By Rubin E. Grant
With the first season of flag football as a sanctioned Alabama High School Athletic Association sport under their belts, the Spain Park Jaguars are looking to make their mark in the second season this fall.
The AHSAA will host a season ending tournament and will crown a state champion as part of the Super 7 Championships for football in November. Spain Park has its sight set on being there.
“We had a really successful season last year,” Spain Park coach Carmen Starr said. “We were super excited and super happy to finish 7-4, and with the rhythm we had. We lost our first game to Vestavia by a touchdown (19-12) and then beat them 18-0 in our last game. We made a lot of improvement throughout the season.”
Despite their success, the Jags didn’t generate as much interest in terms of girls joining the team as Starr would have liked.
“We did not have many new players come out,” she said. “We had some coaching changeovers in other sports and some of the girls decided to just stick with their sports. We’ve got multiple-sports athletes and most of them have an athletic period year-round.
“Luckily we have some who just play flag. We have a couple who play lacrosse, but lacrosse isn’t until the spring so they are not missing out.
“We graduated only two seniors, so the core of our 14 players is back. We’re still young, but they have had a year of experience.”
The Jags will have three seniors this year, including wide receivers Kaitlyn Bellanca and Lillian Gourley, and running back Maddie Davis.
Bellanca also plays lacrosse and has committed to play the sport at Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, North Carolina. Gourley and Davis played on Spain Park’s Class 7A state championship soccer team in the spring.
“They know what hard work is all about,” Starr said.
Junior Emily Stricklin returns as the Jags’ quarterback and freshman Jenna Kate Hutchinson will be her backup and play receiver.
“She’s a former basketball player and she came and said she wanted to play flag football,’ Starr said of Hutchinson. “We are glad to have her.”
57 Teams Lined Up
Across the state, 57 teams have declared field teams this fall, but Starr said some have decided against it, such as Chelsea. Other Over the Mountain schools fielding teams are Hoover, Vestavia Hills, Homewood, John Carroll Catholic and Oak Mountain.
The AHSAA has divided teams into 16 areas. Spain Park is in an area that includes Vestavia and Oak Mountain, but that might change because of Chelsea’s decision to not field a team. Chelsea had been set to be in an area with Hoover and Helena.
The top two teams from each area will advance to qualifying tournaments. There will be eight qualifying tournaments with four teams in each tournament. The winner of the tournament will qualify for the season-ending state tournament.
Spain Park will open the season Sept. 20 at home against Oak Mountain and Helena in a tri-match.
“We definitely want to do great, but our immediate goal is to win area and if we do that, anything is possible,” Starr said. “We definitely want to hang a banner, whether it’s an area championship or a state championship, in our gym and get flag football on the map.”
