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Under the Lights | Sept. 26, 2024

The Observer Staff

OHS dominated Smiths Station, shutting out the Panthers 50-0.

Glenwood wins slugfest with Beulah to remain undefeated

BY NOAH GRIFFITH
FOR THE OBSERVER

VALLEY — The Glenwood Gators are out to a 5-0 start for the second year in a row after a 62-38 win in a shootout over the Beulah Bobcats on Friday night.
Last year in the AISA, being unbeaten was nothing surprising for a Glenwood team that was eventual runners up in the state championship. This year, the Gators have taken 3A Region 4 by storm — the latest wave being its biggest scoring performance since 2022 on Beulah’s home turf.
Although Glenwood and head coach Ryan Nelson are on a roll, it enters week five with plenty to clean up on the defensive side of the ball. 38 points was the most the Gators have allowed since the tail end of the 2021 season, and they hadn’t allowed more than three scores in a game yet this season.
“I couldn’t be more happy to be 5-0,” Nelson said. “It’s like I just told the kids, it doesn’t matter what it looks like, sometimes it ain’t pretty. But you know, we’re striving to be undefeated and we are right now. As long as we keep winning, we’ll be happy around here.”
On the other hand, Beulah has now dropped two straight to the league’s newcomers, Glenwood and Lee-Scott, after its first 3-0 start since 2018. It gave Glenwood a fight in the first half, including holding a 17-14 lead toward the beginning of the second quarter, but Glenwood was quick to strike all night long.
The scoring started on defense with senior Kham Cooper jumping out in front of a screen pass and taking it back for a 52-yard pick six. After that, Glenwood struck with big plays through the air in the first half before wearing down the Bobcats on the ground to run away with the victory in the latter half.
Once Beulah got a 17-14 lead on two TD passes by senior quarterback Demarion Foreman and a 56-yard field goal by Reed Maloof, Glenwood QB Levi Pinder hit Mason McCraine for an 80-yard TD strike to regain the lead for good. McCraine, who caught five passes for 154 yards, hauled in another score to end the half with a 34-24 lead.
Once Pinder and the passing game opened up the running lanes with three scores through the air, senior Makai Simpson took over to run for all four of Glenwood’s scores in the second half. Simpson ran nine times for 64 yards with four scores, while senior RB Jermaine Brown carried it 16 times for 161 yards and a TD.
“I really can’t say enough about Levi Pinder, but the way we ran the ball in the second half just compliments our offensive line,” Nelson said. “I though Makai Simpson and Jermaine Brown both ran the ball extremely tough, and we were able to wear them down and control the game in the second half.”
Other than an early interception by Pinder, Glenwood got whatever it wanted on offense. The Bobcat offense, however, made some splashes of its own.
After being held to seven points last week at Lee-Scott, Beulah’s Foreman aired it out for 254 passing yards and a pair of scores. Beulah’s offense notched 306 yards of total offense, though it was snake bitten by three interceptions.
Despite forcing four turnovers, Nelson was particularly disappointed that Glenwood allowed Beulah to convert three out of four fourth down attempts. Those conversions allowed the Bobcats to prolong drives and dominate time of possession by nearly 10 minutes. In the end, though, it didn’t matter as the Gators averaged 9.4 yards per play with 497 yards of total offense.
Glenwood also missed an extra point and committed six penalties for 70 yards, so there will be plenty for the Gators to clean up going forward.
“They hurt us through the air a bit, but it was a good challenge for us to play in a game like that,” Nelson explained. “Offensively, couldn’t ask for much better, but there are things we need to work on defensively and on special teams for sure.”
Next, on Sept. 2, Glenwood will hit the road to face 1A Wadley in a battle of undefeated teams. Looking to get back in the win column, Beulah will stay home for a matchup with 2A Loachapoka (1-3).

