DAPHNE — T.R. Miller ran away with the Class 3A Region 1 title over Bayside Academy with five rushing touchdowns as part of a 43-0 decision Friday night at Freedom Field. Despite the loss, the Admirals officially locked up the second seed and will host a first-round playoff game for the first time since 2015.

After a scoreless first quarter, Tiger senior and Florida commit Myles Johnson recorded four of T.R. Miller’s scores with runs of 11, 69, 2 and 1 yards. Senior Nathan Commander connected with junior Jaylen Griffey on a 55-yard passing touchdown in the second quarter and freshman Anteion Dees capped the scoring for the Tigers with a 2-yard rush in the final frame.

Bayside Academy head football coach Barrett Trotter said there were still plenty of lessons to be learned from this weekend’s film study.

“We have to learn from these mistakes. I wanted to keep our (starters) in there as much as we could until the end of the game because we have to improve. Those reps right there, even when you’re down, they’re invaluable,” Trotter said after the game. “But once we make the corrections, once practice starts next week and the video’s done, absolutely. We’re flushing it and we’re going to be ready to go but we have to use this as a learning tool to prepare for the weeks ahead.”

Playoff preview

Trotter also mentioned how the caliber of a team like T.R. Miller can prepare the Admirals for what is to come in the postseason.

“It was great for us to see what a real playoff team looks like. How they play, the speed they play with, the energy they play with,” Trotter said. “What we can do to get better now is that there’s nothing stopping us from making all those corrections we need to make and being ready to go next week and week one of the playoffs.”

With a road trip to face Tuscaloosa Academy next week to close the regular season, the head coach said the distance of that travel will also go a long way in preparing his team for the next season.

“It’ll be very similar to a playoff game,” Trotter said. “Our guys will get to feel that again, what that feels like and it will be a good little preview of what’s to come.”

Communities come together

The pregame festivities were extra special as the Bayside Academy and T.R. Miller communities came together to support Tiger sophomore Ken Lett Jr. who suffered a broken neck on Sept. 27 and is still recovering. The Admiral football team and cheerleaders donned shirts with T.R. Miller’s logo and “Believe” on the front alongside Lett’s number 21.

At the pregame coin toss, Bayside Academy athletic director Jamie Ferguson was part of a check presentation that provided $2,000 to benefit Lett’s recovery. Ferguson also said a portion of the ticket sales from Friday’s game would be donated to the Lett family for a total donation of over $3,000.

After every contest, Trotter brings both teams together to pray at midfield but said Friday night was a reminder of how blessed the student-athletes are to be on the field.

“The game of football goes way beyond what happens on the field and these kids playing high school football — I’ve been at all levels and there is just something uniquely special about high school football that doesn’t exist in college and it doesn’t exist in the NFL,” Trotter said. “Once you’ve been to those different places, you come to realize how important teaching these guys the lessons of life through the game of football. Just praying together at the end of the game, hey man, we are blessed. We got beat as bad as you can get beat in the game of football, but we’re blessed to be able to play this game.”

Up next

The Admirals fell to 7-2 overall and finished 5-1 within Class 3A Region 1. Bayside Academy will hit the road to face the Tuscaloosa Academy Knights, who fell to Coosa Christian 35-21 on Friday to fall to 7-2 overall. Tuscaloosa Academy will enter as the Class 2A Region 5 champion after a 5-1 run through the group.

The top-ranked Tigers improved to 9-0 overall and 6-0 in region play. T.R. Miller is scheduled for a home game against the Class 4A W.S. Neal Eagles (4-5, 3-3) in Week 11.

Money quote

“Just that we have to improve,” Trotter said of his final takeaway. “Got to improve.”

Other Week 10 finals

Alma-Bryant Hurricanes 14, Foley Lions 10

Baker Hornets 34, Fairhope Pirates 14

Citronelle Wildcats 34, Elberta Warriors 0

Daphne Trojans 42, Robertsdale Golden Bears 0

Gulf Shores Dolphins 30, Baldwin County Tigers 7

J.U. Blacksher Bulldogs 34, Bayshore Christian Eagles 0

McGill-Toolen Yellow Jackets 20, Spanish Fort Toros 14

St. Michael Cardinals 42, Orange Beach Makos 21

Sparta Academy Warriors 44, Snook Christian Eagles 0