Auburn High School opened the 2021 season in dominating fashion with a 45-0 win over Park Crossing at Auburn's Duck Samford Stadium Friday night. The Tigers started off fast against the Thunderbirds and never took their foot of the gas.

The game was also Auburn head coach Keith Etheredge's first game with the Tigers after being hired in February.

Late in the first quarter, Auburn was on the board with junior quarterback Clyde Pittman throwing a touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Bakari Dailey with 4:57 left in the first. The next scoring drive came with one minute shy of the second quarter, after sophomore quarterback Davis Harsin threw a touchdown pass to Dailey.

Over halfway through the second quarter, senior linebacker Brad Harper walked in the end zone on a Park Crossing fumble for another touchdown. The first half ended with Pittman throwing a touchdown pass to senior tight-end Camden Etheredge, giving Auburn a further lead of 28-0. 

The only scoring that came in the third quarter was a 44-yard field goal from senior kicker Josh Owsley. 

Pittman cruised into the end zone with 11:18 in the fourth, to score another Tiger touchdown. The final scoring drive of the game came with 6:05 left with a 3-yard run into the end zone from senior running back Killian Massey.

“It feels great,” Etheredge said. “We still have some things we have to work on, but we will get better. We had a great game. Park Crossing has a great football team, and we have a good football team."

Next week, Auburn travels up the road to play arch rival Opelika for game two of the regular season. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Bulldog Stadium in Opelika, Ala.