GULF SHORES — Fueled by explosive plays early and a dominant defensive effort after halftime, Gulf Shores rolled past Baldwin County 31-12 on Friday night, likely securing a playoff berth ahead of the final week of regular season play.

“This was a big win for us,” Gulf Shores head coach Mark Hudspeth said. “We treated this like a playoff game, and in a lot of ways, it was. We had to win to be in. We still have one game left to play, so we still have some work to do. It will be interesting to see how all the other games in the region shake down to determine whether we will be a three- or four-seed.”

The Dolphins defense came out strong and forced an early punt despite giving up a big gain on third and long. On the opening Gulf Shores drive, tight end Nick Hampton bolted through the Tiger defense for a 20-yard run that pushed the Dolphins off their own goal line. On the next play, quarterback Jud Harris found receiver Carter Davis behind the defense in the middle of the field for a 70-yard score.

Baldwin County responded with a steady drive, converting a 4th-and-1 in its own territory before quarterback Hayden Cooley connected with receiver Ashton Cox down the seam for a 53-yard touchdown on third down. The Tigers’ extra point sailed wide, leaving the Dolphins ahead 7-6 at the end of the first quarter.

Starting the second quarter was running back T.J. Johnson setting the tone with a long run past midfield before Price Stephens ran through the teeth of Baldwin County’s defense for a gritty, 20-plus-yard touchdown run to extend the lead.

Although punting on the ensuing drive, the Tigers answered defensively when a Harris pass slipped through Davis’ hands and was returned for a short pick-six by Brayden Tindle. The two-point attempt failed to tie it, but cut the Dolphins lead to 14-12 midway through the second.

Gulf Shores regrouped with a long drive, relying on the legs of Johnson, Hampton and Davis to set up kicker Taylor Barkley for a 31-yard field goal, giving the Dolphins a 17-12 halftime advantage.

After the break, Davis delivered another spark with a strong return that set up Gulf Shores near midfield. Hampton and Stephens pounded the ball to the goal line before Davis capped the drive with his second touchdown of the night — a 5-yard rush to the front pylon that made it a 24-12 lead.

Baldwin County struggled to find rhythm offensively in the second half as the Tigers went three-and-out multiple times and failed to capitalize on a short field after a muffed punt by the Dolphins. Defensive linemen Gabe Ervin and Adam Duncan helped anchor the Gulf Shores front, which repeatedly stuffed the run and pressured Cooley into errant throws.

In the fourth quarter, Gulf Shores’ defense again came up big on a 4th-and-1 stop near midfield. With Harris sidelined due to injury, backup quarterback Major Hudspeth took over and directed a run-heavy series featuring Hampton and running back Janoy Ferguson. Ferguson later finished the drive with a 6-yard touchdown plunge to put the game out of reach.

Hudspeth said after the game that he hopes Harris will be good to go come playoff time.

“Out of precaution, they wanted to hold him out the rest of the night,” Hudspeth said. “He’s walking on it, moving around on it. We will get it evaluated this weekend and the first of the next week and see where he is at.”

Cooley and Cox connected again on a 37-yard pass on Baldwin County’s next possession, but the Tigers once again turned it over on downs inside Gulf Shores territory. The Dolphins then ran out the clock behind more power runs from Ferguson and Johnson to close out the victory.

The Tigers fall to 2-7 (2-5 in 6A Region 1), and will shut the door on the 2025 season with a road matchup against McGill-Toolen next week.

Despite starting the season 0-3, the Dolphins have rallied back into the 6A postseason conversation with a fourth region victory (4-5, 4-3 in 6A Region 1). Gulf Shores will attempt to end the season with a .500 record and maintain momentum going into the playoffs with another home game against Murphy on Oct. 30 to end the regular season.

Hudspeth said he’s been telling his team all season to ‘just keep chopping wood.’

“We had the toughest schedule in the state of Alabama,” Hudspeth said. “We navigated that, now we are 4-3 in the region and that is a tough region — our guys have kept working hard. They have stayed the course and now we have put ourselves in position now to make the playoffs.”