With title on their sights, McKinley braces for Jackson challenge
By Keno Sultan
C-Town Radio announcer and statistician
CANTON--Canton McKinley is not the only team that partisan Bulldogs fans will be rooting for Friday night at Robert Fife Stadium.
For one night, they will also be fans of the North Canton Hoover Vikings as well.
With a win over host Jackson, McKinley will seize a portion their 10th Federal League crown since joining as a member 19 years ago. McKinley will take sole ownership of the title with a win and a Vikings victory over Lake.
Jackson however will love nothing more to toss an iceberg into McKinley's ship. A Polar Bears win will create a shade of fog in the league race and the possibility of a shared crown if Lake wins their last two games. Lake potentially will win the league outright if McKinley loses to Jackson and then to GlenOak next Friday. Jackson may create a conundrum in the form of a three-way split for the title if McKinley loses twice, Lake loses one of their final two league games and Jackson wins out in which those three teams will all have identical 4-2 league records and it will be the first league crown for the Polar Bears since 2001.
McKinley patriarch Antonio Hall wants his team to avoid such an issue. When asked if his team's 28-27 comeback win against Green was a portent of what was to come for his charges, he didn't see it so as much.
"I haven't thought about that, I just want us to go 1-0 every week. We have to keep our heads down and focus on what is in front of us and if we do that, the Federal League crown will take care of itself if we do what we are supposed to do," he said.
For Jackson, they are mired in a 16-game losing streak to the Bulldogs. The last Jackson head coach to defeat the Bulldogs was none other than the patriarch of their 1997 Division I state and national championship winning squad, Thom McDaniels, who piloted the Polar Bears for two seasons in 2007 and 2008.
Since then, the last two head coaches, Beau Balderson and Tim Budd have failed to break the streak. And now the onus falls on the shoulders of second-year head coach Jay Rohr, the only player to ever have his jersey retired and the lead masterpiece of the team's lone league title that came in 2001 when Jackson upset undefeated North Canton Hoover 20-10 for the outright crown.
That seems like ancient history fossilized in immortality. But Hall knows the Polar Bears are a team that will fight to the finish. He will count on his defense to put pressure on Polar Bears sophomore quarterback Lucas Ecrement and make him put the game in his hands.
"Our job will be to put pressure on him and make him uncomfortable. We have been a pressure team all year. We know Jackson has very good team speed," Hall said. "Defensively, their linebackers are all over the field and so we have to make sure we get a hat-on-hat and know where they are at all times."
Jackson has a secondary that is capable of game-changing plays. No one defines that more than Polar Bears junior Anthony Fuline, who is the son of former Jackson state title winning basketball and current University of Mount Union basketball head coach Mike Fuline. Anthony Fuline has four interceptions, three of those he has returned for touchdowns. McKinley's offense will have to have a vista of where he is along with the rest of their secondary.
If McKinley has any kind of turnovers, it will truly ignite the Polar Bears crowd. Since a six turnover nightmare against Green, McKinley has only turned the ball over once. Keeping possession of the ball will be vital for the Bulldogs if they are to accomplish their goal of being league champions.
Surviving a sold-out crowd at North Canton Memorial Stadium was one thing. Robert Fife Stadium is another. It will benefit the Bulldogs that their sound running game will be a factor and keep Jackson's offense off the field via the services of running backs Stephon Thomas and Nino Hill, to which Hall praised the work of his offensive line, not before he rehashed a crucial contest from the 2021 season, a 29-28 victory.
"It doesn't seem like a long time ago that two years ago that Jackson was undefeated and we were able to drive down the field and win on our last possession. That definitely was a battle in hostile territory," Hall said. "Our offensive line has continued to get better each week. They hold each other accountable and they have a strong relationship with each other as teammates."
Wrapping up a league title is the hardest for any team. The fact that Jackson (4-3 overall) has a faint pulse in the league race at 2-2 along with Green and Hoover will ensure they will come out fighting to keep their hopes afloat.
When asked if he feels that based on the Polar Bears current two-game losing streak and his team on a five-game winning streak will his team have to put Jackson away early to leave nothing to chance, Hall cautioned against trying to do such knowing that their title aspirations may come down to the fourth quarter where McKinley will have to display their mettle when it counts.
"Put them away early? Necessarily not but it will be nice if we did. I do want us to start out fast and if not, then we keep it close and give us a chance to win it in the fourth quarter," he said. "Anytime something is on the line like a league, you hope your players understand the importance of it and prepare for it."
Canton McKinley fans just won't be rooting for the Bulldogs Friday night. For a single evening, they will also be fans of North Canton Hoover as they hope the Vikings plunder Lake from the league race and leave the outright title solely for the Bulldogs.
Keno Sultan can be reached at 330-445-4575 or email at KenoSultan@hotmail.com.
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