BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER
PHOTOS BY JERRY BALLAS
AUBURN — On the last home game of Auburn High’s football season, the Tigers notched their largest victory of the season to lock up a playoff spot with a 48-0 win over Prattville (3-6).
Starting quarterback Jackson Kilgore, who was previously out since week two with an injury, returned and threw a pair of touchdowns, and the defense pitched its second shutout of the season in the regular-season finale at Duck Samford Stadium.
On senior night, the junior QB found senior receiver Cody Palmer on his first pass upon his return for a 52-yard TD. All seniors: QB Henry Allen, receivers Gibson Loughridge and Griffin McLean and running back Tyler Flakes also got in on the scoring, but one upperclassman in particular took center stage.
Senior kicker Towns McGough was honored with a jersey before the game for his selection in the Under Armour All-American game.
Pushing all the pre-game festivities to the side, he was locked in. He nailed an opening-drive field goal, another field goal before half to put the Tigers up 34-0, six extra points and knocked down two 60-yard field goals that were negated by timeouts before coming up just short on his third and final try.
QBs Allen and Kilgore each threw a pair of TD passes in the first half, and Flakes added on with a three-yard scamper into the end zone after his 45-yard run got Auburn inside the 10-yard line in the first quarter. It was 34-0 going to halftime.
However, it was sophomore running back Omar Mabson’s show in the second half. He added on two TDs from 33 and seven yards out to account for all of the Tigers’ second-half offense.
The offense lightened up in the second half, but they still tied their season-high in points. The defense, on the other hand, never took its foot off the gas.
Auburn started the game by forcing a Prattville three-and-out before a La’Mychael Gunn interception on the next drive, and the Auburn defense stood tall in the fourth quarter just the same. With Prattville on the Auburn goal line, the Tigers snuffed out three straight runs to force a turnover on downs and secure a win over Prattville for the 10th consecutive year.
This helped the Tigers improve to 7-2 and 5-2 in region play and solidify a spot in the playoffs. Auburn can lock up the No. 2 seed in its region with a win to end the regular season next week at Smiths Station (1-8).
