ON THE MARK
D. MARK MITCHELL
Opelika’s football team (7-3 / 5-3) finished the regular season Thursday, beating Park Crossing 37-0 at Cramton Bowl in Montgomery.
The Dogs scored 37 first half points while shutting out the outmanned Thunderbirds. Both coaches agreed to play two six-minute quarters in the second half in an effort to hold down the score.
Offensively, quarterback Roman Gagliano was 6-for-6 with 105 yards; Shawn Jones caught three passes for 56 yards and Kaden Cooper caught two for 46 yards. OHS scored on its first three offensive possessions of the game, added a special team TD, Bryce Speakman scooped up a fumble and returned it for a TD and the defense recorded a safety. Charles Gagliano made all five PAT.’s
The defense allowed less than 100 yards of offense and held PCHS scoreless.
Opelika, open this week, will host Northridge in the first round of the AHSAA Class 6A State playoffs Nov. 5. The Jaguars (6-3), who finished fourth in Region 4, play rival Tuscaloosa County Friday night.
The state playoffs are governed by the Alabama High School Athletic Association, which means Tickets will be sold online at gofan.co. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., Nov. 5 at Bulldog Stadium.
OHS FLAG FOOTBALL TEAM 8-0
The OHS flag football team defeated three teams by way of shutout last week. The Bulldogs dominated Dothan (19-0) and Russell County (43-0), and escaped a tough matchup against Smiths Station (14-0). Head coach Jaclyn Button’s team continues to steam roll through the schedule with ease.
Haley Sanders, Ashley Hilyer and KeKe Williams scored TD’s for the Lady Bulldogs against Dothan, while the defense held the Tigers scoreless.
Haley Sanders, Fatima Santamaria, Ashanti Thomas, Nya Walton and Kaitlyn Spoon scored touchdowns along with two from KeKe Williams in the game versus Russell County.
Morgan Watts and Thomas were responsible for the two touchdowns against Smiths Station.
The Dawgs are no the No. 1 ranked team going into the impending qualifying tournament. The Bulldogs played Auburn on Tuesday, but the game was not completed at press time.
CROSS COUNTRY
The OHS girls and boys Cross Country Team’s will compete in the Sectional 2 Meet, Saturday at Auburn’s Kiesel Park. Breckin Gould is the favorite to win the girls sectional. Details will be in next week’s column.
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.