A lot to get to as always, so let’s go.
After the 8-7 win over North Alabama on Friday, The Lions moved up to # 3 in the nation, the highest ranking the Lions have enjoyed since they were # 2 during the 1988 season. The win was the biggest in the Carthel era and the program keeps going to heights that have not been seen in Commerce in a long time. Here is the newly released AFCA DII poll-
2017 American Football Coaches Association Division II Coaches’ Poll – September 4, 2017
| Rk | School (1st votes) | Rec. | Pts. | Prev. |
| 1. | Northwest Missouri St. (34) | 1-0 | 850 | 1 |
| 2. | Ferris St. (Mich.) | 0-0 | 799 | 3 |
| 3. | A&M-COMMERCE | 1-0 | 776 | 5 |
| 4. | Shepherd (W.Va.) | 1-0 | 726 | 7 |
| 5. | California (Pa.) | 1-0 | 675 | 8 |
| 6. | Indiana (Pa.) | 1-0 | 649 | 9 |
| 7. | Colorado St.-Pueblo | 1-0 | 644 | 12 |
| 8. | Azusa Pacific (Calif.) | 1-0 | 541 | 13 |
| 9. | Sioux Falls (S.D.) | 1-0 | 502 | 17 |
| 10. | LIU-Post (N.Y.) | 1-0 | 486 | 14 |
| 11. | North Alabama | 0-1 | 468 | 6 |
| 12. | Minnesota St. | 1-0 | 412 | 20 |
| 13. | Central Missouri | 1-0 | 401 | 21 |
| 14. | Grand Valley St. (Mich.) | 0-1 | 338 | 2 |
| 15. | Emporia St. (Kan.) | 0-1 | 310 | 4 |
| 16. | Midwestern St. (Texas) | 1-0 | 298 | 24 |
| 17. | Colorado Mesa | 1-0 | 293 | 23 |
| 18. | Indianapolis (Ind.) | 1-0 | 246 | NR |
| 19. | Winston-Salem St. (N.C.) | 1-0 | 201 | NR |
| 20. | Albany St. (Ga.) | 1-0 | 197 | NR |
| 21. | Minnesota-Duluth | 0-1 | 139 | 10 |
| 22. | Tuskegee (Ala.) | 1-0 | 138 | NR |
| 23. | Henderson St. (Ark.) | 1-0 | 126 | NR |
| 24. | West Chester (Pa.) | 1-0 | 101 | NR |
| 25. | West Georgia | 1-0 | 79 | NR |
Huge Congrats to Lion Chris Smith who was named conference player of the week for his 6 tackle performance that also saw him sack UNA QB Blake Hawkins in the end zone with 4:08 left to go that gave the Lions two critical points and gave the ball back to the Lions that resulted in the game winning drive.
Per Lionathletics.com-http://lionathletics.com/news/2017/9/4/football-chris-smith-named-lsc-defensive-player-of-the-week.aspx?path=football
Volleyball-
The Lions Volleyball squad picked up two wins and dropped two at the Tarleton State Invitational. The Lions defeated Southwest Baptist and Maryville College before losing to 18th ranked Central Oklahoma and 23rd ranked Rockhurst. At 2-2, the netters head to Pueblo, Colorado for a date with 12th ranked Wayne State and then take on Tournament Host CSU-Pueblo later that night.
Neil Piper’s Club started the season off right with two big wins. The Lions won Friday night in Commerce defeating Florida Tech 2-0 and then went back onto the pitch to defeat Central Oklahoma 2-1 in a come from behind fashion.
After a scoreless first half vs Florida Tech, Sophie Haywood put in a header in the 49th minute. The Lions would clinch the game barely 5 minutes later when Delaney Bunselmeyer took a corner kick and put it in the back of the net.
Against Central Oklahoma on Sunday, UCO struck first in the 30th minute to go up 1-0. The Lions came back when Izzy ward hit the equalizer just before the half at 1 a piece, and Sophie Haywood found the net for the second time in 3 days in the 48th minute as the Lion defense clamped down and earned a 2-0 record. The Ladies hit the pitch again on Friday against St. Mary’s in Commerce.
