AUBURN - The game had everything you'd expect from the last two Class AA football state champions. Everything that is, except for defense.

Offensively, Auburn and West Genesee were on fire in the first game of the 2008 season. The Maroons pushed the defending champs around in the first quarter, but faltered defensively after that, in the 56-35 loss at Holland Stadium on Friday night.

“The guys came out firing, no doubt about it,” Auburn head coach Dave Moskov said. “There were things about this game, it was an offensive battle, going back and forth on both sides.”

Tailback Manny Brooks exposed the Wildcats defense in the first half, to the tune of 150 yards, two touchdowns and a two-point conversion catch. That wasn't the case in the final 24 minutes of the contest, when West Genesee held the speedy running back to less than 40 yards and no end zone appearances. Malcolm Bryant helped to create a two-headed monster with four rushes for 54 yards. JT Foltz also had one run for 54 yards that tied the game at 35 to conclude the third quarter - and Auburn's scoring run,

“They did a nice job of adjusting to (Brooks),” Moskov said. “They were able to adjust to some of the things that we were able to do with him. We tried to do some other things with the ball because they were doing a decent job on us.”

With one turnover apiece, the two storied programs managed to match each other touchdown for touchdown until the Wildcats pulled away in the fourth quarter, lighting up the scoreboard with three touchdowns. To their credit, West Genesee was able to pin Auburn deep into their own territory for most of the second half, limiting its opportunities.

“No question, we have to get a little more consistent,” Moskov said. “The whole second half we were in horrendous field position, facing that wind. They had the ball outside the 50 for most of the fourth quarter - the field position was really a tough position that hurt us in the second half.”

Where the Wildcats did most of their damage was through the air - though they put up 175 yards on the ground, 73 of those coming in the first half. West Genesee quarterback Jim Marks went 16-for-22 for 330 yards, no interceptions and five touchdowns. A lot of those yards came by way of Jake Fiekewicz's incredible speed. The quick wide receiver made seven grabs for 168 yards.

“No question about it - our defense struggled out there a little bit up front,” Moskov said. “(West Genesee) did a nice job up front and created some seams, throwing and running the ball effectively. Our defense was on its heels and that's how we ended up on the short side of a shootout.”

After Brooks made a 70-yard dash to the end zone just two minutes into the game and Jesse Infante's kick sailed through the uprights, Auburn quarterback Dave Jacobs had his own success when he made a nice throw to receiver Matt Wild at the 7:27 mark to put the Maroons up 14-0.

The game looked like it would be in the palm of Auburn's hands until Fietkewicz caught a 20-yard touchdown pass with four seconds left in the first half.

Jacobs finished his first varsity start behind center 7-for-16, 166 yards, an inconsequential interception and two touchdowns. Wild was on the receiving end of four of those completions for 50 yards. Ed Charles caught his second touchdown, a 24-yard effort that tied the game at 28 with 30.4 seconds left in the half off of a Jeremy Jones fumble.

“I liked his poise tonight,” Moskov said of his junior quarterback. “The first thing we needed to see was him come out and handle that stress (of his first start). That's a hard thing to fix - when someone starts to panic and the wheels come off, everything else is fixable. He showed some character, he held it together at the end of the game, his head was up. He was the first one to get the other guys going - that's who we are.”

The outcome was a far cry from last season's 13-12 score, in West Genny's favor. Now they (0-1) prepare for a tough Cicero-North Syracuse team on the road Friday.

“First and foremost, we have to do better against the run, get some pressure on the QBs,” Moskov said. “We don't have much time to lick our wounds with C-NS.”