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February 2025 | Volume 13 | Issue 5
Sun
SERVING HOOVER, THE 280 CORRIDOR, HOMEWOOD, MOUNTAIN BROOK, TRUSSVILLE AND VESTAVIA HILLS
HOOVER’S COMMUNITY NEWS SOURCE HOOVERSUN.COM | STARNESMEDIA.COM
HOOPS HOTBED Miss Alabama 2024 Abbie Stockard takes a walk as the new Miss America 2025 in Orlando on Jan. 5. Photo courtesy of Houston M Photography.
Journey to Miss America Former Miss Hoover Abbie Stockard talks about being ‘authentically Abbie’ By JON ANDERSON
Bucs basketball gaining notoriety amidst unprecedented run
P
By KYLE PARMLEY eople across the country know about Hoover High School. They know about the stratospheric level of success the Buccaneers football program has achieved this century, much of that recognition stemming from the exposure and notoriety gained from the MTV show
“Two-A-Days” in 2006 and 2007. The football program has won 11 state championships since the turn of the century. In recent years, however, Hoover has begun earning a reputation for its basketball program. The level at which the boys and girls teams are simultaneously thriving is difficult to parallel.
The girls have won four consecutive Class 7A state championships and 10 overall in the last 25 years. The boys have won two straight state titles. As of mid-January, both teams were ranked No. 1 in the Alabama Sports Writers Association poll.
See HOOPS | page 30
Abbie Stockard never competed in beauty pageants or scholarship competitions growing up. Although she watched the Miss America competition with her mother and sister over the years, she never imagined she would one day hold the title herself. So when the 22-year-old Auburn University student from Vestavia Hills heard her name called and felt the crown placed on her head in Orlando on Jan. 5, the moment felt surreal. “I entered my first pageant my freshman year of college on a whim,” she said. She took part in the Miss Auburn University competition hoping to earn money to help pay for college. She came in third runner-up but also gained determination to keep trying. The next weekend, she participated in the Miss Cahaba Valley competition and won, earning her a spot in the Miss Alabama competition. She was third runner-up her first year in Miss Alabama in 2022, then fourth runner-up as Miss Trussville in 2023, and finally won Miss Alabama in 2024 as Miss Hoover.
Hoover High School girls basketball coach Krystle Johnson, left, and boys basketball coach Scott Ware have overseen a recent run of dominance. The Lady Bucs have won four straight and the boys have consecutive state championships, with each looking to add to the collection in 2025. Photos by Savannah Schmidt.
INSIDE
Sponsors............................ 4 City...................................... 6
Schoolhouse...................... 8 Business............................ 12
Events............................... 22 Sports............................... 24
See MISS AMERICA | page 28 Community...................... 26 facebook.com/hooversunnews
A+ Teachers
Medical Guide
Hoover’s Teachers of the Year, Kristin Bundren and Katie Collins, honored for skill and heart.
Meet health and wellness professionals around Hoover.
See page 8
See page 16
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