The faces have changed on the Auburn High football field this fall.
“We have the fewest returners that I have had in 10 years,” said coach Gordon Elliott.
That may be the case, but Friday night at Auburn Memorial Stadium, the Trojans still managed to have the answers.
Halfback Blake Elliott caught a touchdown pass, added another on the ground and even threw for a score — all in the first half — in helping Auburn hold off Kentridge 32-20 in the South Puget Sound League North Division opener for both teams.
Auburn pulled out every trick in its vast offensive game plan, and was just able to hold off a late Kentridge rally. After falling behind 6-0 in the opening minutes, the Trojans ripped off four touchdowns to end the first quarter and open the second to take a 26-6 lead. Refusing to back down, Kentridge battled back to get within six points at 26-20 before Auburn running back Darnell Hagans put the game away with a 4-yard touchdown run with 1:38 remaining in the game.
“It was a season-opener type game,” Elliott said. “We did some good things and we have some things to work on. We made some big plays and we made some mistakes.”
Kentridge (0-1 in league, 0-1 overall) hasn’t beaten Auburn since 2003. That streak appeared easily intact until late in the second quarter, when the Charger offense began to come to life. Kentridge’s Jimmie Davis cut the deficit to 26-14 with 2:06 remaining in the half with a 3-yard touchdown run. The Chargers continued to chip away in the third quarter, when new quarterback John Hamilton engineered a 15-play, 57-yard drive that culminated in another 3-yard touchdown run by Davis. Hamilton completed 4 of 5 passes for 20 yards on the drive while Davis added five rushes for 22 yards.
Kentridge had a chance to go ahead early in the fourth quarter, but was turned back by Auburn at midfield.
Auburn regained possession and was pinned back at its own 17-yard line with just minutes remaining, but managed to convert a 3rd-and-15 thanks to a 17-yard pass from quarterback Tilden Sansom to Lincoln Burt that swung the momentum back in the Trojans’ favor.
“It’s tough,” said Davis, who finished with 54 yards rushing on 14 carries. “We thought we were going to pull through. We just made too many mistakes.”
Miscues were found on both sides of the ball throughout the game.
Kentridge’s Jacob Zylstra helped the Chargers take an early lead, intercepting Auburn’s first pass of the game and returning it 45 yards down to the Trojans’ 3-yard line. One play later, Kentridge’s Alec McKenzie went around the left side untouched for a 4-yard touchdown run and a 6-0 advantage. The lead, however, was short lived as Auburn promptly took the ball 47 yards on seven plays in its next possession, which was capped by a 30-yard touchdown pass from Ellison to Burt.
Ellison put his versatility on display all night, picking up yards on the ground and through the air.
“He’s a good all-around kid,” Elliott said.
Ellison pushed Auburn’s lead to 14-6 with a 2-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter, a score made possible thanks to a blocked punt by Chandler Link. Auburn continued to show its big-play ability late in the first quarter, when Cyrus Laumatia recovered a fumble at the Kentridge 10-yard line and bolted 90 yards the other way for the score. The Trojans added to their lead with 10:46 left in the second quarter, when Josh McCoy connected with Ellison on a 45-yard halfback pass for a score.
The two blocked punts and the fumble returned for a touchdown was simply too much for the Chargers to overcome.
“It’s a tough one,” said Kentridge coach Marty Osborn. “The kids battled back, we just made too many mistakes.”
Kentridge’s Hamilton, making his first start for the Chargers, completed 16 of 37 passes for 173 yards.
Kentridge will try and get in the win column Friday, Sept. 9, when it plays host to Kentlake at French Field. The Falcons knocked off Auburn Riverside in their season opener, 49-7. Auburn will be at Mount Rainier Sept. 9. Mount Rainier lost to Kentwood in its season opener, 47-0.
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