Auburn’s Max Pratt didn’t start out with quarterback dreams.

Unlike many young football players who imagine one day running the show from under center, calling the signals and touching the ball on every down, Pratt was happy to begin in the trenches.

“I started playing Auburn Junior Football in the fourth grade. I was a left tackle,” said Pratt, who would eventually emerge as Auburn High’s starting senior quarterback. “I played (tackle) all of AJF until seventh grade. I then became a quarterback, although I was planning on playing tackle in seventh grade as well.”

What changed the course of Pratt’s football career was an offhand toss he made while playing for Cascade Middle School.

“I threw it to the coach and he said, ‘You should try quarterback,’ ” Pratt recalled. “And I said, ‘All right,’ but I didn’t really want to try it.”

Luckily for the Trojans, Pratt did try it – and excelled at the position.

This season, the 5-foot-11 and 200-pound Pratt has been instrumental on the field, leading Auburn to the state 4A quarterfinals while quietly providing a running alternative to the Trojans’ potent one-two running back punch of Alphonse Wade and Austin Embody.

Originally the team’s third or fourth option, Pratt has blossomed in the postseason, shouldering the bulk of the team’s rushing load in two playoff games.

In Auburn’s 24-10 first-round playoff victory against Edmonds Woodway, Pratt delivered a 15-carry, 120-yard, two-touchdown performance.

In the team’s 28-21 win against Skyview last Friday, Pratt was just as instrumental, carrying the ball 27 times for 117 yards and a touchdown.

“It’s nice, getting like 27 carries in the last game,” he said. “But I think a lot of it was because Alphonse got hurt in that game.”

Even more important than Pratt’s play has been his leadership role.

“The kids respect him,” Auburn coach Gordon Elliott said. “He’s a quiet leader. He’s not the rah-rah type, but he goes out and plays hard and does his job. He brings his lunchpail to work every day.”

It’s a blue-collar approach to football that manifests not only in his play, but also in his offseason workouts, which include pushing his car up and down his street for conditioning.

“It’s my little Geo Tracker, it’s not like some huge truck,” Pratt said. “My dad sits in and steers it, and I sprint with it … usually just down the street and back. I live in a cul-de-sac, and I’ve been doing it for a couple of years.”

It’s an approach that also has helped him to excel at the javelin in track and field as well. Last season, Pratt finished seventh at the state 4A meet, and said he hopes to continue to throw in college.

It’s also an approach that has helped him keep his teammates grounded through an up-and-down season that included losing back-to-back games against Curtis and Kentwood after starting the season with a No.1 ranking.

“I think (being ranked No. 1 early in the season) got to a lot of our heads,” Pratt said. “It was a pretty big eye-opener that if we don’t play good, we’ll get beat.”

Now the team will face its toughest challenge of the season Friday, a rematch against No. 2 Curtis (11-0), which defeated the Trojans 41-14 earlier this year.

“That’s nice to come in as the underdogs,” Pratt said. “I think we’re close to playing our best football.”

Also on the line will be the Trojans’ 48-game homefield winning streak.

“It’s pretty big. It’s pretty important,” Pratt said. “All the people in Auburn talk about it.”

Despite the pressure of holding a long winning streak at home, Pratt and his teammates have enjoyed the winning ride this season.

“It’s high school kids playing football,” he said. “It’s meant to be enjoyed, it’s meant to be fun.”