SPANISH FORT - The stakes couldn’t have been any higher Friday night on The Hill.
Spanish Fort entered this week enjoying a dominant 6-1 campaign, with the Toros being unbeaten in regional …
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SPANISH FORT - The stakes couldn’t have been any higher Friday night on The Hill.
Spanish Fort entered this week enjoying a dominant 6-1 campaign, with the Toros being unbeaten in regional action and fresh off a commanding 31-7 road win over Theodore.
But the visiting Gulf Shores Dolphins one-upped the home side in that they had yet to drop a game this season, meaning that Friday’s matchup dictated who took over top spot in the district and–as a result–who would get the upper hand come playoff time.
With a raucous crowd providing a fitting backdrop for this anticipated contest, it was the Dolphin faithful who celebrated while watching their team take home a dominant 36-0 victory.
“This just means that we’re one step closer to our goal,” Gulf Shores head coach Mark Hudspeth said. “We came out early and had some self-inflicted things that slowed us down, but once we settled down I thought we played well offensively. And then defensively I thought we played about as well as you can.”
As Hudspeth mentioned, it did take a bit for his offense to find its rhythm, as a fumbled snap and a false start doomed the visitors’ opening drive.
The Toros responded with a first-down run from junior tailback Ya’Lin Lee, but a sack by the Dolphins’ Kaleb Williams off the edge helped force another punt.
And from then on, Gulf Shores found a spark and never looked back.
After the visitors moved the chains for the first time on the ground, senior receiver Carter Davis hauled in a screen pass from sophomore quarterback Major Hudspeth. The West Virginia commit proceeded to hit the edge, brush off a handful of defenders and seemingly glide down the sideline for an explosive touchdown.
Spanish Fort couldn’t manufacture anything offensively as the first quarter came to a close, in large part because the Dolphins’ defensive line consistently won the battle up front. Toros’ quarterback Jaylyn “JJ” Thibodeaux had little time to throw throughout the night, and a normally proficient rushing attack found little room to operate.
“The whole week we talked about stopping the run and winning third down,” Williams said. “And the D-line did what we usually do, just have to keep working.”
The visitors began the second frame with a balanced drive that ate up nearly four minutes, but an errant snap pushed them back to the 20-yard line when they were inside the five. A facemask penalty from the home side helped matters, but Hudspeth’s team was still forced to kick a field goal, making the score read 10-0 with 8:42 left before halftime.
Another empty possession from the Toros allowed Gulf Shores to receive great field position (a battle the Dolphins won throughout the night), and this time it was Jacksonville State commit Elijah Malone who cashed in.
A two-way talent who also lines up at defensive back, Malone took a direct snap near the goal line and attempted to find a lane to the end zone off his left tackle. Swarmed by defenders, he proceeded to work backwards, discover some green grass on the opposite side of the field and dash his way into the painted area. Malone ran nearly 20 yards to gain just four, but the end result was six points nonetheless.
The point-after attempt was blocked to keep the score at 16-0, but Spanish Fort’s offense still couldn’t manufacture a response, giving the visitors one more shot at scoring before halftime.
Hudspeth led yet another methodical drive, and Davis capped it by hauling in another screen and muscling his way in for a touchdown. Claiming a 23-0 lead at the break, Gulf Shores had taken the energy out of the home crowd and given its caravan of fans plenty to cheer about.
That trend continued into the second half, with windy conditions playing a heavy factor in the ensuing action.
A 3-and-out from the Toros was answered by a punt from the Dolphins, all of which led to senior Adam Duncan creating the first big moment of the second half when he swung a runner down in the backfield on Spanish Fort’s first-down play.
Thibodeaux and the offense weren’t able to recover the lost yardage, and Gulf Shores regained its rhythm after getting the ball back.
Senior running back Janoy Ferguson finished off another productive drive with a tough touchdown, and as the third quarter came to a close, Hudspeth linked up with sophomore receiver Brayden Lawson on an out route for a score that pushed the lead to 36-0.
“I saw the corner was playing inside leverage, and I just knew that we were going to score once I saw that,” Lawson said. “And we got it done.”
With a running clock in the fourth quarter, Gulf Shores was able to salt away its first win at The Hill and, as a result, claim sole possession of first place in its region.
“We’ve just got to keep getting better, one game at a time,” Hudspeth said. “We have to turn our focus to the next game and get ready for Theodore now.”
Here’s a breakdown of how the Dolphins dominated on the road, what was said after the game and who each side will square off with next:
Kaleb Williams
Gulf Shores | DE/LB | Junior
At 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, Williams is a force coming off the edge, and he showcased that throughout the evening.
But he’s really acting as a representative for the entire Dolphin front seven here, because that unit stifled the Spanish Fort rushing attack unlike any other team has this season. From Gabriel Ervin in the middle to Kingston Gardner on the outside, Gulf Shores put in work up front, and it paid off with a shutout victory.
“We’re evolving up front, and it’s hard to run the ball against us,” Hudspeth said of his defensive line. “We don’t give up big plays, those guys are physical and they’re playing together right now.”
Carter Davis
Gulf Shores | Wide Receiver | Senior
And on the offensive side, Davis lived up to his billing as one of (if not the) fastest players in the state.
Multiple Toros appeared to have solid angles to take him down during his first touchdown, but all they ended up grabbing at were the bottom of his cleats.
Following in the footsteps of Baldwin County legend Pat White, Davis is sure to produce plenty more highlights in Morgantown beginning next fall.
“They [Davis, Malone] give us a lot of motivation and are big leaders for us,” Gardner said. “They tell us right from wrong and what we need to do.”
Major Hudspeth
Gulf Shores | Quarterback | Sophomore
While the Dolphin defensive line was busy dominating and the visitors’ skill-positions stars added more footage to their mixtapes, someone had to manage everything behind center.
In his first full season as the starting quarterback, Hudspeth has more than settled into the role, and his trio of touchdowns and zero turnovers in a hostile environment are a prime example of that reality.
Carter Davis’ opening touchdown (1st Quarter)
Impact Rating (1-10): 7.5
With so much on the line, the early moments of this contest featured plenty of tension.
But in the end, it was Davis who set the tone with his blazing speed, as his first touchdown appeared to put the Dolphin offense at ease before the unit ripped off 30 more points.
Janoy Ferguson’s touchdown run (3rd Quarter)
Impact Rating (1-10): 8.0
In high school football, anything’s possible.
And with Spanish Fort only trailing by three scores at halftime, a comeback was certainly in the cards for the home side.
But after the Gulf Shores defense showed that it wasn’t taking its foot off the gas, Ferguson produced the nail in the coffin with his bruising touchdown run in the third quarter.
Gulf Shores (8-0, 6-0): vs. Theodore (5-3, 4-2) | Friday, Oct. 23
The Dolphins will return home for the first time in over a month when they welcome Theodore for another region matchup.
Spanish Fort (6-2, 5-1): vs. Saraland (7-1, 5-1) | Friday, Oct. 23
The Toros will host their second straight big-time matchup on The Hill when rivals Saraland visit next week.
