DAPHNE, Ala. — St. Michael Catholic came into the season built around one of the state’s most anticipated quarterbacks. On Friday night, with that quarterback still on the mend, the Cardinals looked plenty dangerous anyway. Junior running back Nygel Mitchell ran 34 times for 240 yards and four touchdowns, and St. Michael rolled to a 37-19 road win over Bayside Academy, the No. 1-ranked team in Private Class A.
Mitchell accounted for 26 points on his own, scoring on runs of 17, 9, 62 and 7 yards and adding a two-point conversion run. Junior quarterback Marshall Pitre, filling in for injured senior Gunner Rivers, completed 12 of 16 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown.
The win was the second straight for St. Michael, which improved to 2-3. Bayside, previously unbeaten, fell to 4-1.
At a Glance
- Final: St. Michael Catholic 37, Bayside Academy 19
- Where: Bayside Academy, Daphne
- Records: St. Michael 2-3; Bayside 4-1
- Player of the game: Nygel Mitchell, 34 carries, 240 yards, 4 rushing TDs, a two-point run and an 18-yard catch
- Passing: Marshall Pitre (SM) 12-of-16, 140 yards, 1 TD; Davis Barnett (BA) 23-of-33, 204 yards, 1 TD
- Next: St. Michael hosts Faith Academy; Bayside visits Cottage Hill Christian on Friday, Oct. 2
Bayside Strikes First, Then Loses Control
The Admirals looked every bit the top-ranked team on the opening possession, marching for a touchdown capped by Sam Cunningham’s 2-yard run.
That was the last time Bayside had the upper hand. St. Michael answered with 30 consecutive points, and its drive chart for most of the night was close to flawless. The Cardinals scored touchdowns on three straight possessions, missed a 41-yard field goal on the final play of the first half, scored again after the break and were not stopped until they turned the ball over on downs early in the fourth quarter. By then, the outcome was settled.
Bayside junior quarterback Davis Barnett completed 23 of 33 passes for 204 yards, including a 34-yard touchdown pass to tight end Ladd Powers. But the Admirals could not keep pace with a St. Michael offense that controlled the ball on the ground.
Mitchell’s Career Night
Mitchell has been the engine of the Cardinals’ offense since Rivers went down, and Friday was the best game of his career.
His four touchdown runs varied in style: two from inside the 10, one from 17 yards and a 62-yard burst that showed off his breakaway speed. He also caught an 18-yard pass. His 34 carries reflected just how heavily St. Michael leaned on him.
The opposing coach was among his biggest admirers afterward.
“He’s a great football player,” said Bayside coach Barrett Trotter. “He’s got great vision and explosion. He’s strong. He’ll be tough for anyone who plays them.”
Mitchell’s production this fall has been remarkable. He ran for 236 yards and two touchdowns in a 17-13 loss to UMS-Wright, and he went into last week’s game against St. Paul’s with 476 rushing yards on 73 carries. Against the Saints, he added 170 yards and two scores, including a 73-yard run, as St. Michael rallied for a 39-35 win.
St. Michael coach Philip Rivers said the Cardinals know they are asking a lot of him.
“Nygel has been awesome. He’s been a warrior. We knew he was going to be big all season. But we’ve been leaning on him a little more. We’ve got to keep him healthy,” Rivers said.
Mitchell, for his part, was already thinking about the film.
“Overall, I think I had a pretty good game, but I’m going to go this weekend and see what I can improve on. We put a lot of trust in Marshall. He is definitely developing great. When Gunner gets back, we know we’re going to continue to be good,” Mitchell said.
Pitre Keeps Growing Into the Job
Pitre was efficient and mistake-free, completing 12 of his 16 passes. His touchdown came on a 5-yard throw to Braedyn Walton, the receiver who caught the winning touchdown against St. Paul’s a week earlier.
The junior has grown into the role steadily. Against St. Paul’s, he completed 21 of 32 passes for 174 yards and three touchdowns. Friday, with Mitchell carrying the load, Pitre’s job was to keep the chains moving when needed, and he did.
Gunner Rivers Update
St. Michael’s preseason expectations centered on Gunner Rivers, the coach’s son and a North Carolina State commitment. He was hurt midway through the first quarter of the season opener against Battle Ground Academy of Tennessee and has not played since.
