BY D. MARK MITCHELL / FOR THE OBSERVER
OPINION —
The OHS football team (1-1, R 1-0) returned to Cramton Bowl last Thursday for the second week in a row to play a football game. The trip was happier than week one; Opelika beat region foe JAG (Jeff Davis) 36-16 in the region opener.
Opelika scored 29 points in the first half and seven in the fourth quarter for a total of 36 points. Jordan Tolbert scored the first TD on a 48-yard reception from quarterback Roman Gagliano. Will Carrol kicked the first of four PAT’s. Calvin Hughley opened the second quarter with a 1-yard TD run; Tolbert caught his second pass for a 23-yard TD; Hughley ran 27 yards for his second TD; and Jamari Miller caught a 20-yard pass from Gagliano for a score.
The Bulldogs gained 352 yards, 227 passing and 125 rushing, while holding the Jaguars to 88 rushing yards and 142 passing yards.
Opelika will play Percy Julian High School (formally Robert E Lee) at Bulldog Stadium Friday night in the home opener at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at gofan.co, at Bubbas Medicine Shop and Victory Designs until noon Friday, and at the Bulldog Stadium ticket off at 5:30p Friday.
Percy Julian (1-1) beat Lanier 21-0 in the opener and was blown out by Dothan (42-6) last week. Opelika leads the series 14-10 but has won 11 games in a row going back to 1999, including the last three years in a row.
This is another game where Opelika has the better program and team. The Bulldogs hope to keep improving knowing Central is the next on the schedule with the game scheduled at Garrett-Harrsion Stadium and Wayne Trawick Field in Phenix City.
You can listen to the game on radio by tuning in to WKKR 97.7 KICKER FM, online at kickerfm.com., on the free iHeartradio app on your smartphone. You can watch the game online by going to NFHSnetwork.com, opening a free account and paying to watch the game.
OHS FLAG FOOTBALL
Opelika High’s girls flag football team started the 2023 with an overtime loss to Prattville, followed by a 36-0 win over Valley. The (1-1) Lady Bulldogs are led by first-year head coach Mike Murray, who was promoted to the position after coach Jaclyn Button resigned in the offseason. Murray worked on the high school football staff under coaches McCracken, Blackmon, Ross and Speakman. He worked one season as an assistant on the flag football team last year.
Appearing on ‘On the Mark’ radio show on FOX Sports the Game (iHeartRadio), Murray talked about building a girls’ flag football program by starting a flag football team with seventh, eighth and ninth grade girls. This will allow more girls to participate at a younger age and gain experience before starting high school. Murray said he was proud to add former Smiths Station head flag football coach as his top assistant. Larson, an OHS graduate, guided the Lady Panthers to the first-ever flag football championship game in AHSAA history. Larson’s experience will help Opelika in many ways, including growing and developing the program.
Opelika hosts Central, Sept. 13, at 5 p.m. in Bulldog Stadium.
VOLLEYBALL
Opelika’s Volleyball team dominated Benjamin Russell in three sets last week. The girls played excellent in a sound win over the Lady Wildcats (25-19, 25-21, 25-22) in the home opener. Ashley Durham had six aces to secure the win for the Volley Dawgs.
Opelika’s junior varsity will play at Auburn High on Saturday morning at 9 a.m. The varsity’s next home match is Sept. 14 against Beauregard.
CROSS COUNTRY
Opelika cross country teams ran in the “Panther Invitational” last week, hosted by Smiths Station High School. The following are Opelika’s individual results, girls and boys mixed.
9:58.41 – Brantley Turnham – 9th – Stage 2 results
11:06.13 – Murphy Williams – 27th – Stage 2 results
11:09.95 – Aiden Stephens – 29th – Stage 2 results
11:33.87 – Ben Bell – 33rd – Stage 2 results
11:45.56 – Drew Schoonoven – 19th – Stage 1 results
11:50.52 – Burch Harris – 40th – Stage 2 results
11:54.10 – Trevor Thompson – 22nd – Stage 1 results
11:59.74 – Caleb Thornton – 26th – Stage 1 results
12:00.33 – Caroline Couey – 2nd – Stage 1 results
12:09.34 – Zane Sexton – 46th – Stage 2 results
12:19.71 – Kaden Hua – 48th – Stage 2 results
12:21.55 – Tripp Campbell – 49th – Stage 2 results
12:26.62 – Seth Huling – 32nd – Stage 1 results
12:52.83 – Justin Watson – 55th – Stage 2 results
13:07.99 – John Greer – 44th – Stage 1 results
13:12.09 – Daylan Sanders – 58th – Stage 2 results
13:12.96 – Evan Decker – 59th – Stage 2 results
13:27.98 – Teotl Heredia – 61st – Stage 2 results
13:51.04 – Violett Alcorn – 29th – Stage 2 results
14:32.95 – Javis Bedell – 64th – Stage 2 results
14:36.04 – Frida Cruz Valdez – 31st – Stage 2 results
15:05.68 – Ephraim Thornton – 66th – Stage 1 results
15:07.15 – Alyson Culberson – 28th – Stage 1 results
15:30.21 – Ellie Kendrick – 42nd – Stage 2 results
15:40.80 – Heidi Peralta Fernandez – 43rd – Stage 2 results
16:22.16 – Carlie Moates – 50th – Stage 2 results
17:27.58 – Kiley Brooks – 55th – Stage 2 results
The cross-country team runs in the “Trailblazer Invitational” in Montgomery, Saturday at 9 a.m.
TIDBITS
Auburn High lost a tough game to Enterprise, 17-16, on a last-second Wildcat field goal last Friday night. The game was costly to Auburn’s quarterback. He was injured during the game and is expected to be out for an undisclosed amount of time. Tigers’ head coach Keith Etheredge said he has several options, including moving receiver Ian Nation to QB.
Lee-Scott continues to dominate the AISA, thumping Monroe 51-0 Friday night behind three TD’s and 88 rushing yards from Jonathan “JJ” Meyers. The Warriors should continue to dominate as Morgan Academy comes to Judd Scott Field on the LSA campus Friday night.
Beauregard is looking to go 3-0 against Valley and 1-0 in the region at Richard Brown Field.
D. Mark Mitchell is the sports director at iHeartMedia, host of “On the Mark” Fox Sports the Game 910-1319, co-chair of the Auburn-Opelika Sports Council, chairman of the Super 7 and Dixie Boys Baseball state director.