Commerce runs over Quinlan Ford to take district lead

By Kevin Carson / Special to the Herald Banner

QUINLAN -- There was simply no room at Lytal Field during the much-anticipated District 10-3A showdown between Commerce and Quinlan Ford Friday night. No room in the stands, no space in the pressbox and nowhere for the high-powered Quinlan Ford offense to run.

But Commerce, the defending Class 3A Division II state champion, managed to find plenty of open space as the Tigers racked up 415 yards of total offense while holding the Panthers to just 100 yards on the ground in a 41-0 win before an overflow crowd.

The win assures Commerce, 7-2 overall and 6-0 in district play, of a tie for the district crown and a return to the state playoffs for the 11th straight season.

It was the first loss of the season for Quinlan, which dropped to 8-1 for the year and 5-1 in district. The Panthers can still make the playoffs with a win over Bonham in the regular season finale next week.

"It is a thrill for a coach to see his team step up in a big game," said Commerce coach Terry Cron. "We executed and play extremely well and physically beat a very good football team. I was extremely pleased with our effort."

Senior tailback Eddie Hines did much of the stepping as he ran for 164 yards and four touchdowns, including a 70-yard run in the fourth quarter. He also scored on a pair of 7-yard runs in the second quarter and had a 2-yard score in the fourth period.

And while Hines was stepping into the end zone the Commerce defense was keeping Ford's Chris Eiland, the district's leading rusher, out. The junior, who entered the game with 1,208 yards on the ground, was limited to just 52 yards on 12 carries. Ford, a team averaging 421 yards of total offense per game, was held to 131 by the swarming Commerce defense.

The Panthers did look like an offensive juggernaut early as they took the opening drive inside the Commerce 30. But the Panthers failed to convert on a fourth and two and they never seriously threatened again.

The going was tough for the Tigers early as well, but they capped an 80-yard drive with a 16-yard pass from Bobby Phifer to Trey Shaw with 3:19 to play in the opening quarter to take a lead they would never relinquish.

Neither team threatened for much of the second period, but Commerce capitalized on a Quinlan miscue and added a pair of quick scores just two minutes apart.

The Commerce break came with 4:51 to play in the half when Oshay Alex forced an Eiland fumble at the Ford 17 and John Pflug scooped up the loose ball and ran it to the seven. Hines scored on the next play and Bart Bryant tacked on the point-after for a 14-0 Commerce advantage.

Quinlan managed only a yard on the ensuing possession and was forced to punt, giving Commerce the ball just inside Panther territory. A holding penalty on first down moved the ball back to the Commerce 45, but Cron pulled out a bag of tricks as Shaw hit Chris Winston on a 38-yard flanker pass to put the ball again at the Ford seven.

And again Hines did the rest as he scored on the next play and Commerce held a 21-0 advantage at intermission.

Quinlan Ford missed a chance to close the gap early in the second half as Shaw fumbled at the Commerce 43 and Michael Miller recovered for the Panthers. But a fake punt on fourth and seven from the Commerce 40 was three yards short and the Tigers took over on downs.

And things went downhill for Quinlan from there as Hines' 2-yard run with 8:40 to play capped an 11-play, 61-yard drive. Hines then ripped off his 70-yard run on the first play of the next Commerce drive to up the margin to 35-0 with 6:16 left.

And Donte Wade capped the scoring as he intercepted backup quarterback Nick Fowler and returned it 23 yards for the touchdown.

Fowler played the entire second half in place of starter Dale West, who suffered a concussion in the second quarter.

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