September 20, 2003
BY MARK SNYDER
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER
Canton's players must have sore hands this morning.
That's what holding on so tight will do.
The Chiefs needed every bit of their energy to hold off Walled Lake Western, 33-28, Friday night in a Western Lakes Activities Association matchup.
It took defensive back Julian Smith's interception with nine seconds left to secure a win that appeared safe when the Chiefs took a 26-7 lead in the third.
But trying to run the clock out with less than three minutes to play, Canton fumbled. It was the first play after a Western time-out and two minutes removed from the Warriors' third straight touchdown drive.
Only the win for Canton (4-0, 3-0) served as consolation for coach Tim Baechler, who wasn't pleased about the final five minutes.
"I'm so disappointed in how we finished the game today and the way we tackled at the end," Baechler said. "We're lucky. If our offense didn't show up tonight, we don't win."
Canton continued to spread the numbers among its players, and Friday was tailback Travis McKinney's turn. He rushed 16 times for 106 yards and a touchdown.
Combined with fullback Chuck Schumacher's 65 rushing yards and tailback/wide receiver Devin Thomas' two touchdowns, the backfield carried the offense.
The Warriors made four turnovers, including three in the second quarter, as Canton scored 20 unanswered points in a 2:25 span to race to a 20-7 halftime lead.
When Canton emerged from the locker room and ran off nearly five minutes for another touchdown, the game appeared in hand.
Western (2-2, 1-2) then fumbled on its next possession before making a game of it. Peter Mooney passed for 203 yards, including 84 on the Warriors' final scoring drive.
"I'm very happy that we continued to play," coach Mike Zdebski said. "But it's like climbing Mt. Everest."
The Warriors played without tailback Jason Tommina, whose father died Friday morning.
Contact MARK SNYDER at 248-586-2612 or msnyder@freepress.com.