Something about that mountainous northwest Jersey air that fills the lungs of young prospects in Sparta that always have us looking their way for football talent. Quarterback Shane Hoover Shane Hoover 6'2" | 160 lbs | QB Sparta | 2026 State NJ is a damn good one. Hoover can deliver 40-yard vertical strikes like tear drops without effort. Do not sleep on this young man’s ability to run either, as he executes PROs well and will throw fakes in there before deciding to keep the rock himself. It also helps that he has a burst of speed when running. Based on what I saw on film I though Hoover really trusts his receivers to come up victorious in 5050 situations. Perhaps his single most impressive throw was the one where he put enough touch on his throw to get it over the hook defender against what looked like a cover 4 shell. Without triggering his lower half, Hoover delivers the ball about 35 yards; however, when he has time to throw we see that he transfers his weight well and move forward off of his front foot – allowing him to get velocity on his throws too.

One of the top passers in the entire state this fall, Shane Hoover Shane Hoover 6'2" | 160 lbs | QB Sparta | 2026 State NJ impressed in multiple ways for Sparta. Throwing for an astonishing 30 touchdowns and 2265 yards, Shane helped Sparta get to the playoffs, but unfortunately did not make it through the first round. Out of all the QBs covered so far, Shane is much more of the traditional pocket passer. Delivering crisp throws to his receivers all season long, Shane showed exceptional timing and great throwing mechanics to completely pick apart opposing defenses. Shane can throw the ball with the right amount of touch, getting it over the defender to his receiver in the corner of the end zone or zipping it in on a shorter crossing route. Shane is currently on the Watchlist for Prep Redzone, but I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if he made the biggest jump in the rankings for all QBs in the state.

Season Stats: 116-163 (71%), 1510 yards, 19 TD, 4 Int

Best Game: 22-26, 375 yards, 4 TD, 1 Int vs. Roxbury

Worst Game: 23-36, 174 yards, 1 TD, 3 Int vs. Montville

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After a 4-6 record in 2023, Sparta has already surpassed what they accomplished last season as they’ve started 2024 with a 5-1 record. Winning the last 5 five games in a convincing manner, a lot of that success stems from the prolific aerial assault Shane Hoover Shane Hoover 6'2" | 160 lbs | QB Sparta | 2026 State NJ has been providing. So far through 6 games Shane has thrown for a total of 1510 yards and has found the end zone through the air 19 times. In his latest game against Dover, Shane impressed by throwing for 270 yards and 4 touchdowns in their 40-0 win.

Shane delivers some of the best passes in the state. He has demonstrated crisp throwing mechanics and a rocket of an arm that can the place ball where it needs to be extremely quickly. From what I’ve seen so far, Shane has showed he can read defenses and make the right decision as he moves through his progressions. Not forcing the ball into trouble, Shane has proven to be a smart decision maker and extremely trusted as a leader on the field. Sparta and Shane are sure to build more buzz by the time we hit November.