Last week, the Commerce Tiger softball team avenged earlier losses to region foes George Walton and Prince Avenue.
The win over George Walton gave the Tigers 10 wins in a row as the team headed to Homer on Monday night to play the Banks County Leopards. To make it 11, the Tigers needed a come-from-behind win. Tied 1-1 in the top of the seventh, the Tigers completed the comeback when Kylee Taylor reached base via a walk with the bases loaded and Rachel Morgan came across home plate with the go-ahead run.
The Tigers defeated the Leopards 2-1 to move to 15-5 on the season. The Tigers accumulated only three hits: Emma Davis, Maggie Mullis and Teresa Dixon. Davis had the team’s lone RBI.
Head coach Melissa Mullis said the win was “huge” for power rankings. She called the Leopards a “great” team that will do “great” things.
“That means a lot to us that we were in that ball game with them,” Mullis said. “The girls executed under pressure.”
The Tigers lost to the Leopards earlier this season. Monday night’s win showed “progress” for the Tigers, Mullis added.
“If we would’ve given (the game) up accidentally, not from a lack of effort, it would’ve been as though we hadn’t made progress,” she explained. “I see this as we are getting better every game and we’re getting ready for the playoffs."
For the rest of this story, see the Sept. 26 edition of The Jackson Herald.
CHS Sports - Topics from September, 2018
FOOTBALL: Commerce moves to 5-0 after road win at Madison Co.
A scoring lull through the second and third quarters notwithstanding, the Commerce Tigers cruised to their fifth-straight victory to start the 2018 season Friday night at Madison County.
Commerce hit the Red Raiders in the mouth with 21 points to start the game and rolled to a 35-8 win. The Tiger offense entered a scoring drought after the first three touchdowns, but their defense only allowed two first downs the entire first half and continued the dominant performance until taking the starters out in the fourth quarter. The offense finally woke back up late in the third quarter and added two more scores. [Full Story »]
Commerce hit the Red Raiders in the mouth with 21 points to start the game and rolled to a 35-8 win. The Tiger offense entered a scoring drought after the first three touchdowns, but their defense only allowed two first downs the entire first half and continued the dominant performance until taking the starters out in the fourth quarter. The offense finally woke back up late in the third quarter and added two more scores. [Full Story »]
FOOTBALL: Tigers, Red Raiders renew rivalry
This Friday night, the Commerce Tiger football team renews an old rivalry.
For the 45th time, the Tigers (4-0, 2-0 Region 8-A) and the Madison County Red Raiders will do battle in Danielsville. This is the first regular-season meeting between the two programs since 2003. The Tigers are 33-11 in the all-time series.
“They’re a very talented group,” head coach Michael Brown said of the Red Raiders. “They’ve got speed at the skill positions on offense.
“Playing a very aggressive scheme on defense, just a well-coached, hard-nose football team.”
Madison County, like Commerce, runs the triple-option offense. Brown said Madison County is “doing a great job” of running it.
“That’s an offense we believe in,” Brown said. “We believe it gives us an opportunity to win on a Friday night against (teams) who maybe have a little better talent than we do.
“That’s something, one, that’s going to be a challenge. Two, from a numbers standpoint, they have a little more depth than we do.”
For the rest of this story, see the Sept. 19 edition of The Jackson Herald.
For the 45th time, the Tigers (4-0, 2-0 Region 8-A) and the Madison County Red Raiders will do battle in Danielsville. This is the first regular-season meeting between the two programs since 2003. The Tigers are 33-11 in the all-time series.
“They’re a very talented group,” head coach Michael Brown said of the Red Raiders. “They’ve got speed at the skill positions on offense.
“Playing a very aggressive scheme on defense, just a well-coached, hard-nose football team.”
Madison County, like Commerce, runs the triple-option offense. Brown said Madison County is “doing a great job” of running it.
“That’s an offense we believe in,” Brown said. “We believe it gives us an opportunity to win on a Friday night against (teams) who maybe have a little better talent than we do.
“That’s something, one, that’s going to be a challenge. Two, from a numbers standpoint, they have a little more depth than we do.”
For the rest of this story, see the Sept. 19 edition of The Jackson Herald.
SOFTBALL: Tigers surging as regular season nears its end
The Commerce Tiger softball team didn’t finish its game last Thursday at Towns County due to rain; however, the team didn’t leave Hiawassee on a sour note.
The Tigers were ahead 11-0 in the top of the second when play was called. The dominant performance was part of a good week for the Tigers who scored 31 runs in three games and picked up two wins.
