Reading leads CHS ambush of Pawnee
By Shannon Duhon
From The Miami News-Record

COMMERCE -- Klint Reading rushed for three scores and threw for another as sixth-ranked Commerce rallied for a 33-28 victory over top-ranked Pawnee.

Reading, who carried the ball 17 times for 226 yards, had a 1-yard score in the second and a 49-yard touchdown in the third, but it was his fourth-quarter run that set the stage for a dramatic finish.

On fourth and 2 from midfield with 3:26 play, the Tigers ran the option to the right side with Reading opting to keep the ball.

Reading found a hole, bounced to the outside and raced 50 yards for the score.

Commerce (3-0) elected to go for two, but Reading's pass attempt fell short, leaving the score 33-28 with 3:16 remaining in the game.

"We worked on that play all week for use inside the 10-yard line," Commerce head coach Rick Trimble said. "We just wanted to get the first down. I never would have dreamed he would take it the distance. He has great speed."

That put the game in the hands of the Commerce defense -- a defense that struggled in the first half but rose to the challenge in the second half.

Pawnee (2-1) marched the ball down to the Tiger 31-yard line with the help of a face mask penalty on Commerce that negated an interception, a 9-yard pass from Cale Ellis to Clay Bowen and a 6-yard run by Manny Abington.

But, the Commerce defense held tough.

On first-and-10 from the Commerce 31, Tiger freshman linebacker Josh Pilkinton deflected an Ellis pass attempt. On second down, Ellis was sacked for a 10-yard loss.

A procedure penalty against Pawnee pushed the visitors back 5 more yards.

On third down and with 35 seconds to play, Ellis picked up 5 yards up the middle. Pawnee gave the yards back on a procedure penalty on the next play, setting up a fourth-and-25 situation at the Commerce 46 with 10.7 seconds to play.

Ellis' pass attempt on fourth down fell incomplete at the Commerce 3-yard line. Reading took a knee on the next play to end the game.

"Our defense bent a lot in the first half, but really came up big when we needed them," Trimble said. "They really stepped up at the end. Our defense showed a lot of heart in the second half."

The Commerce defense gave up 405 total yards in the contest, 249 of those coming on the ground in the first half on 19 carries. Pawnee rushing in the second half: 20 carries for 56 yards.

"We had our chances," Pawnee head coach David Ellis said. "We needed first downs late in the game and couldn't get them. This is the toughest game we've been in this year."

But, Reading and the Commerce offense kept the Tigers in the game early.

After falling behind 6-0 two minutes into the game thanks to a 53-yard run by Bowen, Commerce responded with a 39-yard touchdown run by James Sullivan and a 34-yard touchdown pass from Reading to Logan Cawyer to take a 14-6 lead heading into the second quarter.

Pawnee tied the game early in the second on a 30-yard pass from Cale Ellis to Bowen and a successful two-point conversion with 10:07 left in the first half. Commerce answered three minutes later with a 1-yard run by Reading and a Cawyer kick to lead 21-14.

The Black Bears added a touchdown with four minutes left in the first half on a 6-yard run by Abington.

The kick was blocked by Commerce's Micah Littlejohn, giving Commerce a 21-20 halftime lead.

"We lost the game in the first half," David Ellis said. "We didn't play very good defense. But, they had a lot to do with that. We made a lot of mistakes and need to work to get better."

Commerce opened the scoring in the second half on a 49-yard run by Reading. The kick failed, leaving Commerce with a 27-20 lead with 8:53 to play in the third.

Pawnee answered with a 2-yard run by Abington and a successful two-point attempt to take a 28-27 lead into the final quarter of play.

Abington finished the game with 28 carries for 202 yards. He carried the ball 16 times in the first half for 172 yards, but was held to 12 carries and 30 yards in the second half.

"Our team showed a lot of guts," Trimble said. "We made some mistakes, but we kept fighting. I'm proud of our coaches and players."