CHS hammers Ketchum, 72-16
By Jim Ellis
The News-Record

KETCHUM — After sweating out wins for the past two weeks, Commerce could breath easy Friday night.

The second-ranked Tigers rolled up 459 yards in total offense during a 72-16 drubbing of winless Ketchum.

“They are awfully young,” Commerce coach Rick Trimble said. “I think he (Ketchum's coach) said they had only had two seniors and two juniors. They should be pretty good in a couple years if they can hang on to them.

Six different players scored for the Tigers, with freshman running back Josh Pilkinton and senior Logan Cawyer scoring three times each.

Klint Reading, Jared Dopp and Dusty Williams each crossed the goal line once.

“We played a lot of JVs,” Trimble said. “There were a few kids we left in there and there. We had some who we felt needed the work.”

It was a good news, bad news situation for the Tigers, who had Reading back in the lineup after missing a week while nursing a hand injury.

And running back Tim Osborn likely will be available for Friday's game at home with Fairland.

But running back/outside linebacker Nathan Webb was lost with a broken leg.

The Tigers stunned Ketchum with a 32-point explosion in the first quarter.

“He's been playing well for us,” Trimble said. “He's played at running back when Tim was hurt and has been starting at outside linebacker. We hate to lose him.”

The Tigers were up 20-0 in the first six minutes of the contest as Pilkinton went over from the 6-yard line at 9:03, Sullivan recovered a blocked punt in the end zone just 57 seconds later, and Pilkinton added a 9-yard run just over two minutes after that.

Sullivan broke loose on a 54-yard run then Reading added an 8-yard run to make it 32-0.

The Tigers came up with another three touchdowns in the second period — a 39 yard pass from Reading to Cawyer, a 1-yard run by Dopp and a 21-yard run by Williams.

Cawyer accounted for both touchdowns by Commerce in the third quarter. He returned the second-half kickoff 81 yards then went 37 yards with an interception.

Ketchum averted a shutout when William Evans powered in from the 2-yard line with 7:23 remaining.

A 59-yard run by Pilkinton on the Tigers' ensuing possession gave Commerce its final points.

Evans scored again with 2:48 remaining on a 1-yard blast. He added the conversion.

“They are trying to build a foundation,” Trimble said. “They have some good young kids. They are sound in what they are doing.”

Pilkinton had 154 yards on 13 carries while Sullivan chipped in with 101 yards on six attempts.

As a team, the Tigers wound up with 327 rushing yards and Reading completed seven passes for 129 yards.