ORANGE BEACH - Wade Waldrop and the Orange Beach football program had two primary goals when they welcomed Satsuma for some Monday Night Football.

The first was to effectively bounce back from the team’s first loss of the season, a 42-0 defeat at the hands of Williamson which occurred over a week ago.

The second was to lock up an AHSAA 4A Playoff spot with a victory, which would give the Makos plenty to celebrate following their final home contest of the regular season.

With those objectives in mind and the weekend’s storms behind them, the Makos certainly accomplished the first goal with a 38-14 win, but head coach Wade Waldrop may not look at the game as a successful rebound performance overall.

“A lot of things were sloppy tonight,” Waldrop said. “Penalty-wise, it just looked like we hadn’t played. But I’m proud of the win in our last home game.”

But before some of those struggles, Orange Beach did start the night out hot on both sides of the ball.

The home side accepted the opening kickoff, and quarterback Tucker Wade quickly linked up with senior receiver Anthony Hawkins for a first down. The Makos then methodically ran their way into the red zone before dynamic athlete Verchaun Simms took a sweep and eluded multiple defenders for the game’s first touchdown.

Not even two minutes had come off the clock before Orange Beach got on the board, and its defense responded in kind when freshman defensive tackle Amarie Trammell blew up a run during the visitors’ first play from scrimmage.

The Gators were forced to give the ball right back, and both sides proceeded to trade empty possessions despite Satsuma blocking a punt in Mako territory at one point.

Eventually, Waldrop’s squad forced a turnover on downs, and Wade connected with a streaking Hawkins on a deep ball right after. The 6-foot-1 target then muscled his way past a couple of Gators before racing to the end zone for an electric 96-yard touchdown, which made the score read 14-0 with 3:34 remaining in the opening quarter.

Satsuma failed to respond, and even with Orange Beach muffing a punt, the visitors still couldn’t get on the scoreboard as the second quarter crossed its halfway point.

But the Mako offense managed to tack on another touchdown before heading to the locker room, as Wade rolled out and lofted a deep ball to junior Davis Woodson that moved their team inside the two-yard line.

From there, Orange Beach’s signal-caller decided to take matters into his own hands by rushing for a score, pushing the advantage to 21-0 with 5:17 left before halftime.

That momentum was short-lived, however, because Satsuma answered with a run-heavy drive that ended with a 10-yard touchdown pass. And with the Gators picking off Wade and nearly scoring again before the half came to a close, they headed into the break with plenty of belief in a potential rally.

Receiving the opening kickoff of the third quarter, Satsuma broke off an explosive run to start, but the Mako defense bowed up and got a stop on a 4th-and-9 in its own territory.

But all that did was prompt the visitors to intercept another pass and return it for an easy score, cutting the deficit to just seven points and effectively stunning the home sideline.

The Gators opted to get even more aggressive when they attempted an onside kick, but junior James Neutze fell on the loose ball to prevent any more damage from being done.

A pair of punts brought the game into its final quarter, but the latter kick only travelled roughly 15 yards from Satsuma’s own two-yard line. Thus, Orange Beach was set up with incredibly favorable field position, but the Makos were forced to settle for three points as junior Evan Crochet knocked in a short field goal.

Another scoreless possession from the Gators seemed like a sign that the end was near, but the Makos threw them a lifeline when they slipped on a rugby-punt attempt, setting the visitors up at the opposing 35-yard line.

But yet again, the Orange Beach defense stood tall, forcing a turnover on downs to keep Satsuma at arm’s length with just over six minutes left in the game.

And the Mako offense managed to put this one on ice right after, as freshman Jace Kidd capped a balanced drive with a touchdown run that made the score read 31-14.

Junior tailback Deundrea Gray proceeded to rip off a 55-yard scoring run in the closing minutes to add some style points as Orange Beach officially secured a playoff berth.

“That’s one of those goals that this group talked about early, so to lock this up tonight is pretty special,” Waldrop said.

Here’s a breakdown of how the Makos held off the Gators, what was said after the game and who each side will square off with next:

Primetime Performers

Turner Tillman

Orange Beach | Linebacker | Senior

The unquestioned veteran leader of the Orange Beach defense, Tillman showed out when his team needed him most.

