Week 11 Takeaways: Fairhope Beats No. 1 Vigor, Rivers Weighs N.C. State as AHSAA Playoffs Arrive

FAIRHOPE, Ala. — The Week 11 takeaways from Alabama high school football start with a Baldwin County team that has arrived ahead of schedule. Fairhope beat Class 4A No. 1 Vigor 29-21 on Friday night, Oct. 30, capping a regular season that has turned the Pirates into a legitimate championship contender in Caleb Ross’ first year as head coach.

The regular season is now complete. The Alabama High School Athletic Association playoffs begin next week, and this postseason looks unlike any before it. Some Class 6A teams will open with a first-round bye, all 16 teams in Private Class AA earned a playoff spot, and the AHSAA will crown eight football champions for the first time after separating public and private schools for championship play. The five-week tournaments end in Mobile, where the title games are set for Dec. 2-5 at Hancock Whitney Stadium on the University of South Alabama campus.

Here is what stood out from the final week of the regular season, locally and around the state.

Fairhope is the real deal

When Fairhope hired Ross, plenty of people expected the Pirates to become a championship contender. Few expected it to happen this quickly.

Friday’s 29-21 win over Vigor came one week after Fairhope beat rival Daphne 27-24 on the road on Trey Garner’s 15-yard touchdown pass to Hayden Woodford with three seconds left. That game decided the Class 6A, Region 1 championship. Back-to-back signature wins against quality opponents have given the Pirates momentum at exactly the right time.

Vigor entered the game ranked No. 1 in Class 4A by the Alabama Sports Writers Association and with an 8-1 record after clinching the top seed in Class 4A, Region 1. The game did not count in either team’s region standings, but it gave Fairhope one more strong test before the postseason. Before the game, Ross noted that facing a physical team like Vigor was both an opportunity and a risk because of the bumps and bruises it can leave behind.

That is where Fairhope’s reward for winning the region comes in. The Pirates (8-2) have a first-round bye and will open the playoffs at home in the second round on Friday, Nov. 13. Every team wants to peak in the playoffs, and the extra week of rest gives Fairhope a chance to do that healthy.

Ross has done this before. He led McGill-Toolen to the Class 7A state championship in 2015 and to a runner-up finish in 2016. He arrived at Fairhope this year after Tim Carter, who led the Pirates for 11 seasons, retired from coaching.

Fairhope is one of several region champions resting next week. Prattville, the Class 6A, Region 3 champion, also has the week off.

Philip Rivers and the N.C. State question

N.C. State dismissed head coach Dave Doeren last week, and the move sparked immediate speculation about whether St. Michael coach Philip Rivers might be interested in the job, even though he has never coached in college.

Rivers addressed the situation Friday. He did not say outright that he is considering a move, but he made it clear that the possibility intrigues him. It is easy to understand why. N.C. State is his alma mater, where he started 51 straight games at quarterback from 2000 to 2003, and his son, Gunner Rivers, is committed to play for the Wolfpack.

Still, nothing is guaranteed. College coaching searches can take unexpected turns, and it is impossible to know exactly what lies ahead for Rivers or how N.C. State’s search will unfold.

In the meantime, St. Michael has a playoff run to start. The Cardinals lost 53-32 to Foley on Friday in their regular-season finale, snapping a six-game winning streak, but they remain a championship contender in Private Class AA. St. Michael hosts Glenwood of Phenix City in the first round next week. How Rivers’ future affects the Cardinals’ playoff mindset will be one of the storylines to follow as the postseason begins.

Gunner Rivers has missed most of the season after a knee injury in the opener and sat out the final two regular-season games. His father said Friday he hopes the senior quarterback will be ready for the playoff opener.

Westbrook Christian enters playoffs as a favorite

Westbrook Christian completed a perfect 10-0 regular season with a 10-6 win over Fyffe on Friday. Not since the 1990s, when Brodie Croyle was throwing touchdown passes to Brandon Greer, have the Warriors entered the postseason with expectations this high.

Westbrook has now won 10 games in back-to-back seasons, and second-year head coach Steve Smith knows how to win championships. Smith led Piedmont to five Class 3A state titles, in 2009, 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2021, along with two runner-up finishes. The Warriors enter the playoffs as a top contender to win the first AHSAA Private Class A championship.

A shootout between Central and Clay-Chalkville

One of the state’s wildest games of the night featured Central and Clay-Chalkville, who combined for nearly 1,000 yards of total offense and 110 points.

Central quarterback Bobby Coleman threw for 306 yards and five touchdowns, and running back Jayshaun Woodhouse ran for 220 yards and two scores. Clay-Chalkville quarterback C.J. Eldridge threw three touchdown passes and ran for three more.

The Cougars are likely to slip from the No. 1 spot in Class 5A after the result, while Central has established itself as a top-three team in Class 6A. Neither team would be a surprise in Mobile for championship week.

Quick hits from around Alabama

• Murphy ends on a high note: The Mobile school beat Moss Point, Miss., 23-10 to close its season. Murphy had scored only 26 points during a six-game losing streak that followed an earlier win over Elberta. The victory sends head coach Sherman Williams and the Panthers into the offseason on a positive note.
• Scottsboro perfect: Scottsboro finished the regular season 10-0 for the first time since 2016. The Wildcats reached the semifinals last season before losing to eventual state champion Moody.
• Hazel Green’s wait continues: Hazel Green (2-8) beat Priceville 41-37 to finish with a two-game winning streak. The program has never won a playoff game, going 0-8 all-time, and its search for a first postseason win will last until at least 2027.
• Demopolis misses the playoffs: Demopolis (3-7) missed the postseason for the first time since 1995 and closed the year with a 42-7 loss to Marbury on Thursday.
• Luverne’s streak rolls on: Luverne (9-1) earned another playoff berth, extending a postseason streak that dates to 1983.

How the new playoff format works

This season marks the first year of the AHSAA’s new structure. The association reclassified its member schools and created separate championship divisions for private schools, Private Class A and Private Class AA, alongside the public school classifications. The result is eight state champions instead of the usual seven.

Class 6A expanded its bracket to six teams per region, with the top two seeds in each region earning first-round byes. In Private Class AA, every team qualifies for the postseason, which turned the final weeks of the regular season into a race for seeding rather than survival.

For Mobile and Baldwin County fans, the change also brings championship week to their doorstep. Every title game will be played at Hancock Whitney Stadium, home of the South Alabama Jaguars, from Dec. 2-5.

Local playoff notes

• Fairhope (8-2): first-round bye; home game in the second round Nov. 13
• Daphne (7-3): first-round bye as Class 6A, Region 1’s No. 2 seed
• St. Michael (6-4): hosts Glenwood in the Private Class AA first round
• Foley (6-4): hosts JAG in the Class 6A first round
• Saraland (9-1): hosts Pelham in the Class 5A first round
• Gulf Shores (10-0): hosts Ramsey in the Class 5A first round