Former Daphne quarterback JJ Thibodeaux accounted for both Spanish Fort touchdowns, including the game-winner with 1:39 remaining, as the Toros erased a late deficit to defeat the Trojans at The Hill.
By Southbound Sports | August 21, 2026
Photos courtesy of SOP Productions
SPANISH FORT, Ala. — It almost had to end this way.
Two rival programs separated by only a few miles. Two quarterbacks who once wore the other school’s colors. A three-point game entering its final minutes.
And with Spanish Fort’s season opener hanging in the balance Thursday night, former Daphne quarterback JJ Thibodeaux took matters into his own hands.
Thibodeaux scored on a 9-yard quarterback keeper with 1:39 remaining, then ran in the ensuing two-point conversion to complete Spanish Fort’s comeback and give the Toros an 18-15 victory over Daphne at The Hill. The winning touchdown capped an 85-yard, seven-play drive after Daphne had appeared poised to close the game out.
For Spanish Fort, it was revenge for last season’s loss.
For Daphne, it was a painful ending to a game the Trojans had seemingly wrestled under control.
And for Thibodeaux, it was a victory against the program where his high school career began.
A Defensive Battle From the Start
Before the rivalry could begin, Mother Nature intervened.
Lightning in the area delayed kickoff approximately 30 minutes, and once the teams finally took the field, points were difficult to come by.
Spanish Fort kicker Zachary Megie missed a 44-yard field-goal attempt during the first quarter before connecting from 25 yards with 7:36 remaining in the second, giving Spanish Fort a 3-0 advantage.
Those were the only points of the entire first half.
Spanish Fort 3. Daphne 0.
The score reflected the tone of the game. Neither offense consistently generated explosive plays, and field position became increasingly important.
Daphne’s special teams repeatedly made Spanish Fort travel the long way, with the Toros starting four possessions inside their own 20-yard line.
The Trojans weren’t moving the football much better.
Daphne did not cross midfield until its opening possession of the third quarter.
Then the game changed quickly.
Sixty-Five Seconds Change Everything
Daphne finally broke through when Malachi Norman connected on a 26-yard field goal, tying the game at 3-3.
Just 65 seconds later, the Trojans’ defense produced the first touchdown of the 2026 season.
Daphne linebacker Myles Hankins jumped a Thibodeaux pass over the middle, intercepted it and raced 17 yards into the end zone for a pick-six.
The extra point was unsuccessful, but suddenly a game Daphne had trailed for most of the night had flipped.
Daphne 9, Spanish Fort 3.
And the interception provided the first major test for Thibodeaux.
His response would ultimately define the night.
Thibodeaux Answers
Spanish Fort didn’t abandon its senior quarterback.
Thibodeaux didn’t allow the mistake to linger, either.
He later described his mentality simply: “Next play.”
The response came before the third quarter ended.
Thibodeaux capped Spanish Fort’s next scoring push with a 2-yard quarterback keeper with 2:56 remaining in the third quarter. The extra point gave the Toros a 10-9 advantage.
After nearly an entire half without a touchdown, the rivalry had suddenly produced three lead changes.
And Daphne quarterback Christian Segar had an answer of his own.
Segar-to-Wrightington Puts Daphne Back in Front
Segar entered Thursday as one of the biggest names to watch for Daphne after a record-setting junior season. The 6-foot-3 senior quarterback is committed to the University of South Alabama.
With Daphne trailing 10-9 in the fourth quarter, Segar delivered.
He connected with Chris Wrightington for a 13-yard touchdown with 8:18 remaining, putting the Trojans back in front.
Daphne attempted a two-point conversion but couldn’t convert.
Still, with fewer than nine minutes remaining:
Daphne 15, Spanish Fort 10.
For a while, it looked like that might be enough.
Then came the play that changed the ending.
One Penalty Opens the Door
With Spanish Fort trailing 15-10 and fewer than four minutes remaining, Daphne’s Jaysean Willis got to Thibodeaux for what appeared to be a potentially game-clinching sack.
It would have left Spanish Fort facing fourth-and-21 deep in its own territory.
Instead, a personal foul against Willis after the play changed the situation.
Rather than fourth-and-21, Spanish Fort faced fourth-and-6.
Thibodeaux converted.
And the Toros suddenly had life.
Daphne head coach Kenny King pointed to the moment afterward as a mistake his team simply couldn’t afford.
The penalty didn’t directly put points on the scoreboard. But it extended a possession that Daphne had been on the verge of ending.
