TUSCALOOSA — A catch-of-the-year candidate highlighted Gulf Shores’ defensive effort in a 21-14 win that clinched a Class 5A state title for the Dolphins over the Ramsay Rams.
Senior athlete Ronnie Royal was so confident he was going to make the play, he didn’t even put two hands up to catch the ball.
“I wanted to bait my guy, so they threw it to my side because I knew it was going to be an interception. Every day in practice I catch one-handers,” Royal said. “I was that confident I was going to catch the ball (so I only went up with one hand) just to put on a show and there’s nothing to it.”
As he closed off Ramsay senior receiver Jaquille Malone to the sideline, Royal leaped in the air and reached up with one hand to intercept the pass while spinning 180° only to come down with one foot in bounds.
pic.twitter.com/ivgYAJBZSP
— Gulf Shores High School Football (@GSHSDolphins) December 8, 2023
1 handed interception for @espn play of the week?
Hands down! No pun intended!
Within minutes, the clip was being shared around the internet and it wasn’t long after that when the NC State commit was named Most Valuable Player of the Class 5A title match just two seasons removed from a 6-4 sophomore season that missed the playoffs.
“My first year we struggled but I saw the potential with this team and not just the team but the community with every sport. I just knew we had to stick to it and we could change the program,” Royal said. “It’s not just me, never just me. It’s my team also and (Head) Coach (Mark Hudspeth) Hud helped us out a lot and the whole coaching staff helped us out a lot so we knew that we could change Gulf Shores football, and we did.”
After he competes in the AHSAA North-South All-Star Game later this month, Royal will ascend to the college ranks where he’ll strictly play defense for the NC State Wolfpack. Hudspeth said during the preseason that he looked forward to seeing the athlete’s progression as he focuses on just one side of the ball.
“If you think about it, he only gets half the reps on offense and half the reps on defense. So you can imagine how much better of a player he's going to be when he gets all the reps at just that one position,” Hudspeth said on June 29. “He's not running his body ragged playing both ways so his body is going to grow. Ronnie's got another level of development that he hasn't even gotten to yet because of being forced to play so many spots.”
However, that all-around effort did help him fulfill a dream and bring a state championship back to Gulf Shores for the first time in program history. While the trophy will live forever, so too will the electric interception that went viral before the clock hit zeroes.
Stay tuned to @GCMSportsAL on social media and gulfcoastmedia.com/sports for more coverage of the Dolphins’ Class 5A state title.
