Jags finish season with wild comeback win
HUEYTOWN — Spain Park High School’s star quarterback put up massive numbers to keep his team in the game. Its former quarterback-turned-safety made the biggest plays to win it.
Michael Ogletree stopped Hueytown’s De’Andre Coleman inches short of the goal line on a 2-point conversion try with 13 seconds left, sealing a wild 63-62 win to finish out the Jaguars’ season.
"I knew they were going to go for two and when I saw them bring (Coleman) at quarterback, we almost knew what was coming, so we did our best to stop them,” Ogletree said.
Ogletree, who played quarterback until his junior year, also had a key interception that set up Spain Park’s go-ahead touchdown with 3:16 left, a 7-yard pass from Bennett Meredith to Cooper Kelley.
“For him to make plays there his senior year, it’s refreshing to see,” Spain Park head coach Shawn Raney said.
For most of the night, it was all Spain Park (4-6) could do just to keep pace with Hueytown (5-5), a Class 6A region champion.
Hueytown scored on the first play when Coleman took a short pass from Alex Young and went 80 yards, and the two connected on a 24-yard strike on the next drive. Not three minutes in, Spain Park trailed 14-0 and had given up 160 total yards.
Hueytown racked up 727, but had two critical fourth-quarter turnovers. The Golden Gophers led 49-35 early in the fourth, and the Jaguars got a 4-yard score from Justin Pegues with 9:47 left. After an onside kick that Hueytown recovered, Young fumbled a snap and the Jaguars’ Brian Alston fell on it. One play later, Meredith hit Kelley for a 40-yard score to tie it at 49.
The teams traded touchdowns until Ogletree’s interception set up the go-ahead score.
Meredith, a junior, completed 34-of-41 passes for 514 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. Kelley led the Jaguar receivers with 232 receiving yards on nine catches and three scores. Jaylen Ward had 11 catches for 165 yards and a score. Pegues rushed for 60 yards and three touchdowns as Spain Park totaled 610 yards.
"I never doubted this team,” Meredith said. "I never doubted the offense. I knew we were going to come through.”
Spain Park struggled in Class 7A, Region 3, but finished the season on a two-game win streak and both games were come-from-behind wins.
"We’ve had a very up and down season,” Raney said. “It's been quite a challenge in a lot of different ways. I challenged the defense at the half to make a play and it came down to the two point play at the end.”
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