BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
THE OBSERVER
OPELIKA — Recent history had not been kind to Opelika High School in their rivalry against Auburn High School as the Bulldogs had lost eight of their last nine games against the Tigers. Most of those defeats ended in heartbreak as six were decided by eight points or less, including a 17-10 loss at home on Sept. 4.
However, it’s difficult to beat the same team twice in the same season, and the Bulldogs (10-3) proved that adage true with a thrilling 31-28 semifinal victory over the Tigers (10-3) that saw OHS score on offense, defense and special teams.
It is the first time that OHS has played for a state championship in any classification since 2016, when they lost 21-16 to Ramsay High School in the 6A final. The Bulldogs also played for the 6A title in 2012, where they lost to Hoover High School 31-0.
CJ Johnson ran 22 times for 176 yards and a touchdown and recorded a 92-yard kickoff return TD, Blake Johnson ran for a TD and the OHS defense intercepted two passes in the victory.
Cason Myers registered 304 total yards, a passing TD and two rushing TDs, Levi Kelly caught five passes for 52 yards and a TD and senior defensive lineman Carnell Jackson ran for a TD for AHS.
After losing to their bitter crosstown rivals earlier this season, the opportunity to exact revenge with a state championship berth on the line meant more to OHS head coach Bryan Moore than its already priceless face value. It was a victory for a town often overlooked for its more well-known neighbor.
“It’s a great day for this community,” Moore said. “They’ve earned it. They deserve it. Our kids, our coaches, just a great night for Opelika. We just kept pushing and got the big lead and kind of let them chop back. But I’m just so proud of our kids for finishing the game the right way. They wrote us off a bunch, but our kids just kept believing. We got healthy and caught a little hot streak and are just thankful to be here. But the job’s not over. We understand we’ll have a monumental task, but we’ll take these 12 days, and we’ll get ready for it.”
While everyone who touched the field for OHS contributed in some form or fashion, very few, if any, had the outsized impact Johnson did. Whether it was his willingness to run hard between the tackles or his electric ability on kickoff returns, the senior running back proved to be the heart and soul of a team that has refused to quit during a tough playoff run.
“He’s incredible,” Moore said. “I mean, he’s a great player. I’m so thankful he’s here, and so thankful to the young men on the offensive line for playing better and winning the line of scrimmage.”
That willingness to keep charging into the teeth of the Tigers’ defense and the physicality it required ultimately made the difference according to Johnson, who popped off several timely long runs.
“Every play, coach always tells us to hit somebody, and [Auburn] died down,” Johnson said. “We kept doing that, and we knew we were going to break some big ones. And we did. They doubted us in this game. We lost early in the season, so we had to come back and get our revenge. And that was really big tonight.”
For Xavier Thomas, who set the tone with a pick six 32 seconds into the game, his big play boiled down to a combination of instincts and some luck by being in the right place at the right time.
“It just brought so much energy for us,” Thomas said. “I saw the quarterback staring at [the receiver], and after he threw the ball, I just caught it. We just had to keep fighting. We wanted revenge and to drag them into the darkness like coach Moore had said.”
Where there was euphoria on the Bulldogs’ sideline, there was heartbreak and plenty of tears from AHS. Before allowing them to leave the field, AHS head coach Keith Etheredge gathered his seniors to thank them for their efforts over three years and reminded them that they won 29 total varsity games.
In a quick post-game post-mortem, Etheredge pointed to OHS’ explosive plays on offense and special defense as what ultimately doomed his team in yet another close Auburn-Opelika game that came down to the wire.
“We gave up the one pick, and then we gave up the kickoff return,” Etheredge said. “Other than that, I thought we played really good. Some penalties here and there, a bounce here and there, we win this game. But hats off to Opelika. They played a great football game. They’ve got a great football team. And it’s a shame somebody has to lose this game. We’ll root for them, and hopefully they go win it for this region.”
While he refused to use it as an excuse, an injury Myers suffered early in AHS’ 40-0 victory over Daphne High School a week before was certainly a factor since the star junior quarterback didn’t initially start for the Tigers.
