Auburn Football Prepares to Defend Central Mass Title

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Joe Parello, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Auburn Senior Zach Clifford

Members of the Auburn football team know that every team they play will be looking to knock off the reigning Division III Central Mass champions, but they aren't letting the pressure get to them.

"No, I don't think there's any pressure," coach Jeff Cormier said. "This team hasn't done anything yet. We're 0-0 like everybody else, so I think the guys know they have work to do, but I don't think there's any pressure."

The Rockets were dominant last season, rolling to a 12-1 record, capped by a 7-0 win over Hudson in the Division III Super Bowl. Led by then-senior running back Dan Flink's 1,393 yards and 26 touchdowns, the Rockets grounded and pounded their way through Central Mass.

This season, however, Auburn will look to rebuild its ground game behind a massive and experienced offensive line. Led by senior Aaron Dyke and junior Will Greelish, the Rockets return all five starters from last year's championship line, and average nearly 280 lbs. a man across.

At 6-foot-3 and 300 lbs. Dyke is certainly and imposing run blocker, but senior quarterback Drew Goodrich says he is just as effective stuffing the run on the other side.

"Dyke is probably the scariest guy on the defense too," Goodrich said with a laugh. "Just cause he plays both sides. He's definitely a big guy."

On defense, Cormier says his team will look to take away the run first with its imposing front, and force teams to put it in the air. Size and strength on both lines with discipline has always been a positive for Auburn, and Cormier says his team isn't looking to trick anyone.

"We like to run the football, and everybody knows we like to run the football," Cormier said. "So, as a team that likes to do that, we just try to run our offense and cut down on the turnovers. We just want to play our game."

Despite another Super Bowl victory last year, Cormier's bunch was upset by rival Shepherd Hill during the season, snapping a 41-game win streak. The streak was the third-longest in the country, but Goodrich says the team isn't think about going undefeated, they feel like they're back at square one.

"This is a totally different team," Goodrich said. "We lost some key guys from last year, so we know we have to make our own name this season."

The Rockets begin their season September 7th at home against Shrewsbury. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 pm.