Andalusia began the defense of their 4A state championship on Thursday and put together many big plays on its way to a win of 42-8 against Opp, a cross-county rival Opp Thursday night.
AHS Head Coach Trent Taylor said he was happy with his team for taking on a rival that was a bit unknowable in the opening game of the season.
“What an amazing job done by Opp along with Coach Brunson. Their children are playing extremely tough. We were worried about what they could run offensively without video, but I felt that our kids did a excellent job on defense. They put the box in front of us in a way that made us throw the ball, rather than play it, which is something we’ll work on. Overall it was a successful night for us. we’ll be quick to be happy as we concentrate on Anniston next week.” Taylor said.
This was the very first game played by the Bobcats under the new Head Coach Matt Brunson.
“This was my very first evening at Opp which is why Opp football is a major part of the community. It was wonderful to see everyone show up and support our team. I’m very proud of coach Taylor and am pleased that they were able to get everything they could. I hope they make a few points this week as well. I am looking towards the future with this group of my own,” Brunson said.
The Bobcats (0-1) started the game with offense but were trapped deep inside their territory. Beginning at the 7-yard line, Zeb Green had two runs for 15 yards as well as an initial down before the drive stopped. After a punt, the Bulldogs (1-0) were able to establish on their own at the 48. They made their way across midfield with an 8-yard run from J’Marion Burnette. The defense held off for the turnover during downs.
Opp’s second drive got underway with a much better field position. Colby Ballard nearly converted a 3rd and 24, resulting in an increase of 21 yards. After a reverse move an unintentional punt ended the drive. Andalusia was in the red zone and scored in only one play in just 12 minutes. Jack Lathrop threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Stallworth. Cobb Stewart added the PAT to give the team a 7-0 lead with 3:42 remaining in the first half.
The Bobcats scored nine yards on their next drive, but were unable to score with fourth and one. The Bulldogs made use of one play again, a touchdown of 32 yards run by Burnette and snatched a 14-0 advantage at the close of the first half. Opp tried a fake punt in the second quarter, but was able to turn the ball over when it was down. Lathrop made two passes of 21 and 10 yards for first downs, which was to the 4-yard line of the opponent. Landen Marshall ended an entire 53-yard drive that took 10 plays with a one-yard touchdown run. Parker Adams caught a two-point conversion from Lathrop and gave Andalusia the lead of 22-0 at the clock at 6:44 to halftime.
The teams traded three-and outs before the Bobcats had two downs in their last drive of the second half. Ballard completed an 11-yard pass to Jakelleus, and Jaymaryon Allen moved the chains by running 10 yards. The Bulldogs had another stop and took the game to halftime.
Andalusia scoring on the opening move of the second period. Kal Crittenden snatched the 62-yard touchdown pass of Lathrop to the home only 17 seconds into. The kick was not successful and the score was 28-0. Ballard scored a fourth-down touchdown by running for 10 yards during the initial Opp drive, but the defense held off another fourth down. The Bulldogs had another score in a hurry when Lathrop hit Tyler Sigers on a 54-yard touchdown pass on the second. Stewart’s punt brought the score to 35-0 with just 6:39 remaining in the third. Starting their next drive at the 3-yard line after a penalty, the Bobcats back however, Allen took advantage of an initial down on 13 yards of running. The defense remained strong and forced their offense to return to the field.
Stallworth caught an interception of 33 yards from Lathrop on the first play of the following drive. Stewart kicked off the PAT to give the team an impressive 42-0 lead at 3:20 remaining during the 3rd. Allen took over the ball in the fourth and 1 but Andalusia was able to get back after a fumble, as the game progressed to 4th quarter. Opp was able to force an offensive stand, and then returned possession with 11:14 left.
The Bobcats were able to avoid a shutout by executing a 10-play 70-yard drive. Green as well as Marcell Newsome scored first-down plays when Ballard discovered Lane free in the air. Ballard completed the drive with a touchdown pass of 11 yards to Lane. Ethan Morgan converted a two-point conversion to bring the score to 42-8 by 5:43. The two teams played each other for possessions, and except the fumble, which was recovered by the Bulldogs the teams did not have a chance to play throughout the game.
Both teams will be playing at home next week on Friday on Sept. 1. Andalusia will host Anniston to celebrate senior night, an rematch of last season’s exciting quarterfinal playoff game. Opp starts regional match with a match against New Brockton.
The article Bulldogs begin their season with a the defeat of Bobcats in county match-up 42-8 was first published in The Andalusia Star-News.
