The Friday Night Matchup featured a Class “A” divisional clash between Auburn and ESM on a windy night at Spartan Stadium. The kickoff on Homecoming night was moved up from 7 p.m. to 5 p.m. due to an incoming storm.

After a scoreless first quarter on both sides, the Maroons struck first on a touchdown run by Quesharr Bowman. At that point, Bowman was just getting warmed up. The Auburn senior would end his night with three scores and 201 yards. “ESM is a good football team, but at the end of the day we were able to outsmart them,” Bowman said after the game.

In the second half, the Spartans answered with a touchdown by Nolan Penoyer. The senior, who had 84 yards in the contest, got the crowd going after cutting into the Maroons lead in the third quarter. Once again, the Maroons responded and eventually took the 20-6 win over ESM.

With the win, Auburn improved to a 2-2 record on the season, while the Spartans fell to 2-2. Next week the Maroons will host J-D and ESM will take on Whitesboro.

Next week’s Friday Night Matchup will feature a Class “B” clash between Solvay and Bishop Ludden.