McKinley ends scrimmage with 27 unanswered points, shifts focus to Warren Harding

 McKinley ends scrimmage with 27 unanswered points, shifts focus to Warren Harding

By Keno Sultan

Stark County Prep Press writer

www.starkcountypreppress.blogspot.com

CANTON--School is not in session for another week but for the Canton McKinley Bulldogs they were in need of an extra cup of coffee.

The timing was adeptly sufficient in their seventh season at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.

After spotting the visiting Cleveland Heights Tigers an early 13-0 lead, the host Bulldogs utilized a huge second quarter that witnessed them outscore their adversaries 20-6 in the second quarter and held their Cuyahoga County opponent scoreless for the duration of the contest and came away triumphant with a 27-13 decision in what was the final tune up for both squads before shifting their focus to the regular season with McKinley hosting Warren Harding next Thursday and Heights hosting Trotwood-Madison next Friday.

Canton McKinley quarterback Kam Montgomery pretty much solidifed his status as the starter as he connected on three touchdown aerials spanning 29, 30, and 47 yards respectively while running back Jamar Johnson, a former GlenOak running back scored on a one-yard touchdown run. What was aesthetically pleasing was despite the mistakes made at times by the Bulldogs was that they did not turn the ball over, a stat that pleased fourth-year head coach Antonio Hall, a 2000 McKinley graduate and former standout offensive lineman at Kentucky.

"I just think we had to settle in both offensively and defensively. It was our first time under the lights and guys first time playing in the stadium. It was a game time atmosphere and once guys settled in and started to execute, I think we were fine," Hall said.

The play of the evening came in the third quarter on a running clock when Montgomery under heavy pressure took a huge hit from a Tigers linebacker and still delivered a 47-yard scoring bomb. When asked if the score deflated the Tigers, Hall didn't believe so but it motivated his battalion of Bulldogs.

"I don't know if that necessarily broke their backs but it definitely woke us up. Once we got going, the defense fed off the offense, the offense fed off the defense and it was a great team experience," he said. "But we made a ton of mistakes, a ton of mistakes we have to fix if we want to have this same feeling next week."

Canton McKinley running back Jamar Johnson scores on a one-yard touchdown run during the second quarter of Friday's scrimmage. McKinley prevailed over Cleveland Heights 27-13 and will host Warren Harding next week in their season opener. (Keno Sultan/Stark County Prep Press)

Warren Harding on the other hand has gone through a slide where they have won only 12 games in the last three years and have not had a winning season since the 2020 season. Under first-year head coach Matt Richardson, a 1994 Warren John F. Kennedy graduate and a state champion player with the Eagles, Richardson comes over from Akron Hoban where he was part of five state championship teams with two coming in Division III and the last three in Division II as the Knights offensive coordinator.

Since the rivalry resumed, McKinley has won all four contests, especially last year's 33-14 victory at Mollenkopf Stadium. Seven years ago, these two schools played the first high school game inside Benson Stadium, a McKinley 29-7 victory highlighted by the Bulldogs stifling the Raiders on four straight downs all from the one-yard line and preventing them from scoring.

Hall knows about the toughness the Raiders will display and knows based on his experiences as a player and coach, Thursday's regular season tilt will not be one his team will take lightly.

"Warren is just like us with a rich tradition and a lot of pride and football means something to them. You look at that rivalry and there have been a lot of epic games and a lot of players from both sides and you know, Coach Richardson, I don't know him personally but I know his work and guys who coached with him at Hoban and he's trying to build a culture over there," Hall said.

School is not in session for another week but the Canton McKinley Bulldogs were in need of an extra cup of coffee. The timing was just right against Cleveland Heights and the Bulldogs hope the smell permeates to another celebration next week.

Keno Sultan is a writer for Stark County Prep Press. He can be reached at 330-445-4575 or email at KenoSultan@hotmail.com.