Opelika Bulldogs (2-2) vs. G.W. Carver Wolverines (2-1)         

AHSAA TV Network Game of the Week

Opelika Meets Carver at Cramton Bowl Tonight in Battle of 6A, Region 2 Leaders

       MONTGOMERY – Opelika High School (2-2) travels to Cramton Bowl tonight to face Carver-Montgomery (2-1) in a battle between the current Classes 6A, Region 2 leaders in the AHSAA TV Network Game of the Week tonight at 7 p.m. The game is being produced by Vince Earley and the production crew at WOTM TV.
      Both teams roll into the battle at 2-0 in region play. The winner will be in good position to claim the region title in the second half of the season.
       The Game of the Week broadcast team consists of former Birmingham radio personality Landrum Roberts, who will handle the color commentary, and veteran TV 24 sports director Gerhard Mathangani, handling the play-by-play. The battle will be televised live over the AHSAA TV Network and livestreamed over the NFHS Network. WOTM TV has put together a strong network of cable affiliates across Alabama. It will be live on WOTM TV as well as WABM TV 68 in Birmingham. TV 68 will carry all the AHSAA TV Games of the Week each Thursday the rest of the regular season, announced Earley earlier this season.
     The two schools will meeting for the 20th time in both programs’ football history. The Bulldogs of Coach Erik Speakman lead the series 16-3 and have won the last four in a row.  Both teams, however, roll in riding two-game winning streaks after grinding through some very strong non-region opponents to open the season.
    Carver, coached by Marcus Gardner, lost its season opener to Class 7A Enterprise 28-12. The Wildcats are currently still undefeated at 4-0. Opelika lost 30-21to powerful Callaway (GA) and 16-14 to arch-rival and 2020 Class 7A runner-up Auburn to start the season. The Wolverines followed with region wins over Valley and Park Crossing while the Bulldogs downed Sidney Lanier and Eufaula in region play.
   “I think we have really grown the last two weeks,” Speakman said of his Opelika team. “Our tough non-region schedule helped that growth. We treated our game Auburn like a semifinal playoff game.”
    Speakman, currently in his fourth season as head coach, said Carver will be a big challenge. “They are a really good football team and are also 2-0 in the region,” he said. “Whoever comes out of this game 3-0 will be in the driver’s seat.”
    Gardner, in his first season as Carver head coach, echoed the same sentiments about the Bulldogs. “Opelika is a great team that plays hard and is much disciplined,” he said. “As for us, our kids have really bought into what we are trying to do. The kids have shown a lot of resilience. We are keeping it simple. Each week our goal is to go 1-0.”
    Opelika’s offense was led by quarterback J.T. McArdle in last week’s 21-0 win over Eufaula. He stepped in to start in place of Jackson Bates, who was injured. McArdle completed a 23-yard TD pass to Jayvontay Cooper and runners Kaden Cooper and Calvin Hughley scored one touchdown each. Defensive back Jamaroun Satterwhite had his best game of the year with 10 tackles. He also recovered two fumbles and made an interception. Teammate Jayden Stinson also had two interceptions.
   Quarterback Jamar Green led Carver to a 27-12 win last week over Park Crossing. The Wolverines trailed 12-0 at the half. Green connected with receiver Sidney Franklin four times for 119 yards and three TDs in the second half. The quarterback finished 9-of-16 passing for 261 yards. He had a 78-yard TD to Franklin and a 73-yard strike to Marquan Jamerson. Defensively, Jacquavious Russaw had four sacks for a combined 36 yards in losses.
    A total of three games are set for Thursday night all three on the NFHS Network. Fyffe (3-0), riding a 48-game winning streak, hosts Brindlee Mountain and Grissom hosts Albertville.

121 Games on Tap for NFHS Network Friday

    On Friday, the NFHS Network is set to live-stream 121 varsity football games over its NFHS Network School Broadcast Program. Among the games will be a 7A, Region 3 battle between Thompson (4-0) and Hewitt-Trussville (4-0) at Alabaster. Both schools will be producing the game over their NFHS Network school broadcast programs. In Class 1A, Region 4, unbeaten Loachapoka (2-0) hosts Maplesville (4-0). The LHS NFHS Network SBP will be producing that game at Jones-Tate Field with announcers Albert Weeden, Jr. and Damian Sinclair handling the play-by-play commentary. Weeden is the school’s principal, and Sinclair is the principal at Sanford Middle School in Lee County.
   The AHSAA Radio Network’s Scoreboard Show will also air across the state Friday night. Go to www.ahsaaradionetwork.com for network information.
    To access the AHSAA Game of the Week over the NFHS Network, go to the following link
https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/ahsaa/gamd6897bd53c

    To access the AHSAA Game of the Week over WOTM TV and its network of cable affiliates, go to AHSAA TV Network at the following link:
https://www.ahsaa.com/media and click on the AHSAA TV Network link.
 

    A complete list of all varsity football games set for tonight and Friday can be found at:
https://www.ahsaa.com/sports/football/2021-football-season-schedule