D. Mark Mitchell Articles

On the Mark | A flurry of activity in spring Opelika High School athletics

OPINION —  Tennis Updates The Opelika girls tennis team swept LaGrange 9-0 during an away match. Key victories came from JoAnne Smith T (10-0), Addison Bryan (10-2), Avery Massey (10-4), Emma Brown (10-4), Stella George (10-4) and Abney Massey (10-6) in singles....

On the Mark | Opelika Spring Break update: Athletes shine while school’s out

BY D MARK MITCHELL OPINION — As Opelika students enjoy their spring break, local athletes have been hard at work representing their schools in various sports competitions. With Area games on the horizon, spring break hasn’t slowed down the action. Here’s a recap of...

On the Mark | Week of March 10, 2025

OPINION — Congratulations to Craig Montel on being named Athletic Director at Opelika High School. SOCCERThe Opelika High varsity boys soccer team lost to Auburn 5-1 and Enterprise 4-0 last week. The Bulldogs host Central-Phenix City on Thursday, March 17. The girls...

On the Mark | OHS boys soccer suffers losses this week

BY D MARK MITCHELL OPINION —The Opelika High School boys’ soccer team endured a challenging week with two close losses. First, Smiths Station edged out the Bulldogs in a nail-biting sudden-death shootout, 5-4. Regulation time ended in a 2-2 tie, with Opelika’s Josh...

OHS Falls to Central

OPINION —Opelika (3-2, R 3-1) beat Prattville (2-3, R 1-2) 38-13 on Senior night at Bulldog Stadium last Friday night. The Bulldogs piled up 459...

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OHS Falls to Central

BY D. MARK MITCHELL OPINION —Opelika (2-2, R 2-1) lost to Central (4-0, R, 3-0) 28-18 in Phenix City last Friday night. The Dogs scored first, on a...

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OHS Football Wins Region Opener

BY D. MARK MITCHELL / FOR THE OBSERVER OPINION —The OHS football team (1-1, R 1-0) returned to Cramton Bowl last Thursday for the second week in a...

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Opelika Starts 0-1

Opelika Starts 0-1

OPINION — Thompson (1-0) defeated Opelika (0-1) 44-13 last Friday in the AHSAA “Kickoff Classic” at Montgomery's Cramton Bowl. The Warriors defense...

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Opelika Opens With Thompson

Opelika Opens With Thompson

OPINION —   The Opelika High School varsity football team opens the 2023 season Thursday night against Thompson in the AHSAA annual “Kickoff...

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OHS Preparing for Thompson

OHS Preparing for Thompson

OPINION — We are one week away from Opelika playing Thompson in the 2023 AHSAA Kickoff Classic hosted by the Alabama High School Athletic Directors...

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Bulldogs Biting to Get Back

Bulldogs Biting to Get Back

OPINION — We are less than two weeks from the start of high school football in Alabama. Locally, Lee-Scott and Chambers Academy will play the first...

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AHSAA in the News

AHSAA in the News

OPINION — The Alabama High School Athletic Department held its quarterly Central Board of Control Meeting last week in Montgomery. There were...

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