“We didn’t think he could throw it down the field much to try and start him, and [JD] Pate’s a tough kid,” Etheredge said. “Cason came in and he just toughed it out. That kid’s a winner. I don’t know how he did it. He started slinging it, I guess the adrenaline got going. And he’s a winner. Before the game, we didn’t know if he was going to be able to play or not.”
After winning the coin toss and electing to defer until the second half, the Bulldogs got off to a dream start after a pass from Pate on the drive’s second play ricocheted off an AHS receiver’s outstretched glove.
That wayward throw ended up right in Thomas’ hands, and the junior defensive back fought through traffic to secure the 21-yard pick six and a 7-0 lead for OHS 32 seconds into the game.
Facing an early deficit, the Tigers embarked on a grueling 18-play, 80-yard drive that saw Myers enter the game and immediately rejuvenate AHS’ offense with his legs. Jackson’s three-yard TD run then capped off the drive and evened the score at 7-7 with 5:25 left in the first quarter — more than six minutes after the drive initially began.
The Bulldogs then responded with an 11-play, 87-yard drive that was made possible by several penalties called on the Tigers’ defense. By the time the drive ended, Blake Johnson had restored the Bulldogs’ lead with a gritty one-yard rushing TD with 1:24 left in the first quarter.
After receiving the ball at their own 20 yard line, AHS dug deep and engineered a 14-play, 80-yard drive that featured 15 and 19-yard catches by Cash Reif and Jaeden King, respectively. Kelly then ended the drive with a 16-yard TD catch that tied the game again 14-14 with 7:52 left in the second quarter.
This time, OHS didn’t need a long drive to respond as Johnson picked up a low line-drive kickoff that fell short of the goal line and raced 92 yards for an explosive kickoff return TD that electrified the away crowd.
With the Bulldogs up 21-14 with 7:41 left before halftime, OHS never trailed again the rest of the game.
At times it appeared the Bulldogs would add to their lead with a pair of 45-plus-yard field goal attempts with 1:30 and 0:03 left before the break. Both sailed left of the uprights, however, and the teams went to their respective locker rooms with OHS still up 21-14.
Following halftime, the Bulldogs’ good fortunes only got better despite their first drive quickly ending in a punt. That twist came after Manuel Stone intercepted Myers near the AHS 40 yard line and raced 25 yards before running out of bounds to a crazed OHS student section.
Despite the excellent field position, the Bulldogs were unable to add to their lead after a chop blocking call eventually drove them out of four down territory and a 42-yard field goal attempt went wide left for a third-straight time.
After rapidly forcing the Tigers into a punt on their next drive, Reese Beasley redeemed himself with an excellent 35-yard field goal attempt that completed a nine-play, 45-yard drive that consumed nearly five minutes of game clock.
OHS then appeared to put the game out of AHS’ reach by forcing a three-and-out on the Tigers’ next possession and a 57-yard Johnson TD run that saw the senior tailback somehow break through a pile of bodies.
With the Bulldogs up 31-14 with 11:14 left in the fourth quarter, AHS took the field with a renewed sense of urgency to score. The Tigers did just that after a 35-yard catch from BJ Collins kickstarted a nine-play, 80-yard drive that culminated with a six-yard Myers TD run.
Even though AHS had cut into OHS’ lead to make it 31-21 with 8:16 left in the game, the next Bulldogs drive ate five minutes of game clock and made the prospect of a comeback highly unlikely.
Those odds did not phase the Tigers, who promptly drove down the field with a lightning quick seven-play, 80-yard drive that featured a nine-run Myers TD run with 1:44 left in the game.
Following that scoring drive, Johnson ended AHS’ remaining hopes with a bruising 51-yard run that brought OHS deep into AHS territory and effectively ended the game.
What’s Next
The Bulldogs advance to the Alabama High School Athletic Association 7A state championship game against defending champions Thompson High School. That game will be played at Protective Stadium in Birmingham on Dec. 3 at 7 p.m.
The Warriors are 10-3 and coming off a dramatic 35-34 win over Central High School. Through 13 games, THS has scored 38.3 points per game while allowing 13.2 points per game. The Warriors are the No. 60 team in the nation according to MaxPreps.
Thompson has won five of the past six 7A state championships.
