bucs head coach Chip English. "We made some good plays in the game but some costly turnovers that hurt us early. Spain Park pulled out a few trick plays, and hats off to them for pulling them off. We had a chance to pull out the win but didn't get it done."

For the Bucs, quarterback Mac Beason leads the Hoover offense. Beason transfered in from Gardendale and had a great summer and fall practice for the Bucs. Beason can throw the ball and hurt you with his feet if pushed out of the pocket. "Mac is a player," added English. "Whoever gets him late is going to get a big-time player. He is a playmaker. He is a leader who wants the ball in his hands." Against Spain Park last week, Beason completed 21-of-31 passing for 290 yards and two touchdowns with 49 yards and six carries.

Jaccorey Hayes, Jabari Mosley, and Keilan Jefferson will get touches in the Bucs backfield at running back. All three can make the big run at anytime. Beason has a lot of talent in the receiver position. Avery Crawford caught a long touchdown pass against Spain Park last week. Reggie Jackson did not play last week but is expected to play on Friday night. Chris Warren is a valuable asset in the middle of the field. Armari Towens can go and highpoint the ball with the best of them. He had a 9-yard fade route against Spain Park last week. The big play receiver for Hoover so far has been Jonah Winston. With his speed, Winston can turn the short slant play into an easy touchdown.

The Bucs offensive line will need to play big for the Bucs offense. Storm Fain, Fletcher Burdick, Trot English, Jackson Richard, and Thaddus Fields will get the start against Hillcrest. These guys have played together for a couple of games now.

Kicker James Bryant made a winning field goal kick against Western, Florida, to start the season and connected on a 49-yard field goal to give the Bucs the lead in the fourth quarter against Spain Park last week.

The Hoover defense played well, only giving up two scores in their first game of the season, but Spain Park had their way with the Bucs' defense for much of the game last week. The defensive line has Tyson Bacon, Kendall Finley, and Pa-landing Drammeh. Wisconsin just offered Bacon this past week. Bacon has offers from Mississippi State, Florida, UAB, Washington, Tennessee, and a few more. Drammeh has an offer from Colorado State. 

Linebackers Justyn Hartley, Dylan Bunkley, Theodus Sanders, and Cameron Torbor must play big against the run heavy Hillcrest offense. The secondary has two of the best corners in 7A in Tre Darden and Jamar Moultrie. Safety Jeremiah Robinson will get the start against the Patriots.

Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa is 2-0 on the season with wins over 7A Florence (32-20) and Sparkman (31-10). Hillcrest just moved to 7A, and it is transitioning well to 7A with those first two wins of the season. "We are young, green, and haven't played great football," said Patriots head coach Jamie Mitchell. "We have a ton of room to improve. Our kids try hard; that part I can handle. These self-inflicted mistakes are what drive me crazy. For the most part, coaching is going to be better in 7A. Most of our games now will be four quarter ball games. In the past, our starters didn't play much in the second half, which will change playing a 7A schedule. This is good to play 48 minutes."

Bryson Kimbrough leads the Patriots quarterback. A very athletic player who can throw it and run it at any time and has been vital for the Hillcrest offense. "We have struggled to protect Bryson," added Mitchell. "That has been problematic for us. He is one tough cookie. There were only two incompletions at Sparkman last Friday night. He had a solid night. He will be the first to tell you that he needs to play a bit better in some areas. He is such a warrior for us. We go, as he goes, and he is such a leader for our football team." Kimbrough will be the center piece for the Patriots' rushing attack.

At running back, the Patriots have a couple of young players. Sophomore Christian Richey and freshman Jacobi Harris. "Jacobi is averaging 9.6 yards per carry for a freshman in two games," said Mitchell. "He has a chance to be a generational player. He is very soft-spoken, and at his age, you usually don't see this. Jacobi is very versatile in what he can do. Catch the ball in the slot; very versatile. Christian is a fullback or tailback, an inside guy who is a tough kid. He seems like he has been around us forever. He is a big reason we are 2-0." Also, Jaye'veon Lowe will see some snaps at running.

The Patriots' receiving core includes Kahden Smith, Jaylin Cooke, Jordan Chambers-Smith, and tight ends Wyatt Garner and DeMarcus Rile. The offensive line of Jamarion Hinton, Jaiden Ivy, Shawn Rogers, James Craig, and Rylan Bell will need to play big against the Bucs' defensive front.

Linebacker Zay Hall leads the defense. He has been incredible these first two games. "Zay has been lights out, an absolute beast," said Mitchell. "He so good for us. He will be a big-time signee for us in two years. He is a real hammer for us. He has a chance to be a big-timer for us." Also at linebacker are JaMichael Watson, Brooks Fowlkes, and Joshua Whitehead. The defensive linemen are Jeremiah Beverly, Kindal Moorehead, Tayvion Johnson, Elwyn Smith, and Zauri Hughes. 

The Patriots' secondary has JaMarrion Bennett, Ke'marcus Silvers, Javarski Lanier, and Jay Leatherwood. The Patriots' offense will be run-oriented, while the Bucs' might be more balanced on Friday night.