AHS hits the road to face Central in crucial regional matchup | sport

The Tigers and Red Devils join Carver Montgomery as two of three remaining undefeated teams in 7A Region 2. It is the second road game against a top-5 team for the Tigers, who return their first road test on September 13th with a big win at Enterprise passed with flying colors.

Both Auburn High and Central are 5-0, with only one game each decided by single digits. Auburn High has achieved a balance of good offense and defense in its five wins.

The Tigers have a high-octane offense that has scored 49 or more goals three times in a row – including a 53-point performanceIn the Tigers' only away game at Enterprise. The Tigers have shown the ability to score quickly on drives with explosive plays. Players like Payton Plott, Omar Mabson and Jackson Kilgore have contributed to this quick-hitting ability.

“Thanks to the guys, our offense can score points very quickly,” said AHS head coach Keith Etheredge. “We have a lot of speed, a lot of fast guys. Then you have Omar in the backfield, speed and power, and Jackson does a really good job of finding open people.”

Plott has established himself as one of the Tigers' top big-play threats in his first year with the program.

“He can do anything,” Etheredge said. “When you have a man who can do everything, that makes you dangerous.”

The Tigers face an interior defense that averaged just under 14 points per game in the first three games, but gave up 35 to Dothan and 21 to Enterprise in the last two games.

The Tigers' defense, which has only given up more than 20 points twice, faces a central offense that has broken the 60-point mark twice this season, with a season-high 69 against Smith's Station.

In Central's last game against Enterprise, the Red Devils rushed for 265 yards – 224 of which came from running back Tristan Williams. Quarterback Andrew Alford also passed for 166 yards and two touchdowns and completed 66.3 percent of his passes.

Last season, the Tigers lost twice to the Red Devils, falling 41-20 in a regular-season game at Duck Samford Stadium and then falling 49-21 in the playoffs at Phenix City — a game that ended Auburn High's 2023 season. Auburn's last win over Central was a 14-13 victory in the 2022 playoffs. The Tigers' last regular season win against the Red Devils came in 2020. The teams have one common opponent so far this season: the Enterprise Wildcats. Auburn High earned a 53-22 road win, while the Red Devils won 34-21 on their home field.

The Tigers and Red Devils will kick off at Garrett Harrison Stadium on Friday at 7 p.m. as two of the state's best teams square off. It is the Tigers' second-to-last away game of the regular season, as two of the Tigers' last three games are played at home.