BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
THE OBSERVER
AUBURN — Entering the game against Johnson-Abernathy-Graetz High School, Auburn High School had to answer two questions: could it avoid an emotional hangover following a gutsy rivalry win, and how would it handle a week shortened by Hurricane Isaias’ late-season arrival?
The No. 7-ranked Tigers (5-2, 3-1) resoundingly answered both as their defense scored twice before the offense stepped foot on the field to kickstart a 59-6 homecoming thrashing of the Jaguars (1-6, 1-4) at Duck Samford Stadium on Oct. 8.
It took Auburn 15 seconds to get on the board. J.A.G. fumbled on the second snap of the game, and Wake Wagers scooped it up and returned it 19 yards for a touchdown.
On the Jaguars’ next possession, Logan Sirico jumped a throw and went 53 yards the other way for a pick-six, pushing the lead to 14-0 with 8:17 left in the first quarter.
“I saw him throw the ball, undercut it and took it to the crib,” Sirico said. “We had to set the tone and show J.A.G. that we were coming here to play. We’re a good team. Everyone’s starting to see who we are.”
Once the offense got its turn, it didn’t waste it. The Tigers’ first possession ended with J.D. Pate breaking a 15-yard TD run. After a Jack Coblentz punt return set Auburn up at the J.A.G. 36-yard line, it took two plays to score again, with Elias Holtzclaw hauling in a 20-yard TD catch for a 28-0 lead after one quarter.
The Jaguars put together their only scoring drive of the night, spanning the first and second quarters and going 80 yards in nine plays. Laking Anderson found Christian Williams for a 34-yard TD, but the extra point missed, leaving it 28-6 with 8:59 left in the half.
The Tigers answered in three plays. James Pate ripped off a 47-yard run and Jaeden King finished the drive with a 7-yard TD run.
Auburn then muffed a punt at its own 35, but the defense refused to give it back, forcing a turnover on downs. The offense marched 80 yards in seven plays from there, and Holtzclaw caught his second TD, a 23-yarder, for a 42-6 lead.
DeMarcus Van Dyke Jr. picked off a pass on J.A.G.’s next snap, and Zain Al-Riyami kicked a 30-yard field goal as the first half ended to send the Tigers into the locker room up 45-6.
Cason Myers completed 13 of 15 passes for 206 yards and three TDs, and Auburn head coach Keith Etheredge said even the misses weren’t really misses.
“I don’t remember many incomplete passes, and the ones that were incomplete were dropped,” Etheredge said. “So our guys are putting it on the money. We’ve just got to continue to work on getting better at securing the football and catching it, and I thought we did a lot better job tonight.”
The Tigers needed just three plays to open the second half. Seefan Payne caught a 32-yard pass and James Pate followed with a 28-yard TD grab, starting a running clock at 52-6.
Camden Bowen recovered a fumble on the Jaguars’ next possession — Auburn’s fourth takeaway of the night — and Jeremiah Owens capped the ensuing drive with an 8-yard TD run to set the final score with the third quarter winding down.
Holtzclaw credited the offense’s growth to the work being done during the week.
“We’re all coming together as an offense and just as a team,” he said. “Going deeper into the season, we’re getting better at reading the defense and getting open, and our coaches are putting us in the right places so we can score and get into the end zone.”
The defense, which allowed one score and 196 yards, has come a long way since the start of the season, according to Etheredge. He credited defensive coordinator Scott Goolsby with getting players in the right spots.
“We’re tackling so much better than we were at the first of the year,” Etheredge said. “We’re getting into people’s feet. We’re locking up. We’re doing all the little things now.”
That growth came with a learning curve, Etheredge said, with seven new starters on defense to begin the year.
“We knew it may take a little while, and they’re starting to gel,” Etheredge said. “They’re starting to play well, but we can’t take that for granted. We got to continue to get better if we want to have a shot to make a run at the end of the year.”
As for the short week after the game moved up a day because of the hurricane, Holtzclaw said it was never a concern.
“We’re ready. We’re always ready,” he said. “It wouldn’t matter if we had a game on Wednesday. We’ll come out here and we’re gonna play.”
Auburn hosts Dothan High School at 7 p.m. on Oct. 16 at Duck Samford Stadium. The Wolves (2-5, 1-4) are coming off a 49-28 road loss to Opelika High School (3-3, 3-2) on Oct. 8.
