NTL FOOTBALL: CANTON GETS SLUG OUT WIN OVER NORTHWEST (2025-08-23)
BY CHRIS MANNINGNorthern Tier Sports ReportCANTON — It wasn’t pretty but for a young team like Canton a win is a win as they used a stingy, opportunistic defense paired with strong second half of running the ball to top Northwest, 17-6, during their football season opener Friday.
“The coaches were talking, it was like an AFC North game,” Canton coach Tyler Sechrist said afterwards. “17-6 is a defensive battle. We did about everything wrong we could in the first half, lucky, we got a fumble from them. We told the boys at halftime, we played about as as bad as we could and were winning 7-6, so just imagine what we can o if we start putting it together.”
Bailey Gardner slashed and rumbled his way to 157-yards on the ground off 20 carries, getting into the end zone once, with 120 of those yards coming in the second half.
“I started to find my groove and the line started getting to their blocks,” Gardner said. “They started giving me holes, and the game got better as it went on.”
Cramps got to him late in the third quarter, limiting him down the stretch, but the Warrior defense took over, holding Northwest to just three first downs in the second half.
Canton also won the takeaway battle 4-1 with freshman Grant Jennings getting an interception and a fumble recovery.
“That’s one of the things we’re focusing on this year is we’ve got to win the turnover margin,” Sechrist said. “If you win the turnover margin your chances of winning games is a lot better, so that’s one of our focus points, and we won the turnover margin tonight.”
Rylan Wesneski took the lion’s share of snaps under center, going 4-for-9 for 88 yards with one interception through the air. He also had 19 carries for 46 yards, while Brayden Tucker added five touches for 15 yards.
Monte Whitehead led the team in receiving with two catches for 74 yards.
Loegan Diltz had nine carries for 23 yards and a score for Northwest, while Ben Bonham had 27 yards on five touches.
Mason Bilby was 5-for-18 for 73 yards and two interceptions with Christopher Martinez hauling in two passes for 68 yards.
It was a slog in the early going - Canton didn’t even get a first down until nine seconds into the second quarter.
Midway through the first Northwest had the first scoring opportunity on a 26-yard field goal but it was wide right.
Their following possession, though, they got some offense going as Hempel opened things up with a 19-yard run down inside the Canton 35-yard line.
Three players later Bilby hit Martinez for a 13-yard strike, followed by a personal foul to get down to the Warrior 11-yard line.
That set up Diltz’s 7-yard scoring run up the middle with 53.3 seconds left in the opening quarter. Canton stopped the 2-point conversion for a 6-0 Ranger lead.
The Warriors didn’t panic, though.
“We had to battle back, and fight through their lead,” Gardner said.
Their ensuing possession ended with a turnover deep in Northwest territory. However, Canton returned the favor as Jennings hopped on a fumble at the Ranger 8-yard line to get the ball back.
Three plays later, on second-and-goal from the 2-yard line, Gardner fumbled the ball, but lineman Daniel Inman fell on it in the end zone for the touchdown.
Alexis McRoberts made the point after for a 7-6 game with 8:10 left on the clock.
Canton would get down to the Northwest 15-yard line late in the half, but McRoberts’ kick was wide left, making it a 1-point game going into the half.
The Warriors rallied at the half, and also made some adjustments.
They got the ball to start the third and got going quickly as Gardner ripped off a 31-yard run on their first possession.
He followed that with another 13-yard run scamper, then found pay dirt on a 16-yard run finishing off a 61-yard, three play scoring drive just 45 seconds into the second half.
McRoberts’ kick was good and it was 14-6 Canton.
“Coach Kitchen saw some stuff in the first half, and that second half drive was him, and Bailey Gardner,” Sechrist said. “They saw an adjustment we made, and Bailey just ran really hard. We scored, and kind of broke their back a little bit. They battled the whole game, and it was a good game, and it’s just exactly what I thought it was going to be.”
After a Northwest 3-and-out Canton took over their own 28-yard line. They didn’t quite make it to the end zone, but didn’t need to, as McRoberts booted a 30-yard field goal through the uprights to make it 17-6 with 6:34 left in the quarter.
A 40-yard Gardner run on the third play from scrimmage was the key moment in the six play scoring drive.
The two teams traded possessions the rest of the way as the defenses dug in.
Jake Pepper had quite the sequence late in the fourth, getting two tackles for loss on back to back plays, then finished off the Ranger drive with a fumble recovery.
Owen Moore would end Northwest’s final possession with a pick, allowing Canton to end the game with the ball.
“It feels really good,” Gardner said about the win. “It wasn’t a pretty win, but it’s a still a win to start the season.”
The Warriors will host South Williamsport next Friday as the Mounties are coming off a tough loss at Athens.
“It’s almost like a second rivalry,” remarked Sechrist. “We play them a lot, in the playoffs all the time. Last year we beat them in a real close game. We both have younger teams, so I think it’s going to be another battle. What team makes the fewest mistakes next week is what I think it’ll come down to.”
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CANTON 17, NORTHWEST 6
First Quarter
N: Loegan Diltz 7-yard run (2-pt failed), :53.3
Second Quarter
C: Daniel Inman fumble recovery in the end zone (Alexis McRoberts kick), 8:10
Third Quarter
C: Bailey Gardner 16-yard run (McRoberts kick), 11:15
C: McRoberts 30-yard field goal, 6:34
Individual Stats
Northwest
Passing
Mason Bilby 5-18-73-0-2, Noah Arnett 1-1-55-0-0, Loegan Diltz 0-0-0-0-0
Rushing
Shane Hempel 6-27, Mason Bilby 5-(-35), Loegan Diltz 9-23-1, Noah Arnett 2-0, Ben Bonham 5-27
Receiving
Loegan Diltz 2-12, Wyatt Orlowski 2-55, Christopher Martinez 2-68
Canton
Passing
Rylan Wesneski 4-9-88-0-1
Rushing
Bailey Gardner 20-157-1, Rylan Wesneski 19-46, Owen Moore 6-(-6), Brayden Tucker 5-15, Monte Whitehead 1-3
Receiving
Ryder Route 1-4, Bailey Gardner 1-11, Monte Whitehead 2-74
Team Stats Northwest Canton
Rushes/Yards 27/42 50/213
Passing Yards 125 90
First Downs 9 14
Fumbles/Lost 6/2 4/0
Penalties/Yards 6/65 9/65
Interceptions: Northwest - Mason Bilby; Canton - Owen Moore, Grant Jennings
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PHOTOS BY CHRIS MANNING— —
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