Latest / The Gulf Coast Sports Pulse with Gulf Coast Media / Episode 6 - St. Michael's rivalry win and the biggest game in Orange Beach's history

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Episode 6 - St. Michael's rivalry win and the biggest game in Orange Beach's history · The Gulf Coast Sports Pulse with Gulf Coast Media

• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: Hello and welcome back to the Gulf Coast Sports Plow.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: So my name is Parker Gillen, the sports editor here with Gulf Coast Media.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm joined as always by local athletic screw John Mullen as we discuss all the recent happenings in Baldwin County High School football as the uh the season kind of crosses that uh that halfway point.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um and so for this this past weekend of games, uh it was actually a lighter slate uh with with most teams uh enjoying kind of a much needed midseason by week.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um and so just a handful of games, but uh still some notable results to to go over um as we kind of you know begin to shift our attention to playoff positioning and you know who's uh who's kind of setting themselves up best for uh the postseason.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: So um starting off, yeah, I'll uh I'll start with where I was at uh this past weekend.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: And it was kind of the the talk of the town for the most part, uh, you know, a bit of a young rivalry uh series uh between uh Bayside Academy and St.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: Michael Catholic uh with the game being played at Bayside.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um Bayside completing a five-game homestand to start the season.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: They still haven't hit the road yet.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: They're gonna do that for the first time this week.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but this was kind of the big one, you know, they had started off undefeated against a lot of um, you know, uh lacking better terms, lesser competition in terms of uh competitiveness to their level.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um and so this is this was the measuring stick game.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: You know, St.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: Michael come in fresh off their first one of the year of St.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: Paul's, gained some confidence.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: Marshall Petrie's really settled in in recent weeks.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: And so um, you know, kind of uh kind of an interesting standstill between the teams, turned to Bays side looking to make a statement.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: St.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: Michael looking to keep their momentum going.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: So um, and uh in the end, the Cardinals were able to claim their their third straight win over the Admirals.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: Bayside still owns the uh the overall head-to-head uh four to three um historically, but uh St.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: Michael has now made it three in a row after losing those first uh four.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: And it became it came about because of a just standout performance from dynamic tailback uh Nigel Mitchell.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, he he's ever since the first game ESPN broadcast against Battleground Academy, he's been sh uh showing out, uh, but this arguably could have been his best game of the year.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I mean, you're looking at nearly 300 yards of total offense, uh, found the end zone four different times.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I mean, whether it was juking defenders out of their shoes, spin moves, um, I mean, he would he was doing it all on Friday night.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, base side really just did not have much of an answer for him.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and really no other teams have this season.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: He's now uh, I believe, approaching a thousand rushing yards uh on the season, and that's not even counting, you know, his his uh work in the receiving game.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: So um Nigel was the story for sure.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um it opened up the passing attack for Marshall Petrie and Co.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: later.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but yeah, Bays side, Davis Barnett, they they scored first and actually got up 6-0.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but then St.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: Michael just ripped off, I believe it was three or four straight touchdowns uh before Bayside was able to answer again, and then just kind of were able to walk away with the wins.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: So St.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: Michael moves to two and three overall.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, everybody makes the playoffs in the private school ranks as we've talked about.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but a huge result for them going on the road and beating a previously undefeated team.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so before I kind of delve into my post-game thoughts, just John from from afar, what what what did you think about this game where you know Bayside, um, you know, it was a proven game for them, and you know, I think they they were humbled slightly and learned a lot from it, but um also a lot, you know, more so than anything else, a lot has to be said about St.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: Michael, right?
