BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
THE OBSERVER
AUBURN — With the emergence of flag football at both schools in recent years, rivalry week between Auburn High School and Opelika High School has added an extra dimension.
Just two days before the football teams squared off, the Lady Tigers and Lady Bulldogs got the first crack at each other in Duck Samford Stadium.
For Auburn, the message going into the evening was simple: protect their house against Opelika, and get the first win of the series.
The Lady Tigers (7-5, 3-1) did just that as Taylor Plott threw three touchdown passes and ran for another, and Auburn’s defense blanked the Lady Bulldogs (5-4, 1-3) in a 26-0 win on Sept. 30.
While Opelika moved the ball in spurts, it never found the end zone. Two Lady Tigers interceptions, including one at Auburn’s 3 yard line in the final seconds of the first half, kept the Lady Bulldogs off the scoreboard.
“They’ve been doing it all year, so it’s not surprising, honestly,” Auburn head coach Alison Link said of her defense. “They got us on a few things, but we bent and didn’t break. We usually adjust pretty well, and when they get in that red zone, we really seem to find the ball.”
Auburn wasted little time taking control. Opelika turned the ball over on downs on its opening possession, handing the Lady Tigers a short field, and Plott found Jailyn White for a 4-yard touchdown with 8:16 left in the first quarter. Plott then ran in the extra point for a 7-0 lead.
Plott’s 24-yard completion to Marley Hunt set Auburn up at the Opelika 1 yard line on its next scoring drive, and Plott punched it in herself with 1:19 left in the opening quarter. Opelika’s Makayla Shambry broke up the extra-point pass to keep it 13-0.
The Lady Tigers’ third score came on the night’s most improbable play. With 8:29 left in the second quarter, Keylee Levett hauled in a Plott pass through a crowd of Lady Bulldogs, spun out of several tackle attempts and somehow found her way into the end zone to finish a 17-yard score. Reagan Small caught the extra point to make it 20-0.
Auburn’s Pearl Simmons then intercepted a pass near the Auburn 31 with 6:41 left in the half and returned it just past midfield. The Lady Tigers drove deep into Opelika territory, but penalties and ill-advised throws stalled the possession.
The stop seemed to give Opelika its first real spark. Jaela Holmes connected with Nahla Riggs on a chuck play to move the Lady Bulldogs into scoring range, but Auburn answered with a sack, and Sarah Kate Heisler intercepted a pass at the Auburn 3 with three seconds left before halftime, returning it 24 yards to end the threat.
Link said the difference between the two teams came down to red-zone execution, something the Lady Tigers have made a point of improving.
“We haven’t been doing that in the past, and we’ve really been working hard this past week and a half on those shorter plays in the red zone when it’s so tight in there,” Link said. “It’s hard to squeak out two or three yards. But we’ve really been working on perfecting those plays to get those short yardages.”
Plott echoed Link’s explanation, saying Auburn’s dedication to running those plays at practice has finally begun to pay off.
“We just ran the plays right and fast as we could, and we were just able to get the ball out,” Plott said.
Levett added her second touchdown with 8:34 left in the third quarter, slipping out on a sneaky dump-off pass from Plott for a 17-yard score. Opelika’s J.Z. Agee broke up the extra-point attempt, leaving it 26-0.
By that point in the game, frustration with the officials boiled over on the Opelika sideline, and the Lady Bulldogs were flagged for two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. As a result, Opelika was eventually forced to punt on fourth-and-31 to close out the quarter.
The punt gave Auburn another short field, but a string of penalties and miscues forced the Lady Tigers to punt the ball back.
Holmes’ 27-yard pass to Agee kickstarted one last Opelika drive, but the Lady Bulldogs were still in Auburn territory when the game was called at the two-minute warning. Under Alabama High School Athletic Association rules, a game ends at the two-minute warning when one team leads by 17 or more points.
Plott said the game’s chippy nature affected the Lady Tigers, and said she believes they have more to show.
“I feel good, but I think we can do a lot better,” Plott said. “I feel like since they were chippy, it kind of got in our head.”
Still, the win carried extra weight during rivalry week, and Link said her team embraced the chance to go first.
“We wanted to set the tone. We wanted it to be an all-Tiger win week,” Link said. “So we’re happy that we could hopefully start the trend.”
Plott agreed.
“It feels great,” Plott said. “We always have to protect the house and make sure nobody takes over, so it feels really good.”
Opelika head coach Tiara Harris was unavailable for comment after the game.
The Lady Tigers faced J.A.G. High School on Oct. 6 and Escambia County High School on Oct. 8, both at home. Those results were not available by the Observer’s Tuesday press deadline.
Auburn will next face Dothan High School at home on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 5 p.m.
The Lady Bulldogs took on Dothan on the road on Oct. 6, and that result was also not available by the Observer’s Tuesday press deadline.
Opelika’s next game is on the road at Smiths Station High School on Thursday, Oct. 15, at 5:30 p.m.
