STAFF WRITER

A speeding, six-ton steamroller would have had a tough time matching the effectiveness of Canton's ground game Thursday night in the Chiefs' Western Lakes Activities Association opener at Walled Lake Central.

Canton flattened Central, 41-0, to again entrench itself as the team to beat in the WLAA. The Chiefs improved to 2-0 while the Vikings dropped to 1-1.

"Central looked good in their scrimmage and first game, so we were expecting a closer game," Canton coach Tim Baechler admitted. "But it's so early in the season that it's difficult to tell how good certain teams are going to be, and how good our own team is."

Baechler said he saw several areas of improvement since last week's season-opening 26-6 win at Ann Arbor Pioneer.

"We're getting more consistent play out of our offensive line," Baechler said. "Our quarterback (Shawn Little) also did a nice job throwing the ball tonight, and our backs' footwork was improved. They got through the holes quicker tonight."

At times Thursday night, the Vikings must have felt like they were trying to tackle a steamroller - especially when Canton fullback Chuck Schumacher was carrying the ball. The senior gained 196 yards on 11 carries and scored two 50-yard-plus TD's.

Sophomore running back Deshon McClendon also had a big night, gaining 106 yards on just seven attempts.

Altogether, Canton outgained Central, 436 yards to minus-nine yards on the ground.

Although the Chiefs completed four scoring plays in excess of 20 yards, their biggest play of the night may have been a point-less 11-yard pass play.

After Central stopped Canton on its opening possession, the Vikings threatened to make it two defensive stops in a row late in the first quarter when they forced the Chiefs into a third-and-eight hole.

Little rolled out and connected on a pass with tight end Jake Powers, but Powers was well short of the first down. He proceeded to drag a pair of Central defenders down the field until the first down was secured.

"That play got the kids fired up," Baechler said. "It gave us some momentum, which is so important in these games."

Two plays after Powers' heroics, Schumacher busted a trap play for a 51-yard touchdown, giving Canton a 6-0 lead with 1:36 left in the opening quarter. Erik McKee booted the extra point to make it 7-0.

Canton's Andy Rossow made it 14-0 at the 2:44 mark of the second quarter when he plunged in from one yard out, capping an 11-play, 75-yard drive. Rossow set up the TD a few plays earlier when he sprinted 30 yards with a flare pass from Little.

Schumacher started the second half like he ended the first quarter - with a long scoring run, this time from 54 yards out with 10:45 to go in the third.

Less than a minute later, McClendon dashed 65 yards to paydirt on an off-tackle play, boosting the Chiefs' lead to 27-0.

Little hit Julian Smith with a 23-yard touchdown pass to bump the lead to 34-0 and Rodney Preston closed the scoring with a 16-yard TD run with 3:39 left in the game.

McKee converted five of six extra points.

Canton finished with 500 total yards compared to the Vikings' 89.

Central's lone bright spot was quarterback Justin Goltz, who completed nine-of-15 passes for 98 yards.

Defensively, Canton was paced by Matt Sweda and Powers, who recorded six tackles each. Smith, Jeff Hudson, and Bryan Wagner had sacks.

Canton swamped Central in the first-down department, 19-5. Canton was penalized seven times for 55 yards; the Vikings were called for four infractions totaling 30 yards.