Lions fall to Fairhope in final game
BIRMINGHAM —The green turf was barely visible.
Half an hour after Class 7A No. 8 Fairhope High School beat Briarwood 44-22 on Friday night at Lions Pride Stadium, the home team faithful remained.
Sure, the Lions would rather have sent their seniors out with a win, but the class is defined by more than one game, even a final one. Briarwood finished the 2022 season 3-7 and missed the state playoffs for the first time since 1992.
“The whole season, it’s been a challenge, but I’m incredibly proud of this senior group and how they led,” said Lions head coach Matthew Forester. “We’ll learn from it. We’ll improve as a program. What I told them just now is it’s not about one team. It’s about a program. It’s over the long haul. I’m proud of this team. I’m proud of this senior class. We’re grateful for what this senior class has done and meant to the program.”
Fairhope (8-2) raced to a 16-0 lead after one quarter and never relinquished the lead. The Pirates led 23-0 late in the first half when Briarwood put together a 10-play, 80-yard drive that ended with a 14-yard touchdown pass from senior Christopher Vizzina to senior Brady Waugh. Vizzina was 7-of-9 for 84 yards on the drive.
A Qualin McCants 3-yard scoring run late in the third quarter gave Fairhope a 30-7 lead, but the Lions responded on the ensuing drive with a 2-yard touchdown run by Vizzina. A two-point conversion from Vizzina to Jackson Barnes made it 30-15, but Fairhope’s Preston Godfrey returned the subsequent kickoff 80 yards for a score.
It took Briarwood just four passing plays to go 56 yards to cut the deficit to 37-22, the scoring play a 19-yard pass from Vizzina to Waugh. Fairhope quarterback Caden Creel rushed seven times for 38 yards on the ensuing drive, including a 1-yard touchdown, to make it 44-22.
Creel finished 28-of-30 for 179 yards and two touchdowns, both to Ben Moseley, who caught 13 passes for 93 yards. Creel also gained 152 yards rushing on 22 carries.
For Briarwood, Vizzina finished his final game 29-of-45 for 329 yards and two touchdowns, the most passing yards in a game in his career. He also rushed for 14 yards and a score.
“It’s been one heck of a ride,” Vizzina said. “I got to play for four years. It’s just flown by. Everybody told me it would go by fast, and it sure did.”
Waugh finished with 108 yards and two touchdowns on eight receptions. Ben McNulty caught six passes for 76 yards and Sawyer Russell grabbed three passes for 49 yards.
The senior class finishes its four years with a 33-14 record. It was Forester’s first senior class he’s had for all four years. He took over as head coach in 2019. Next year will be an adjustment for Forester, whose daily roll call won’t include the guys from this senior class, a roll call that ended with names Vizzina, Waugh and Colton Williams.
“I don’t know when it’ll sink in, to be honest,” he said.