It happened again Friday night, as the Tigers battled back from a 17-point deficit against Franklin County to come three points shy of tying the game late, as Franklin came away with the 31-28 victory.
Despite the loss, it was another strong showing for Commerce against a much larger opponent.
It will be the same sort of opponent they’ll face on Friday night, as the Tigers host the North Oconee Titans.
North Oconee comes to town off an opening game on Aug. 27 that saw them best Arabia Mountain 42-7. The Titans have been a powerhouse in 8-AA as of late, fighting with Jefferson and East Jackson for top region honors last season.
“It don’t get any easier,” said Commerce coach Steve Savage. “North Oconee’s got a good club. They’ve got a lot of players, they’ve got a big squad. It’s going to be a lot like the last two teams we’ve played. We’re going to have to hope we’re in it in the fourth quarter.”
Kick off is scheduled for 8 p.m.
Franklin Co.
Unfortunately, Tigers dug themselves a deep hole in the first half. The Lions went up 7-0 in the first quarter, tacked on another touchdown on a 12-yard run and added three points on a 34-yard field goal in the second quarter to give the Lions a 17-0 advantage going into the half.
The Tigers came out looking to make up lost ground in the third quarter. Quarterback Cody Streetman put the first numbers on the board for Commerce with a 15-yard touchdown run to make it 17-7.
Franklin responded by scoring its third touchdown of the night to move out to a 24-7 advantage.
Streetman scored again on a 36-yard run to close the gap to 14 points. In the fourth quarter, Streetman plowed in from one yard out to pull the Tigers to within three points, 24-21.
But the Lions drove deep into Tiger territory again, scoring from one yard out to make it a 10-point game, 31-21.
The Tigers didn’t quit. Streetman connected with Jessie Savage on a 26-yard touchdown pass, making it 31-28.
The Tigers would try again to get themselves into position to make one more late surge, but time ran out as the Lions held on for the victory.
For more on this story, see Wednesday's edition of The Commerce News.
