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Photo by Todd Lester
Oak Mountain WR Zach Fitzgerald (2) scores on the first Oak Mountain play during a game between Oak Mountain and Pelham on Friday, August 30, 2024, at Bobby Haynes Field in Pelham, Alabama. Photo by Todd Lester
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Oak Mountain Head Coach Shane McComb observes his team during a game between Oak Mountain and Pelham on Friday, August 30, 2024, at Bobby Haynes Field in Pelham, Alabama. Photo by Todd Lester
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Photo by Todd Lester
Oak Mountain QB Will O'Dell (18) attempts a pass during a game between Oak Mountain and Pelham on Friday, August 30, 2024, at Bobby Haynes Field in Pelham, Alabama. Photo by Todd Lester
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Photo by Todd Lester
Oak Mountain TE Jacob Moore (11) catches a pass during a game between Oak Mountain and Pelham on Friday, August 30, 2024, at Bobby Haynes Field in Pelham, Alabama. Photo by Todd Lester
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Photo by Todd Lester
Oak Mountain WR Sean Ray (4) runs after a catch during a game between Oak Mountain and Pelham on Friday, August 30, 2024, at Bobby Haynes Field in Pelham, Alabama. Photo by Todd Lester
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Photo by Todd Lester
Oak Mountain LB Peyton Gamble (47) and Oak Mountain DL Caleb Jaworski (97) combine to tackle Pelham QB Dylan Smith (5) during a game between Oak Mountain and Pelham on Friday, August 30, 2024, at Bobby Haynes Field in Pelham, Alabama. Photo by Todd Lester
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Photo by Todd Lester
Oak Mountain WR Walker Shook (81) tackles Pelham WR Noah Bell (21) following an interception during a game between Oak Mountain and Pelham on Friday, August 30, 2024, at Bobby Haynes Field in Pelham, Alabama. Photo by Todd Lester
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Oak Mountain DB Robert Yoder (10) looks to tackle the ball carrier during a game between Oak Mountain and Pelham on Friday, August 30, 2024, at Bobby Haynes Field in Pelham, Alabama. Photo by Todd Lester
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Oak Mountain QB Will O'Dell (18) runs the football during a game between Oak Mountain and Pelham on Friday, August 30, 2024, at Bobby Haynes Field in Pelham, Alabama. Photo by Todd Lester
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Photo by Todd Lester
Oak Mountain TE Jacob Moore (11) runs after a catch during a game between Oak Mountain and Pelham on Friday, August 30, 2024, at Bobby Haynes Field in Pelham, Alabama. Photo by Todd Lester
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Photo by Todd Lester
Oak Mountain QB Will O'Dell (18) runs for a touchdown during a game between Oak Mountain and Pelham on Friday, August 30, 2024, at Bobby Haynes Field in Pelham, Alabama. Photo by Todd Lester
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Photo by Todd Lester
Oak Mountain WR Zach Fitzgerald (2) catches a pass over Pelham DB Kameron May (3) and Pelham WR Noah Bell (21) during a game between Oak Mountain and Pelham on Friday, August 30, 2024, at Bobby Haynes Field in Pelham, Alabama. Photo by Todd Lester
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Photo by Todd Lester
Oak Mountain WR Walker Shook (81) and Oak Mountain QB Will O'Dell (18) celebrate a touchdown during a game between Oak Mountain and Pelham on Friday, August 30, 2024, at Bobby Haynes Field in Pelham, Alabama. Photo by Todd Lester
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Pelham DL Uriah Barginere (97) attempts to tackle Oak Mountain DB Mason Mitchell (24) during a game between Oak Mountain and Pelham on Friday, August 30, 2024, at Bobby Haynes Field in Pelham, Alabama. Photo by Todd Lester
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Oak Mountain celebrates a fumble recovery during a game between Oak Mountain and Pelham on Friday, August 30, 2024, at Bobby Haynes Field in Pelham, Alabama. Photo by Todd Lester
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Photo by Todd Lester
