COMMERCE — For the first time since 2000, Commerce football is back atop the Class A rankings -- at least in the Public half of the polls.
You might think it a proud accomplishment for coach Michael Brown, who took over the Tigers program in 2013 and has belped build them into a program coming off back-to-back state semifinal berths.
Think again. In fact, Brown treats Commerce's ascent in the rankings like a hot potato.
“I don’t put any stock in it at all,” Brown said. “We don’t want to touch it or talk about it. It’s just an indication of what sports writers think. And they’re not always right.”
Point taken.
“We know it’s there but we try not to think about it. No matter where we are in the rankings it will have no bearing on this week’s game. Or any game, for that matter,” Brown added.
The Tigers will put more than rankings on the line Friday night when they tackle Athens Christian on the road in an important Region 8-A battle. Brown said not to be fooled by the record of Athens Christian (1-2, 0-2 Region 8-A). The Eagles’ two losses are to No. 3 Prince Avenue (7-0, in overtime) and to No. 10 Athens Academy (19-14).
“(Athens Christian) may have the best talent in the region,” Brown said. “They have size on both lines and several skilled guys that will play beyond high school. They are on the verge of becoming one of the elite teams in the region. They are way better than their record shows. We can’t be caught looking past them. They have the best defense in the region, in my opinion. They had chances to beat Prince Avenue but just couldn’t get it done. The key will be the obvious: blocking, tackling, and running the ball and defending the run. Whoever does those things best will win.”
The Tigers success in 2016 has been centered on offense, which has been a juggernaut to this point, with quarterback Lane Sorrow and running backs Will Thomas and Cole Chancey driving the engine -- along with a solid offensive line led by seniors Cade Overstreet, Carson Hall, Matthew Flint, and Garrett Ash.
Brown hopes they aren’t peaking to soon.
“If we are (peaking now) we’re in trouble because the schedule gets tougher starting this week,” he said. “The line has played very well and Lane has done a good job of getting the ball in the right spots. We’ve worked [backup quarterback] Matthew (Flint) into some games to get him some work as well.
“But we’re going to have to really step things up starting this week if we want to win the region. We’re just focusing on this week and trying to get better this week.”
The defense has not faced a powerhouse offense so far in 2016 but Ash (defensive line), and linebackers Flint, senior Austin Brock, and juniors Chase Forrester, Braxton Legg, and Easley Smith anchor a stout front-seven.
“Those guys will be tested this week for sure,” Brown said. “They have played well but I think we still have a lot of room for improvement. We’ll find out a lot more about ourselves this week.”
He also said the Tigers (3-0, 2-0) can’t be caught looking ahead to a highly-anticipated showdown with Prince Avenue next week.
“If we do then that’s my fault for not keeping the guys focused on this week,” Brown said. “Our goal is keep our eyes on today. The moment we start thinking about rankings or who we think is the biggest game is when we will get tripped up.”
Historically, the Tigers have provided plenty of reason to dwell on rankings. They have spent 63 weeks in their history as a No. 1 team -- but none since finishing No. 1 after winning the Class A title in 2000. That changed two weeks ago, however, when the Tigers took over the top spot in the scoreatlanta.com Class A Public poll.
They are ranked fourth in the latest Class A Associated Press poll, which includes both public and private schools. But, they are the highest ranked public school in that poll.
In perspective, the 63 weeks means the Tigers have spent at least one week per season, on average, in the No. 1 spot since polls began to be published in the mid-1950s.
How does their 63 weeks atop the polls rank among other elite Georgia programs?
Valdosta, long considered the gold standard for Georgia programs, has spent an amazing 352 weeks at the top -- but none since 1999. Buford, which has climbed from Class A to their current spot in Class AAAAA, has taken over as the state’s gold standard and has spent 210 weeks in the top spot, mostly since the 2000 season. They are ranked No. 1 in the current scoreatlanta.com poll and No. 2 in the AP poll.
Among other Class A powers, Lincoln County leads the way with 125 weeks as the No. 1; Washington-Wilkes has been in the No. 1 spot for 84 weeks; and Charlton County has spent 72 weeks in the top spot. Commerce is right behind.
The highest the Tigers had gotten since their title run in 2000 was being ranked No. 2 in 2002 in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll for most of that season. They were ranked fourth for several weeks in 2006 and 2007 in the AP poll.
The current crop of Tigers have earned their station. They are 10th in points allowed in Class A (22 total, 7.3 points per game) and fifth in scoring averaging (44.6 ppg) thus far.
But, they are just sixth in the Class A Public power rankings since they have yet to play any of the top teams in Region 8-A.
Brown said the power rankings are just as fickle as the polls in his mind. The Tigers were ranked third in the power rankings at the end of last season but were just the ninth-seeded team in the Class A Public playoffs.
“That is an imperfect system for sure,” he said. “If we make the playoffs we just go play whoever we’re supposed to play that week. Polls and power rankings don’t mean anything once you get on the field.”
Keep playing well on the field, however, and the polls -- at least the final one -- will mean something.
COMMERCE at ATHENS CHRISTIAN
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
-- WHERE: Eagle Field, Athens
-- COMMERCE (3-0, 2-0 Region 8-A): Ranked No. 1 in Class A Public, bye last week, defeated Lakeview Academy 42-7 two weeks ago
-- ATHENS CHRISTIAN (1-2, 0-2 Region 8-A): Bye last week, lost 19-12 to Athens Academy two weeks ago
-- NOTABLE: Commerce leads series 9-1. The Tigers won 27-14 in 2015. ... The Eagles only win in the series came in 2012 and the series has been a tight one of late with 3 of the last 4 meetings decided by 5 points or less. ... Commerce has never lost to the Eagles in Athens (5-0). ... Commerce is one of four unbeaten teams in Region 8-A and need a win to keep pace.
