Opelika finishes 8-2, heads to post-season
OPINION —
Opelika’s Football team (8-2) will host Florence (5-5) in the first round of the Alabama High School Athletic Association 7A State playoffs Friday at Bulldog Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
This is the first playoff appearance for the Dogs in class 7A and the first playoff birth in three years.
Florence enters the first round playoff game having lost to Hillcrest (20-32), lost to Muscle Shoals (31-13), beat Albertville (51-0), lost in overtime to Bob Jones (26-23), lost to Austin (20-0), lost to James Clemens (28-16), beat Grissom (38-0), beat Huntsville (34-7), beat Speakman (13-2) and lost to Oxford (34-10).
Florence head coach Kenny Morson’s (19-13 in three seasons) team has scored 221 points and allowed 177 points in 10 regular season games. The two teams have no common opponents, playing schools in the Huntsville area.
I look for Opelika to be poised and prepared, ready to seize the moment and play extremely hard Friday night, resulting in a win!
The AHSAA is in charge of ALL playoff games, local schools cannot have reserved seating, everyone must have a ticket or proper credentials to enter. Fans can buy tickets online at gofan.co or at the Bulldog Stadium ticket office stating at 5:30 p.m.
You can listen to the OHS-Florence playoff game on WKKR 97.7 KICKER FM, the iHeartRadio app and kickerfm.com. Van Riggs and crew will be live at 6 p.m. for the Bulldog Tailgate Show, presented by Opelika Enviromental Services. Coach Moore’s pre-game show begins at 6:30 p.m.
The winner of the game will play the winner of the Hoover/Fairhope game next Friday, Nov. 15. I predict Opelika will travel to Hoover in the second round of the 7A playoffs.
AHSAA Flag Football
The AHSAA flag football playoffs began this week. Opelika played McGill-Toolin Tuesday night in the first round (results were unavailable at press time). The winner will play the winner of Northridge-Enterprise in round 2.
OHS Tidbits
As fall sports come to a close, winter sports begin this week. Opelika’s basketball team opened the season Thursday night at home against Russell County.
Opelika’s JV and varsity girls basketball team plays at Dothan Tuesday, Nov. 12.
Girls JV will host Smiths Station Nov. 14 at 4:30 p.m.
The boys wrestling team will host Childersburg and Hardaway on Thursday, Nov. 14, at 5:30 p.m.
West Ridge Park
West Ridge Park is in need of major renovation. The 12-field complex featuring eight baseball fields, two softball fields and a Miracle Field was one of the finest facilities in Alabama 30 years ago. Over time, West Ridge has had minor upgrades, but little to no significant updates since being built.
The following was allocated in the 2024-2025 budget: $1 million to put up LED lights on all fields, new paint and fence repair. No plans to turf any fields.
D. Mark Mitchell is the sports director at iHeartMedia and host of “On the Mark” on Fox Sports the Game 910-1319.
