PERU, NE - Auburn honed its defense in a 53-0 shutout of Nebraska City at Peru State College on Friday as the Bulldogs prepare for the postseason.

Auburn dominated the first half, courtesy of Brant Gulizia's legs on offense. Gulizia had five touchdown runs for the first five scores of the game. He found paydirt from two, ten, ten, four, and eleven yards away to build a 34-0 lead. With just over two minutes left in the half, Camden Taylor ran it in from 18 yards away, giving Auburn a 41-0 advantage at halftime. 

Wyatt Tanner tacked on a two-yard TD run with about six minutes left in the third frame, and Riley Dickerson's three-yard jaunt with about six minutes left in the game resulted in the final 53-0 score. 

Brenton Wenzl had an interception for the Bulldogs' defense, and Nebraska City was held to a 3-and-out on offense on its first four drives.

Nebraska City's season closes with a record of 1-8, while Auburn moves into the playoffs at 8-1. The Bulldogs are the 7-seed in the Class C1 bracket and will host 10-seed O'Neill (8-1) on Friday night at 5:15p.