Curtis looks to avoid upset against Auburn (File Video)

When Curtis (11-0, 8-0 SPSL) faced off earlier this season against Auburn, it was a decidedly one-sided affair.

The Vikings raced out to a 27-0 lead and were never really tested in cruising to a 41-14 victory. That type of result would seem to put Curtis at ease heading into Friday night's 4A state tournament rematch with the Trojans, which is exactly what worries Curtis head coach Clay Angle.

"What we're preaching this week is that Auburn is six weeks away from the time we played them, they're a different team now, they've got a winning streak going and they're playing well right now," Angle said. "We need to respect them, as all opponents, and not think back to that. We're not even showing the video from the first game, we're just focusing on what they've done the last few weeks, which is pretty impressive."

could help ensure the Curtis players keep their focus in the days leading up to the Auburn showdown. The Vikings were challenged for the first time all season and needed a late touchdown — catch-and-run by Rahmel Dockery — along with some timely stops and takeaways from its defense to avoid the upset.

"We had a couple of opportunities where we didn't score," Angle said. "You have to give credit to Eastlake and their defense. We played four quarters and we were able to come back and score the last touchdown to win the game."

Auburn has already notched one giant upset in the state tournament, taking out top-ranked Skyview last week. That win awarded the Trojans home-field advantage against Curtis, something Auburn will need to capitalize on in order to put together back-to-back upset victories.

The Trojans feature head coach Gordon Elliot's double-wing attack, which puts two backs in a system designed to use speed to beat teams with outside running. Auburn gained 219 yards on the ground against Curtis in October.

"They attack the perimeters," Angle said. "They try to outflank you and as you widen to try to contain them, they like to run cutbacks. They're a strong running team."

Against Eastlake, Curtis was forced to play into the fourth quarter for the first time all season. Curtis averages over 42 points per game, but has scored only 45 total points in the fourth quarter all season, as the outcomes of most games have not been in doubt for the Vikings. Against Auburn on Friday night, Angle hopes to recover the early game scoring magic, but now knows his team can win even if the game comes down to final minutes.

"It was good for us to experience it," Angle said. "I think every coach would like to win every game handily, but the reality is that in the playoffs, you're not going to have that luxury. We were glad that we were able to prevail in a close game and it was nice to get that out of the way. There's going to be more games like that down the road."

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