Journal Sports
Commerce High School Head Coach Steve Bragg and the defending Class 3A State Champion Commerce Tigers picked up where they left off last season-beating Dallas Pinkston in the season opener 42-12 Friday night.
Commerce beat Dallas Pinkston in last season's opener 48-19, the same season the Tigers went 16-0 and won the state championship. The Tigers was the only class 3A team to go undefeated last season.
Under a partly cloudy sky and temp in the mid-'80s, Commerce won the opening coin toss but elected to kick off to Dallas Pinkston.
Dallas Pinkston's offense came out passing. The Vikings quarterback Eric Zackery first pass was to Michael Willoughby for 7 yards. With 2nd and 4 at Commerce's 42-yard line, Zackery hit Willoughby again, this time for a 22-yard gain. With the end zone in his sight Willoughby broke a couple of Tiger tackles before being brought down at the 20-yard line by Commerce's Demarcus Harrison. The Vikings' luck would run out on the next play. Eric Zackery's third consecutive pass was picked-off by Commerce's Moises Santibanez at the 15-yard line. It was Santibanez's and the Tigers first interception of the year.
Commerce's game plan was different from that of Dallas Pinkston. Commerce came out running the football, controlling the clock; and eventually setting the tempo of the game.
With Brodrick Kelley at the quarterback spot, the Tigers' first play of the season was to fullback Tommy Wright. Wright took the hand-off from Kelley up the middle for 15-yards. The next two plays were option plays gaining only 2 and 5 yards. On third down, Commerce's Billy Mercer took a Brodrick Kelley hand-off and smashed up the middle for the first down.
With 6:59 left to play in the first quarter and the score tied at zero, Kelley was sacked twice in a roll by the Vikings defense. The Tigers went for it on 4th down and 11 at Pinkston's 30-yard line but could not convert. So with 4:57 left to play, Dallas Pinkston took over on downs.
The first score of the game was set up by a 24-yard run by Commerce's Zach Phifer. Phifer broke two tackles before being pushed out of bounds at the 5-yard line. First and goal with 18 seconds left in the first quarter, Billy mercer ran up the middle for the score- Topping off a 68-yard Tiger drive. Billy Mercer ran for 42-yards in the first half.
Pinkston post points late in the first half of a Commerce fumble. Viking CB Michael Willoughby recovered the fumble and ran 15-yards for the score. Tiger Antonio Kull picked off a Viking pass late in the third quarter that led to another tiger score. Shawn Droddy also had a pick for the commerce Tigers- off the hands of Vikings' RB Nathen Taylor
The following drive, Shawn Droddy took over for the injured Brodrick Kelley. Brodrick Kelley left the game with a bruised knee. Droddy found teammate Antonio Burrell in the back of the end zone for the score; it was Droddy's first pass of the game and the first TD pass for Commerce- giving the Tigers 42 points. Dallas Pinkston would go on and score one more touchdown of the game. Despite several penalties and fumbles it was a good first game as new head coach for Commerce for Steve Bragg
"It was a nice first win. I wish we didn't put the ball on the ground as much as we did," said Coach Bragg. "It seemed we got that corrected in the second half. With the penalties it was a typical first game. We'll have to get better; we have a lot of work to do to be the top team."