It's never been about a repeat.
The Citizen file photo
Weedsport quarterback Bryce Leitten leads the Warriors in rushing and passing yards this season. Leitten and the Warriors host Waterville in a Section III playoff game Friday.
Weedsport quarterback Bryce Leitten leads the Warriors in rushing and passing yards this season. Leitten and the Warriors host Waterville in a Section III playoff game Friday.
The Auburn football team has had enough challenges to face this season. There's no time to worry about defending a state title.
The first challenge - Class AA. It's brutal.
There's no clear-cut powerhouse, as evidenced by the four-way tie atop the AA-2 division. But there's no cupcakes either. Each game is a battle.
In fact, there were four games decided by one point in Class AA alone this season. Things are a bit tight. To get a win, you have to earn it.
The second challenge - injuries.
The Maroons lost starting running back Ismail Brooks in Week 3 with a leg injury. A few games later, his backup, Lamar Henry, separated his shoulder.
And in between, Auburn's senior quarterback Chris Gomez injured his arm. He missed just half a game, but it's never a good thing when your quarterback's arm is in a sling.
The third challenge- making it back to the Section III playoffs.
That's been the Maroons' goal from the start- advance to the second season. They're not thinking about trophies or playing in the Carrier Dome. It's always been about winning games and making it to the postseason. “If you win the games, things tend to work themselves out,” Auburn head coach Dave Moskov said. “You can't look ahead, not with our schedule.”
Right now, the Maroons are focused on their first-round playoff opponent, Liverpool. No. 2 Auburn hosts the No. 7 Warriors at 7 p.m. tonight at Holland Stadium.
The Maroons didn't get a look at the Warriors this season, but they've done their homework.
“They're a run-first team,” Moskov said. “Their O-line is big and strong, it's going to be a physical game. They've got a decent QB - it's a similar style of offense to what we do.”
Liverpool is led by Class AA-1's leading rusher Dom Caruso, who has amassed 862 yards on the ground with nine touchdowns. He's averaging 6.4 yards per carry.
Quarterback Tyler Kamide has thrown for 959 yards this season and his main target is T.J. Davis, who is averaging over 25 yards per catch.
It will be the job of the ever-improving Auburn defense to slow down these threats.
“Liverpool is a good team, it'll be a challenge,” All-state lineman Nick Lepak said. “They've got some big-time players and it's going to come down to who's more physical and who executes better. We know what we have to do.”
The 6-foot-4, 340-pound Lepak has no problem embracing the physical play.
“Definitely, that's the way we want it,” he said.
Liverpool lost its regular season finale - by one point - while Auburn is coming off its most lopsided victory of the season, a 33-point trouncing of Central Square.
Brooks returned from injury to rush for 211 yards and three touchdowns as the Maroons needed the win to make the postseason.
“That's exactly the way you want to enter (the playoffs),” Moskov said.
“We had to win and we won the right way. Against Corcoran and Henninger, you look at the game film and there were some gaping holes but we were able to come away with wins. The offensive and defensive lines stepped up (against Central Square) and plugged those gaps. We're looking better.”
With Brooks and Gomez returning to form and Henry cleared to play this week, the Auburn offense has no lack of weapons.
Senior Matt Hoey, who serves as the team's kicker, receiver, punter, return man and defensive back, has had another tremendous year.
Hoey has 248 yards rushing, 240 receiving and has found the end zone eight times, including two 80-plus yard kickoff returns in last week's game.
Also in the receiving corps are Matt Wild and Dave Foltz, who helped carry the offensive load with the depletion of the Auburn running backs during the middle of the season.
Wild and Foltz are favorite targets of Gomez, with the two combining for 345 receiving yards.
The Maroons are still heavily dependent on the run game, but with this much talent on the outside, it's difficult not to take advantage of the passing game.
“I think what's most impressive is the numbers,” Moskov said.
“Gomez is up around 60 percent (completions). That's outstanding - we can really stretch the field with the talent we have. You look at Foltz and Wild, and even in the backfield, (Malcolm) Bryant and (Brooks) both have good hands and can catch the ball.”
The pieces are there.
The injuries are healing and the Maroons are getting stronger.
