Dublin Coffman brings another test to Bulldog squad looking to rebound
By Keno Sultan
C-Town Radio announcer and statistician
CANTON--All of last year's game between Canton McKinley and Dublin Coffman lasted an hour and 45 minutes.
The Shamrocks agonizingly sped up the game for the host Bulldogs by truncating the final 8:18 off the clock with all running plays and departing Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium with a 28-26 victory that left McKinley players in tears amid a nearly disastrous 0-3 beginning to the season.
The Bulldogs hope Friday night's affair is longer than an hour and 45 minutes with them having more points on the scoreboard than the alma mater of former Notre Dame and Cleveland Browns quarterback Brady Quinn. Whether that will happen, the answer will arrive Friday night at 7 p.m. at Dublin Coffman Stadium, the second road assignment in three weeks for McKinley.
After a successful opening 33-14 win over Warren Harding, McKinley regressed and did not possess the same aura of a team that flexed their prowess as missed scoring opportunities by the offense coupled by a dismal 10 penalties kept them stuck in reverse as Avon tainted the Bulldogs home opener with a 28-7 triumph. Aside from the missed scoring chances, what agitated third-year head coach Antonio Hall was the penalties that accrued during the course of the evening not to mention two touchdown drops by receivers that may have swung the trajectory of the contest in that fateful second half in what was an otherwise penalty marred contest as both the Bulldogs and Eagles finished with 10 penalties apiece for an embarrassing 20 penalties on the evening.
Hall has vowed his team will bandage their penalty lacerations and offensive ineptitude that led to their setback.
"We are going to talk about that in practice and implement some things to help us prepare for that. We have to be able to capitalize on our opportunities and flip the field because the place kicker and punter are very good," he said. "Field position is going to be very important offensively. We have to move the ball and keep their offense off the field."
Coffman arrives into Friday's contest with a 2-0 record by virtue of victories over St. John's Jesuit and Centerville. They have only surrendered just two touchdowns (both against Centerville) and will bring a carnivorous defense that is very parsimonious and loves to plunder quarterbacks.
Deploying a 3-3-5 stack defense, Coffman will attempt to alter the play of Bulldogs quarterback Keaton Rode, who has played turnover free football the last three weeks going back to their final scrimmage against St. Ignatius. That will be largely tested by an aggressive Shamrocks defensive 11 who will love nothing more to make life miserable for Rode and the offense.
"Their defense is very aggressive. We're going to have to protect the football and the defense will have to create some opportunities for us to get some turnovers," Hall said.
This is the first of a pivotal two-game road stretch for the Bulldogs. After this Friday, they are in Stark County the rest of the way as they will commence league competition against Perry, who will host Euclid this Friday night. The one thing McKinley does not want is to return to Stark County stuck on a single victory and then having to make the short voyage to Wakefield Stadium to challenge a Panthers team that has experienced vast success over them over the years.
A victory will be an asset to them and issue them a jolt of momentum heading into league play. Hall knows the stakes are high against Coffman but at the same time doesn't want his team to play uptight and not remember the task at hand.
A key component to Friday night will be maintaing momentum. Two weeks ago, McKinley's special teams yielded a kickoff return touchdown against Warren Harding on the final play of the second quarter and went to the intermission tied at 14-14 before coming out of the locker room and outscoring the host Raiders 19-0 in the second half. They were able to overcome that against the Raiders unlike last week when Nolan Good threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Cole Kepler to sever a 7-7 tie before halftime and handed Avon a lead they did not relinqush.
When asked if those two mishaps were likely to put pressure on the defense to keep teams off the scoreboard before intermission, Hall pointed out the scores were on two different instances.
"That first one was special teams and the other was on defense. We have to come out and keep the momentum," he said.
Hall expects to see a Bulldog team Friday poised to put behind last week's flagrant showing and return to Stark County with a win.
"We have to travel well and we have to be ready to go down there and win," he said.
Last year's confrontation with the Shamrocks ended too quickly for McKinley. They hope this contest lasts longer than an hour and 45 minutes and ending with a much needed Bulldog victory.
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