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, um Nigel Mitchell is just out, lights out.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_02: He's doing a great job, um, having a special year.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_02: Um, if they ever get that um get Gunner back, you know, you know, Petrie is doing well.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_02: He's he's you know, he's settling in took a few games, you know, for him to get a hold to it.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_02: But uh he's um he's doing well.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_02: Um but imagine how good they'll be if you know if and when Gunner gets uh back healthy.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_02: Um Bayside, I think you know, they went to the championship game last year, I believe.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_02: Um and they probably still have you know a good shot at at uh a good playoff run in in their division uh in the new you know private school class eight.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_02: But um it was a good game uh to be at, I bet.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_02: And um good night.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_02: And um yeah, I think St.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_02: Michael's just gonna it's turning the corner, it seems like it just feels like they slowly just you know trying to get back to where they were.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and that that's kind of been the case from that uh that first week where you know obviously quarterback goes down, you know, you lose by multiple scores.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: So everything, everything seems like it's going wrong all at once.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: And so they've kind of you know made their way back from that.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um and to that point as well.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: I saw Gunnar Rivers was obviously there uh at the game on Friday, um, as has been documented already.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: He he was walking around, no crutches or anything, just a um a knee brace, um, you know, a fairly, I won't say heavy, but a larger one, um, you know, kind of extending a little bit down his leg.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: Uh but he was, I mean, participating in pregame warm-ups, he was throwing passes to help the receivers warm up and everything.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: So he he's clearly been throwing, he's clearly been moving around.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I think he is improving.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: And so we'll see.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: Again, I think it's interesting how St.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: Michael will play it, considering everybody does make the playoffs.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and their back half of their schedule is if for the most part lighter than that first half of the schedule was.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_00: And so it's it's probably gonna be up to the coaching staff to see do you want to bring Gunner back, you know, with still a couple games left in the regular season if he's able, or do you really hold him out until you know last week of the season or even first round of the playoffs?
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's that's what's gonna be interesting to monitor as the weeks go by.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but yeah, to your point as well for Bayside, I don't think you can really, you know, walk away from this game saying anything, you know, less about Bayside in terms of their their postseason um, you know, potential.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: I think they just kind of ran into a team that was uh, you know, really feeling some positive momentum and um you know looking to uh looking to keep that going in a rivalry game as well, obviously uh always plays a factor.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um but uh moving on to um one went down in Orange Beach, kind of one of the the only the second of the only three games that kind of took place uh in the area over the weekend.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um a shout out to to Francis Marion for coming down to Orange Beach.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um a team, uh unless I'm mistaken, was Bacelli, Georgia, that was originally supposed to play Orange Beach with their homecoming.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_00: Uh they had to back out of that matchup, unfortunately.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_00: And so the Makos kind of had to scramble.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: They ended up being able to find a 1A opponent to come down.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um and the end result was as expected, 45-0.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I believe it was 38-0 by halftime.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Tuckerway didn't even throw a pass from what uh John had had written as well.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: And so um it's just a um just an interesting, um interesting kind of tune-up game for for you know a matchup that we're gonna talk plenty about um in a bit here uh against Williamson uh this upcoming week.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_00: But um yeah, I mean I think it it kept them undefeated Orange Beach, also kind of technically moved them into first place in the county at 6-0.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_00: They're the only team that um that has uh, I believe the only team that has played a full six games so far.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_00: They're their bye week.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_00: Alberta as well has played six games.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: Both of them have a bye week uh in the coming weeks.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_00: But um, yeah, just kind of, I mean, from covering that game, John, just your your your brief takeaways and then also just kind of you know, talk a bit about seeing this Orange Beach team standing at six and oh at this point in the season and just kind of what what that means, you know, and how did you ever expect to see something like that?
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_02: No, not at all.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_02: Um I knew I knew they'd be competitive this year, but I think they'd be quite to this level just yet.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_02: But I gotta correct some things though.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_02: Um I I heard Coach Wade on the Wade Waltrop on the radio um yesterday, and he was talking about the game, and he said they said that we didn't complete any passes uh or even attempt any.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_02: And I didn't realize that a lot of those sweeps they ran, and I bet they ran 30 sweeps in the game.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_02: Well, some of them were they just pitched they pitched it forward.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_02: Technically it was a forward pass, it didn't go past the line, you know what I'm saying?
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and um I I felt kind of bad about that one, but uh um you know they they they showed up and did what they were supposed to do.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_02: Um the coaches felt like they got a really good week of practice out of them.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_02: I think that um you know Williamson had a buy.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_02: I think Orange Beach basically had a buy, but they also had a buy with the uh luxury of having a scrimmage at the end of it, you know, against other people, even if it was 1A Marion County.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_02: Um I think they had like 18 kids dressed.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I was I was seeing that as well, which um that's tough.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_00: So I mean a lot of credit to them for for coming down here, didn't they?
