Canton outlasts Monroe

CANTONTOWNSHIP - Led by running backs Deshon McClendon and Matt Sweda, the Canton High School football team outlasted Monroe 42-34 Friday in a Division 1 playoff game. They scored three touchdowns apiece.

Monroe led 20-7 after the first quarter, but Canton stuck to the ground game and led 21-20 at halftime.

In a game that seemed destined to be won by the team that held the ball last, it was Canton's defense that came up with the game-changing play.

Leading 35-28, Chiefs linebacker Jeff Piper pressured Monroe quarterback Audie Cole into an incomplete pass on fourth-and-7 from the Canton 25-yard line with 8:14 left in fourth quarter.

"Luckily our defense made enough plays in the second half and our offense controlled the game,'' Canton coach Tim Baechler said. "We kind of live and die with our offense. Our defense is supposed to lead us, but our offense is leading us now.''

Five plays later, Sweda burst through the middle of the Trojan defense for a 56-yard touchdown.

"We kept our heads up when we got down early,'' Sweda said. "There was no quitting. We had a couple of mistakes, but we stepped up big to fix it.''

Sweda finished with 134 yards rushing on just eight carries, while McClendon amassed 249 on 20 carries.

"He's just incredible,'' Baechler said of McClendon. "I wish I could take credit for what he does out there. The only credit I can take is telling him where to go. You can't coach the stuff that kid's done.''

Neither team punted the ball on the night, and the only time Monroe stopped the Chiefs was on a first-quarter fumble by quarterback Shawn Little.

Cole finished the game with three touchdown passes for Monroe and Brandyn Harris rushed for 126 yards.

Seth Gordon can be reached at sgordon@annarbornews.com or

(734) 482-2829.