Purple Raiders turn to ground express in 35-0 ravaging of Polar Bears

 Purple Raiders turn to ground express in 35-0 ravaging of Polar Bears 

By Keno Sultan

C-Town Radio announcer and statistician

ALLIANCE--The national championship drought at Mount Union has spanned five years.

And that is extremely too long for a program that is dominant with a staggering 11 national championships and 33 Ohio Athletic Conference titles.

The ground express just may be the ticket to the nationally second-ranked Purple Raiders ending their drought.

In front of a solid homecoming crowd at Kehres Stadium, Mount Union survived an uncharacteristically low scoring first half and turned to their running game as DeAndre Parker rushed for three touchdowns in the second half as they wore down a gritty Ohio Northern team to post a 35-0 victory that keeps them atop the OAC standings at 3-0 and 4-0 overall.

For the first time all season, the hosts faced adversity as the Polar Bears played with a zest and zeal that kept them in the contest. But zest and zeal can only take a team so far and once the Purple Raiders got their engine started, the deluge overwhelmed the visitors.

"You know, they came out a little different up front. (Defensively), they did a good job with their personnel, so I would have liked for us to figure it out a little sooner but when we talked at halftime, we came up with a plan of how we were going to attack it," fourth-year head coach Geoff Dartt said. "The offensive line and running backs did a great job."

The Purple Raiders defense has continued to be a nightmare for the opposition. They have now recorded two shutouts in three conference contests. As well as Ohio Northern played in the first half, they were never really able to penetrate deeply into Mount Union territory and as a result of that, they were unable to find the end zone.

On a day where senior quarterback Braxton Plunk passed for a modest but adequate 163 yards with a touchdown to Wayne Ruby late in the second quarter, the Purple Raiders churned out 227 yards rushing as Parker accounted for 133 of those on 20 carries for his second 100 yard rushing game on the season and 12th overall in his career. Tyler Echeverry rushed for 71 yards on 11 carries and a 33-yard touchdown sandwiched between Parker's scores of four and one yard respectively in a 21-point third quarter that salted away the contest.

"I said at halftime, we were up 7-0 and no one was talking. I said 'guys, we have one of the top defenses in the country and we're up 7-0, let's have some more energy and attack the second half," Dartt said. "Overall, I was happy to see what we did in the second half. But we have to get off to a better start from an offensive standpoint."

For Ohio Northern, the schedule does not become easier as they will venture to John Carroll in the second of a three-game road trip as they try to sever a three-game losing streak to return to the win column for the first time since a 40-7 win over Capital three weeks ago. The Polar Bears are now 1-4 overall (1-3 OAC)

Mount Union will take a voyage to Heidelberg with a kickoff time of 1:30 p.m. as they continue their march to a 34th OAC title. Dartt and his legion of Purple Raiders will look to have a better start but not before he cautioned that not all games will be routs as evidenced by last week's 74-7 pasting of Muskingum, in which the defense intercepted four Muskies passes and returned two of the thefts for touchdowns.

The Purple Raiders are now 4-0 (3-0 OAC).

"Football is hard to win games plain and simple. There's an expectation here that we want to win all the games  and we want to hold ourselves to that standard but every game isn't going to be a blowout so when we face some adversity, they didn't flinch and the defense kept going and that was good to see as a coach," Dartt said.

The national championship drought at Mount Union has spanned five years. But the performance of their ground game just eventually may be their ticket to a long overdue 14th national championship.

Mount Union offensive tackle Giovanni Kennedy celebrates a third quarter touchdown from running back DeAndre Parker during the Purple Raiders 35-0 victory over Ohio Northern Saturday in Alliance. (Keno Sultan/C-Town Radio)

Keno Sultan can be reached at 330-445-4575 or email at KenoSultan@hotmail.com.

