Playoff Round 1: Saraland, Gulf Shores Roll; Foley Snaps 12-Year Drought; Power Outage Delays Bayside

MOBILE, Ala. — The first round of the Alabama High School Athletic Association football playoffs delivered a mixed night for Mobile and Baldwin County teams on Friday, Nov. 6. Saraland and Gulf Shores rolled, Foley ended a 12-year playoff drought, Spanish Fort won with trick plays, and St. Paul’s pulled an upset by kicking two field goals. St. Michael’s season ended in an upset loss to Glenwood, and one local game did not get played at all after a power outage in Daphne.

Here is a look at how area teams fared, who moves on and where they play next. The second round is set for Friday, Nov. 13.

Class 5A: Saraland pulls away from Pelham

Saraland 61, Pelham 28. Oklahoma commitment Jamison Roberts accounted for four touchdowns as the Spartans broke open a close game in the second half. Roberts found Deuce Scott for a 32-yard touchdown on Saraland’s first offensive snap and later threw scoring passes of 11 yards to Eddie Turner and 20 yards to Ayiden Pugh. Saraland led only 28-21 at halftime.

Coach Jeff Kelly said his team set the tone with its first possession after the break. “We gave up some things in the first half. We got the ball in the second and took control of the game with a physical opening drive,” said Kelly, who earned his 35th playoff win at Saraland.

Roberts’ 2-yard run made it 35-21, and the Spartans outscored Pelham 33-7 after halftime. Roberts completed 13 of 15 passes for 150 yards and ran eight times for 71 yards. “They were playing a little bit more soft coverage, and I was able to make plays with my legs tonight,” he said.

Pelham quarterback Dylan Smith threw first-half touchdown passes of 10, 49 and 28 yards to Marcus Arnold, and Adrien Tellis added a 14-yard fourth-quarter run. The 61 points were the most the Panthers allowed all season, and it was the fourth time this fall Saraland topped 60.

“Saraland is really explosive,” Pelham coach Ross Newton said. “We turned the ball over a couple of times, but give them credit for taking advantage of those and putting points on the board.”

Saraland (10-1) hosts unbeaten Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa (10-0) in the second round. Hillcrest beat Stanhope Elmore 50-7 as Corey Kimble returned the opening kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown and the Patriots led 43-7 at halftime.

Gulf Shores 33, Ramsay 7. The Dolphins stayed perfect. Jacksonville State commitment Elijah Malone ran for a touchdown and returned a punt for another, West Virginia commitment Carter Davis scored on an interception return and Janoy Ferguson added a rushing touchdown. Gulf Shores (11-0) has outscored opponents 408-104 and will host McAdory in the second round. Ramsay finished 6-5.

Spanish Fort 13, Helena 3. The Toros used a double-pass touchdown from freshman Nolan Richardson to Robert Farmer and a surprise onside kick to erase a 3-0 deficit on the road, and Zachary Megie added field goals of 31 and 43 yards. Spanish Fort (8-3) hosts Benjamin Russell next. Read the full story: Spanish Fort’s trick plays stun Helena.

Homewood 36, Theodore 14. The Bobcats, who finished the regular season 5-5, saw their season end on the road against the Class 5A, Region 4 champion.

Class 6A: Foley ends a long wait

Foley 49, JAG 28. Foley won a playoff game for the first time since 2014. Bryson Garcia scored three touchdowns, two on runs and one on a reception. Judah Spencer threw two touchdown passes, Makai Holmes ran for two scores and Jaxson Dixon returned a kickoff for a touchdown. The Lions improved to 7-4 in Bryan Moore’s first season as head coach and travel to Auburn next week.

Baker 31, Enterprise 27. The Hornets held on at home to advance.

Carver-Montgomery 47, Robertsdale 25. Robertsdale, the No. 6 seed from Class 6A, Region 1, saw its season end. Carver-Montgomery advances to face Daphne, the region’s No. 2 seed, which had a first-round bye.

Opelika 41, Alma Bryant 7. Alma Bryant’s season ended on the road.

Region champion Fairhope, which also had a bye, opens its postseason at home next Friday.

Class 4A: Vigor, Williamson advance; Orange Beach makes history

Vigor 37, Valley 7. The Wolves, who finished second in the final Alabama Sports Writers Association Class 4A poll, opened the playoffs with a comfortable home win.

Williamson 42, Elmore County 0. The Lions added another shutout to a season full of them.

Orange Beach 21, Charles Henderson 20. Played Thursday in Troy, the win was the first playoff victory in Makos history. Orange Beach stays on the road next week against the winner of Sipsey Valley and Andalusia. Read more: Orange Beach holds off Charles Henderson.

Marbury 17, Citronelle 6. Citronelle’s season ended on the road.

Private Class AA: A UMS-Wright, St. Paul’s rematch

UMS-Wright 35, Houston Academy 0. Illijah Scott scored on two 3-yard runs, Robert Israel added a 3-yard touchdown run and Max Fowler threw touchdown passes of 24 and 12 yards to Ty Mabrey. The Bulldogs (10-1) led 28-0 at halftime. They had beaten Houston Academy 42-14 in the regular season. The Raiders finished 1-10.

St. Paul’s 6, Montgomery Catholic 3. Turner Antoon kicked field goals of 24 and 37 yards, and a fourth-and-10 sack by Jay Delaney sealed the upset. The Saints avenged a 31-7 loss to the Knights on Oct. 1.

