Gulf Shores Knocks Off Ramsay to Claim First State Football Title
By Josh Bean | For the AHSAA
TUSCALOOSA – In the highest-stakes game in program history, Gulf Shores High School used its Royal flush to take home its first state football championship.
Senior Ronnie Royal ran 22 times for 188 yards and scored on touchdown runs of 2 and 55 yards, caught three passes for 39 yards and delivered a highlight-reel, 1-handed interception to lead the Dolphins (15-0) to a 21-14 victory over defending champ Ramsay in Thursday night’s Class 5A championship game at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
“I’ve been preparing for this my whole life, since I started playing varsity football in the seventh grade,” Royal said. “All I wanted was to work and look forward to winning a championship.”
Gulf Shores (15-0), coached by Mark Hudspeth, won the first football state championship in school history, capping Day 2 of the 2023 Super 7 Championships. “What a night – a dream come true,” Hudspeth said.
Leroy (Class 1A) and Mobile Christian (Class 3A) also won state titles earlier Thursday after Central-Phenix City took home the 7A championship on Wednesday. The 2023 Super 7 concludes Friday with championship games in Classes 4A, 2A and 6A are scheduled for Friday.
Gulf Shores scored just 17 seconds into the game after recovering a fumble at the Ramsay 2 yard-line on the game’s second play. Royal’s 2-yard run on the Dolphins’ first play made it 7-0 with 11:43 to go in the first quarter.
The Dolphins built a 21-0 lead in the game’s opening 10 minutes as Kolin Wilson scored on a 24-yard run and Royal added his 55-yard TD run at the 2:21 mark of the first quarter. Ramsay scored on Tremell Washington’s 3-yard TD pass to Kristian Stinson to make it 21-6 at halftime.
Ramsay’s Ashton Ashford scored on a 1-yard run in the opening minute of the fourth quarter, and Washington ran in the 2-point conversion on a fake extra point to make it 21-14.
Ramsay (12-3), which fell short of a third state title in eight years after winning championships in 2016 and 2022, couldn’t get any closer.
Gulf Shores gave Ramsay life on the first play after Ashford’s TD run when a shotgun snap rolled past quarterback Jud Harris, and Wilson picked it up and ran with it. Ramsay linebacker QB Reese stripped the ball from Wilson and the Rams recovered inside the 10.
The Rams, however, couldn’t capitalize. First, they were called for a delay of game penalty. Two runs gained three yards, and quarterback Kameron Keenan couldn’t make anything happen on two passing plays.
“When it got a little bit hairy, we responded,” Hudspeth said. “That was the difference in the game.”
Gulf Shores then put the game in Royal’s hands. He appeared to score when dove for the pylon on a 27-yard run for a game-clinching score. But video review found he was knocked out of bounds at the 1, and Ramsay stopped two runs and a pass. Gulf Shores missed the 18-yard field-goal attempt, but the Dolphins’ defense then held.
“It just didn’t fall our way,” Ramsay coach Ronnie Jackson said. “The guys consistently stepped up and have nothing but fight in them.”
Added Hudspeth: “It got a little closer than I would have liked.”
Ashford, the Rams’ 2022 Class 5A state championship MVP, ran 26 times for 119 yards to lead the Ramsay offense. Kennan and Washington combined to complete 5-of-19 passes for 5 yards and both threw interceptions. Marquell Patterson led the Rams’ defense with 11 tackles, O’Conner Jones had 10 tackles, and Reese tallied eight stops.
Wilson added 89 yards on 16 carries for Gulf Shores, which outgained Ramsay 324 yards to 127. Gulf Shores’ Blaize Thomas also intercepted a pass in the end zone to end another Ramsay scoring threat. “We made them earn everything,” Hudspeth said.
SUPER 7 STATE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
THURSDAY’S CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES
CLASS 3A FINALS
Mobile Christian (15-0) 55, Madison Academy (14-1) 28
CLASS 1A FINALS
Leroy (14-0) 28, Coosa Christian (9-6) 21
CLASS 5A FINALS
Gulf Shores (15-0) 21, Ramsay (12-3) 14
FRIDAY’S CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES
CLASS 4A FINALS
Montgomery Catholic (14-0) vs. Cherokee County (13-1), Fri., Dec. 8, 11 a.m.
CLASS 2A FINALS
Fyffe (13-1) vs. Reeltown (13-0), Fri., Dec. 8, 3 p.m.
CLASS 6A FINALS
Saraland (14-0) vs. Clay-Chalkville (13-0), Fri., Dec. 8, 7 p.m.
WEDNESDAY’S CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES
CLASS 7A FINALS
Central-Phenix City (13-0) 21, Thompson (11-2) 19
GIRLS’ FLAG FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
CLASS 1A/5A FINALS
Wenonah (17-0) 18, Montgomery Catholic (17-4) 12 (OT)
CLASS 6A/7A FINALS
Central-Phenix City (18-0) 25, Vestavia Hills (17-1) 0