The Tigers defeated in-county rival East Jackson and defeated region foe Providence Christian. The Tigers are ranked 10th in Class A Power Rankings.
This week, the Tigers played Prince Avenue on Tuesday. Results weren’t known before press time. The Tigers play at George Walton Academy on Thursday. Both are region matchups.
Head coach Melissa Mullis said not making errors is going to be one of the goals going into both matchups.
“Against teams like Prince (Avenue) and GWA, with their pitching being, I would say some of the top pitchers in the region, then we have to reduce our amount of errors and increase our hits in order to win,” Mullis explained.
Mullis added that’s part of “handling” pressure and staying “mentally focused” throughout the course of a game.
“I know that we can do it skill-wise, I think it’s more handling the pressure in those moments,” Mullis said. “I’m super proud of our girls.
“I think they’re coming together as a team. I think that this should be an exciting week.”
For the rest of this story, see the Sept. 19 edition of The Jackson Herald.
The Tigers were ahead 11-0 in the top of the second when play was called. The dominant performance was part of a good week for the Tigers who scored 31 runs in three games and picked up two wins.
The Tigers defeated in-county rival East Jackson and defeated region foe Providence Christian. The Tigers are ranked 10th in Class A Power Rankings.
This week, the Tigers played Prince Avenue on Tuesday. Results weren’t known before press time. The Tigers play at George Walton Academy on Thursday. Both are region matchups.
Head coach Melissa Mullis said not making errors is going to be one of the goals going into both matchups.
“Against teams like Prince (Avenue) and GWA, with their pitching being, I would say some of the top pitchers in the region, then we have to reduce our amount of errors and increase our hits in order to win,” Mullis explained.
Mullis added that’s part of “handling” pressure and staying “mentally focused” throughout the course of a game.
“I know that we can do it skill-wise, I think it’s more handling the pressure in those moments,” Mullis said. “I’m super proud of our girls.
“I think they’re coming together as a team. I think that this should be an exciting week.”
For the rest of this story, see the Sept. 19 edition of The Jackson Herald.
CROSS COUNTRY: CHS boys take 1st place at Tallulah Falls
Last week, Commerce High School head cross country coach Mark Hale said the top-five boys had a “great performance” in the team’s meet at North Oconee.
At Tallulah Falls, though, the boys’ team followed up the great performance with an even better one. This time, the boys’ team put together a first-place performance for Hale and the program.
“The boys’ win was really exciting,” Hale said. “When we had finished running, a couple of the guys thought we had a shot.
“I really was not even thinking of that, staying focused on the individual times, and told them I didn’t think we were probably going to win. Lo and behold, we won pretty decisively. Obviously, everyone was very excited.”
Brandon Martin (18:37) paced the Tigers with an overall third-place finish. Demarco Hernandez (19:57) finished in eighth. John Bradley (20:25) finished 11th overall. Radim Horac (20:30) finished 14th overall. JJ Morris (21:04) rounded out the top five.
The Tigers average time was 20:06. The Tigers defeated the likes of Stephens, Madison and Rabun counties. Nine teams competed in the meet.
On the girls’ side, Anastasia Sheffield finished seventh overall in the meet. She clocked a time of 25:27.
“Anastasia ran a solid race,” Hale said. “She is still gaining experience, and this was a race in which she did’t have her best stuff, but she fought through and toughed it out.
“That is part of the cross country experience and athletics in general.”
For the rest of this story, see the Sept. 19 edition of The Jackson Herald.
At Tallulah Falls, though, the boys’ team followed up the great performance with an even better one. This time, the boys’ team put together a first-place performance for Hale and the program.
“The boys’ win was really exciting,” Hale said. “When we had finished running, a couple of the guys thought we had a shot.
“I really was not even thinking of that, staying focused on the individual times, and told them I didn’t think we were probably going to win. Lo and behold, we won pretty decisively. Obviously, everyone was very excited.”
Brandon Martin (18:37) paced the Tigers with an overall third-place finish. Demarco Hernandez (19:57) finished in eighth. John Bradley (20:25) finished 11th overall. Radim Horac (20:30) finished 14th overall. JJ Morris (21:04) rounded out the top five.
The Tigers average time was 20:06. The Tigers defeated the likes of Stephens, Madison and Rabun counties. Nine teams competed in the meet.
On the girls’ side, Anastasia Sheffield finished seventh overall in the meet. She clocked a time of 25:27.
