CHS Football: Getting in the groove of things

The Tigers took to the field with intensity, showcasing their triple-threat rushing attack right from the get-go.

On their first possession, Commerce powered the ball down the field on a 70-yard drive, capped off by a six-yard touchdown run by fullback Trey Grier and the extra-point kick by Nahum Mendoza.

Although the offense eventually cooled due to penalties and turnovers, the Tigers were able to move the ball up and down the field for a majority of the scrimmage, earning 288 rushing yards by the end of the night.

Head coach Marvin Justice said he was overall “pleased with the way the team looked.”

“On offense, Drew Whitfield did a great job at quarterback,” said Justice. “The offensive line did a good job of moving people off the line, and our backs ran very hard. In the middle of the first half we lost some intensity and lost some focus, but that’s why you scrimmage — so you can address those types of things.”

Commerce went on to score once more in the third quarter on a 54-yard touchdown run by halfback Terrick Ramsey.
The Tiger defense was also firing on all cylinders, holding the Lions to only 234 yards total offense and allowing only two third-down conversions in nine attempts.

“On defense, Chance McClure played really well,” said Justice. “We did a real good job at getting people to pursue the football. These guys played with a lot of emotion.”
McClure and Chase Ledbetter led the team in tackles, making seven apiece.

Each team eventually put their Junior Varsity troops in late in the game, allowing the younger guys to get some playing time.

The game ended with a tie score of 13-13, not that the score is the focus in this a scrimmage game.

“The important thing is that we have had a game type situation under our belts,” said Justice. “When we play Jefferson in a couple of weeks, it won’t be like it’s the first time these guys have been out on the field. Hopefully we can watch the film and go in and make any corrections we need to for the next game.”

When asked about his team’s focus moving forward, Justice didn’t want to give away any details, but he did make it clear that they have a specific plan for the Dragons.

“We had been installing our offense and defense all summer, but now we are working on implementing a game plan from an offensive and defensive standpoint specifically for Jefferson,” added Justice.

The Tigers will open the season at home against long-time rival Jefferson on Friday Aug. 31, at 8:00 p.m.