The #7-ranked Commerce Tigers (8-3) kicked off their 28th consecutive playoff run with a barn-burner at Ray Lamb Stadium in a 35-28 final against visiting Bremen, surviving a see-saw first quarter and fourth quarter comeback attempt by the visitors.
The Blue Devils (6–5) surrendered an immediate TD as Jacari Huff went 90 yards on the opening kick. Bremen retaliated quickly on a 47-yd TD from Eli Brock, but Jaiden Daniels rumbled 83 yards for the go-ahead score. All three scores came in the first 3 minutes and 49 seconds. The next came just a couple of minutes later when Brock hit Aiden Price on a 38-yard TD, again knotting the game, this time at 14.
With just 10 seconds to go in the first, Tysean Wiggins capped off an impressive drive for the Tigers for the 21-14 lead when he found pay dirt from a yard out. Neither team found its way to the end zone the remainder of the half, though the Blue Devils had two thwarted field goal attempts.
The opening drive of the second half was successful for Bremen, as the Blue Devils capitalized on a big penalty and Trent McPherson made a dive on a 9-yd game-tying TD. That woke up the Tigers, as Wiggins had a pair of huge runs that led to a 22-yd TD by Huff to retake the lead.
After forcing a turnover on downs, Commerce got a pair of physical runs by Wiggins to again set up a score, this time by Daniels from 2 yards out for the 35-21 lead with just over two minutes to go in the third. In the final quarter, Bremen cut it down to 35-28, and had the ball with a chance to tie before turning it over on downs.
Huff and Daniels each had a pair of TDs, and Wiggins had the other. The Tigers advance to the second round of the state playoffs.
