FAIRHOPE - Having experienced very different outcomes in Week 1, both Fairhope and Baldwin County entered Friday night’s contest eyeing a momentum-building victory.

The former suffered a 41-0 loss to Pace (FL) in its opener, and thus the Pirates hoped to right the ship in their first home contest.

Meanwhile, the Tigers took down B.C. Rain by two scores to win their first opening game in five years.

Thus, Fairhope’s need for a bounce-back victory collided with Baldwin County’s building moment in this matchup, and the result was a wild back-and-forth affair that came down to the closing moments.

That tone was set from the jump, as a handful of momentum swings kept both teams on their toes early on.

A promising opening drive from the Pirates was halted when Tiger defensive back Romerien Mims read a pass and plucked it out of the air in his own territory.

But the Fairhope defense forced a quick three-and-out, and an errant punt snap through the back of the end zone handed the home side its first lead of the season at 2-0.

Baldwin County’s defense did well to stymie the momentum by getting a quick stop, and its counterpart capitalized soon after.

Deep in their own territory, quarterback Rayvon Johnson connected with star receiver Ashton Cox on a tunnel screen, and the 6-foot-4 target blazed past multiple defenders for an explosive touchdown that brought the visiting crowd to its feet.

The Pirates’ offense continued to struggle to find a rhythm, and despite linebacker Jack Myrick coming up with an interception off a tipped pass, the score remained 7-2 heading into the second quarter.

These intra-county foes traded blank possessions before the Tigers struck again, this time on the ground.

After junior receiver Dallas Wells came up with an explosive catch downfield, Johnson fooled everyone with a keeper off a read-option, and he lunged into the end zone to push the advantage to 14-2 with 2:33 left in the opening half.

But Fairhope’s Trey Garner responded in kind, as the veteran signal-caller methodically led his team down the field before kicker Baylor Long knocked in a chip shot to cut the deficit to 14-5 entering the break.

That scoreline stuck until the halfway point of the third quarter, with the Pirates being the next team to strike.

After Garner guided his team into opposing territory again, bruising senior tailback Nic Ronsisvalle punched in a short touchdown to make the tally read 14-12 in favor of Baldwin County.

In need of a response, the Tigers had little trouble in coming up with one.

The highlight of the scoring drive occurred when Johnson scrambled for a first down on a pivotal third-and-long, and the dual-threat quarterback then linked up with tight end Brycen Brown over the middle to push the lead back out to nine points.

Baldwin County eventually got the ball back and appeared to be draining the clock as it drove down the field. But an interception by Fairhope’s John Gerhardt gave the home team a lifeline, and it wouldn’t let it go to waste.

This time, it was speedy slot receiver Evans Wilcoxon bouncing off multiple defenders for a game-changing touchdown that made the deficit merely a single point for the Pirates.

Momentum can be a magical thing in football, and it certainly played a major role in the rest of this contest.

Just moments after Wilcoxon scored, a snap went over the head of Johnson, and multiple Fairhope defenders rushed to recover it deep in opposing territory.

And like clockwork, Ronsisvalle again used his 210-pound frame to bulldoze his way into the end zone, giving Fairhope a 26-21 advantage, its first since the opening minutes.

“We just never gave up, we all pushed through,” Ronsisvalle said. “I don’t think I had a negative yard all night, and that was the whole goal, to be positive no matter what.”

Senior defensive back Cooper Bell proceeded to intercept Johnson on the next possession, and Ronsisvalle’s third touchdown of the night put this one on ice with a final of 33-21.

“We have some high-character kids, and they did not panic,” first-year Fairhope head coach Caleb Ross said. “I’m just proud of our guys, cause they were resilient. We needed this win, and they’ve worked so hard, so they deserved it.”

Here’s a breakdown of how the Pirates pulled off the comeback, what was said after the game and who each side will square off with next:

Primetime Performers

Nic Ronsisvalle

Fairhope Pirates | Running Back | Senior

Notable Stats: 3 rushing touchdowns

Ronsisvalle didn’t necessarily have the most productive first half, but he more than made up for that with his showing in the second.

As one of the bulkier tailbacks in Baldwin County, Ronsisvalle took advantage of that by wearing down the Tigers’ defense as the game progressed, and that resulted in his fiery fourth-quarter takeover.

“He’s a big, physical back who’s also just a tough kid,” Ross said of his running back. “So we just kept pounding and pounding, and he just started sliding off of them.”

