MOBILE, Ala. — Friday’s Week 9 football scores across Coastal Alabama were headlined by a quarterback’s comeback and a gamble that came up one play short. St. Michael’s Gunner Rivers threw four touchdown passes in his first full game since a season-opening knee injury, and Mary G. Montgomery intercepted a 2-point conversion pass in the final minute to hold off sixth-ranked Daphne 20-19.
Fairhope bounced back from its first loss in more than a month with a lopsided win over Davidson, Foley turned five takeaways into a 45-0 halftime lead at Robertsdale, and Faith Academy rode a big night from Theo Jackson past Houston Academy.
The weekend’s marquee game was played a night earlier, when No. 3 Vigor shut out No. 1 Williamson 12-0 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium to create a three-way tie atop Class 4A, Region 1.
Mary G. Montgomery 20, Daphne 19
Daphne put together a 17-play, 83-yard drive in the closing minutes and scored with 33 seconds left to pull within a point. Rather than kick for a tie, the Trojans went for the win. Mary G. Montgomery’s Ashton Darrington stepped in front of the 2-point pass in the left corner of the end zone, and the Vikings held on at E.S. Grider Stadium.
Kam Smith then recovered Daphne’s onside kick attempt, and the Vikings closed it out.
“It took trusting the process,” Mary G. Montgomery coach Alex Page said. “Every play is a new play, and it came down to the final one. We executed and picked it off. Then we closed it off with the hands team, something we work on every day.”
Smith carried the Vikings’ offense, rushing 34 times for 193 yards and three touchdowns on runs of 2, 13 and 3 yards. Mary G. Montgomery scored on drives of 39, 80 and 80 yards.
Daphne quarterback Christian Segar, who led a second-half comeback at Foley a week earlier, completed 16 of 23 passes for 188 yards and a touchdown. Tay Young ran eight times for 32 yards and a 1-yard score, and Kaden Brown added a 4-yard touchdown run. The Trojans twice pulled even, at 7-7 and 13-13 in the third quarter, on scoring drives of 29 and 70 yards.
Daphne coach Kenny King stood by the decision to go for two.
“We were having some problems kicking all game,” King said. “We had an opportunity to win the game, but unfortunately it didn’t work out. I would have made that call 100 times.”
The loss ended Daphne’s winning streak and dropped the Trojans to 6-2. Mary G. Montgomery improved to 5-3. The Vikings are ineligible for the postseason this fall because of Alabama High School Athletic Association sanctions over recruiting violations, and their games do not count in the Class 6A, Region 1 standings; without those penalties, they would be in first place in the region.
Next: Mary G. Montgomery travels to Foley, and Daphne hosts Fairhope on Friday, Oct. 23.
St. Michael 48, Glenwood 27
Gunner Rivers looked like himself again. Playing all but three snaps in his second game back from the knee injury he suffered in the season opener, the St. Michael quarterback completed 17 of 27 passes for 230 yards and four touchdowns, with one interception, as the Cardinals won their fifth straight game.
Rivers, a North Carolina State commitment and the son of St. Michael coach Philip Rivers, had played only four series in Monday’s 34-28 win over Houston Academy, a game moved because of Hurricane Isaias.
Junior running back Nygel Mitchell kept rolling. Four days after running for 276 yards against Houston Academy, he carried 21 times for 280 yards and three touchdowns.
Braedyn Walton was a threat on both sides of the ball. He caught nine passes for 95 yards and three touchdowns and returned an interception 99 yards for another score.
St. Michael, which started the season 0-3, improved to 5-3 overall and 4-2 in Class AA private school play. Glenwood fell to 3-5 and 1-5.
Next: St. Michael hosts Montgomery Catholic.
Fairhope 42, Davidson 13
Fairhope wasted no time shaking off last week’s 31-21 home loss to Baker. The Pirates scored the game’s first 35 points and led 35-0 at halftime.
Quarterback Trey Garner threw touchdown passes to Evans Wilcoxon and Braden Bradley. Running back Nic Ronsisvalle, who came into the night with 14 rushing touchdowns, added three more, and Ashton Null returned an interception for a touchdown.
Fairhope, in its first season under coach Caleb Ross, improved to 6-2 overall and 4-1 in Class 6A, Region 1. Davidson remains winless.
Next: Fairhope visits rival Daphne, and Davidson hosts Alma Bryant.
