SPANISH FORT — The Spanish Fort defense came up big, but the offense short Friday in the Toros' Region 1 game with Vigor as the Wolves took a 7-0 win from The Hill.

After an emotionally uplifting goal-line stand by the Toro defense in the early going, Vigor's Deangelo Miller scored on a 3-yard run with just 54.4 seconds left to close the first half after a Toro turnover at their own 22 yard line.

The Toros had won four games in a row, including three region games, but fell to 3-2 in the region with the loss. They are 5-3 overall. VHS, ranked No. 7 in the state going in, improved to 6-2 overall and 4-1 in the region. It was the Vigor defense's fourth shutout of the year, a defense Spanish Fort head coach Mark Freeman calls the best he has seen as a head coach.

“I’ve been doing this for 15 years and that is the best defense that I’ve seen. I’ll give them all of the credit in the world but we still need to get better offensively."

As big and fast and good as the Wolfpack D is this year, Freeman is confident they may meet up again and if so, the Toros will be ready. 

“Vigor didn’t do anything tonight to hurt themselves," he said. "Vigor didn’t turn the ball over. We need to find a way to make some plays. We want to win every game, but even though we lost, we lost to a great team and even though we lost the way we played, we played our guts out. And instead of just worrying about the negative, it could mean something, something a lot more important come Nov. 4 (Playoffs). And that's what I told them: Concentrate on the positive side of things. It's not over by a long shot.”

SFHS did move the ball well at times with Otis Smith on the ground and quarterback Joel Poe connecting to Blain Crain in the air, but could not overcome three turnovers. Vigor head coach Kerry Stevenson said his offense found it hard to drive on the Toros especially on the ground. But once up, his defense came through and preserved the lead.

“Coach Freeman had his defense well prepared," he said. "They stopped the run, and that's what we like to do, so we went spread one time and were able to punch it in, got seven on the board, and then we kind of let our defense take over from there. We just gutted it out,. And I want to say something about them, this defense, they are not only big young men, they are excellent individuals. They may go on to great things football wise, but they are already great in my mind and heart. They are outstanding, hard working students and we are proud of them as we are of all our kids. But as a coach you don't often have a group this talented all at the same time who also all have such a great attitude. Together, this team is really something special."

Poe went 14-25-2 and passed for 154 yards and was sacked four times by the Wolves who regularly used a three down front, four linebacker set with a free-roaming safety who often blitzed. Smith had 12 carries for 54 yards for the Toros.

Region play winds up for both teams as Vigor will host LeFlore Friday at Prichard Stadium while the Toros visit the Wildcats in Citronelle.