Jenkins goes wild in Auburn High win

Somebody give Calvin Jenkins a high-five.

The Auburn High quarterback had a hand in five touchdowns — three rushing and two passing — as the Tigers beat Northview, 36-14, on Friday night at Duck Samford Stadium and won for the fourth time in four tries.

Jenkins scored on rushes of 1, 7 and 13 yards, and tossed touchdown passes of 38 and 41 yards.

The Tigers (4-0, 3-0 Class 6A-Region 3) scored 29 unanswered points after trailing 14-7 in the second quarter and, having already beaten region foes Northview, Enterprise and Dothan, inched closer to clinching a playoff spot.

“We weren’t trying to make a statement, we just want to keep winning,” AHS coach Tim Carter said. “There are two other undefeated teams (Smiths Station and Opelika) out there and we’ve just got to keep having fun and keep playing hard.”

AHS still must play region opponents Smiths Station, Central, Russell County and Opelika. The top four teams qualify for the 6A playoffs.

Both Auburn and Northview play non-region games next week. AHS hosts Jeff Davis, while Northview (2-2, 2-1 region) visits Wetumpka.

Despite the loss, Northview quarterback B.J. Chitty enjoyed a big night with 256 yards passing and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 86 yards.

“He gives us some options,” said Cougars’ coach Chip Harris. “If things don’t go great, he can generate big plays with his legs.”

Jenkins may not have matched Chitty’s total offense, but generated very respectable stats with a game-high 102 yards rushing and 92 passing yards.

“Calvin made some plays for us in the second quarter when the game was out of control,” Carter said.

Jenkins passed for one score and rushed for another as the Tigers and Cougars traded second-quarter touchdowns. Chitty matched his effort with two TD passes in the period and 142 yards passing in the first half.

With Northview leading 14-7, a turning point for AHS came in the second quarter when Marquel Franklin rushed 27 yards on a fake punt to keep a drive alive. The Tigers scored moments later when Jenkins burst around the right side for a 7-yard score with 28 seconds remaining in the half to tie the game at 14-14.

What happened early in the third period set the tone for the rest of the night.

Northview seemingly took a 21-14 lead early in the third quarter when Derrick Thomas burst up the middle for a 15-yard touchdown. But the Cougars were flagged for holding on the play, and Northview failed to score on the drive as the Tigers forced a turnover on downs at the 25.

Harris was asked what the difference in the second half was.

He replied, “When we went up 21-14 and they called it back with a holding penalty. We lost the momentum and that hurt bad. I think we had them on their heels.”

Auburn dominated from then on.

Jenkins raced 31 yards down the left sideline to kick-start the Tigers’ first drive of the quarter. Latrell Jenkins’ 34-yard burst two plays later set AHS up at the one, where the quarterback bulled into the end zone on third down.

Auburn’s 20-14 lead was anything but safe, but when Chitty lost 11 yards trying to elude pass-rushers, it set up the Tigers’ next score. From the 12-yard line, the Northview punt snap sailed over punter Cam Cobb’s head. Cobb raced to the ball and kicked it out of the back of the end zone, assuring a safety.

Leading now 22-14, Auburn took advantage of the field position — taking possession at the Cougar 41. Two plays later, Jenkins zipped a pass across the middle to Franklin, who snared the ball and eluded defenders for a 41-yard score and a 29-14 lead.

From that point, the outcome was virtually decided.

jmcadory@oanow.com | 737-2549