BY SAMUEL JONES
FOR THE OBSERVER
AUBURN — Auburn High School continued its strong play on Oct. 16, dominating on both sides of the ball in a 52-7 win over Dothan High School at Duck Samford Stadium.
The No. 5 Tigers (6-2, 5-1) scored on their opening possession and never looked back, building a 42-0 lead by halftime. Auburn scored seven rushing touchdowns and added a 46-yard field goal while holding the Wolves (2-6, 1-5) scoreless until the fourth quarter.
“I think on both sides of the ball, we came in talking about it before the game,” Auburn head coach Keith Etheredge said. “What we have to do is be more physical. We have to be a more physical team. We have to dominate in the trenches on both sides, and I think that we did that tonight.”
After Dothan punted on its opening possession, Auburn quickly moved into scoring position. Cason Myers connected with Alijah Calloway on a long pass to set up the Tigers near the goal line. Myers finished the drive with a 2-yard rushing touchdown to give Auburn a 7-0 lead.
The Tigers extended their advantage later in the first quarter when Kollin King broke free for a 20-yard TD run. Auburn took a 14-0 lead into the second quarter and continued to pull away.
Jaeden King opened the second-quarter scoring with a 4-yard TD run, making it 21-0. After another Dothan punt, Myers connected with Logan Sirico on a long pass to move Auburn into scoring position. Jack Coblentz finished the drive with a 22-yard TD run.
Coblentz found the end zone again later in the quarter, this time on a 14-yard run, extending Auburn’s lead to 35-0.
The Tigers added one more TD before halftime when Jaeden King scored on another 4-yard run. Auburn went into the break with a commanding 42-0 advantage.
Auburn continued to add to its lead in the second half. Andrew Fligel connected on a 46-yard field goal in the third quarter, and Kollin King scored his second rushing TD of the night on a 3-yard run to make it 52-0.
The Tigers’ rushing attack helped them control the game, with Myers, Jaeden King, Kollin King and Coblentz all finding the end zone on the ground.
“Both the running backs played great tonight,” Etheredge said. “I don’t know what they had, but I mean, it had to be a lot.”
While Auburn’s offense kept scoring, its defense limited Dothan’s opportunities throughout the night. The Wolves managed just 14 yards of offense before putting together a 75-yard TD drive late in the game.
Dothan finally got on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter on a 30-yard passing TD, but the late score did little to change the outcome.
Sirlathian Meadows, who rushed for 237 yards and three TDs the previous week against Opelika, was held to 41 yards on 12 carries.
Etheredge credited the defensive improvement to the work of his coaching staff and players throughout the season.
“The kids just buy in. They’re great kids. They work hard,” Etheredge said. “They’ve gotten better week after week.”
After allowing 56 points in its season opener against Hewitt-Trussville High School, Auburn has made progress defensively. The Tigers have continued that trend since their bye week, holding their last three opponents to a combined 24 points.
The 52-7 win marked Auburn’s second consecutive game scoring at least 50 points and another strong performance on both sides of the ball.
With the victory, Auburn secured second place in Class 6A Region 2, earning a first-round bye in the playoffs under the new format. The Tigers will host Smiths Station High School on Friday, Oct. 23, in their final regular-season home game at 7 p.m.
