Commerce continues quest for repeat title

By David Claybourn
Herald Banner Sports Editor
12/02/00

Commerce's 12-0 Tigers are hoping an advantage in playoff experience pays off with a regional football victory today over the 10-2 Spring Hill Panthers from Longview.
The kickoff is at 1 p.m. at Mesquite Memorial Stadium for the Division II, Class 3A contest. KETR-FM (88.9) will have a live broadcast.
Commerce has made three trips to the state finals and won a state title last year, beating Sealy 17-10 in the championship game. The Tigers have also won 28 straight games for the longest active winning streak in Class 3A.
Spring Hill has never been this far before in the state football playoffs and is trying to reach the 11-win mark for the first time in school history.
A big part of the Tigers' success this season has been the play of the defense, which is allowing only 6.4 points per game and has recorded six shutouts.
"We've played great defense all year long," said Commerce's head coach Steve Bragg.
Bragg said the Tigers try to do on defense is take away what the other team does best.
"We've shut down some pretty good offenses and some good offensive players," Bragg said.
The Tigers limited Gainesville's stellar running back Bart Beck to just 50 yards on 23 carries during last week's 27-14 area playoff win. Beck had rambled for 348 yards the previous week against Dallas Pinkston.
Gainesville managed only 161 yards and scored its second touchdown with just 37 seconds left in the game.
The Tigers held Wills Point to only 137 yards the previous week in a 17-7 victory. Wills Point had been averaging 345 yards per game.
Noseguard Joseph McDaniel, a 182-pound senior, has been leading the Tiger defense along with 250-pound junior tackle Broderick Hearn, 202-pound end Zach Phifer, 175-pound linebacker Moises Santibanez and 167-pound senior defensive back Antonio Kull.
The Tigers are facing a pass-oriented Spring Hill team led by quarterback Jim Alford. Alford is 126-of-219 for 1,942 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Bragg calls Alford one of the state's best quarterbacks.
"He's not real mobile but he can put it on a line," Bragg said.
Bragg said the Panthers have a good group of possession-type receivers.
"Every one of them can catch the football," he said.
Spring Hill, which usually lines up on a one-back set, can also run the football. Running back Gene Johnson has rushed for 1,200 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Bragg said the Panthers are a big and physical team with a "massive" offensive line.
Placekicker David Brelsford is also a key part of the Panthers' offense. He's 15-of-17 on field goals this season including three in last week's 30-20 area victory over Brownsboro.
Spring Hill has also beaten Queen City 13-7 in bi-district play.
Commerce's offense, meanwhile, has been spreading the ball around in its multi-bone set. Four different backs ran in for touchdowns last week including running backs Tommy Wright, Ryan Coffey and Larry Hatley and quarterback Brodrick Kelley. Kelley and Shawn Droddy have taken turns this season at quarterback. Demarcus Harrison has been another big-play threat at running back for the Tigers.
Wright rushed for a team-high 65 yards last week, while Hatley managed 57 yards, Coffey had 50 and Kelley picked up 29 yards.
Kelley led the Tiger rushers against Gainesville with 61 yards rushing and was 2-of-6 passing for 35 yards.
Bragg noted that the Commerce offense has produced 300 or more yards in four of its last six games.
"One thing we have done is we've controlled the ball," he said.
Spring Hill's lost twice this season to Daingerfield and Tatum.
The Tigers' last loss was in 1998, 33-26 to Daingerfield in the regional playoffs. Commerce has since gone 16-0 during the 1999 season and now 12-0 in the 2000 season.
"The kids know how to win and they know how to work," said Bragg.