MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Faulkner kicked off a new era in program history with a 28-8 victory over Point at Billy D. Hilyer Stadium on Thursday night to open the 2025 season and the Dayne Brown era by remaining undefeated in the Battle of I-85 rivalry with the Skyhawks.
On the program's first-ever White Out Night, the Eagles were led by associate head coach Randy Ragsdale as new head coach Dayne Brown served a one-game NAIA-mandated suspension for failure to complete an online training within the approved window. Faulkner was in good hands with the longtime Trinity Presbyterian School head coach and AHSAA Hall of Fame member, who served in largely the same role for the program the last four seasons under Rob Gray, as Ragsdale earned his 243rd career win leading a Montgomery-based institution in his 47th year of coaching.
It was a game of defense and special teams throughout, as both offenses struggled to sustain drives at the outset. However, quarterback Eli Moore, in his first career start, and running back Robin Harris led the Eagles down the field on their opening drive of the season before the Point defense held the hosts to fourth down. Jacob Huff then made the first field goal of his college career off the right upright from 50 yards away, setting a new program record and breaking the previous mark of 46 yards set by Alvin Renteria in 2019 at Ave Maria. Huff followed it up in the second quarter with a 48-yard no-doubter that would have set the program record if not for the first attempt. As it stands, he now holds the top two field goal lengths in Faulkner history in just one night.
"I was shocked," Huff said after the game of learning about the record at halftime. "[Jacob Champion], my long snapper, and [Braxton Berrey], the punter, came up to me and they were dapping me up. I didn't know what was going on. They told me I had the record, and I was shocked, really."
On the ensuing drive, with 7:15 left until halftime, Point QB Samir Wylie rushed for 18 yards on third down for the Skyhawks' first first down of the night. Point then called timeout and made a quarterback change. New signal-caller David Hines connected with receivers on two straight third-and-longs to get to the Faulkner six, but Caleb Williams broke up a third down pass to keep the Skyhawks to a field goal. Two plays later, Moore fit a deep ball down the middle between two defenders to Darian Riggs, and the Mississippi College transfer outran the secondary for the first touchdown of 2025 and a 13-3 lead that would last through halftime.
Jace Grant of Point blocked Berrey's punt through the back of the endzone to open the second half, and the Skyhawks added a field goal off an interception to make it a five-point game.
After a trade of punts, Hines and the Skyhawks pushed into Faulkner territory for the third time as the third quarter concluded. Three plays later, however, Williams made a leaping interception at his own 20. The Eagles made a quarterback change on the ensuing drive to Kamden Wellington, and the Tusculum transfer brought extra life into his sideline by scrambling for a first down on 3rd-and-15 by trucking Point's Jakari Nobles.
That drive would also result in a punt, a 48-yarder by Berrey, but a penalty negated a Point first down on a QB scramble on the next drive. The Eagle defense took advantage, forcing a three-and-out on a Dylan Rogers sack back to the Point four to bring up fourth-and-25. The ensuing punt traveled only 21 yards to the Point 25, and after a pair of Wellington rushes totaled 14 yards, the sophomore QB from South Pittsburg, Tenn., faked a handoff to freeze the secondary and found last year's primary QB, Duece Marshall, wide open in the end zone for much-needed breathing room.
Rogers would come up in the clutch once more with another third-down sack to force one more three-and-out. The offense responded with a six-play, 53-yard drive to put this one on ice. Harris accounted for 40 of those yards, including the clinching 24-yard scoring run. Elisha McNeil then took the pitch on the swinging gate formation and pushed the pile for the two-point conversion. The Eagle defense bent but didn't break on the final drive to keep the Battle of I-85 Belt, staying perfect in eight all-time meetings with the Skyhawks. It's the Eagles' first win over Point by more than one score since 2021.
Coach Brown will officially make his debut on September 13 after a bye week as Faulkner travels to Thomas with a 6 p.m. Saturday night kick.
