Spain Park closes region play with win over Oak Mountain

Published 12:57 am Saturday, October 24, 2009

The Spain Park Jaguars capped off a perfect 5-0 home record this season Friday night as they toppled neighbor Oak Mountain 42-6.

A strong first-half defensive effort kept the visiting Eagles in the game at halftime, but a second-half offensive explosion sealed the win for the Jaguars on senior night.

“This is the first time we’ve ever gone undefeated at home in Spain Park history,” said Spain Park coach David Shores. “It’s a short history, but I think it sets the precedent here for teams in the future.

Shores said his team answered his challenge at halftime for better offensive play in the second half.

“Their defense shut us down in the first half, but our offense took over in the second half,” Shores added. “We challenged them at halftime to come back out and own this game.”

Spain Park (7-2) never trailed the Eagles (3-6) as the Jaguars scored on their second possession of the game and rarely allowed Oak Mountain to cross into Spain Park territory.

The first score of the game came late in the first quarter. A fake punt led to a fourth-down conversion for the Jaguars, which gave them a first down on the Oak Mountain 16-yard line.

A few plays later, Spain Park quarterback Graham Craig connected with Daniel Watkins on a 10-yard pass into the end zone. Kicker Justin Lumpkin added the point-after-touchdown, putting the Jaguars on top 7-0.

The Eagles answered on the next series, as Oak Mountain quarterback Paul Angel connected with Davis Dudchock to complete a 75-yard touchdown. However, it would be Oak Mountain’s final score of the game, as the Eagles missed the extra point to give Spain Park a 7-6 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

The next score came with less than a minute left in the first half, as Craig found Jake Lee open in the end zone for a 26-yard touchdown. Lumpkin’s extra point brought the score to 14-6 going into halftime.

The Jaguars scored again midway through the third quarter when Watkins reeled in an 8-yard pass from Craig. Lumpkin’s successful extra point put Spain Park on top 21-6.

On its next possession, Spain Park added to its lead when Tamar Mickens powered into the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown run. Jake Hoffman capped off the score with an extra point, widening the gap to 28-6.

The Jaguars scored twice in the fourth quarter, including a 19-yard run by Mickens and a 2-yard run by Lee Mitchell.

The Eagles and the Jaguars finish off their regular seasons next week. Oak Mountain hosts Paul Bryant on Oct. 30 and Spain Park travels to Huntsville on Oct. 29 .