Despite holding high-powered Curtis to three points in the first half, Auburn was unable to hold off the undefeated Vikings in the second half, falling 31-0 in the Class 4A state quarterfinals last Friday at Auburn Memorial Stadium.
After containing Curtis and its big-play receiver, Rahmel Dockery, in the first half, the Auburn defense wore down early in the second half. The second-ranked Vikings pulled ahead, mounting an eight-minute, 80-yard drive capped by an 8-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Jamison to Derek Berrey. The play ignited a 28-point outburst.
The loss was Auburn’s first home loss since 2003, snapping a streak of 48 games, and the program’s first shutout since a 47-0 loss to Bellevue in the 2006 state semifinals.
The Trojans, who finished the season 9-3, lost in the quarterfinals for the third straight year.
“We controlled No. 5 (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 held Dockery to 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 Trojans were held to just 3 yards total offense in the second half.
Dockery had seven catches for 147 yards and two touchdowns in the Curtis’ 41-14 victory over Auburn six weeks earlier.
Curtis (12-0) faces top-ranked Skyline (11-1) in the semifinals at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Tacoma Dome.
Despite his team’s previous victory, Curtis coach Clay Angle 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.”
For Auburn, Alphonse Wade, who injured his knee in a first-round victory over Skyview of Vancouver last week, got just two carries, gaining 17 on the first and losing two on the second. He finished his career with 2,966 rushing yards.
After the game, Elliott urged his players 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.”