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: Because I also saw, I mean, that's I mean, I'm new to the area, but that's I mean, I saw it was like a four-hour plus drive, I think, from there.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_02: And I also heard that they brought those kids in early and and gave them a tour of the school and this um, you know, I I don't know what all they did with them.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_02: But I imagine that they took them around town or or you know, at least take them to that facility, which you know, I I haven't seen many facilities that nice, and I'm sure they were kind of odd and uh they they rolled out the red carpet for them.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_02: That's good.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_00: That's good then.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, so uh and yeah, we'll we'll touch on their their upcoming matchup, obviously.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, Battle of Unbeatons with Williamson um here soon.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: But uh before we move into this this kind of next uh next slate of games, I did uh I did want to talk about, you know, for my takeaway of the week at least, the uh the third local team that was playing this past weekend.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_00: And that were the the Alberta Warriors.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_00: Uh they were the the last winless team left in Baldwin County um prior to last weekend, and uh that has now changed.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_00: Uh they went on the road and beat Chickasaw.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um I I was hearing uh conflicting score reports after this game.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: I online was ported 51-12, but then I heard some fans are saying 58 to 19.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_00: So there might have been some extra touchdowns there.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_00: And at the end, that you know, either I'd either maybe not have counted officially, or maybe they did, and someone just got it wrong online.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not sure.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_00: Regardless, a comfortable, you know, statement winner for Alberta.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_00: The first victory of the Joel Williams era, uh, he in his uh second year in charge as head coach at Alberta.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so just a massive result for this team.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and obviously a special shout-out has to go to uh the GCM's athlete of the week, uh Seamus Moose Owens, as he is more commonly known by.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_00: Moose is really what he goes by, by the way.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: He like doesn't go by Seamus, he just goes by Moose, essentially.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but he he really willed his team to the win.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_00: As I kind of wrote, I mean, uh, Chickasaw defenders probably felt like they were tackling, you know, a one-ton mammal out there because he he went for um 190 rushing yards, five touchdowns, completed a 60-yard pass as well, um, and just really, you know, kind of kind of put his team on the on his back to to will them, at least offensively.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, you know, as a whole, the team certainly uh contributed to this result.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_00: But um, so yeah, so that means every team in Baldwin County has now won a game this season.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and they really have a dominant one dang their hats on.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, Chickasaw a lower classification, but to go on the road and be able to, um, you know, based on how the season had gone up to this point, uh, you know, going on the road and pulling off a result like that is definitely impressive.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_00: So credit to the coaching staff and the kids for kind of hanging in in there uh throughout a challenging start to the season.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um, because if I've as I've always believed, kind of across any level of football, um there's too much that goes into making a football season happen uh for a team not to enjoy a win at least once each year.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_00: So it is it is always good to see someone uh win a game.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_00: So congrats to Alberta for that.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_00: And uh we'll see kind of how they do the the rest of the way, see if they can pull off some upsets down the stretch.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_00: But uh yeah, John, swing it over to you, just kind of your your takeaway as well now that we're halfway through.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_02: Well, it's you know we're gonna talk about the playoffs a lot from here on out.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_02: Um when and I need um I think class one, I mean uh region one plays uh region four teams.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_02: I looked at a little bit of that just to get uh an idea of what's going on.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_02: And um that's gonna be fun figuring all that out.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_02: You know, I've I heard some talk one time of a three-way tie for the top, and you finish top in the region.