Todd Beamer 42, Auburn 20: Big third quarter propels Titans to 4A NPSL Olympic title

A quick-strike offense and four third-quarter touchdowns helped Todd Beamer clinch at least a share of the 4A North Puget Sound League Olympic title, as the Titans downed Auburn 42-20 Friday night at Auburn Memorial Stadium.

Todd Beamer (7-1, 6-0 4A NPSL Olympic) remains unblemished in the NPSL 4A Olympic play, claiming its first league title in program history.

“The league title, that’s a big deal,” Todd Beamer head coach Darren McKay said. “It’s the first one in the history of our school, and it gives us the first round playoff game, and we’re hosting that game.”

Auburn (5-3, 3-3) lost its third straight.

The first half saw two radically different offensive approaches. Auburn ran 42 plays in four drives, totaling 207 yards and 13 first downs while holding possession for nearly 20 minutes. Todd Beamer ran seven plays for 148 yards and two very quick scores. The game was tied 14-14 going into halftime.

The Titans’ two scores both came on two-play drives. Todd Beamer quarterback Desmond Nelton opened the scoring when he snagged a high shotgun snap and raced through the middle of the defense for a 66-yard touchdown run. After Auburn scored twice to take a 14-7 lead, Nelton found wide receiver Colin McKay behind the defense for a 55-yard touchdown pass to tie the score.

“I saw the corner come up, and I just knew he was going to be wide open so I just gave it to him,” Nelton said.

Auburn’s first-half scores capped 15- and 13-play drives, as the Trojans dominated time of possession before the break. Both drives ended with Joseph Fagan touchdown runs, and Fagan finished the night with three scores.

“We matched them in the first half and kept the ball away from them, and that’s what you have to do,” Auburn head coach Gordon Elliott said. “In the second half, we just weren’t able to do that.”

Momentum turned Beamer’s way in the third quarter. Kuma Scanlan’s 23-yard touchdown run capped a five-play, 58-yard drive as the Titans jumped on top 21-14.

Another methodical Auburn drive followed, taking eight plays to cover 65 yards as Fagan scored his third touchdown of the night on a 27-yard run. A missed PAT left Todd Beamer on top 21-20 midway through the third quarter.

Scanlan scored from two yards out to cap the Titans’ next drive. After a defensive three-and-out, Billy Vann’s 33-yard punt return set up the Titans’ offense at the Auburn 20. McKay followed with a scoring run on the drive’s only play to make it 35-20.

Another defensive stop led to a special teams score, as Lincoln Mitchell-Liulama blocked an Auburn punt and returned it 21 yards to make it 42-20 in the final seconds of the third quarter.

“We did a nice job being physical in the second half,” the Titans’ coach said. “We’ve done that all year long as far as the second half.”

This story was originally published October 21, 2016 at 10:57 PM with the headline "Todd Beamer 42, Auburn 20: Big third quarter propels Titans to 4A NPSL Olympic title."