AUBURN - The 2006 state champions didn't get one - not that it mattered much during their title run.
The last 15 Auburn football teams didn't get one either, which makes it all the more impressive that this year's Maroons did.
For the first since 1992, Auburn has a Section III, Class AA playoff game at home.
Though Maroons fans proved they are the best travelers in Section III last season when the team went on a two-month tear on the road to win the state title, Auburn is glad to be playing on their own turf.
For once, they'll be playing on their grass, with their maroon-wearing fans in their stands. In their house.
“I'm actually really excited about it,” Maroons senior co-captain Nick Lepak said. “We've never had a home playoff game before. I hope a lot of people show up - I think that's one of the things I'm looking forward to the most. Obviously that and the game itself.”
As Maroons fans well know, Holland Stadium is where Auburn has dominated this season, going 4-0.
This season, the team became the first Auburn squad since 2002 to go undefeated at home during the regular season, outscoring opponents 165-93 there.
The No. 2 Class AA seed looks to make it 5-0 on Friday when No. 7 seeded Liverpool comes to town. The Warriors will get to experience the Maroons mystique for the first time this season.
“It starts with the stadium here and I think that our kids are starting to believe that there is something powerful there, that there is history here,” Maroons head coach Dave Moskov said.
“A lot of our kids understand it and believe it when they walk out there, that it's a special place. I think that what makes it the most special is the people that fill the stands. We've got an unbelievable student section that is always packed. When you combine a great stadium with great fans and the families that come out, it's a great place for high school kids to play.”
It certainly has been for the Maroons this season, and their unblemished record at home is something they plan on defending to the best of their abilities.
“We've been undefeated here all season and now during the playoffs, we know we have to do the same,” Lepak said. “It's our field obviously, and we've got to defend it and that's what I believe we're going to do.”
While the team has never looked for a way to equal or top the success of last season, they are able to take some pride in doing something that last season's team didn't.
“I think what it does, it says that this team went out and achieved some things,” Moskov said.
“You want, as a team, to be able to do things together. And like the big brother, little brother syndrome - you appreciated your big brother and respect him, but in the end, you want to go out and make your own mark and achieve something else and that's what this team has done. They've got a great connection to last year's team, but they've also said, 'You know what? We've got a nice team too and we've achieved something big here.'”
The one thing that the entire team believes gives them an edge at Holland Stadium is the one thing that has grown over the last year - the Maroons' fan base.
The team's faithful followers that made four different postseason venues feel like Auburn's home last year will undoubtedly make tonight's game even more comfortable.
“One of the main things has been the community behind us,” Lepak said. “We get such a good crowd at our games and I think that since it's in such close proximity to the field that in some ways, it bothers our opponents and gives us the advantage in games.”
“It's definitely great to be playing this game at home,” Auburn wideout Dave Foltz added. “We like playing here. Our crowd and our fans are always out here supporting us, so hopefully we can get another win here.”
For the first since 1992, Auburn has a Section III, Class AA playoff game at home.
Though Maroons fans proved they are the best travelers in Section III last season when the team went on a two-month tear on the road to win the state title, Auburn is glad to be playing on their own turf.
For once, they'll be playing on their grass, with their maroon-wearing fans in their stands. In their house.
“I'm actually really excited about it,” Maroons senior co-captain Nick Lepak said. “We've never had a home playoff game before. I hope a lot of people show up - I think that's one of the things I'm looking forward to the most. Obviously that and the game itself.”
As Maroons fans well know, Holland Stadium is where Auburn has dominated this season, going 4-0.
This season, the team became the first Auburn squad since 2002 to go undefeated at home during the regular season, outscoring opponents 165-93 there.
The No. 2 Class AA seed looks to make it 5-0 on Friday when No. 7 seeded Liverpool comes to town. The Warriors will get to experience the Maroons mystique for the first time this season.
“It starts with the stadium here and I think that our kids are starting to believe that there is something powerful there, that there is history here,” Maroons head coach Dave Moskov said.
“A lot of our kids understand it and believe it when they walk out there, that it's a special place. I think that what makes it the most special is the people that fill the stands. We've got an unbelievable student section that is always packed. When you combine a great stadium with great fans and the families that come out, it's a great place for high school kids to play.”
It certainly has been for the Maroons this season, and their unblemished record at home is something they plan on defending to the best of their abilities.
“We've been undefeated here all season and now during the playoffs, we know we have to do the same,” Lepak said. “It's our field obviously, and we've got to defend it and that's what I believe we're going to do.”
While the team has never looked for a way to equal or top the success of last season, they are able to take some pride in doing something that last season's team didn't.
“I think what it does, it says that this team went out and achieved some things,” Moskov said.
“You want, as a team, to be able to do things together. And like the big brother, little brother syndrome - you appreciated your big brother and respect him, but in the end, you want to go out and make your own mark and achieve something else and that's what this team has done. They've got a great connection to last year's team, but they've also said, 'You know what? We've got a nice team too and we've achieved something big here.'”
The one thing that the entire team believes gives them an edge at Holland Stadium is the one thing that has grown over the last year - the Maroons' fan base.
The team's faithful followers that made four different postseason venues feel like Auburn's home last year will undoubtedly make tonight's game even more comfortable.
“One of the main things has been the community behind us,” Lepak said. “We get such a good crowd at our games and I think that since it's in such close proximity to the field that in some ways, it bothers our opponents and gives us the advantage in games.”
“It's definitely great to be playing this game at home,” Auburn wideout Dave Foltz added. “We like playing here. Our crowd and our fans are always out here supporting us, so hopefully we can get another win here.”
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