For the first time this season, the Commerce High School football team competes on a truly even playing field on Friday. Washington-Wilkes is Class A, too.
“And that’s good,” said coach Marvin Justice, with a slight shake of his head.
Last Friday, Justice watched his team struggle against a punishing Class AA power, North Oconee. The Titans (2-0) squad dominated the Tigers, 33-0.
Worse than the stinging outcome, another Commerce player was knocked out of the game. Sophomore tailback Marquavius Little suffered what Justice termed a “brutal lick” as he tried to receive a Cody Streetman pass in the second half. Little, diagnosed Friday night with a concussion, will not play this week as a result of the hit.
“Just like any loss, you have to learn what you can, put it behind you and move on,” Justice said. “I’m not going to lie, it left a bad taste in all of our mouths.”
Commerce (1-2) can’t allow the sick feeling to linger. There is too much at stake against Washington-Wilkes (0-2), which meets Commerce at 8 p.m. Friday on Tiger Field.
Justice is treating the match-up like the beginning of the Tigers’ critical Region 8A schedule, even though Washington-Wilkes (also named the Tigers) is grouped in neighboring 7A.
Here’s why: region tiebreakers include games against non-region competition that are in the same classification.
What that means is, if Commerce happens to end the season tied for first in its own region, a win against Washington-Wilkes could help the Tigers win Region 8A’s top seed entering the playoffs.
“To me, this game is our first region game and that’s what I’m telling the team,” Justice said.
It helps that the squads mirror each other in a number of ways, he added.
“They are extremely athletic and young like us,” Justice said. “Both of us have something else in common. We both have two losses. They are a very good 0-2 football team, I promise you that.”
Commerce has its moments, too, even in its most recent loss.
Facing an overwhelming home field advantage, Streetman and a number of his teammates attempted again and again to test the Titans’ strong resolve.
Streetman led the team in rushing with 81 yards on 23 carries, often ending plays with two and three defenders wrapped around his body. His longest run was a thrilling 27-yard dash up the middle for one of the Tigers’ 10 first downs on the night.
Terrick Ramsey added another 34 yards rushing. (The Tigers’ totaled 147 total offensive yards to the Titans’ 390 yards.)
On defense, Drew Whitfield provided a small moral victory for the team with 7:22 left to play in the game. He helped cause and then recovered a fumble as North Oconee was driving deep in Commerce territory.
The turnover, one of two the defense forced last Friday, prevented the Titans from adding any more points to its 33-0 final.
