The St. Michael Catholic Cardinals are set to play their first-ever true home regular-season game with a new on-campus stadium ready for a Week 2 matchup against John Carroll.

St. Michael will be looking to build on the program’s first playoff berth from last year behind a young group of skill players who have already made meaningful varsity contributions.

A freshman All-American quarterback, Gunner Rivers, returns with a more experienced group of athletes out wide including receivers Brody Jones and Tucker Tomlinson as well as running back Noah Moss. The team quickly found its camaraderie over the summer and went 29-1 in 7-on-7 events, including wins in three of the four tournaments they competed in.

On the other side of the ball, defensive back Brady Zdyb and linebackers Cooper Helper and Nick Russo will bring some experience to the field. In the trenches, Toby Edmiston will help set the tone at defensive end with Rocco Faiupu and John Traveis returning to the offensive line.

Head coach Philip Rivers enters his fourth year at the helm of the Cardinal program fresh off setting program records for points in a season (412) and a single game (55) and tying the single-season win record at 6.

St. Michael’s 5-2 record in Class 4A Region 1 also marked the most wins in region play for a single season but this year’s group will look a little different following the biennial reclassification of the AHSAA. Three teams were moved down to Class 3A due to enrollment, including Bayside Academy, Wilcox Central and T.R. Miller, and two teams were moved up, including W.S. Neal and defending champion Mobile Christian.

Now a seven-team region, St. Michael picked up an extra non-region game and kept Bayside Academy on the schedule. Other non-region opponents include John Carroll Catholic (Class 5A) and Pensacola (Florida, Class 3A) with a trip to Class 5A UMS-Wright Prep to end the regular season. The Cardinals’ scheduled bye week is perfectly balanced in Week 6 with five games on either side of the break.

With all-state honors for Gunner and Jones, St. Michael extended to three-straight years of having two student-athletes recognized by the Alabama Sports Writers Association.