Opelika strolls past Smiths Station

BY DAVID YOHN
FOR THE OBSERVER

OPELIKA — The Opelika Bulldogs celebrated their homecoming game with a dominant win over the visiting Panthers from Smiths Station. The 50-0 win was as dominant as the score suggests.
“I am really proud of how we played, how we dominated every phase of the game,” said head coach Bryan Moore.
Senior defensive back Kevian King set the tone early, picking off the Smiths Station pass on the very first play from scrimmage and returning the ball nearly 40 yards to the Panthers’ 28-yard line. The Bulldogs rushed for 11, six and 10 yards on their first three plays, and senior fullback Tommie Johnson capped the short drive with a one-yard plunge for a touchdown. Reese Beasley connected on the PAT, his first of six on the night, and Opelika took the very early 7-0 lead.
Smiths Station picked up two first downs, driving from their own 14-yard line before facing fourth-and-7 near midfield. Senior wide receiver and kick returner Jamari Miller then took the Panthers’ punt from his own 18 all the way to the Smiths Station 41-yard line. The Bulldogs needed just 1:38 to find the end zone, and again they only needed four plays. Jordan Waits rushed for nine yards, then hauled in a Colby Key pass to pick up 13 more. Waits picked up another seven yards on the ground before Key connected with Drue Gagliano for the final 12 yards. After a successful two-point conversion, Opelika was up 15-0 with 3:28 still remaining in the first quarter.
Xavier Thomas absolutely stuffed the Smiths Station returner on the ensuing kickoff, and the Panthers were forced to start their drive at their own eight-yard line. Emauri Smiley had a big tackle for loss after Smiths Station had picked up one first down. A short punt by the Panthers left the Bulldogs with a short field to start the second quarter.
The quick-strike Bulldog offense scored their third touchdown in as many drives, covering 48 yards in just four plays in less than a minute and a half. Brodie Jones started the drive with a 16-yard reception, followed by Calvin Hughley and Jamari Miller rushing for seven and 13 yards, respectively. Hughley covered the final 12 yards to put Opelika up 22-0 very early in the second quarter.
Smiths Station would put together a time-consuming drive that took nearly six and a half minutes off of the clock, but the Opelika defense stiffened and forced the Panthers to punt. The Bulldogs electrified the crowd on first-and-10 at their 20-yard line when Key connected with Miller for an apparent touchdown. A block in the back penalty negated the score, but only prolonged the inevitable. Hughley had the longest play on the drive, picking up 14 yards on the ground. Johnson scored his second rushing touchdown of the night, this time from six yards out. Opelika extended their lead to 29-0 with just 2:11 remaining before halftime.
Another impressive stop by the Opelika defense left the Panthers with no choice but to punt the ball back to the Bulldogs. Hughley, not to be outdone by his running-mate Johnson, scored his second rushing touchdown on an impressive 21-yard rumble where the final five yards looked more like a rugby scrum. Opelika was in complete control and went to the locker room up 36-0.
The Bulldogs took the third quarter kickoff back to their 30-yard line, and Waits did the majority of the damage on the way to a 43-0 lead. Key again found Gagliano from eight yards out to cap the five-minute drive.
CJ Pink rounded out the scoring for Opelika after his 10-yard run late in the third quarter. The Bulldogs hit the 50-point mark for the second time in as many weeks, but the Bulldogs’ coach knows what the second half of the schedule holds.
“Truthfully, the real season starts now,” Moore said. “Our back five (games) is as tough, if not tougher than, anybody in the state of Alabama.”
To begin that stretch, the Bulldogs travel for a non-region tilt at Pike Road and then to Dothan before coming home to face Enterprise and Central-Phenix City. The final regular season game will be at Carver-Montgomery.
Opelika can all but eliminate Enterprise and Dothan from playoff contention if they can pick up wins. Currently 2-1 in the region, the Bulldogs find themselves in fourth place in 7A Region 2. They control their own destiny, however, and could finish as high as second.

Under the lights —Week 5

BY D. MARK MITCHELL
FOR THE OBSERVER

EAST ALABAMA —
Here are the scores of week five of high school play.

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