Jefferson Vs. Commerce: The War Wages On

Jefferson’s seniors don’t know what it’s like to lose to Commerce and certainly don’t want to find out now.

With three straight wins in the series to its credit, this Dragon class goes for the career sweep of Commerce Friday when the two teams meet for the 65th time.

When asked at practice Monday, Jefferson running back-linebacker Chris Jackson said the chance for this group to go undefeated against its arch rival presents a great opportunity.

“It would be a great honor to actually beat them again and just beat them one more time for our senior class and then try to have another year of bragging rights,” Jackson said.

The fact that Jefferson has had the recent upper hand in the series – winning the last three contests by an average of 24.3 points – gives the Dragons no false sense of confidence as they strive for that fourth straight win.

Kyle Mosley, an all-region offensive lineman and linebacker, said this week of practice is extra intense, especially given the rivalry implications.

“We don’t underestimate Commerce at all,” said Mosley, who is unlikely to play Friday as he recovers from an ACL injury. “We’re not going to come in thinking we’re going to walk over them.”

Jackson said the team is hard at work getting ready for this one.

“Last week, we conditioned a lot to make sure we’re in shape and play hard, and this week we’ll get really physical,” Jackson said.

Riding a 20-game regular season winning streak, Jefferson is coming off an 11-1 campaign in 2009, but lost several of the stars – including all-state selections Darius Minor and Lucas Redd — that were on the field during last year’s 30-13 victory over the Tigers.

Commerce, which leads the series with Jefferson 41-18-5, went 7-5 last year and advanced to the second round of the Class A playoffs. It too lost some key personnel, including talented running back Deon Brock who rushed for over 1,600 yards in 2009.
While both teams will have their region schedules to tend to later this year, bragging rights between the two city schools in Jackson County are on the line in week one.

“Playing them the first game gets you pumped up for the season,” Mosley said. “First game, you come out hitting hard and just come out playing good. It gets you ready for the rest of the season.”

Nine miles separating these schools creates a lot of familiarity, too. Mosley said he’s gotten to know several guys at Commerce over the years through different sports.

“I’ve got a few friends that I’ve played football with and basketball with ... It’s going to be fun though, playing with your friends you played with back in the day and in middle school and stuff, so it’s going to be fun,” Mosley said.

There are family ties, as well. Jackson’s father went to Commerce High School, for example.

“My mom went to Jefferson and my dad went to Commerce, so it was two different things about which way I was going to go, and I ended up going to Jefferson,” Jackson said.

Now entering his final year of his Dragon career, Jackson said this game will be one these seniors remember, noting that a player’s final game against a rival leaves a lasting impression. He wants to recall this one fondly.

“Right now, I get this opportunity to go ahead and try to win one and take it back to the house,” Jackson said.

After Commerce owned the rivalry for so long — winning 11 straight from 1996-2006 and 22 of 24 from 1983-2006 — Jefferson’s seniors have a chance leave their legacy on the series. The Dragons broke through with a victory over Commerce in 2007 and now have a chance for a fourth-straight win.

“It would be awesome, considering we were the first ones to beat them in like about 10 years or 12 years,” Mosley said. “It had been a while since we’ve beaten them. So it’s going to be awesome to try to continue that legacy and keep the tradition going.”