Behind an uptempo spread offense, the scoreboard at Auburn Mountainview games sometimes moves as quickly as the dials on a slot machine.

But without standout quarterback Gresch Jensen, the Lions had to rely on defense to secure a 21-17 win in their regular-season finale against Enumclaw at Auburn Memorial Stadium on Thursday night.

Junior Bitner Wilson, who rushed for three touchdowns in the first half, intercepted Scott Garvin on first down with the Hornets at the Auburn Mountainview 26-yard line and about 30 seconds left.

“The interception just came into my hands,” said Wilson, who had touchdown runs of 5, 9 and 25 yards during the first half. “I was playing for the seniors because this is their last home game. I hope it made their night.”

And coach Jared Gervais. He noted that a loss against Enumclaw could have dropped the Lions (7-2 overall, 5-2 league) to fourth place in South Puget Sound League 3A, which would have meant a road playoff game. Instead, he said they will host a Wesco 3A team — either Meadowdale or Oak Harbor — next week.

“We could’ve been traveling to Arlington,” Gervais said. “Now we have a home playoff game, which is huge. That’s pretty cool for these kids.”

Jensen, who committed to the University of Montana, was injured during Auburn Mountainview’s Oct. 23 win against Auburn.

“That head injury kind of lingered from last week,” Gervais said. “Obviously, we want to be safe with all those kind of things these days. He didn’t clear the concussion protocol.”

Sophomore Talan Alfrey started in place of Jensen, who is expected to return for the playoffs. Alfrey completed 8 of 14 passes for 109 yards.

“You’ve got to work around it,” said Wilson, referring to Jensen’s injury. “You can’t just depend on the guy who is hurt.”

Instead, the Lions leaned on Wilson to defeat the Hornets (3-6, 2-5). He rushed for 108 yards on 21 carries.

“He played amazing. He’s a great player, he works extremely hard and he’s just a fun kid to coach. I’m happy he was able to have a great night. He deserves it.”