FAIRHOPE — Fairhope knew how it wanted to attack Foley. The Pirates put the game on their offensive line, kept pounding the football and never gave the Lions much relief.
The result was a …
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FAIRHOPE — Fairhope knew how it wanted to attack Foley.
The Pirates put the game on their offensive line, kept pounding the football and never gave the Lions much relief.
The result was a 42-28 rivalry victory Friday night at W.C. Majors Field, powered by three rushing touchdowns from Nic Ronsisvalle, two touchdown passes from Trey Garner and a defense that forced two first-half turnovers.
“We thought going into the game that we could run the football. We really did, and we knew we were going to put this on our line,” Fairhope head coach Caleb Ross said. “We just weren’t going to relent.”
Fairhope finished with 383 yards of total offense and scored four of its six touchdowns on the ground.
The Pirates improved to 2-1 overall and 1-0 in Class 6A Region 1, while Foley fell to 1-2 and 0-1 in region play.
The Lions struck first when Makai Holmes scored on a 10-yard run with 5:53 remaining in the opening quarter. Alberto Vargas added the extra point for a 7-0 lead.
Fairhope responded through the air. Garner connected with Jonathon Eriksen for an eight-yard touchdown with 1:27 remaining, and Leo Palumbo’s extra point tied the game at seven.
Just 11 seconds later, Cooper Bell intercepted Foley for the first of two takeaways that would help turn the first half in favor of the Pirates.
Garner put Fairhope ahead early in the second quarter, finding Hayden Woodford for a 10-yard touchdown at the 10:31 mark. Palumbo’s kick made it 14-7.
Bell struck again less than two minutes later, recording his second interception with 8:27 remaining in the half.
From there, Fairhope increasingly imposed itself on the ground.
Ronsisvalle scored from a yard out with 5:28 remaining. The extra point was blocked, leaving the Pirates ahead 20-7.
Holmes answered with his second touchdown of the night, this one from a yard out with 4:03 remaining. Vargas’ extra point pulled the Lions within 20-14 and gave Foley a chance to take a one-score deficit into halftime.
But Fairhope had other plans.
Ronsisvalle scored again on a four-yard run with just 10 seconds remaining before halftime, then Garner ran in the two-point conversion to restore a two-touchdown advantage at 28-14.
The sequence capped a 21-point second quarter for the Pirates and demonstrated the commitment Ross wanted from his offense.
“I think we called five plays all night, back to back to back,” Ross said. “You just kept running, kept running them. The way we prepare, the way we train, our guys are built for this. They’re built to play a four-quarter game.”
Ronsisvalle credited the offensive line for giving Fairhope’s backs room to work.
“My O-line definitely made a hole, and I bursted through it,” Ronsisvalle said of his biggest run. “Had to make a cut, made it, and it was the right decision at the right time. It was a big play. I can’t thank my O-line enough.”
Ross said Ronsisvalle was well suited for the physical game the Pirates wanted to play.
“He’s a powerful runner,” Ross said. “He’s a great kid, and he thrives on a game like this.”
Fairhope continued to pound away in the third quarter. Tucker Roach scored on an eight-yard run with 5:12 remaining, and Palumbo’s extra point pushed the advantage to 35-14.
Foley never stopped finding opportunities of its own on the ground. Bryson Garcia provided several big runs that helped the Lions move the chains, and Foley finished another drive with a touchdown at the 1:35 mark. Vargas’ extra point cut Fairhope’s lead to 35-21 entering the fourth.
Ronsisvalle completed his three-touchdown night with another four-yard scoring run with 9:11 remaining. Palumbo’s extra point gave Fairhope its largest advantage of the night at 42-21.
Foley needed only 23 seconds to answer.
Jaxson Dixon found open space and showed the dynamic ability that made him a threat to turn one play into points, breaking loose for a 60-plus-yard touchdown run. Vargas’ extra point made it 42-28 with 8:48 remaining.
Fairhope responded by returning to what had worked all night. Rather than chasing another quick score, the Pirates leaned on the ground game and drained valuable time from the clock.
The defense helped finish the job, with Luke Clausheide recording a late sack as Fairhope closed out the victory.
For Foley head coach Bryan Moore, what gave his defense the most trouble was straightforward.
“All the runs,” Moore said.
Moore also pointed to the Lions’ two turnovers when asked about the plays that shifted momentum.
“Yeah, our two turnovers,” Moore said. “Early in the game, we drive down, have a great drive, and truthfully, we drove it all night except for shooting ourselves in the foot, having a turnover. So we just got to clean it up.”
Still, Foley continued to compete after falling behind by three touchdowns in the second half.
“Our kids are fighting,” Moore said. “They’re playing for each other. We just got to play better.”
For Ronsisvalle, Fairhope’s confidence never wavered.
“We knew we were going to win this,” the Pirates' tailback said. “There was no doubt in any of our minds. We were pushing through. We played every single down to the best of our ability and no one ever gave up.”
The atmosphere surrounding another meeting between the longtime rivals added to the night.
“You can see just by looking at the stands,” Ronsisvalle said. “Everybody knows this is one of the best and most physical games that’s going to be played this year.”
Fairhope’s victory marked its second straight over Foley after the Pirates won 38-13 last season.
The all-time record between the schools now stands at 54-46-4 in favor of the Lions.
Blocked PAT opens the door:
Ronsisvalle’s one-yard touchdown gave Fairhope a 20-7 advantage midway through the second quarter, but Foley blocked the ensuing extra point. The Lions capitalized on the opening with Holmes’ second touchdown, cutting Fairhope’s lead to 20-14 before the Pirates answered just before halftime.
Dixon strikes back:
Fairhope appeared to have created comfortable separation when Ronsisvalle’s third touchdown made it 42-21 in the fourth quarter. Dixon erased seven points of that margin almost immediately, breaking free for a 60-plus-yard touchdown just 23 seconds later and keeping Foley within two scores.
Four Pirates found the end zone:
Fairhope’s six touchdowns were spread among four players. Ronsisvalle accounted for three on the ground, Roach added another rushing score and Eriksen and Woodford each caught touchdown passes from Garner.
Garner’s fingerprints were everywhere:
The Fairhope quarterback threw two touchdown passes and converted the Pirates’ lone two-point attempt with his legs. Garner directly accounted for 14 points without scoring a touchdown himself.
Fairhope (2-1): @ Mary Montgomery (1-2) | Friday, Sept. 11
Foley (1-2): @ Alma Bryant (1-2) | Friday, Sept. 11
