FAIRHOPE, Alabama - When watching a football game you don’t expect the end result to be a tie, but that’s just what happened on Friday when Fairhope and Davidson battled to a 14-all tie in the preseason jamboree at W.C. Majors field.

It was a struggle for both the Pirates and the Warriors for the majority of the night.

“Most preseason games you’re going to see a lot of mistakes and that’s what we saw tonight. There were a lot of players tonight that really got their first opportunity to see some varsity action,” Fairhope head coach Adam Winegarden said. “Overall I was pretty impressed with their effort I thought they competed hard and well.”

The Pirates came out of the gates quickly and mounted a long drive that saw them score the game’s first points when sophomore quarterback Grey Jackson hit senior Nate Andrews on a 43-yard strike.

The Warriors would answer quickly and score on their next drive when senior quarterback Brendan Jackson hit senior wide receiver Johnny Moncrief on a short pass that would lead to a 10-yard touchdown.

From there both teams struggled to move the ball down the field and it wouldn’t be until late in the second quarter that a team would find the end zone.

The Warriors mounted a drive that would go eight plays and cover 82 yards. Junior Jaquel Craig punched it in giving the Warriors a 14-7 lead going into halftime.

In the second half Fairhope quarterback Gabe Phillips connected with David Kirksey on a 25-yard touchdown. The subsequent point after tied the game at 14. That would be the final time either team would score. Fairhope had opportunities late to score the winning touchdown but penalties and turnovers ended promising drives.

This game allowed the Pirate coaches to see their quarterbacks in action before they make their decision on who will start in the season opener at St. Paul’s next Friday. A decision on who that will be will be made this week.

“We competed hard, we gave up to many plays on third and long; we have to get off the field,” Winegarden said. “Those are things we can correct. We are young on both sides and overall I was proud of them.”

The Pirates will kick-off the regular season next week when they go on the road to play St. Paul’s. They return home the following week to play region newcomer Enterprise.

Davidson will also start their regular season next week when they visit Vigor.