McKinley takes full governorship of league with 29-22 victory

 McKinley takes full governorship of league with 29-22 victory

By Keno Sultan

C-Town Radio announcer and statistician

CANTON--The checkered flag isn't in sight yet but the white flag is visible in front of the Canton McKinley football team.

And the rest of the Federal League just might be left behind late in the race.

McKinley took a step closer toward a tenth league title tonight as they scored on their first two possessions and repelled multiple rallies from Lake to come away with a hard-fought 29-22 victory at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in a game that witnessed the Bulldogs take sole governorship of the league with two contests remaining. They are now in a solid position to capture a share of the crown with a victory over Jackson next week and possibly the outright title barring a setback.

The Bulldogs vaulted their winning streak over Lake to nine games but like all other Blue Streak teams, it was another one they had to earn and that was fine with head coach Antonio Hall as he saw his team advance their winning streak to five and ending Lake's winning streak at the same number.

"Hat's off to Lake, hat's off to Lake. They kept fighting. Second half, they had some good schemes especially with the two-point conversion.They just kept battling and our kids did too," he said. "We told them it was going to come down to the fourth quarter and Lake wouldn't quit and I got a lot of respect for coach DeGeorge and I know what he's about but ultimately we got the win."

The first possession of McKinley was a portent of what was to come. On a third down and needing seven yards for a first down, Bulldogs quarterback Keaton Rode threw a perfectly timed pass to senior Alex Vazquez who got behind a Blue Streaks defender on a slant and found the end zone to set the tone for the game. Rode's extra point kick had McKinley on the scoreboard for an early 7-0 advantage.

When junior running back Nino Hill scored on a nine-yard touchdown run 51 seconds into the second quarter, Lake had one foot in the grave. However, the Blue Streaks were determined not to let McKinley potentially close their coffin and throw the dirt on it completely on their third possession when senior quarterback Cale Jarvis found a wide open Ryan Anderson for a 55-yard touchdown that severed McKinley's lead to 14-7 with much of the quarter left to be played. 

The defense came up huge when defensive back Benjamin Keith intercepted a Rode pass at the two-yard line to prevent McKinley from going back up two touchdowns midway through the second quarter.

At that point, 11th year Lake general Dan DeGeorge had a reason to feel optimistic about his team's chances. But getting down two scores early did not sit well with the former Akron Hoban and Malone University football standout.

"The first half was ugly. We didn't tackle very well at all. We were very inconsistent offensively with a bunch of penalties. We gave up a safety so that was an ugly first half," DeGeorge lamented. "We challenged them at halftime. Don't look at the scoreboard, just play football, play Blue Streak football and effortwise the tackling, we was a little bit better. But we were just too far behind the eight ball. McKinley is a very good team and they are well coached. They have dudes everywhere. It's a tough one but we have to bounce back."

McKinley shook off the interception and added on two scores in a matter of 3:35. Following a safety charged to Lake via intentional grounding in the end zone, McKinley overcame consective ten yard penalties when Rode completed a pass over the middle to receiver D.J. Britt to cover 24 yards on a third-and-22. Stephon Thomas scored on a two-yard run to put the Bulldogs up 23-7 at the intermission.

The Lake defense kept them in the contest. Recovering a Bulldogs fumble, it only took five plays, all runs from senior running back Nathan Baker ending with a nine-yard touchdown run and then a well-executed two-point conversion catch from Kam'ron Fouty-Koonce with 6:19 remaining had the Blue Streaks within one possession of McKinley with their deficit only eight points at 23-15.

However McKinley repeatedly answered Lake's challenges. In the fourth quarter, Thomas scored on a nine-yard touchdown run and it seemed the game was out of reach. 

But Lake received a series of gifts. After the Bulldogs had a potential game clinching interception nullified by a questionable roughing the passer penalty and later losing the football when Lake junior linebacker Charlie Christopher caused a fumble to award Lake one final possession. Baker scored on a four-yard run with under a minute remaining but McKinley recovered the onside kick to put an end to what was another thrilling contest between the two schools.