The Mako offense struggled at times and set the Gators up with plenty of short fields, but Tillman led the charge in continually forcing Satsuma’s offense backwards. 

The senior’s vocal leadership combined with his knack for always being around the ball has made him one of the premiere linebackers in the county, and he helped expertly diagnose a rushing attack that utilized plenty of eye candy with motions and misdirection.

“We had seen what they were doing on film and knew what our reads were supposed to be,” Tillman said. “It changed a bit as the game went on, but after that first half especially we really settled down and knew what we needed to do.”

Amare Trammell

Orange Beach | Defensive Tackle | Freshman

At 6-foot-4, 250 pounds, Trammell isn’t your average high school freshman, and he showed why he has so many high-caliber collegiate offers Monday night.

The visitors’ first play from scrimmage resulted in Trammell hitting a runner so hard the pop of the pads was heard across the stadium, and he proceeded to cause plenty more havoc as the night went on.

Anthony Hawkins

Orange Beach | Wide Receiver/Defensive Back | Senior

Hawkins truly defined the term ‘two-way player’ Monday, as he led the Makos in receiving while also lining up for most snaps on the defensive side of the ball.

With a 6-foot-1 frame and strong hands, Hawkins has great ball skills in the air that have turned him into a reliable weapon for Waldrop and his staff.

Defining Moments

Trammell’s emphatic tackle for loss (1st Quarter)

Impact Rating (1-10): 6.0

It may not have been the most impactful play of the night, but man, Trammell definitely set a tone as soon as he got on the field.

Everybody at Mako Stadium heard when the monstrous defensive tackle collided with the unlucky Satsuma tailback, and Trammell’s energetic celebration that followed was certainly well-earned.

The Gator’s pick-six (3rd Quarter)

Impact Rating (1-10): 6.5

While the final margin may tell one story, the underdogs put a real scare into Orange Beach during the third quarter.

Not only did the pick-six cut the lead to just 21-14, but it was a moment that seemed to summarize an evening of untimely miscues and frustration from the Mako offense.

Satsuma’s final turnover on downs (4th Quarter)

Impact Rating (1-10): 8.5

But in the end, Orange Beach’s defense deserves a ton of credit for this victory.

The unit pitched a second-half shutout while forcing multiple failed 4th-down conversions, and while the likes of Tillman and Trammell were mentioned previously, it took a team effort to keep the visitors at just 14 points.

Quotes To Note

• “We have to get back to where we were from an execution and operations standpoint over the next week. But hats off to their coaches because I thought they had a good plan coming in and did a great job of shortening the game.” — Wade Waldrop, Orange Beach Head Coach
• “Definitely not our best game…we couldn’t really take care of the football well. But we went in at halftime, made the adjustments we needed and pitched a shutout in the second half, which was huge.” — Turner Tillman, Orange Beach Linebacker
• “I’m just disappointed in the tackling, because we looked like we did two years ago with that. I think being off plays a factor in that, and we were banged up, down to some guys in the secondary that don’t really play a lot on Friday. That’s no excuse, because we just weren’t playing the ball in the air, and D-line-wise I thought we created pressure but weren’t finishing the plays.” — Wade Waldrop, Orange Beach Head Coach
• “We’re trying to do things that no team in this program’s history has ever done. So we have to put in work that no other team has.” — Turner Tillman, Orange Beach Linebacker

Obscure Observations

• This result moves the all-time record between the schools to 4-1 in favor of Orange Beach. The Makos have now won three straight in the series.
• While the game may have been clunkier than he would’ve liked, Waldrop is certainly proud of how far this still-young program has come. Orange Beach is set to make its first playoff appearance since 2022, and a victory on the road next week would secure at least one more contest at Mako Stadium.

Up Next

Orange Beach (7-1, 4-1): @ Citronelle (5-2, 2-2) | Friday, Oct. 23

The Makos will enjoy a bye week before visiting Citronelle for another district matchup.

Satsuma (4-3, 1-3): vs. Citronelle (5-2, 2-2) | Friday, Oct. 16

The Gators will get the first crack at Citronelle next week.