Micah Green / Gulf Coast Media

Trey Garner

Fairhope Pirates | Quarterback | Senior

Notable Stats: 1 passing touchdown

While he may not have accounted for as many touchdowns as some of his peers on this list, Garner was certainly just as impactful.

The veteran seemed to keep his team calm in its most dire moments, and Garner’s ability to scramble out of the pocket and seemingly always fall forward kept multiple drives alive for Fairhope. 

Without their quarterbacks’ leadership, the Pirates may not have been able to complete the rally.

Micah Green / Gulf Coast Media

Rayvon Johnson

Baldwin County Tigers | Quarterback | Junior

Notable Stats: 2 passing touchdowns, 1 rushing touchdown

A week after he accounted for a whopping six total touchdowns, Johnson yet again shined under the lights.

The elusive signal-caller forced Fairhope’s defense to chase him all over the field throughout the evening, and his ball skills in the RPO game were impressive to watch from a younger player.

It’s safe to say that the Tigers will go as far as Johnson takes them this season, and with the way he’s playing, that could be pretty far.

Micah Green / Gulf Coast Media

Defining Moments

Fairhope’s errant snap recovery (4th Quarter)

Impact Rating (1-10): 9.5

With all of the momentum in the world at Fairhope’s back, the good times just kept rolling for the home side.

Leading 21-19 in the final frame, the Tigers appeared to be dead-set on draining the clock as much as possible. But in a flash, one bad snap led to a furious recovery from the Pirates, and Ronsisvalle’s ensuing score felt almost automatic after the game-changing turnover.

Cooper Bell’s interception (4th Quarter)

Impact Rating (1-10): 8.5

Despite Fairhope’s quick scores, Baldwin County still had a chance to jump ahead with plenty of time on the clock.

But Bell made sure to dash any possibilities of another lead change, as his interception sealed the deal on a miraculous comeback win.

Baldwin County’s special team woes (1st+3rd Quarter)

Impact Rating (1-10): 6.0

This wasn’t necessarily the most impactful aspect of this game, and no one player was at fault, but Baldwin County did hand Fairhope some gifts in the special-teams department.

The high snap resulting in a safety was previously documented, but the Pirates also partially blocked a punt in the third quarter and were able to score off a short field as a result.

Indirectly, the Tigers spotted their opponents nine points.

Quotes To Note

• “The reality is that we started seven sophomores tonight and have about 12 who are seeing significant playing time. So all we’re going to do is get better in the future.” — Caleb Ross, Fairhope Head Coach
• “Early in the game, we were just beating ourselves. We knew that if we just executed, we were going to win, and that’s what we did in the fourth quarter.” — Trey Garner, Fairhope Quarterback
• “We were just supporting each other on the sideline. There was no negatives or back-talking, because we had to keep on going.” — Nic Ronsisvalle, Fairhope Running Back
• “Baldwin County is much-improved, Coach Davis is doing a great job.” — Caleb Ross, Fairhope Head Coach
• “We really won that game because of them [the defense]. We had a rough start on offense but finished well, so the defense was amazing to keep us in it.” — Trey Garner, Fairhope Quarterback
• “We knew coming into this week that we had a chip on our shoulders. We had to get our get back, and we trained really hard because of that.” — Nic Ronsisvalle, Fairhope Running Back

Micah Green / Gulf Coast Media

Obscure Observations

• This result moves the all-time record between the schools to 41-37-2 in favor of Fairhope. The Pirates have now won 11 straight in this series, with this being the first meeting since 2013.

• While this will go down as a disappointing result for Baldwin County, the Tigers have nothing to hang their heads about. In head coach Andrew Davis’ third year at the helm, his team has shown marked improvement and will be a tough out for anybody in the region. This program boasts plenty of high-level athletes, is clearly well-coached and most importantly, is continuing to improve year after year.

• Another underlying trend in this game was the disparity in rushing success. Outside of Johnson scrambling, Baldwin County struggled to remain balanced. Meanwhile, Fairhope was unable to generate much on the ground early but just kept chipping away and eventually broke through with multiple big runs.

Up Next

Baldwin County (1-1): @ Theodore (1-1) | Friday, Sept. 4

The Tigers will now gear up for a trip to face powerhouses Theodore next week.

Fairhope (1-1): vs. Foley (1-1) | Friday, Sept. 4

The Pirates will remain at home to welcome another Baldwin County foe in the Lions of Foley.