All of Baldwin County’s football teams have completed their regional slate of games, but before they can fully turn their attention to the playoffs, some intriguing non-region matchups are on the docket for the final week of the regular season.

Over in Fairhope, St. Michael Catholic will be hosting Foley for an intra-county clash Friday, and Gulf Shores will similarly welcome Bayside Academy for a rare public vs. private matchup.

Both of those games carry with them plenty of intrigue, but only the latter features two teams with a combined one loss on the season. The Dolphins and Admirals have each enjoyed wildly successful campaigns, and before they pursue state titles within their own classifications, the sides will put their championship mettle to the test this week.

And with there also being plenty of familiarity between the players, coaches and fans on either sideline, emotions will be running high when Gulf Shores aims to complete its second-ever undefeated regular season at “The Mick.” 

Of course, Bayside would love nothing more than to spoil that party with an upset in the fifth meeting between these programs.

Here are the players to keep an eye on, keys to the game and other notes to know ahead of kickoff:

Players To Watch

Carter Davis

Gulf Shores | Wide Receiver | Senior

Notable Stats: 50 catches, 720 receiving yards, 25 carries, 192 rushing yards, 12 total TDs

At this point, there isn’t much more left to say about Mr. Davis.

Commonly referred to as “the fastest man in Alabama,” Davis has more than lived up to that reputation in 2026, as he’s produced highlight-reel plays in virtually every game he’s participated in and has been nearly unguardable for opposing defenses.

The West Virginia commit would love nothing more than to cap his legendary high school career with an undefeated regular season and deep playoff run before heading up to Morgantown.

Elijah Malone

Gulf Shores | Defensive Back/Running Back | Senior

Notable Stats: 26 total tackles, 5 TFLs, 2 sacks, 1 INT, 11 pass breakups, 23 carries, 208 rushing yards, 6 touchdowns, 1 blocked field goal

But while Davis may steal the show offensively, Malone has been a Swiss Army Knife for the Dolphins in every sense of the phrase.

Committed to Jacksonville State for his defensive-back abilities, Malone is a lockdown corner but also dabbles in the other two phases of the game.

Mark Hudspeth and his staff frequently try to get Malone the ball via direct snaps and other creative methods offensively, and the senior’s blocked field goal against Saraland proved to be a decisive moment and showcased his willingness to make an impact in any way necessary.

Davis Barnett

Bayside | Quarterback | Junior

Notable Stats: 77% completion, 2,618 passing yards, 38 passing touchdowns, 1 interception

A close friend of Malone’s (more on that later), Barnett has followed up a stellar sophomore campaign by one-upping himself this fall.

The junior has been incredibly efficient, recording a 100-plus passer rating in every game thus far and ranking second overall in passing yardage for Alabama players.

Barnett’s relationship with head coach Barrett Trotter, a former quarterback at Auburn, has helped create a lethal aerial attack in Daphne.

Walker Collins

Bayside | Wide Receiver | Senior

Notable Stats: 47 catches, 654 receiving yards, 13.9 yards per catch, 8 touchdowns

But of course, every star quarterback needs quality targets to get the ball to, and Barnett has plenty of those.

A deep and talented group of pass-catchers is spearheaded by Walker Collins, a senior who leads the team in receiving and has tallied three games with over 100 receiving yards.

Collins will be counted upon to make plenty of plays Friday night, as it’s safe to assume that Trotter will allow Barnett to let it rip against a larger opponent.

The X-Factors

Can Bayside hang with Gulf Shores in the trenches?

In terms of their signal-callers and skill-position talent, Gulf Shores and Bayside are fairly similar.

The primary difference for these teams resides in the trenches, as the Admirals will be fielding a handful of players on both sides of the ball, while the Dolphins have the luxury of being able to rotate in larger, fresh bodies most of the time.

From Gabriel Ervin in the interior to Kingston Gardner and Kaleb Williams on the edges, Gulf Shores has plenty of high-level talent along its defensive line, and the O-line has continued to improve throughout the season.

Thus, it will take a Herculean effort from Bayside’s linemen to tread water against the Dolphins’ bruisers, although Trotter’s program does pride itself on overcoming long odds.

Will Barnett and the Admiral offense be able to maintain their aerial rhythm?

Legitimately nobody has been able to slow down Barnett and company this fall.

Even in Bayside’s lone loss to St. Michael Catholic, the veteran quarterback still threw for 289 yards and a touchdown while completing just over 70% of his passes.

But the Admirals have yet to face a defense that is the caliber of Gulf Shores’, and thus it will be intriguing to watch if the likes of Malone and fellow defensive back Joc Prince can slow down Barnett and his many weapons.

What kind of tricks will Trotter bring out of his bag?

Facing an uphill battle away from home, it’s reasonable to believe that Trotter will get creative in this one. After all, the result will have no impact on postseason positioning, with bragging rights and personal pride being the primary things at stake.

And against a team as well-coached as the Dolphins are, running trick plays either offensively or on special teams can make up the gap that is assumed to exist between these teams.

So, don’t be surprised to see a flea flicker, double pass or onside kick as Bayside pulls out all the stops to spring an upset on the road.

Notes To Know

• The all-time record between the schools currently stands at 3-1 in favor of Gulf Shores. The Admirals won the last meeting between these teams, 35-16, in 2011, while the Dolphins came out on top from 2008-2010.
• As was previously mentioned, Gulf Shores is looking to cap just its second undefeated regular season in program history, with the other occurring in 2023. Meanwhile, a Bayside win would mean the school produced back-to-back campaigns with just one loss before playoffs begin.
• An underlying story to take note of is the relationship between Barnett and the Dolphins. Bayside’s signal-caller originally moved to Gulf Shores from Oxford in the 4th grade, and thus he grew up playing alongside many of the Dolphins’ players. Barnett especially had a strong bond with Malone thanks to their upbringing in Oxford, but after playing 7-on-7 and eventually his freshman year with Gulf Shores, the quarterback and his family moved to the Daphne area. Barnett and Malone remain close friends, and the families always try to watch each others’ games when they are able.

Parker’s Perspective

Storylines abound everywhere one looks in this game.

From the familiarity between the teams to first place in the county standings being on the line, there will be plenty of emotions and energy flying around The Mick this weekend.

And with both these teams being battle-tested and eyeing state-title runs, the playoff-like environment should match what figures to be a postseason preview for each side.

On one hand, the story of Bayside pulling off this upset seems like a script out of Hollywood, and if any program can go on the road and pull off a stunner, it’s Trotter’s. Barnett will also be playing with plenty of motivation, and that should spur him on to a productive performance.

But on the other hand, I do have to wonder about the Admirals’ ability to keep their quarterback upright. The Dolphins have racked up a whopping 40 sacks this season, and if Bayside is unable to establish a respectable running game, then Hudspeth’s D-linemen will be able to pin their ears back and make a beeline for Barnett.

And on the other side of the ball, Bayside should hold its own up front to start the game, but I also believe that a deeper Gulf Shores team will eventually wear down the visitors and find more offensive success as the night wears on.

The Admirals (8-1, 7-0) and Dolphins (9-0, 7-0) will kick off at 7 p.m. Friday.