By Kevin Carson
Special to the Herald Banner
ABILENE - The third-ranked Commerce Tigers weren't even the preseason choice to win the District 10-3A title this season.
But they secured a spot in the state championship game for the third time in five years with a dominating 30-0 win over the Crane Golden Cranes Saturday afternoon at Shotwell Stadium.
Coach Steve Lineweaver and his undefeated Tigers hope the third time is the charm as they will again face top-ranked Sealy, a 27-14 winner over Waco Robinson, in the other Division II semifinal on Friday night.
The championship tilt is scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff on Saturday at Texas Stadium in Irving.
"If you win long enough you eventually have to play them," said Lineweaver. "They are a great program with a winning tradition. The road to the state championship leads through Sealy."
That road will be a little less traveled this time around as Commerce gets to stay closer to home. The Tigers lost a 21-20 heartbreaker to Sealy in the 1995 game played in Waco and fell 28-21 at the Houston Astrodome in 1997.
The Tigers did make the long ride to Abilene for the semifinal matchup against Crane, and showed no signs of road weariness as they used a punishing running game and a smothering defense to improve to 15-0 on the season.
In fact, this may have been the Tigers' best overall performance of the year as they outgained the Cranes in total yardage, 282-170. And while the Commerce total was over 100 yards less than its average offensive output for the season, it was also more than 100 yards than Crane's average allowance.
The numbers were even more dominating in the first half as Commerce racked up 218 yards while limiting the Cranes to just 46 total yards while building a 24-0 advantage.
"The key to the game was jumping out to a quick lead," said Lineweaver. "They (the Golden Cranes) are a very fundamentally sound, hard-hitting team with a great winning tradition. They don't offer any surprises, just good hard-nosed football so we just had to go toe-to-toe with them."
Crane, which finished the season with a 14-1 mark, had allowed just 14 points in a game once all season. But the Golden Cranes found themselves head over heels early as the Tigers jumped out to a 14-0 lead and never looked back.
An attempted onside kick by Crane to open the game set the Tigers up in excellent field position and they marched 54 yards to notch their first score. Ryan Sienty, the game's leading rusher with 93 yards on 17 carries, ripped off runs of 7, 11 and 5 yards before finishing off the eight-play drive with a 5-yard run. Sienty's point-after kick was wide and Commerce owned a 6-0 lead with 8:51 still remaining in the opening quarter.
The Golden Cranes, who were held to just one first down in the first half, held the Tigers on their next possession but the defensive stand was short lived.
A 10-yard punt return by Larry Hatley set Commerce up at the Crane 35 and Chad Anderson hit Broderick Kelley for a 35-yard touchdown pass on the only play of the drive. Sienty ran for the two-point conversion and Commerce had a 14-0 lead with 3:55 still left in the first quarter.
Commerce averted trouble on its next two possessions as Crane was unable to capitalize on a pair of Tiger fumbles.
Crane's Willie Morris jumped on an Avin Johnson fumble at the Tiger 26 with 16 seconds left in the first quarter, but that miscue was offset on the very next play. Greg Washington nabbed the first of his three interceptions when he picked off Manuel Rodriguez on a razzle dazzle flanker pass.
That stroke of good luck was reversed on the first play of the second quarter when Anderson fumbled at the Tiger 32. The defense held again however, as Crane's Lino Garcia dropped a pass on fourth and one at the 24-yard line and Commerce took over on downs.
Another big punt return by Hatley, this one for 17 yards, set up the third Tiger score. An apparent diving touchdown reception by Antonio Burrell on third down was ruled incomplete, forcing the Tigers to settle for a 23-yard Sienty field goal and a 17-0 lead with 2:26 left in the half.
But the Tigers wouldn't be denied once more before intermission as Tommy Wright stepped in front of a Clay McGuire pass at the Crane 35. It took just two plays as Anderson hit Johnson for a 26-yard touchdown reception.
Sienty's point-after kick gave the Tigers a 24-0 halftime cushion.
McGuire, a highly-regarded Division I quarterback prospect, sparked some life into the Cranes on the opening drive of the second half. He ran for one first down, passed for another, setting up a first down at the Tiger 13.
But that was where the drive stalled as three straight passes fell incomplete and the Tigers took over on downs.
The Cranes would mount three more brief drives in the half but the Commerce defense thwarted all three.
Washington's second interception at the 3-yard line stalled the first drive near the end of the third quarter.
His third pick of the game on the next Crane possession ended that drive at the Tiger 48. And the final Golden Crane moment was squelched when Broderick Hearn fell on a Harold Jeffery fumble at the Commerce 26.
"We were worried about their running game so we had to shut that down and force the pass," said Washington, who now has nine interceptions on the season. "I just stayed in my zone and let them throw at us. The line forced him into some bad throws and I just picked them off."
Commerce converted Washington's third interception into an insurance touchdown as Anderson scored five yards out to cap a short four-play, 24-yard drive.
McGuire, who finished the game 7-of-22 passing for 93 yards and three interceptions, led Crane with 53 yards rushing on 15 carries. He was sacked twice.
Jeffery was held to 35 yards on 13 carries.
Anderson rushed for 26 yards on 10 tries and completed 6-of-9 passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns.
Johnson racked up 71 yards rushing on nine tries.
Anderson, along with all the other Tigers who played in the 1997 championship game, are anxious for another shot at Sealy.
"I'm looking forward to playing them again," said the senior signal caller. "We will have to stay focused this week and build our intensity level from the school in the city. Maybe the third time will be a charm."