Remembering the Auburn vs. Opelika slugfest of 2012

For this week’s sports history feature, we took a look back on a defensive classic between two bitter Alabama rivals.

Auburn High’s football team in 2012 was a buzzsaw.

The Tigers lost only one regular season game all season and had a point differential of +224.

Auburn boasted a star-studded roster that included Reuben Foster and Rashaan Evans, both of whom were 5-star recruits that went on to play in the NFL.

On Oct. 26, Auburn faced off against a pesky Opelika side that gave the Tigers issues, but Auburn was able to pull away and secure a 32-23 win. It didn’t work out that way in the playoff rematch.

Opelika had a talented roster, too, as it boasted Stephen Roberts and Jakell Mitchell, who both went on to play at Auburn University. The talent wasn’t at Auburn’s High’s level, but it didn’t matter.

The Tigers scored their first and only points of the game on a Foster touchdown that put them up seven minutes in the second quarter.

Opelika forced an Auburn safety in the third quarter to cut the lead to 7-2.

On their final possession of the game, the Bulldogs marched down the field and scored the game-winning touchdown to slay its goliath by a final score of 8-7.

https://www.al.com/highschoolsports/article/football-opelika-8-auburn-7-video/

— By Henry Patton