Sparkman falters after Spain Park stand

HARVEST - Midway through the third quarter Friday night, it appeared Sparkman was ready to break its long football playoff drought.The Senators, winless in four previous trips to the postseason, had first down at Spain Park's 6-yard line with a chance to take the lead in a Class 6A, first-round game.But on fourth-and-goal from the 1, Sparkman quarterback Wes Alexander was dragged down shy of the goal line. As he was tackled he reached for the pylon, the ball slipped out of his hands and rolled out of the end zoneIt was the break Spain Park (8-3) needed as the Jaguars went on to score twice in the fourth quarter to claim a 17-3 victory on a cold, wet night.The Senators (7-4) may long be haunted by the missed opportunity in the third quarter."We felt like we needed to go for it right there,'' Sparkman coach Roger Haynes said. "We didn't think three would win and that was our best chance to get seven.''Both squads got field goals in the first half - a 44-yarder by Spain Park's Ashish Patel in the first quarter and a 42-yarder by Sparkman's Trent Bissell in the second.The Senators took the second-half kickoff at their 30, and 10 plays later fullback Dezmon Richardson rumbled up the middle for 19 yards to the Jaguars 6.Three running plays netted four yards. Haynes then sent Bissell onto the field, but after Spain Park was penalized for offside the Senators decided to run once more.Alexander took a bootleg around right end, the defense met him inside the 5 and pulled him toward the sideline. Sparkman coaches thought Alexander may have reached the pylon for a touchdown before he fumbled, but it appeared to be the right call.It proved to be the key to the game."In this game whoever got on top, especially by a touchdown, had a distinct advantage,'' Spain Park coach Vince DiLorenzo said.Not only was holding the Senators out of the end zone big, getting the ball at the 20 proved to be crucial. Spain Park eventually gained possession at its 48 before driving to the go-ahead touchdown."Both of those two plays were huge,'' DiLorenzo said.E.J. Riggins scored on a 4-yard run with 9:27 left to play to cap a 48-yard drive that put the Jaguars ahead.With just over three minutes remaining, Sparkman took over at its 12. Two plays later, Matt Laird intercepted a pass and returned it to the 6, leading to a 1-yard touchdown run by Riggins."It's been the best season of my life,'' Sparkman senior defensive end Greg Shoulders said. "I've had a lot of fun with my teammates and I love my coaches.''Haynes just wishes the Senators had made at least one more big play."Their kids made plays with the game on the line,'' he said, "and ours didn't.''

4th

Passing

Kicking and Punting

# 30 Ryan Hurford - 5 punts - 40, 14, 28, 37, 42
32.2 yard average.

Penaltys- 2 for 10 yards

First Downs - Sparkman 11

Receiving

Rushing

Passing 20 pass attempts for 90 yards

Rushing 30 rushes for 113 yards

Total = 50 plays for 203 yards and 4.1 yards per play

Scoring Summary and other tidbits-

- Senators played their hearts out in a tough 17-3 loss. The team gave their all and if one or two breaks had went their way we would be looking at a 17-3 win..

- The Senators Seniors played their final game in the Black and Cardinal .Sparkman will get a rematch with Spain Park next year when they travel to Spain Park..