FINAL: Defense, turnovers help Auburn beat Opelika in 100th showdown between Alabama high school football powers

Tigers' Greg Williams had monster night to help guide defense

Levi Payton | Sep 4, 2025

Auburn swarmed on defense and created some key turnovers to help keep Opelika at bay. / David Leong

A landmark chapter in Alabama high school football will be written Thursday night when neighbors No. 3 Auburn and No. 14 Opelika clash for the 100th time. Tonight's game at Opelika is slated for 8 p.m. ET.

Few rivalries in the state have produced as much balance and drama, and Bulldog Stadium has been at the center of it. Auburn hasn’t won by more than a touchdown in Opelika since 2009, when it rolled to a 41-15 victory. The Tigers’ last two road wins over the Bulldogs came by a combined three points, while Opelika’s most recent triumph in the series came on its home field in 2019, a 21-13 decision.

Auburn (1-1) enters the matchup ranked No. 3 in Alabama by High School on SI. The Tigers opened the season with a 24-6 win over Sarasota (Fla.) Booker but stumbled last week, falling 42-14 to Vestavia Hills.

Opelika (2-0) has made a habit of thriving in tight finishes. The Bulldogs outlasted Callaway (Ga.) 36-35 in overtime last week after edging Benjamin Russell 25-20 in their opener. That resiliency will be tested again tonight with a chance to even the century-old series on their home field.

Key Players

(Stats through two games)

For Auburn

Greg Williams, sr., LB: 19 tackles

Aiden Parker, sr., WR: 17 tackles (two for loss), 1 sack

Cameron Creighton, sr., DL: 10 tackles (two for loss), 8 hurries, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 blocked punt

Antonio Welch, sr., WR: 10 receptions, 139 yards, 1 TD

Joshua Askew, sr., WR: 8 receptions, 84 yards, 2 TD

Cason Myers, jr., QB: Passed for 147 yards and 2 TD in Week 1

For Opelika

Colby Key, jr., QB: 27-43, 335 yards, 4 TD, 3 INT

CJ Johnson, sr., RB: 28 carries, 136 yards

Jordan Waits, sr., RB: 25 carries, 116 yards, 1 TD

Dre Vann, sr., WR: 6 receptions, 102 yards, 1 TD

Darius Whitlow, jr., OL/DL: Leads team with 10 pancake blocks

Tremaine Thomas, sr., DL: 12 tackles (five for loss), three sacks, four hurries

Live Updates

	1Q	2Q	3Q	4Q	Final
Auburn	7	3	0	7	17
Opelika	0	0	3	7	10

Pregame

It's a beautiful night for some football. As expected, there's a nice crowd at the stadium.

First Quarter

Opelika took the opening kick and will began possession at its own 20. Fuller Young opened the game at quarterback for the Bulldogs.

PUNT! Opelika was forced to go three-and-out by Auburn's defense. Auburn's first possession began at its own 41.

INJURY: A scary moment happened with 8:21 left in the first quarter and Auburn driving when Opelika senior linebacker Lakeydrick Burts hit the turf hard while tackling Tigers quarterback Cason Myers and stayed down. He finally got up and left under his own power, but appeared to be nursing his left arm.

TOUCHDOWN! Auburn broke out the trickery, running a wide receiver reverse pass on third down, and receiver Joshua Askew found quarterback Cason Myers open at the goal line for an 11-yard pass. The PAT gave Auburn a 7-0 lead with 5:44 left in the first quarter.

INTERCEPTION! Fuller Young's pass was picked off by Auburn linebacker Greg Williams at the Bulldogs 30. Williams returned it for a touchdown, but there was an illegal block on the return that brought the ball back to the Opelika 44, where Auburn started its second drive with 4:28 left in the first quarter. Note: Word is that Opelika quarterback Colby Key might not play tonight.

PUNT! Auburn didn't move the ball and punted it back to Opelika with 3:20 left in the first quarter. The Bulldogs began their third possession at their own 10.

BIG PLAY! Auburn's Cortez Cooks got a huge 8-yard sack, chasing down Young from behind and tackling him at the Opelika 2.

PUNT! Opelika punted it right back to Auburn, and Tigers returner Joshua Askew returned it to the Opelika 38.

MISSED KICK! Auburn missed a 43-yard field goal with two seconds left in the first quarter. Opelika took over possession at its own 20.

End 1: Auburn 7, Opelika 0

Second Quarter

PUNT! BIG PLAY! Opelika punted after going three-and-out. Auburn muffed the punt near its own 40, but an Opelika player couldn't secure the bouncing ball and Auburn pounced on it to retain possession.

