1 of 7
Photo by Richard Force
Spain Park's Weston Brock (9) celebrates with teammate Andrew Thornton (1) as he runs into the end zone for a 35-yard touchdown in the Jaguars' high school football game against Chilton County.
2 of 7
Photo by Richard Force
Spain Park's Brayden Matherson (0) intercepts a pass during the Jaguars' high school football game against Chilton County, won 37-6 by Spain Park.
3 of 7
Photo by Richard Force
Spain Park's Geno Ferguson dives over the pile for a 1-yard touchdown run against Chilton County. Spain Park won 37-6.
4 of 7
Photo by Richard Force
Spain Park's Geno Ferguson celebrates with teammates after his 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter against Chilton County.
5 of 7
Photo by Richard Force
Spain Park's Corey Barber (17) catches a touchdown pass in the second quarter on the Jaguars' 37-6 victory over Chilton County on Friday, Oct. 25, 2004 in Clanton, Ala.
6 of 7
Photo by Richard Force
Spain Park's Corey Barber catches a 9-yard touchdown pass in front of a Chilton County defender. It was Barber's second touchdown of the game, won 37-6 by Spain Park on Oct. 25, 2024 in Clanton, Ala.
7 of 7
Photo by Richard Force
Spain Park players get ready to chase school history before kickoff against Chilton County, chasing their first 9-0 start to a regular season in school history, on Oct. 25, 2024 in Clanton, Ala.
CLANTON – A program first was a bit slow in getting started but finished on a joyously heavy note as Spain Park (9-0, 6-0 in Class 6A Region 3) beat Chilton County 37-6 Friday night.
The fourth-ranked Jaguars led only 7-6 after one quarter but stretched the lead to 23-6 at the half and methodically dominated the second half, capping the fun with a 1-yard touchdown run by big defensive lineman-turned-fullback Geno Ferguson.
From there, it was time to celebrate some history for a team that certainly has built on the progress made in 2023. Coach Tim Vakakes saw the potential in last season’s 7-3 mark, and although that campaign didn’t end with a playoff berth, the Jaguars have certainly carried that momentum without a blemish in 2024.
Spain Park has won nine games in a season two other times in its history, but never before had it reeled off nine consecutive wins without a loss to start a campaign.
That changed Friday night.
“These kids are making history,” Vakakes said. “Spain Park, they've been 8-0 before, never been 9 -0. So this team makes a little history, which I’m really proud of. They've done a lot of hard work. It wasn't always clean, it wasn't always perfect execution. It wasn't always 10 out of 10, but the effort was there.
“I’m really proud of how far this program has come in the last couple of years that these kids have bought in, man. Our parents, we have great parents, we have great families.
“And it's a big moment for our kids to make history. We talked about tonight, we're gonna make some history being 9-0, and I'm really proud of them, and I'm blessed to be a part of it.”
The Jaguars struck first with a 1-yard run by quarterback Brock Bradley at the 7:35 mark of the first quarter, but Chilton County (2-7) fought harder than its season record might have suggested in the first meeting ever between these two programs. The Tigers drove for a quick touchdown but missed the extra point, leaving Spain Park ahead 7-6 at the end of the quarter.
Bradley, the Clemson commit, led a field-goal drive and then tossed touchdown passes of 17-yards to Corey Barber and 35 yards to Weston Brock, giving Spain Park a 23-6 lead at halftime. The pass to Brock capped an 87-yard drive, one aided by a 12-men-on-the-field penalty against Chilton County after the Tigers appeared poised to get the ball back.
Another long drive ate up much of the third quarter, with Bradley tossing his third touchdown pass of the game and second to Barber. This one covered 9 yards, capping a 90-yard drive, with 5:36 to play in the third quarter.
Ferguson, normally a standout nose tackle and defensive tackle for Spain Park, got in on the scoring in the fourth when Vakakes put in the backfield to bull in over the top of the pile. His 1-yard touchdown run made it 37-6 with 9:45 to play.
“Geno is a big part of what we do,” Vakakes said. “He's just one of the hard workers, and he's just a staple of our program. … That's just a little way of showing a big guy some love.”
Click here to sign up for our Under the Lights newsletter and follow us on social media.
Click here to view and purchase photos from this week's games.
