Anthony Davis of Hominy is hung up in heavy traffic created by his own teammates during Saturday night's Class A playoff game. Among the Commerce players moving in on Davis are Jeff Judd (75) and Airam Delarosa (57). The Tigers posted a 26-17 victory. Photo by JIM ELLIS

Tigers Reach Third Round Again
By Monty Franks

“But, time and time again they came up big and didn't give in,” Trimble said. “According to an old saying ‘offense sells game tickets but defense wins championships.'

“Coaches (Jack) Kelley and (Willie) Ng put together a great game plan and the kids did an exceptional job of executing it,” Trimble said. “We knew going in that Hominy had a lot of offensive weapons and we were able to hold them pretty much in check.”

With their ninth consecutive victory the 9-2 Tigers remain at home next Saturday to host the No.1-ranked Washington Warriors at 7:30 p.m.

Washington comes to Commerce with a 12-0 record following a 40-0 shutout over Apache on Friday.

During the first 22 minutes of the first two quarters, the Tigers fell behind by a 10-0 score.

Hominy, who finished 8-4 on the year, grabbed a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter by taking their second possession and marching 72 yards in four plays.

The key play of the drive was a 65-yard pass play from senior quarterback Dillon Owens to junior wide receiver Anthony Crawford.

Commerce free safety Jordan Beckwith hauled Crawford down from behind at the Tiger 5-yard line to keep the 6-4 receiver from scoring.

After a 5-yard procedure penalty, Owens found sophomore tight end Chase Fairweather on a flair pattern for a 9-yard touchdown pass. Owens kicked the extra point to give the Bucks a 7-0 lead with 6:15 left in the first quarter.

A fumble by Josh Pilkinton gave the Bucks another scoring chance less than two minutes later as Hominy linebacker Shawn Dohn recovered the ball at the Commerce 20-yard line.

The Commerce defense stiffened and Owens missed a 32-yard field goal attempt wide right with 4:27 remaining in the opening quarter.

Consuming more than six minutes in the second quarter, the Bucks mounted a 73-yard drive in 12 plays to build a 10-0 cushion. Junior running back Anthony Davis carried the ball six times for 26 yards and Owens completed 4 of 5 passes for 37 yards before the drive stalled at the Commerce 10-yard line.

Owens connected on a 27-yard field goal with 5:33 before halftime to increase the Bucks lead.

Two key plays by Beckwith in the final three minutes rallied Commerce. After a 39-yard kickoff return by Beckwith following the field goal, the Tigers drove 46 yards in five plays to get on the scoreboard.

After three runs by senior quarterback Daniel Walker for 20 yards, Walker connected with junior running back Jimmy Brock for a 16-yard touchdown pass. A bad snap caused the extra point attempt by Beckwith to squib wide right as the Tigers trailed 10-6 with 2:20 until halftime.

On Hominy's second play in the next series, Beckwith stepped in front of an errant Owens pass and returned it 43 yards to the Hominy 22-yard line.

A 15-yard pass from Walker to Beckwith set up a 7-yard touchdown run by Walker as the Tigers grabbed the lead. Beckwith tacked on the extra point for a 13-10 lead with 1:20 before half.

“I felt like we were in better physical condition than they were,” Trimble said. “As the game went on our offensive line began to wear on them which opened up our running game.”

Things didn't look to bright for Commerce after Brock dropped the opening kickoff to start the third quarter. Although Brock recovered the ball at the Commerce 9-yard line, the running back put the ball on the ground again on the first play from scrimmage.

Hominy defensive back Jacob Walker recovered the ball to give the Bucks an 11-yard scoring opportunity.

Two carries by Walker for 10 yards enabled Owens to score on a 1-yard plunge with 10:44 left in the third quarter. The extra point by Owens gave the Bucks a 17-13 lead.

With time winding down in the third quarter, Commerce senior defensive back Korey Langston snagged an errant Owens pass and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown as time ran out. The PAT by Beckwith gave Commerce a 20-17 lead heading into the final 12 minutes.

With 5:23 remaining in the game, the Bucks attempted to create a 20-20 tie, but Owens missed a 36-yard field goal wide right. The scoring opportunity came after a fumble by Tiger running back James Sullivan was recovered by Dohn at the Commerce 25-yard line.

“You know we put the ball on the ground five times and lost it four,” Trimble said. “But, a lot of that was because our kids were running hard and trying to get that extra yard.”

Brock redeemed his three fumbles by carrying the ball three times for 66 yards as Commerce covered 77 yards in six plays. Brock culminated the drive with a nifty 44-yard touchdown run with 2:11 left in the game. The two-point conversion run by Walker was stopped as Commerce maintained a 26-17 lead.

The Tiger offense generated 288 total yards, which included 184 yards on the ground. Brock rushed for 134 yards on 11 carries and Walker added 29 yards on 11 carries.

Walker completed 8 of 12 passes for 104 yards on one touchdown. Beckwith caught six passes for 59 yards and Brock added two receptions for 45 yards.

The Commerce defense limited Hominy to 46 yards 32 carries on the ground while sacking Owens six times for minus-27 yards.

Owens completed 11 of 25 passes for 153 yards with two costly interceptions and one touchdown.