Jags look to regain postseason form

The 2018 season did not unfold as the Spain Park High School football team intended. The Jags went 4-6 and saw their three-year playoff streak come to an end.

Even so, head coach Shawn Raney drew encouragement from how his players responded to the adversity. They started 1-6 but won their final three games. 

“I was real proud of how our staff handled it and how our kids handled it,” said Raney, who is entering his seventh season with the Jags. “I didn’t feel like we ever lost our kids, and we had some really good senior leadership last year.”

Raney’s best Spain Park teams, including the one that advanced to the 2015 state championship game, have played a brand of football marked by few penalties, fewer turnovers and strong defense. 

Last year’s squad struggled in those areas early in the season before tidying things up at the end. This fall, the Jags are aiming to smooth out any kinks before kicking off the 2019 campaign Aug. 23 against Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa. 

Spain Park graduated 26 seniors, including 15 starters, from last year’s team. But the roster turnover hasn’t discouraged Raney. He said his Jags have a shot at returning to the Class 7A playoffs. 

“We’ve got some kids who have not played that have really had good springs and good summers,” Raney said. “I think they’ll step it up this year and have really good senior years.”

OFFENSE

Harrison Barker, a senior, will start at quarterback for the Jags. He’s the son of former University of Alabama quarterback Jay Barker and brother of former Spain Park quarterback Braxton Barker, who is currently on the Crimson Tide’s roster. 

Harrison Barker earned a few starts as a junior and will provide a steadying presence under center. 

“The thing about him, he just understands concepts and all of that stuff. He knows where to put the ball,” Raney said. “When he sets his foot, he knows exactly where to go with it.”

Barker is a little undersized at 5 feet, 9 inches, but he can make plays with both his arms and feet. Raney said that offensive coordinator Marty Rozell will utilize all of Barker’s abilities and ensure that he gets the ball to the playmakers around him.

Spain Park doesn’t lack talent at the skill positions. A pair of sophomores, Jaylen Ward and David Moultry, will start at wide receiver and have elicited high praise from their coach. 

“If we can get the ball on the perimeter to these guys, I think they’re as good as anybody around,” Raney said. 

Tight end Jacob Jenkins, along with wide receivers Cooper Kelley and George Hill, will fortify the Jags’ passing attack. 

In the backfield, Spain Park will rely on the legs of senior Michael Callens, junior T’Nazj Means and sophomore Justin Pegues. They will aim to compensate for the loss of Jalen Henderson, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards and walked on at Auburn University. 

“They’re all three smaller, really quick, really good edge players,” Raney said. “Our downhill power game that we’ve always run, it’s going to be more of spread them out, get the ball on the perimeter.” 

The backs will run behind a line featuring three sophomores. Conner May will start at center, Andrew Moses will start at tackle, and Jacob Boler will start at guard. Juniors Stephen Olsen and Brayden Boggan will fill the other two slots.

DEFENSE 

Raney said he is optimistic that his defense will eliminate some of the mistakes it made last year, when the Jags allowed about 22 points per game. 

Much of his confidence stems from his secondary. Safety Colton Ledbetter returns for his third year of varsity action, while sophomore Patrick Davis and junior Johnathan Williams will provide dependability at the corner positions. 

Both have shown promise. 

“Athletically, I feel like this secondary is going to be really good,” Raney said. “They’re physical and all of them are good athletes. I think we’ve got a chance to be really good on the back end.” 

He also likes his defensive line, which will be led by Jake Horton and DeQarius Hill. Three other seniors — Richard Moses, Michael Neal and Chris Mancill — will anchor the linebacking corps. 

Neal and Mancill shifted from other positions in the offseason. 

SPECIAL TEAMS 

Drake Tabor, a senior, will handle place-kicking and kickoff duties, while fellow senior Neal Partin will punt. 

SCHEDULE

Spain Park opens the season with a pair of games against 6A opponents Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa and Bessemer City before moving into 7A, Region 3 play. 

It will face a daunting stretch against Vestavia Hills, Mountain Brook, Hewitt-Trussville, Thompson, Hoover, Oak Mountain and Tuscaloosa County.

“There’s no team I can look on our schedule right now and say, ‘Well, that’s a W and that’s a W,’” Raney said. “There’s not any.”