Lake now will need serious help if they are going to win another league title. The best they can hope for will be a McKinley loss to Jackson. But DeGeorge is not banking on that and feels his team has to just move forward starting Saturday morning as they will prepare for a North Canton Hoover team who at press time defeated Perry 37-34 in overtime.

"We have to bounce back. We play a tough schedule in a tough league. So we have to respond from this and we'll see what kind of team we will have," he said. "Life is full of adversity so we will see how we respond to that."

McKinley will travel on the road for the last time next week in the regular season to face a Polar Bears team who lost to GlenOak at press time 21-16. Aspirations for a league title are within their sights but Hall acknowledged that his team will have to correct multiple deficiencies before making the trek to Robert Fife Stadium with a potential share or outright league title at their grasp.

"We had too many self-inflicted wounds, too many penalties, turnovers and bad snaps but we found a way to win but we have to clean that stuff up," he said.

The league race is not over but the white flag is visible for the Canton McKinley Bulldogs, who are a potential lap or two away from capturing the checkered flag and ending up in the winner's circle by themselves.

Canton McKinley wide receiver Alex Vazquez catches a 16 yard touchdown pass from Keaton Rode in the first quarter of Friday's game against Lake, won by the Bulldogs 29-22. (Keno Sultan/C-Town Radio)

Lake High School running back/linebacker Charlie Christopher sits on the bench during the third quarter of Friday's contest against Canton McKinley. His father, Matt Christopher was a Lake standout running back and linebacker who was part of the Blue Streaks 1991 13-1 Division II state finalist competing team. (Keno Sultan/C-Town Radio)

Lake High School defensive lineman Ryan Lippe looks on during a break in the action Friday night. Lippe is the son of former Lake standout Steve Lippe, who was teammates with Matt Christopher on the Blue Streaks 1991 Division II state title competing team. (Keno Sultan/C-Town Radio)

Keno Sultan can be reached at 330-445-4575 or email at KenoSultan@hotmail.com.

Federal governance on the line between powers McKinley and Lake

 Federal governance on the line between powers McKinley and Lake

By Keno Sultan

C-Town Radio announcer and statistician

CANTON--The federal government in the United States may be headed for a shutdown.

Such is not the case between the Canton McKinley Bulldogs and Lake Blue Streaks. 

However, governance in the Federal League in the form of sole possession of first place will be at stake Friday night at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium as the Bulldogs and Blue Streaks for a second straight year will duel for the top position and a step closer to an outright crown with a kickoff time of 7 p.m. 

Last season in front of a sold out crowd at Lake Blue Streak Stadium, the onus was on Lake as they attempted to carve a path toward an outright league title and at the time were possessing an undefeated record. Unfortunately it ended with a 36-26 setback that allowed McKinley to move into a tie and eventually led to the two schools sharing the league crown with identical 5-1 records. Lake ended up winning a league crown for the first time in 25 years although they would have preferred to be the sole possessors of the crown.

This time the script has flipped and it is McKinley at 3-0 with a chance to take a two-game lead with three contests remaining and put added pressure on Lake to catch them with a win Friday night. McKinley head coach Antonio Hall knows that this contest will be one where points will likely be scarce.

"Lake is a very physical bunch. They execute well, they scheme well and they have a lot of guys that jump off the screen and stand out. They have a caliber of All-Ohio guys playing with a lot of momentum," he said.

Both teams arrive into their contests with winning streaks. McKinley has seized four in a row while Lake has won five in a row after a season opening loss to Alliance. However their hands will be full against a Lake defense that has been severely naughty to their first two opponents in league play.

GlenOak and Jackson found out first hand. Both the Eagles and Polar Bears both scored just seven points. Technically Lake has only surrendered a single offensive touchdown to GlenOak but the other came from a Jackson defensive touchdown scored by Polar Bears defensive back Anthony Fuline. The Blue Streaks defense has caused quagmire through two league contests and is a very attacking and opportunistic one according to 11th year Lake boss and Akron Hoban graduate Dan DeGeorge.

