Despite holding the high-powered No. 2 ranked Curtis offense to a paltry three points in the first half, the Auburn Trojans were unable to hold off the undefeated Vikings in the second half, falling 31-0 in the Washington State 4A quarterfinals Friday at Auburn Memorial Stadium.
After containing Curtis (12-0) and their big-play receiver Rahmel Dockery in the first half, the Auburn (9-3) defense was ground down early in the second half, with the Vikings mounting an eight-minute, 80-yard drive capped by a 8-yard TD pass from Tyler Jamison to Derek Berrey.
“We controlled number five (Dockery), he didn’t have any big plays on us,” Auburn coach Gordon Elliott said. “And I thought if we could do that we’d have a good shot against them. But we just let them overpower us”
Auburn managed to contain Dockery, who finished the game with three catches for 52 yards and a touchdown.
The Vikings found success on the ground however, with running back Tyler Montague gaining 103 yards on 22 carries with two touchdowns.
“In the second half they just kind of overpowered us a little bit,” Elliott said. “We just had a hard time getting the defense off the field and getting our offense going. They’re a good football team and were able to change their attack in the second half.”
The Trojan offense was held to just three yards total offense in the second half.
The loss is Auburn’s second to the Vikings this year, with Dockery driving Curtis with seven catches for 147 yards and two touchdowns in his team’s 41-14 victory earlier this season.
Despite his team’s previous victory, Curtis head coach Clay Angle said he was cautious coming into the playoff game.
“I was very, very worried about this Auburn team because I know how good they can play,” he said. “They were much more prepared. They were more physical in the first half. They played to a higher level. We played well, but we made some mistakes in the red zone. We just tried to get out of our own way and just get after them.”
The loss is Auburn’s first home loss since 2003 and the first time the team has been shutout since it’s 47-0 loss to Bellevue in the semifinals in 2006.
After the game, Elliott urged the kids to keep their heads up.
“The problem with the state playoffs is that there is only one team that is ever happy after the last game,” Elliott said. “Good teams can have a bad experience their last game. You just have to look back on the season and not let the year ending loss be a reflection on your season.”
