BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
THE OBSERVER
PHENIX CITY — The stakes couldn’t have been higher for Auburn High School and Central High School: win and be favored to claim the Class 6A Region 2 title, or lose and have to win out to host a first-round playoff game.
In the end, the No. 2-ranked Red Devils (4-1, 3-0) passed one of their biggest tests of the season to date, thrashing the No. 6 Tigers (3-2, 2-1) 42-10 on Sept. 18 at Garrett-Harrison Stadium.
The Bobby Coleman-to-Braylen Averett connection proved to be Auburn’s undoing as Central’s offensive stars torched the Tigers’ defense. Coleman completed 22 of 30 passes for a career-high 418 yards and four touchdowns, and Averett caught eight passes for 193 yards and three scores.
Jaiden Baldwin was also a terror defensively, racking up eight total tackles and four tackles for loss.
The Red Devils had the ball for just 19 of the game’s 48 minutes, yet piled up 513 total yards of offense in an explosive display that left the Tigers chasing from behind all night.
“Man, this feels good,” Coleman said. “This ultimately came down to the preparation put in this week before the game, which was displayed tonight. The results showed, and I’m thankful for that.”
Across the field, Cason Myers finished 15-for-28 for 179 yards and an interception, while Elias Holtzclaw chipped in 118 total yards of offense on 10 touches and Camden Bowen finished as Auburn’s leading tackler with eight stops.
The victory tightened Central’s grip on the region. While region play comes down to far more than just one game, the contest has become a de facto championship game of sorts. For the past 12 years, the winner has gone on to win the region, with the Red Devils going 10-2 in those regular-season matchups.
The result also carried weight beyond the standings. With the win, Central knocked off two of last season’s Class 7A state semifinalists in consecutive weeks after defeating Opelika High School 31-24 on the road the week prior.
Beating two of the other three teams that reached the final four a year ago offered the clearest evidence yet of where Central stands in the 6A pecking order. According to Red Devils head coach Cody Flournoy, it has been a statement stretch for a program continuing to adjust to his leadership and play style.
“I’ll tell you what, we just beat Opelika and Auburn back-to-back — those are the two semifinalists from last year,” Flournoy said. “This is a big win for the Central program and for Phenix City as a whole. We’re still trying to figure out who we are as a team, but we’ve seen a better picture of it tonight, and that’s the plan: we just want to be better each week.”
Central set the tone immediately. After forcing Auburn into a three-and-out to open the game, Coleman found Averett for a 60-yard TD on the Red Devils’ first offensive snap.
The Tigers’ next possession ended in disaster. Marquise Cooper picked off a pass at the Central 3 yard line and returned it 36 yards, setting up a drive that Jayshaun Woodhouse capped with a 6-yard TD run with 5:17 left in the first quarter.
Auburn showed some fight, stringing together several big plays to move into scoring range, and Andrew Fligel connected on a 43-yard field goal with 1:35 left in the opening quarter.
But Central answered on the first snap of the second quarter, when Coleman dumped a short pass to Mike Bass, who broke through the heart of the Tigers’ defense for a score and a 21-3 lead just 13 seconds in.
Bass also had an excellent night for the Red Devils, finishing with five catches for 143 yards and the TD.
Coleman found Averett again 33 seconds before halftime, hitting the receiver on a scramble drill for a 31-yard TD and a 28-3 cushion at the break.
By that point in the game, Auburn moved into Central territory four times in the first half but managed only Fligel’s field goal.
Auburn head coach Keith Etheredge said his team needed to “grow some guts” and cut down on unnecessary penalties and other mental errors that cost them dearly.
“We’re supposed to play with our heads and our hearts. We didn’t play with our heads tonight, and there were times we didn’t play with our hearts either,” Etheredge said. “There are some of those guys who laid it out there tonight, and I hate it for them because I thought I had some [other] guys who played selfishly.”
The Tigers opened the second half with a defensive stop and finally reached the end zone on Ja’Quez Johnson’s 13-yard TD run with 7:02 left in the third quarter. It was the last time Auburn found the end zone.
Central responded with a four-play drive, capped by a 57-yard strike from Coleman to Averett with 5:45 remaining in the third, and Woodhouse closed the scoring with a 7-yard run early in the fourth quarter.
Coleman said his and Averett’s connection speaks for itself on the field.
“He’s such a dynamic player and so explosive. His football I.Q. is on another level,” Coleman said. “He understands coverages and exactly what I’m thinking. Sometimes we mess up, but he ultimately makes me look good. I just do my best to get him the ball.”
Flournoy minced no words about what the win meant for the Red Devils’ postseason aspirations.
“We’re in the driver’s seat in the region right now,” Flournoy said. “It’s what we wanted going into our off week this next week.”
The Tigers must now wait another week before getting the opportunity to flush the bitter taste of last Friday’s defeat from their mouths.
Entering Auburn’s first bye week of the season, Etheredge said his team will take stock of itself before preparing for what figures to be a titanic struggle against crosstown rivals Opelika.
“We’ve got a lot of growing up to do,” Etheredge said. “I think we’ve got a chance to be a really good football team. As soon as we start playing for each other, we can be really good, but if we’re not going to play for each other, it’s going to be a long rest of the season.”
Central and Auburn both play next on Friday, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m.
The Red Devils will travel down U.S. Highway 431 to face Dothan High School (2-3, 1-2) at Rip Hewes Stadium. The Wolves most recently lost 42-21 to Enterprise High School (3-2, 1-2) at home on Sept. 18.
The Tigers will host the Bulldogs (2-2, 1-1) at Duck Samford Stadium. Opelika, which is also on a bye this week, most recently defeated J.A.G. High School (1-3, 1-2) 38-8 at home on Sept. 18.