BLOCKED KICK! Auburn attempted a 44-yard field goal with 7:20 left in the half, but Opelika's Xavier Thomas came off the edge and blocked it. The Bulldogs take possession at their own 20.

BLOCKED KICK! Second verse, same as the first. Xavier Thomas came flying off the left end and blocked another field goal, his second of the game and second in as many Auburn possessions. Auburn was attempting a 45-yard field goal one play after Myers missed Askew on an open post in the end zone on third down. Thomas came off the right side on his first blocked kick.

Opelika's offense crossed the 50-yard line for the first time in the game with 3:39 left in the first half.

PUNT! Opelika punted it back to Auburn's 16 with 2:50 left in the first half.

BIG PLAY! Cason Myers hit Joshua Askew with a perfect throw down to the Opelika 3 with 12 seconds left in the half.

FIELD GOAL! A penalty with six seconds left in the half pushed Auburn back five yards, so placekicker Joe Daniel booted a 23-yard field goal to extend Auburn's lead to 10-0 with three seconds left in the half.

Halftime: Auburn 10, Opelika 0

Third Quarter

TURNOVER! Auburn received the second-half kick and, following a penalty, there was a re-kick. Auburn fumbled the kick and Opelika's Xavier Thomas - yes, the same man who has two blocked field goals in the game - recovered it at the Auburn 24 with 11:53 left in the third.

Opelika got into the red zone for the first time with 11:25 left in the third.

FIELD GOAL! On fourth-and-1, Opelika opted for a field goal and Reese Beasley booted a 32-yarder with 10:21 left in the third to make it 10-3.

INTERCEPTION! Auburn turned it over again. Cason Myers overshot a receiver on a deep ball and Opelika cornerback Braiden Howard picked it off at the Bulldogs 40 and returned it to Auburn's 22.

MISSED FIELD GOAL! Opelika moved the ball into the red zone, but Reese Beasley's 30-yard field goal attempt clanked off the left upright. Auburn gets a big stop and regains possession at its own 20, leading 10-3 with 8:20 left in the third.

SACK! Opelika's Tremaine Thomas got a big sack deep in Auburn territory to force a punt. That's his fourth sack of the season.

PUNT! Auburn punted it back to Opelika with 6:59 left in the third at the Bulldogs' 38.

TURNOVER! A bad snap plagues Opelika, as the ball kicked back across the line of scrimmage and Auburn's Greg Williams fell on it to give the ball back to the Tigers at their own 18.

The third quarter ended with Auburn driving.

End 3: Auburn 10, Opelika 3

Fourth Quarter

PUNT! BIG PLAY! Auburn punted it back to Opelika and the returner muffed the punt. Luckily for the Bulldogs, the ball karomed to the sideline and went out of bounds before Auburn could hop on it.

TOUCHDOWN! Opelika's CJ Johnson went full beast mode, breaking multiple tackles and willing himself on a 58-yard touchdown run. The PAT tied the game 10-10 with 10:11 remaining in regulation. That was a huge run in many ways.

BIG PLAY! Facing fourth down near midfield with 8:58 left, Auburn lined up for a punt and then faked it. They threw a pass and it fell incomplete, but Opelika was called for interference on the play, giving Auburn a new set of downs.

TOUCHDOWN! The fake punt paid off, as Auburn quarterback Cason Myers found receiver Cash Reif on a 19-yard strike to break the tie with 5:17 left in regulation. The PAT gives the Tigers a 17-10 lead.

Opelika quickly made things interesting again. The Bulldogs keep running the ball at the left side of Auburn's defense, and they're gashing the Tigers with it. Opelika has it at the Auburn 9 with 2:15 left.

TURNOVER! Opelika fumbled it away on a mishandled snap when the ball slipped through quarterback Fuller Young's hands on a bit of a high snap. Auburn recovered at its own 15. The Bulldogs are out of timeouts.

On the final kneel down of the game, Opelika got into the backfield and hit the quarterback. There was some brief confusion, as Opelika thought it had recovered a fumble near the goal line with 12 seconds left. Officials ruled the runner down by contact, however, and time ran out.

Final: Auburn 17, Opelika 10

The 100th matchup in this rival of neighbors went to Auburn in yet another one-score game between these teams. Truly one of the best rivalries in Alabama, the game lived up to its hype. Both defenses played well, with Auburn's Greg Williams making big plays all game to help thwart some drives.

"It's one of them games where it don't matter what the records are," Auburn coach Keith Etheredge said after the game. "This game comes down to the end."

Williams said it was a statement game for Auburn.

"We had a point to prove and we came and proved that point," Williams said.