When it came time to make the pivotal play, Theodore’s defense delivered.

The Bobcats stopped Opelika’s fourth-down attempt at their own 20 with 30 seconds remaining to preserve a 16-10 victory on Friday night at C.A. Douglas Field. The victory helped Theodore (4-2) bounce back from last week’s 8-3 loss to Spanish Fort.

“Tonight, we reminded a lot of people that we are still Theodore,” Bobcats coach Steve Mask said.

Opelika’s final drive began at their own 20 with 2:23 remaining, and Roman Gagliano connected with Jamari Miller on a 30-yard gain on the opening play. The two then connected again for 10 more.

With 55 seconds to go, Opelika stood on the Theodore 20, but the Bobcats forced four straight incompletions to end the threat. The Bobcats held Opelika scoreless in the second half.

“A lot of people didn’t believe in us, but we believed in each other,” Bobcats senior Miami commit Bobby Pruitt said, “and tonight we had to show them who we are.”

Opelika jumped out to an early 7-0 lead on their second drive of the game as Gagliano connected with Jordan Tolbert for a 41-yard touchdown pass. The Bulldogs added a 38-yard field goal on the final play of the half for a 10-6 lead.

“Our kids played with a lot of heart and pride tonight. Even being down at halftime, they didn’t quit,” Mask said.

The Bobcats responded on their second possession of the second half, marching 63 yards on nine plays. Crishon Overton scored from a yard out.

Miguel Frias added a 43-yard field goal with five minutes remaining to give the Bobcats 16-10 advantage. “Miguel has hit some big kicks for us,” Mask said.

Star power: Braxton Clark led Theodore with 29 runs for 191 yards. On the decisive drive that ended with Overton’s TD plunge, he carried to ball on six straight plays. “He’s just a hard-nosed player, he’s a dawg,” Overton said.

Added Clark, “We just wanted to come in tonight and pound the ball and test their run defense against our guys up front.”

Big play: Clark’s longest run, a 39-yarder, set up Frias’ 43-yard field for 16-10 lead in the fourth quarter.

Stat sheet: Frias connected on field goals of 27, 34 and 43 yards for Theodore. Overton passed for 23 yards and rushed for 43 yards. … Gagliano passed 122 yards, Calvin Hugley Jr. rushed for 38 yards, and Jordan Watts added 32 yards on the ground for Opelika.

Key stat: Opelika (3-3) entered the game averaging 30 points per game, but scored a season-low 10.

Did you know? Mask picked up his first win against Opelika, having gone 0-2 during his tenure at nearby St. Paul’s.

Coachspeak: “You can’t judge them off their record coming in at 3-2. They are a very talented team.” – Opelika coach Erik Speakman.

“Our offensive line really came together tonight. We had some big drives in the second half. We were not going to lay down and roll over for anybody.” – Mask

They said it …: “We started out slow on offense tonight. I thought we had a lot of fight and energy in the second, just came short at the end.” – Gagliano.

“It was easy to bounce back after last week’s tough loss. Nobody gave up tonight. It was battle.” – Pruitt

What’s next? Opelika hosts Auburn in a rivalry game and region matchup. Theodore (4-2) is off and before hosting Blount on Oct. 12.