DAPHNE — Daphne and Baker will meet Friday night in a Class 6A Region 1 matchup between a pair of 2-1 teams, but the significance of the night will stretch far beyond the standings. 

The Trojans will host the Hornets at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, with Youth Night and military recognition also being part of the evening.

For Daphne head coach Kenny King, the football challenge begins with a Baker team that features experience at quarterback, explosiveness at receiver and a capable running game.

“Looking at them on film, of course, they have a returning quarterback,” King said. “Very tall, physical guy, had some success the past couple years. Got an explosive wide receiver, No. 1, got a great running back, got a run game.”

King also pointed to Baker’s defense and its ability to create problems through pressure and disguise.

“They’ve got a great team,” King said. “We’ve got a great team that they're going to have to compete against.”

Despite the skill talent on both sidelines, King believes Friday’s matchup will ultimately be decided much closer to the football.

“At the end of the day, I still think the game is won up front with the offensive and defensive lines,” King said.

Daphne has shown progress in that area, particularly in its running game. After struggling to establish consistency on the ground during the opening weeks, the Trojans broke through against Bryant behind running back Tay Young.

Young rushed for 171 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries in Daphne’s 42-21 victory. 

“Hopefully our offensive line can get some push and establish a running game,” King said.

Here are the players, units and factors to watch Friday night:

Players To Watch

Tay Young

Daphne | Running Back | Senior | No. 25

Young enters Friday coming off his biggest rushing performance of the young season.

The senior carried 14 times for 171 yards and three touchdowns against Bryant, including a 67-yard run. 

King was quick to spread the credit beyond his running back.

“I think our running backs, the backfield, has emerged,” King said. “We had a running back that went for 171 yards, three touchdowns. So I give credit to the offensive line and stuff, they’re blocking for him.”

If Daphne can continue producing on the ground, Young could help the Trojans control tempo and keep Baker’s offense on the sideline.

Karson Lacey

Daphne | Cornerback/Wide Receiver | Junior | No. 0

Lacey has developed into one of Daphne’s most versatile contributors. The current roster lists him at cornerback and wide receiver. 

King highlighted his ability to affect games on defense, special teams and offense.

“He’s just an all-around player, playing defense, special teams and a little bit of offense too,” King said.

King pointed specifically to Lacey’s interception and kickoff-return touchdown while discussing the junior’s early-season impact.

Daphne Defensive Front

Some of Daphne's most important players may never touch the football.

King repeatedly returned to one point when discussing Baker: the game will be won or lost up front.

That puts added importance on Daphne’s defensive front against a Baker offense featuring an experienced quarterback and a productive rushing attack.

Two names to watch are Jaysean Willis, No. 93, a 6-foot, 240-pound junior listed at defensive tackle and defensive end, and Trey Kyles, No. 11, a 6-foot-1, 215-pound freshman outside linebacker. 

Their influence will not necessarily be measured only in sacks or tackles for loss.

If Daphne can close running lanes, occupy blockers and keep Baker out of favorable down-and-distance situations, the Trojans can give the rest of the defense more freedom to attack.

The front will also be responsible for making Baker quarterback Tate Graham uncomfortable without losing rush-lane discipline against a 6-foot-5, 220-pound quarterback. 

Tate Graham

Baker | Quarterback | Senior | No. 7

Graham is the returning quarterback King immediately referenced when discussing Baker.

The 6-foot-5, 220-pound senior has thrown three touchdown passes through Baker’s first three games. 

King described Graham as a tall, physical quarterback who has experienced success over the past several seasons.

Daphne’s challenge will be generating pressure without creating opportunities for Baker’s receivers behind the defense.

Jamien Pryor

Baker | Wide Receiver | Junior | No. 1

Pryor is the explosive No. 1 receiver King identified while discussing Baker on film.

The 6-foot, 162-pound junior currently leads Baker with 123.3 receiving yards per game. 

His presence makes it more difficult for Daphne to commit additional defenders to stopping the run.

Where Pryor lines up, and how the Trojans choose to account for him, will be worth watching from Baker’s opening possession.

Gavin Wood

Baker | Running Back | Senior | No. 9

Wood provides the rushing component of the balance King sees from Baker.

The 5-foot-11, 205-pound senior leads the Hornets at 76 rushing yards per game and has scored four total touchdowns. 

If Daphne can limit Wood on early downs, it can put Graham and the Baker offense into more obvious passing situations.

If Wood consistently keeps the Hornets ahead of the chains, Baker will have access to much more of its playbook.

The X-Factors

1. Who wins up front?

King did not hesitate when asked where Friday’s matchup could be decided.

“At the end of the day, I still think the game is won up front with the offensive and defensive line,” he said.