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_02: But if you if you lose that three-way tie, you're the last team, then you go on the road, even though you were considered so I mean there's there's coaches are starting to talk about things like that, and uh those sometimes can be confusing, but you know, thank goodness the state will uh hopefully you know keep us abreast on all that.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_02: But it's gonna be it's gonna be fun and interesting to see how all that uh falls out.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_02: The Williamson and the Orange Beach game, you know, it's just uh it's gonna start, you know, settling some of that stuff out and a lot of games.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_02: This this week will start that process and that talk, you know, a lot of talk about those things.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think uh to your point, yeah, a lot of uh a lot of big games coming up that will kind of shape um, you know, or provide just more clarity for for the playoff uh picture.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, I think I for instance Daphne will take on Foley and Fair Hope over the course of the next um next month.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um obviously you mentioned the Orange Beach game, Gulf Shores is playing Spanish Fort, which will be a big one too, undefeated within their respect uh within their um district.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_00: And so just a lot of games like that that are that'll be a lot of fun to look forward to in Baldwin County, um, you know, as these teams kind of really get into the meats and potatoes of of district action, um, especially coming off this this bye week as well, where everybody should be well rested, um, you know, and fairly healthy.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_00: And so we should should get some quality ball for the rest of the way.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um and speaking of that, as we kind of uh shift our attention to this this upcoming slate of games, um back to a full slate, uh nobody's outside of a handful of intermittent bye weeks, I believe Orange Beach in Alberta, but outside of that, everybody is playing every single week here through Halloween.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um and so um this week actually, though, everything has been uh has been kind of bumped up.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_00: We're having some uh some rough storms, uh, storms, heavy rain coming through the area uh beginning kind of Friday and you know, carrying heavily through Saturday and Sunday.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I was looking this morning, I saw I was looking like the rain wasn't going to be as bad Friday as originally projected.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_00: And so I'm wondering if it's gonna be a deal where you know teams might have jumped the gun, but better safe than sorry.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_00: And so I think it was the right move.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_00: But uh yeah, outside of Fair Hope and uh Bayside, who are both playing on the road at Alma Bryant and Cottage Hill respectively, uh everybody else in Ballman County will play on Thursday night.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um starting out with uh one of our intra county matchups for this week, uh Daphne's gonna welcome Robertsdale, uh the Trojans' third straight home game, as they look to kind of make it five wins in a row overall since they dropped that season opener.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um meanwhile, the Golden Bears are still dealing with plenty of kind of off-field um, you know, issues slash concerns uh just regarding the status of players and coaches, um, you know, as has been documented, uh, you know, kind of all of the um, you know, proceedings uh regarding uh head coach Justin Jones and the uh you know uh potential transfer players uh that that had been um in question.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_00: Uh all those have been moved up to Montgomery County.
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_00: So none of those uh proceedings are taking place down here in Baldwin anymore, uh per the AHSAA's uh kind of handbook of of you know all of its uh um all things of that nature taking place in Montgomery County for for lack of a better term.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_00: And so um they're still dealing with a lot of that.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of that is still kind of up in the air for them.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I one of the um uh recent news is that uh the Montgomery County uh that had originally given those players um, you know, the 10 players what they needed to play, um, they kind of threw that court case out.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um and so still a lot up in the air for Robertsdale.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um and so I'll be interested to see kind of what kind of focus and energy they play with from the jump um while somebody's still going on off the field.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and meanwhile, Daphne has been, you know, slowly but surely kind of becoming one of the stronger teams in the area um and is looking to kind of keep that going um ahead of a massive game with Foley next week.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_00: And so um just kind of you know, we we've talked about Robertsdale, both of these teams really decent out throughout the year, but just kind of coming out of a bye week, just just what do you expect from from this game?
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, do you do you do you see any way that Robertsdale can keep this fairly close?
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_00: Or do you think Daphne should be able to secure another fairly easy home win?
