By D. Mark Mitchell

Spanish Fort defeated Opelika 27-24 last Friday in the semifinals of the class 6A State Football Playoffs. The Toros took an early 14-0 lead after two first-quarter touchdowns. Johnny Moore ran 16 yards for a TD and Kris Abrams-Draine ran 17-yards for the second score.
Opelika scored their first TD on a five-yard run by Eric Watts with eight minutes left in the first half. Brody Davis tied the game with 3:52 left in the second half, scoring OHS second touchdown on a six-yard run. Senior placekicker Marshall Meyers nailed a 39-yard field goal with two seconds left in the second quarter, giving the Bulldogs their first lead, 17-14.
Watts opened the second half on a 13-yard scoring run. Spanish Fort answered seconds later, with Abrams-Draine sprinting 60 yards for a touchdown. The PAT failed, leaving OHS up 24-20 headed into the fourth quarter.
Spanish Fort took the lead for good in the fourth quarter. Talented athlete Abrams-Draine went 66 yards for the game winner. Spanish Fort did not make the PAT, leaving the score 27-24.
Opelika season ends with an 11-2 record in the semifinal round of the state playoffs. Congratulations on a good year!
BASKETBALL
The OHS Lady Bulldogs basketball team (6-3) beat Kendrick 67-44 last week in Columbus. The Lady Bulldogs saw four players contribute on offense, with Ananda Hughley scoring a game-high 19 points, LaDajah Hughley and Kaitlyn Bryant scoring 13 points apiece while Claire Worth added 11 points.
The Opelika basketball team travelled to Vestavia Hills for the “Sneaky Pete Invitational” basketball tournament. Homewood beat the Bulldogs, 65-44 in the opening game. Ja Carr and Grady Bynum scored 13 and 12 points, respectively.
The two teams played at Smiths Station Tuesday, but results were not available at press time.
THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE
The OHS basketball teams host Lafayette Thursday night in the Mainstreet Gym. The junior varsity boys start at 4:30 p.m., with the varsity boys and girls squads to follow. OHS travels to Phenix City to play Central on Dec. 10.
The OHS Wrestling team hosted Lee, Sidney Lanier, R.E. Lee and Stanhope Elmore last night. No results were available at press time.
The Bulldogs will travel to Smiths Station on Thursday for a tri-match with Central and Smiths Station.
AHSAA SUPER 7 FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS DEC. 4 TO 6
The Alabama High School Athletic Association Super 7 football Championships will be held at Jordan-Hare Stadium Dec. 4 to 6. The 14 teams are set and the action begins with the “Unified Game” at 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 4. The Special Olympic flag football game pits Vestavia Hills against Baldwin County.
The 7A game, Thompson vs Central, is set for a 7 p.m. kickoff. (Dec. 4) This a rematch of last year’s game, which Central won 52-7.
The 1A game features defending champion Mars Hill Bible (14-0) and Lanett (14-0) at 3 p.m. on Dec. 5.
Defending Champion Fyffe (14-0) will play Reeltown (13-1) in the 2A game at 3 p.m. on Friday.
3A Mobile Christian (9-4) will battle Piedmont (13-1) at 11 a.m. on Thursday. Class 4A defending champion UMS Wright (13-0) battles Jacksonville (12-2) at 11 a.m. Friday. Defending 5A Champion Central-Clay County will play Pleasant Grove in the 7 p.m. game Thursday. The final game features 6A Oxford and Spanish Fort at 7 p.m. Friday night.
All Super 7 games will be aired on IHeartRadio’s Fox Sports the Game, on 910 and 1310 AM. Fans can purchase tickets online at gofan.co for $12 or at the gate for $15.
D. Mark Mitchell is sports director for iHeart Media, Alabama Dixie Boys State Director and vice president of the A-O Sports Council.