In what will go down as an instant classic on the Eastern Shore, Fairhope stunned Daphne, 27-24, with a gutsy fourth-quarter effort to achieve another victory over its rivals and become AHSAA 6A Region 1 champions at the same time.

In a hard fought battle with plenty of playoff implications, Fairhope won the War on the Eastern Shore for the second-straight year. This also acts as the first win in the rivalry for Pirates head coach Caleb Ross, who was hired earlier this year.

Despite the emotions surrounding the game, Ross said this isn’t his first rodeo, noting he has coached in similar environments throughout his career.

“Daphne, they do a great job,” Ross said. “I got a ton of respect for Coach [Kenny] King. There’s guys on that staff, and that’s a well-coached team. But I knew this: I thought if our kids could take that game into the fourth quarter, man, we were gonna be the better team. I just did. I believe in our kids and I’m sure every coach does, but truly, our kids are just different. I mean that.”

PIRATES REIGN VICTORIOUS OVER TROJANS

Receiving the ball to begin the game, Daphne made some progress during its first drive, with junior Karson Lacey returning the opening kickoff to midfield and the Trojans moving the chains to Fairhope’s 10-yard line. However, quarterback Christian Segar ended up being picked off by Pirate linebacker Gus Faulkner, and the Tulane commit took it all the way into the opposite end zone to give Fairhope a 7-0 lead early.

Despite the setback, Daphne got on the board soon after thanks to a gritty touchdown run from senior Tay Young that tied the game at seven with 4:12 left in the first quarter. 

Fairhope tried to respond, but the Trojans defense held the visitors to only a field goal before the end of the first quarter, giving the Pirates a slim 10-7 lead.

It was all defense for the majority of the second quarter until things heated up in the final moments of the first half. 

What seemed like a Daphne touchdown pass to junior Chris Wrightington was called back due to a holding penalty. However, Segar then scrambled and stepped out of bounds inside Fairhope’s five-yard line with a second remaining to set up a field goal, and the Trojans kicked it through the uprights to make it a 10-10 ball game at halftime.

In the third quarter, Fairhope advanced deep into Daphne territory, reaching the opposing eight-yard line. However, senior quarterback Trey Garner made a dash for the end zone, was tackled and fumbled right as he made it to the goal line, and the Trojans recovered the loose pigskin in the end zone.

Daphne’s momentum was short-lived, however. During the Trojans’ ensuing offensive drive, Faulkner recorded his second interception of the night off a tipped pass, giving the ball right back to his offense. 

Despite this, the Pirates couldn’t do much on that side of the ball, settling for a field goal as the third quarter came to a close.

In the fourth quarter, Young pushed Daphne back in front with his second touchdown of the night, scampering 43 yards down the sideline to give the Trojans a 17-13 lead. 

Fairhope responded in kind when sophomore Tucker Roach broke multiple tackles for an emphatic 27-yard touchdown run, making the scoreboard read 20-17 in favor of Fairhope.

With a little over five minutes left in the final quarter, Segar connected with Trojan receiver Landon Forrest for his fifth touchdown catch of the season, giving Daphne a late 24-20 lead.

And with the game coming down to the wire and less than three minutes remaining, the Fairhope offense converted on not one, but two fourth-down attempts to keep its hopes alive.

The clock eventually dipped under ten seconds with the visitors in the red zone, needing a touchdown to jump ahead. 

Garner dropped back and received some great protection from his offensive line, allowing him to scan the entire field. The veteran signal-caller then fired a pass deep into the corner of the end zone, and senior receiver Hayden Woodford warded off a defender and hauled in the ball to give Fairhope the go-ahead score with just three seconds left.

As a last attempt, Daphne attempted a lateral play, but the ball dropped to the turf and was recovered by the Pirates, sealing their victory.

LOOKING AHEAD

With the win, Fairhope improves to a record of 7-2 overall and finishes atop 6A Region 1 with a 5-1 mark. To cap the regular season, the Pirates will return home to host 4A powerhouse Vigor on Friday.

“They’re good, man. That’s what your reward is for beating the district champs,” Ross joked. “You get to play Vigor last go-round, but we’re going to have our kids prepared. We’ll go play hard.”

Meanwhile, Daphne falls to a 6-3 overall record and 5-1 mark in regional play. The Trojans will hit the road to play at Tate (FL) to end their regular-season schedule next Thursday, with that game being a replacement for a canceled contest against Hillcrest.