PLYMOUTH WITHSTANDS LATE DRIVE TO NIP CHIEFS, 22-20
Down to the wire
By ED WRIGHT
Staff Writer

Friday night's football clash between Canton and Plymouth wouldn't have been any more dramatic, tension-packed or climactic if Steven Spielberg had written the fourth-quarter script.

Trailing by two with less than a minute to play, the Chiefs marched to the Plymouth 40 before Wildcat senior linebacker Kyle Wallath and his fellow defenders rose to the occasion to secure Plymouth's 22-20 victory.

The triumph - Plymouth's first ever against Canton - improved the Wildcats' record to 3-1 overall and 1-1 in the Western Lakes Activities Association's Western Division. The setback - Canton's first regular-season home loss since Sept. 14, 2001, when it dropped a 45-34 barn-burner to Drew Stanton-led Farmington Hills Harrison - evened the Chiefs' ledger at 2-2 and 1-1, respectively.

"We've been training for this year-round," said Wallath, moments after the most significant high school football victory in his career. "We put a lot of hard work in the weight room and it showed on the field tonight. I'm very proud of this team.

"Now we just want to keep it going, try to win the league and get into the playoffs."

"This has been a long time coming," said Plymouth coach Mike Sawchuk. "Ever since I've been here, I've kept telling the kids that if they kept doing things the right way, if they didn't cut corners and they were great citizens, good things were going to happen to them.

"I've got to commend my coaching staff. They put hours and hours into this game plan and they had the kids well-prepared. My hat is off to (Canton) coach Baechler and his staff, too. You're talking about one of the top three coaching staffs in the state over there. They have a great staff and they're a great football team."

Baechler couldn't have been much prouder of his team if it had pulled out a last-second win.

"I was very proud of the way they kept at it in the second half, but we just made too many mistakes in the first half," said Baechler. "Especially with our offense, it's hard to come back when you get in a 14-0 hole like we did. We played like we were young and inexperienced because we are young and inexperienced.

"Plymouth didn't make any mistakes as far as turning the ball over. And despite the turnovers we made, the kids still came back and almost got it. We probably didn't deserve to win, but the kids came back and almost made it happen."

Senior running back Myron Puryear was the offensive spark plug for the Wildcats, picking up 116 yards on 13 carries. Puryear's 56-yard touchdown sprint with 9:46 left may have been the most-significant play in a game filled with significant plays.

"That run was huge," said Sawchuk, referring to the Puryear scoring gallop that increased his team's lead to 22-13. "Myron was a little bit quicker tonight than our other running backs and he was hitting the holes a little harder. When we went out for our last drive, I told coach (Kurt) Britnell to make sure Myron was out there."

The Chiefs owned the first quarter. Canton drove the ball 73 yards to the Plymouth 1 on its game-opening drive before getting stuffed just short of the goal line on a fourth-down play. Following a Plymouth punt the Chiefs drove to the Plymouth 21, but came up empty again when Daniel Stoney's 38-yard field missed wide left.

Plymouth was unable to move the ball on its next drive, but the Wildcats gained some momentum when they recovered a punt near mid-field on the ensuing punt. Four minutes later, senior quarterback C.J. Gregory connected with senior receiver Mike Hanchett on a 13-yard scoring pass to put Plymouth up, 6-0. Mike Korona added the point after to make it 7-0.

The Wildcats doubled their lead to 14-0 with 2:21 remaining in the first half when Puryear burst in from two yards out. The TD was set up three plays earlier when Michael Rose blocked a Canton punt and Plymouth recovered at the Chief 17.

The Chiefs came out storming in the second half and scored on their first drive when senior quarterback Adam Powers powered in from the 1. The center-to-holder exchange was botched on the extra point leaving the score at 14-6. Senior fullback Jordan Raiford set up the score with a 23-yard run on third-and-18 three plays earlier.

Plymouth defense made it a two-possession game when they pinned a Chief running back in the end zone. The safety made it 16-6 with 3:52 remaining in the third quarter.

Undeterred, Canton cut its deficit to 16-13 three minutes later with a 33-yard TD strike from Powers to junior running back David Wilcox and Stoney's extra point.

Puryear's dazzling 56-yard, cut-back run made it 22-13 before Wilcox plunged into the end zone from one yard out to make it 22-20 with 4:51 left.

Plymouth fumbled the ensuing kickoff, causing a 20-player scrum at the Wildcat 25-yard line. When the pile of players was separated, a Wildcat secured the ball.

Canton regained possession of the ball with 1:55 left at its own 28. Sparked by a 28-yard Powers-to-William Tidwell hook-up, the Chiefs advanced to the Plymouth 40, but on second-and-10, Wallath wrapped up Powers, who threw the ball away to avoid the sack, drawing an intentional grounding penalty.

Raiford then rumbled eight yards, setting up a fourth-and 12 from the Plymouth 42.

Plymouth junior defensive end Ronnie Goble ended the potential game-winning drive when he sacked Powers for a six-yard loss.

Gregory and Hanchett hooked up five times for 67 yards and a TD.

Junior Terrance Guthridge, the Wildcats' leading rusher heading into the contest, was held to 29 yards on nine carries.

Raiford led Canton with 170 yards on seven attempts. Powers was 3-of-7 passing for 62 yards. He also ran for 82 yards on 13 runs.

The WLAA's Western Division is now up for grabs as Plymouth, Canton, Livonia Franklin and Wayne are all 1-1. Walled Lake Western took a 1-0 division mark into Saturday's game against 0-1 Northville.

Things will shake out a little next week as Canton travels to Western on Thursday while Plymouth will visit Franklin, which earned its first victory of the season Friday night against Wayne.

"I've seen Franklin on tape and they have to be the best 0-3 team I've ever seen," said Sawchuk. "We don't have any time to rest, that's for sure."

Originally published September 16, 2007