CANTON -- It was a little bit of the old and a little of the new for Canton Thursday night.
The Chiefs played their first game on their brand-new synthetic turf field, which is similar to the turf at Ford Field. The result was the same as last year, a victory over Ann Arbor Pioneer.
Canton claimed a 28-14 victory in the season opener for each school. Last year, the Chiefs won, 10-0.
"I was pleased with how much more we competed this year," Pioneer Coach Chuck White said. "Last year, if Canton hadn't had six turnovers, they win, 42-0. This year, though, we're in the early stages of developing what we want to do. We just need to bring things together and take away the big plays."
Canton took advantage of three big scoring plays to down the Pioneers.
With the score tied 7-7 in the second quarter, sophomore quarterback Shawn Little hit Devin Thomas on a 92-yard pass play. The extra-point kick was missed for a 13-7 lead at halftime.
In the third quarter, Pioneer then took a 14-13 lead, but the Chiefs answered right away. Little found Thomas for a 61-yard scoring pass. Thomas caught the two-point conversion pass for a 21-14 lead.
"Coach tries to get me the ball in different ways," said Thomas, who is listed as a halfback, but caught four passes for 194 yards. "(On the first touchdown), (Little) left it up to me on my route. We connected and took it down and took it to the house. You got to turn it on when you have the ball and an open field."
Chuck Schumacher then helped clinch the game, when he took a dive play 35 yards in the fourth quarter for a 28-14 lead. Schumacher ran for a game-high 112 yards on 21 carries with two scores.
"He is so patient when he runs," White said. "He pushes the pile and when he finds a soft spot, he just goes. That's a credit to him. You really have to make a tackle and hang on. With their offense, you don't get lulled to sleep by the run, but you're so run-focused, that Thomas or someone else can beat you deep."
Added Canton Coach Tim Baechler: "I have a 12-year habit of running the T-offense. But I realized we have four kids who can catch the ball and told myself, 'Why am I being so stubborn here,' so we opened it up a bit."
Little completed all three of his passes, but connected for 159 yards. But the biggest pass play of the night may have come from backup quarterback David Neu. Little took a big hit early in the fourth quarter. He came back after sitting out one play, but coaches later took him out as a precaution.
Neu came in on a 3rd-and-12 play and hit Thomas for a 35-yard completion. Two plays later, Schumacher scored the second of his two touchdowns.
"(Little) is talking and coherent, but we still took him out," Baechler said. "But both quarterbacks played well. They made the plays when they had to. David hasn't had a lot of reps this week. But we went through it on the sideline and said, 'Can you do it?' He said yes and he did it. He has a tough time taking snaps because his hands aren't the largest.
"Our offense stalled a little bit in the third quarter, until we got it going. It could have gone either way, but when we answered their touchdown, the defense just took over."
But with Pioneer's offense, the Chiefs couldn't breathe easy until the game ended. Pioneer quarterback Mike McCoy threw for 295 yards on 19-of-40 passing and two touchdowns.
Adam Kennedy caught nine passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns, including a 69-yard strike to open the scoring. He also scored on a 7-yard pass play, where McCoy rolled right and hit a diving Kennedy in the end zone.
"It's no fun defending (Pioneer)," Baechler said. "Any play Kennedy can break one. I was on pins and needles all night. Sometimes you wish they'd just hammer it between the 40s. But our defensive back coaches did a great job. They worked the players' butts off and they were there to make the plays."
White was also impressed with Canton's quarterback Little.
"Our team is so different this year," White said. "We lost about 650 pounds off our offensive line. But Canton came off the ball better this year. They have a much stronger offense this year and their defensive line is lighter and more mobile.
"And you have to play error-free football against them or they will make you pay. You have to tackle three or four kids anytime they run. But (Little) is so good with the ball. You can't tell where the ball is unless you watch the guards."
Canton tallied 342 total yards, including 194 through the air. Pioneer had 362 yards, including 295 through the air.
Tim Russell is a free-lance writer.