That battle works both ways for Daphne.

Offensively, the Trojans need to create enough movement for Young and the backfield to establish the run.

Defensively, Willis, Kyles and the rest of the front will be tasked with preventing Baker from doing the same.

Whichever team controls the line of scrimmage should have the best opportunity to dictate how the game is played.

2. Can Daphne keep its running game going?

King acknowledged Daphne had difficulty establishing the run during the opening weeks.

That changed against Bryant.

Young’s 171-yard, three-touchdown performance accounted for the majority of Daphne’s 203 rushing yards in the 42-21 win. 

Friday provides the next test of whether the performance was a one-night breakthrough or evidence that the Trojans’ rushing attack has turned a corner.

3. Discipline and special teams

King said one of Daphne’s clearest improvements since Week 1 has been limiting penalties.

“Since Week 1, less penalties,” King said. “We had so many pre-snap penalties at the beginning.”

Against an opponent with Baker’s ability, avoidable mistakes could become costly.

Then there is special teams.

“Special teams can make or break you when it comes to a football game,” King said.

King has already seen Lacey provide a scoring threat in the return game, making special teams another area capable of swinging momentum Friday.

Notes To Know

Friday’s game will also serve as Youth Night, giving younger Daphne-area players an opportunity to experience the varsity atmosphere up close.

King said youth players will have the opportunity to come onto the field and run through the Trojan head before the game. Many have already interacted with Daphne coaches through summer youth programs.

“It means a lot to us, getting those guys to come out and support us, and us also supporting them,” King said.

For King, Friday-night football represents more than an athletic event.

“We live for Friday nights,” he said.

King said events such as Youth Night give families and young athletes an opportunity to experience an atmosphere they may someday want to become part of themselves.

“We try to have different events to bring out people that might fall in love with this game of football, or fall in love with the atmosphere on Friday night,” King said.

He described high school football as one of the community’s largest recurring gathering points.

“I can’t think of any week-in, week-out community event where you have over 3,000 people at one location,” King said.

Friday also falls on Sept. 11, giving the night another layer of significance.

King was a young college football player when the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, occurred.

“9/11 was a big thing for us,” King said. “I was a young adult, still in college, playing football during that time.”

The athletes he coaches today belong to a different generation.

“The guys that are out there playing on Friday night, they didn’t witness that,” King said. “They weren’t even born.”

King said military members and veterans will also be recognized during Friday’s event.

For him, those themes connect naturally with what Daphne football is trying to build beyond wins and losses: togetherness, brotherhood, accountability and character.

“They play for each other,” King said.

Chris’ Perspective

Sept. 11, 2001, is not simply another date on the calendar for me.

That morning, I was in the air traveling from Lafayette, Louisiana, to San Diego, California on my way back to Marine Combat Training at Camp Pendleton, California.

We never made it.

Our trip stopped in Houston, Texas as air travel across the country came to a halt following the terrorist attacks.

What followed affected lives far beyond that single day.

The Global War on Terror shaped an entire generation of service members and their families. I would eventually serve multiple tours in Iraq, operating across different parts of the country, including the south, north and, most notably, western Al Anbar Province.

But one of the things I remember most about Sept. 11 was what happened here at home.

I watched a country come together.

I watched communities stand with one another.

Twenty-five years later, the young men who will take the field for Daphne and Baker Friday night were not yet born when the attacks occurred.

For them, Sept. 11 is history rather than lived experience.

That makes nights like this important.

Football has always reminded me of many of the principles I learned in the Marine Corps, preparation, discipline, communication, accountability, teamwork and fulfilling your responsibility to the people beside you.

As a youth football coach, I have carried many of those Marine Corps leadership traits and principles into the way I prepare young athletes.

The goal is bigger than teaching them how to block, tackle or score touchdowns.

It is about preparing them for life beyond the football field.

That is why something King said during our conversation stood out.

He talked about togetherness, brotherhood, accountability and sacrifice.

He also explained what he ultimately wants Daphne football to represent.

“I want the community to see Daphne as great-character men,” King said, “but also use the game of football to stand for something bigger than yourself.”

Friday night should provide a visible example of exactly that.

Young football players will experience an atmosphere they may someday play in themselves. Veterans and military members will be recognized. Families and neighbors will gather together. Two teams will compete in an important region football game while a community remembers a day that changed the country and recognizes lives affected during the years that followed.

For many of the young people in attendance, the significance of Sept. 11 can only be passed down by generations who experienced it.

Friday offers an opportunity to do that.

Community. Remembrance. Recognition. And teaching our youth that sometimes what happens around a football field is bigger than what we can see on it.

Daphne and Baker kick off Friday at 7 p.m.