FAIRHOPE, Ala. — St. Michael quarterback Gunner Rivers will sit out the rest of the regular season, his father and coach, Philip Rivers, said Friday morning, Oct. 23. The decision comes less than two weeks after the North Carolina State commitment returned from an injury that had sidelined him since the season opener.
Philip Rivers said his son had not responded the way the coaching staff had hoped after playing two games in five days last week.
“He’s just not there yet,” Rivers said.
The Cardinals have two regular-season games left. St. Michael was scheduled to host Montgomery Catholic on Friday night in a game that will decide third place in Private Class AA, Region 1, then close the regular season against Foley on Oct. 30.
A return cut short
Gunner Rivers was hurt in St. Michael’s nationally televised season opener against Battle Ground Academy, a private school from Franklin, Tennessee. Earlier reporting described the injury as a knee injury suffered early in that game, and the senior missed the next several weeks.
He was back on the practice field by early October. In a radio interview on Oct. 8, Philip Rivers said his son’s return was close. “Don’t blink,” he said then, “because he will be out there before long.”
The return came quickly. Hurricane Isaias forced St. Michael’s game against Houston Academy, originally set for a Thursday, to be moved to Monday, Oct. 12. Gunner Rivers started that afternoon and played four series, completing 9 of 12 passes for 119 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown pass. St. Michael won 34-28 on a late touchdown run by junior running back Nygel Mitchell.
Four days later, on Friday, Oct. 16, the Cardinals traveled to Phenix City to face Glenwood. Rivers started and played the entire game except for the final three plays, completing 17 of 27 passes for 230 yards and four touchdowns with one interception in a 48-27 win.
After the Houston Academy game, Philip Rivers had said the plan was for Gunner to play the rest of the season, while adding that he kept reminding himself not to push it if his son was not right. On Friday, he said the quarterback needed more time.
Playoff status uncertain
Asked whether Gunner would be back for the playoffs, which begin in two weeks, Philip Rivers did not commit either way.
“We will see the week of,” he said.
St. Michael is assured of a postseason berth regardless of how the final two games go. All 16 teams in Private Class AA make the playoffs, which turns the final weeks of the regular season into a race for seeding rather than survival.
In Region 1, the first-round pairings send the No. 1 seed against No. 8, No. 2 against No. 7, No. 3 against No. 6 and No. 4 against No. 5. UMS-Wright and McGill-Toolen were set to settle the top two spots Friday night, while St. Michael and Montgomery Catholic entered their meeting tied at 4-2 in the region with the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds at stake.
Cardinals’ turnaround came largely without him
St. Michael has won five straight games after an 0-3 start and is 4-2 in region play. Most of that turnaround came with Gunner Rivers on the sideline.
The Cardinals’ early losses included close defeats, among them a 20-17 loss at McGill-Toolen on a field goal at the buzzer and a 17-13 loss to UMS-Wright in the region opener. Junior Marshall Pitre stepped in at quarterback, and Mitchell became the workhorse of the offense.
The winning streak started with a 39-35 comeback win over St. Paul’s. St. Michael followed with a 37-19 victory over then-No. 1 Bayside Academy, in which Mitchell ran for 240 yards and four touchdowns, and a win over Faith Academy. Mitchell then carried 34 times for 276 yards and four touchdowns in the Houston Academy win, the game in which Gunner Rivers returned.
With Gunner out again, the Cardinals are expected to lean on the same formula that carried them through September and early October.
Among the most prolific passers in state history
Even if he never throws another high school pass, Gunner Rivers has already secured a place among the most productive quarterbacks in Alabama High School Athletic Association history.
Entering his senior season, he had completed 65 percent of his passes for 10,200 yards and 111 touchdowns. He has added 433 yards and six touchdown passes in limited action this fall, bringing his career total to 10,633 passing yards.
He is one of only seven quarterbacks in AHSAA history to throw for more than 10,000 career yards. His current total ranks fourth on the state’s all-time list, behind:
- Trent Seaborn, Thompson
- Jack Hayes, Piedmont
- JaMarcus Russell, Williamson
Russell starred at Williamson High School in Mobile before playing at LSU and becoming the first overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. Seaborn, an Alabama commitment, became the state’s all-time leading passer earlier this season and is one of two quarterbacks on the Alabama roster for this year’s Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic, along with Saraland’s Jamison Roberts.
Gunner Rivers was not selected for the all-star game. Missing more than a month of the season hurt his candidacy.
Following his father to N.C. State
Gunner Rivers committed last February to North Carolina State, his father’s alma mater. Philip Rivers was a record-setting quarterback for the Wolfpack from 2000 to 2003, finishing as the program’s career passing leader with 13,484 yards.
The elder Rivers went on to a long NFL career with the Chargers and the Indianapolis Colts that included eight Pro Bowl selections and more than 63,000 passing yards. After retiring as a player, he settled in Fairhope and became head coach at St. Michael Catholic High School.
Under Philip Rivers, the program has quickly become a winner. Last season, the Cardinals won their first 13 games, and Gunner Rivers’ return at quarterback raised expectations for this fall before the opening-night injury.
Philip Rivers will also be part of the Alabama sideline at the all-star game. He has been named offensive coordinator for the Alabama team, which will face Mississippi on Saturday, Dec. 12, at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile.
What to know
- Who: St. Michael senior quarterback Gunner Rivers, a North Carolina State commitment
- What: Will not play in St. Michael’s final two regular-season games, according to his father and coach, Philip Rivers
- Why: Philip Rivers said Gunner did not respond as hoped after playing two games in five days last week; “He’s just not there yet”
- Playoffs: His status for the postseason, which begins in two weeks, will be evaluated that week
- Remaining schedule: Montgomery Catholic at St. Michael, Friday, Oct. 23; St. Michael vs. Foley, Friday, Oct. 30
- Career passing yards: 10,633, fourth in AHSAA history
