Canton can't catch CC, 38-7

It took just five minutes.
In the opening five minutes of this Division 1, Region 3 playoff football game, the tone for the entire game was set. Both Canton and Redford Catholic Central faced important drive-sustaining plays.

Just as Canton coach Tim Baechler had predicted earlier, those kinds of plays would decide each team's playoff fate.

But it was CC that made the most of them and, aided by its size advantage on the offensive and defense lines, wound up with a 38-7 win over the Chiefs before an overflow crowd at Canton.

"They were physically bigger and stronger than we were, and they wore us out," said Baechler. "I wouldn't change one single call I made. I told our kids we were playing to win, and on fourth-and-ones we'll go for it.

"They looked strong and fast on film. We knew (CC) would be the best team we faced."

On their opening drive, the Chiefs faced a fourth-down-and-1 from their own 41 but a fumbled snap by quarterback Shawn Little gave CC the ball at Canton's 39.

Six plays later, after converting a tough third-and-nine, CC was in the end zone with a 7-0 lead on a 5-yard Derek Brooks' run.

It was just the beginning. A half-dozen similar plays put the Shamrocks firmly in control, and a suffocating defense in the second half made certain they stayed there as they bounced Canton from the playoffs.

The Chiefs finish with their best record ever, 11-1. CC, now 11-1, advances to the Division 1 semifinals opposite Chippewa Valley (also 11-1) at 1 p.m. Saturday at Birmingham Seaholm.

"I thought it was our intensity," replied CC coach Tom Mach when asked what he thought the difference was. "The last two teams we played I thought came out with more intensity than we did.

"This game, in the first 24 minutes I thought we came out with great intensity. I was real happy with the way we started.

"I was pleased with the total game we played."

For all intents and purposes, Canton made it easy for CC by not making big plays when it had the chance. The first-drive failure was just one; on their second possession, the Chiefs reached the Shamrock 23 before losing16 yards on three plays and turning the ball over at their own 39.

Two plays later, CC's Brooks sliced through the Canton defense and went 49 yards on the last play of the quarter, getting stopped at the Canton 1. Eric Vojtkofsky scored on the first play of the second quarter and CC was up 14-0.

Next drive: Facing a third-and-6 at their own 23, the Chiefs' Travis McKinney fumbled and CC's Blake Kavanaugh recovered. Canton's defense held, but Jason Gingell booted a 45-yard field goal to make it 17-0 with 3:15 left in the half.

The Chiefs' one ray of hope surfaced in the next two drives, but they couldn't sustain it. A 78-yard swing pass to McKinney - it proved to be the only pass completion in the game -Êput Canton at the CC 3. Three plays later the Chiefs were still there. On fourth down, Julian Smith spun into the end zone and Canton was on the board with 1:10 left in the half.

A Nick Barrett fumble on CC's ensuing drive was recovered by Chris Snider, giving the Chiefs possession at the CC 33 with two timeouts and 24 seconds left. Were the Chiefs' football fortunes changing? Apparently not; a first-down run gained a yard and, after that, Canton's fortunes turned sour for good.

"I wanted to try one pass and then go for the field goal," said Baechler. But Little's pass was intercepted by Alex Wojcik, ruining any Canton scoring hopes.

The Shamrocks' third-quarter performance crushed any other comeback illusions held by the Chiefs. Brooks started it by grabbing a bouncing kickoff at his own 2, weaving through Canton tacklers and racing 98 yards for a touchdown.

"That was really big," said Mach. "At halftime the score was 17-7 and they had gained some momentum going into the second half. What we wanted to do was put together a long scoring drive and take (the momentum) back.

"Derek took care of that on one play."

Taking possession at the Canton 43, the Shamrocks turned their good field position into points. Five plays netted a touchdown, the last 24 coming on Darnell Tyson's run.

CC's final scoring drive of the game came on their next try; it took seven plays to travel 73 yards. Forty-one of them came on a Drew Amble run; the last 9 were by Barrett, making it 38-7 with 3:02 left in the third quarter.

And on the other side . . .

On their first four possessions of the second half, the Chiefs gained 10 yards without getting a first down. Their only offensive life of the second half came on their last, meaningless drive, which started at their own 1 and ended at the CC 27 when time expired.

CC dominated offensively. Without even attempting a pass, the Shamrocks gained 332 yards on offense, led by Brooks with 93 rushing yards on 11 attempts. Ryan McKee was next with 61 (59 on one run) on three tries, with Vojtkofsky adding 48 on 11 carries and both Amble and Barrett adding 41 apiece.

Canton had 147 yards rushing on 40 tries, led by McKinney with 68 yards in 15 attempts and Chuck Schumacher with 49 on 11 tries. McKinney also had one reception for 78 yards, but that was Little's only completion in seven passes.

The Chiefs never really got going in this game. CC, on the other hand, couldn't be stopped.