Spain Park falls just shy in Super 7
TUSCALOOSA-- After willing its way to the Class 7A, Region 3 title, stringing together 12 consecutive victories, claiming a pair of triumphs over archrival Hoover and earning a state final berth, Spain Park finally ran out of steam.
Barely.
After being outplayed on both sides of the ball for the majority of the Class 7A State Championship on Wednesday night, Dec.2 at Bryant-Denny Stadium, the Jags (12-2) nearly mounted a third consecutive fourth-quarter comeback, trimming McGill-Toolen’s two-score lead down to only two points with under five minutes to play in the fourth quarter.
“That’s who they are,” Spain Park coach Shawn Raney said. “These kids believe no matter what the situation is that we can win a football game because we’ve done it.”
Jags quarterback Joey Beatty scored on a sneak from 1-yard out with 5:54 left in the game and Crosby Gray booted a 29-yard field goal just over a minute later to make it 14-12, but McGill-Toolen (13-1) managed to hold on in the waning minutes, forcing a Spain Park turnover on downs on its final possession to capture the first state football title in school history.
“McGill’s got a great team, really good on defense,” Raney said. “I thought we struggled offensively. I just thought we was out of our game the first half, and I kind of saw a look in our kids’ eyes in pregame. I kind of saw it through the first half. That’s my job to have them ready to play, so I’ll take that.”
McGill-Toolen’s swarming defense shut down Spain Park, dominating the line of scrimmage and holding the team to 178 total yards. The backfield tandem of running backs Wade Streeter and Larry Wooden struggled to find openings while Beatty, who enjoyed reliable protection throughout the season, endured constant pressure that resulted in five sacks.
“You just kind of have to get the ball out quicker than usual, and if you need to, throw the ball away, which I should’ve done more of tonight,” Beatty said.
McGill-Toolen jumped to a 14-3 halftime lead behind running back Terrell Kennedy’s two touchdowns. Kennedy scored on a 4-yard sweep play just under four minutes into the first quarter to put the Yellow Jackets on the board. He then struck again right before the half. On his second TD, Kennedy powered into the end zone from 54 yards out, breaking through multiple tackles and weaving through the Jags’ defense. He finished the game with 203 rushing yards and was named MVP.
Gray converted his first field goal of the game, a 37-yarder, at the end of the first quarter to cut the Yellow Jackets’ lead to 7-3. The boot stands as the longest in a 7A State Championship Game, while his two total field goals also set a 7A mark.
Despite surrendering 387 yards to McGill-Toolen, Spain Park forced three turnovers, with two coming in the second half on fumble recoveries.
The Jags' third and final forced turnover, which came on the first play from scrimmage after Beatty’s touchdown run made the score 14-9, put the team in position to take the lead. A strong defensive stand by McGill-Toolen, however, held the Jags to three points and finalized the scoring.
Even with the loss, Spain Park's second in two state championship appearances, Raney said his team surpassed expectations in 2015.
“I’ve been around these kids since January, and I’ve seen what they’ve done,” Raney said. “I knew we was going to be a good football team. I didn’t know if we could be this good, but they just continued to do what we asked them to do and it’s been a blessing to be around these kids.”