It didn’t take long for the third-ranked Auburn High football team to end any hopes Kentlake had of an upset last Thursday night at Auburn Memorial Stadium.
After a couple of early miscues, the Trojans rolled to a 57-7 South Puget Sound League North Division victory over the Falcons, thus further cementing the Trojans (6-0 in league, 6-0 overall) run to a playoff berth.
Although, Auburn (6-0 league, 6-0 overall) jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, Kentlake (2-3, 2-4) managed to make Trojan fans’ hearts skip a beat with an early 7-2 lead after a 66-yard touchdown run by senior tailback Delon Lewis.
“I think we tried to make a game of it early, but I think they just wore us down,” said Kentlake coach Mike Shepard. “There is a reason why they are the number three team in the state.”
The big run by Lewis jolted the Trojans, Auburn coach Gordon Elliott said.
“=They broke that one long run on us and that kind of woke the guys up a little bit,” Elliott said. “It’s October and if you’re going to be a good football team you have to play good football in October. And we’re starting to do that now.”
After Lewis’ score the Trojan machine got rolling, with senior Austin Embody capping an 80-yard drive with a nine-yard touchdown run. Embody finished the game with a touchdown run and 105 yards rushing on 12 carries. After Lewis’ score, Auburn rolled the rest of the night, racking up 385 yards rushing, including eight touchdowns on the ground.
“We started off a little bit slow and turned the ball over a couple of times,” Elliott said. “But we kind of straightened it out and controlled the ball real well.”
University of Washington-bound senior Chris Young finished the game with 129 yards on 11 carries, including four touchdowns. Junior Alphonse Wade added 106 yards on eight carries and a score. Auburn’s Tarin MacDonald and Josh Harris both scoring rushing TDs.
“They have great athletes and a great offensive line and coaching staff,” Shepard said. “I thought we would be able to run some of our quick stuff inside. And I think we found we could pass the ball a little. But we couldn’t put together a drive and two snaps on the ground on punts – you can’t give a team that is that good easy points.
“We’re a little frustrated, but there is stuff to build on.”
One of the high points for the Falcons was the performance of Lewis, who stepped in for injured running back Latrelle Dukes. Dukes missed the game with a high ankle sprain.
“(Lewis) is kind of believing in himself a little bit,” he said. “Unfortunately we have an injury to Latrelle Dukes (starting sophomore tailback). But that creates an opportunity for another kid to step up and play.
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