By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

NORTH SHELBY – The Spain Park Jaguars will have home field advantage throughout the postseason after they claimed their third region championship since 2012 by taking down cross-town rival Oak Mountain 20-10 on Oct. 16.

“We’ve played really well at home, so I’m glad to get some teams coming down there (in the playoffs),” Spain Park head coach Shawn Raney said. “If you don’t have to travel, it’s a natural environment for them, so we’re excited to get started.”

The Jaguars (7-1, 6-0 in Class 7A, Region 3) now only have a home matchup with Mountain Brook on Oct. 23 standing between them and an unblemished region record this season.

“It’s great. I mean we’ve got a lot of work to do, and we want to try to finish the region undefeated and keep climbing up,” Raney said.

But with an outside shot at making the playoffs at stake, Oak Mountain (3-5, 2-4) didn’t make Spain Park’s job easy on Oct. 16.

“Our kids fought and played hard,” said Eagles’ head coach Cris Bell. “We made too many mistakes there, particularly early, and they were able to capitalize on those things.”

After a scoreless first quarter thanks to turnovers by each team, Spain Park mounted a 91-yard scoring drive capped off by a 1-yard touchdown run by DeAndre Thompkins two plays into the second quarter. Crosby Gray’s PAT split the uprights to put the Jags ahead 7-0.

But the Eagles quickly answered on their ensuing drive, when Oak Mountain quarterback Warren Shader found Reid Golson in the endzone on a fourth-and-8 play. Nick Carney’s extra point tied the game at 7 apiece.

Spain Park struck again on its next possession, when quarterback Joey Beatty connected with Bridge Suber on a 20-yard touchdown strike. Gray’s PAT put the Jags up 14-7.

Oak Mountain’s offense then went to work from its own 20-yard line with less than two minutes to play in the half, and quickly drove to within field goal range. Carney then cut into the Jags’ lead by connecting on a 29-yard field goal as time expired in the half.

After halftime, Spain Park’s defense came alive and held the Oak Mountain offense scoreless. Gray padded the Jags’ lead with field goals of 40 and 31 yards in the second half.