Spartans fall short against No. 2 Jags

Mountain Brook rocketed out of the gates in Friday night’s Class 7A, Region 3 matchup at Spain Park.

Facing the state’s No. 2-ranked team, the Spartans showed no signs of being fazed, as they stormed down the field on a 10-play, 80-yard drive that ended with a 9-yard touchdown run by McKee Brown on the game’s opening possession.

Brown’s touchdown represented the first points scored against Spain Park on its home turf this season, as the Jaguars shut out Hueytown, Tuscaloosa County and Vestavia Hills on their visits to Jaguar Stadium.

Unfortunately for the Spartans, everything went downhill after that, as the Jags’ defense forced seven punts and a pair of turnover on downs throughout the remainder of the game.

To supplement stifling defensive play, Spain Park (8-1, 7-0) relied on a 21-point scoring outburst in the second quarter to maneuver past Mountain Brook (2-7,1-6), picking up a 21-7 victory that sealed an undefeated record in region play.

“We’ve continued to get better each and every week,” sophomore quarterback Hamp Sisson said. “I know it doesn’t show on the scoreboard right now, but we really have been getting better and everyone’s still focused.”

Exposed to more playing time toward the end of the season, Sisson and core of young Spartans are gaining valuable experience that should benefit the team in coming years.

Signs of the youngster’s improvement are already evident, as he completed seven of his first eight passes, finishing the night 17-of-28 for 111 yards and no turnovers.

He’s also a found a reliable target in junior Sims Herron and fellow sophomore Wilson Higgins. The duo combined for 13 receptions on the night.

“All our team has grown,” Sisson said. “I think our team is really young right now, so it looks good for our future.”

The Spartans will look to close out their 2015 campaign on a positive note next Friday night when they host Huffman in their season finale.

“We’re looking forward to that end-of-the-year, last game of the season,” Sisson said, “and we’re going to go out with a bang.”