By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

Turnovers plagued the Pelham High School football team Oct. 15, as the Panthers fell 28-12 at Spain Park High School.

The Spain Park Jaguars secured a spot in the Class 6A state playoffs with the win, a goal the team has been working on since summer, said Spain Park interim head coach Ben Berguson.

“It wasn’t a pretty win, but I’ll take it. Our goal since summer has been to make it to the playoffs,” Berguson said. “Pelham kept putting six guys on the line, and that forced us to pass a lot. We kind of just took what they gave us.

“But we are locked into the playoffs now, and that feels awesome,” Berguson added.

Pelham head coach Brett Burnett said second-half turnovers played a major role in the Panthers’ loss.

“We just couldn’t get anything going on offense tonight,” Burnett said. “We felt good going in with the score at 7-3 at halftime.

“We just cant turn the ball over like that,” Burnett added. “But we just have to keep pressing on.”

Spain Park scored on its second possession of the game, when Zak Michael reeled in a 57-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Nick Mullens. Jake Hoffman added the extra point, putting the Jags ahead 7-0.

Pelham answered as time expired in the first half, when kicker Cameron Haynes connected on a 31-yard field goal.

Spain Park capped off a 76-yard drive to start the second half, when Kevron McMillan ran into the end zone from 2 yards out. Hoffman’s extra point put the home team ahead 14-3.

Haynes added three to Pelham’s score on a 27-yard field goal, bringing the game to 14-6.

The Jaguars pulled ahead in the fourth quarter on a 1-yard McMillan scoring run.

Pelham answered when Tre Maynard picked off Mullens and ran it in 28 yards to score. Haynes’ missed point-after attempt brought the score to 21-12.

Spain Park’s final score came late in the fourth quarter when Micheal reeled in a 13-yard touchdown pass from Mullens. Hoffman’s extra point brought the game to 28-12.