BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
FOR THE OBSERVER
AUBURN – There are numerous ways one could dissect the dominance of Auburn High School’s (4-1, 3-0) 56-0 home victory over Johnson Abernathy Graetz High School (0-4, 0-3) on Friday.
The Tigers had more points (56) than the Jaguars had total yards of offense (48) at halftime. AHS’ defense forced two turnovers before the offense set foot on the field. In the 1,062 recorded games the Tigers have played since 1911, it was the sixth-largest margin of victory in school history according to the Alabama High School Football Historical Society.
However, in a game that saw a brief scoreboard malfunction and running clock in the second half, AHS head coach Keith Etheredge downplayed the lopsided result after praising his team’s performance.
“The only thing that didn’t work in the first half was the clock. But we played really well in the first half. And I’ve been waiting for us to put that together and for that to happen. And we did,” Etheredge said. “I think we’re getting better. I’m not going to say that we’re where we need to be, but I think that we’re getting better. We still have some tough games coming up, so we’re going to see in these next few weeks just how far we’ve come.”
With those tough games on the horizon, the fact that many of the Tigers’ backups received playing time and the chance to build depth was also invaluable according to Etheredge.
Among those backups who made the most of his opportunity was junior quarterback Cross Land, who completed 5-of-8 passes for 56 yards and a touchdown.
After transferring from Calhoun High School in Georgia this past offseason, the chance to get his first AHS touchdown under his belt was special. He added it was rewarding to spread the ball around as much as he did, despite the Tigers starting drives on JAG’s 43 yard line on average.
“That really feels good. I’m just trying to get my chance,” Land said. “I’ve been working since day one of spring ball. We have just been working since then. And it feels good when your success finally comes to action. We were just trying to get the ball to everybody tonight. But yeah, it’s definitely tough because you don’t have many plays in that drive. You just have to play off momentum when you get those short drives; that’s how you get your rhythm.”
Yet it was AHS’ defense that was the star of the show for the third-straight week. For senior linebacker Greg Williams, who recorded an interception and eight total tackles against JAG, it was business as usual for a unit that has conceded 17 total points in the last three games.
“We couldn’t take anything for granted,” Williams said. “We had to come in and just punch them in the mouth like we do everybody else. And it was a big region game, so we had to win. I’m proud because I told coach at halftime, when these young guys get in, I don’t care if [JAG] puts up 24 points, we’re running 24 gassers. However many points they put up, that’s how many gassers we’ll run. And they scored no points, so it looks like we’re running no gassers.”
It didn’t take long for the Tigers to flex their defensive muscle against a struggling Jaguars offense that scored just 8.7 points per game on average entering the game.
On the game’s first play, Isaac Benford stepped in front of an ill-advised throw into triple coverage near the JAG 40 yard line and intercepted the pass for a TD 13 seconds into the first quarter.
With one turnover already under their belt, it only took the Tigers’ defense three more plays to secure their second of the evening after Elijah Scott jumped on a fumble at the JAG 27 yard line.
After the Jaguars were penalized for a facemask, Jaeden King punched through the line of scrimmage for a 2-yard TD run on the drive’s third play to put AHS up 14-0 with 9:32 left in the first quarter.
Following a JAG three-and-out and a 15-yard punt, the Tigers again found themselves with excellent field position at the JAG 40 yard line. It ultimately took AHS just two plays to find the endzone after Joshua Askew took a 35-yard end-around run untouched to put the Tigers up 21-0 with 6:53 left in the first quarter.
For a time, it appeared the Jaguars found offensive rhythm with a drive that recorded multiple first downs before ultimately fizzling out at the JAG 37 yard line.
Facing another short field, the Tigers quickly added to their lead after 12-yard and 20-yard catches from BJ Collins and Levi Kelly, respectively, setting up a 5-yard TD run from King – his second of the night. That plunge put AHS up 28-0 with 3:06 left in the first quarter.
The Tigers quickly added to their lead after receiving the ball at the JAG 31 following another short Jaguars drive. Three straight completions from Land put Jayden Huff in position to punch the ball in with a 3-yard TD run that put the Tigers up 35-0 with 11:31 left in the second quarter.
From there, things went from bad to much worse for the Jaguars. Following a JAG three-and-out, AHS found paydirt again with a 74-yard TD pass from Cason Myers to Askew. The Tigers then followed a second-straight JAG three-and-out with a three-play, 29-yard drive that ended with a 1-yard TD pass from Land to Antonio Welch.
Those two scores put the Tigers up 49-0 with 6:46 left in the second quarter.
A third-straight three-and-out from JAG and an excellent punt return from Cash Reif then set AHS up at the JAG 9 yard line with 4:20 left until halftime. After Myers overcame a bad snap with a 22-yard run on second and 23, he eventually found King on a 2-yard TD pass on fourth down with 3:02 left before halftime.
That gave AHS its 56-0 lead and set the stage for a running clock in the second half. While neither team seriously threatened to score in the abbreviated half, the Tigers’ defense provided brief moments of fireworks with a fumble recovery and an interception from Tre Smith.
What’s Next
The Tigers will remain at home and host Moody High School in a non-region game on Sept. 26. MHS is currently 4-1 overall and coming off a 31-28 victory over Helena High School. According to MaxPreps, the Blue Devils are the top-ranked 5A team in Alabama.
So far, MHS has scored 33.2 points per game while allowing 21 points per game. In comparison, AHS has scored 26.8 points per game while allowing 13 points per game.