Spanish Fort made the Trojans pay for it.
85 Yards With the Game on the Line
Thibodeaux took over.
Spanish Fort’s final possession ultimately covered 85 yards in seven plays, with its quarterback using his legs repeatedly to keep the drive alive.
The Toros reached the Daphne 9.
Then, with 1:39 remaining, Thibodeaux took the snap and burst up the middle.
Nine yards.
Touchdown.
Spanish Fort 16, Daphne 15.
Spanish Fort still wasn’t finished.
Thibodeaux kept the ball again on the two-point attempt, this time getting around the right side and into the end zone.
Spanish Fort 18, Daphne 15.
The comeback was complete.
A Full-Circle Night for Thibodeaux
It wasn’t just another season-opening win for Spanish Fort’s quarterback.
Thibodeaux’s history made this one different.
Before becoming the Toros’ quarterback, he began his high school career at Daphne and experienced early success there.
Thursday night, he found himself trying to beat former coaches and teammates.
Afterward, Thibodeaux acknowledged that the opponent made the victory especially meaningful, mentioning Daphne head coach Kenny King and offensive coordinator Trey Sullivan among the coaches he once played for.
That’s what made the matchup so fascinating before kickoff.
The quarterback leading Spanish Fort once played for Daphne.
And the quarterback leading Daphne, Christian Segar, previously attended Spanish Fort.
When the game finally reached its defining moments, both quarterbacks delivered touchdowns.
Thibodeaux simply got the last one.
Spanish Fort’s Young Team Passes Its First Test
Spanish Fort head coach Chase Smith wasn’t on the sideline Thursday night.
Smith recently dealt with a hospitalization involving blood clots and coached the opener from the press box.
What he watched was a young team refuse to go away.
Spanish Fort entered the season replacing significant varsity experience, making the manner in which the Toros won potentially as important as the result itself.
They trailed 9-3 after a pick-six.
They trailed 15-10 with eight minutes remaining.
They faced what initially appeared to be fourth-and-21 deep in their own territory with fewer than four minutes remaining.
They still won.
Smith said afterward that the performance could help a relatively inexperienced roster discover its identity and build confidence.
That’s a significant takeaway from Week 0.
Spanish Fort didn’t dominate Daphne.
It survived Daphne.
And sometimes an early-season game like that tells a coaching staff more about its team than a comfortable victory ever could.
Daphne Leaves Knowing It Had Its Chances
For Daphne, there are plenty of positives buried inside an incredibly frustrating loss.
The Trojans held Spanish Fort to three first-half points.
Their special teams repeatedly forced the Toros to operate on long fields.
Their defense scored a touchdown.
They overcame a 3-0 halftime deficit and took leads of 9-3 and 15-10.
And they were seemingly one fourth-down stop away from getting their offense back onto the field with an opportunity to finish the game.
But the margins in rivalry games are small.
The personal foul extended Spanish Fort’s final drive, and King also pointed afterward to dropped passes and execution in the passing game as areas Daphne must clean up moving forward.
That’s perhaps the most frustrating element of the loss for Daphne.
The Trojans didn’t spend Thursday night getting physically overwhelmed.
They had opportunities.
They simply didn’t finish enough of them.
The Rivalry Delivers Again
Last season, Daphne walked away with a 42-28 victory over Spanish Fort.
The rematch couldn’t have looked much different.
Last year’s game featured 70 combined points.
This year’s game didn’t produce its first touchdown until the third quarter.
But it produced plenty of drama.
A lightning delay.
A defensive first half.
A pick-six.
Four lead changes after halftime.
Two quarterbacks facing their former schools.
A fourth-quarter touchdown pass.
A critical late penalty.
An 85-yard game-winning drive.
And a quarterback keeper with 99 seconds remaining to decide it.
When it was finally over, Spanish Fort had its revenge.
FINAL — Spanish Fort 18, Daphne 15.
Spanish Fort opens the season 1-0, while Daphne falls to 0-1.
Both teams return to action Friday, Aug. 28. Spanish Fort travels to Foley, while Daphne hosts Carver-Montgomery.
For the Toros, Week 0 ends with bragging rights.
For the Trojans, it ends with the knowledge that a game they had within their grasp disappeared in the final minutes.
And for Baldwin County football?
The season couldn’t have asked for a much better opening act.
Southbound Sports provides original coverage of high school athletics across Baldwin County and the Gulf Coast. Follow Southbound throughout the 2026 season for game coverage, photography, player features and more.