Hoover bulks up

Blaine Hoover has been an effective defender for the University of the Incarnate Word football team.

The Bedias resident is a redshirt senior defensive end. He played previously for Tyler Junior College, where he moved from tight end to defensive end before the first game of the 2019 season.

“We were low on the defensive line,” he said about the position change.

He finished with four tackles and one sack in the opener that year and remained at defensive end.

He plays strongside defensive end for UIW. “I’m better at pass rushing and run defense,” said Hoover, who had 21 tackles and three sacks in five games during the spring.

To prepare for this season, he remained in San Antonio during the summer. With this year and next remaining in eligibility, he worked with a trainer. At 6-foot-5, he is listed on the roster as 265 pounds, 25 more than he was last year, though he said he added lean muscle.

“I had to be more in shape to play all four quarters strong and hard,” he said.

A 2021 preseason all-Southland Conference second-team pick, he had 11 tackles and half a sack through four games.

He is part of a rotation and said he enters games depending on the situation, such as where UIW is on the field defensively.

He had a season-high six tackles and half a sack against Texas State. He made tackles on two consecutive rushes, including one for a 1-yard loss, during a first-quarter series.

He watched the movements of the offensive linemen to gauge whether a run or pass was coming, which allowed him to be ready to make a tackle. “I kind of knew pre-snap what they were doing,” said Hoover, who had four assisted tackles against Prairie View A & M.

A left shield on the punt team and a right tight end on the field goal team, he said he is still trying to improve his technique. “My get off the ball and using my hands more, especially when I get fatigued,” he said.

Women’s volleyball

Coastal Bend College freshman Ahna Merrell tied her season high of four kills during a loss to Blinn. The middle blocker from Anderson-Shiro High finished with a season-best .571 hitting percentage for the match.

Send updates about area athletes to Barbara Boxleitner at jdanddoc@gmail.com.