SALINA — Snapping a 57-game winning streak in District A-8, the sixth-ranked Commerce Tigers dropped a 22-14 decision to the unranked Salina Wildcats Thursday night before an overflow crowd at Wildcat Field.
The Tigers started the streak following a 41-20 loss to Afton on Oct. 12, 2001 in Commerce.
With the loss, coach Willie Ng’s Tigers are 5-1 in the district and 6-1 overall.
The Tigers return home on Oct. 23 for a 7:30 p.m. clash with Ketchum.
Coach Matt Williams’ 16th ranked Wildcats are a perfect 6-0 in the district and 7-0 on the year.
“When you make as many mistakes as we did against a team as good as Salina, you’re going to get beat,” Ng said. “I’m not blaming the kids because they played as hard as they could.
“This loss was my fault because I didn’t get them prepared for tonight,” Ng said. “But we can only put kids in position to make the play and we just didn’t get that done.”
Things started out on an exciting note for the visiting Tigers as junior running back Austin McMain took the handoff from quarterback Joey Bowling and exploded up the middle for a 75-yard touchdown run on the first offensive play of the game.
Bowling kicked the point-after as Commerce grabbed a 7-0 lead just 21 seconds into the game.
After neither team could generate any offensive thrust the remainder of the first quarter and the initial four minutes of the second, Commerce mounted a 27-yard, eight-play drive to build a 14-0 cushion.
On a third-and-goal call from the Salina 19-yard line, Bowling found junior running back Bryson Sullivan circling out of the backfield for a 19-yard touchdown pass.
The extra point by Bowling quieted the standing room only crowd at the 6:11 juncture.
Sparked by a 25-yard run by senior tailback Darin Pettit, the Wildcats drove 62 yards in five plays less than two-minutes later.
Junior quarterback Dillon Manchell lobbed an 11-yard touchdown pass to junior wide out Paul Harvey to conclude the Salina drive.
Manchell found Ty Stewart for the two-point conversion pass as the Wildcats trailed 14-8 at halftime.
“We held them to less than 100 yards in total offense the first half and kept them in check,” Ng said. “But, their platooning of offensive linemen that were 350, 320 and 300 pounds in the second half took its toll on our defense. So we may have gotten tired.”
Pettit (5-8, 185) began to display his talents that earned him Tulsa World Offensive Player of the Week last week by igniting a 71-yard drive to start the third quarter for Salina. He scored on a 15-yard run after three carries for 46 yards during the drive.
Ty Stewart’s attempt to kick the extra point doinked off the right goal post as the Wildcats battled to a 14-14 tie with 9:31 showing on the clock.
Following a meager 9-yard punt by Commerce’s Mickey Morgan, Salina needed only one play to cover 44 yards to grab the lead for good.
Pettit burst straight up the middle on a 44-yard TD run with 3:23 left in the third quarter. He tacked on the two-point conversion run for a 22-14 Wildcats lead.
“I wasn’t so discouraged by our defensive effort as I was by the fact that we dropped five passes that could have kept our offense on the field,” Ng said. “Then, when we did make something happen offensively, we shot ourselves in the foot with penalties and went backwards.”
Only one yard separated the two offenses as Salina managed 289 total yards while Commerce generated 288 total yards.
Sullivan led the Tigers ground game with 100 yards on 16 carries while McMain added 85 yards on nine carries.
Bowling completed 9 of 20 passes for 86 yards as Luis Arizpe led the Commerce receiving corps with two catches for 31 yards. Sullivan added two receptions for 30 yards and a TD.
After being limited to 77 yards on 16 carries in the first half, Pettit finished with 243 yards on 32 carries and two touchdowns.
“We’ll get things fixed,” Ng said. “We’re going to be a playoff team.”
