Coaches share good will before putting each other's minds to the test on the gridiron

 Coaches share good will before putting each other's minds to the test on the gridiron

By Keno Sultan

C-Town Radio announcer and statistician

CANTON--They may not possess the minds of Stephen Hawking, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein or any other scientist in the world.

What they do possess however is the ability to not just be head football coaches but also emerge triumphant in contests determined on the field in competition.

Wednesday night at St. Haralambos Greek Orthodox Church in Canton, 19 of Stark County's heralded football minds convened for the annual kickoff dinner that featured a variety of laughs, anecdotes and healthy good will before the commencement of the regular season next Friday.

For the Canton McKinley Bulldogs, they are two years removed from a scandal that nearly derailed their football season. Since the hiring of two-time state champion offensive and defensive lineman Antonio Hall as their head coach, they have resuscitated themselves back to contending status evidenced by last season's Federal League title (shared with Lake) after a players only meeting reversed the trajectory of their 0-4 start as they salvaged a .500 season by winning six of their last eight contests before a debilitating playoff loss on the final play of their Division I second round regional contest against longtime state title contender Mentor.

Winning the Federal League however will not satisfy the stomachs of the Bulldogs. Aside from the perennial goal of winning a state championship, McKinley has been emaciated the last seven years in the form of a seven-year losing streak to their archrival Massillon, a team they have not defeated since the final contest played at Fawcett Stadium spanning back to the 2015 season when Dan Reardon was piloting the Bulldogs. Since that time, the Tigers have captured three of the seven contests inside Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium by imposing their durable strength up front with their massive offensive line and dominating the time of possession statistic. With this year's game at home, McKinley will once again attain another opportunity to satisfy their long running hunger and obtain the Victory Bell in 10 weeks against a Massillon team that once again will be a durable opponent and a contender for a state championship in Division II.

For now, here is a capsule of the Bulldogs and their Federal League opponents.

CANTON MCKINLEY BULLDOGS

Head Coach: Antonio Hall

Years at school: 4th

Last season's record: 5-1 Federal (6-6 overall)

Returning letterwinners: 15

Outlook: McKinley posted the league's top ranked offense last season as they scored 237 points and the league's second ranked defense behind Lake as they surrendered only 122 points in league play to only 92 by the Blue Streaks. Hall is very optimistic about where his team is at as the Bulldogs kick off their season next Friday on the road against Warren Harding. "I'm excited to see where this team goes this season. We're a team that's playing a tough schedule and we'll have to go through some growing pains and I'm just hoping to go 1-0 for a change, I have not had that yet," he said in reference to not winning a season opener as Bulldogs patriarch. "Last season ended on a sour note for us against Mentor in the playoffs at Mentor. That left a bad taste in our mouths all season and our emphasis this year is to finish."

LAKE BLUE STREAKS

Head Coach: Dan DeGeorge

Years at school: 11

Last season's record: 5-1 Federal (13-2 overall)

Returning letterwinners: 27

Outlook: The Blue Streaks won their first league title in 27 years last season and rode the momentum to a regional final appearance where their season was short circuited by a Massillon team who won the regional title for a fourth time in five seasons. This team may be DeGeorge's best in his 11 years after succeeding longtime veteran general Jeff Durbin. "Football wise, we return 27 letterwinners from last year. So on paper they think they're pretty good. So it's my job to remind them that it takes a lot of work to do that. They had a nice offseason but we still have a long way to go," DeGeorge said.

NORTH CANTON HOOVER VIKINGS

Head coach: Brian Baum Sr.

Years at school: 9

Last season's record: 4-2 Federal (8-4 overall)

Returning letterwinners: 19

Outlook: North Canton Hoover returns a team that will be contenders for a league title again this year. However this is a Vikings team that does not have a lot of seniors but does have depth that may be a determining factor in the success of the team Baum possesses since taking over for Don Hertler Jr. in 2015. "We're going to play with a purpose. We have a young roster. If we can jell and avoid injuries, we'll be able to compete," Baum said.

JACKSON POLAR BEARS

Head coach: Jay Rohr

Years at school: 2

Last season's record: 2-4 Federal (6-6 overall)

Returning letterwinners: 16

Outlook: Jackson will once again field a team that has high numbers and the commitment to the program has impressed Rohr, who was a running back on the last Jackson team to win the Federal League 22 years ago. Rohr also brings to his staff Phil Mauro, who coached Rohr in high school. "Last year we had 41 seniors and this year we go down to 16. So it certainly is a change but we have 16 seniors that have really taken over the leadership role," Rohr said. "We have had a tremendous offseason in the weight room. They have bought in and they work their butts off."

GLENOAK GOLDEN EAGLES

Head coach: Scott Garcia

Years at school: 15

Last season's record: 2-4 Federal (4-7 overall)

Returning letterwinners: 26

Outlook: In Garcia's first go-around as GlenOak head coach, the Eagles were perennial league title contenders and were a thorn in the side of both McKinley and Massillon, where Garcia was an assistant coach at under Tom Stacy before returning to his alma mater in 2007 as head football coach. The Eagles boast a team that may be back in the winner's circle in no time attested by the talent they wield. "Last year we played a lot of young guys and they took their lumps the last couple of years and I am proud of the guys who stuck with it," Garcia said. "It was a process from the weight room and all the things they had to do to get back to where we are right now. I commend our kids for sticking with it and hopefully we have a lot of success this year."

PERRY PANTHERS

Head coach: Zach Slates

Years at school: 3

Last season's record: 2-5 Federal (4-7 overall)

Returning letterwinners: 12

Outlook: Slates, a disciple of veteran Perry general Keith Wakefield is in his third year as the Panthers field boss. The Panthers return another young team but not to be discredited is their willingness to compete, a staple of Wakefield coaches teams and something Slates intends to continue. "We played a lot of sophomores last year because of injuries and it was a trial by fire. So we played a lot of young guys and they worked their butts off in the weight room this offseason, doing what they have to do to get better every day," he said.

GREEN BULLDOGS

Head coach: Mark Geis

Years at school: 5

Last season's record: 2-4 Federal (4-7 overall)

Returning letterwinners: 21

Keno Sultan can be reached at 330-445-4575 or email at KenoSultan@hotmail.com.