FOLEY - The Lions of Foley and Trojans of Daphne met for the 31st time on the gridiron Thursday night at Ivan Jones Stadium, with the two Baldwin County programs squaring off in a pivotal district …
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FOLEY - The Lions of Foley and Trojans of Daphne met for the 31st time on the gridiron Thursday night at Ivan Jones Stadium, with the two Baldwin County programs squaring off in a pivotal district showdown.
The visitors from the Eastern Shore hoped to strengthen their grip on the top spot in the region standings, while the home side looked to make a move up with a statement win in a game that was moved up a day due to the weekend’s inclement weather.
Postseason implications combined with the usual rivalry emotions to create an energized scene, and the game matched the atmosphere as Daphne outlasted Foley for a 24-17 victory.
The Trojans threw the first couple of haymakers, and it started with a balanced drive from seniors quarterback Christian Segar and tailback Tay Young. That duo drove Daphne down the field, but the Lion defense bowed up and forced a field goal near the red zone.
A pair of swing passes enabled Foley to pick up two first downs and look primed to respond, but the home side was eventually forced to punt back to a hot Trojans offense.
And after that unit methodically drove down the field to open the evening, a first-down run by sophomore Sheldon Richardson was followed by an even more explosive play.
Segar rolled to his right and found junior Tyler Buchanan for a chunk gain, but the receiver then shrugged off a defender and raced down the sideline to score the first touchdown of the night. Foley’s Jatavious Jacobs did block the ensuing point-after attempt, keeping the score at 9-0 with just under two minutes left before halftime.
In need of an answer, the Lions’ offense delivered. A pop pass to junior Bryson Garcia resulted in the chains being moved, and after Foley was forced into a fourth-down scenario, the visiting defense handed them the first with a false start.
Another Daphne penalty–this time a personal foul–kept the Lions marching right down the field, and the home side broke through soon after.
Junior quarterback Judah Spencer rolled to his right off play-action and lofted a ball to the corner of the end zone that looked almost too high for 5-foot-10 receiver Jaxson Dixon.
But somehow, the dynamic target skied into the air, reeled the ball in and tapped a foot inbounds to cut the deficit to 9-7. The score extended Dixon’s streak of finding the end zone to seven straight games, otherwise known as the entire season up to this point.
And that highlight-reel touchdown seemingly swung the pendulum of momentum entirely in Foley’s favor.
The remainder of the first half saw the Lions force a fumble, turn it into a field goal, recover an onside kick and then convert that gutsy call into a touchdown when sophomore tight end Quinten English plunged into the end zone from one yard out.
After Daphne had taken a commanding 9-0 lead early on, Foley effectively ripped off 17 unanswered points to take an eight-point advantage into halftime.
“We were hurting ourselves from the get-go,” Daphne head coach Kenny King said. “So we just talked to them at halftime about keeping their composure and playing our game, because we were messing up with alignments defensively and stuff like that. But the guys calmed down and it worked out.”
The opening minutes of the third quarter featured both defenses standing stall and forcing punts, but it was the visitors who managed to eventually strike.
“We just kept encouraging each other, not letting our heads get down,” senior fullback Braxton ‘BB’ Skoglund said. “The game wasn’t over with, we just had to keep going.”
More tough running from Young moved the ball into opposing territory, but the Lions’ defense forced Segar and company into a 4th-and-7. That was little problem for the South Alabama commit, as he linked up with a sliding Chris Wrightington to move the chains.
The Trojans found their way inside the 10-yard line, and a tricky throwback pass to Skoglund allowed Daphne to cut the deficit to just 17-16 with under three minutes left in the third quarter.
“That play is kinda designed for me, and we’ve been working on it all week in practice,” Skoglund said. “We’d been talking about running it when we got to the goal line, Coach called the play and I was ready to do it.”
Foley mounted a promising drive right after, but a sack by the Trojans’ defense and even more pressure on a 4th-down play forced a turnover on downs.
Skoglund made an impact again with a gritty catch-and-run to pick up a first down, but Segar took out his do-it-yourself kit from there. Seeing no options downfield, the veteran quarterback scrambled into the end zone to give his side the lead, and he proceeded to do the same thing during the two-point attempt to push the advantage to 24-17 with 6:57 left in the game.
“When we got in the red zone, they started dropping eight people into coverage,” Segar said. “My first, second and third reads weren’t really there, so I kinda scrambled out, tried to find somebody downfield and just saw an opening to run.”
