COMMERCE 33, HART COUNTY 21: Tigers overcome penalties to move to 3-0

After being ahead 27-0 for a brief moment in the second quarter, the Commerce Tiger football team quickly found itself in a ball game when the third quarter began.
A 13-play, 62-yard drive, though, which culminated in a Dylan Deaton 9-yard score to start the fourth quarter, gave the Tigers a 33-14 lead and enough cushion to secure a 33-21 win over Class AAA’s Hart County.


The Tigers (3-0, 1-0 Region 8-A) were led by Deaton’s 11-carry, 103-yard performance. He scored two touchdowns and caught a 15-yard pass. Nate Ray added 112 yards on 15 carries. He also went 3-for-4 for 45 yards in the air and one score.
However, it wasn’t the offensive stats that stood out for the game. Nor was it any key stops that the defense may have made. But it was the game’s penalties that lit up the stat sheet. Commerce and Hart County were penalized a combined 27 times for 227 yards.
The Tigers were penalized 15 times (nine in the first half, six in the second) for 116 yards. Hart County had 12 penalties for 111 yards.
“There were a lot of flags both ways,” head coach Michael Brown said after the game. “I don’t know, maybe there were a lot of penalties in the game.
“You ought to let the kids decide the game…I don’t know. I think it was a dang good football game by both teams. Hart County played hard. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, because I knew at any moment they could take one to the house. They’re going to do nothing but get better.”
After a Tigers’ penalty helped spark Hart County’s first-touchdown drive late in the second quarter, a fumble ensued which led to another quick score before halftime. The Tigers’ lead went from 27-0 to 27-13. Brown said his defense did a “good job” of settling down after halftime and not allow the end of the first half to bother them.
“Our plan was just to keep everything in front us,” Brown explained. “We knew they were going to get some plays here and there.
“We played well at times, and at times we didn’t. The game was blocking, tackling and running. I think it showed tonight on both sides of the ball. At times we blocked well and ran well, and at times we missed tackles…We’ve just got to keep getting better.”
The Tigers started the game off with an 79-yard drive that took only five plays to find the end zone. Sam Roach scored the Tigers’ opening touchdown on a 4-yard run. He finished the game with 86 yards on 17 carries.
On the Tigers’ next possession, it was Caleb Mason who found the end zone, bouncing one around the left side on a 12-yard run. The lead was 14-0.
On defense, it was Mason who created havoc on Hart County’s sixth play from scrimmage as he recovered a fumble, giving the Tigers optimum field position.
The offense cashed-in on the great field position – Hart County 35-yard line – as Ray hit TJ Trudnak for a 20-yard touchdown. The Tigers led 21-0 with 1:29 left in the first quarter.
The fourth possession belonged to Deaton, who had back-to-back runs of six and 16 yards, respectively, on his way to the end zone. His touchdown bumped the lead to 27-0.
Hart County made its way on the board with 4:22 left in the first half. Luke Lee hit Cane Berrong for an 8-yard touchdown. After the Tigers fumbled, Hart County found the end zone a second time. This time, Lee found Malachi Thomas for 19 yards and the score. The Tigers led 27-13 at halftime.
To start the second half, the Tigers’ defense stopped Hart County’s momentum with a stop on fourth-and-5 on their 39-yard line. On the next drive, the defense forced a punt.
The offense took two drives to get cranking in the second half, but when it did, Deaton found the end zone for a second time in the game, this time on a 9-yard run. The Tigers led 33-14 with 11:55 left in the game.
Hart County scored its final touchdown with 3:22 left in the game to set the score at 33-21. Commerce was able to gain two first downs and put the game away on its final drive.
The Tigers are idle next week. Brown said the break “absolutely” comes at a good time for his group.
“We’ve played a bunch of football in August,” he said. “I think everybody is ready for some time off.”