Quick scores carry Commerce

November 01, 2008 01:22 am

— By Levi Payton
sports@joplinglobe.com
COMMERCE, Okla. — For the seventh time this season the Commerce Tigers’ defense held their opponents to no points as the District A8 champions blanked the visiting Quapaw Wildcats 36-0.
The Tigers, who have allowed just 25 points all season, remain unbeaten at 9-0.
Still, coach Willie Ng says his team has to get better.
“We still have some things we need to work on right now,” Ng said. “We’ve also got some guys banged up. We’re going to the playoffs in two weeks and we need to get healthy.”
Commerce couldn’t wait to get on the scoreboard and get its starters out of the game.
The Tigers did just that only 11 seconds into the game when quarterback Joey Bowling took the first play from scrimmage 64 yards up the middle to paydirt. The ensuing extra point attempt went awry when the snap rolled across the ground. However, holder Luke Manning scooped up the ball and found Bryson Sullivan open in the end zone to make it 8-0.
After forcing the Wildcats to a three-and-out, Sullivan raced 43 yards for a touchdown on the fourth play of the Tigers’ next drive. Bowling was again in the mix on the third score of the first quarter when he hit wideout Zach Barnes on a quick slant that went for 46 yards and another score with 29 seconds left in the first quarter.
“We preached all week that we needed to come out fast, hard, and get some quick scores,” Ng said. “We wanted to get up early and not necessarily coast, but to try to play some (reserves) and rest some (starters).”
Ironically, the Tigers scored their final touchdown on a botched field goal attempt as well. This time it was Manning taking it in himself from 13 yards out with 6:55 left in the game after another bad snap forced him to scramble.
By then the damage had been done. Sullivan, while toting the ball just four times in the second half, broke loose again on an 18-yard run with 6:21 left in the third period.
The Wildcats were held to just 23 yards passing, though they did run for 189. Sullivan, meanwhile, ran for 131 yards on just 10 carries with two touchdowns to lead the Tigers’ offense.
“Quapaw played hard,” Ng said. “Give them some credit. Early on I think they whipped us up front. We changed schemes a little bit and kind of slowed them down.”
Commerce travels to Hulbert for a 7:30 p.m. showdown next Friday.