October 26, 2007 01:18 am
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By Jim Fryar
jfryar@joplinglobe.com
Commerce has turned to a new look to achieve the same old results.
Actually, it’s a very old look — the Wing-T offense. But that’s a new look for most defensive coordinators and certainly for the players to have to face it.
The revamped offense has the Tigers back where they’re expected to be, battling for an Oklahoma District A7 championship.
Commerce has won 41 straight district games. They shoot for No. 42 at home tonight against Ketchum, which has its own high-powered offense.
“They’ve gotten on a roll lately,” Commerce coach Mitchell Crittenden said of the Warriors. “They’re playing with a lot of confidence.”
Ketchum has scored 192 points in its last four games. The Warriors, 6-1 overall, are 4-0 in the district with games remaining tonight at Commerce and next Friday at Afton.
With its bye week in the seven-team district falling next week, Commerce winds up the regular season tonight. The Tigers, 6-2 overall, are perfect in five district games.
Commerce turned to the Wing-T out of necessity after an 0-2 start in nondistrict play.
When quarterback Mikey Morgan was hurt and lost for the season, first-year coach Crittenden turned to tailback Jimmy Brock.
“For our third and fourth games, we had him under center,” Crittenden said. “But we were wasting his talents. So we switched to a shotgun. We can run some motion, some power, some misdirection.
“We can throw it, but nobody has made us. We’ve got pretty good size up front.
“We’re just scratching the surface of what we can do with it. I think we have the power part down. ... The deception part is coming along.”
Senior James Sullivan leads Commerce with 841 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. Brock has rushed for 342 yards and Josh Pilkinton has added 325.
Brock has also developed into an effective passer, with TD throws in the Tigers’ last three games, Crittenden noted.
Ketchum has steamrolled district foes behind the 1-2 punch of junior Harrison Kay and senior William Evans. The speedy Kay has gained 1,128 yards and scored 15 touchdowns.
“He’s a real difference-maker,” Crittenden said, “quick and fast.”
The Tigers, who haven’t lost a district game since the 2001 season, can clinch both a district title and a home opener in the Class A playoffs with a victory tonight.
The Commerce winning streak in district play began on Oct. 26, 2001 — exactly six years ago.
The Tigers, coming off a 41-20 loss to Afton, beat Fairland 35-16. They added a 46-19 decision the following week to wrap up District (A8 at the time) play with a 6-2 record and a tie for second place with Fairland.
Kansas, now a 2A school, won the district with a 7-1 record.
Beginning in 2002, Commerce won the first of five straight district titles.
The first four of those seasons, the Tigers had 7-0 records, giving them 30 straight district victories.
Commerce went 6-0 last year in a reduced seven-team district, and has added five more wins for 41 consecutive district decisions.
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