The two results set up a second-round rematch in the Battle of Old Shell Road. UMS-Wright beat St. Paul’s 31-0 on Oct. 16 for the program’s 700th win. St. Paul’s is 5-6.

McGill-Toolen 45, Faith Academy 0. The Yellow Jackets, the No. 2 seed from Region 1, shut out their Mobile rival for the second time this season after a 38-0 regular-season win.

Glenwood 42, St. Michael 35. Glenwood broke a 28-28 tie in the fourth quarter and held on, ending the Cardinals’ season at 6-5. Gunner Rivers returned from a knee injury and threw two touchdown passes, and afterward coach Philip Rivers would not say whether it was his final game before a possible move to N.C. State. Read the full story: Philip Rivers won’t say if it was his last game.

Private Class A: Mobile Christian, Cottage Hill Christian win; Bayside waits

Mobile Christian 31, Alabama Christian 12. The Leopards advance to a second-round trip to Montgomery Academy, which routed Providence Christian 50-6. Montgomery Academy receiver Jarrett Friendly caught two touchdown passes, giving him a school-record 19 this season and 37 for his career. Quarterback Reid McBride completed 8 of 9 passes for 169 yards and three touchdowns, and Ali Nelson ran for 147 yards and returned a kickoff 98 yards for a score.

Cottage Hill Christian 34, Trinity Presbyterian 17. Cottage Hill Christian won on the road in Montgomery.

Bayside Academy vs. Saint James, postponed. The Admirals’ home playoff game was moved to Saturday, Nov. 7, at 11 a.m. at Bayside Academy after a power outage in Daphne’s Olde Towne area. A tree reportedly struck a transformer, and power had been restored to some homes around 7:10 p.m. Friday. Representatives of both schools confirmed the new date and time.

Other area and regional scores

• Jackson 48, White Plains 31: Julian Hunt ran for 162 yards and three touchdowns as Jackson piled up 421 rushing yards and 578 total yards. Jaquan Morris was 10 of 11 passing for 132 yards and a touchdown, and Tristan Love added 101 rushing yards. White Plains was in its first playoff game since 1994.
• T.R. Miller 22, Talladega 14
• W.S. Neal 43, Handley 33
• Clarke County 30, Lanett 25
• Cleburne County 49, Escambia County 13
• Leroy 47, Verbena 0
• Brantley 29, Linden 0
• Billingsley 14, McIntosh 9
• Elba 52, J.F. Shields 22
• Maplesville 66, Choctaw County 14: Nehemiah McCary scored on runs of 52, 6 and 8 yards for the Class 1A No. 1 team. Choctaw County finished 6-5 after its fifth straight playoff trip.
• Reeltown 62, J.U. Blacksher 7
• Luverne 53, Ranburne 0
• Spain Park 38, Buckhorn 28

Around the state

• Class 6A: Vestavia Hills 50, Huntsville 12. Charlie Taafe threw five touchdown passes and ran for another as the Rebels built a 36-0 lead and rolled up 503 yards.
• Class 5A: Benjamin Russell 20, Central-Tuscaloosa 10. Alabama commitment Kingston Preyear threw for one touchdown and ran for another, and Josh Harriell ran for 161 yards. The Wildcats visit Spanish Fort next.
• Class 5A: Clay-Chalkville 62, Austin 7. Quarterback Cornelius Eldridge ran for three touchdowns and threw for another as five Cougars scored.
• Class 5A: Boaz 28, Gardendale 27 (OT). Boaz rallied from a 21-0 deficit and stopped Gardendale’s two-point try in overtime.
• Class 5A: Parker 54, Mae Jemison 12. RaKaveon Goldsmith threw three touchdown passes for the second-ranked Thundering Herd, which won its 10th straight.
• Class 4A: Oak Grove 7, Guntersville 0. Brooks Covin ran for 154 yards and the only touchdown as Oak Grove won its first playoff game since 2004.
• Class 4A: Moody 20, West Morgan 14. The defending Class 5A champion, now in 4A, made a goal-line stop at the 1 with 1:18 left.
• Class 3A: Curry 13, Geraldine 6. Curry won its first playoff game since 1996, beating the No. 2-ranked team in 3A on the road.
• Class 3A: Oneonta 63, Rogers 21. Oneonta led 63-7 at halftime as Cy Dilliapree ran for four touchdowns and Sam Garrison threw four.
• Single-A Private: Whitesburg Christian 21, Hope Christian 7. Whitesburg Christian won its first playoff game and next faces No. 1 Westbrook Christian.

Second-round games involving area teams

• Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa at Saraland (Class 5A)
• McAdory at Gulf Shores (Class 5A)
• Benjamin Russell at Spanish Fort (Class 5A)
• Foley at Auburn (Class 6A)
• Carver-Montgomery vs. Daphne (Class 6A)
• Orange Beach at Sipsey Valley-Andalusia winner (Class 4A)
• St. Paul’s vs. UMS-Wright (Private Class AA)
• Mobile Christian at Montgomery Academy (Private Class A)

Kickoff times and ticket information are set by the host schools, and many schools use digital ticketing for playoff games, so fans should check with the home team before heading out. The AHSAA posts updated brackets on its website as the postseason continues.

The road ends in Mobile

This is the first season under the AHSAA’s new format, which separates public and private schools for championship play and expanded the Class 6A bracket to six teams per region. All of the state championship games are scheduled for Dec. 2-5 at Hancock Whitney Stadium on the University of South Alabama campus in Mobile, giving every surviving area team a chance to finish its season close to home.

For a look at how the brackets took shape, see our first-round playoff preview.