STAFF WRITER

Westland John Glenn's air-it-out offense had two things working against it in Friday night's Western Lakes Activities Association championship game at Canton: the wet, windy weather and the Chiefs' swarming, in-your-face defense.

Canton let the air out of the Rockets' high-octane passing attack, winning 39-0 to run its record to 8-0. John Glenn slipped to 6-2.

"I think Canton's defense had a lot more to do with the way we played than the weather did," said John Glenn coach Todd DeLuca. "I'm very proud of our guys' effort tonight. We played hard right to the end. We just got beat by a better football team."

Canton has now outscored its opponents 361-46 this season. That computes to an average victory margin of approximately 45-5 per game.

"I thought our defense played great," Canton coach Tim Baechler said. "The defense has led us all season. It shuts down the other team's offense and gives our offense great field position most of the time."

While the entire Canton defense played well, linebacker Jeff Piper stood out. The junior put constant pressure on Rocket quarterback Vinnie DeLuca, deflected two passes and was in on several tackles.

The Rockets' defense stacked all 11 players within five yards of the line of scrimmage early on in an attempt to contain the Chiefs' potent running game. Canton countered the Rockets' strategy by spreading its offense and putting the ball in the air. Quarterback Shawn Little completed four of his season-high eight passes for 89 yards.

"Our first priority was to stop their running game," DeLuca said. "But when you do that against a good team like Canton, you become vulnerable to the passing game."

Although the trademark of Canton's offense is its powerful ground attack, Baechler said his team can throw the ball effectively when necessary.

"We work our butts off in practice on the passing game," he said. "So when a team does what they did tonight, we're ready for it."

Canton scored on its opening snap when Julian Smith turned a basic off-tackle play into a 66-yard touchdown sprint. Collin O'Shaughnessy added the extra point to make it 7-0.

The Chiefs doubled their lead to 14-0 with 2:06 left in the first quarter on Smith's 1-yard TD run. The score was set up on the previous play when Little connected with Adam Hester on a 35-yard hook-up.

The lead grew to 20-0 with 8:07 left in the first half when sophomore running back Deshon McClendon scampered around the left end for a 7-yard TD.

John Glenn drove to the Canton 12 late in the third quarter, but came away empty when DeLuca's 29-yard field goal was wide of the mark.

Canton responded by driving 80 yards on six plays and scoring on Chuck Schumacher's 30-yard bolt up the middle. The Chiefs' two-point conversion attempt failed, making it 26-0.

Canton closed out the scoring on a 15-yard TD keeper by Little on what appeared to be a broken play, and a 4-yard run by Billie Jones.

The Chiefs outgained the Rockets, 339-143, in total yards. Schumacher led the way with 73 yards on nine carries; Smith picked up 71 on four attempts and McClendon gained 54 on five rushes.

DeLuca completed eight-of-26 passes for 66 yards. He also ran for 25 yards on 10 carries. Rocket running back Rece Cox was limited to seven yards on eight attempts.

The Chiefs forced two John Glenn turnovers: Jeff Hudson recovered a fumble and David Neu picked off his fifth pass of the season.

Tim Bingham intercepted a pass for the Rockets.

The Chiefs' defense suffered a severe blow mid-way through the first quarter when defensive tackle Bryan Wagner was helped from the field with an apparent leg injury. He did not return.

The victory improved Baechler's record at Canton to 52-20, making him the most successful coach in the school's history. Bob Khoenle, Baechler's predecessor, won 51 games during his 11-year coaching career at Canton.