The Cardinals expect him back from the knee injury in time for a postseason run. Rivers said his recovery is still a work in progress.
“It still hurts, so I’m not doing much yet,” he said. “But I’ll hopefully be back in a couple of weeks.”
From 0-3 to a Two-Game Streak
St. Michael’s start was surprising for a program that entered the season with high expectations. The Cardinals won their first 13 games last season and were ranked No. 1 in Class 4A before losing in the state semifinals.
This year began with three straight losses: the opener against Battle Ground Academy, a 17-13 loss to UMS-Wright and a 20-17 loss at McGill-Toolen. Even at 0-3, the Cardinals were receiving votes in the Private Class AA poll.
The turnaround started last week at E.E. Delaney Stadium in Mobile, where St. Michael erased an 18-point third-quarter deficit to beat St. Paul’s 39-35 on a touchdown pass with 1:09 left. Friday’s win over the state’s top-ranked Class A private school was a different kind of statement: after the opening drive, St. Michael was in control the rest of the night.
Rivers said the goal now is consistency.
“We are trying to string something together now after getting our first win last week,” Rivers said. “We’ve got a lot of football left. We’re playing better and we started practicing better this week. Hopefully, we can start stringing some of these together.”
Two Former College Quarterbacks on the Sidelines
Friday’s game matched two head coaches who played quarterback at a high level.
Rivers set records at North Carolina State, where he threw for 13,484 yards from 2000 to 2003, and went on to a long NFL career with the Chargers and Colts that included eight Pro Bowl selections and more than 63,000 passing yards. He became St. Michael’s head coach after retiring from the NFL and made a brief return to the Colts in December 2025 before resuming his work in Fairhope.
Trotter played quarterback at Auburn. He was the backup to Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton on the Tigers’ 2010 national championship team, then became the starter in 2011 and led Auburn to a Chick-fil-A Bowl win over Virginia. After coaching stops that included the NFL’s Rams, North Carolina and Auburn, he was named Bayside’s head coach in February 2023.
Trotter did not sugarcoat his team’s performance.
“There is a lot we could have done to make that game a whole lot better than it was. There’s a lot we can improve on,” Trotter said.
What It Means for Bayside
The loss does not affect Bayside’s standing in Private Class A, Region 1. St. Michael plays in Private Class AA, the classification created for larger private schools when the Alabama High School Athletic Association split public and private championships beginning this school year. That made Friday’s game a nonregion contest between two Baldwin County rivals.
Still, the Admirals have little time to regroup. Barnett, who completed 54 of 66 passes for 816 yards and 13 touchdowns without an interception through his first three games, will lead Bayside through a demanding stretch of region games: at Cottage Hill Christian on Oct. 2, at Providence Christian on Oct. 9 and at home against Mobile Christian on Oct. 16.
Bayside, which opened in Daphne in 1970, is best known statewide for a volleyball program that won 21 straight state championships. The football team had rolled through its first four games, including a 49-7 win over Bayshore Christian and a 55-6 win over St. Luke’s, before running into St. Michael’s ground game.
Why a 2-3 Record Is Not a Crisis
The AHSAA’s new structure gives St. Michael room to recover from its slow start. Private Class AA includes 16 schools, and all 16 will qualify for the postseason, so region results shape seeding rather than determining whether a team gets in. Private Class A, where Bayside competes, is a larger group of 28 schools.
For a St. Michael team that expects to have Gunner Rivers back for the playoffs, that means the rest of the regular season is about building momentum and sharpening an offense that already appears to have found its footing.
What’s Next for St. Michael
St. Michael, which opened in Fairhope in 2016 under the Archdiocese of Mobile, returns home next Friday to face Faith Academy. The Cardinals will look for their third straight win as they continue to wait for their starting quarterback.
If Friday was any indication, the Cardinals have found a formula that works in the meantime: a steady young quarterback and a junior running back who, as the opposing coach put it, will be tough for anyone who plays them.
Did You Know?
The two head coaches on the sideline Friday combined to pass for 14,732 yards as college quarterbacks. St. Michael coach Philip Rivers threw for 13,484 yards to become the leading passer in North Carolina State history, while Bayside coach Barrett Trotter threw for 1,248 yards at Auburn, earning a national championship ring as a backup to Cam Newton in 2010 before starting the following season.