NTL FOOTBALL: CANTON READY FOR ANOTHER TILT AGAINST STEEL-HIGH (2022-12-01)

BY CHRIS MANNING
Northern Tier Sports Report
The rematch everybody has been waiting for - number one in the state versus number two in the states - as Canton travels to Shamokin to take on Steel-High on Friday with a 7 p.m. start.

“We’re excited,” said Canton coach Tyler Sechrist. “We’re kind of familiar with them. We played them before, we know what they bring to the table. So, just mentally, we’re prepared for a battle.”

Canton won a shootout with Steel-High, 32-27, at Towanda in the first round of states last year.

Both teams have several holdovers from a year ago - Steel-High still has QB Alex Erby, Canton’s defense is at tough as ever - but there will be new wrinkles this year, too.

Instead of one quarterback they have done quarterback by committee this year, and, so far, it’s worked.

Bailey Ferguson, Austin Allen, Holden Ward, and Weston Bellows have all seen time under center these playoffs.

“What we bring different is just having our quarterbacks that do different things,” Ferguson said about the changes under center this year.

Ferguson is 14-for-24 under center for 245 yards with two touchdowns, and two picks, while also rushing for 117 yards on 33 carries with three scores.

Allen has thrown for 347 yards on 23-for-37 with three touchdowns and two picks, while Holden Ward, running the option, has run for 216 yards on 35 carries and three touchdowns. He’s also 3-for-8 for 41 yards and a touchdown throwing the ball, and nearly had a second TD last week but the ball went through the hands of his brother, Hayden Ward, in the end zone.

Bellows, who gets carries as both quarterback and running back, has rushed for 419 yards and four touchdowns on the year, while going 2-for-7 for 55 yards through the air.

They each have their own offense tailored around them, with Ferguson running a lot of misdirection with Bellows, Riley Parker, and Hayden Ward when he’s under center.

“I’m just trying to be more consistent and confident in knowing where everybody’s going to be because they’re all different,” remarked Ferguson. 

However, have three backs like them is a luxury he enjoys.

“It’s awesome,” said Ferguson. “I’m confident all over them, and I just know that they’ll get the job done.”

Parker leads the team with 1,300 yards rushing and 24 touchdowns, while Hayden Ward has over 400 yards on the ground off 45 carries. He had two touchdowns a week ago.

However, it all starts up front for Canton, with their offensive line. They’ve dominated most of their opponents this season, and last week was no different as they finished with 300 yards rushing.

They know they’ll need to do that again this week if they’re going to have a shot against the SteamRollers.

“I think if we can move them up front we’re going to dominate the game, so we’ve got to be very physical up front,” said lineman Gage Pepper. 

That’s how they finished out the game against Steel-High last year.

“That’s the way we play football,” Pepper said. “We just try to dominate them upfront, and see what we can run.”

Defensively, getting pressure on Erby will be key. The big QB doesn’t like to run much (though he had a touchdown run last week), and Canton believes they can get pressure on him.

“I think that feels better for us a little bit because that’s one less person to worry about,” Pepper said about Erby focusing on his passing. “But we just have to put pressure on him, and get him to step up in the pocket, or scramble out, and make him uncomfortable.”

Erby has thrown for 2,779 yards this season with 38 touchdowns to three picks on 160-of-231 passing.

Durrell Ceasar leads the team in receiving with 1,068 yards and 16 touchdowns on 64 catches, while Jaeion Perry has 680 yards rushing and 10 TDs on 41 receptions. Daquan McCraw adds 621 yards and eight touchdowns on 34 catches.

The Warriors did a good job on Northern Cambria’s pass attack last week, so they’re as ready as they can be for this onslaught.

“Our defense has been great all year,” said Sechrist. “They played well, just one big play. Other than that, that was a 2000 yard passing quarterback, and we were able to shut that down.”

Their ground attack is led by Ronald Burnette, who has 913 yards and 15 touchdowns on 109 carries. He led them with 222 yards and three touchdowns in last week’s win over Northern Lehigh.

“We just have to get our defensive line to stay aggressive,” Pepper said about slowing down Burnette. “Play our positions, and try to hold down, hold the run.”

Jakhai Noss, who started the year at running back, is no longer on the team.

The biggest thing Steel-High brings is athletes. They are very dangerous going vertical, but can also spread it out, too.

The Warriors have been known for their shutouts this year, but Sechrist feels this may be a little higher scoring.

“They’re going to score,” he said. “Now, you just need to limit how much they score, and we need to, when we have the ball, we need to score, also.”

Canton is one of the best tackling teams in the state, and that trait will be put to the test Friday.

“We just need to tackle well in space,” said Sechrist. “They’re very athletic, and explosive, and can score very quickly.”

Canton’s defensive backfield will be tested, and cornerback Austin Allen is no stranger to that. He was key in shutting down Northern Cambria’s 1,000 yard receiver last week.

“You’ve got tough kids on every team, and you’ve just got to control them, and weather the storm,” said Allen.

Northern Cambria did a lot of play action, and even a halfback pass, but Allen didn’t waver from his assignment.

“Defense is about discipline,” remarked Allen. “It’s extremely important.”

He knows he’ll be called upon again, and he’ll have to perform just as well.

“We just have to play our game,” he said. “Play our game, and we’ll see what happens.”

The Rollers have put up 590 points this season six games of 50 or more. They’ve only been held to under 20 once, a 39-18 loss to Westinghouse, the only blemish on their record.

The Warriors got off to a fast start last week, scoring four touchdowns in the first quarter, but only had two more ever the next three quarters - Sechrist knows they’ll have to be more consistent this week.

“We can’t have a letdown in the middle of the game offensively,” he said. “We need to keep our foot on the gas pedal, offensively, an d we need to score almost every possession.”

They did get some big plays, though: Weston Bellows 77-yard opening kick-off for a touchdown, Riley Parker’s pick six, and Hudson Ward’s 49-yard touchdown run in the second half.

“I think we have the edge if we can execute in special teams,” said Sechrist. “I think that’s a huge advantage for us in that part of the game. If we can make a big play, have a turnover…a special teams touchdown would be huge.”

One thing is for sure, Canton is glad they don’t have to go to Steel-High this week. The Rollers had two home games for the state playoffs, but now they’ll have to meet the Warriors in Shamokin, about halfway between the two schools.

And Canton expects to have a strong contingent with multiple fan buses.

“We always have great support,” Sechrist said. “I mean, we’re looking forward to going out there and representing our community well.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Michael Davis, Canton, DE - Davis was all over the place last week - chasing their quarterback, tackling in space, and even chasing a play down field and causing a fumble. If he can get loose it could be a long night for Erby.

Taevon Legrande, Steel-High, LB - The 200-pound linebacker is going to be busy with Canton’s different backs. If he can keep them in check, the Rollers will be able to get some 3-and-outs.

KEYS TO THE GAME

Canton - No shootouts. Steel-High wants to take the top off the Warriors defense, and play a fast paced, high scoring game. Canton can play that way, but it heavily favors Steel-High, as seen by their win last week. The Warriors will want to have long possessions, 14-15 play drives, that end in touchdowns. That will take the wind out of Steel-High’s sails.

Steel-High - They need to match Canton’s physicality. The Warriors got the better of them in that category last year, and it allowed Canton to grind out the second half to a win. The Warriors may be even more physical this year, and Steel-High will need to match that in order to keep from getting ground down again.