Tigers Open Region Play Fri.

The Eagles picked up a win in their first region match-up Friday night, beating Social Circle 34-10. It was their second win of the season, having downed Oglethorpe County in their season opener. Prior to

Friday night, they had lost contests to Landmark Christian, Hebron Christian and Banks County, giving them a 2-3 record, 1-0 in the region.

“Athens Christian is a team that is blessed with a lot of team speed,” said Commerce head coach Steve Savage. “They’ve got at least four backs that run very well, plus a quarterback that runs well and throws well. Defensively, they’ve got a lot of speed.”

On paper, the odds would appear to be pretty even. The Eagles have scored 109 points in five games, while the Tigers have scored 83 points in four games, a per game average of 21.8 for Athens Christian to 20.8 for Commerce.

Commerce has allowed 125 points in four previous games, while Athens Christian has allowed just 103 in five games, an average of 31.3 per game for the Tigers to the Eagles’ 20.6.

Commerce has soundly beat Athens Christian in their four previous pairings. The Tigers won 54-0 in 2002 and 44-7 in 2003. After a four-year layoff, the two teams met in 2008, with Commerce winning 49-20. Their most recent meeting was last season, where the Tigers again won 35-17.

For more on this story, see Wednesday's edition of The Commerce News.