In sports, a ‘swing game’ is commonly defined as an evenly matched contest in which both teams feel that they can emerge victorious, with the implications of a win or loss being equally extreme.
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In sports, a ‘swing game’ is commonly defined as an evenly matched contest in which both teams feel that they can emerge victorious, with the implications of a win or loss being equally extreme.
Well, Friday’s matchup between Foley (1-1) and Fairhope (1-1) at W.C. Majors Field fits that description perfectly. Both sides are fresh off bounce-back victories and looking to start winning streaks of their own as the grind of district play begins.
The Lions won a nail-biter over Spanish Fort, 28-25, last week, a game that required them to come up with a goal-line stand in the closing moments.
Meanwhile, the Pirates found themselves in a similarly hard-fought contest, and they needed a fourth-quarter rally to outlast Baldwin County, 33-21.
“We really won that game because of them [the defense],” Fairhope senior quarterback Trey Garner said. “We had a rough start on offense but finished well, so the defense was amazing to keep us in it.”
Thus, both of these teams are riding high and still have all of their preseason goals in front of them, making this a ‘swing game’ if there ever was one.
To that point, the victor of this one will be above .500 on the year and feel that it can make a run at a district title, while the loser will be facing an uphill climb the rest of the way.
Here are the players to keep an eye on, keys to the game and other notes to know ahead of kickoff:
Nic Ronsisvalle
Fairhope | Running Back | Senior
Notable Stats: 24 carries, 116 rushing yards, 4.8 yards per carry, 3 rushing touchdowns, 4 catches, 34 receiving yards
Bruiser, bowling ball, tank…
…Those are all words that can be used to describe Ronsisvalle’s running style, as the 210-pound tailback is nearly impossible to bring down with just one defender.
And the senior put that physical nature on full display last Friday, as he scored all three of his touchdowns in the second half of the Pirates’ victory over Baldwin County, seemingly leading the comeback all on his own.
“He’s a big, physical back who’s also just a tough kid,” Fairhope head coach Caleb Ross said of Ronsisvalle following last Friday’s game. “So we just kept pounding and pounding, and he just started sliding off of them [Baldwin County].”
Jaxson Dixon
Foley | Wide Receiver | Senior
Notable Stats: 164 receiving yards, 86 rushing yards, 4 total touchdowns
Having scored 28 or more points in each of its first two games, the Foley offense has been explosive to start the season, and Dixon is a major reason why.
The speedy 5-foot-10 target broke out with three touchdowns on just four receptions during his side’s opening game against McGill-Toolen, and he followed that up with just under 50 receiving yards and an 84-yard rushing touchdown against Spanish Fort.
Also worth noting is that Dixon is a major factor on special teams, as evidenced by his 65-yard punt return against the Toros.
Gus Faulkner
Fairhope | Linebacker | Senior
Notable Stats: 24 total tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 2 pass breakups, 1 punt block
A current Tulane commit, Faulkner has lived up to his recruiting status with his on-field play thus far.
After leading Fairhope in tackles during the team’s opener, Faulkner flew all over the field during the aforementioned win over the Tigers. Whether it’s stopping runners at the line of scrimmage, deflecting passes or even blocking punts, the senior leader finds a way to be involved in nearly every play.
1. Can Fairhope’s offense get out to a faster start this time around?
While the Pirates are taking some confidence into this week, their offense still has some questions to answer.
After scoring zero points in a loss to Pace (FL) in Week 1, the unit only managed five points in the first half of the Baldwin County game.
In the end, Ronsisvalle and senior quarterback Trey Garner were able to wear the Tigers down on the ground, enabling them to find an offensive rhythm as the game wore on.
But that formula likely won’t work every week, and Foley now has quality film on how Fairhope likes to attack.
2. How will the Pirates contain the Lions’ abundance of speed on the perimeter?
On the other side of the ball, Faulkner and Fairhope’s defense were notably stingy against the run last week, but the Tigers were able to find some success with explosive plays through the air.
Baldwin County scored off a 70+ yard screen pass and also completed a handful of other chunk plays downfield, exposing some breakdowns in the Fairhope secondary.
Similar to the Tigers, Foley boasts a plethora of high-level talent out wide, and the visitors will likely look to get Dixon and company involved as much as possible in order to test the Pirates’ secondary.
3. Can Foley’s defense carry over its momentum from the Spanish Fort victory?
Giving up 52 points in an opening game is never ideal, but how the Lions’ defense responded the following week was impressive.
Foley held Spanish Fort scoreless through the first quarter and earned the 28-25 victory with a clutch goal-line stand as the final frame was coming to a close.
Thus, the Lions’ unit has some momentum heading into Friday’s contest, and assuming its offense can produce at its usual clip, it will be up to that defense to make the difference.
As first-year head coaches, Ross and Foley’s Bryan Moore would both love to set the tone with a victory to begin their all-important district slate.
Fittingly, such a pivotal contest appears to be evenly matched on paper, and it’s safe to assume that the minute details of this one will determine the final outcome.
Much like Baldwin County did, Foley will likely look to test the Fairhope defense by getting the ball to its perimeter playmakers early and often. Meanwhile, the Pirates’ offense may be aiming to methodically churn out yardage behind the legs of Garner and Ronsisvalle, thus keeping the ball out of the Lions’ hands (paws?).
All of that is to say that there could be a clash of styles on display Friday, and the team that can dictate the flow of the game will likely come out on top.
My first instincts tell me that Foley is fully capable of walking onto W.C. Majors Field and out-scoring the home side on its way to an important road win…
…But something about how Fairhope ended last week’s game has stuck with me, and I can’t help but feel that the rally started something special for these Pirates.
In the end, readers can essentially flip a coin to pick this one, but I’ll give Fairhope the benefit of the doubt and predict that the home team will grind out another close win.
The Pirates and Lions will kick off at 7 p.m. Friday.
