Jack Hutcheson had a strong second half to power Hoover past Colquitt County.
File photo by Chris Evans
The battle between Southern high school football powers lived up to the hype on Friday night, as Alabama state champion
Hoover (Ala.) pulled away in the second half to defeat
Colquitt County (Moultrie, Ga.), 24-10, in front of a crowd that was estimated to be around 15,000 fans.
The match had plenty of hype for another reason: it was the homecoming of former Hoover head coach Rush Propst.
Hoover quarterback
Jack Hutcheson stole the show in the second half, throwing two touchdowns to lead Hoover to a come-from-behind victory.
With the score knotted at 10-10 in the third quarter, Colquitt County attempted a 40-yard field goal that sailed just wide.
Hoover and Hutcheson capitalized. The 6-foot-3 junior, starting this first career game, found
Leonard Wood for a 49-yard touchdown pass to give Hoover a 17-10 lead, its first lead since going up 3-0 after an early field goal.
Colquitt County just couldn't get anything going in the second half against Hoover's talented defense. The Bucs unit, which returned seven starters from a year ago, bent but refused to break, keeping the Packers off the scoreboard in the second half.
Hutcheson put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter, hitting
Kris Parker for a 20-yard touchdown to bring the score to 24-10.
With the win, Hoover figures to improve on its No. 24 ranking in the Xcellent 25.
Next weekend, Hoover will look to move to 2-0 as it takes on Hueytown.
