Opelika holds off Central

When Central head football coach Ron Nelson found out about Spence McCracken’s retirement last spring, he had mixed emotions.

Nelson said he wanted McCracken, Opelika’s 13-year veteran head coach, to win every game he played, except one — when Central came to town.

That didn’t happen Friday night at Bulldog Stadium, as Opelika (5-1, 4-0 Class 6A-Region 3) held off the Red Devils to win, 31-14.

And even though Nelson didn’t get his wish, he’s happy for McCracken.

“That’s my best friend in coaching,” Nelson said of his relationship with McCracken. “He’s a class act. I’m going to miss meeting him at midfield after games.”

McCracken, too, will miss coaching against Nelson, and the hard-fought contest the two have had year after year.

“That’s a good football team,” McCracken said of the Red Devils. “They didn’t quit. They kept coming back and coming back.

“Coach Nelson always has his team ready to play. He’s a dear friend and a class act.”

Opelika looked to have Central (3-3, 2-2) out of the game going into halftime up 20-0. Bulldog senior quarterback David Thomas had just thrown for his third touchdown pass and everything seemed to be going Opelika’s way with 2:35 to play in the first half.

But then, something happened. Something like a 45-yard touchdown pass from Central quarterback Darren Daniel to wideout Deonte Swinton with 1:13 to play in the second quarter, making it 20-7.

“That play really took a lot of our momentum away,” McCracken said. “It was a big play for them, and that made it a two-score game. We had to fight to get it back on our side in the third quarter.”

But they did. The Bulldogs came out of the break with an eight-play, 64-yard drive that ended with a 25-yard Kent Black field goal to make it 23-7 with 8:12 left in the third.

Opelika added even more breathing room on Central’s next offensive possession, blocking a punt and returning it for a touchdown and a 29-7 lead. Opelika’s Javious Hughley blocked Antonio King, Jr.’s punt at the 5-yard line and Jakobe Johnson scooped it up and took it in for the score.

But Central wasn’t done. The Red Devils needed just four plays to score on their next possession when Daniel threw a wide receiver screen to Swinton, who turned it up 50 yards for a touchdown. With the point-after, Central made it 29-14.

After an Opelika punt, Central seemed poised to make it a one-possession ballgame. The Red Devils were clicking in the midst of a 12-play drive when running back Orwin Smith fumbled the ball at the Opelika 22-yard line. Bulldog defensive back Jacolby Hardnett recovered, and Opelika was able to run some clock to preserve the lead and the win.

Central had another special teams miscue with 2:05 to play, when a bad punt snap went over King’s head and rolled into the end zone. King elected to take the safety, running out the back of the end zone to give Opelika a 31-14 lead.

“We gave them 8 points off of special teams mistakes,” Nelson said. “You can’t do that against a good football team like Opelika. But we hung in there.

“I’m proud of my kids. They never quit. (Opelika) could have run us out of the building, but we were able to keep it close.”

Smith, Central’s high-profile running back, finished the night with 92 yards on 20 carries, while Daniel was 10-for-28 for 151 yards and two touchdowns. Daniel also ran for 34 yards on eight carries.

Opelika running back Dae Spence had 77 yards on 21 carries, while Thomas was 14-for-21 passing for 224 yards and three scores. Thomas, after missing his first two passes of the night, finished the first half 11-for-11 for 175 yards and those three touchdowns. Opelika receiver Kent Heard had six catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns, while Terrance Spinks had four catches for 76 yards and a score.

Opelika will play at Northview on Thursday night, while Central will host Dothan on Friday.

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