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The Spain Park Jaguars got into the win column in 2024 with four straight wins in Juanita Boddie pool play to qualify for the Gold Bracket ahead of their first-round exit. (For the Reporter/Dawn Harrison)

By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

HOOVER – The Spain Park Jaguars went across town to the Finley Center in Hoover and picked up their first wins of the season at the Juanita Boddie tournament on Aug. 23-24.

After dropping its season opener to defending state champion McGill-Toolen on Thursday, Aug. 22, Spain Park went on a perfect 4-0 run through Pool 15 against Mary G. Montgomery, McAdory, Alexandria and Kentucky’s Great Crossings to reach the Gold Bracket as the No. 1 seed.

The Jags kicked off pool play against Class 7A’s Mary G. Montgomery Vikings in dominant fashion. Spain Park built out a solid lead and went on to win the first set 25-10 to take the early lead in the match.

While the Vikings got a bit more traction in the second set, the Jags remained in control and took the set 25-14 to earn the sweep.

The victory was also the first of Justin Kisor’s career at Spain Park in just his second match in charge of the Jags.

Spain Park closed out the first day of the tournament with a showdown against fellow Birmingham area side McAdory, and the Jags took the fight to the Yellow Jackets early on.

Just like in the first set against Mary G. Montgomery, Spain Park won the opening frame 25-10 to go up 1-0 in the series.

The Jags then continued their winning ways in the second set, securing a 25-17 win in the second set to clinch the sweep.

The pair of 2-0 victories left Spain Park in prime position to make the Gold Bracket as one of the top two seeds out of the pool, and it capitalized on that chance by continuing its run of consecutive set victories on Saturday morning.

Opening up the day against the Alexandria Valley Cubs, the Jags found themselves in their closest set of the tournament to that point with Alexandria lurking just two points behind on set point.

However, Spain Park held strong in the end and took the 25-22 win, and that propelled it to a big victory in the second set.

The Jags cruised to a 25-6 second-set win, which sealed their third straight sweep of the tournament ahead of the final game of pool play.

Spain Park then took on the Great Crossing Warhawks out of Kentucky and took their seventh straight set win 25-18 in the first set.

Shortly after that, the Jags faced their biggest adversity of the tournament in the form of a 25-13 second-set loss.

That loss didn’t stop Spain Park from finishing out pool play undefeated as it rolled to a 15-6 win in the third set to take the 2-1 match win and finish atop Pool 15.

The Jags drew a matchup with Marist out of Georgia in the first round of Gold Bracket play, and that match spelled the end of their run at the Boddie.

Spain Park fell 25-17 in the first set before losing by an even wider 25-13 margin in the second set to lose the match 2-0.

Despite losing in the first round, the Jags now sit at 4-2 on the season going into a difficult run of matches prior to area play.

Spain Park will return on Tuesday, Aug. 27 against the Mountain Brook Spartans at 6 p.m. at Spain Park High School.

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