No. 2 Auburn High opens season with 'statement win' at No. 3 Hoover

Auburn’s Octavian Brown (19) tears through the banner as the Tigers take the field for kickoff. Auburn vs Hoover on Friday, Aug. 19, 2022, in Montgomery, Ala.

HOOVER — Jackson Kilgore couldn’t have scripted a better first career start at quarterback.

Well, except for the part where he threw a red-zone interception and got his “butt chewed out” by one of his offensive linemen.

But that turned out to be just the motivation that Kilgore needed. He shook off the early mistake to score three touchdowns and lead No. 2 Auburn High to a commanding, season-opening 39-14 road win over No. 3 Hoover at The Met on Friday night.

“Coming in here, I hope it’s a statement for all the other teams,” Kilgore said. “But, obviously, it puts a target on our backs now.”

Kilgore completed 20 of his 30 passing attempts for 207 yards and two touchdowns, then scrambled for a 22-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Tyler Flakes rushed for 48 yards and a touchdown, while Towns McGough booted field goals from 55 and 40 yards out.

Auburn High’s trademark disruptive defense only gave up two explosive plays that led to Hoover touchdowns. Defensive back Jackson Mills broke open the game with a pick-six on the second play of the third quarter, while defensive lineman Deuce White came through with two sacks and an interception of his own on a tipped screen pass.

“Practice equals games,” White said. “If you put in the hard work in practice, coming into the game should be easy.”

The visiting Tigers were down 7-3 midway through the second quarter of a defensive slugfest when Kilgore threw an interception inside the Hoover 20-yard line. Auburn had just gotten a huge kickoff return from Omar Mabson to get into prime scoring position, but Kilgore’s miscue on the first play gave the ball right back to Hoover.

A disruptive Auburn defense forced a quick Hoover punt, and Kilgore converted several third downs through the air to set up a go-ahead 8-yard touchdown run from Flakes.

Auburn High would never trail again.

“Any time you can get a win against Hoover, it’s a great night,” Auburn High head coach Keith Etheredge said.

Mills’ pick-six was immediately answered by a long touchdown run from Hoover’s Jonah Winston, but the Tigers quickly reclaimed their two-score lead when Kilgore rolled out to his left and found Cody Palmer for a 9-yard touchdown.

After Auburn forced a quick Hoover 3-and-out, Kilgore led another long drive from the Tigers that he finished with his legs on third-and-long.

“He’s a winner,” Etheredge said of Kilgore. “He’s a tough kid. He’s a competitor. I’m super proud of him.”

White’s interception put the nail in the coffin for Hoover, which could only watch as Kilgore hit a leaping Ean Nation in the corner of the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown to put Auburn up by four scores for good.

“They broke a couple of long ones on us,” Etheredge said. “But I just told our guys to wrap up and play the next play. The Winston kid is electric. He’s hard to tackle. I think we made fewer mistakes in the second half, and that’s why we won.”

Friday marked just the third time Auburn High had played powerhouse Hoover. The first meeting was a 20-3 Auburn loss in the 2013 state championship game, but the Tigers opened the 2022 season with a tight 17-14 win over the Bucs in Montgomery.

The rubber match in the series became the first regular-season Hoover loss by 20 or more points since a 2019 defeat at the hands of Florida’s IMG Academy.

“It’s chemistry, dude,” Kilgore said of Auburn’s big win. “They might have had more talent than us, but I promise you that this team’s bond — you can’t beat it.”

AHS — 3 10 13 13

HHS — 0 7 7 0

First quarter

AHS — Towns McGough 55 field goal, 0:10

Second quarter

HHS — Jonah Winston 1 run (kick good), 9:09

AHS — Tyler Flakes 8 run (kick good), 4:14

AHS — McGough 45 field goal, 0:00

Third quarter

AHS — Jackson Mills 30 interception return (kick good), 11:09

HHS — Winston 35 run (kick good), 6:55

AHS — Cody Palmer 9 pass from Jackson Kilgore (2-point missed), 1:43

Fourth quarter

AHS — Kilgore 22 run (kick blocked), 10:25

AHS — Ean Nation 14 pass from Kilgore (kick good), 7:41

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