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_02: I I think it'll probably be an easy win.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_02: Um still Robertsdale's still gonna play hard, and they're you know, they've been playing hard all year, but uh that Daphne's just got too much, and Daphne's not only do they have a lot of talent, but they're playing well, like you were saying.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_02: Um they're hitting their stride right at the right time.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_02: Uh they can't get caught looking ahead to Foley because you know that's a that's a huge game between those teams, if even if they none of them want a game.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_02: That's a big game.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_02: And uh and for the top of the region, it's gonna make it even bigger.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_02: But uh yeah, Robertsdale, they'll play hard, but then I don't think they they can play with Daphne if if the Daphne team we've seen the last two or three weeks shows up.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think that is that that's the one slight concern, especially for a lot of these favorites this week, is when you're coming off a bye-week, sometimes you you do worry about your team kind of getting revved back up, shaking off some rust and and all that stuff.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_00: So we'll see.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_00: And that might bite some teams uh early in games, but I doubt it will persist kind of throughout the the full uh 48 minutes.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but uh elsewhere, another uh our only other, excuse me, intra-county matchup uh of the week, um, Gulf Shores will be making the probably, I guess from down there, probably over an hour long drive up to Bay Manette uh to take up Baldwin County for a region matchup.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_00: Um and you know, uh a similar game on paper to Daphne Robertsdale, in which you have a big favorite, um, you know, but again, I as I've talked about many times, these Tigers have played a lot of opponents very tough this season, and they have the athletes at least in the perimeter to kind of contend with the Dolphins' speed.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's just gonna be potentially difficult for them to hang in the trenches, especially with you know, Gold Shores having the likes of, you know, guys like Gabriel Irvin, Jackson Sermon out there.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so I I see this, I really I see this being a closer game than Daphne Robertsdale.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_00: And truthfully, I I can see Baldwin County uh hanging with them, scoring with them for at least a half, and you know, this being a one-score, you know, or tied game at halftime.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_00: And then kind of maybe how Gulf Shorts has been doing, they end up taking control in that second half.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_00: So that's at least what I'm kind of thinking.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know if you have opposing thoughts on that, but just kind of, you know, also just Gulf Shore is making a long road trip.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes that can be tough as well.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_02: Um, Baldwin County will be fired up, you know.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_02: They've got an undefeated team coming in here.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_02: They can make a big statement.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_02: They they almost made that statement against Fairhope.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_02: But I'm feeling like you would um they'll they'll have that fire for a quarter, a quarter and a half, and then you know, it'll it'll those shows are slowly take over, and uh and I think they'll win it pretty pretty easily.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_02: Um but uh you know it could be a good game for a couple of you know, two quarters, halftime maybe.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_02: Um Baldwin Cali is another one of those that that play they they play really hard, but you know, they're not they're not winning a lot of games, but uh they don't they don't seem to be discouraged.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_02: They still still keep playing hard, you know, they still show up and and I think they'll show up excited for the start of the game on Friday.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and that's uh a lot of that was a credit to um Coach Andrew Davis and his uh lesson mistaken third year now uh at the helm up there, and really has just kind of changed the the culture um and created just a much more positive atmosphere um within that program.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_00: And so, yeah, and I think as I mentioned, you know, in previous weeks, Baldwin County schedule is a little bit lighter um following this week at least, um, compared to its opening half of the season.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_00: And so, you know, again, plenty of opportunities for Tigers to kind of boost that record up uh down the stretch.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and also a big game just for a lot of their talent, you know, guys like Ashton Cox, who, you know, 6'4 wide receiver, big time talent, has great stats this year.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_00: This is a game that, you know, can put some of these guys on the map, you know, not just in the area, but also recruiting-wise.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, so big, big opportunity for them.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, again, that game also being moved up to Thursday night, uh, much like Daphne Robertsdale.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so we'll we'll be an interesting one to watch as Gold Shores makes that makes that trek up top.
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_00: But um, lastly, you know, we we've hinted at it many times.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, the game of the week will be taking place in Williamson on Thursday.
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_00: Orange Beach will be visiting for Battle of Unbeatons.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_00: They'll carry plenty of postseason implications.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's ever since Orange Beach beat Viger, this game has really been talked about as kind of the the what may determine the the region.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_00: It's also been tabbed um by many, including uh Mr.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_00: Mullen uh himself as as the biggest game of the Mako's young football history.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_00: So just you know, having having spoken to some of the guys and coaches about the game, um, and just having watched this team all year, you know, just what what are you expecting from Coach Baldrich's team in this one?
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I talked to some of the players after the game uh Friday, and they they were they were confident.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_02: Um not about this game per se, just confident about the direction the team is going and in themselves and in each other.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_02: You know what I'm saying?
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_02: They're not confident uh you know have the big head, we're gonna go beat Williamson.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_02: I'm just saying that their overall attitude is they're you know they're uh they're confident.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_02: They they're putting the work in and you know, they they believe in what they're doing, uh they're playing hard, they're playing for each other.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_02: Um on the other, on the other hand, Williamson's gonna bring some some players.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_02: They got some really, really good players.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, and it's gonna be a good to watch um, you know, Large Beach stand up, you know, see how they stand up to them.
