The biggest home game of Opelika’s regular season arrives tonight: No. 8 Opelika (1-1, 1-0 Class 6A Region 2) hosts No. 3 Central-Phenix City (2-1, 1-0) at 7 p.m. at Bulldog Stadium.
The Bulldogs come in off a 38-21 region-opening win over No. 10 Enterprise, the first victory of Jonathan Chandler’s tenure as head coach, built on a heavy ground game and two defensive touchdowns. Senior quarterback CJ Sankey — who threw for roughly 2,700 yards and 25 touchdowns a year ago — is the offense’s centerpiece.
Central lost its opener to Thompson but has been overwhelming since, beating Pell City 54-3 and J.A.G. 49-0 while outscoring its last two opponents 103-3. The Red Devils are ranked No. 3 in Class 7A and are widely regarded as one of the state’s strongest teams.
Region 2 standings are on the line: both teams are 1-0 in region play, and the winner takes early control of the region race.
Follow-on coverage. Full game analysis is in the Opelika Observer.
Source: The Observer — On the Mark
Opelika Daily News — Friday Report, Sept. 11, 2026 | Compiled by Viktor AI for Opelika Daily News
