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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

It’s not exactly an original prediction to say I believe the Spain Park Jaguars will perform very well in 2024.

In fact, the other members of the statewide media have put the Jags as the No. 5 team in the preseason Class 6A rankings, behind only a pair of state title favorites in Saraland and Parker and two reigning champions in Clay-Chalkville and Gulf Shores.

It may seem like a bold statement for a team that hasn’t made it to the playoffs since 2017, but that’s just how much momentum Spain Park has under third-year coach Tim Vakakes. In just two years, he took a two-win program into a 7-3 team that cracked the Class 7A top 10 in 2023.

While I may need just a bit more time before I fully hop on the bandwagon and dub the Jags as one of the favorites to win it all, there’s no doubt that this team has the ingredients to be special.

It starts at the quarterback spot in Brock Bradley, the man who lived up to the hype coming into his sophomore year and burst onto the scene, earning an All-State Honorable Mention and an All-County Second Team spot in the process.

Now, he’s back and even better as a junior with more time to immerse himself in the offense and grow as a quarterback. It’s clear that where he goes, the offense will go, but he won’t be alone.

The Shanks brothers may no longer star in the same backfield after Derick graduated, but Dakarai should carry on the legacy for one more season as the bruising back up the middle. His help this time will be CJ Cowley, a speedy sophomore whose first spring game carry was only an 82-yard touchdown.

Paired with a veteran offensive line with three seniors and a highly-touted junior in Hudson Reed, the Jags should be able to reel off runs while also giving Bradley time to work in the pocket.

However, the rest of the starting lineup doesn’t have that same experience being the main players who are called upon, and while there’s certainly tons of promising potential, some of it isn’t as seasoned as the rest.

A pair of big losses at receiver including All-State deep threat Jonathan Bibbs means that Jaxon Haygood, Mitchell Frazer, Andrew Thornton and tight end Henry Gregory will be called upon as the primary pass-catchers.

All are seniors and have worked in Vakakes’ system for three years now, so this will be their time to showcase their skills on the other end of Bradley’s throws.

The defensive line is much the same way with Landon Johnson, Geno Ferguson, Harris Gregory and Aden Walker stepping up into bigger roles this season to replace the unit’s departures.

Christian Smith, Arnold Bush, EJ Kerley and Brayden Matherson will also shore up the rest of the defense, and while the defensive 11 is overall solid, it will need to learn how to play together quickly through an early stretch which includes multiple 7A opponents.

Even with those caveats, I’m still incredibly optimistic about Spain Park’s potential. As long as this team stays healthy, comes together on the field and keeps its mind on its goals, Vakakes should have this team well on its way to success.

 

Prediction: 8-2. It may have taken some time for me to come around, but I now firmly believe this is the year that Spain Park gets over the hump and back into the playoffs.

The Jags held their own against some of the top teams in 7A last year even while banged up during a crucial midseason stretch, and that should prepare them for another difficult region in Class 6A, Region 3.

Expect the offense to take on a new dimension with Brock Bradley’s continued maturity alongside a rising star in the backfield in CJ Cowley and multiple solid receiving threats.

They still have multiple questions that need to be answered after losing multiple players at key spots, so how far this team will go depends on how quickly those new pieces settle in, especially with a brutal first half of the schedule that includes Hoover, Helena and Benjamin Russell in a four-week span.

However, I’m confident that the players coming up will rise to the level set by their predecessors and the returning starters and the upward trajectory of the Jags under Vakakes will continue with a playoff appearance and the possibility of making noise come November.