Dennis Mason
Journal Sports
It was a night of triumph for the (3-0) Commerce Tigers, as they seized their second
consecutive shutout over an opponent. This time it was the (2-1) Cooper Bulldogs that fell
to the Tigers to the tune of 27-0. Both the Tigers and the Bulldogs came in Friday night's
game looking for their third victory of the season. The Cooper Bulldogs, who play in class
2A, has played impressively so far this season with victories over two 3A class ranked
teamsQuinlan Ford and Bonham. The last time the Tigers played neighboring Cooper was in
the early nineties.
"Our defense has been playing physical, giving us great field position for our
offensemaking it easy to score points," said Tiger Coach Steve Bragg. "We played
sloppy at the end and we had some other kids playing. Overall, we are excited about the
27-0 win over Cooper."
The Tigers jumped out to a 14-0 lead, with touchdowns on the last two of their first four
possessions. Commerce got off to a quick start after the Tigers special teams player
Antonio Kull blocked a Cooper punt, forcing the ball to go out of bounds at the 25-yard
line and taking over deep in Bulldog territory. On the very next play from scrimmage,
quarterback Brodrick Kelley scored on a 25-yard run for the Tigers with 2:40 left in the
first quarter; the extra point made it 7-0.
After receiving the punt, Cooper's Adam Shaw fumbled on their very next possession.
Commerce recovered the lose ball. The Tigers needed only 33 seconds to score their second
touchdown of the game with a three-yard touchdown run by Demarcus Harrison with 2:07 left
to play.
Cooper's defense tried to gain some momentum late in the second quarter, holding the
Tiger's offense to third down and 25. On third down, Kelley, on an option play, pitched it
late to teammate Larry Hatley. Hatley gained only five yards before being stopped by a
Bulldog defenderwell short of the first down.
Cooper's Justin Anderson fumbled the ball on the assuming punt at the 10-yard line after
receiving a severe hit by a Tigers defender. Anderson stayed on the ground for a couple of
frightful minutes, before walking off the field with the aid of the trainers.
With 5:56 left to play in the first half, Commerce took over at the 13-yard line.
Commerce's Brodrick Kelley scored on a 13-yard run up the middle with 4:52 left to play;
it was Kelley's second rushing touchdown of the game. The extra point was blocked; it was
Broderick Hearn's third blocked extra point attempt in two games. The touchdown run by
Kelley gave the Tigers a 20-0 lead going into halftime. Kelley fumbled a punt before
halftime, but the Tigers Tommy Wright stepped in front of the Bulldog receiver and
intercepted the pass in the end zone with 10 seconds left to play in the first half.
Cooper's offense was bottled up by the swarming Tiger defense all afternoon.
The Bulldogs opened the second half with an on-side kick, but it failed to go the 10-yards
needed. With the penalties, Kelley and the Tigers took over with good field position at
the 38-yard line. The Tiger drive was stopped early when fullback Demarcus Harrison
fumbled a pitch from Kelley. Cooper's 6-1, 190-pound safety Drew Conleey recovered the
fumble at the 25-yard line. Commerce returned the favor, recovering a fumbled snap by
Conleey. The Tigers quarterback Kelley took the ball on the next play for a 30-yard gain.
But three plays later the Tigers were forced to punt to the Bulldogs.
The Cooper Bulldogs fumbled their second punt return and Commerce's Joseph McDaniel
recovered the fumbled punt at the 20-yard line with 7:47 in the third quarter. The
Bulldogs struggled on both sides of the ball throughout the game.
With 7:18 in left in the game, Demarcus Harrison intercepted a Cooper tipped pass in the
end zone. The interception was Harrison's third in two weeks. The Tigers second-team
players would go on and put the final nail in the Bulldogs coffin with a touchdown pass
reception by Stephen Wilkerson from backup quarterback Shawn Droddy with 4:42 left to
play. The touchdown pass by Droddy made the score 27-0 and clinched the Tigers second
shutout in as many games.
"I thought it would be a fight to the finish coming in the game. They looked more
physical than Lake Dallas and I think they still are," Coach Bragg said. "They
are a good football team. They just made a few mistakes and we were able to take advantage
of their mistakes. When our kids get more experience they will improve. In week seven,
week eight, you will see us hitting on all cylinders."
The (3-0) Tigers will host Avarado at home next Friday, then visit Linden-Kildare, Oct. 6,
before opening district play at home against Quinlan on Friday, Oct. 13.
Commerce-Cooper stats
Commerce 14 6 0 7 -27
Cooper 0 0 0 0 -0
First Quarter
Commerce-Kelley 25 run (Hearn kick), 2:40
Commerce-Harrison 3 run (Hearn Kick), 2:07
Second Quarter
Commerce-Kelley 14 run (EPA Blocked), 1:52
Fourth Quarter
Commerce-Wilkerson pass from Droddy (Hearn Kick), 4:42