Some big changes are in play for this year’s football season. With the state’s AHSAA reclassification and a new athletic director for Hoover High School, we sat down to chat with Spain Park’s head football coach, Tim Vakakes, and the new HHS athletic director, Chris Blight.
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Spain Park High School
LB, #85 James Jones (Class of 2028) digs deep for a fumble recovery, while former LB, #7 EJ Kerley (Class of 2026 and now playing ball at Samford) moves in to assist.
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Spain Park High School
LB, #85 James Jones (Class of 2028) digs deep for a fumble recovery, while former LB, #7 EJ Kerley (Class of 2026 and now playing ball at Samford) moves in to assist.
Spain Park: Tim Vakakes, Head Football Coach
Enjoy Hoover: What challenges do you anticipate for your team as they play schools in the newly defined Class 6A, Region 3 this season?
Tim Vakakes: We do what we do on a daily, weekly, monthly, yearly basis...the classification level doesn’t affect us at all. Our kids have a standard in how hard we work, so that is what drives us. You have to bring it every single week, and our kids are pumped to be on that stage again.
EH: What have you seen from your players during offseason workouts and summer preparation that gives you confidence heading into the season?
TV: These kids compete and work extremely hard. It’s very hard to play football here; we demand a ton from them. They are excited to get to the fall and represent this community against other great communities.
EH: While every season has its own defining goals, what would you like to see this team accomplish by the end of the year, beyond the obvious wins and losses?
TV: Just to keep pushing our culture. It wasn’t always supportive here, or where kids played FOR each other. Early on, we played WITH each other. There is a difference, and we need to keep being intentional with how our culture is positive and we truly pull for each other.
TV: We hope to put a good product on the field that they’ll be proud of...we just need them to show up and be loud every Friday night. I hope they say, “They played the game the right way and had a ton of fun on the field with each other!”
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Hoover High School
#50 Christian Harris (DT, DE) is another Senior to watch this year.
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Hoover High School
2026 Senior, DJ Waluyn (#1, FS) jumps for an impressive catch as the Hoover Bucs took on Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa Patriots in the September 5, 2025, game.
Hoover High School: Chris Blight, Head Athletic Director
Enjoy Hoover: You built a successful athletic program at Oak Mountain. What attracted you to make the switch to Hoover High School?
Chris Blight: I’m excited about the challenge of leading a program with such high expectations. I think that as a coach or even just as a person, you’re always looking for opportunities to grow and impact as many people as you can and really challenge yourself professionally. Hoover presented that opportunity to me, and I felt like it was the right step in my career at this time.
EH: Hoover has long been known as one of the top athletic programs in Alabama. How do you balance honoring that tradition while also bringing your own leadership style and ideas to the position?
CB: As a leader, you’re always going to have a different perspective, a different approach. My goal is not to come in and change things just to change things. I’ve got to listen. I want to build on the foundation that’s already there, but with my values and with my experiences. Continue the relationships… and just create the best possible environment and culture for our student-athletes. Build on accountability, build on excellence, build on service. I think that the best programs in the state are those that are always evolving. One of my favorite quotes is “the person you’ve got to beat every day is the yesterday you,” and I want that to be reflected in our program.
EH: Football will always be in the spotlight, as well as baseball and basketball. Are there any other sports that you would like to get a little bit more publicity?
CB: I think that football often serves as a front porch for an athletic department. It’s one of the biggest programs you have, and when it’s thriving, it creates excitement and school pride, and all programs benefit from that. But one of my core beliefs is that every sport matters—a successful athletic department isn’t defined by just one program. I want to make sure that whatever sport a student athlete is playing, they’re getting the best possible experience in an environment where they can succeed. My role is to support all those programs and make sure that they’re getting the same visibility.
EH: Obviously, it’s too early for an opinion to be formed, but at the end of your first few years, what do you hope the coaches, student athletes, parents, and fans will say about the impact that you made on the athletic department when they look back?
CB: I think in a role like this, you’re going to get judged very quickly on wins and losses. It’s much more than that, though, and I hope that people realize I’m here to honor their traditions, but also move the athletic department forward in a meaningful way. I hope that they say our athletic department and every program [within it] is built on strong relationships, high character, and just a commitment to serve our student athletes. We want to prepare them for life because, through athletics, you get so many different life lessons. If we’re able to do that, I think we’ve accomplished something very meaningful.