“Anastasia ran a solid race,” Hale said. “She is still gaining experience, and this was a race in which she did’t have her best stuff, but she fought through and toughed it out.
“That is part of the cross country experience and athletics in general.”
For the rest of this story, see the Sept. 19 edition of The Jackson Herald.
FOOTBALL: Tigers run past Storm, 56-0
After a delayed start, the Commerce Tigers needed a quarter to get going against the Providence Christian Academy Storm. But once the Tigers got going, they couldn't be stopped as the Tigers throttled the Storm 56-0.
[Full Story »]
FOOTBALL: Tigers prepare for homecoming date with Storm
The Commerce Tiger football team is 3-0 on the 2018 season, and this week the Tigers get their second crack at region action.
The Tigers welcome the Providence Christian Academy Storm (2-1, 0-1 Region 8-A) on homecoming Friday. This is the fifth meeting between the two programs. The Tigers are 4-0 and have outscored the Storm 212-10 in four games including three shutouts.
But, the Storm’s two wins this season surpasses their win total from last season. The Storms defeated Cross Keys in game one and King’s Ridge Christian in game two.
“They’ve gotten better at every position,” Commerce head coach Michael Brown said, “and started the season out with two wins.
“One of those was against a team that ran the triple (option). Their kids play hard. They’re well-coached on both sides of the ball. Just like any Friday night playing region opponent in Region 8-A, we expect a tough football game. Our kids need to be ready to go and play our best.”
For the rest of this story, see the Sept. 12 edition of The Jackson Herald.
The Tigers welcome the Providence Christian Academy Storm (2-1, 0-1 Region 8-A) on homecoming Friday. This is the fifth meeting between the two programs. The Tigers are 4-0 and have outscored the Storm 212-10 in four games including three shutouts.
But, the Storm’s two wins this season surpasses their win total from last season. The Storms defeated Cross Keys in game one and King’s Ridge Christian in game two.
“They’ve gotten better at every position,” Commerce head coach Michael Brown said, “and started the season out with two wins.
“One of those was against a team that ran the triple (option). Their kids play hard. They’re well-coached on both sides of the ball. Just like any Friday night playing region opponent in Region 8-A, we expect a tough football game. Our kids need to be ready to go and play our best.”
For the rest of this story, see the Sept. 12 edition of The Jackson Herald.
SOFTBALL: Tigers look to build on strong week
Last Friday night, Commerce head softball coach Melissa Mullis said she saw a different intensity, level of play and enthusiasm from her players.
The results equaled what she saw as the Tigers went 3-0 at a weekend tournament in Oconee County. The Tigers went 5-0 for the week as they picked up two region wins last Tuesday and Thursday. The previous week, the Tigers went 0-2 with close losses to George Walton Academy and Prince Avenue Christian.
“It was the best we’ve played yet,” Mullis said of her team’s play at the weekend tournament.
Friday night, the team defeated West Laurens 7-3. On Saturday, the Tigers continued to dominate with a win over Central 11-0 and a 10-2 win over North Oconee.
The Tigers’ season continues today at East Jackson and tomorrow on the road at Towns County. Tuesday’s results vs. Providence Christian Academy weren’t known before press time.
One of the highlights from the weekend came in the win over West Laurens, which was a Maggie Blackmon grand slam, Mullis said.
“Crazy, crazy,” Mullis described. “It was so much fun.”
Mullis said she gave her a team “homework.” That homework was to work on controlling what they could control. It showed in their play from not getting upset at the umpire to not getting upset if someone doesn’t get a hit.
“It kept their enthusiasm and energy (up) the whole entire (time),” Mullis said. “They couldn’t get down down, because they had to let things go.
“It was the best we’ve played, because they chose to make that a priority, to get better at the mental aspect of the game.”
For the rest of this story, see the Sept. 12 edition of The Jackson Herald.
The results equaled what she saw as the Tigers went 3-0 at a weekend tournament in Oconee County. The Tigers went 5-0 for the week as they picked up two region wins last Tuesday and Thursday. The previous week, the Tigers went 0-2 with close losses to George Walton Academy and Prince Avenue Christian.
“It was the best we’ve played yet,” Mullis said of her team’s play at the weekend tournament.
Friday night, the team defeated West Laurens 7-3. On Saturday, the Tigers continued to dominate with a win over Central 11-0 and a 10-2 win over North Oconee.
The Tigers’ season continues today at East Jackson and tomorrow on the road at Towns County. Tuesday’s results vs. Providence Christian Academy weren’t known before press time.
