MOBILE, Ala. — Davidson edges B.C. Rain 21-20 on the strength of three perfect extra-point kicks and a late onside-kick recovery, giving the Warriors their first win of the season Thursday night, Oct. 29, and sparing the program the first winless season in school history.
Jeremiah Johnson ran for 125 yards, including a 64-yard touchdown run, and Ricardo Newman returned a kickoff 86 yards for a score. Junior kicker Jonas Dungan made all three of his point-after attempts, and that proved to be the difference in a game between two Mobile teams that entered the night without a victory.
The non-region game at Rain was the season finale for both teams. Rain finished 0-10.
A game decided by the kicks
Davidson struck first. Senior quarterback Micah Spivey threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Kingston Butler, and Dungan’s kick made it 7-0.
Rain answered when Darryl Blackmon threw a 49-yard touchdown pass to Braylon Fogg, but the Red Raiders missed the extra point and trailed 7-6. Davidson needed only one play to respond. Newman fielded the ensuing kickoff and returned it 86 yards for a touchdown, and Dungan’s kick put the Warriors ahead 14-6.
Blackmon connected with Joshua Mosley for a 16-yard touchdown before halftime, but Rain’s second extra-point attempt also missed, leaving Davidson ahead 14-12 at the break.
The teams traded touchdowns in the second half. In the third quarter, Johnson broke free for his 64-yard scoring run, and Dungan added another extra point for a 21-12 lead.
Rain did not quit. With 2:53 left, Blackmon scored on a 3-yard run, and the Red Raiders converted the two-point try to pull within 21-20. The missed kicks earlier in the game left them one point short.
Spivey finishes it
Rain needed the ball back, but Davidson recovered the ensuing onside kick. Spivey came up with the recovery, then picked up the final first down with 1:30 to play to let the Warriors run out the clock.
Davidson coach John Lambert said the moment fit his senior quarterback.
“Micah has been the heart and soul of this team all season, so it’s very fitting for him to finish it off for us,” Lambert said.
Spivey completed 12 of 19 passes for 150 yards and the touchdown to Butler. He said he did not play his best but was proud of the way the team responded.
“It wasn’t my best game tonight but I’m so proud of this team for rallying around each other for this win,” Spivey said.
For Rain, Blackmon was the centerpiece of the offense. He threw both touchdown passes, led the Red Raiders with 112 rushing yards on 17 carries and scored the late touchdown that set up the final drama.
What the result means for both programs
For Davidson, the win avoided a difficult piece of history. The Warriors had never gone through a season without a win, and Thursday night was their last chance to keep that from happening.
For Rain, the loss completed the third winless season in school history. The Red Raiders also went without a win in 2007 and 2018.
Both schools are part of the Mobile County Public School System. Davidson High School is in west Mobile, and B.C. Rain High School serves the Dauphin Island Parkway area in south Mobile.
Daphne beats Tate in late addition to schedule
Three other area teams opened the final week of the regular season Thursday night.
Daphne 18, Tate (Fla.) 13: The Trojans were originally scheduled to play Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa, but that game was canceled. Tate, from Cantonment, Fla., agreed to an end-of-season meeting, and Daphne came away with the win. The victory ended a two-game losing streak for the Trojans, who are 7-3.
Daphne’s losing streak included a 27-24 loss to Fairhope on Oct. 23 in the game that decided the Class 6A, Region 1 championship. As the region’s No. 2 seed, Daphne receives a first-round bye in the expanded Class 6A playoffs and will play on Nov. 13 against the winner of next week’s first-round game between Robertsdale and Carver-Montgomery.
Saraland tops Auburn; St. Luke’s finishes .500
Saraland 48, Auburn 34: The Spartans won their eighth straight game and finished the regular season 9-1 after breaking a 13-13 halftime tie against the Class 6A Tigers. It was the first time during the winning streak that Saraland scored fewer than 50 points. Saraland has outscored its opponents 521-151 this season and has played in four consecutive state championship games, winning the Class 6A title in 2022. The Spartans host Pelham in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs.
St. Luke’s 43, Choctaw County 28: The win gave the Wildcats a 5-5 record in Rick Cauley’s first season as head coach and snapped a three-game losing streak. St. Luke’s season scoring totals nearly mirrored its record; the Wildcats outscored opponents 162-160. The loss ended a four-game winning streak for Choctaw County, which is 6-4 and heads to the Class 1A playoffs next week against Maplesville, the top-ranked team in Class 1A in the latest Alabama Sports Writers Association poll.
Thursday’s results at a glance
- Davidson 21, B.C. Rain 20
- Daphne 18, Tate (Fla.) 13
- Saraland 48, Auburn 34
- St. Luke’s 43, Choctaw County 28
Key performers
- Jeremiah Johnson, Davidson: 125 rushing yards, 64-yard TD run
- Micah Spivey, Davidson: 12 of 19, 150 yards, 2-yard TD pass; recovered onside kick
- Ricardo Newman, Davidson: 86-yard kickoff return TD
- Jonas Dungan, Davidson: 3 of 3 extra points
- Darryl Blackmon, B.C. Rain: TD passes of 49 and 16 yards; 17 carries, 112 yards, 3-yard TD run
Most other area teams closed the regular season Friday night. The Alabama High School Athletic Association playoffs begin next week, and all of the state championship games will be played Dec. 2-5 at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile.
