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The Commerce News Sports CONTACT US: Brandon Reed / brandon@mainstreetnews.com / (706) 367-5233 or (706) 335-2927 CHS Football 1B THE COMMERCE (GA.) NEWS WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2007 Season Ends On Penalty-Induced Field Goal Hail Mary Pass, Penalty Lift Gordon Lee To An Improbable 16-14 Victory The week before the Com merce Tigers traveled to Chick- amauga for the playoffs, Coach Steve Savage commented that his Tigers would have to elimi nate turnovers and penalties to win the game. As it turned out, a pair of late penalties — questionable calls to somewhat prejudiced Tiger fans — allowed the Gordon Lee Trojans to kick a 31-yard field goal with no time on the clock to send the Tigers home 16-14 losers. “They snatched victory from the jaws of defeat,” Savage said of the unusual circumstances that led to a climatic finish. Commerce, down 7-0 at the half, had tied the game on an 80-yard drive on its first pos session of the second half, then Gordon Lee drove 63 yards on its second position — aided by a roughing--the-passer penalty that was a harbinger of things to come — to go up 13-7 with 10:30 left in the game. The extra point kick sailed wide. ' 1 ■* 1 ■ft-vyP* ' m ^ ' at i h hJ Mir H ‘ ’1 Defensive coordinator Marvin Justice encourages his troops. The Tiger defense stopped the Trojans four times on fourth down. Almost in: Quarterback Reuben Haynes is yard line. He scored on the next play for the forced out of bounds at the Gordon Lee one- Tigers’ first touchdown of the evening. Commerce responded with its second TD, driving 80 yards again on 11 plays before quar terback Reuben Haynes tied the game with a two-yard run and Cameron Billings’ extra point put Commerce ahead 14-13. That should have been it. The Trojans drove from their own 34 down to the Tiger 25, but the game-winning field goal attempt sailed wide right from 32 yards. The Tigers took over with 59 seconds left, but after manag ing only eight yards on three plays, had to punt with 13 sec onds left. That’s when things unraveled. “That number seven came fly ing up there and dove on the ball,” said Savage. “That was a heads-up play. If he hadn’t done that, time would have run out.” Gordon Lee had the ball at midfield and time for one des peration pass. Here’s how Sav age saw it: “They had a bad snap and the kid threw it up for grabs, and they threw a roughing-the-pass- er flag on us. We tipped the ball twice, it bounced off one of our heads and into their hands. We tackled them on the 28.” The game should have been over. But a Gordon Lee player spiked the ball, some pushing ensued and two more penalties were called, one on each side, for unsportsmanlike conduct. Those penalties offset, and the referees tacked the rough- ing-the-passer penalty onto the end of the play, putting the ball on the Tiger 14 with no time on the clock. Gordon Lee’s kicker, who had missed a point after, a 37-yard attempt in the first half and the 32-yard attempt moments ear lier, split the uprights, sending the Trojans onto the field in cel ebration. “I was watching their kicker in the pre-game warm-ups,” Savage said. “He could kick the fool out Linebacker Josh Streetman had a big night with seven tackles and 14 assists. of it. It didn’t surprise me that he made it.” The comeback spoiled what might have been the Tiger de fense’s best game of the year. While the offense struggled in the first half (zero points), the defense had three fourth-down stops, including a goal-line stand. “The defense played well all night. They played scrappy and hard and came ready to play,” Savage said . None played better than line backer Josh Streetman, who re corded seven solo tackles and 14 assists. “Streetman played a heck of a game,” Savage noted. “Doug Please Turn to Page 3B From Eagle To Bearcat Hayley Leissner Signs Scholarship With Lander By Brandon Reed East Jackson Lady Eagles pitching standout Hayley Leiss- ner signed on Tuesday to a soft ball scholarship with Lander University in Greenwood, SC. Leissner said a trip to the cam pus helped her decide to be come a Bearcat. “I really like the atmosphere up there,” she said. “I met some of the girls and they were really nice . It just seemed like a place I would want to be at.” Leissner says she feels Lander has a good softball program. “They have a new coach this year,” she said. “I know before they had a coach for 25 or so years, so they’re starting fresh. From what I’ve heard, they’re supposed to have a good pro gram.” The Bearcats had a 15-41 over all record last year, according to the Lander web site. Leissner says it’s amazing to come off of a successful year with the Lady Eagles and get ready to move to a college pro gram. “I love it,” she said. “Start ing off this year, nobody really knew what was going to hap pen. We ended up having a great turnout, which was very excit ing. Now, having the scholarship also added onto it — it’s great.” She ended the 2007 season with a 0.25 ERA, striking out over 300 batters on the way to the AA-North sectionals in Rome. East Jackson head softball coach Jason Rainey says Leiss- ner defiantly understands how to be a team leader. “She’s a team player most of all,” Rainey said. “Obviously, she’s a real good player. But, as far as being a teammate, and be ing in a leadership role, I’d say that’s where she excelled. That separates her from a lot of other good players.” Rainey said Leissner was an important part of the Lady Ea gles’ successful first year. “She was very important, not only because of her talent, but because we always could fall back on her if we needed to,” he said. “And always is a lot. She was the only girl that we had that had been to sectionals. So, she offered a lot of experience to our team. She was very im portant.” Leissner says the person that helped her the most this past year was a close member of her family, her sister and teammate, Keegan Leissner. “She was always there for me, and I could always count on her,” Hayley said. “She played center- field, so I could always just turn around and see her there. I knew I could count on her, as well as everybody on my team. But, I really depended on her as well, I guess because she’s my little sister.” Leissner’s senior year certainly has been a big one. Along with her success on the mound and the Lander scholarship, she was named homecoming queen at the East Jackson football game Nov. 9. “I love it,” she said. “I don’t think it could get any better. Maybe it could, but I love it so much. I never would have ex pected it at all.” “I think she’ll do great,” Rain ey predicted. “I had a good feeling about her the whole time. I think she’ll have an op portunity to start up there. If she doesn’t, I have no doubt in my mind that she’ll find her way in there somehow. That’s just the way she is. I think she’ll do a great job.” Leissner says she plans to ma jor in pre-physical therapy, or sports medicine at Lander. East Jackson senior Hayley Leissner signed standout completed her 2007 season with a this week to a softball scholarship with Lander 0.25 ERA, recording over 300 strikeouts. University in Greenwood, SC. The pitching