For more than three decades, Fairhope and Daphne have battled for county supremacy, and Friday night, the Trojans and Pirates meet again with region title hopes hanging in the balance.

Daphne holds a 26-10 lead in the rivalry series, winning the last two matchups between the programs. The first game in the series dates back to 1990, and 23 of the 36 games have been region battles. Pirates coach Tim Carter holds a 5-4 advantage over Trojans coach Kenny King since the two began facing off in 2016.

The Pirates are coming off their first loss since dropping the season opener to Spanish Fort. Fairhope (6-2, 4-1 in 7A Region 1) won six straight before falling 28-21 to Mary G. Montgomery last week.

The Vikings have beaten Daphne and Fairhope, setting them up to win 7A Region 1 unless they lose their final two games of the season. In that case, the winner of the matchup between the Pirates and Trojans would have to win out the remainder of the season to lock up a region title.

The Trojans lost to MGM 41-31 in Week 3 and are coming off a 39-0 win over Alma Bryant. Daphne (7-1, 4-1 in 7A Region 1) currently holds the second-longest winning streak in the county with five straight victories behind undefeated St. Michael.

Fairhope brings a balanced offensive attack with three primary playmakers for quarterback Trey Garner. Andres Hunt leads the senior trio in receiving with 464 yards and six touchdowns. Fisher Southall and Bryon Martin combine for the remainder of Garner's 15 touchdown passes this season, as well as a majority of the yards.

On the other side of the ball, seniors Dagan Jones and Elliott Jordan lead a hard-nose Fairhope defense that has 21 takeaways this season. Jones and Jordan combine for 32 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and four forced fumbles.

Daphne has Baldwin County's leader in passing yards at quarterback Christian Segar. With 1,836 yards and 26 touchdowns, Segar feeds a plethora of playmakers on the Trojan offense. His top target is senior CJ Gardner, who has 614 receiving yards while leading the county with 11 touchdown receptions.

For the Daphne defense, the Trojans' leading tackler is lockdown senior defensive back and University of Louisiana-Lafayette commit EJ Williams. Senior Malique Franklin will cause havoc in the backfield as one of the most underrated prospects in the county. Franklin has seven sacks and 12 tackles for loss this season.

The game will be played at W.C. Majors Field in Fairhope on Friday, Oct. 17.