OPELIKA, Alabama — Opelika had the lead, but Daphne had the momentum.

And that's when Brian Blackmon went to his bag of tricks.

Leading the Trojans by a touchdown, the Bulldogs lined up in a jumbo Wildcat set on fourth-and-1 from Daphne's 29-yard line.

Wide receiver Jakell Mitchell lined up at quarterback, then threw a jump pass to wide-open nose guard Jared Gentry, who outran the Trojan defenders to the end zone for a huge score in Opelika's 24-17 win over Daphne on Friday night in the second round of the Class 6A playoffs.

"It was a play that we've had all year," Blackmon said. "We've worked it and worked it, and it just happened to be the time to call it.

"We make people stop the run. When we do that, they have to put everybody in the box. We put that play in the first week of practice, and tonight was the night to call it."

"I just had some good wide-open space and I just ran for the touchdown," Gentry said. "I was excited (when they called the play)."

The win puts Opelika (8-4) in the quarterfinals of the playoffs for the first time since 2006, where it will travel to face its biggest rival, Auburn High. The win was also only the second in eight playoff meetings with Daphne in the last 13 seasons.

"What made it big was not just the fact that that's a quality football team and a great program in our state, but that Opelika is starting to put itself back on the map," Blackmon said. "We're back in the third round of the playoffs ... That's something we wanted to accomplish. Our coaches have been working on it, and our kids have sacrificed a lot and this is a big win for them and we're going to enjoy it."

The win was aided by big plays from the Bulldog defense, including a 36-yard interception return for a touchdown by Stephen Roberts and a 77-yard fumble return by Brandon Taylor that set up a Chazden Blackmon field goal.

"I thought (the defense was) great," Brian Blackmon said. "They tempoed us a little bit on that first drive and were able to get a couple things out of their empty set. The quarterback did a good job running. We knew that was a good football team. I told our guys at half that until we get it a two-score game I wasn't going to be comfortable. I knew they had big-strike ability and they made some plays and they made us earn it tonight."

Senior running back Calvin Bryant, who has been limited much of the year by injuries, also played a big role with his second-consecutive big night on the ground. Bryant amassed 130 yards on 27 carries, including a huge 20-yard run for a first down on the Bulldogs' final possession to ice the game.

"It's been huge (having Bryant back)," Brian Blackmon said. "He's the guy that kind of gets us going and starts our engine. I thought our offensive line did a good job opening up some holes for him.

"(But) this is a team victory. It was about offense, it was about defense, it was about our special teams. This was a team victory. Even from the folks in the stands bringing a little momentum with them on this cold night."

Mitchell added 62 yards on 11 carries to go with his 29-yard touchdown pass.

"I'm happy for our seniors," quarterback Matthew Christian, who ran for a touchdown on the Bulldogs' opening drive, said. "They've led us the whole way. We ran the ball great and the defense played awesome."

T.J. Fleeton led the Trojans (8-4), finishing 11-of-20 for 125 yards passing with a touchdown and an interception, and rushing 11 times for 85 yards and a touchdown.

"You've got to take your hat off to Opelika," Daphne assistant coach Tim Massengale said. "They have a good football team. They're very well-coached. As far as our season goes we have a good team, and our kids played well all year. We just missed some opportunities and tonight was one of them."

The Bulldogs are set to face rival Auburn High, which has won five straight in the series. But this will be the first playoff meeting between the two schools.

"We're ready to play whoever it is," Blackmon said. "We're just glad that we're still in it and we've got an opportunity to play. It's too early to talk about that. We just want to enjoy this one."