by D. Mark Mitchell
OPELIKA
DOMINATES
AUBURN, 28-0
Opelika (2-0) beat arch rival Auburn (1-1), 28-0, Friday night at Duck Samford Stadium in front of a standing room-only crowd estimated at between 7-8 thousand.
The Dawgs started the game at their own 20-yard line after the opening kickoff sailed through the end zone. Thirteen plays later, Weldrin Ford scored on a two-yard run to give Opelika the lead, 6-0, Austin Blackmon added the PAT to give OHS a 7-0 lead with 7:12 left in the opening quarter. Auburn went three and out on the ensuing possession.
The two teams swapped field position until the John David Worth sprinted 12 yards with 10:53 left in the second quarter to score the second Dawg TD and give OHS a 14-0 lead at halftime.
Opelika scored two more TD’s in the second half: Jaleel Heard caught a 33-yard pass from Worth and Weldrin Ford ran 12 yards for the final score of the game.
Austin Blackmon added all PAT’s which made the final acore 28-0. Ford led the Bulldog offense, rushing for 160 yards and two scores on 22 carries.
The Opelika defense held Auburn to 164 yards of total offense for the game, and no points. It was the first time AHS had been shut out since 2008.
I have not witnessed many dominating wins over arch-rival Auburn like Friday night. Coach Blackmon, his staff and our players should be commended for playing hard and with class!
OPELIKA v.
CARVER OF
MONTGOMERY
OHS (2-0) will play Carver (1-1) at Cramton Bowl in Montgomery Thursday night at 7 p.m.
The Carver Wolverines lost to Auburn, 17-14, the first week of the season and Jeff Davis outscored Carver 35-19 last week..CHS allowed 52 points while scoring 33 in their two games.
The Dawgs are riding high after starting 2-0. The short week of preparation could cause some trouble for OHS, but I believe the Dawgs will dominate Carver and win.
LISTEN TO
OPELIKA v.
CARVER
You can listen to Carver vs Opelika on WKKR 97.7 KICKER FM starting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
SEVENTH
GRADE FOOTBALL
Opelika seventh graders defeated Long Cane 36-0 at Long Cane.
The Opelika offense was led by Jarell Stinson who had two rushing TDs, Jackson Bates with one rushing TD, and Killian Massey with one rushing TD and an extra point catch from Jackson Bates. Taylor Love also rushed for two 2-point conversions.
Opelika’s defense was led by a pack of Dawgs. The defensive line was led by Tylik Hambrick and Kendrevan Baker. Jaden McGhee and Taylor Love made tackles at the linebacker positions while Nick Covington and Jayden Stinson both had interceptions in the game. The Dawgs play Alex City tomorrow.
EIGHTH GRADE FOOTBALL
The eighth grade Dawgs Beat Long Cane 30-6. Our kids played hard and made some mistakes, but gave us both a win and some room for improvement.
Opelika had two punt returns for touchdowns by Eric Watts to get the scoring started. Then the offense added a passing touchdown from Malik Finley to Keyshawn Tolefree and Eric Watts added another TD with a run.
Eric Watts scored two 2-point conversions and Malik Finley had one.
Baker Rowten handled the punting and kick-offs.
The defense played really well and had stellar performances by Ja’Kia Stephons, Cam Reese, Eric Thomas, JP Parker, and Anthony (Dino) Martin. The defense only gave up the one touchdown and it was on the last play of the game.
The next game is at Alex City Sept. 8. Many team parents traveled to the game, it looked like a home game in the stands on both sides. What a great place to be able coach football!
OPELIKA
VOLLEYBALL
The Lady Bulldog volleyball team is 3-5 on the season. Coach Robin Roberts’ girls beat Handley and lost a heart breaker to Smiths Station.
The girls participated in the SSHS tournament last weekend. The Lady Dawgs beat Beauregard and Lincoln while losing to Tuscaloosa County, Smiths Station and Troop County. Opelika will host Beauregard Sept. 7 at 5 p.m.
D.Mark Mitchell is sports director for iHeart Media, Alabama Dixie Boys State director and vice president of the A-O Sports Council.