FAIRHOPE — Foley’s opening possession Friday night gave little indication of what St. Michael Catholic was about to face.

The Lions received the opening kickoff but were forced to punt.

St. Michael wasted little time taking advantage, marching downfield in four plays before running back Nygel Mitchell powered his way into the end zone to put the Cardinals ahead 7-0.

But that early momentum wouldn’t last.

Foley answered with an offensive attack that featured hard running, explosive plays in open space and a two-quarterback system that kept St. Michael’s defense on its heels.

By the end of the night, the Lions had walked away with a 53-32 victory, bringing an end to the Cardinals’ six-game winning streak.

For first-year Foley head coach Bryan Moore, the performance showed just how far his team has come since the beginning of the season.

Moore reflected on the Lions’ earlier struggles against McGill-Toolen and Fairhope, two games where physicality and execution presented challenges for his young team. Against St. Michael, however, he saw a group that has started to understand what it takes to compete.

“I think our kids are growing up,” Moore said.

After surrendering the opening touchdown, Foley went to work.

After the visitors scored to take an 8-7 lead, quarterback Makai Holmes powered through several defenders for a rushing touchdown.

On another possession, Holmes connected with Bryson Garcia for one of the night’s more impressive plays.

Garcia tipped the pass to himself, brought it in with one hand and slipped past two defenders before racing downfield with teammates escorting him toward the end zone.

It was the kind of play that became all too familiar for St. Michael’s defense. Foley wasn’t just completing passes. The Lions were making defenders miss, breaking tackles and turning opportunities into points.

Behind quarterbacks Judah Spencer and Holmes, Foley built a commanding 39-13 lead by halftime.

Moore credited his offensive staff for finding ways to use both quarterbacks throughout the game. Rather than alternating by possession, the Lions rotated the two within drives, taking advantage of their different skill sets.

That approach has also required both quarterbacks to put the team ahead of individual playing time, something Moore particularly appreciated.

And the Lions’ success wasn’t just limited to the quarterbacks. Moore shouted out the Garcia twins (Bryson and Brayden), Jaxson Dixon and the work being done by players blocking on the perimeter, which allowed Foley’s skill players to find room and create explosive gains.

St. Michael, however, wasn’t ready to call it a night.

With starting quarterback Gunner Rivers still unavailable, Marshal Pitre led the Cardinals back onto the field after halftime and quickly went to work. Just 23 seconds into the third quarter, St. Michael found the end zone, cutting Foley’s lead to 39-19.

Mitchell continued to be a problem for the Lions’ defense. Running with power and refusing to go down easily, he consistently challenged Foley’s front seven and finished the night with four rushing touchdowns.

The junior's third score brought the Cardinals within 39-26 early in the fourth quarter.

But despite the offensive production, St. Michael struggled to finish several promising possessions. The Cardinals moved the ball into scoring position but came away empty on plenty of opportunities that could have changed the outcome of the game.

Head coach Philip Rivers pointed to those missed chances, but he was equally concerned with Foley’s ability to turn short completions into major gains.

“The big plays killed us,” Rivers said.

Foley’s defense wasn’t without its struggles. The Lions surrendered several substantial gains, but they also came up with stops when St. Michael threatened to take advantage of favorable field position.

Those efforts weren’t lost on Dixon.

The Foley receiver admitted he wasn’t completely locked in during the first half, despite his team’s success on the scoreboard. He credited his offensive line, coaching staff and Spencer for helping him get his mind right coming out of halftime.

Dixon pointed to a reverse in which he fought through multiple defenders and raced down the sideline as the moment everything started clicking.

“I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I’m in that zone,’” Dixon said.

He also made a point to recognize Foley’s defense for getting the ball back into the offense’s hands and giving his teammates opportunities to make plays.

Dixon would go on to haul in two fourth-quarter touchdown passes from Spencer, delivering when St. Michael was trying to work its way back into the game.

The Cardinals pulled within 45-32 with 3:58 remaining, but Foley needed only 17 seconds to answer. Spencer found Dixon for another touchdown, and the Lions added the two-point conversion to push their lead to 53-32.

For St. Michael, the loss ended a six-game winning streak, but Rivers wasn’t interested in allowing one difficult night to erase what his team had accomplished. His focus was on correcting the mistakes, getting his players healthy and preparing for the postseason.

