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Even when they don’t play their best, good teams find a way to win games.
In Friday night’s Class 7A, Region 3 matchup against Mountain Brook, that’s exactly what Spain Park did.
Although the Jags’ offense played sluggishly for most of the game, Spain Park (8-1, 7-0) relied on a 21-point scoring outburst in the second quarter to secure a 21-7 victory over the visiting Spartans, sealing an undefeated record in region play for the first time in program history.
“I’m happy, I’m just a little disappointed tonight,” Spain Park coach Shawn Raney said, “but I’ll take a win now. I’ll take a win anytime.”
Despite picking up its seventh straight region victory, Raney’s disappointment is justified.
Apart from the Jags’ three second-quarter touchdowns, seven of the team’s eight possessions resulted in stalled drives that led to punts. The team’s other possession lasted only 12 seconds, as quarterback Joey Beatty took a knee at the end of regulation.
Luckily for the Jags, they have a field-flipping punter who can significantly influence the battle for field position. Senior Tyler Sumpter, Spain Park’s punter and kickoff specialist, averaged just under 41 yards per punt on his seven attempts, highlighted by a booming 50-yarder in the first quarter.
“He’s unreal. It’s unbelievable, our kicking game, how consistent it’s been,” Raney said.
When Spain Park didn’t have to call its prodigious punter out on the field, it relied heavily on another pair of consistent players, running backs Larry Wooden and Wade Streeter.
The dynamic backfield duo combined for 167 rushing yards, pounding the ball against a stout Spartan defense.
“We’ve always got that to fall back on,” Raney said.
Wooden tallied 103 rushing yards and 30 receiving, both team highs, adding two more touchdowns to his growing season total.
After Mountain Brook jumped out to an early 7-0 lead, driving 80 yards on its opening possession, Wooden answered with Spain Park’s first touchdown just over eight minutes later.
Wooden punched the ball in to the end zone on a 16-yard rushing touchdown 39 seconds into the second quarter, evening the score at 7-7.
Spain Park then struck again on its next two possessions, gaining a 21-7 advantage when fullback DeAndre Thompkins bulldozed in to the end zone from 1-yard out and Wooden zig-zagged through the Mountain Brook defense on a shifty 42-yard rushing touchdown.
After Mountain Brook’s 10-play scoring drive on its first possession, the Spain Park defense assumed its normal form, forcing seven punts and a pair of turnover on downs.
Mountain Brook’s touchdown, a 9-yard run by McKee Brown, represented the first points the Jags’ defense allowed at home this season.
Their previous three home games against Hueytown, Tuscaloosa County and Vestavia Hills all resulted in shutouts.
Impressively, Spain Park limited opponents to 59 total points throughout the entirety of region play, giving up an average of 8.4 points per game.
Although the Jags’ defense is a perpetual bright spot, Raney nevertheless wishes he saw more from his team in its penultimate regular season game.
“It’s disappointing because we’ve done a good job of no matter what happened last week or what’s coming up, we’ve just been playing ball, and I didn’t feel like we did that,” Raney said. “We had penalties, jumping offsides, and it’s a disappointing effort.”
The Jags will look to bring a more disciplined and energetic approach in to next week’s regular season finale at home against Bessemer City.
“If they’ve got anything about them, this will upset them,” Raney said, referring to his team. “Hopefully we’ll come out and be locked in next week.”