Oak Mountain TE Jacob Moore (11) runs after a catch during a game between Oak Mountain and Pelham on Friday, August 30, 2024, at Bobby Haynes Field in Pelham, Alabama. Photo by Todd Lester
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Oak Mountain LB Peyton Gamble (47) battles Pelham OL William Murphy (75) during a game between Oak Mountain and Pelham on Friday, August 30, 2024, at Bobby Haynes Field in Pelham, Alabama. Photo by Todd Lester
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Photo by Todd Lester
Oak Mountain DB Averick Wallace (21) and Oak Mountain LB William Yoder (20) look to recover a fumble during a game between Oak Mountain and Pelham on Friday, August 30, 2024, at Bobby Haynes Field in Pelham, Alabama. Photo by Todd Lester
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Photo by Todd Lester
Oak Mountain DB Mason Mitchell (24) scores a touchdown during a game between Oak Mountain and Pelham on Friday, August 30, 2024, at Bobby Haynes Field in Pelham, Alabama. Photo by Todd Lester
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Photo by Todd Lester
Oak Mountain LB Colton Moore (8) pressures Pelham QB Dylan Smith (5) during a game between Oak Mountain and Pelham on Friday, August 30, 2024, at Bobby Haynes Field in Pelham, Alabama. Photo by Todd Lester
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Photo by Todd Lester
Oak Mountain QB Will O'Dell (18) attempts a pass during a game between Oak Mountain and Pelham on Friday, August 30, 2024, at Bobby Haynes Field in Pelham, Alabama. Photo by Todd Lester
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Photo by Todd Lester
Oak Mountain WR Sean Ray (4) runs for a touchdown during a game between Oak Mountain and Pelham on Friday, August 30, 2024, at Bobby Haynes Field in Pelham, Alabama. Photo by Todd Lester
PELHAM — For the fourth time in five years, the Oak Mountain Eagles opened the season 2-0 with a 38-20 dismantling of the Class 6A Pelham Panthers Friday night.
The game itself was not picturesque as 27 penalty flags hit the turf — including 20 against Oak Mountain — throughout the contest, but Will O’Dell’s performance was a thing of beauty as the senior quarterback accounted for 472 yards of total offense and four touchdowns.
O’Dell passed for scores of 53 and 80 yards and ran for scores of 65 and 24 yards. On the night, he was 12-for-18 for 297 yards with one interception and ran 13 times for 175 yards.
The Oak Mountain offense struck on its first play from scrimmage as O’Dell found junior receiver Zach Fitzgerald all alone at the Pelham 20 and Fitzgerald covered the distance to register a 53-yard touchdown. Josh Renfro added the first of his five point-after kicks on the night and the Eagles were up 7-0 at 10:20 of the first quarter.
Oak Mountain stretched it out after William Yoder recovered a fumbled reverse at the Pelham 25, and Mason Mitchell went around right end from there on the first play to help make it 14-0 Eagles at 7:19 of the first quarter.
Pelham cut it to 14-6 on a 34-yard run by Kalib Porter, but O’Dell answered with another TD pass, going to Fitzgerald again on a bubble screen that he took 80 yards for the score and a 21-7 lead at 5:26 of the first quarter
Renfro added a 38-yard field goal to make it 24-6 early in the second quarter and O’Dell went 65 yards up the middle for the score that made it 31-6 at halftime. O’Dell rounded out the Eagles’ scoring on the first drive of the second half, going up the right sideline for 24 yards to make it 38-6.
Pelham scored rushing touchdowns with 7:35 and 29 seconds left in the game to add some window dressing to a contest that was never close.
Fitzgerald finished with three catches for 167 yards and senior tight end Jacob Moore had five catches for 109 yards, all in the first half. Mitchell had 68 yards on 13 carries.
Oak Mountain, which made sure it did not repeat the 2023 season when it lost the second game of the year en route to a 1-9 mark in head coach Shane McComb’s first season, will open Class 7A, Region 3 play next week by hosting Prattville. The Lions also opened the season 2-0 with a 34-13 road win over Stanhope Elmore on Friday.
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