High school football strayed from its normal home of Friday nights to kick off the 2026 season, as a handful of programs in the state opened their campaigns Thursday evening.

And the lone show in Baldwin County featured Daphne paying a visit to regional rivals Spanish Fort, as two historically strong schools looked to secure a marquee victory to start their season on the right foot.

  With “The Hill” providing a fitting backdrop for this opener, the fans in attendance were treated to a back-and-forth thriller that came down to the closing moments. 

A 30-minute weather delay did little to slow down the defenses early, as the teams traded three-and-outs on their opening possessions. 

Daphne became the first team to pick up a first down soon after, but a missed field goal by the home side kept the score deadlocked at zero. And per the theme of the opening frame, a ferocious sack by Toros’ senior defensive lineman Brandon Marinho was what ushered the game into the second quarter.

Some tough running from senior quarterback Jaylyn “JJ” Thibodeaux moved Spanish Fort into opposing territory, and a chip shot field goal put the first points on the board and gave the home crowd something to cheer about.

The half concluded with each team producing a promising drive but failing to manufacture any points, and that trend continued into the third quarter. 

The Toros were forced to punt on their opening possession, but Trojans’ senior signal-caller Christian Segar began to settle in and produced a strong drive that included a pivotal 4th-and-5 conversion. 

Daphne knocked in a field goal to tie the game at three with 6:46 left in the third quarter, and that sparked the visiting defense. A tackle for loss on Spanish Fort’s first play was followed by junior linebacker Myles Hankins intercepting a ball over the middle and rumbling his way to the end zone to score the evening’s first touchdown.

That play swung momentum firmly onto the Trojans’ sideline even with the extra point being missed, but the Toros were ready with a response.

First, junior wide receiver Devin McKenzie hauled in a short pass and weaved his way around defenders for a massive gain that moved his team near the red zone. Then, Thibodeaux linked up with tailback Ford Turner for another first down before punching in a rushing touchdown that gave his team a 10-9 lead late in the third quarter.

Inspired by what his counterpart accomplished, Segar proceeded to produce a highlight-worthy scoring drive of his own. The veteran layered a ball between two defenders to start the possession with a first down, and he eventually found 6-foot-4 receiver Chris Wrightington in the end zone to reclaim the lead. 

However, a missed two-point attempt kept Spanish Fort well within reach at 15-10 with just over nine minutes left in the game.

And to put it simply, the ensuing drive will live in the memories of Toro fans forever.

It began with Thibodeaux, featured more Thibodeaux in the middle, and yes, ended with Thibodeaux.

That’s because within this single possession, the senior quarterback converted a 3rd-and-15 with his legs, a 4th-and-7 by connecting with Robert “Bo” Farmer over the middle and another 4th down by scrambling out of the pocket.

With Thibodeaux refusing to be denied, it seemed almost inevitable when he muscled his way past multiple defenders to find the end zone from nine yards out.

And after Thibodeaux converted the two-point try to give Spanish Fort an 18-15 advantage with 1:39 remaining, junior defensive back Noah Stone came up with the game-sealing interception that lit a fire under the Toro faithful.

Here’s a breakdown of how Spanish Fort outlasted its rivals, what was said after the game and who each side will square off with next:

Primetime Performers

Jaylyn “JJ” Thibodeaux

Spanish Fort | Quarterback | Senior

Notable Stats: 2 rushing touchdowns, 2 fourth down conversions

If you look up the phrase “leaving it all on the field,” a photo of Thibodeaux may just pop up.

The veteran kicked off his final season of high school ball by willing his team to victory with his arm, legs and grit. As mentioned above, the clock-draining final drive that featured multiple clutch conversions will be remembered at Spanish Fort for quite some time.

“I was just thinking: ‘Whatever it takes to get into the end zone,’” Thibodeaux said of the possession. “My team needed me at that moment, and I’m not going to shy away from any pressure.”

Myles Hankins

Daphne | Linebacker | Junior

Notable Stats: 1 pick-six

Hankins may not have come out on the winning side of this one, but he did everything he could to give the Trojans a chance.

The bruising linebacker’s pick-six in the third quarter completely changed the trajectory of this game, and he was flying around the field all night as one of the standouts from the Daphne defense.

Noah Stone

Spanish Fort | Defensive Back | Junior

Notable Stats: 1 interception

Heralded as one of the team’s breakout candidates by his peers leading into the season, Stone certainly lived up to the hype.

The athletic defensive back made plenty of key plays throughout the night, but Stone’s game-clinching interception will be a moment he remembers for the rest of his life.

“I kinda felt it was coming,” Stone said of the INT. “I saw him rolling out of the side of my eye, and I just stared him down.”

Defining Moments

Jaylyn Thibodeaux’s final drive (4th Quarter)

Impact Rating (1-10): 10.0

Giving out a perfect 10 during the first week of the season feels a bit odd, but nothing else made sense.

With Thibodeaux and the Toros facing multiple 3rd/4th-and-longs in need of a touchdown, it seemed that the Trojans had the home side right where they wanted them. 

Instead, the senior quarterback proceeded to break the hearts of the visitors with gutsy play after gutsy play.

Myles Hankins’ pick-six (3rd Quarter)

Impact Rating (1-10): 7.5

With there not having been a touchdown in the game up to this point, Hankins’ pick-six initially felt like a play that could win Daphne the game.

The linebacker expertly read Thibodeaux’s eyes and then displayed some solid skills in the open field to reach the end zone and give Daphne its first major momentum swing of the game.

Devin McKenzie’s explosive catch-and-run (3rd Quarter)

Impact Rating (1-10): 8.0

But in a way, Hankins’ interception only created an even bigger moment right after.

Having struggled to produce many explosive plays on the night, Spanish Fort had its back against the wall down 9-3 in the third quarter.

But McKenzie became the hero of the moment when he turned what looked to be a 5-yard gain into a foot race to the end zone that he nearly won.

Quotes To Note

• “We knew their defense was going to be something, but we’ve been going against our defense in practice, which I believe is the best in our region.” — Jaylyn “JJ” Thibodeaux, Spanish Fort, Quarterback
• “Out of the years I’ve played, this is the strongest family we’ve ever had as a team. And that’s what kept pushing us to win this game.” — Noah Stone, Spanish Fort, Defensive Back
• “We grew a lot tonight. With 10 sophomores in there, the young bucks rolled with the punches.” — Chase Smith, Spanish Fort, Head Coach
• “We’re going to celebrate this, have a great time for 24 hours, and then we’re gonna get back in the lab and move on to the next.” — Jaylyn “JJ” Thibodeaux, Spanish Fort, Quarterback
• “He’s [Thibodeaux] a dawg,” — Chase Smith, Spanish Fort, Head Coach

Obscure Observations

• This result moves the all-time record between the schools to 12-3 in favor of Spanish Fort. The Toros have now won five of the past six in the series.

• This was the 14th annual “California Dreaming Bowl,” a reference to the local restaurant.
• Spanish Fort’s stadium only added to the intensity, as the red light displays and frequent fireworks made the game feel like a college-level atmosphere.

Up Next

Daphne (0-1): vs. Carver Montgomery (0-0) | Friday, Aug. 28

The Trojans will now return home to face the Wolverines of Carver Montgomery, with them getting an extra day to prepare after playing Thursday.

Spanish Fort (1-0): @ Foley (0-0) | Friday, Aug. 28

The Toros will look to maintain their momentum when they head to Foley for another important regional rivalry bout.