ON THE MARK
D. MARK MITCHELL
Hueytown (12-1) ended Opelika’s (9-4) football season with a 46-10 blow-out in Birmingham last Friday. The Golden Golphers were prepared for OHS, holding the Bulldog’s offense to 184 total yards while rushing for 289 yards and passing for 246 yards for a total of 535 yards offense themselves.
Hueytown jumped out to an early 6-0 lead thanks to a long touchdown run and failed two-point conversion. Then, on the ensuing kickoff, Opelika’s Jamori Thomas took a squib kick all the way to the end zone for the Bulldog’s only touchdown of the game.
Opelika quarterback Roman Gagliano (Soph) finished the game 10-for-16 for 95 yards and Charles Gagliano made a 32-yard field goal.
Hueytown advances to play Hillcrest (Tuscaloosa) Friday in the semi-finals of the 6A AHSAA playoffs. Opelika season ends with a 9-4 record, Region Champions and winning two playoff games. The Dogs have made the playoffs 11 straight years including, 22 out of the last 23 football seasons.
The following are semi-final games in class 1A-6A:
1A South — Sweet Water (12-0) at Brantley (12-0)
1A North-Wadley (12-1) at Pickens County
2A South — Highland Homes (8-5) at Clarke County (11-2)
2A North — Mars Hill Bible (10-3) at Cleveland (11-2)
3A-South — Montgomery Academy (10-3) at Montgomery Catholic (13-0)
3A North — Piedmont (11-2) at Saks (12-1)
4A South — Jackson (11-2) at Vigor (12-1)
4A-North — Oneonta (12-1) at Madison Academy (12-1)
5A South — Andalusia (9-4) at Pike Road (12-0)
5A-North — Fairview (12-1) at Pleasent Grove (12-1)
6A South — Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa (11-2) at Hueytown ( 12-1)
6A North — Clay-Chalkville (13-0) at Mountain Brook (12-1)
Class 7A finals — Wednesday Dec. 1, Central — Phenix City (13-0) vs. Thompson (12-1) (7 p.m. at Protective Stadium)
Girl’s Flag Football Championship game — Hewitt-Trussville vs. Smiths Station (3 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 1 at Protective Stadium)
BASKETBALL
The OHS Lady Bulldog basketball team (2-1) beat Columbus (Ga) and Smiths Station last week. The girls beat Columbus 54-44 behind Haley Sanders’s 20 points and Ashanti Thomas’s added 18-points.
OHS then blew-out Smiths Station 65-23 on the road. Sanders scored 21 points; Erica Mathews scored 20 points and Naomi Whack added 10 points.
Opelika’s boys’ team lost at Smiths Station 70-67. Offensively, Isiah Knight scored a game high 19 points; Farrtavious Hardnett scored 17 points, Jaxon Freeman scored 13 points and Landon Lee added 12 points.
The ‘Dogs played Shaw prior to Thursday, but results were not available at press-time. Both teams play Hewitt-Trussville in the Mainstreet gym, Friday Dec. 3. (Tipoff for Girls is at 5:30 p.m.; Boys 7 p.m.).
I hope each of you have a Happy Thanksgiving!
D. Mark Mitchell is the sports director at iHeartMedia, host of “On the Mark” Fox Sports the Game 910-1310, co-chair of the Auburn-Opelika Sports Council, chairman of the Super 7 and Dixie Boys Baseball state director.