On the Mark 12/2/11
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OPELIKA ATHLETICS
Things were quiet as far as athletics last week due to the Thanksgiving break. The winter sports teams, basketball, wrestling and competition cheerleading all practiced but were able to take a few days off to spend time with family.
The Varsity boys Basketball team won their first game under interim Coach Brian Moore. The Bulldogs defeated Benjamin Russell at the Sports Arena, 70-41. T.J.Pressley scored 13, Malcolm Buggs 11 and Aldrecus Wilson added 9 points. This was a huge win because it was the first game and it gave the young players confidence. The win was the first ever for Interim Coach Brian Moore. Moore stepped up during a tough time and accepted the job under tough circumstances. He was Wadsworth’s assistant for the past four years. On the Mark 11/21/11
OPELIKA BOYS BASKETBALL COACH RESIGNS John Wadsworth has been preparing for the 2011-12 basketball season since March, after last year’s team finished the season at the Regional Playoffs in Montgomery with 20 wins. That all changed last week. Last Tuesday night Wadsworth turned his letter of resignation to OHS principal, Dr. Farrell Seymore. The statement was short and to the point, he stated he was stepping down due to "family issues". I talked with Coach Wadsworth for a long time Tuesday night. He told me that he had resigned his position as Head Basketball Coach. My reaction was that he was joking, he has a great sense of humor and always keeps me laughing. The conversation continued and I realized John was serious.
Coaches spend alot of time away from home because of teaching, practices and games which are all played at night. Basketball season is in the middle of Thanksgiving and Christmas and continues into March. As the Head Coach of a 6A program, the head coach has a lot of responsibilities, including helping make sure you are working with the other basketball coaches including Girls, JV and 9th grade and scheduling all of the practices and games. On the Mark 11/15/11
CROSS COUNTRY GIRLS Emma Garner earned All-State honors by finishing 7th at the State Cross Country Meet at Oakville Indian Mounds Park last weekend. Garner, a sophomore, finished higher than any female in school history. Adrianna Anthony finished 122nd with a time of 22:45.72. BOYS The Opelika Boys Cross Country team finished 9th in State at the 6A Cross Country Meet at Oakville Indian Mounds Park in Moulton, AL last weekend. The Bulldog's top runner, Cordaryl Whitehead, finished 9th out of the 200 runners that qualified for the meet. Whitehead ran a 16:24.95 over the 5K course was 39 seconds behind the State Champion, Brandon Hazouri of Spain Park High School. Smiths Station finished 3rd and Auburn finished 14th, both schools in the same section as OHS. Other Opelika runners to place were: James Ray Thrash finished 39th (17:12.50), Shakeil Parker was 50th (17:26.43), Kane Barret finished 65th running (17:40.95), Ben Bryant placed 124th (18:29.89), Kevin Lazenby finished 146th (18:52.49), Kyler Gilock placed 152 with (18:52.05), Logan Pridgen finished 180 (19:52.29) and Andrew Bartlett placed 181 (19:54.17).
On the Mark 11/7/11
OPELIKA ATHLETICS CROSS COUNTRY The Class 6A Section 2 Cross Country meet was held at Kiesel Park in Auburn last week for the Girls and Boys teams. GIRLS Emma Garner finished First and won the Championship to lead OHS's team to a fourth place finish with a fantastic time of 19:50.42, 48 seconds ahead of the second place time. Team results are as follows: Adrianna Anthony finished 15th with a time 22:26.36, Tanishya Jones finished 24th with a time of 23:15.28, Kelcie Carpenter placed 27th with a 23:27.35 and Anna Lazenby placed 51st with a time of 27:12.50. Auburn won the meet, followed by Enterprise, Smiths Station and Opelika. BOYS Opelika's Cordaryl Whitehead continued to dominate the 2011 Cross Country season by winning the Class 6A Sectional 2 meet and helping the Bulldogs finish 2nd in the meet as a team. The senior continued to stay undefeated on the year by winning the meet with a time of 16:24.94. The Bulldogs had several runners that helped them almost win the meet. James Ray Thrash posted a 17:29.39 to finish 7th, Kane Barrett finished 9th with a 17:31.59, Shakiel Parker ran a 18:03.69 to finish 12th, Kevin Lazenby 18:45.32 to place 21st, Ben Bryant posted 19:02.39 to finish 27th, Kyler Gillock ran a 19:07.87 to place 28, Logan Pridgen finished 38th with a time of 19:42.18, Andrew Bartlett finished 41st with a 19:54.39 and Chazden Blackmon placed 43rd by running a 20:13.14. Smiths Station won the meet, followed by (2nd) Opelika, Auburn (3rd), Northview (4th) and Enterprise to round out the top 5. STATE MEET Opelika Boys and Girls Cross Country Teams will participate in the State Cross Country Meet at INDIAN MOUNDS PARK in Oakville Al., Saturday, November 12th. Coach Jen Neighbors and Ben Mcintosh have worked extremely hard to improve our Cross Country Program by promoting the sport, creating excitement, building a cross country trail at the Sportsplex, inviting students to be a part of the team, and coaching our athletes to be the best they can be. This is the first time in many years that we have two teams going to the State Meet. GOOD LUCK CROSS OPELIKA COUNTRY TEAMS!!!! On the Mark 11/2/11
Opelika (7-2, R,4-2) defeats Parker on Senior night Bulldog Stadium 50-34.
The Opelika Bulldogs defeated the Parker Thundering Herd, of Birmingham, 50-34 in the last regular season game at Bulldog Stadium. The Bulldogs recognized 29 senior football players along with senior band members and cheerleaders before the game. All 29 seniors played along with one senior manager, Devonte Ross. Ross has been a manager for 4 years and always wanted to play football. Coach Brian Blackmon and his staff got together a month ago to start the paper work to allow Devonte to play and be eligible with the AHSAA. The paper worked was done and "D-ROCK" his nickname, was going to suit up with jersey number 89 and play against Parker on Senior night. Ross was elected by his teammates to be one of the captains.
41°F OpelikaClear Humidity: 81% Wind: N at 0 mph
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