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_02: Um like I say, the the four-star linebacker Ellis McCaskin, uh, he's having a crazy year, but there's two other guys on the team that have more tackles than he does.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_02: Um so they're they're really good on defense.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_02: I think that's gonna be the showdown is is can Wade Tucker move, I mean, uh Tucker Wade, I've called him that somebody, move the ball against those guys.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_02: And and what's it what's he gonna look like facing those division one uh recruits?
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_02: And he's got great receiver in Sims and Steel.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_02: Uh so it's it's good.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_02: It's gonna be fun to watch.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_02: Uh it's gonna be a really good game.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and that's that's it's gonna be really interesting.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um, yes, how can they can they keep Tucker clean in the pocket, I think will be a big one with those athletes they have on defense, like you said.
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um and yeah, I'm really interested to see.
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, you know, a handful of Orange Beach guys, I mean, Vershawn Sims, DeAndre Gray, uh, Devin Goss, um, you know, have been doing well in recent weeks, but but Lee Steel, especially.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, with how his recruitment has taken off in recent weeks, I mean, he just he just received an invite to go visit Tennessee.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_00: He's been at Florida, LSU.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um, this is a this is a showcase game for him.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_00: This is where he can prove that, hey, yeah, I belong in the SEC.
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_00: I'm I'm a powerful caliber player, you know, let's let's do it.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_00: And this this is the game where you're gonna be going up against that that caliber of talent.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so this this is gonna be the film that that scouts are gonna be watching um, you know, after this season is over.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's it's a big time game for a lot of reasons.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_00: But uh again, also to your point, I do think Orange Beach and everybody's everybody's doubted them.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_00: Everybody doubted them before the Viger game.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um, everybody's doubted them before this game, too.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: And it does seem like they're feeding off of that a little bit.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_00: I think this this team, um, you know, again, they're their young program, you know, maybe and not not in a bad way, but maybe they just don't even know better.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_00: They they really just kind of they seem like they have a almost naive confidence, but in a positive way, to where it's just like, you know, we don't we don't care about historic, you know, history or you know what what people say about these, you know, recruits that they got in the other team where we're gonna spot the ball and play.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's I think that's the mindset they're taking into every week so far.
• 22:29
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and uh, you know, again, and that harvest back on that comes from the top down from Coach Waldrap, but also it seems like a very, you know, strong player-led program as well.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_00: And so I think all that wrapped into one um, you know, gives gives Orange Beach a good shot.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_00: I I really do see them keeping this game close.
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think another aspect that's interesting to note in this is Williamson has, unless I'm mistaken, only played four games this season compared to Orange Beach's six.
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_00: They're not quite as into the thick of things as as Orange Beach is, especially coming off of bye week.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_00: And so it's another thing that's interesting.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um I'm still gonna lean Williamson slightly, you know, but again, I see this being a three to seven point game, probably somewhat low scoring.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_00: I see it being similar to how the Viger game progressed, in which, you know, maybe Orange Beach gets shell-shocked a bit early, they settle in, and then it becomes a game of just um, you know, who who can force some turnovers, win field position battle, um, you know, capitalizing the red zone, etc.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_00: So should be a really fun one on Thursday night.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we will we will have some coverage of that one uh after the fact as well, um, as well as coverage kind of throughout the weekend.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_00: I will be personally on site um at Snook Christian versus Bayshore Christian.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_00: Uh the hosting Eagles will be celebrating their first homecoming at their uh new on-campus stadium, which has recently uh finished construction over the summer.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_00: So that'll be a really fun, kind of kind of festive atmosphere uh in the area as well.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_00: So plenty to look forward to as we kind of uh we delve into uh it's already October.
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_00: It is already October in the season.
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_00: We're already uh Halloween is approaching, and that is the final weekend of the regular season, and then we'll be in playoff time.
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_00: So um should be a fun one.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_00: But uh yeah, that'll uh that'll probably about wrap up all we have for you guys today.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_00: Um again, if you if you like what you heard, uh be sure to share the episode on social media platforms or tell family, friends, or just whoever you think may be interesting a sports podcast from Baldwin County Twist.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but we'll be back for another episode at the same time next week.
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_00: So enjoy this weekend's Lady Games.
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_00: We'll catch up with you guys then.