Week 7 of the high school football season brings a showdown between unbeaten Class 4A powers, a pair of 5A running backs chasing 1,000 yards and a long list of games with playoff consequences. With rain in the late-week forecast, much of the action shifts to Thursday night, so fans should double-check kickoff times before heading out.
Here is what to know about this week’s slate across Mobile, Baldwin and the surrounding counties.
Game of the Week: No. 6 Orange Beach at No. 1 Williamson
Thursday, 7 p.m.
Orange Beach is off to a 6-0 start, the best in school history, and coach Wade Waldrop says none of it has caught his staff off guard. The signs, he said, were there long before the season opened.
“Everything we are seeing — we saw it in spring practice, and we saw it in the summer,” Waldrop said. “We saw the ability of our guys to do things the right way consistently. There have been multiple days where we walked off the practice field and just kind of looked at each other as coaches and thought, ‘We have a chance to be pretty good.'”
The numbers back that up. The Makos have outscored opponents 216-46. Four teams have been held to seven points or fewer, and no one has scored more than 19, including Vigor, which Orange Beach upset 21-19 on Sept. 4.
Williamson will be the toughest test yet. The game was originally set for Friday but moved up a day because of the rain threat. The Lions have outscored opponents 161-18, and every one of those 18 points came in a 19-18 road win at Pine Forest in Pensacola, Fla., on Sept. 10. Orange Beach is 3-0 in Class 4A, Region 1, and Williamson is 2-0, so the winner takes control of the region race.
Waldrop did not hold back in his praise for the Lions.
“They are super talented,” he said. “They play fast, are physical, strong, well coached. The linebacker (Florida commit Ellis McGaskin) is as good as I’ve seen in high school football, and I’ve had a couple of good ones. The defensive backs are good, the offensive and defensive lines are big and physical. They have every piece you need to be successful.”
Players to watch
- Orange Beach: Sophomore quarterback Tucker Wade is completing 70% of his passes for 727 yards and 11 touchdowns. Senior receiver Verchaun Simms has 22 catches for 297 yards and seven scores. Senior Luke Reed and junior John Watters Gentry lead the defense with 42 tackles apiece.
- Williamson: Quarterback Thad Wilder has thrown for 693 yards and six touchdowns while completing 61% of his passes. Senior Jakenyon Allen has nine catches for 246 yards and three scores, and sophomore Nathaniel Mitchell has run for 493 yards and seven touchdowns on 48 carries. McGaskin has 35 tackles, seven tackles for loss and three sacks for a defense that also features Oklahoma commit Jaylen Scott, sophomore defensive back Captain Munnerlyn Jr. and junior defensive lineman Demarcus Dale-Brown.
Waldrop said the formula for an upset is simple to describe and hard to execute: no turnovers, few penalties and no mistakes in the kicking game. He said his team left 14 points on the field against Vigor and cannot afford to do that again.
“We definitely can’t create points for them because, if we do, it will snowball,” he said. “In a lot of their games, it seems like the opponent gets to a point where they are just like, ‘We’re done.’ We can’t get to that point.”
Five More Games to Watch
All games kick off at 7 p.m.
No. 3 Bayside Academy (4-1) at Cottage Hill Christian (4-1), Friday
Bayside leads Private Class A, Region 1 at 3-0, while Cottage Hill is 2-1. The Admirals are coming off their first loss, a 37-19 defeat to Private Class AA St. Michael, but Barrett Trotter’s team has still outscored opponents 223-68. Junior quarterback Davis Barnett is completing 79% of his passes for 1,384 yards and 21 touchdowns without an interception, and seven different receivers have caught a touchdown pass, led by Ladd Powers with five.
Cottage Hill has won three straight since a loss to Mobile Christian, scoring at least 42 points in each. Junior quarterback Shamar Toodle is completing 78% of his passes for 1,058 yards and 13 touchdowns and has added 304 rushing yards and two scores on 26 carries.
Mary G. Montgomery (2-3) at Baker (2-3), Friday
The Battle of West Mobile carries less weight in the standings than usual. Mary G. Montgomery is serving restrictive probation and is ineligible for the postseason this year, so its region games do not count in the standings. Both teams, though, are looking for second-half momentum.
The Vikings have won two of their last three, beating Robertsdale and Alma Bryant, and Alex Page’s team plays four of its last five on the road. Senior running back Kam Smith leads the offense with 677 yards and eight touchdowns on 98 carries. Baker has lost back-to-back close road games, 22-19 at Daphne and 48-45 at Foley, but Eric Scott’s team gets four of its final five at home. Senior quarterback Tate Graham is completing 66% of his passes for 1,034 yards and six touchdowns, with five interceptions.
Providence Christian (3-2) at No. 4 Mobile Christian (5-1), Friday
Mobile Christian is 3-0 in Private Class A, Region 1, and Providence Christian is 2-1. The Eagles, from Dothan, have lost to Cottonwood 42-7 and Cottage Hill 46-14, and they face a heavy travel load in the second half, with trips to Mobile Christian this week, Snook Christian in Foley on Oct. 16 and St. Luke’s in Mobile on Oct. 23.
