Orange Beach endured a heartbreaking loss in its inaugural trip to regionals last season but has entered uncharted territory as the Makos survived a fourth-period scuffle to clinch a 40-32 victory over Straughn in Wednesday’s Class 4A South Regional semifinal at Montgomery’s Garrett Coliseum.

“We get in games like this and we got to grind it out,” Orange Beach coach Mike Chase said. “We’ve seen 6A-7A players, teams and coaches. Even though we’ve only won our 12th game, what we did in November and December prepared us for these types of games. Super proud of our effort.”