Vikings general braces for huge Federal League tilt
By Keno Sultan
Stark County Prep Press writer
www.starkcountypreppress.blogspot.com
NORTH CANTON--Four years ago, Brian Baum encouraged his languishing North Canton Hoover defense to conjure up a turnover or best case scenario, hold them to a field goal.
As Canton McKinley was threatening to slash the Vikings lead to 10 with a quarter remaining deep inside the Vikings five-yard line, safety Anthony Gross jumped in front of a Bulldogs receiver and returned an unlikely interception 99 yards to the one-yard line where one play later, the hosts scored and that 14-point swing proved advantageous in the form of a 24-0 caging of the Bulldogs that eventually led to the second Federal League title, an outright one at that in the Baum tenure.
If North Canton wants to hang a 24th league title in the confines of North Canton Memorial Stadium, they will have to do battle again with the same Bulldogs Friday night at 7 p.m. in what will be a capacity crowd in attendance.
Aside from a 42-9 loss in 2023, the last two contests have been thrilling affairs with McKinley prevailing 37-28 in a sold-out crowd and then last season's 28-21 overtime decision at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in which both teams traded heavy artillery down the stretch.
As of right now, the Vikings are undefeated through their first six games but this confrontation with McKinley will be a serious test and it will be one that may determine the trajectory of where their season heads after 9:30 p.m. However, this is why Baum arrived to North Canton Hoover for contests like that after a successful tenure at Fredericktown.
"This game coming up is why I came to North Canton Hoover to coach in games like this. We want players that will work hard and be coachable. We want to play in games like this against McKinley and that had a lot to do with me taking this job 11 years ago," he said.
The Hoover offense has been a juggernaut by scoring 222 points for an average of 37 points with their best showing coming two weeks ago as they dispatched of previously undefeated Louisville on the road 31-13. Defensively, they are yielding 72 points for an average of 12, a statistic assisted in the form of shutout victories over Akron Buchtel and Medina. But they have proven they can thrive in adversarial conditions too with respective wins over Green and GlenOak, two games that ended with Viking triumphs with nearly identical scores of 27-21 and 28-21.
On the other hand, McKinley has rumbled their way to a four-game winning streak and has been a parsimonious force on defense under first-year Bulldogs commander Renzy Parnell, who doubles as their defensive coordinator. McKinley has kept their last two opponents, GlenOak and Green out of the end zone albeit Green kicker Logan Noirot supplied the only points for the Summit County Bulldogs, a game concluding with McKinley victorious 21-3.
Offensively the Bulldogs are averaging 28 points while surrendering 13.6 They are led by the running back tandem of sophomore tailback Kyelin West and senior fullback Isaac Brooks, who both get stronger as a game wears on but have yet to face a stout defense like that of North Canton.
Baum knows that to beat McKinley, they will have to be flawless in terms of execution while also avoiding disastrous turnovers.
"McKinley has impressed me. They have great speed up front from their front four and their linebackers play really well. I have told my team that we can't have any turnovers like we did last year per the (Dante) McClellan tipped ball that went 98 yards for a touchdown," he said. "You can't win ball games with turnovers."
Another asset that may prove beneficial to North Canton will be keeping possession of the ball via the running game. It is one thing to be balanced but another to keep defenses on the field and leaving them emaciated by running and filing away the clock. With the way both teams are executing their running games, don't be alarmed if the contest is low scoring or someone commits the first flagrant transgression via turnover.
Baum admitted he will want to speed up the pace of the game, especially if his legion of Vikings have a lead.
"We will throw the ball but we also want to run the ball as well and play up tempo. We've also been able to build up depth, allowing us to do that," he said.
Special teams may also hinge on the outcome of this game. In 2017, 2023 and last year the Vikings had kickoff return touchdowns that allowed them to obtain leads against McKinley but despite dominating the return department, they came up short of a victory but have proven they have athletes that can go the distance when the opportunity reveals itself. Vikings receivers David Forrest, Mason Ashby and Jack Andes have all proven that as all three of them scored 98-yard touchdowns in those respective years after McKinley started out with a 7-0 lead.
By the end of Friday night, the race for the league title will be clearer. North Canton with a victory will be in the driver's seat for a league title. But a McKinley victory will put them closer to the title and the last thing the Vikings want is a loss and needing assistance for a 24th title. Baum senses that his team will come out with urgency and look to leave nothing to chance. And the same can be said for Canton McKinley as undefeated Lake is on the horizon and just as much in the running for a league title as well.
"The winner will have a leg up in the standings. We just look to take it one game at a time and give ourselves a chance in the last three games," Baum said. "We just want to go 1-0 every week."
Four years ago, Brian Baum encouraged his languishing Vikings defense to conjure up a pivotal defensive stop against McKinley. It led to a shutout victory and he wants nothing more for that same black and orange mojo to permeate North Canton Memorial Stadium again.
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