Yet still, there's no time to look anywhere beyond tonight.
“We haven't beaten anybody yet,” Moskov said. “We've got to get past Liverpool first. That's who we're focused on. It's been the same formula all season.”
The Maroons and their fans hope it continues to be a winning one.
The first challenge - Class AA. It's brutal.
There's no clear-cut powerhouse, as evidenced by the four-way tie atop the AA-2 division. But there's no cupcakes either. Each game is a battle.
In fact, there were four games decided by one point in Class AA alone this season. Things are a bit tight. To get a win, you have to earn it.
The second challenge - injuries.
The Maroons lost starting running back Ismail Brooks in Week 3 with a leg injury. A few games later, his backup, Lamar Henry, separated his shoulder.
And in between, Auburn's senior quarterback Chris Gomez injured his arm. He missed just half a game, but it's never a good thing when your quarterback's arm is in a sling.
The third challenge- making it back to the Section III playoffs.
That's been the Maroons' goal from the start- advance to the second season. They're not thinking about trophies or playing in the Carrier Dome. It's always been about winning games and making it to the postseason. “If you win the games, things tend to work themselves out,” Auburn head coach Dave Moskov said. “You can't look ahead, not with our schedule.”
Right now, the Maroons are focused on their first-round playoff opponent, Liverpool. No. 2 Auburn hosts the No. 7 Warriors at 7 p.m. tonight at Holland Stadium.
The Maroons didn't get a look at the Warriors this season, but they've done their homework.
“They're a run-first team,” Moskov said. “Their O-line is big and strong, it's going to be a physical game. They've got a decent QB - it's a similar style of offense to what we do.”
Liverpool is led by Class AA-1's leading rusher Dom Caruso, who has amassed 862 yards on the ground with nine touchdowns. He's averaging 6.4 yards per carry.
Quarterback Tyler Kamide has thrown for 959 yards this season and his main target is T.J. Davis, who is averaging over 25 yards per catch.
It will be the job of the ever-improving Auburn defense to slow down these threats.
“Liverpool is a good team, it'll be a challenge,” All-state lineman Nick Lepak said. “They've got some big-time players and it's going to come down to who's more physical and who executes better. We know what we have to do.”
The 6-foot-4, 340-pound Lepak has no problem embracing the physical play.
“Definitely, that's the way we want it,” he said.
Liverpool lost its regular season finale - by one point - while Auburn is coming off its most lopsided victory of the season, a 33-point trouncing of Central Square.
Brooks returned from injury to rush for 211 yards and three touchdowns as the Maroons needed the win to make the postseason.
“That's exactly the way you want to enter (the playoffs),” Moskov said.
“We had to win and we won the right way. Against Corcoran and Henninger, you look at the game film and there were some gaping holes but we were able to come away with wins. The offensive and defensive lines stepped up (against Central Square) and plugged those gaps. We're looking better.”
With Brooks and Gomez returning to form and Henry cleared to play this week, the Auburn offense has no lack of weapons.
Senior Matt Hoey, who serves as the team's kicker, receiver, punter, return man and defensive back, has had another tremendous year.
Hoey has 248 yards rushing, 240 receiving and has found the end zone eight times, including two 80-plus yard kickoff returns in last week's game.
Also in the receiving corps are Matt Wild and Dave Foltz, who helped carry the offensive load with the depletion of the Auburn running backs during the middle of the season.
Wild and Foltz are favorite targets of Gomez, with the two combining for 345 receiving yards.
The Maroons are still heavily dependent on the run game, but with this much talent on the outside, it's difficult not to take advantage of the passing game.
“I think what's most impressive is the numbers,” Moskov said.
“Gomez is up around 60 percent (completions). That's outstanding - we can really stretch the field with the talent we have. You look at Foltz and Wild, and even in the backfield, (Malcolm) Bryant and (Brooks) both have good hands and can catch the ball.”
The pieces are there.
The injuries are healing and the Maroons are getting stronger.
Yet still, there's no time to look anywhere beyond tonight.
“We haven't beaten anybody yet,” Moskov said. “We've got to get past Liverpool first. That's who we're focused on. It's been the same formula all season.”
The Maroons and their fans hope it continues to be a winning one.
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