This is the kind of game that Canton football coach Tim Baechler hates to play. The reason: There's no telling what might happen. Too much emotion involved, leaving open too many variables.

"I just felt sick for a couple of days before this," said Baechler. "It's such a mental game."

Baechler may have felt physically ill before the game, but it was Salem coach Bob Cummings that had that feeling afterwards. The reason: Canton's Brandon Wilcox scooped up the opening kickoff as it splashed through puddles on the field and raced 86 yards for a touchdown to put the Chiefs up 7-0.

The Rocks never got any closer. It was 21-6 after one quarter and 42-6 by halftime. With most of the second half played with a running clock (the result of the 35-point mercy rule), each team got a score to make the final 49-13 and make Canton the winner of the Sandmann-Cummings Trophy.

The season for Canton, now 8-1, continues. The Chiefs find out today (5:30 p.m. on Fox Sports) who their first-round state playoff opponent will be, and where the game will be played.

The season for Salem is over, the Rocks finishing at 2-7.

"You get into a hole early against them, it's not going to be easy," said Cummings, noting seven starters were missing from his lineup -- including his top receiver, Brian Bradley, who injured his knee a week earlier. "But we played them tough. We played tough all year."

The kickoff return by Wilcox, who has been a demon the last couple of weeks on special teams (he returned two punts for TDs against Northville Oct. 18), couldn't have been worse for Salem. It was going to be tough for the Rocks to get their offense in sync in the monsoon-like weather, particularly with so many starters out.

But to fall behind by two touchdowns before the first quarter was half over made the task far more difficult.

"You know, the two best teams we played all year -- (Westland) John Glenn and Canton -- we had to play in a downpour," said Cummings.

Considering the superior speed the Chiefs showed on offense, a dry field may have made the situation worse for Salem. The Rocks did bottle up Canton's runs between the tackles rather effectively, but once the Chiefs started taking the ball outside, the outcome was never in doubt.

"They weren't going to let us do what we wanted to do," said Baechler. "But our quarterback had a good game on the outside."

Indeed Dave Nicoloff did. In the first half alone, the senior carried the ball four times -- and on his first three, he scored touchdowns. Nicoloff had 111 rushing yards in the first half.

Making matters worse, the Rocks suffered two interceptions and a lost fumble in the opening half. They had four turnovers for the game. Canton didn't have any.

After Wilcox returned the opening kickoff for a TD, Salem got one first down then was forced to punt. The Chiefs took over at the Salem 44 (courtesy of a 37-yard punt return by Wilcox) and, after a penalty on the Rocks and two plays, Nicoloff raced 38 yards around left end for a score.

That made it 14-0, but Salem showed off its special teams next, Jayson Wurtzbacher grabbing the loose ball on the kickoff and taking it back 85 yards to the Canton 11. Five plays later, Mike Kerul plunged in from a yard out and, even though the extra-point kick missed, Salem was on the board, trailing 14-6.

But after that, the Chiefs reigned supreme. On their ensuing drive, they marched 55 yards in nine plays, the key play coming on fourth-down-and-11 from the Salem 20. Nicoloff tossed a swing pass to Devin Thomas in the left flat and Thomas eluded a pair of tacklers for a 15-yard gain and a first down at the 5. Nicoloff scored his second touchdown, sweeping 5 yards to the left to make it 21-6 with :52 left in the first quarter.

On Canton's first possession of the second quarter, Nicoloff once again fooled the Salem defense, keeping the ball on a sweep around right end and racing 67 yards for his third TD.

Another solid punt return by Wilcox gave the Chiefs good field position again in the second quarter, starting at the Salem 32. Five plays got them to the 10; the sixth got them a TD, on a Reggie Joyner 10-yard sweep to the left, making it 35-6.

The final Canton score of the half came following a Salem fumble at its own 17 with just 1:46 left in the half. James Carroll recovered for Canton at the Rocks' 14, and on the first play Thomas swept right and scored to make it 42-6.

It was more than Salem would ever be able to overcome, considering how its offense struggled most of the game. It's brightest spot: a 52-yard TD run through the left side by Kerul that featured several broken tackles, reducing Canton's lead to 42-13 as the fourth quarter began.

But then there was Wilcox. This time he fielded the ball on the ensuing kickoff at his 14 and busted loose on an 84-yard return, with Salem's Jeff Lake snaring him just short of the end zone at the 2. Two plays later, Julian Smith bulled in from a yard out to give Canton its 49-13 lead.

Canton rushed 37 times for 258 yards, led by Nicoloff's 111 yards (he did not play in the second half) on four carries. He also completed 2-of-4 passes for 26 yards. Corey Rutledge added 61 yards rushing on eight tries. They had 274 yards on offense in the game, not including Wilcox's returns.

Salem was limited to 127 yards, with Kerul gaining 65 on 10 carries. The Rocks' Chris Drabicki was 0-for-6 passing with two interceptions.

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