Heavyweight win: Spain Park beats McGill-Toolen to pick up first playoff win since 2015 – Shelby County Reporter

By ALEC ETHEREDGE | editor

HOOVER – Trailing McGill-Toolen 35-24 and losing 28-3 after an early 14-point lead, the Spain Park Jaguars were late in the third quarter of their first playoff game since 2017 on Friday, Nov. 8 on the heels.

That’s when the Jags dug deep, remembered the hard days in the weight room and rallied to finish a heavyweight battle victoriously.

Spain Park scored 20 unanswered points in the final 12:54 minutes, overcoming a difficult middle portion of the game en route to its first playoff win since the 2015 season with a final score of 44-35.

“They’re after our butts. The defense didn’t have the best night, but we talk to our kids all the time about how we’re a heavyweight,” head coach Tim Vakakes said after the win. “Every heavyweight has his favorite punch, but the champions have chins. What we do every day, week after week, we trained four days last week, next week we train four days during a maximum week. Our children feed on this. They don’t panic, they don’t flinch.”

And they certainly didn’t shy away after a tough stretch that saw the Yellow Jackets score on five straight drives, leaving Spain Park’s defense in desperate need of help.

The Jags went into halftime with a slim 24-21 lead after a 21-7 lead evaporated, but McGill-Toolen came out of halftime scoring on the first drive to take their first lead of the game to secure.

With four straight touchdown drives, the Jackets got the ball back after an interception on the ensuing drive and scored five straight touchdowns to take a 35-24 lead.

But the Jags’ offense finally found the rhythm it had in a 21-point first quarter.

It all started with a third-and-9 trick play in which running back CJ Cowley received a ball on a reverse, faked the double reverse and then threw the halfback pass to fellow running back Dakarai Shanks for a 50-yard play .

Three plays later, Shanks advanced into the end zone with a powerful third-and-goal run from the 3-yard line.

Now trailing 35-31 with 54 seconds left in the third quarter, the Jags turned their attention to a defensive stop.

With the defense unable to get going, the Jaguars forced a third-and-3 that ultimately ended in an incompletion, finally giving the team the foothold it needed to get off the field.

From then on, the dynamic completely reversed.

Two minutes later, quarterback Brock Bradley hit talented receiver Corey Barber for a deep 35-yard touchdown pass, allowing the Jags to retake the lead at 38-35 with 9:18 to play.

The defense then stepped up again and took advantage of a third-and-3 holding call by McGill that otherwise would have been a first down. Two big plays followed, and the Jags put the ball back up by three with 7:45 to play.

Then came the knockout blow.

Strong doses from Shanks and Cowley helped the Jags march right down the field to eventually create a fourth-and-goal decision from the 1st pitch.

“There was no doubt we were going to try,” Vakakes said. “Everyone on the field knew what we were running. They shouted loudly. When you get to that point and the linemen feel it, I can hear them yelling “weight room” from the field. This is heavyweight football.”

Bradley kept the ball himself and stormed into the end zone on the quarterback sneak to score the game-winning score.

A missed PAT pushed the lead to nine, 44-35, but the defense got going again and forced back-to-back sacks that ultimately led to a fourth-and-long pass and an incomplete pass that sent the game ice .

“Our kids have come a long way,” an emotional Vakakes said after the game. “They are used to doing hard things. Our parents allow us to train them hard, they allow us to push them. They’re not great kids because of the coaches, but because they come from great families. I am blessed to be here. I always thank parents for giving us their sons. We’re just talking about treating them like our own. I’m proud to be here. We have a good thing going and I’m just glad we can get together again on Sunday.”

Spain Park’s offense came out of the gate, resulting in big play after big play in a 21-point opening quarter.

The Jags took an early 7-0 lead, using a long third-and-12 pass from Bradley to Barber to set up two powerful 9 combined runs from Cowley and a short touchdown run from Shanks place.

Spain Park’s defense then forced a quick three-pointer to get the ball right back, and like clockwork, the balanced offensive attack went right back to work.

This time, Cowley fueled the drive with consecutive runs of 18 and 32 yards, ultimately creating a first-and-goal situation. Cowley then capped the drive on third-and-goal with a 3-yard touchdown run to make it 14-0 with 5:07 left in the first quarter.

However, McGill-Toolen saw Spain Park’s offense moving the ball and decided it was time to tie it.

The Yellow Jackets responded with a powerful 78-yard drive on the ensuing possession, converting a third-and-9 on the drive to eventually make the score 14-7 late in the quarter.

However, Spain Park’s hot offense scored one more goal in the first quarter.

Bradley hit Barber again for 14 yards early in the drive before Shanks fended off a 30-yard run. Then, two plays later, Mason McClure took an end to the right, broke through a gap and sprinted 28 yards for a touchdown to give himself a 21-7 lead.

However, McGill’s offense was just getting going and the Jackets responded quickly.

They scored nicely within the first four minutes of the second quarter before getting the ball right back after a Bradley interception and then scoring again to make it 21-21 with 4:17 left in the half.

As McGill gained momentum with three consecutive goal balls, the Jags tried to stop the bleeding just before halftime.

They put together a nice drive with a huge pass from Bradley to Barber on the second and 26th minute, which ultimately led to a first-and-goal situation.

McGill’s defense stepped up and forced a field goal, but Josh Tullos nailed a 25-yarder to give Spain Park a 24-21 lead at halftime.

The Yellow Jackets continued to capitalize on their momentum by charging forward in the second half, but then the Jaguars put on an impressive performance in the final 13 minutes to seal the victory.

Spain Park was led by Shanks with 200 rushing yards and a touchdown on 24 carries, while he also contributed 50 yards passing from Cowley. Cowley also surpassed the century mark with 104 yards and a score on 15 carries.

Bradley finished the game 9-for-18 for 181 yards and a touchdown, while Barber was the game’s top target with 171 receiving yards and a touchdown on seven receptions. McClure added a run for 30 yards and a score while totaling nine receiving yards.

Spain Park (11-0) will now extend a 16-game winning streak into a second-round playoff home game against Russell County next week.