BY D. MARK MITCHELL
OPINION —
In a game packed with momentum swings, missed opportunities and clutch performances, Opelika High School emerged victorious over Callaway in a 36–35 overtime thriller Thursday night at Callaway Stadium in LaGrange, Georgia.
The Bulldogs and Cavaliers traded blows all night, with Callaway striking first on a touchdown run by quarterback Blake Harrington to go up 7–0. Opelika answered with a score of their own — a Colby Key touchdown run — but a missed PAT left them trailing 7–6.
Callaway came right back, threatened to score, driving to the one-yard line before Opelika’s defense pushed them back. A penalty forced Callaway to settle for a field goal, extending their lead to 10–6. But Opelika’s Xavier Thomas flipped the script with a pick-six, giving the Bulldogs their first lead at 13–10. Harrington responded with a late second-quarter touchdown, sending Callaway into halftime up 17–13.
Opelika trimmed the deficit to 17–16 with a field goal by Reese Beasley, but a costly leaping penalty gave Callaway new life — and they capitalized with another touchdown to go up 23–16. Facing fourth down at the 26-yard line, Jordan Waits delivered a game-changing run, tying the game at 23–23 with under nine minutes to play.
Disaster struck Opelika moments later. Driving deep into Callaway territory, a high snap sailed over Key’s head and was recovered by Callaway at their own 43. Harrington then broke loose for a long touchdown run, putting the Cavaliers ahead 29–23 with just over two minutes remaining.
With time winding down, Key connected with Jalynn Washington for a clutch touchdown with 15 seconds left. But a celebration penalty pushed the PAT attempt back 15 yards — and it missed, sending the game into overtime tied at 29.
Opelika struck first in OT, as Waits powered in for a touchdown and nailed the extra point to make it 36–29. Callaway answered with a score of their own and opted to go for the win with a two-point conversion. The pass fell incomplete, and Opelika’s sideline erupted in celebration as the Bulldogs sealed the win.
Coach Moore’s quotes after the hard-fought win:
“Yeah, I mean, I’m proud of the resilience once again, and I’m proud, and I’m grateful for a win,” Moore said. “I’m thankful for that band, the student section and those parents. But I’ve got to get our football team playing better. I don’t want to do that, and I don’t want to take for granted what happened tonight, because I’m thankful for an overtime win. Our kids are learning to win, but golly, Moses, it’s so hard when we’re snapping the ball over our heads and jumping offsides on second-and-three, you know, and just the little things that have to be better. Cutting guys loose — tons and tons of guys in coverage are open — and we have got to fix it.
“I’m thankful for a real week next week. I’m thankful for being 2–0, but I’ve got to do a better job and figure out how to reach our kids, and I’ve got to get our coaches to do the same thing. We’ve got to figure out — we’re staying connected, and we’re fighting, and we’re being resilient, and we’re playing hard. All that’s happening. They want to win for each other, but we can’t have senseless penalties at the end of the ball game. We should have won in regulation.
“We can’t have a ball snapped over our head when we’re at the +5, driving in to score. Those things are just unacceptable, and we have not done that. Like, we worked so hard in our discipline, and I’ve got to figure out a way to reach these kids, because that’s my job. My job is to continue to fight, sharpen, execute and be efficient — and I didn’t do that tonight, and I hate it. Because our kids, you know, again, are fighting so hard. But I’ve got to figure out a way to get them to do those little things right.”
AUBURN VS OPELIKA 100th MEETING
Opelika and Auburn will play for the 100th time Friday night at Bulldog Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Auburn leads the series with 49 wins compared to Opelika’s 47 wins, and they have tied three games.
The series is full of interesting facts, such as:
- The first game between AHS/OHS was played Dec. 6, 1917, with the Tigers winning 57-0.
- Game two was in 1925.
• Opelika dominated the series between 1981 through 2007, winning 20 while only losing six times.
•The following coaches had winning records against Auburn: Coach Joe Wilson was 5-2 against Auburn, Doug Barfield was 3-2 and Spence McCracken was 12-2. - Auburn’s Tim Carter won six of nine games as the Tigers head coach while current head coach Keith Etheredge is a perfect 4-0 against the Dogs.
- Auburn (1-1) was shocked by Vestavia Hills 42-14 last Thursday in Birmingham after beating Booker (Fl) 24-6 at Duck Samford Stadium in the season opener.
WHO WINS
It is very simple to write, but much harder to achieve. The team that controls both lines of scrimmage, limit mistakes, penalties and turnovers and the team able to sustain the rush will probably win the game.
You can read a wrap-up of the Auburn/Opelika game next week.
D. Mark Mitchell is sports director for iHeart Media, Alabama Dixie Boys State Director and vice president of the A-O Sports Council.
