FAIRHOPE, Ala.  — The Fairhope Pirates, thanks to a few trick plays and a strong running attack, dominated time of possession en-route to a convincing 49-22 win over the visiting Northview Cougars.

The Pirates closed out their regional play with a convincing win improving their overall record to 7-2 and more importantly they secured second place within the region with a 6-1 record.

“I was proud of our kids. They came out and played hard and played more of a four quarter game,” Fairhope coach Adam Winegarden said. “We gave up some big plays on special teams and two big pass plays. We didn’t take good care of the ball early in the red zone. We just need to clean those things but I thought we finished the game well.”

Both teams struggled to score early in the game; The Pirates did have opportunities however in the first quarter, until they committed four false start penalties within the red zone in their first two possessions killing their momentum.

“We had some substitution problems along with some injuries so some guys had to come out,” Winegarden said. “That’s my fault as the head coach not doing a better job in that situation but they overcame it when they needed to.”

It wouldn’t be until the 10:54 mark of the second quarter when David Kirksey rushed it in from 14-yards out. The Leopards answered on their very next drive evening the game at 7.

From then on the Pirates dominated time of possession. Other than a one-play drive that ended by a Pirate interception, the Cougars played on defense for nearly 10 minutes of the second quarter.

Although the Pirates only managed to score 7 points during that stretch it set the tone for the remainder of the game.

“It was big; our kids executed some things very well. It is something the kids have practiced for a while and they executed,” Winegarden said. “Any time you can keep the ball out of the others team’s hands they can’t score. We had a chance to extend the lead and that is obviously important.”

Throughout the game the Pirates converted some trick plays that comprised of a fake punt and a field goal that led to a touchdown for the Pirates. They also converted an onside kick during the second quarter.

Although injured for much of the game, Pirate quarterback Grey Jackson led the way to some big plays throughout the evening he connected on 8-of-16 passes for 128 yards.

Earnest Andrews had a big night from the ground as he rushed for a total of 125 yards and he also scored a touchdown.

Next week the Pirates travel to Andalusia to close out the regular season before the start of State playoffs.

“We need to improve; we are still a young and immature team that grows each week,” Winegarden said. “We will be playing the best when we reach the playoffs and our kids know that so we want to improve this week during practice. It’s a big week for us.”

Kickoff between Fairhope and Andalusia is Friday at 7 p.m.