BY D MARK MITCHELL
OPINION —
OPELIKA DOMINATES SMITHS STATION
The OHS football team (4-3, R 4-2) beat Smiths Station 42-14 last Friday night at T.C. Britton Field in Smiths.
The Panthers took an early 7-0 lead after returning the opening kickoff 99-yards for a TD. Trailing 0-7, Opelika’s Jordan Waits took over the game. The running back scored four TD’s on rushes of 7, 4, 41 and 5 yards. Will Carroll made all four point-after attempts. The Dogs added two fourth quarter scores. Makai Simpson ran 5 yards for a score and Lelan Bell rushed 17 yards for the last TD of the game. Reese Beasley missed the PAT, and a 2-point conversion failed on the last TD.
The Bulldogs gained 372 total yards of offense, 241-rushing yards and 131-passing yards and held the Panthers to 140 total yards and four turnovers. Individually, Roman Gagliano threw for 131 yards, Jordan Waites rushed for 128 yards and Jamari Miller had 103 receiving yards.
The Dawgs have an away game Oct.12, against Enterprise. The Wildcats (5-3, R 3-2) and Dawgs are vying for a playoff spot along with Dothan. The three teams have two regional losses and are trying to earn the last two playoff spots behind Central and Auburn.
The outcome of the game will be updated online at www.opelikaobserver.com.
OPELIKA CROSS COUNTRY
Opelika High Cross Country team was scheduled to run in the Helena Invitational, hosted by Helena High School last Saturday. There are no results on the Opelika High website www.opelikaathletics.com or at www.alabamarunners.com. The Dawgs Cross Country team is scheduled to compete in the 27th annual “Tiger Classic” Saturday (Oct 21 ) at Kiesel Park in Auburn.
The Sectional Meet is scheduled Nov. 2 in Opelika at Kiesel Park. Qualifiers will participate in the state meet Nov. 11 at Jesse Owen Park in Moulton.
AHSAA NEWS
The Alabama High School Athletic Association announced the coaching staff for the 37th Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Football Classic, to be held Dec. 16 at Carlisle H. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
Enterprise head coach Ben Blackmon was named head coach of team Alabama. Assistant coaches include: Jeff Kelly (Saraland), Trent Taylor (Andalusia), Ronnie Jackson (Ramsay), Deric Scott (Foley), Erik Speakan (Opelika), Matt Geohagen (Bibb County) and Smitty Grider (BRHS). Administrative coaches from Enterprise are Billy Odem, Randy White and Ken Wright.
Opelika’s Roman Gagliano was voted to play on team Alabama along with Auburn High kicker Towns McGough.
The AHSAA Central Board of Control will reclassify schools after this year. The Fall sports will be released later in 2023 or early January. Baring something drastic, Lee-Scott Academy will become a member of the AHSAA in 2024-25. The Warriors will probably be playing in Class 3A but will not know the Region or classification until the info is released. In my opinion, LSA is making the right decision to join the AHSAA. AISA Athletic Director Roddy Beck and I are friends, and I support the AISA, but it’s obvious the largest classification needs to be addressed.
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.