STAFF WRITER

Three sights have become common for Canton alumni who return for homecoming football games: the launching of fireworks, the crowning of the queen and the dismantling of the Chiefs' opponent.

Friday night was no exception as Canton squeezed Northville's dangerous "spread" offense on the way to a 42-14 victory.

The game was hyped as a showdown between two surging Western Lakes Activities Association unbeatens, but Canton was the only team surging through the first three quarters, building a 35-0 lead.

Northville scored a pair of meaningless fourth-quarter TD's to dodge the shutout.

Canton, which has now outscored its opponents 200-26, will put its 5-0 mark on the line Saturday against cross-campus foe Plymouth. Kick-off is set for 1 p.m.

"We had some pretty intense practices this week," Canton coach Tim Baechler said. "We told the defense all week that the way you stop the spread offense is to make an eight-yard cement block between the tackles and make them bounce outside. We did that for the most part tonight."

Baechler praised the play of his offensive line and senior running back_defensive back Julian Smith, who gained 116 yards on 15 carries, scored two touchdowns, and delivered several mouth-guard-removing hits on defense.

"Our offensive linemen are the MVP's of this team," Baechler said. "Their job is to control the line of scrimmage, and they did that tonight.

"Julian Smith played exceptionally well on both sides of the ball. He ran well and he made several great plays on defense."

Northville's most potent weapon this season, running back Mac Stilec, was limited to three carries for 14 yards. Stilec participated in less than a quarter of the Mustangs' offensive plays due to a hamstring injury that has hampered him all season, Northville coach Clint Alexander said.

"Not having Mac in there hurt, because he's such a big part of our offense," Alexander said. "It's not just his physical presence either. He's kind of like our Sir Lancelot; he makes everybody else better just by being in the game.

"We knew if we were going to have a chance tonight we'd have to score early with Canton, but before we knew it, we were down 14-0. Canton's offense is so hard to prepare for. When they execute it like they did tonight, the defense starts guessing, and we were guessing wrong."

Canton churned out 506 total yards - all on the ground. Northville finished with 215 total yards, 116 on the ground and 99 through the air.

While Smith did most of his damage outside the tackles, Canton fullback Chuck Schumacher punished the Mustangs between the hash-marks, running for 126 yards on 13 rushes. Andy Rossow also had a strong night, gaining 76 yards on just seven carries.

Canton quarterback Shawn Little was 0-for-2 passing, but he contributed 99 yards rushing, most coming on an 87-yard fourth-quarter TD sprint.

Northville's most productive player was running back Cody Sivic, who scampered for 76 yards on 11 carries. Mustang quarterback Charles Thomas completed 11-of-19 aerials for 99 yards. He also ran the ball nine times for 19 yards and a TD.

Canton's defense forced four turnovers. Schumacher and Konrad Konsitzke had interceptions while Jake Powers and P.J. Caram recovered fumbles.

The Chiefs scored on their first two possessions to set the early tone. They almost scored the first time they touched the ball, but Smith's 92-yard kickoff return was brought back by a penalty.

Rossow capped off the opening six-play, 83-yard scoring drive when he sprinted 33 yards to paydirt. Collin O'Shaughnessy followed with the first of his six successful extra points.

Deshon McClendon's four-yard TD run made it 14-0 with 7:00 to go in the first quarter. Two minutes into the second half, Schumacher bolted 69 yards to the end zone, boosting the lead to 21-0.

A fumble on the Northville 3 ended the Chiefs' next scoring threat.

Canton's final three scores came on 1- and 3-yard TD runs by Smith and Little's long keeper.

Northville's two scores came on a 21-yard pass from Thomas to Michael Jameson and a 4-yard run by Thomas. Evan Corbeil converted both extra points for the Mustangs.