One of the highlights from the weekend came in the win over West Laurens, which was a Maggie Blackmon grand slam, Mullis said.
“Crazy, crazy,” Mullis described. “It was so much fun.”
Mullis said she gave her a team “homework.” That homework was to work on controlling what they could control. It showed in their play from not getting upset at the umpire to not getting upset if someone doesn’t get a hit.
“It kept their enthusiasm and energy (up) the whole entire (time),” Mullis said. “They couldn’t get down down, because they had to let things go.
“It was the best we’ve played, because they chose to make that a priority, to get better at the mental aspect of the game.”
For the rest of this story, see the Sept. 12 edition of The Jackson Herald.
CROSS COUNTRY: Hale seeing ‘confidence’ grow among runners
The Commerce Tiger cross country teams’ season continued last Thursday at North Oconee.
The boys’ team finished 10th out of 18 teams in the meet. Brandon Martin (18:41), JJ Morris (19:30), Radim Horac (20:14), Demarco Hernandez (20:19) and John Bradley (20:20) were the top-five finishers for the boys’ team.
“I was very proud of Brandon posting the time he did, but the runner who had the best day last Thursday was JJ Morris,” Commerce head coach Mark Hale said. “He looked great."
For the girls’ team, Anastasia Sheffield (24:15), Keila Osorio (27:59) and Sarah Amaya (30:36) competed. Sheffield finished 37th out of 108 runners.
“Anastasia Sheffield is gaining confidence each race,” Hale said. “She had her best time of the year and is gaining some valuable experience."
For the rest of this story, see the Sept. 12 edition of The Jackson Herald.
The boys’ team finished 10th out of 18 teams in the meet. Brandon Martin (18:41), JJ Morris (19:30), Radim Horac (20:14), Demarco Hernandez (20:19) and John Bradley (20:20) were the top-five finishers for the boys’ team.
“I was very proud of Brandon posting the time he did, but the runner who had the best day last Thursday was JJ Morris,” Commerce head coach Mark Hale said. “He looked great."
For the girls’ team, Anastasia Sheffield (24:15), Keila Osorio (27:59) and Sarah Amaya (30:36) competed. Sheffield finished 37th out of 108 runners.
“Anastasia Sheffield is gaining confidence each race,” Hale said. “She had her best time of the year and is gaining some valuable experience."
For the rest of this story, see the Sept. 12 edition of The Jackson Herald.
SOFTBALL: Tigers look to get back on track after tough losses
Going into last week’s two region games, the Commerce Tiger softball team was on a four-game winning streak and had scored 59 runs.
Against George Walton and Prince Avenue, the Tigers scored a combined seven runs and dropped both games. Prince Avenue upended Commerce 7-6 last Thursday and George Walton won 3-1 last Tuesday.
This week, the Tigers have two more region games against Athens Christian (results weren’t known before press time) and Hebron Christian. Head coach Melissa Mullis said she wants to see her team rebound by coming out with “high intensity” and “doing the little things” correctly.
“The wins and losses will take care of themselves if you get better game by game,” she said. “That’s where we have to measure ourselves.
“I still think we’re making progress. I just think if we come out this week and still are making little mistakes, then that will be a measuring stick as if we’re growing or not.”
Mullis added that her team “should be OK” in not beating itself and this week presents a “good opportunity” to rebound in region play.
“I don’t care if we win, if we’re not making progress in those little areas, then it will be frustrating,” Mullis said.
For the rest of this story, see the Sept. 5 edition of The Jackson Herald.
Against George Walton and Prince Avenue, the Tigers scored a combined seven runs and dropped both games. Prince Avenue upended Commerce 7-6 last Thursday and George Walton won 3-1 last Tuesday.
This week, the Tigers have two more region games against Athens Christian (results weren’t known before press time) and Hebron Christian. Head coach Melissa Mullis said she wants to see her team rebound by coming out with “high intensity” and “doing the little things” correctly.
“The wins and losses will take care of themselves if you get better game by game,” she said. “That’s where we have to measure ourselves.
“I still think we’re making progress. I just think if we come out this week and still are making little mistakes, then that will be a measuring stick as if we’re growing or not.”
Mullis added that her team “should be OK” in not beating itself and this week presents a “good opportunity” to rebound in region play.
“I don’t care if we win, if we’re not making progress in those little areas, then it will be frustrating,” Mullis said.
For the rest of this story, see the Sept. 5 edition of The Jackson Herald.
Recent Comments