The Commerce Tigers will face off against the Jefferson Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Commerce is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Mount Vernon just ended the team's seven-game winning streak on Friday. They took a 32-27 hit to the loss column at the hands of Mount Vernon. The contest marked Commerce's lowest-scoring game so far this season.
Commerce's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Ky'mani Graham, who rushed for 180 yards and two touchdowns on only eight carries, and Aidan Brown, who rushed for 157 yards while picking up 9.8 yards per carry. Graham's longest rush was for an impressive 65 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total. Lukah Selvaggi was in the mix as well, providing Commerce with two TDs.
While Commerce came up short, they sure didn't make it easy for Mount Vernon: they limited their QB to completion percentage of just 50%. Sadly, that's becoming something of a trend for Commerce; they were averaging 60.6%completion percentage earlier this season, but in their last three matchups they've fallen to only 60.6%.
Commerce didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Brandon Anderson Jr. Another thorn in Mount Vernon's side was Alan Rios, who made 12 total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, after only 12 points in their last contest, Jefferson made sure to put some points up on the board against Tatum on Friday. The Bulldogs claimed a resounding 49-14 win over the Eagles. With the Bulldogs ahead 35-7 at the half, the game was all but over already.
Jefferson's win came from a few key players Commerce will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Travis Gray Jr, who picked up 44 receiving yards and one score, and also rushed for 32 yards.
Jefferson has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 6-4 record this season. The team dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 40 points. As for Commerce, their loss was their first in the district, dropping their district record down to 5-1 and their overall record down to 7-2.
