FAIRHOPE - Opening weekend of the high school football season is always special, but few games could match the magnitude of what occurred Saturday in Fairhope.
One sideline featured head coach …
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FAIRHOPE - Opening weekend of the high school football season is always special, but few games could match the magnitude of what occurred Saturday in Fairhope.
One sideline featured head coach Philip Rivers and his signal-calling son Gunner leading the St. Michael Cardinals into what they hope is a championship-winning season.
The opposing side was occupied by a program with similar state-title aspirations and the pedigree to prove it in Battle Ground Academy. But that reputation may have been overshadowed by the fact that country music star Luke Bryan’s son, Bo, was making his first varsity start for the Wildcats.
The visitors made the lengthy journey from Franklin, Tennessee, to take on Rivers and company, and with so many notable figures involved in the game, ESPN also decided to make an appearance. The leading sports media outlet broadcast the contest as part of its “High School Football Kickoff” series.
With storylines abound and the mid-afternoon sun wreaking havoc on those in attendance, it was St. Michael that claimed the early momentum.
Rivers found junior receiver Braedyn Walton streaking down the sideline to get the party started, and after that play moved the Cardinals into Wildcat territory, junior tailback Nygel Mitchell picked up a first down run.
And to put a cherry on top of the opening drive, Rivers and Mitchell linked up on a screen pass that resulted in the shifty running back going nearly untouched to the end zone.
The ensuing extra-point attempt was blocked, and the visitors took advantage of that gained momentum.
Bryan showed no signs of nerves in his first start, as he completed a couple of short passes to settle in before connecting with sophomore phenom Maddox Porter on a deep post to give Battle Ground a 7-6 advantage with 5:42 left in the first quarter.
St. Michael mounted a promising drive in response behind the legs of Mitchell and a nice snag by Walton, but with the Cardinals inside the red zone, Rivers was brought down hard while scrambling upfield. The senior quarterback remained on the ground for some time while grabbing at his lower body, and multiple members of the training staff as well as his father came out to check on him.
In the end, St. Michael’s signal-caller exited the game and would not return despite being seen with a light brace on the sidelines at a later point. Rivers was taken to the locker room again soon after, with his head coach and dad explaining afterwards that it wasn’t as minute of an injury as the staff had hoped, but he didn’t believe it would derail his son’s overall season.
“He [Gunner] couldn’t go, He was going to try it, but we’ll just have to get it looked at tomorrow and re-evaluate,” St. Michael head coach Philip Rivers said. “I was a bit more confident in it going into halftime, but after they looked at it, they said we’ll have to see. I don’t think it’s season-ending by any means, but it’s just not the thigh bruise we thought it was.”
A missed field goal added insult soon after, and Bryan proceeded to go right back to work. He found the other member of BGA’s star receiving tandem, junior Maximus Curry, for a chunk gain before being aided by a pass interference call.
But inside the 10-yard line, the Cardinals’ defense forced Bryan to fumble while he worked out of the pocket, keeping the score at 7-6.
The visitors got the ball back soon after and finished the job with a touchdown to push their lead to 14-6 with just over two minutes left in the half.
The saying “when it rains, it pours” seemed to apply here, because St. Michael proceeded to throw an interception during its ensuing possession, and Curry ripped off an explosive catch-and-run that made the deficit two scores for the home side.
Bryan maintained his rhythm coming out of the break, hitting Porter (9 catches, 140 yards, one TD) on a deep ball before the ground game took over and made the score read 28-6 early in the third quarter.
But St. Michael’s backup quarterback began to find his groove at this juncture, as junior Marshall Pitre led a methodical drive downfield before throwing his first touchdown of the year on a well-placed fade to Walton.
Sensing an opportunity to truly get back in the game, Philip Rivers opted to attempt an onside kick right after. It didn’t work, but when senior linebacker Andy Cisneros eventually secured a sack on 4th-and-goal, the end result felt just as impactful.
Pitre continued to settle in, as he completed a pair of passes for first downs before Mitchell punctuated the drive with another touchdown. A missed two-point try made the scoreboard read 28-18 with 8:16 remaining.
“I thought Marshall did a heck of a job,” Philip Rivers said. “He gets zero reps with the ones, and so I thought he did a great job with being thrown in there against a team like this.”
But the nail in the coffin occured during the very next series, as Bryan found Curry on a screen, and the son of 2019 Mr. Olympia Brandon Curry blazed past multiple defenders for a score.
The Wildcats tacked on another touchdown late to make the final 41-18.
Here’s a breakdown of how Battle Ground picked up an impressive road win, what was said after the game and who each side will square off with next:
Nygel Mitchell
St. Michael | Running Back | Junior
Notable Stats: 1 receiving touchdown, 1 rushing touchdown
With the Cardinals’ star quarterback sidelined, Mitchell did all he could to make up for the loss.
After shining during the team’s jamboree win over Alma Bryant last week, the junior tailback showed out on a national stage with a pair of touchdowns and plenty of hard-earned yards.
“He was the baller we knew he is,” Philip Rivers said of his starting tailback.
Bo Bryan
Battle Ground | Quarterback | Senior
Notable Stats: 16/21 passing, 375 yards, 3 touchdowns
With all eyes on him, Bryan delivered.
The senior looked poised and in command during his first start, and some of the throws he completed required great touch and accuracy.
Bryan’s college recruitment figures to take off following a showing like this, and it’s safe to say that his father enjoyed his concert a little more than usual Saturday night*.
Maximus Curry
Battle Ground | Wide Receiver | Junior
Notable Stats: 5 catches, 191 yards, 2 receiving touchdowns
The Wildcats were known for their perimeter talent coming into this game, and Curry showcased why that’s the case.
Both of his touchdowns were highlight-reel worthy, but the 80-yard catch-and-run off a screen put his track speed on full display. The St. Michael secondary struggled to keep pace with Curry, as he continually found green grass in front of him.
Battle Ground’s ‘middle eight’ (2nd+3rd Quarter)
Impact Rating (1-10): 8.5
Coaches across sports talk plenty about how important the end of the first half and beginning of the second is when determining the victor of a game. It is often referred to as the ‘middle eight,’ or the last four minutes of the opening half and the first four of the final.
Well, the Wildcats dominated that period Saturday, and they won the game as a result. The visitors scored twice and picked off a pass in the final three minutes of the second quarter, and they tacked on another touchdown to complete a 21-0 run in the early moments of the third frame.
Gunner Rivers’ injury (1st Quarter)
Impact Rating (1-10): 9.5
Of course, the trajectory of this game changed drastically when Rivers exited.
Bryan entered the game as the less proven of the two signal-callers, but he became the opposite once St. Michael’s field general was forced to head to the locker room.
Maximus Curry’s 80-yard touchdown (4th Quarter)
Impact Rating (1-10): 7.0
Still, the Cardinals did well to hang around, and they lit a fire under their home crowd when they cut the lead to 28-18 in the fourth quarter.
But Curry silenced the St. Michael faithful quickly with a play that he’ll remember for quite some time.
St. Michael (0-1): vs. UMS-Wright Prep (0-1) | Friday, Sept 4
The Cardinals will have a week off before they welcome Mobile’s Bulldogs, who also played an out-of-state program to open their season in Jackson Prep (MS).
Battle Ground (1-0): @ Columbia Academy (1-0) | Friday, Aug. 28
The Wildcats will remain on the road next week, but at least they get to return back to their home state.
