Gunner Rivers passed for two touchdowns to lead St. Michael to a 42-8 Class 4A, Region 1 win over over Satsuma on Thursday night in Fairhope.

Rivers, a freshman, completed 18-of-22 passes for 325 yards. He threw a 67-yard TD pass to Brody Jones and a 16-yard TD pass to Noah Moss. He also tossed a lateral to Rocco Faiupu that resulted in a 6-yard touchdown run.

The Cardinals (3-2, 2-1) rolled up 500 yards total offense on the night.

Martin Corte rushed 57 yards on 15 carries and scored on runs of 1 and 2 yards as St. Michael built a 28-0 halftime lead. Corte added 31 yards receiving.

“We got off to a fast start, hit some big plays early on, the running game was very effective for us tonight,” St. Michael coach Philip Rivers said. “It helped open up some big plays in the passing game.”

The Cardinals set the tone on their opening drive. After an onsides attempt by the Gators, St. Michael marched 50 yards in seven plays, all on the ground for the opening score.

Star of the game: Rivers, the Cardinals freshman quarterback, connected with nine different receivers. He was perfect in the third quarter (7-for-7). He also didn’t commit a turnover.

“Tonight, the run really helped set up the passing game,” Gunner Rivers said. “We saw a lot improvement as the game went on.”

Play of the game: On a third-and-goal, Rivers faked the hand off, rolled out and found his left tackle Faiupu behind the line of scrimmage for a six-yard touchdown.

Stat sheet: Randal Barfoot passed for 227 yards for the Gators. Satsuma avoided the shutout when Barfoot connected with Marvin Wash for an 81-yard score in the fourth quarter. Brody Jones was the Cardinals’ explosive threat, catching six passes for 178 yards, including 67-yard score, all in the first half. Jones’ first reception went for 62 yards. Noah Moss added 50 yards on the ground.

By the numbers: (21) points for the Cardinals in the second quarter. (40) points in the Cardinals three victories this season. (3) plays that went for 60-plus yards for Cardinals — two receptions by Jones and a 63-yard rushing touchdown by Russo in the fourth quarter.

Did you know? St. Michael improved to 2-0 all-time vs Satsuma.

Coachspeak: ”We had a great mix offensively tonight — running the ball, a lot of guys got touches receiving. The best part is we are improving as a team and getting better.” — Philip Rivers.

They said it: “Tonight was a real confidence booster for me. It was good to get those first two rushing touchdowns to start us off tonight. The offense really showed a lot of spark.” — Corte.

Next week: St. Michael hosts McGill-Toolen next Friday in a non-region game, while Satsuma (3-2,1-2) is idle. The Gators host Wilcox Central on Oct. 6.