Wildcats attempt to avert 0-2 crater in trip to Dover

 Wildcats attempt to avert 0-2 crater in trip to Dover

By Keno Sultan 

Stark County Prep Press writer

www.starkcountypreppress.blogspot.com

CANTON TWP.--Crater Stadium is a highly familiar venue for Canton South head football coach Matt Dennison.

He only hopes that his team doesn't descend into a larger crater than last week.

Dennison's Canton South Wildcats football team will have another hefty assignment on their hands when they make their second straight road voyage, this time to Dover's Crater Stadium for a 7 p.m. kickoff. 

Dennison has been humongously familiar with the Tornadoes football program dating back to his 18-year tenure as the head football coach and athletic director of New Philadelphia in their 10th week rivalry contest. Now this time around, he doesn't have to worry about them as a rival but now a competitor not on a rival statistic.

"This is my 24th year as a head coach and my 22nd time facing Dover and I know them very well. They are a great program and coach Dan Ifft is one of the premier head coaches in the state of Ohio and we aspire to be like them and do the things he has done for the past 30 years. It's good to face them not as a rival," Dennison commented.

Last season, both squads engaged in an unforgettable production of high octane offensive fireworks as led by quarterback Poochie Snyder, the Wildcats came away with a 50-40 triumph at Clyde Brechbuhler Stadium on their way to an undefeated regular season and an appearance in the Division IV state semifinals.

That seems like a long time ago. Dennison however wants to see his Wildcats not get involved in another pinball affair like that.

"We had to replace a ton of talent from last year's team. Most of Dover's skill on their line is back. We have to start strong and finish strong from start to finish," he said.

Dover has always been a perennial contender in the three decades Ifft has been atop the post. It has been 12 years since the Tornadoes last made a deep run into the postseason via the state semifinals as they exited with a loss to eventual Division III state champion Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (who also won the Division III title again the following season). But you can always count on them to be competitive with a plethora of depth at various positions.

The Tornadoes are coming off a 28-24 win over Green to jumpstart their season. This will be the Tornadoes final season in the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference (OVAC) before commencing next season as a member of the Ohio Cardinal Conference (OCC) and they are poised to make the most of this season before then.

Canton South didn't have the best of Fridays last week as their 10-game regular season winning streak was eliminated by virtue of a 43-0 loss to Cleveland Benedictine. Dennison however doesn't want anyone to put any stock on just one abhorrent evening knowing there are nine games left but at the same time does not want his team looking hard at an 0-2 beginning to the season.

"Last week we ran into a buzzsaw. They really got after us and were physical and are expected to be contenders for the Division III title this season," Dennison said. "I also double as the athletic director and I wasn't happy that we scheduled them but we also like to see where we stack up at and go from there."

Necessarily it may not seem like a must-win for Canton South but with a dangerous Columbus Eastmoor team on deck, they nearly cannot afford to head into their home opener next week pulling the brunt of an 0-2 start, which may be a huge shock to everyone after last season's playoff run. Dennison knows the atmosphere of Crater Stadium will be hostile. It may not be that of a New Philadelphia crowd but close enough for it.

If last year's contest was a portent of something in the air, it will be pretty lucid that whoever can play defense and create game-altering turnovers will be celebrating around 9:45 p.m.

When asked if there is a difference between coaching at New Philadelphia and Canton South with Dover as the key school, Dennison admitted it as such.

"They are two different schools and the scenes are wholly different. I had to adjust to having Dover as an opponent and not as a rival," he said.

Despite the heavy losses to graduation, South is not ready to climb into a foxhole and see their season wither away. Resiliency has always been a tenet of Dennison coached teams and they will need every bit of that Friday night in order to come away from Crater Stadium with a victory in the win column.

"At Canton South, we always talk about scoring first. You have to go down there and not let the crowd affect you. We have to start strong and finish strong," he said.

Crater Stadium is a highly familiar venue for Canton South field boss Matt Dennison. His hope is that the Wildcats don't fall into a larger crater this week against his former rival in Dover.

*Conquering the Oregon trail: Division II state champion Massillon returns to Ohio after their 35-20 victory over NFL UK (London) in Beaverton, OR this past Thursday. It was Massillon's first road contest out of the state of Ohio since the 1992 season when they competed against North Central (IN) in the RCA Dome. Massillon will be on the road against GlenOak, who dropped a 47-7 decision to Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph. Current GlenOak head coach Scott Garcia had a three-year run at Massillon as linebackers coach under Tom Stacy, who was the Tigers head coach from 2005-2007.

*Fetch!: Canton McKinley won their second straight season opener under Antonio Hall last week 26-19 against Warren Harding. Hall was 0-2 in season openers as McKinley's head coach. Both wins have come against the Raiders, who are at home Friday against Akron Buchtel while the Bulldogs take on Avon, a 42-21 winner over Cleveland St. Ignatius in their season opener.

*Irish claws: Perry plays host to St. Vincent-St. Mary at Wakefield Stadium this Friday. Keith Wakefield, who had two stints as Perry's head football coach is back on Zach Slates's staff as the defensive coordinator. Wakefield had a short stint also as the head coach of the Irish, now coached by former Ohio State standout and NFL player Doran Grant.

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