Basketball
The Opelika boys basketball team season ended in the sweet 16 against Thompson of Alabaster (Shelby County), with a 20 point loss. The Dawgs finished 19-11 including winning the regular season Area championship, the Area tournament championship, defeating Auburn, Central and Smiths Station twice each and ending Carver’s (the defending 6A champions) 38-game win streak with a win at the OHS sports arena.
Head coach John Wadsworth took his team to the sweet 16 for the third straight time as head coach. The Bulldogs graduate Trey Purter, TJ Pressley and Jamarion Counts, but next year’s team has potential to make another run.
Congratulations!
“Rain, rain, go away, come again another day.”
Rain has caused spring sports to cancel many games, matches and events scheduled over the last week.
Tennis
OHS girls and boys tennis teams were able to beat Central 9-0, 9-0, this week.
The following girls won single matches: Meg Larson, Anna Lazenby, April Wade, Ashley Robertson, Kelcie Carpenter and Sam Herring. Double winners were, Larson/Wade, Lazenby/Roibertson and Carpenter/K. Wilkerson.
The following boys won single matches: Kevin Lazenby, Michael Bizilia, Duncan Asbury, David Bazilia, Winston Smith T and Scott Carpenter.
Double winners were, Lazenby/ Asbury, D. Bazillia/Smith T and M. Bazilia/Carpenter.
Both teams are 2-0 and 1-0 in sectionals.
Softball
The girls softball team opened up the season with a 16-6 win over Dadeville this week.
Alexis Sydnor earned the win in the circle while Kalee Bugg and Sierra Keeling had four hits apiece. Bugg hit a homerun, two doubles and seven RBI. Keeling had three singles and a double.
The OHS JV team won, 4-0.
Weekend Sports Schedule
Most of our spring sports will compete this weekend.
Opelika baseball will play Baldwin County tonight, Friday, March 1, at 7 p.m. and Sparkman of Huntsville Saturday at noon and again at 3 p.m.
The soccer teams will play at Smiths Station Tuesday, March 5, starting the JV at 3 p.m.. Varsity girls and boys games will follow.
The tennis teams will also travel to Smiths Station on Tuesday, March 5 at 3:30 p.m.
The softball team will travel to Troy for the Troy Tournament this weekend.
The track team will travel to Auburn for “The Auburn Early Bird” meet Saturday, March 2.
You can keep up with all your OHS teams by going to www.thedawgnetwork.com.
This is the official site for Opelika High School Athletics. You can listen to “On The Mark” radio show Monday-Friday 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. on WTLM 1520 AM or online at kickerfm.com/sports then clicking “listen live.”
Coaches
I want to take a minute to thank all of our coaches at OMS and OHS.
These men and women work countless hours to make our student-athletes and teams the best they can be.
The coaches are paid by the school system but if you divide the hours they work by the pay they receive, they work for less than minimum wage. They never worry about time verses money,they do their job.
Coaches are away from their families a lot. They understand this when they take the job but it is still hard on wives and children of coaches.
The next time you see one of our Opelika coaches, say something nice, encourage and thank them. This will mean a lot to them.
Some of our coaches get job offers from other schools. Some are too good to pass up and, although our coaches love our kids, the city and our school systems, they have to consider their own futures, too. So we can’t blame them if they sometimes move on.
When Oxford High School started looking for a football coach after the season, they went after Brian Blackmon and when a university needed an administrator to help run the football operation, they called Brian Blackmon.
The most important thing, Coach Brian Blackmon is still the head coach and Athletic Director at Opelika High School.
This is a testament to Brian’s commitment to Opelika and our commitment to having the best athletic department, best arts program and, always, outstanding academics.
Thank you to all our coaches and volunteer coaches at OMS and OHS!