In the first two games of the 2022 high school football season, senior quarterback Spanish Park scored a touchdown to give the Jaguars the lead behind his team at the end of the fourth quarter.
In the first game against Kalera, Smallwood led nine games for 70 yards, finishing with an 8-yard touchdown with 23 seconds left to give the Jags a 14–10 victory.
The following week against Briarwood, Smallwood led the Jags in 90-yard runs, 3-yard runs to the end zone, and a 21–17 lead over Park Spain with 1:02 remaining.
But this time Briarwood returned with a touchdown of his own and scored in the final game of the game in a 23–21 loss to Spanish Park.
“The stress situation is very good,” Smallwood said. “You have to get your team off the field and give yourself a chance to win, otherwise you will be blocked and you will lose. I like being the team leader in this situation.”
“The first two games were very exciting and fun. We were at the top the first week and the next week we played well and lost a big game.”
The Jags visited out-of-town rival Hoover last Friday for the opening of District 7A District 3. But due to an early Labor Day deadline, the game came out after Over The Mountain Journal published.
Espanyol Park’s first-year manager Tim Wakax credited Smallwood’s make-up with being the reason he reacted so well late in the game.
“I think he’s a leader,” Wakax said. “He is not noisy, but the other kids trust him a lot. He is calm, cool, calm. The kids love him and follow him.”
“They run a lot of bends with flexible bones, kind of like Georgia Tech,” Wachaks said. “We put it in a shotgun. I think it suits him.
“He’s smart, he knows where to get the ball, he’s getting better and better at taking us from bad games to better ones. This attack allows him to show his leadership.”
“Thanks to him, we had two minutes of training in both games and both attacks were successful,” Wakaks said.
“It’s a small change, but a good one,” Smallwood said. “Our offense is more open, which is good because we have some talented players who can catch the ball, which allows us to play at a faster pace.”
Smallwood put the talent around him to good use. In his first two games with the Jaguars, he completed 35 of 50 passes for 341 yards and two touchdowns.
Smallwood was also an excellent baseball player, he was a midfield linebacker. He was named to the 2022 All-OTM team in the spring after hitting .355 with eight doubles, 17 stolen bases and 21 at bats. He recently started playing baseball at Jacksonville State University.
“I love both sports,” Smallwood said, “but I think baseball is the best for my future and I think Jacksonville State is the best for me.”
Smallwood was a backup quarterback for Spanish Parks in his sophomore year and plans to take up the role again in the 2021 season. But Smallwood was promoted to the starting position when Bennett Meredith moved to Hoover.
It’s hard to sled. The Jaguars also had some of their most experienced players move to Thompson and struggled to maintain a consistent offensive line after a tough 2-8 season.
“Our first goal is to make the playoffs,” he said. “I think we have enough people to do it. The coach gave us a good game plan and we just have to go out there and execute it.
“Despite the fact that we have a busy schedule, I think we can make it to the playoffs. I believe in this team.”
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Post time: Sep-30-2022