Before getting into my first game recap, I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself to Gulf Coast Media readers.
My name is Chris Despanie, and I’m a retired United States Marine who …
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Before getting into my first game recap, I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself to Gulf Coast Media readers.
My name is Chris Despanie, and I’m a retired United States Marine who now calls Baldwin County home.
During my Marine Corps career, I worked as an analyst, where much of my job centered on gathering information from multiple sources, speaking with people on the ground, assessing what I observed, verifying information and turning it into reports for decision-makers.
Since leaving the military, athletics, particularly youth football, has become one of the primary ways I stay involved in the community. I’ve coached football at multiple levels locally, worked with young athletes through camps and training programs and spent countless hours on fields throughout Baldwin County as both a coach and a parent.
That background shapes the way I approach sports coverage. I’m interested in more than the final score. I want to understand why a game unfolded the way it did, what adjustments changed it, which players made an impact that may not appear in the box score and what coaches and athletes saw from their perspective.
I’m excited for the opportunity to bring that approach to Gulf Coast Media and tell the stories of the athletes, coaches and programs throughout our area.
Now, on to football.
BAY MINETTE — For two quarters Friday night, Baldwin County and B.C. Rain traded answers.
Then Baldwin County found another gear.
The Tigers broke open a 14-14 halftime tie by scoring 26 points in the second half and pulled away from the visiting Red Raiders for a 40-22 season-opening victory.
The final margin did not tell the full story of a game that remained competitive well into the second half.
B.C. Rain repeatedly answered Baldwin County scores early, while the Tigers battled penalties that kept them from consistently playing at the pace head coach Andrew Davis wanted.
That changed after halftime.
Baldwin County came out playing faster offensively and began creating more favorable situations for quarterback Ray Johnson and a group of playmakers that repeatedly threatened B.C. Rain vertically.
Once Baldwin County began staying ahead of the chains, the Tigers were able to play the way they had intended.
Johnson took advantage.
The Baldwin County quarterback connected on multiple touchdown passes and continued attacking B.C. Rain even as the Red Raiders attempted to answer.
Johnson credited his ability to remain composed when the game became hectic.
“I just stayed focused and never let it get to my head,” Johnson said. “Just focused on the next play. Just keep going.”
That mindset mattered.
Penalties interrupted Baldwin County possessions throughout the night, and B.C. Rain continued producing explosive plays of its own. But the Tigers repeatedly recovered from those setbacks rather than allowing them to change the direction of the game.
The Red Raiders had success pushing the ball vertically, particularly with an inexperienced quarterback making his first-year transition behind the line.
B.C. Rain offensive coordinator Thamus Davis said getting his quarterback comfortable remains one of the offense’s priorities.
“We’ve got to get him comfortable,” Davis said. “This is his first year behind the line, so he was a little bit more antsy.”
Davis said the Red Raiders initially attempted to establish shorter throws, but their quarterback appeared more comfortable attacking downfield.
“We started trying to throw the quick game, five yards and whatnot,” Davis said. “He just wasn’t connecting, and it just felt a little more comfortable for him to throw down the field.”
Those deep shots gave Baldwin County problems and allowed B.C. Rain to remain within striking distance.
But as the game progressed, another issue became increasingly visible.
B.C. Rain players began dealing with cramping and fatigue while Baldwin County continued pushing the tempo.
Red Raiders head coach Lawrence Yelding said conditioning was one of the biggest factors his team must address.
“The biggest thing is we’ve got to get in a little bit better shape,” Yelding said. “The heat kind of got to us a little bit.”
Yelding also pointed to limited numbers as part of the challenge.
“You try to simulate it as much as you can, but sometimes it gets hard when you’ve got few numbers,” he said.
Davis echoed the same concern from the offensive side.
“A little bit more conditioning at the end,” Davis said of what B.C. Rain needs moving forward. “Make sure they take care of their body, what they eat, and just preach to them a little bit more, more healthy stuff in, because it’s going to be a long season.”
