Canton McKinley barks loudest, bites hardest in 26-17 triumph
By Keno Sultan
Stark County Prep Press writer
www.starkcountypreppress.blogspot.com
GREEN--Canton McKinley threatened to score an early technical knockout of Green.
Like a boxer on the ropes being told to punch back, Green fought back and was able to extend their contest much longer than everyone expected.
In the end however, it was McKinley able to claim the knockout that happened three quarters later than it should have in the form of a 26-17 victory inside the confines of a rain drenched Green Memorial Stadium. The fact that Green was able to withstand McKinley's early assault was a testament to them in the form they did not abdicate after falling behind quickly by two touchdowns. But in the end, Green's courageous effort just was not enough against a McKinley team that now has sole possession of first place in the Federal League by virtue of the victory with three league games remaining.
McKinley is now 11-0 all time against Green. Green eventually will have that day when they triumph over McKinley. But for now, that wait has been extended another year.
Green had momentum late in the fourth quarter after a Tyson Hunka 42-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Martin pulled them within two to close the third quarter and in the fourth quarter were in range for a potential go-ahead/game winning field goal. But the McKinley defense conjured up two consecutive sacks, forcing Green to punt.
McKinley slammed the door on Green's rally when senior tailback Nino Hill scored on a three-yard touchdown run with 1:56 remaining. McKinley mentor Antonio Hall lauded his team's ability to put away a game when it counted but rued his team's miscues at times, something they didn't have to worry about the last two weeks against GlenOak and Perry respectively.
"I'm proud of our grit. I am proud that we got it done when we needed to. However I am disappointed with the penalties and the hole we dug ourselves. But ultimately, we found a way to win," he said.
The game started out in seraphic form for the visiting McKinley squad. Senior wide receiver Keith Quincy returned a Green punt for a spectacular 74-yard touchdown to open the scoring for McKinley. It was the Bulldogs first punt return for a touchdown since Maurice Hill returned two punts for scores against Perry two years ago in a 38-28 loss.
"Keith is magic. Anytime he touches the field in all three phases of the game, he can affect it. Whether it is offense, defense, or special teams, everytime he is on the field, he is going to make a play," Hall said. "And if he's not making a big play, he's downfield throwing a block. He is just magic on the field."
McKinley finally got to start an offensive possession midway through the opening quarter when Hill traversed through a gaping hole opened by his offensive line and eluded the Green secondary for McKinley's second touchdown of the quarter. Both extra point kicks were blocked and McKinley had to settle for a 12-0 lead.
Green was finally able to muster up some urgently needed offense. A roughing the kicker penalty on McKinley proved to be the inoculation that the hosts needed. From there, Hunka did the majority of the damage with his arm and leg, ending an 11-play drive with a five-yard touchdown run that truncated their deficit to five. After a Bulldogs turnover on downs, Green constructed another scoring possession with the key play being a Hunka 26-yard completion to Martin. The drive stalled at the McKinley 10 yard line and Logan Noirot's 26-yard field goal shrank the McKinley lead to 12-10 at the intermission.
Green sixth year head coach Mark Geis, a former North Canton Hoover football standout under the tutelage of Don Hertler Jr. admired the resiliency of his team to stay relevant in the contest after their slow start.
The first half was a tale of momentum swings.
"That happens in Federal League football games. There are a lot of guys who are good players and you have a lot of good coaches and you know they are going to play hard. There are times when teams will have momentum and we had momentum ourselves there," Geis said of his team's second quarter.
Both teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter with Hill scoring on a one-yard touchdown run to open up the third quarter after Green attempted an onside kick that was recovered by McKinley. McKinley had a chance to extended their lead to double digits at 22-10 but a missed field goal kept Green in striking distance and it was significantly amplified when Hunka launched a high arcing pass for his ace receiver Martin, who took advantage of a miscommunication in the McKinley secondary for a touchdown that pulled Green within two points at 19-17.
For the second straight year, Green flirted with the program's first-ever win against McKinley. But that wait has been extended to another year.
"We play 48 minutes and that is our standard. We got after it after being down early but came up short. We're going to continue to get better," Geis noted.
McKinley has finally found their offensive rhythm. With Hill going over the 100-yard plateau with 178 yards rushing and three touchdowns, the Bulldogs are threatening to make the league race a runaway as they return home next week for a showdown against North Canton Hoover, who like McKinley is sporting a 4-2 record (1-1 Federal League) with a 21-7 win over winless GlenOak.
McKinley has not tasted defeat against the Vikings since the 2021 season, a 24-0 loss at North Canton Memorial Stadium. Counting his playing career, Hall is 4-1 against North Canton. Hall knows the mistakes his team were able to overcome will not be as easy against a Brian Baum coached team. For now, he wants his players to enjoy the win and then get back to work on eliminating penalties and various miscues.
But the fact his team showed the instinct to salt away the clock and eventual victory tells Hall that his team is finally arriving at the midpoint of the season.
"We challenged our guys to go out, play dominant football and end the game. And it was a great job by our offensive line and our running backs for accepting that challenge," Hall said.
For Green, who is now 4-2 (2-1 Federal League) they will have some therapy coming to them in the form of a winless GlenOak team they will challenge on the road next Friday. For Green to continue to have a shot at the league title, they will have to win their remaining games and hope that either North Canton, Lake, or Jackson can throw a wrench in McKinley's bid for a flawless league slate.
Geis acknowledged that his team cannot change what happened but he knows his horde of Bulldogs will be ready to get back to work and keep fighting for a league title. Mindful that his team denied Lake a share of the league title last season, Geis attested that his team will continue to forge ahead and hope for some help from McKinley's remaining opponents.
"We just have to worry about our next game against GlenOak. We have to get better in all three phases and we really can't worry about the other ones," Geis said of shifting his focus to the Eagles.
Canton McKinley threatened to score an early technical knockout of Green. The technical knockout came later than expected but for the Stark County version of the Bulldogs, that's just fine with them.
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