ROBERTSDALE — The regular season ended on different notes for each county team as the Daphne Trojans got a harmless learning experience before the playoffs and the Robertsdale Golden Bears received a bittersweet reminder of what rebuilding a program takes.

The game was closer than what the final score would have you believe. Daphne was flag-prone, but turnovers and botched snaps proved to be a much larger deciding factor that swung their way.

The Trojans started the game strong as Jaecyn “Scoot” Myles ran into a wall of defenders but emerged like a magician to bring the ball to the 2-yard line. Fellow wide receiver LaBrayln Williams finished the leftovers to put Daphne up 6-0.

Jaiden Lee quickly followed the drive with a pick-six. The Trojans’ defense held up again, and a 55-yard drive set Daphne’s lead at 20-0 with 3:33 left in the 1st quarter.

Running back Micah Hardy carried Robertsdale on their next drive — and almost for the rest of the game. Seven runs set the Golden Bears up on the 10-yard line, but they migrated to the pass and had to settle for a field goal.

A successful onside kick recovered by Quindarius Shields put Robertsdale back in the game. But tragedy struck when a big reverse was called back, followed by a botched snap and a second penalty. What would’ve been a potential comeback setup became 4th-and-52.

Myles struck again with a 25-yard touchdown run to extend the Trojans’ lead. The Golden Bears weren’t done fighting, and they drove all the way to Daphne’s 4-yard line. A flea flicker backfired and it turned into a pick-six for EJ Williams.

Trojans head coach Kenny King credited getting into the backfield for the missteps on Robertsdale’s part.

“We wanted to try to send blitzes and put pressure on him,” King said of quarterback Cub Jones. “That was us trying to put pressure on him and get him moving in the pocket, but he broke a lot of tackles.”

The Golden Bears drove right back to Daphne’s 1-yard line but were stuffed and had to settle for another field goal. A painful 34-6 score to end the half was the result.

Robertsdale continued to play their game. A 26-yard catch followed by a 10-yard touchdown run by RJ Barnett cut the lead down to 34-13 — but it wouldn’t narrow again.

Trojans quarterback Christian Segar continued to quietly dominate. A 17-yard touchdown pass was the silencer for the Golden Bears’ crowd. Running back Izick Johnson followed up with a big 27-yard run and a 4-yard touchdown to put Daphne up 46-13.

The Trojans threw two final haymakers in the final quarter. Williams got his last lick in with an 81-yard touchdown catch, and wide receiver Zack Butchka ended it with a 55-yard touchdown grab to cement the final score at 60-13.

Robertsdale head coach Justin Jones is hopeful for the future. Despite missing the playoffs, they “checked off a box” in getting their first win against a 7A team in school history at Alma Bryant. Jones, known for building programs, says there’s more where that came from.

Daphne ends the year 8-2 (5-2 in 7A Region 1) with hopes to host a playoff game in the weeks to come. Although missing the postseason, a 4-6 finish is quite the turn around for a Golden Bears program that has been on the wrong side of winning for more than two decades.