Riding the heroics of two seniors who have shown up big for Gulf Shores all season, the Dolphins broke away from a close 14-7 game at halftime to secure a 47-10 blowout of visiting McAdory in the AHSAA Class 5A Playoffs on Friday.

Advancing to the quarterfinals, the 12-0 Dolphins will next travel to Pike Road, who is now 9-3 after knocking out No. 8 Homewood, 38-35. It was a brutal night for teams in the Dolphins’ Region 1, with Saraland and Spanish Fort losing second-round matchups.

Carter Davis, a future West Virginia Mountaineer, scored four touchdowns on plays of 22 yards or longer, and Elijah Malone, a Jacksonville State commit, scored on a punt return for the third week in a row while setting up another score with a long kickoff return.

Malone similarly turned in a stellar performance at defensive back against a highly touted Yellow Jacket offense.

Gulf Shores looked to take charge early, scoring touchdowns on its second and third possessions of the game after punts by each team to open the night.

Davis got his first score on a pitch pass from quarterback Major Hudspeth, covering 22 yards to cap a 62-yard drive. Junior Geer McKee’s extra point gave the Dolphins a 7-0 lead with 3:02 left in the opening quarter. Hudspeth was three-for-three on the drive, including two completions to junior Benton Brereton for 17 yards.

Travaris Johnson’s interception on the second play of the Yellow Jackets’ ensuing possession set up the Dolphins' next score, an eight-yard run by senior Janoy Ferguson. McKee’s extra point gave Gulf Shores a 14-0 lead with 10:17 left in the second.

It appeared the rout might be on at this stage, but McAdory responded with its best drive of the night, a 74-yard march punctuated by a 50-yard strike from junior quarterback Rico Jemison to senior Carter Feagin. The PAT cut the deficit to 14-7 with 5:52 left in the second.

Gulf Shores’ 33-point second half onslaught began quickly. After a Ferguson gain of one, Hudspeth pitched the ball forward to a streaking Davis who covered 62 yards for a touchdown just 41 seconds into the half.

After trading punts, Malone struck next when the defense forced a second McAdory punt after a three-and-out. He received the kick and raced 50 yards for a touchdown with 4:15 left in the quarter. A low snap on the PAT left the score at 27-7.

McAdory’s best drive of the second followed as the Yellow Jackets covered 55 yards and ended up kicking a field goal for the visitors to cut the margin to 27-10. That score lasted exactly two plays.

Malone’s 34-yard kickoff return set up Gulf Shores at the McAdory 34 on the last play of the third quarter, and on the first play of the fourth, Hudspeth found Brereton, who eluded a couple of tacklers and raced up the sidelines for a score. A pass on the two-point try fell incomplete for a 33-10 scoreline with 11:48 to play.

Lightning strikes from Davis sealed the deal, first capping a 62-yard drive with a 34-yard scamper on a wide receiver screen. Hudspeth was three-for-four on the possession with a 12-yard completion to sophomore tight end Tanner Spiers and an 11-yarder to junior tight end Evan McCrary. McKee again added the PAT for a 40-10 lead with 8:05 to play.

Two plays after the kickoff, a Jemison fumble was recovered by Gulf Shores, and on the Dolphins' first play, a double reverse to Davis for 33 yards put up the final points with 6:59 to play.

PRIMETIME PERFORMERS

Gulf Shores defense

The offensive stars were shining brightly with a huge assist from a plethora of defenders keeping McAdory in check, from Johnson recording an interception, at least one pass breakup and several timely tackles.

Kingston Gardner contributed a sack just before halftime to end a late McAdory threat at the Dolphin 30. Flying around all night and making steady contributions on defense were seniors Adam Duncan and Joc Prince and juniors Gabe Ervin, Karter Williams, Caleb Williams, Lachlan Steffek and Jett Todd.

On the night, McAdory completed only five passes for 118 yards – two for 97 –  and rushed for 148 yards on 38 carries, including seven tackles for loss and a completed pass for minus-five yards.

Carter Davis

The speedy senior had six receptions for 130 yards and three touchdowns and added 62 yards rushing and a touchdown on six carries.

Major Hudspeth

Distributing the ball to a variety of receivers and tight ends, the sophomore completed 14-of-19 passes for 225 yards, unofficially, and three touchdowns.

Rico Jemison

The stout junior quarterback played gallantly but was pretty much all the Yellow Jackets had going offensively. He had several tough runs, but the Dolphin defense kept him in their sights all night and blanketed his receivers with outstanding coverage.

The one 50-yard touchdown score was all the Yellow Jackets could muster.

DEFINING MOMENT

On the second play from scrimmage for Gulf Shores to start the second half, Davis’ 62-yard streak on a pitch pass from Hudspeth for a 21-7 lead pretty much settled the issue.

More fireworks would follow offensively but this quick strike set the tone for the Dolphins’ 33-point second half.

MULLEN’S MUSINGS

• Gulf Shores is firing on all cylinders through the first two rounds of the playoffs and two of the top teams in Class 5A (Saraland and Homewood) were knocked out, leaving what many considered three of the top teams still in contention. Those are Clay-Chalkville, Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa and the Dolphins.
• Davis and Malone seem to get more dynamic with each game but they don’t just have a good supporting cast, instead a bunch of co-conspirators, headlined by Hudspeth’s steady hand at quarterback and a defense that is working really well as a unit. Well, good enough to be the best defense in the state statistically.

UP NEXT

Gulf Shores will travel to Pike Road on Friday, Nov. 20, the same team that defeated contender Homewood, 38-35.

The winner faces the Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa at Benjamin Russell winner in the Class 5A Final Four on Nov. 27.