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Spain Park Jaguars took on the Hoover Buccaneers at the Hoover Met Friday, Sept. 2. (For the Reporter/Kelsea Schaefer)

Spain Park Jaguars took on the Hoover Buccaneers at the Hoover Met Friday, Sept. 2. (For the Reporter/Kelsea Schaefer)

By LAUREN SEXTON | Sports Reporter

HOOVER – The weather wasn’t the only thing heating up at the Hoover Met during the Spain Park versus Hoover game Friday evening. Tensions were at an all-time high as players from both teams duked it out during the first and final quarters of the game. Aside from the several round throw downs between the two teams, the fight mainly remained on the field for most of the game. The Jaguars fought a tough battle against their cross-town rivals, however, an interception, a recovered kickoff, and a last-minute attempt still could prevent the Jaguar’s defeat at the hands of the Bucs. For week three of the season, Spain Park lost to Hoover 24-10.

Hoover High School started the game off strong in the first quarter as their 58-yard drive resulted in the Buc’s first touchdown with eight minutes still remaining in the first quarter. Spain Park stopped the second and final drive Hoover attempted with two minutes left on the clock. However, Hoover made the field goal from the 20-yard adding three more points to the scoreboard.

Trailing ten points behind at the start of the second quarter, Spain Park’s 89-yard drive resulted in the Jaguar’s, Alex Llyod making a field from the 40-yard line. Now 10-3 and only seven points behind, Spain Park cut Hoover’s next drive short when junior, Jamar Mosely intercepted the Buc’s ball. 

“I see the ball, got in my head, I tried to take it to the crib and it happened,” Mosely said about his second-quarter interception. “There was a lot of emotion.”

Now first and ten at the 14-yard line in the Bucs territory, Spain Park got their first and only touchdown of the evening with four minutes left until half when Evan Smallwood made a 13-yard pass to Jonathan Bibbs.

Coming back to half, things only continued to heat up more. With Hoover scoring a touchdown in the remaining 50 seconds of the first half, the score was now 17-10. Towards the end of the third quarter, Spain Park’s defense recovered Hoover’s ball shortly after kickoff, but it still wasn’t enough to get the touchdown that the Jaguars need. Hoover scored the last touchdown for the evening and the Jaguars attempted to add seven more points to the scoreboard but were unsuccessful in the remaining minute of the game.

The Bucs defeated the Jaguars 24-10 in week three of the season in an extremely physical game. Seniors, Alex “A.J.” Smith and Caldwell Bussey made four tackles each in the Jaguar’s game against the Bucs at the Hoover Met.

“We’re gonna make our kids are fighting. They’re busting their butts and we’re gonna learn how to win,” Spain Park head coach, Tim Vakakes said about the Jaguars game against Hoover. ” We got to clean a lot of stuff up and figure out how not to lose games. We got to learn how to win games, but we’re proud of our guys

The Jaguars are now 1-2 as they enter week four of the season. Spain Park hits the road next week to Alabaster as they take on the Thompson Warriors.

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