FAIRHOPE — Fairhope knew how it wanted to attack Foley, and it never deviated.
The Pirates put the game on their offensive line, kept pounding the football and never gave the Lions much relief. The result was a 42-28 rivalry victory Friday night at W.C. Majors Field, powered by three rushing touchdowns from Nic Ronsisvalle, two touchdown passes from Trey Garner and a defense that forced two first-half turnovers.
“We thought going into the game that we could run the football. We really did, and we knew we were going to put this on our line,” Fairhope head coach Caleb Ross said. “We just weren’t going to relent.”
Fairhope finished with 383 yards of total offense and scored four of its six touchdowns on the ground. The Pirates improved to 2-1 overall and 1-0 in Class 6A Region 1, while Foley fell to 1-2 and 0-1 in region play.
Foley Struck First
The Lions opened the scoring when Makai Holmes went in from 10 yards out with 5:53 left in the first quarter. Alberto Vargas added the extra point for a 7-0 lead.
Fairhope answered through the air. Garner connected with Jonathon Eriksen for an eight-yard touchdown with 1:27 remaining in the quarter, and Leo Palumbo’s extra point tied it at seven.
Eleven seconds later, Cooper Bell intercepted Foley for the first of two takeaways that would tilt the first half.
A 21-Point Second Quarter
Garner put Fairhope ahead early in the second, finding Hayden Woodford for a 10-yard touchdown at the 10:31 mark. Palumbo’s kick made it 14-7.
Bell struck again less than two minutes later, recording his second interception with 8:27 left in the half.
From there Fairhope increasingly imposed itself on the ground. Ronsisvalle scored from a yard out with 5:28 remaining. The extra point was blocked, leaving the Pirates ahead 20-7 — a detail that briefly mattered.
Holmes answered with his second touchdown of the night, from a yard out with 4:03 left. Vargas’ extra point pulled Foley within 20-14 and gave the Lions a chance to take a one-score deficit into halftime.
Fairhope had other plans. Ronsisvalle scored again on a four-yard run with 10 seconds remaining before the break, and Garner ran in the two-point conversion to restore a two-touchdown cushion at 28-14.
The sequence capped a 21-point second quarter and demonstrated exactly the commitment Ross wanted.
“I think we called five plays all night, back to back to back,” Ross said. “You just kept running, kept running them. The way we prepare, the way we train, our guys are built for this. They’re built to play a four-quarter game.”
Credit Up Front
Ronsisvalle sent the credit forward.
“My O-line definitely made a hole, and I bursted through it,” Ronsisvalle said of his biggest run. “Had to make a cut, made it, and it was the right decision at the right time. It was a big play. I can’t thank my O-line enough.”
Ross said his tailback was built for the night Fairhope wanted.
“He’s a powerful runner,” Ross said. “He’s a great kid, and he thrives on a game like this.”
Second Half
Fairhope kept pounding in the third. Tucker Roach scored on an eight-yard run with 5:12 remaining, and Palumbo’s extra point pushed the lead to 35-14.
Foley never stopped finding room of its own. Bryson Garcia provided several big runs that moved the chains, and the Lions finished a drive with a touchdown at the 1:35 mark. Vargas’ extra point cut the margin to 35-21 entering the fourth.
Ronsisvalle completed his three-touchdown night with another four-yard scoring run with 9:11 left. Palumbo’s kick made it 42-21, Fairhope’s largest lead.
Foley needed 23 seconds to answer. Jaxson Dixon found open space and broke loose for a 60-plus-yard touchdown run, showing the ability to turn one play into points that makes him a constant threat. Vargas’ extra point made it 42-28 with 8:48 to play.
Fairhope responded by returning to what had worked. Rather than chasing another quick score, the Pirates leaned on the ground game and drained the clock. The defense finished it, with Luke Clausheide recording a late sack.
What Beat Foley
Lions head coach Bryan Moore did not need long to identify the problem.
“All the runs,” Moore said.
Asked about the plays that shifted momentum, he pointed to the turnovers.
“Yeah, our two turnovers,” Moore said. “Early in the game, we drive down, have a great drive, and truthfully, we drove it all night except for shooting ourselves in the foot, having a turnover. So we just got to clean it up.”
Foley continued to compete after falling behind by three touchdowns.
“Our kids are fighting,” Moore said. “They’re playing for each other. We just got to play better.”
No Doubt on the Other Sideline
Ronsisvalle said Fairhope’s confidence never wavered.
“We knew we were going to win this,” he said. “There was no doubt in any of our minds. We were pushing through. We played every single down to the best of our ability and no one ever gave up.”
The occasion added to the night.
“You can see just by looking at the stands,” Ronsisvalle said. “Everybody knows this is one of the best and most physical games that’s going to be played this year.”
Defining Moments
Blocked PAT opens the door. Ronsisvalle’s one-yard touchdown gave Fairhope a 20-7 lead midway through the second quarter, but Foley blocked the extra point. The Lions capitalized with Holmes’ second touchdown, cutting the deficit to 20-14 before the Pirates answered just before halftime.
Dixon strikes back. Fairhope appeared to have comfortable separation at 42-21 in the fourth. Dixon erased seven points of it almost immediately with a 60-plus-yard touchdown just 23 seconds later, keeping Foley within two scores.
Obscure Observations
Four Pirates found the end zone. Fairhope’s six touchdowns were spread among four players. Ronsisvalle accounted for three on the ground, Roach added another rushing score, and Eriksen and Woodford each caught touchdown passes from Garner.
Garner’s fingerprints were everywhere. The quarterback threw two touchdown passes and converted the Pirates’ lone two-point attempt with his legs, directly accounting for 14 points without scoring a touchdown himself.
The Series
Fairhope’s victory marked its second straight over Foley after the Pirates won 38-13 last season. The all-time record between the schools now stands at 54-46-4 in favor of the Lions — a margin that has been narrowing.
The Blue & Gold Trophy stays in Fairhope.
Up Next
Fairhope (2-1) travels to Mary Montgomery (1-2) on Friday, Sept. 11. Foley (1-2) goes to Alma Bryant (1-2) the same night.
For Fairhope, a 1-0 start in Class 6A Region 1 is worth more than the trophy. Region records determine playoff seeding, and opening region play with a win over a rival removes a great deal of pressure from the games that follow. For Foley, an 0-1 region start against the toughest opponent on the early schedule leaves margin, but not much of it.