OPELIKA, Alabama -- Blake Johnson scored two first-quarter touchdowns, and the Opelika Bulldogs rolled to a 30-13 win over Enterprise in a Class 7A, Region 2 game in Bulldog Stadium on Friday night. The Bulldogs defensive front line played a key role in giving up only two scores to Enterprise, putting a lot of pressure on the Wildcat's offense for much of the night.
"Great team camaraderie, we all came together, and a great team win," said Bulldogs defensive lineman E'Mauri Smiley. "All week, we talked about doing our job. We feed off each other. We have great chemistry together as a defensive unit. Big win for our team."
Opelika (7-1, 4-1) scored first in the game, and the Bulldogs' ground game was going strong in the first half. On their first possession of the game, Johnson scored on a 2-yard touchdown run, and Opelika led 7-0. On their next possession, with 4:31 left in the first quarter, Johnson scored on a 1-yard touchdown run, and Opelika led 14-0.
Enterprise (4-3, 2-3) took over and, a few plays later, fumbled, and Smiley recovered the ball to set up the Bulldog's offense in a good field position. With only 24 seconds left in the first quarter, Reese Beasley kicked a 32-yard field goal, and the Bulldogs dominated the first quarter by a score of 17-0.
With 7:48 left in the second quarter, Calvin Hughley scored on a 10-yard touchdown run, and the Bulldogs led 24-0 midway through the second quarter. With 3:15 left in the half, Beasley kicked another field goal, this time from 41 yards out, and Opelika led 27-0. Finally, Enterprise put a drive together, and with only 24 seconds left in the half, Mason Burkhardt found Cates Blackmon in the middle of the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown pass play. Running back/defensive back Eric Winters carried the Wildcats down the field for most of this scoring drive. Opelika led 27-7 going into halftime.
The two defenses dominated the rest of the game, but with 4:30 left in the fourth quarter, Beasley kicked a 26-yard field goal, his third of the game. With the score, Opelika led 30-7. On the game's final play, Burkhardt and Blackmon connected again in the end zone for a 5-yard touchdown pass play to make the final score 30-13 Opelika.
Next, Enterprise will host JAG, while Opelika will host Central-Phenix City.