Davis called conditioning “one of our Achilles’ heels tonight.”
Baldwin County took advantage as those issues accumulated.
Defensive pressure helped create punts and favorable field position, while the offense increasingly converted those opportunities into points.
A stop became a short field. A short field became another scoring opportunity. And B.C. Rain was forced to answer again.
By the fourth quarter, those answers became harder to produce.
For Baldwin County's Davis, the victory carried significance beyond a 1-0 record.
“I’m really proud of my kids,” he said. “First win in an opener in five years.”
Here’s a closer look at some of the players and moments that shaped Baldwin County’s season-opening win:
Ray Johnson
Baldwin County | Quarterback
Johnson directed a Baldwin County passing attack that produced multiple touchdowns and became increasingly dangerous as the Tigers found their tempo in the second half.
His ability to remain composed despite penalties and B.C. Rain’s responses helped Baldwin County avoid allowing individual mistakes to become extended momentum swings.
Even after a productive night through the air, Johnson was already thinking about what comes next.
“I still want to work on my pass game,” Johnson said. “I just want to win, for real. That’s all I want to do.”
Johnson finished with 279 yards through the air, 27 more on the ground and a whopping six total touchdowns.
Skylen Andrews
Baldwin County | Wide Receiver
Andrews was part of a Baldwin County receiving corps that consistently threatened B.C. Rain downfield.
But according to Davis, the increased tempo was not necessarily a new halftime adjustment.
“So, we practice hurry-up. We want to be hurry-up, but that’s predicated off the first down,” Davis said. “The plays where we couldn’t get into our hurry-up were because we had holding calls, penalties that set back our offense.”
The Tigers’ ability to stretch the field helped create space elsewhere and made it difficult for the Red Raiders to settle into one defensive approach.
“We have dynamic kids,” Davis said. “So if we can stay ahead of the chains, that opens up both, and we’re going to go as fast as we can.”
Andrew tallied six catches for 125 yards and a pair of scores in this one.
Ashton Cox
Baldwin County | Wide Receiver
Cox gave Johnson another downfield option and helped make Baldwin County’s passing attack difficult to key on.
With multiple receivers capable of producing explosive plays, B.C. Rain could not simply devote its attention to one target.
Baldwin County gets into its hurry-up offense
Impact Rating: 8.5/10
The game was tied 14-14 at halftime, but Baldwin County began operating at a noticeably faster pace after the break.
Davis explained afterward that the Tigers wanted to play that way from the beginning, but first-half penalties repeatedly put the offense behind the chains and prevented them from establishing their tempo.
Once Baldwin County began winning first down, the offense opened up.
B.C. Rain continues attacking vertically
Impact Rating: 7.0/10
Even as Baldwin County began gaining control, B.C. Rain refused to abandon its aggressive passing attack.
Davis later explained that the deep passing game was partly a product of where his inexperienced quarterback felt most comfortable.
The Red Raiders’ ability to produce explosive plays kept the game competitive and forced Baldwin County to continue attacking rather than simply protecting its lead.
Conditioning begins to show
Impact Rating: 8.0/10
As the second half progressed, B.C. Rain players began dealing with cramping and fatigue.
Both Yelding and Davis identified conditioning as an area the Red Raiders must improve, while Baldwin County continued operating with tempo.
That combination helped the Tigers create the separation that had been missing throughout the first half.
Baldwin County (1-0): at Fairhope | Friday, Aug. 28
The Tigers will look to build on their first season-opening victory in five years while cleaning up the penalties that prevented the offense from consistently establishing its preferred tempo in the first half.
B.C. Rain (0-1): vs. Blount | Friday, Aug. 28
The Red Raiders return home looking to improve their conditioning, continue developing their quarterback and make the Week 1-to-Week 2 jump Yelding emphasized after the game.
“We always say the best football teams make the biggest strides from Week 1 to Week 2 of the season,” Yelding said.
