COMMERCE, Ga. — Commerce’s Jacarri Huff provided the hit, Jaiden Daniels scooped it up, and the Tigers defense propelled the Tigers to a thrilling 23-17 overtime win over Rabun County on Friday at Tiger Stadium.
The victory gave Commerce the Region 8-A Division 1 title, their first since 2020 and just their second since 2000.
“I’m just so proud of the guys and how hard they have worked all season,” Commerce coach Mark Hollars said. “It’s hard to win a region title. We have a week off so we’re going to enjoy this and get ready for the playoffs.”
Both the Tigers (9-1, 3-0 Region Region 8-A D1) and the Wildcats (7-3, 1-2 Region Region 8-A D1) will have a week off before heading into the state playoffs in two weeks. The Tigers will be home for at least the first two rounds. The Wildcats, who will be the No. 3 seed, will be on the road for at least the first round.
Daniels scored on a 5-yard touchdown run in Commerce’s overtime opening drive. However, he was stopped a yard short on a 2-point try to open the door for the Wildcats.
Huff, however, knocked the ball loose from Reid Giles after a short pass from Ty Truelove and Daniels was able to grab it just before going out-of-bounds to seal the win.
“We got the ball in our playmakers hands there at the end but give Commerce credit, they made a play,” Rabun County coach Michael Davis said of the final play. “But we would not change that call in that situation 9 out of 10 times. It is what it is.”
“Jacarri made the big hit and I was able to get to it,” Daniels said. “We felt all night we were going to win the game.”
He and the Tigers may have been confident but Rabun County made them earn it. Rabun took leads of 3-0, 10-7, and 17-10. But each time Commerce battled back to tie.
After Marcus Remaillard drilled a 24-yard field goal on the Wildcats’ first drive, Commerce, and Tysean Wiggins in particular, went to work after the teams traded punts.
Wiggins did most of the work with 7 carries for 54 yards on the 68-yard drive. But Daniels gave Commerce a 7-3 lead on a 2-yard run.
Rabun answered back quickly. Three plays later, after a short kickoff, the Wildcats reclaimed the lead 10-7 on a 42-yard TD pass from Truelove to Jake Payne.
On Commerce's next drive, the Tigers had a 4th-and 1 at the Wildcats 5 but a penalty forced them into a 25-yard field goal by Ivey Tolbert to tie the game at 10.
The Wildcats answered again as Reid Giles turned a short screen into a 39-yard touchdown when he found a seam in the defense for a 17-10 lead with just 1:12 left in the half
But the Tigers would not be outdone as they needed just 52 seconds to tie the game again. With a 20-yard pass from JP Allen to De’Kan Williams to open the drive, that set up Daniels’ best run of the half, a 37-yard touchdown run on a sick cutback that left three Rabun County defenders on the ground.
On Rabun’s opening drive of the third quarter, the Wildcats methodically moved down to the Commerce 6. But on a 2nd-and-goal, the Tigers’ DeKan Williams sacked Truelove, who fumbled. The Wildcats recovered at the 26 but that was enough to stall the drive as Remillard’s 48-yard field goal sailed wide right to keep the score tied.
It was a defensive slugfest the rest of the way until Commerce got one final chance in regulation. Starting at their 3, the Tigers got a 22-yard run from Daniels and later benefited from a pass interference call against the Wildcats to get to the Rabun 21 with 40 seconds left.
But the drive stalled and Tolbert, who already had two game-winning field goals in her career, came on for a 31-yard attempt to win it. But the Wildcats blocked the kick and Tolbert, also one of the state’s premier girls soccer players, suffered a lower leg injury and had to be carted off the field, giving a thumbs up to her teammates and the fans.
“Ivey is tough and we knew we had to push through and win this for her,” Daniels said. “We just thank God that we were able to do it.”
