Coach Bryan Moore’s Opelika football team won its biggest game of the year of many, many years over its biggest rival on Friday night thanks to big play after big play. In less than two weeks, the Bulldogs step up against defending Class 7A champion Thompson looking for its biggest win ever. No. 10 Opelika eliminated fourth-ranked Auburn 31-28 at the Tigers’ Duck Samford Stadium in a showdown that wasn’t decided until CJ Johnson broke off a 50-yard run with just over a minute remaining to allow the Bulldogs to run out the clock. “Obviously, it was long overdue against them,” said Moore, who had lost both regular-season games against Auburn after taking the job last season to extend Auburn’s win streak to six games. “The stakes were higher this time. We had two opportunities to win in late-in-the-game scenarios the last two years and were not able to do it. “To get a lead, to get non-offensive scores I’m proud of our kids. It was a tough year with a lot of adversity. You don’t understand that a lot of the time, but in this moment, I do.” Auburn had beaten Moore’s Bulldogs 17-10 on Sept. 4 in the Region 2 opener for both teams and topped Opelika 28-21 last season. On Friday, Opelika jumped out to a 7-0 lead when Xavier Thomas intercepted Auburn quarterback JD Pate on the second play of the game and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown. “That was huge,” Moore said. “To go up early helped with some kids’ belief that we could go ahead and win that game.” The Tigers (10-3) proved they weren’t going away, though, when defensive tackle Carnell Jackson scored on a 2-yard run with 5: 16 left in the opening period. Opelika (10-3) reclaimed the lead with 1: 24 left in the quarter when Blake Johnson scored on a 1-yard run. Cason Myers found Levi Kelly for a 16-yard TD pass to knot the score again, at 14-all with 7: 52 to play in the half. It was big play time again on the ensuing kickoff as senior CJ Johnson rambled 95 yards for an Opelika score 10 seconds later. “He is an elite football player,” Moore said. “He’s continuing to get better as we go through the season. He made tough run after tough run. I’m really, really proud of him and our offensive line.” The Bulldogs took the lead for good when Reese Beasley, who made all four of his extra-point tries, booted a 30-yard field goal with 1: 38 left in the third period to put the visitors up 24-14. Johnson broke off a 57-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter at 11: 14 for Opelika’s final score. The Tigers battled back in the final period with a pair of Myers runs 6 yards with 8: 16 to play and 9 with 1: 44 remaining to cut Opelika’s lead to the final margin. Johnson’s 50-yard dash ended any hopes for a last-second comeback win. Sophomore quarterback Whit Cooper was 10-for-11 for 109 yards for Opelika. “Whit Cooper controlled the game,” Moore said. “He made some throws when he needed to. He hit some big throws to find some balance. We couldn’t just run every snap.” Cooper did not play in the first game between the rivals when he was still the third-team QB. “Whit came in maybe the game after the Auburn game. He’s just a sophomore and he’s going to be a really good player. He started at Enterprise (a 42-20 loss) and started at Central (Phenix City, a 42-6 setback) and those are really rough starts,” Moore said. “But from Carver through Hewitt and Baker he’s been really tough. He’s not afraid of the moment and commands the huddle. He just does a fantastic job.” Johnson ran the ball 22 times for the Bulldogs for 178 yards and Aundray Vann caught 2 passes for 61 yards to lead the winners. Auburn’s Myers, who left the quarterfinals win over Daphne with an injury last week, was 24-for-32 for 245 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He also had 16 carries for 49 yards and 2 TDs. Josh Askew caught 9 passes for 79 yards and Kelly had 5 catches for 51 yards and a score. Opelika returns to the state championship game for the only the third time. The Bulldogs lost 21-16 to Ramsay in 2016 and 31-0 at Hoover in 2012. Now, they will be facing the team that has won five of the past six titles. “We couldn’t be more excited,” Moore said. “Obviously, in 7A football whoever plays in the state championship is going to be a great football team. I think we have a great football team as well. (Thompson) is really, really good. For years, they have just dominated. “I know coach (Mark) Freeman well and have an incredible amount of respect for him and his program. But, to play in games like this is what we signed up for. We have 12 days to get ready. We’re going to go expecting to play our best ball and expecting to win the game. We understand how well we have to play to do so.”.
https://www.al.com/highschoolsports/2025/11/opelika-snaps-losing-streak-against-rival-auburn-to-earn-spot-in-7a-championship.html