TD WITH 17 SECONDS LEFT LIFTS CANTON OVER JOHN GLENN, 24-20
NO TIME TO WASTE
By ED WRIGHT
Staff Writer

It took Canton's offense nearly two entire games to complete its first pass of the season but, boy, was it ever worth the wait.

Senior quarterback Adam Powers connected with senior running back Tim Klott on a 3-yard scoring strike with 17 seconds left Thursday afternoon to lift the Chiefs to a dramatic 24-20 come-from-behind victory over visiting Westland John Glenn.

Powers faked a dive into the line before rolling right, parallel with Klott, who found an opening in the Rockets' secondary five yards deep in the end zone.

The Chiefs were 0-for-2 through the air in their opener against Toledo Central Catholic and 0-for-1 Thursday afternoon prior to the Powers-to-Klott hook-up.

The down-to-the-wire thriller left both teams with 1-1 records.

"It's a great play because it's a pass-run option for the quarterback," Canton head coach Tim Baechler said, referring to the game-winning aerial. "If the receiver is covered, the quarterback can run. Well, Tim was wide open and he and Adam made a play. It wasn't a great pass, but it was good enough, and Tim made a helluva catch.

"I'm very proud of this team. We needed this win for our psyche. These guys have never been in a position where they had to win before, but they stepped up and did it today."

Glenn senior quarterback Keshawn Martin scrambled in from 14 yards out with 6:30 to play to give the Rockets a 20-17 advantage. However, the Chiefs responded by breaking down the Glenn defense with 13 straight runs before breaking its heart with the pass.

"I thought our guys gave a tremendous effort," said Glenn head coach Todd DeLuca. "It came down to who had the ball last with enough time on the clock. I thought we showed tonight that we can play with the best teams in the league. I was proud of the guys. They gave everything they had."

DeLuca's players gave Canton everything - and more - than they could handle during the game's opening 18 minutes as they built a 13-3 lead.

Glenn seized a 7-0 advantage three minutes in when Martin hit Ryan Maxwell with a 28-yard scoring pass on a third-and-11 play. The TD was set up by Zack Bozigian's fumble recovery five plays earlier at the Canton 39.

On the ensuing drive, the Chiefs used 18 plays to motor from their 20 to the Rocket 6 before settling for Daniel Stoney's 23-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 7-3.

Glenn countered with an 11-play, 80-yard possession that was capped by C.J. Woodford's five-yard run to paydirt with 5:56 to go in the first half. The extra point was no good, making it 13-3.

Canton regained the momentum 28 seconds before halftime when Dalton Walser's 1-yard TD run and Stoney's extra point made it 13-10.

The drive was the first engineered this season by Powers, who replaced starter Jerome Scales mid-way through the second quarter.

"Adam is such a solid kid," Baechler said. "He's a character kid. He's not flashy; he just does his job."

After getting sliced apart by Martin and Co. during the first 24 minutes, the Dan Wanshon-led Canton defense forced a John Glenn three-and-out on the first series of the third quarter.

The Chiefs then secured their first lead when senior fullback Jordan Raiford plunged in from the 2 to put his team up 17-13 with 5:07 left in the third.

Canton's defense struck again less than three minutes later when Re-Michael Moore pounced on a fumble at the Glenn 30. However, the Rockets' defense stiffened when it stopped Klott just one link of the first-down chain short of a first down on a fourth-and-1 play.

Inspired by the stop, Glenn marched 80 yards and scored on Martin's keeper with 6:30 to go and grab a 20-17 lead.

What did Baechler tell his offense before it went on the field for its do-or-die drive?

"There wasn't any time to talk about anything," he said. "It was just like, 'Hey, we've got to go.' We don't have a big-play offense, so it takes a while to score, which is good when you have a lead, but it can be bad when we're behind. Today, it worked out just right."

Baechler said he would have sent Stoney in to attempt a potential game-tying 20-yard field goal if the third-down pass play would have come up empty.

Led by Raiford's 105-yard rushing effort, the Chiefs outgained the Rockets, 271-202, in total yards. Klott racked up 84 on 16 attempts while Walser added 54 on 15.

Woodford grinded out 83 yards on 19 carries for the Rockets while Martin chipped in with 56 on 10 rushes. Martin was 2-for-3 through the air for 48 yards.

Powers and Wanshon both recorded eight tackles to pace the winners' defense. Scott Brown notched a team-high 10 tackles for the Rockets.

ewright@hometownlife.com | (734) 953-2108