Jags take on unbeaten Hewitt-Trussville in first round
It doesn’t matter how they got there, all that matters is the Jags did enough to make it.
The Spain Park High School football team (6-4) did enough over the latter half of the regular season to qualify for the state playoffs as the No. 4 seed from Class 7A, Region 3.
Early on, the Jags narrowly lost intense battles with Hoover and Mountain Brook in consecutive weeks. In the few weeks following those defeats, they seemed to slump.
Spain Park wrapped up its region schedule in less than convincing fashion, with tight wins over Huffman and Tuscaloosa County — each finished 1-6 in the region — and losses to Thompson and Oak Mountain.
But the Jags put all that behind them last Thursday, as they mauled Minor, 49-14, to conclude the regular season and set the stage for what they hope is an entertaining first-round playoff bout at Hewitt-Trussville on Friday night.
“I hadn’t seen that team in about five weeks, and I couldn’t be more proud of them,” Spain Park head coach Shawn Raney said following the win over Minor.
Jags quarterback Braxton Barker guided his team to scores on its first three possessions. Running back D’Arie Johnson capped the first with a 2-yard rush up the middle. Barker polished off the next two with touchdown passes of 32 and 7 yards to Michael Rogers and Jo Jo Dennis.
A couple drives later, Barker spiraled a 51-yard touchdown pass to Jalen McMillan. The score gave Spain Park a 28-7 lead in the second quarter.
Barker bounced back from his four-interception performance against Oak Mountain to throw for 294 yards and five touchdowns. He didn’t toss a pick, either.
Spain Park added to its tally on its opening drive of the second half, when Barker connected with McMillan for a 71-yard touchdown. McMillan turned on the jets and transformed a routine slant route into an electric score. He paced the Spain Park receiving corps with four catches for 140 yards and two touchdowns.
Kameron McDaniel’s third-quarter interception set up the Jags’ final points of the night. A couple plays after the pick, Barker hit a wide-open Kenyon Hines along the right sideline for a 49-yard touchdown. Place-kicker Cole Starr finished the game 7-for-7 on extra points.
The pending matchup against 7A No. 2 Hewitt-Trussville will be a tough one, but Raney feels his team is prepared for it based on what it has seen all season.
“I think we’re battle tested playing in this region, and I hope it’s a heck of a game,” Raney said. “Our kids are going to play their tails off.”
Hewitt-Trussville capped off a second consecutive 10-0 regular season with a 45-35 win over Florence last week. The Huskies boast an outstanding offense that has averaged 48 points per game this season, led by Mountain Brook transfer Paul Tyson at quarterback.
The teams have met twice previously, and each was an overtime affair. In 2014, Hewitt-Trussville won 64-63 in a quadruple overtime thriller. The Jags avenged the loss the following year, notching a 31-28 win.
The winner moves on to face the winner between Hoover and Sparkman in the second round of the playoffs on Nov. 17.
- Sam Chandler contributed to this report.