For Auburn senior Jeff Gouveia, it’s not about personal glory or even capturing a state 4A title. Right now, it’s about just playing another week of football with his Trojan teammates.
Unbeaten Auburn earned another week by pounding Inglemoor, 38-14, in the preliminary qualifying round of the playoffs at Auburn Memorial Stadium last Friday night.
The third-ranked Trojans, now 10-0 on the season, advanced to play No. 10 Woodinville (9-1) in the first round of the 16-team state playoffs this Friday at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m.
Inglemoor finished the season 6-4.
“It feels good just to play at home,” Gouveia said. “It feels good to get another week to play football.”
Gouveia and the Trojans hammered the Vikings early, scoring 26 points in the first half, while holding Inglemoor scoreless.
“We like to run the ball up and down the field and we like to get started quick,” said Gouveia, who cracked the 1,000-yard rushing barrier this season. “We just execute and run our offense and see what happens.”
The Vikings scored twice in the second half, capitalizing on two Auburn fumbles.
“No one wants turnovers,” Gouveia said. “We just have to work on securing the ball. We work on it all the time in practice. No one needs a turnover at a crucial time in a playoff game.”
Gouveia scored three times in the contest, on runs of 16, 63 and 35 yards, running his touchdown total for the season to 28. Sophomore Austen Embody scored on a 20-yard run and junior Chris Young hoofed one in from 11 yards out.
Now, a meeting with Woodinville looms.
“We’re pretty much practicing the same things we always do,” Gouveia said. “We’ve got to do the same things that we’ve been doing. It’s postseason, so you’ve to set the game up a little but we’re not doing anything different.
“This team just comes out each and every week and just works hard,” he said. “We’ve got one more week at home, and I sure don’t want to lose my last home field game. I’m just going to do what I can to help the team and keep that winning streak at Auburn Memorial Stadium.”
The Trojans have not lost a home game in four seasons.
ALSO: Auburn Riverside (4-6) concluded its season with a 20-6 nonleague win over Emerald Ridge (2-8) last Thursday. Senior Corey Carson notched the bulk of the carries with 21 for 112 yards and two touchdowns. Jake Pele had 113-yards on 16 carries. … Auburn Mountainview (6-4) ended its season on a high note with a 47-14 win over Hazen (4-6) in a nonleague game. Junior quarterback Cody McNeil scored four touchdowns – two rushing, one passing and another on a interception return. Matt Gayman added two rushing touchdowns from 76 and 52 yards. Darius Elliot-Free added a touchdown reception and a 72-yard kickoff return.
Auburn downs Vikings 38-14 in playoff
