Linda Manni of Plymouth might have been wearing
her blue Salem Rocks sweatshirt at Saturday's Division I prep
football state semifinal game between the Canton Chiefs and
Macomb Dakota.
But she was definitely bleeding Canton red.
And the support paid off big when the Chiefs, shooting for
their first chance at a state football championship, used a
dominating second half to down the Cougars, 35-21. The win puts
them in Saturday's state championship game against Rockford.
"We're a family, we're a community," said Manni, mom to Heath
Parling, a freshman football player at Salem. "My sons' friends
are on (the Chiefs). We support each other."
It looked like the support wasn't going to help when the
Cougars jumped out 14-0 in the first quarter. But it was all
Canton after that, with the Chiefs crowd coming to their feet
with every exciting turn.
More than 100 students crammed the student section, and
Canton fans turned the grandstand at Troy Athens High School
into a sea of red as the Chiefs stormed to the first final in
school history.
Lori Peck doesn't have a child in the football program --
hasn't since her son played in 1999 -- but she still calls
herself the Chiefs' No. 1 fan, and she was proud to see what
they accomplished Saturday.
"I love high school football," said Peck, a Plymouth
resident. "I know a lot of the kids, and I love supporting them.
"The boys have done an awesome job," she added. "They should
be proud of what they've accomplished. It's been an awesome
season."
With one more week to go.