The one-score margin set up some tense final moments in Foley, as the Lions got the ball and proceeded to pick up a 4th-and-1 to keep their hopes intact.
But a 4th-and-8 was too much for head coach Bryan Moore to go for, and thus he opted to punt…
…At least that’s what he hoped Daphne thought.
Foley actually faked the kick in its own territory, looking to keep its drive alive. A pass was lofted out to the perimeter, but Trojans senior Jaiden Lee did well to read the play and undercut the throw, intercepting it along the sideline.
“We work on these things over and over again, and you just want to make sure that the kids can come out and duplicate what we did in practice,” King said of the interception. “So I’m proud of this team, the defense, the special teams…collectively this is a big team win from the coaching staff all the way to the scout-team guys that make this stuff happen.”
The traveling crowd from the Eastern Shore began to feel the victory approaching, and its team proceeded to run out the clock in the end.
Here’s a breakdown of how Daphne outlasted Foley, what was said after the game and who each side will square off with next:
Christian Segar
Daphne | Quarterback | Senior
Notable Stats: 2 passing touchdowns, 1 rushing touchdown, 1 two-point conversion
With miscues and frustration plaguing the Daphne offense during the first half, the unit needed someone to drag it back into the game.
Enter Segar.
The senior signal-caller showcased why he’s a current D-I commit, as he confidently guided his offense downfield in the second half and put his body on the line (twice!) to give his team a late lead.
“He [Segar] inspires us, coming to practice and telling us to work hard and then coming out here and doing what he does best,” Sklogund said.
Braxton Skoglund
Daphne | Fullback | Senior
Notable Stats: 1 receiving touchdown
I simply had to jump at the opportunity to put a fullback in this list. After all, the majority of football teams in America don’t even field one anymore!
But Skoglund carries the position’s torch with pride, as he epitomizes the mindset of giving it all for your teammates in the form of blocking with little personal reward.
However, the veteran did get his shining moment when he reached the end zone during the third quarter, and his first-down snag later on was also highly impactful.
“He’s a huge part of the team,” Segar said of his fullback. “He brings all the energy, and it was great to see him have a great game and help us win.”
Jaxson Dixon
Foley | Wide Receiver | Senior
Notable Stats: 1 receiving touchdown
Nicknamed ‘jack rabbit,’ Dixon entered this contest having racked up over 100 total yards and a touchdown in every game thus far.
Yet even with the Trojans’ defense clearly keyed in on the Lions’ star receiver, he still found plenty of room to work and created multiple explosive plays for his team.
That toe-tap touchdown will likely be featured towards the beginning of Mr. Dixon’s postseason highlight reel as well…
Jaiden Lee’s fake-punt interception (4th Quarter)
Impact Rating (1-10): 9.0
Daphne delivered the nail in the coffin late, as Foley got aggressive in attempting an onside kick from its own side of the 50.
But Lee read the punter’s movements, chose the optimal angle and attacked the ball in the air to ice a statement road win for his side.
Foley’s successful onside kick (2nd Quarter)
Impact Rating (1-10): 7.5
While Daphne owned most of the momentum in the latter half, there was a period of time when it seemed like the Lions could do no wrong.
After Moore’s team had already recovered a fumble during the second quarter, Foley also managed to pull off an onside kick and turn that into a touchdown.
The sequence simultaneously kept the Daphne offense on the sideline for much of the frame and lit a fire under the home crowd.
Segar’s gutsy scoring runs (4th Quarter)
Impact Rating (1-10): 8.5
But in the end, Segar became the star of the show.
While generally a pocket passer, the Trojans’ quarterback is also a top-tier athlete, and he put that on display by avoiding multiple defenders for a touchdown and two-point conversion late in the game.
With a 6-foot-3 frame, high-level arm talent and some elusiveness to boot, it’s no secret why Segar is set to be playing in the Sun Belt next fall.
“He’s such a great competitor,” King said of his quarterback. “Week-in and week-out he’s our leader, and so we want to put the ball in his hands.”
Foley (4-3, 3-2): @ Robertsdale (1-6, 1-4) | Friday, Oct. 16
The Lions will hit the road for the first time in over a month when they visit Robertsdale.
Daphne (6-1, 5-0): @ Mary Montgomery (4-3, 4-1) | Friday, Oct. 16
The Trojans will make the trip to take on Mary Montgomery next week.
