NTL FOOTBALL: CANTON MAKES THE LONG TRIP TO HANOVER (2021-10-22)

BY CHRIS MANNING
Northern Tier Sports Report
Canton (8-0) will be in unfamiliar territory when they make the trip down to Hanover (2-5) tonight.

“Hanover is a AAA school, and is 2-5 so far this season,” said Canton coach Tyler Sechrist. “Our goal this week is to stay focused with the long bus trip, and to continue to improve.”

Despite handling a good Athens squad 34-10 last week, Sechrist saw a few areas that they’ll need to put some work in.

“We need to continue to cut back on mental mistakes, and penalties,” he said.

The Warriors ran for 400 yards last week, and forced Athens into three turnovers, so they’ll be looking to build off that as the regular season winds down.

“We are working hard in practice to be as efficient as we can offensively by knowing our blocking assignments, and staying focused on the job each player needs to do,” said Sechrist. “Defensively, we need to continue to play fast, and physical.”

Hanover opened the season with a 44-6 loss to Athens.

CANTON

Player to watch: Bailey Ferguson, S, RB, WR - Ferguson is a do-it-all type back on offense - he can run the ball and go out for passes - but his defense will be big going forward. He is fourth on the team in tackles, with 29, and also had a pick.

Key to the game: Don’t get caught looking ahead - This game marks the end of four straight road games, and comes just before the Old Shoe. This could have the makings of a trap game if Canton doesn’t stay focused on the task at hand.

HANOVER 

Player to watch: Jeremy Vega, RB - Vega just ran for 255 yards and four touchdowns in a win over Holy Redeemer last week. He’ll need a similar performance if Hanover is going to hang with Canton.

Key to the game: Another fast start - Hanover led 34-14 at the half last week before Holy Redeemer closed it to one score in the fourth. Canton has a long bus ride, so they could be a little slow on the kick-off, giving them a chance to take another lead.