By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

HOOVER – Down 3-0 at halftime, the Spain Park Jaguars found themselves in familiar territory on Nov. 20.

Only a week prior, they were down 10-0 to James Clemens in the second round of the Class 7A playoffs. But while the team was in the locker room at halftime during the James Clemens game, something clicked.

After issuing a challenge to his battle-tested team, Spain Park head coach Shawn Raney pulled the true potential from his players as they stormed back to win 13-10 and advance to face the Hoover Buccaneers in the 7A semifinals.

Facing a field goal deficit after two quarters on Nov. 20, Raney knew exactly what to do. And after delivering his halftime message, something clicked.

“I told them at halftime it was déjà vu from last week, except it was 3-0 instead of 10-0,” Raney said after his squad survived a gut test by taking down Hoover 7-6 to advance to the state championship game on Dec. 2. “I asked them if there’s anything they don’t believe about this team. There’s nothing, because we’ve been through everything this year, and they just continue to fight.”

Seven weeks after shutting out archrival Hoover in the regular season, the Jaguars had to defend the win in the postseason by knocking off a Buc team accustomed to playing for – and winning – state championships.

This will mark the first year since 2007 Hoover has not played in the state championship game. The most recent and only other time Spain Park has played in the state title game? 2007.

In the first half, Hoover seemed to have learned much from the teams’ regular-season meeting, and was moving the ball well on the ground.

But despite multiple trips into Spain Park territory, the Bucs could not punch it into the end zone: Once settling for a 43-yard Barrett Pickering field goal and another drive ending on a failed fourth-down conversion.

“(Hoover) did a good job making adjustments off the first game and moving the football on us, but our kids just kept playing and kept them out of the end zone,” Raney said.

The Bucs kept the Jags’ running game in check throughout the night, but Spain Park’s senior quarterback, Joey Beatty remained efficient, connecting on 15 of 17 passing attempts for 125 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively for Spain Park, Houston Hollis led the way with seven solo tackles, followed closely by Damon Wright, who finished the game with six.

After falling into a 6-0 hole late in the third quarter when Pickering connected on a 37-yard field goal, Spain Park engineered a scoring drive when it mattered most.

With eight minutes remaining in the contest, the Jags moved the ball 71 yards while eating more than five minutes off the clock.

The standing-room-only crowd at Jaguar Stadium erupted when Beatty threw a nine-yard pass, which was tipped by Hoover’s Malachi Herron before falling into the hands of Spain Park’s Parker Kelly. Crosby Gray’s PAT gave the Jags their first lead of the night with 2:33 remaining in the game.

On the Bucs’ ensuing possession, Spain Park’s Cameron Toyer all but sealed the victory when he intercepted a deep pass from Hoover quarterback Chris Vacarella at the Jags’ 23-yard line.

As a result of the win, the Jags will move on to face McGill-Toolen in the 7A state championship game at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa on Dec. 2.