BY D MARK MITCHELL
FOR THE OBSERVER
LEE COUNTY — The following is a wrap-up of local high school football teams from last week.
Auburn (4-0) beat Enterprise 53-22 and will host JAG Friday;
Beauregard (3-1) beat Sylacauga 420-10. The Hornets will host Elmore County this week.
Benjamin Russell beat Chilton Co 55-2. The Wildcats play at Spain Park Friday night.
Beulah (3-1) lost to LSA 24-7 and will host the Glenwood Gators on Sept. 20.
Booker T. Washington (3-0) beat Tallassee 26-21 and will host Clebourne County;
Chambers Academy (3-1) beat Edgewood 37-7, will play at Bessemer Friday;
Glenwood (4-0) beat Childersburg 36-14, will play at Beulah Friday night.
Lafayette(2-2) lost to Loachapoka 24-6, will play at Red Level Friday;
Lanett (3-1) won via forfeit, will host Lafayette;
Lee-Scott (4-0) beat Beulah 24-7, will travel to Randolph County;
Loachapoka (1-3) beat Lafayette 24-6, will host Reeltown;
Notasulga (1-2) lost to Maplesville 50-21; The Blue Devils will play at Keith on Sept. 20.
Reeltown beat Randurne 48-0. The Rebels will take on the Indians at Loachapoka;
Southern Prep (1-3) lost to Evangel 50-22 on Thursday, Sept. 12 and will play at Cornerstone Friday night.
Springwood (2-2) lost to Cornerstone 60-12, and will play at Heritage Christian this week; and
Valley (1-2) was open last week and will host Marbury Friday night.
Auburn High nabs ‘really big’ win at Enterprise
BY NOAH GRIFFITH
FOR THE OBSERVER
AUBURN — The Auburn High Tigers washed a sour taste out of their mouths with a 53-22 win at Enterprise on Friday.
That taste lingered from week two of last season, when Enterprise marched into Duck Samford stadium and upset the Tigers with a 17-16 win. That was one of Auburn’s three losses last season, while the others both came to Central-Phenix City — first in the regular season and then again in the second round of the playoffs.
The win not only avenges last season’s disappointment versus Enterprise, it helped them maintain pace with Central and Carver-Montgomery who are also 4-0 and 2-0 in 7A Region 2 play. Auburn is rolling after consecutive region wins over Opelika and Enterprise.
“This win was really big for us,” said head coach Keith Etheridge in a phone interview. “I still had a bad taste in my mouth from dropping that game to them last year, but the way we played Friday really helped us overall and in region play.”
Last year, Auburn’s starting quarterback, Jackson Kilgore, suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in game two of his junior season. The offense had trouble responding to his absence and didn’t truly return to full strength with Henry Allen and Ean Nation rotating snaps at QB.
This time around, Kilgore is leading an Auburn offense that’s averaging 45 points per game four games into his senior year. He completed 20 of his 29 passes for 234 yards and a touchdown on Friday against Enterprise.
His passing attack helps balance the offense that has one of the game’s top scoring threats in junior running back Omar Mabson. Mabson waltzed into the end zone five time on Friday — four rushing TDs and one receiving — nearly matching his total of 16 from his sophomore year.
In addition to five scores by Mabson, senior athlete Charlie Ward tacked on with six rushes for 112 yards and two TDs. Though five of the six TDs came on the ground, the passing game was a huge threat as well, led by senior receiver Peyton Plott who racked up six catches for 75 yards.
“Our balance on offense is making it harder for opponents to key in on Omar like most would want to,” Etheridge said. “Our o-line is creating some good running lanes, and Omar and Charlie [Ward] are doing a great job of getting north and south and finding the end zone. Jackson Kilgore is doing a great job of spreading the ball to our playmakers and making things tough on defenses.”
Auburn’s biggest scoring night of the season was also aided by three interceptions from the defense. After his game-sealing interception versus Opelika, junior linebacker Alex Gamston hauled in two more picks versus Enterprise, and junior cornerback BJ McGhee swiped another. The first two, both in the first half, set up the Tigers in enemy territory and all three turnovers led to a score.
The final results show dominance on both sides of the ball for Auburn, but it had to push past an early threat from Enterprise.
The Tigers only led 22-15 late in the second quarter, but Mabson punched it in with under a minute to go in the half to go to the break leading 29-15. Keeping its foot on the gas, Auburn busted things open with a 22-7 advantage in the second half.
The 21-point win pushes Auburn’s scoring differential to plus-112 on the season. It has won three games by 20 or more, with last week’s 28-21 defeat of Opelika the outlier.
“I love the chemistry with this group of young men and how hard they come in and work every day,” Etheridge said. “Our success is definitely an overall team effort, but when you have playmakers on the offensive side of the ball like we do and a defense that gets a lot of three-and-outs, there are a lot of opportunities to put points on the board.”
With Enterprise now in the past, Auburn’s matchup with Central looms now just three weeks away. As was the case last year, the matchup between the Tigers and Red Devils looks primed to decide who comes out on top in the region standings and gets the higher seed in the playoffs.
After narrowly escaping Dothan with a 42-35 win last week, Central will host Enterprise next week. Meanwhile, Auburn will return home to face JAG (0-3) in its next action on Friday, Sept. 20.
Patriots win at home
BY JASON SCOTT
FOR THE OBSERVER
LEE COUNTY — The Patriots of Southern Christian won again at home with a 50-6 victory over the Royal Knights of Stewart County, Georgia. This pushes the Pats to a 3-0 record going into ACSC conference play this week with the other Patriot squad from Pinson, Alabama. The East Central Patriots are also undefeated sitting at 4-0, and like SCA, they have not played a conference team yet this season.
As far as the contest with Stewart County this past Friday, Junior full back Jagger Scott led the Patriots with a stellar performance on both sides of the ball despite the misty cold rain. Scott hauled the rock three times for 60 yards and a touchdown, catching two passes for 59 yards with a score, throwing a pass to his twin brother Jedd to tack on two more points, and lastly scooping up a fumble and running another 55 yards to score. No. 15 also led the good guys in tackles with 14 tackles, and two sacks. Not far behind Jagger was fellow junior Lawton Curran, gobbling up 12 tackles, and a fumble recovery which he also scooped up and ran back for six more to fire up the hometown crowd on senior night for the Patriots. Elijah Bailey and Jedd added nine tackles each to keep the Royal Knights stunted from ever getting their offense into high gear.
This coming Friday the Patriots of SCA will travel to Pinson to face the Patriots of East Central and will go to war and settle who will still be undefeated this time next week.
Junior Varsity
The younger guys at Southern Christian are also off to an incredible start with a junior varsity 3-0 record after defeating Evangel Christian and Ezekiel Academy of Montgomery, and also the Rangers of Southern Prep Academy. The Patriots JV squad, offensively, is led by its QB, lucky number 21, William Dooley.
“Dooley has a real maturity for such a young guy,” said Jason Scott, varsity head coach. “He really seems to have some ice running through those skinny veins of his.”
Defensively, the Patriots are led by Henry Sirmon and Owen Vaughan, headhunters for the Pats, that present a real tough obstacle for any “would be” full backs seeking glory through the middle of the defense. JV head coach Shaun Sirmon and his young pack of Patriots will stay home this week and face Springwood’s Wildcats on Tuesday for what looks to be a tough contest for both teams.