Foley 52, Robertsdale 7
Foley’s defense took the ball away five times, and the Lions’ offense made Robertsdale pay almost every time. Foley built a 45-0 halftime lead in a Class 6A, Region 1 game between longtime Baldwin County rivals.
The Lions recovered four fumbles and got an interception from Javious Knight, and those turnovers set up 35 of their 45 first-half points. Foley scored on seven of its first eight possessions and piled up 359 of its 422 total yards before the break.
Alberto Vargas opened the scoring with a 29-yard field goal. After Robertsdale’s first fumble, Judah Spencer threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Jaxson Dixon for a 10-0 lead. Dixon finished with two touchdowns and 193 yards of total offense.
Foley, which lost to Daphne 24-17 a week ago, improved to 5-3 overall and 4-2 in the region.
Next: Foley hosts Mary G. Montgomery.
Faith Academy 20, Houston Academy 6
Theo Jackson turned in one of the best defensive games in the area this week, making 12 tackles with a sack and two interceptions. He returned one of the interceptions for a touchdown.
Faith improved to 3-5 overall and 1-5 in region play. Houston Academy, from Dothan, fell to 0-7 and 0-6 on its second trip to the Gulf Coast in five days. The Raiders lost 34-28 at St. Michael on Monday afternoon.
Next: Faith Academy hosts Glenwood.
Leroy clinches 1A, Region 1 title; around the state
In Washington County, Leroy beat Southern Choctaw 28-6 to clinch the Class 1A, Region 1 championship. Jace Sellers completed 14 of 28 passes for 167 yards and three touchdowns, hitting Ayden Tolbert from 4 yards, Noal Bragg from 11 yards and Jayden Collins from 13 yards. Ian White ran for 111 yards and an 8-yard touchdown.
Southern Choctaw quarterback Quentorius Bender scored on a 35-yard keeper and finished with 77 rushing yards on 13 carries. The Bears (7-2, 6-0) have won seven straight since an 0-2 start; the Indians fell to 3-5 and 3-3.
“This wasn’t our best performance of the season but I’m happy to walk out with a win,” Leroy coach Chan Lowe said.
Lowe saved his praise for the defense. “I am really proud of the way our defense played tonight,” he said. “With the exception of that one big play, they were able to contain Southern Choctaw’s offense.”
Elsewhere in Alabama on Friday:
- American Christian 51, Westminster Christian 0: The fourth-ranked Patriots scored seven first-half touchdowns. Sam Taylor was 12-for-12 passing for 121 yards and three touchdowns. American Christian (8-0, 6-0) hosts top-ranked Briarwood next week for the Class AA private, Region 2 title.
- Vestavia Hills 27, Hewitt-Trussville 24: Sloan Morgan kicked a 43-yard field goal with 2:51 left, his second of the fourth quarter, and Charlie Taaffe ran 36 times for 185 yards and three touchdowns in a Class 6A, Region 3 matchup of top-10 teams.
- Briarwood: Jamison Barnes threw three touchdown passes as the Lions improved to 9-0 with a home win over Randolph.
- Clay-Chalkville: Cornelius Eldridge threw for 352 yards and four touchdowns and ran for another as the Cougars won their sixth straight, against St. Clair County.
- Homewood 42, Chilton County 0: Homewood outgained Chilton County 457-107 to stay unbeaten in Class 5A, Region 4.
- Mountain Brook 41, Chelsea 0: Beau Payne ran for 206 yards and two touchdowns.
- Pelham 35, Calera 28: Dylan Smith threw for 182 yards and three touchdowns.
- Oneonta 38, Etowah 7: Oneonta ran for 250 yards and returned two interceptions for touchdowns in a meeting of the top two teams in Class 3A, Region 6.
- Gardendale 35, Huffman 21: MJ Tyson scored on runs of 75, 52, 11 and 2 yards, and Camree Gooden’s 36-yard interception return gave the Rockets the lead for good.
One week left in region play
Next week brings the final region games for every team in the Mobile and Baldwin County area. The last week of the regular season, Oct. 29-30, will be filled with non-region games, so Friday, Oct. 23, will settle most playoff berths and seeding.
Several of next week’s matchups carry extra weight. Fairhope at Daphne is a rivalry game between two of the top teams in Class 6A, Region 1. In Class 4A, Region 1, Vigor, Williamson and Orange Beach enter the final week tied for first: Vigor hosts Satsuma, Williamson visits LeFlore and Orange Beach travels to Citronelle.
The Alabama High School Athletic Association playoffs begin the first week of November, with state championship games scheduled for the first week of December at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile.
