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2024 Team Previews
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| Opelika Bulldogs |
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Head Coach: Bryan Moore (first season) Career Record: 9 seasons, (86-21) At Opelika: First season Stadium: Bulldog Stadium 2024 Enrollment: 1,129 Rank: 30th in the AHSAA, 30th in Class 7A |
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Overall Record: 607-415-18 (59.0%) Last 25 years: 224-77 (74.0%) (Rank: 15th in the AHSAA, 3rd in Class 7A) Since 2010: 117-51 (69.6%) (Rank: 41st in the AHSAA, 5th in Class 7A) Last Playoff Appearance: 2021 Last Region Championship: 2021 Last Winning Season: 2022 Last Losing Season: 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Class: 7A
Region: 2
Record: 4-6 Region Record: 4-4, (fifth) Playoff Record: Did not qualify. Final ASWA Poll: Not Ranked Scoring: 279 (27.9) Defense: 236 (23.6) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Class: 7A
Region: 2
Strength of Schedule: 77-41 (65%) (9th in the AHSAA, 2nd in Class 7A) Region Strength: 47-32 (60%) Non-Region Strength: 30-9 (77%) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Opelika completed the 2023 season with a 4-6 record. Last year Opelika just missed making the playoffs with a fifth place finish in Class 7A region two with a 4-4 region record. Opelika took a step backwards last year with their first losing season since 1995. The Bulldogs lost as many games as in any season since 1994. Since 2010, Opelika has gone a combined 117-51. Their 69.6% winning percentage ranks 5th in Class 7A over the past fourteen seasons. Over the past 25 seasons, Opelika has finished a combined 224-77. Their 74.0% winning percentage ranks 3rd in Class 7A and 15th in the AHSAA. The Bulldogs have been successful on the football field with twenty-four winning seasons during this time. Graduated All-State Players: Opelika lost 7A All-State punter Roman Gagliano to graduation. He was named to the first team last season. Coaching Change: Erik Speakman will not return to the Bulldogs sidelines in 2024 having been relieved of his head coaching duties in November. He leaves with a record of 45-25 and 9-4 in the playoffs. Opelika made the jump up to 7A in 2022 and struggled against some of the best teams in the state with Auburn, Central PC, Dothan High and Enterprise in the same region. The Bulldogs failed to qualify for the playoffs his last two seasons for the first time since 1997. 2024 Head Coach: Bryan Moore arrives in Opelika after four seasons leading the Hartselle football program with a 38-9 record including two region championships in 2021 & 2022. Moore is a graduate of Springwood and Auburn University. He spent eight seasons as an assistant at Opelika before landing his first head coaching job at Eufaula in 2015. In 2018 he moved on to Jasper for a couple of years before accepting the head coaching job at Hartselle in 2020. His 86-21 record is among the best winning percentages in the state. Over the course of his career, Coach Moore's teams have qualified for the playoffs a total of nine times and won four region championships. Season Outlook: The Opelika Bulldogs will play in Class 7A region two during the 2024 season. The Bulldogs have one of the toughest overall schedules in Class 7A. Their opponents had a combined record of 77-41 last season. That ranks 2nd in Class 7A and 9th in the AHSAA. After making the playoffs for 24 consecutive seasons the Bulldogs have come up short the past two years. They also saw their 27 year run of consecutive winning seasons come to an end. Bryan Moore will try to get Opelika back to the post seasons but in such a tough region that task may be too much to expect in his first season. The Bulldogs will face eight teams that qualified for the playoffs in 2023. Their non-region opponents are excellent teams including Benjamin Russell, Callaway, Georgia and Pike Road. The Bulldogs will need to win at least two of those games to assure themselves of a winning season. The Bulldogs will return eight starters to the offensive side of the ball and another seven on defense so they should be a veteran squad this fall. The Bulldogs could find themselves challenging for one of the playoff spots for region two this season with a few breaks and a little improvement. Opelika missed the playoffs the past couple of seasons but hope to return to the post season in 2024. Returning Starters: OFFENSE: FB/TE Blake Johnson, RB Calvin Hughley, RB Jordan Waits, WR Jamari Miller, WR Brodie Jones, WR Dru Gagliano, OL Traemon Thomas, OL Kyle Epperson DEFENSE: DL Malik Autry, DL E'Mauri Smiley, LB Ty Hudson, SS Karson Moss, DB Cord Ingram, DB Kevian King, LB Tyler Moore Season Opener: The Bulldogs open the 2024 season on the road against non-region opponent Benjamin Russell on Friday, August 23 at Martin-Savarese Stadium. Last year the Benjamin Russell Wildcats finished with an overall record of 10-3 and in first place in Class 6A region three. The Wildcats lost in the quarter-finals round of the Class 6A playoffs to Pike Road by a score of 31-28. Opelika and Benjamin Russell have met a total of 76 times on the football field. The Bulldogs have a 35-38-3 record against the Wildcats. They last met in 2019 with Opelika winning by a score of 45-17. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Great Moments in Alabama High School Football History
Spence McCracken won a record 21 Area/Region Championships at Montgomery Academy, Lee Montgomery and Opelika during his coaching career.
Spence McCracken won a record 21 Area/Region Championships at Montgomery Academy, Lee Montgomery and Opelika during his coaching career.