The Leopards have won four straight since their only loss at Presbyterian in Mississippi on Aug. 28. They have averaged 53.6 points over their last three games and scored 43 fourth-quarter points in last week’s win at St. Stanislaus in Bay St. Louis, Miss., where Hakeem Winston, Landon Stewart and Tristan Aragon each scored twice.
Theodore (3-2) at Blount (2-3), Thursday
This is a pivotal Class 5A, Region 1 game. Theodore is 2-1 in the region and Blount is 1-2, with both chasing playoff spots behind leaders Gulf Shores (3-0), Spanish Fort (3-0) and Saraland (2-1). Theodore still has Spanish Fort and Gulf Shores ahead, and Blount visits Saraland on Oct. 16.
The game features two of the state’s most productive running backs. Theodore senior Kendrick Able Jr. has 808 yards and nine touchdowns on 107 carries, and Blount junior Keevaughn Johnson has 864 yards and eight touchdowns on 121 carries. Both are averaging better than 7 yards per carry. It is also a meeting of first-year head coaches: Randy Larson at Theodore and Gus Smith at Blount.
No. 3 Vigor (4-1) at LeFlore (4-2), Thursday
Vigor is 1-1 in Class 4A, Region 1, and LeFlore is 1-2. Both are coming off impressive wins over larger schools. The Wolves won 20-10 at Class 5A Benjamin Russell in Alexander City, where Texas commit Jabarrius Garror was credited with 2.5 sacks of Alabama commit Kingston Preyear and the defense held the Wildcats to 25 rushing yards and 0-for-10 on third down. Vigor has won two straight since its loss at Orange Beach.
LeFlore ended a two-game skid by beating Class 6A Alma Bryant 44-14, scoring the last 37 points. Ryion Austin caught three passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns, and Khale Perine ran for 73 yards and two scores on 12 carries.
History favors the Wolves. LeFlore has not beaten Vigor on the field since 2009; its only win since came by forfeit in 2013. Vigor has outscored the Rattlers 141-0 in the last three meetings.
Player to Watch: Nygel Mitchell, St. Michael
St. Michael junior running back Nygel Mitchell has carried the Cardinals’ offense since starting quarterback Gunner Rivers was hurt in Week 1. Mitchell has 907 yards and 10 touchdowns on 130 carries, about 7 yards per attempt. Last week against Bayside Academy, he ran 34 times for 240 yards and scored on runs of 17, 9, 62 and 7 yards, a performance that earned him Player of the Week honors. St. Michael hosts Faith Academy on Thursday.
Under-the-Radar Game: St. Paul’s (2-3) at No. 5 Montgomery Catholic (4-2)
Thursday
St. Paul’s is 1-2 in Private Class AA, Region 1, and Montgomery Catholic is 3-0. Every Private Class AA team qualifies for the postseason, since the classification has 16 teams, but seeding is still on the line.
The Saints are working through season-ending injuries to quarterback Hayden Fincher and running back Ty Sellers. Coach Ham Barnett is expected to lean more on Roberts Law and sophomore running back Sam Frazer, with Murphy Fromdahl stepping in at quarterback. Montgomery Catholic had a three-game winning streak end in a 24-21 loss at No. 1 Briarwood Christian, where quarterback Will Blackwell went 15-of-19 for 214 yards and two touchdowns.
This is only the second meeting between the schools. St. Paul’s won the first, 17-7, in 1980.
Did You Know?
Elberta snapped a 15-game losing streak with a 52-18 win over Chickasaw last week. The Warriors’ previous win was 44-6 over Marbury on Nov. 1, 2024. Two teams in Mobile and Baldwin counties are still searching for their first win: Davidson (0-5), which visits Foley on Thursday, and B.C. Rain (0-6), which hosts Citronelle.
Week 7 Schedule
Because of the forecast, many area games were moved from Friday to Thursday. See our full rundown of the schedule changes. Confirm times with the schools, since more changes are possible.
Thursday, Oct. 1
- Bayshore Christian at Snook
- Citronelle at B.C. Rain
- Davidson at Foley
- Elberta at Saraland
- Excel at T.R. Miller
- Faith Academy at St. Michael
- Fruitdale at Marengo
- Gulf Shores at Baldwin County
- Hillcrest-Evergreen at Clarke County
- J.F. Shields at Sweet Water
- Leroy at Millry
- McGill-Toolen at Houston Academy
- McIntosh at Southern Choctaw
- Murphy at Spanish Fort
- Orange Beach at Williamson
- Robertsdale at Daphne
- St. Luke’s at Northside Methodist
- St. Paul’s at Montgomery Catholic
- Theodore at Blount
- Vigor at LeFlore
Friday, Oct. 2
- Bayside Academy at Cottage Hill Christian
- Clarke Prep at Southern Academy
- Escambia Academy at Cornerstone Christian (8-man)
- Fairhope at Alma Bryant
- Flomaton at Escambia County
- Jackson at W.S. Neal
- Mary G. Montgomery at Baker
- Monroe Academy at Bessemer Academy
- Monroe County at Luverne
- Morgan Academy at Jackson Academy
- Providence Christian at Mobile Christian
- Thomasville at J.U. Blacksher
- UMS-Wright at Glenwood
- Washington County at Choctaw County
- Wilcox Academy at South Choctaw Academy