September 25, 2004
BY ANNETTE VANDECAR
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER
The biggest problem Canton coach Tim Baechler faced Friday night was how to spread the ball around among his four talented running backs and quarterback.
Behind an overpowering offensive line and 430 rushing yards, the Chiefs steamrolled previously undefeated Northville, 42-14, in a Western Lakes contest.
"Our offensive line controlled the game," Baechler said. "We try to spread it around our running backs and our quarterback as much as we can, but it's hard. Fortunately, we have some unselfish guys, and they're happy as long as we win football games."
Senior running back Julian Smith rushed for two Canton touchdowns. Junior quarterback Shawn Little, junior running back Andy Rossow, senior running back Chuck Schumacher and sophomore running back Deshon McClendon each had a rushing touchdown. Schumacher had a 69-yard TD run, and Little ran 87 yards for his.
The Chiefs primarily use a formation with three running backs.
"They're the only team we see that runs an offense like that, and it's hard to prepare for," said Northville coach Clint Alexander. "As physical as their players are, it's pretty hard to stop. You can't concentrate on stopping one or two guys; you have four to worry about."
Smith, a Division I college recruit, had a pair of three-yard touchdown runs in the second half. He finished with 102 yards on 12 carries.
"We expected to play well, but Northville is a great team," Smith said. "Our offensive line did a great job kicking out and widening the holes for us to run through. I don't go down on the first hit, that's for sure. It's going to take more than that."
Canton limited the Mustangs' spread offense to two fourth-quarter touchdowns and 182 yards of total offense. The Chiefs (5-0, 3-0) have given up only 26 points this season with two shutouts.
Schumacher, also a starting outside linebacker, and junior defensive back Konrad Konsitzke each had an interception. Senior inside linebacker Jake Powers and senior defensive tackle P. J. Caram each recovered a fumble.
With Canton up, 35-0, and 10:48 left, the game switched to a running clock because of the 35-point mercy rule. Canton then inserted its second-string defense, and Northville (4-1, 2-1) scored its two touchdowns.
Contact ANNETTE VANDECAR at 313-222-1885 or vandecar@freepress.com.