Moore shared a similar focus on improvement, even after a 21-point victory.

The Foley coach wasn’t pleased with how quickly St. Michael scored coming out of halftime. He viewed it as another lesson for a team still learning how to play with a substantial lead.

“We just got to learn to be dominant when we have the opportunity,” Moore said.

Foley has come a long way from some of the struggles it experienced earlier in the season. The Lions have developed an offense capable of hurting defenses in several different ways, while younger players continue gaining experience on the other side of the ball.

Friday night showed what Foley is capable of when those pieces come together.

The challenge now is putting together that same level of execution for four quarters when the stakes get even higher.

Primetime Performers

Foley:

Quarterbacks Judah Spencer and Makai Holmes

Both juniors gave the Lions impactful play from the quarterback position, Spencer mostly passing and Holmes doing it with his arm and legs.

Spencer hit on 11-18 passes for 331 yards and five touchdowns, unofficially, and one of those was a 35-yarder to his fellow-signal caller Holmes.

For his part, Holmes completed three passes--including a 93-yarder to Dixon--and had more than 40 yards rushing, including a 29-yard touchdown.

Jaxson Dixon, Bryson Garcia, Brayden Garcia

These speedy guys, the senior Dixon and junior twins Bryson and Brayden, were just too much for the Cardinals to handle virtually all night.

Dixon scored on pass plays of 41 and 60 yards, Bryson Garcia had touchdown receptions of 24 and 93 yards and Brayden Garcia scored on a 73-yard pass play.

Also worth noting is that Dixon matched the legendary Julio Jones' single-season receiving touchdown record at Foley with his 16th of the year Friday night. The standout receiver figures to eclipse that mark during his postseason run.

Jacobs Jatavius

The senior athlete had an interception and was credited with a blocked field goal, both of which set up Lions’ scores during the first half as Foley build a 36-13 lead.

St. Michael:

Marshal Pitre

The junior quarterback had a great night in the face of an offensive onslaught from Foley.

Unofficially, he completed 16-of-27 passes for 283 yards, a 41-yard touchdown to junior target Braedyn Walton and one interception.

Pitre did all of that in the face of an at-times blistering pass rush and still kept battling.

Nygel Mitchell

He didn’t hit his 230-yard-per-game average, but the junior was still a big factor in this one, rushing for more than 100 yards and scoring on runs of one, two, three and 23 yards for the Cardinals.

Mitchell entered the weekend ranking second in the state when it came to total rushing yards.

Braedyn Walton

Another junior led the way in receiving, as Walton hauled in seven balls for 76 yards and the 41-yard touchdown.

Defining Moments

Every time St. Michael appeared to come up with a pivotal play to trim the margin to two scores, the Lions would top them with an even more fantastic moment.

Interception:

The two teams traded scores to start the game with Foley holding an 8-7 lead and kicking off to St. Michael.

But on the first play after the kickoff, Jatavius’ interception on the first play led to a 29-yard scamper by Holmes and a 15-7 Foley advantage.

Blocked field goal:

After St. Michael drove for a failed field goal attempt and trailed 22-13 early in the second quarter, Foley threw a pair of passes to Brayden Garcia, the second covering 73 yards for a touchdown and a 29-13 scoreline.

Back-breakers:

A Mitchell three-yard run cut the lead to 39-26 one play into the fourth quarter, but Foley responded with a 90-yard, seven-play drive capped by Spencer’s screen pass to Dixon, who raced 41 yards to make the score 45-26.

When Mitchell scored on a 23-yard sweep with 3:41 left in the game to again cut the lead to 45-32, Foley needed just a single play to answer.

Spencer tossed a quick out to Dixon, who promptly raced 60 yards, and with Holmes running in for two, the final became 53-32 margin.

MULLEN’S MUSINGS

Foley was just too fast and furious for the determined Cardinals.

St. Michael time-after-time made a gallant effort to close the gap, and its stars Pitre, Mitchell and Walton had outstanding games.

But seemingly every time the home side seemed to inch closer, it looked up to see a Lion streaking for yet another touchdown.

Up Next

Both teams will be at home for the first round of the playoffs.

6A Foley (6-4, 4-3) will welcome in JAG (2-8, 1-4, formerly Jefferson Davis) from Montgomery while Double-A St. Michael (6-4, 5-2) will host Glenwood Academy (5-5, 2-4).