The showdown turned into a statement.
Second-ranked Curtis flexed its muscles and showed off its speed in a 41-14 romp over seventh-ranked Auburn in a nonleague contest Friday night in University Place.
“Hopefully this makes a pretty big statement with the scoreboard and how we played tonight,” senior lineman Max Hersey said, “letting everyone know in the state that Curtis is for real.”
Message received.
Curtis (6-0) jumped on the Trojans (4-2) quickly.
Quarterback Tyler Jamison hit receiver C.J. Langlow in stride for a 69-yard touchdown strike on the Vikings’ second offensive play.
Curtis forced Auburn to punt on its first three possessions, building a 13-0 lead, and never looked back.
“They out-athleted us,” Auburn coach Gordan Elliott said. “They just played better than we did in the first half. We dug ourselves a hole and couldn’t get back out of it.”
Curtis’ play-making dynamo Rahmel Dockery helped bury the Trojans.
The 5-foot-11, 165-pound senior caught seven passes for 147 yards and three touchdowns.
Dockery, the South Puget Sound League leader in all-purpose yards, racked up 274 against Auburn. In addition to his receiving yards, he rushed for 68 yards and had 59 yards on two punt returns, including a 45-yard scamper that set up the Vikings’ second touchdown.
The Trojans showed life early in the second quarter when running back Austin Embody ripped off a pair of 22-yard runs, the second resulting in a touchdown, that made the score 13-7. But that’s as close as Auburn would get.
“Once we were ahead it takes away some of their advantages with their ball-control offense,” Curtis coach Clay Angle said. “It was kind of a blueprint of our Graham-Kapowsin game (a 35-0 Curtis victory).”
Jamison, who completed 10 of 15 passes for 237 yards, and Dockery hooked up for touchdown passes of 19 and 24 yards on the Vikings’ next two drives, extending Curtis’ lead to 27-7 at halftime. Curtis outgained Auburn in total offense 289-96 in the first half.
The Trojans found more room to run in the second half.
Embody finished with 120 rushing yards on 12 attempts, and Alphonse Wade ran for 106 yards on 12 carries.
The nonleague victory won’t help Curtis win a third straight SPSL South title or secure a playoff berth. That didn’t stop the Vikings from savoring every moment of a game many of them had been eyeing since before the season.
“This was huge,” Hersey said. “We wanted this game bad and we wanted to show that we’re one of the best teams in the state.”
Doug Pacey: 253-597-8271 doug.pacey@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/preps
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