By Lee Davis
Spain Park’s two football victories over archrival Hoover last season added some spice to an already intense crosstown rivalry.
And Larry Wooden wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Yes, we’ve talked some smack with them (Hoover players) since then,” Spain Park tailback Wooden said at media day in July. “It goes both ways. It’s just a fun part of the rivalry.”
The talking may be fun, but Wooden is serious on the field. In his junior season of 2015, he rushed for nearly 900 yards and gained more than 1200 all-purpose yards.
“We’ll be counting on Larry a lot this fall,” said Spain Park coach Shawn Raney. “He is a threat in so many ways. We’re going to try to get the ball in his hands as much as we can.”
Wooden’s best game last season may have come in Spain Park’s 21-7 win over Mountain Brook. He burned the Spartans by gaining 103 yards on only 15 carries with two touchdowns. His longest run from scrimmage was 42 yards. Wooden also caught four passes for 30 yards.
Larry is one of those guys who, when he gets the ball, people get excited,” Raney said. “He is always a threat to go all the way.”
A typical Wooden play came in Spain Park’s 38-35 loss to Austin in the season opener last year. The Jaguars were on their own 25 when Wooden caught a routine screen pass. After getting a good block along the sideline, he cut inside, shook off one defender and dashed 75 yards for a touchdown.
“Larry has great explosiveness,” Raney said. “He follows his blockers well and knows how to make things happen on his own. Larry has great football instincts.”
Wooden is a superb physical specimen. He stands 6 feet tall, weighs 190 pounds, completes the 40-yard dash in 4.57 seconds and squats 375 pounds in the weight room. But his greatest asset can’t be measured with a stop watch or a tape measure.
“Larry is a leader of this team,” said a Spain Park senior. “He doesn’t cheer and yell much. He leads by example. The older guys and the younger guys all have a lot of respect for him.”
There’s plenty to respect about Wooden in the classroom as well. He has a 3.2 grade point average and plans to major in a field related to sports medicine in college.
“I want to be the best student I can be in my academic studies and in sports,” he said. Wooden also stars on the Jaguar basketball team.
The 2015 season was in many ways a breakout season for both Wooden and the Spain Park program. In addition to finishing 12-2, the team’s 17-0 upset of Hoover on Oct. 1 was the Jags’ first on-the-field win over the Bucs, although they earned a forfeit a decade ago. Just to prove it wasn’t a fluke, Spain Park edged Hoover 7-6 in the state Class 6A semi-finals.
The team’s magical run ended with a narrow 14-12 loss to McGill-Toolen in the Class 6A final.
For Wooden, the wins over Hoover were especially sweet.
“Beating Hoover meant a lot to our team, our school and our fans,” he said. “Through the years, we hadn’t had much success against them. So getting these wins was very special.”
If there was a down side to last season, it’s that Spain Park won’t be able to sneak up on anyone in 2016.
“The last time Spain Park reached the (state championship) final, we went 4-6 the next year,” Raney recalled. “We want to develop consistency in our program and be one of the best teams in the state every year.”
Wooden understands what his coach is saying.
“It’s fun to be the team that everyone is gunning for,” he said. “Being a favorite should just make us want to work harder than ever. Nobody is going to roll over just because we had a good team last year.”
While Wooden is totally focused on the business at hand, he makes no secret that his goal is to play college football.
“Ever since I can remember, I’ve wanted to play at the next level,” he said. “I’ve shown that I can put in the work required to do that. If I do my job, everything will take care of itself.”
And Larry Wooden wouldn’t have it any other way.
Follow the link for OTMJ’s preview of the Spain Park Jaguars‘ upcoming season.
