Bulldogs assume sole possession of conference lead with nailbiting triumph
By Keno Sultan
Stark County Prep Press writer
www.starkcountypreppress.blogspot.com
NORTH CANTON--The collective groan from the McKinley side of North Canton Memorial Stadium was palpable.
Vikings defensive back Chase Lukens infused one more shot of life into the North Canton Hoover team as his interception averted McKinley from running out the clock and awarding the Vikings a shot at a potential walk-off field goal and salvaging their unblemished record.
Four passes by senior quarterback John Collins all from the McKinley 44 yard line were incomplete and it took a little longer than expected but the Bulldogs were able to finally secure a 21-20 victory over the previously undefeated Vikings as they extended their winning streak to five in a row and a fourth straight over the hosts in front of a capacity crowd.
Lukens nearly became a one-man hero in the fourth quarter as his big hit on Bulldogs tailback Kyelin West caused a fumble that he recovered which allowed the hosts a chance. With the game on the line and facing a fourth down and goal, Collins found receiver Brycen Beyer over the middle for a 12-yard touchdown pass that had the partisan Vikings fans in delirious excitement. But kicker David Wadley's extra-point kick sailed wide left that set up the frenetic finish which McKinley escaped while the host Vikings absorbed their first loss of the season.
With Jackson turning away Lake 40-37, the Bulldogs are the only undefeated team remaining in league competition with a chance now to obtain at least a share of the crown next week when Lake comes to Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. For now, McKinley coach Renzy Parnell was ecstatic to depart with a victory to which he addressed his team, attesting tonight's game was better to learn from with a victory than the potential loss they were headed toward.
"We always tell our defense those are the moments that make a good defense. Like it's easy to stop a team from driving but then your back is to the wall, that's a good defense and they were able to respond in that situation," he said. "So we have to preach that, we expect that and when it happens, we're ready."
Early on the game had the look of being an offensive shootout. North Canton needed five plays with Collins unloading the first of his two touchdown bullets, a well-placed 71-yard bullet to Jack Andes, who was a combination of former Hoover receivers David Forrest and Mason Ashby (now at Mount Union) with his speed and Wadley's extra-point kick put the Vikings ahead 7-0 with 7:45 to play in the opening session.
Undeterred by the early jolt, McKinley turned to their bread and butter in the form of their running game and 10 plays after the Vikings strike, senior quarterback Trent Hayden connected on a 13-yard pass to D.J. Britt for the equalizer.
Special teams scores has been a norm when McKinley and Hoover face off and once again that phase was evident. Fielding a punt, Bulldog receiver Darius Hill found a seam and accelerated up the middle where he was able to elicit a burst of speed enough to outdistance the remaining Vikings players for an electrifying 63-yard touchdown return that put McKinley ahead to stay.
Hoover coach Brian Baum dejectedly rued Hill's return amid a tearful locker room.
"We wanted that ball out of bounds and he did a good job of cutting across the green and it was a tough play. "We had our opportunities and we feel like we gave one away," he said.
"He's a special athlete and we know he can do that at any moment and that's why we put him back there," Parnell said.
McKinley used the first possession of the second half to concoct another scoring drive out of intermission. Obtaining four straight first downs, McKinley capped a second 10-play drive with a West touchdown run that extended the McKinley lead to 21-7 with over half the quarter to be played.
But at North Canton Hoover, abdication doesn't belong in the Vikings hierarchy. Riding the legs of tailback Michael Lammlein who got extensive playing time at running back, he was able to conjure up some offense and Collins started to find his receivers and they answered the Bulldogs drive with one of their own, ending with a Carson Dungan one-yard touchdown run that pulled the Vikings within a touchdown at 21-14.
That set up the final and frenetic fourth quarter. After the early touchdown that issued them the early lead, North Canton wasn't able to regain the momentum and that ended up a detriment to their cause.
"McKinley did a good job of taking what we were giving them. They chunked it with West there and they converted some third downs. But the big play was that punt return," Baum said. "We lost to a good team by one point and we had a chance to win it. I'm proud of our guys for fighting and our defense for fighting too. We just gave up that one return."
McKinley is conjuring up a lot of momentum over the last five weeks. Just seven weeks ago, they were an unknown team. Now Stark County is starting to take notice of the Bulldogs along with the rest of the Federal League. The way they responded tonight pleased Parnell, who now has McKinley on the cusp of a share of the league title and can capture a share of that next week and maybe even outright if they beat Lake and Jackson loses to GlenOak next Friday.
But for now, Parnell wants his team to enjoy the victory and learn from the triumph.
"I just told the team that I'm proud of them and we found a way to win the football game and it's always easy to learn from those mistakes with a win instead of a loss. We found a way to win and I'm proud of them," he said.
For North Canton, like McKinley, they are still in the thick of a playoff appearance but will likely have to win out in order to obtain a first-round bye as they move their sights toward a home contest against Perry.
"We are going to focus on Perry. It's one game at a time. Every game is one game at a time," Baum said.
The collective groan from the McKinley section at North Canton Memorial Stadium was palpable. But the Bulldogs survived a frenetic sequence that now has not only their winning streak at five but now the only undefeated team left in the Federal League.
No comments:
Post a Comment