EUSTACE- The Commerce Tigers picked up their first district win of the season with a 65-0 shutout of the Eustace Bulldogs. The win moves Commerce to 1-1 in District 7-3A D2 play and 4-2 overall. Eustace falls to 0-2 in district and 3-3 overall.
The Bulldogs were without their star quarterback Donnie Bevis after he was inured last week playing the Rains Wildcats, and the team struggled without him in what would have been a very tough game against the Commerce Tigers even if the Bulldogs were at full strength.
Eustace won the toss and elected to receive, but were held to 3-and-out. Commerce’s senior running back Ky’Mani Graham took the first play from scrimmage 73 yards for a score for the Tigers, then senior quarterback and safety Aiden Brown intercepted Eustace on the ensuing drive and returned it 35 yards for another Tiger touchdown, and Commerce’s Donovan Maria put up another score with a 70-yard catch-and-run.
Commerce’s Gauge Erven notched another Tiger interception and Graham punched it in from one yard out to make it 26-0 Commerce at the end of the first quarter.
Maria caught another long score for 51 yards, Brandon Anderson caught a touchdown of 46 yards, Graham scored his 3rd touchdown of the night from 33 yards out, and Brown scampered in from 25 yards out to cap the first half scoring for Commerce.
Commerce struggled with extra point kicks, making only three of six attempts in the first half to make the halftime score 52-0 Commerce.
The clock rolled in the second half and Commerce’s backups notched two more touchdowns, with a 54-yard pass from Erven to Austin Searcy and a 22 yard run by junior Matthew Williams. The Tigers missed one of the extra point attempts in the second half to make the final score 65-0 Commerce.
Next week the Tigers have a very tough home game as the #3 Malakoff Tigers come to town. Eustace