Lake also has several family lineages, two of them most noticeable on the roster and that is something which may be a benefit as well.

"Our defense has been strong. We play our best players on one side of the ball so we don't have many going both ways, DeGeorge said. "We want to keep our best players fresh on defense. McKinley's offensive line is balance and fast. We will have to play our best and keep them in front of us."

Let's not forget the family. It doesn't seem like a long time ago that Steve Lippe and Matt Christopher were Blue Streaks standouts on a defense that led Lake to the first of multiple state football championship games under veteran Blue Streaks head coach Jeff Durbin.

Both the elder Lippe and Christopher continued their careers at West Virginia and Ohio State respectively. Their sons, Ryan Lippe and Charlie Christopher have been terrorizing entities at defensive line and linebacker respectively and carry their father's names on each tackle.

Knowing their fathers is an asset DeGeorge takes pride in along with the way their sons play as well.

"I have known them for a long time through their fathers. And it's good to have that kind of company. Both of them play very hard and they are only juniors. They are leaving their own legacy and it is great that they wanted to not just stay here but play here as well," he said.

McKinley's running game and offense will be tested immensely. One player who has made himself noticeable is junior running back Stephon Thomas. The last two weeks he has complimented junior tailback Nino Hill and allowed them to form a formidable backfield. Quarterback Keaton Rode continues to thrive and for a second time in three weeks led the offense to a perfect night protecting the ball last week by virtue of three touchdown passes in a 37-28 win over North Canton Hoover.

The Bulldogs have been dominant on the road but at home it has been a different story. If this is the time for them to have a breakout performace at home, the time is now according to Hall.

"We haven't played well at home but well on the road. That has to change," he said.

Lake wants to rewrite history as well. Since McKinley's arrival into the Federal League, they have only recorded four wins out of 19 contests with their last win coming in DeGeorge's second year, a 25-22 victory at home. The Blue Streaks have come close at times but have been unable to traverse the final step translating to victory.

A loss Friday night unless barring a McKinley setback will all but eliminate them from winning a second straight league title. When asked if his team is feeling the pressure to win based on McKinley's 3-0 league record compared to their 2-0 record, DeGeorge shot down the thought of his team facing added adversity.

"I have not even thought about that. We are just trying to find a way to be 1-0 every week. McKinley is a team that is in our way and that is where our focus is," he said. "We have to put togeher long drives and flip field position and can't let them have a short field."

Whereas both teams have proven they can score points on offense, this is one of those contests where either a defensive or a special teams touchdown may be the difference in what may be a low scoring contest. Both teams have the top two defenses in points allowed with McKinley yielding just 20.3 on average while Lake is ahead of them by allowing just 14.

McKinley's defense has been solid for the most part and has held up when it had to. Lake will look to construct plays spanning 10 or more in an attempt to wear them down over the course of the contest, something Avon was able to accomplish over five weeks ago. 

Hall has seen Lake's toughness first hand and knows his defense will have to stifle the offense and not be on the field for long stretches Friday night.

"Lake likes to run the ball. They have a three-headed monster with two running backs and a quarterback that can run. We have to contain them," he said. "We have to be ready and get a hat-on-hat with them and do our jobs."

The federal government may be headed for a shutdown but there is no such thing when it comes to Federal League governance between the McKinley Bulldogs and Lake Blue Streaks.

Canton McKinley players huddle up before Friday's contest against North Canton Hoover at North Canton Memorial Stadium. (Keno Sultan/C-Town Radio)

BLITZING BLUE

Lake's defense ratcheted up an astonishing eight sacks in their 19-7 victory over Jackson last week. Not only that, the Polar Bears offense was never in a position to score That was a stat which caught the attention of Hall. "I saw dominance. They got after them from the first snap and they were doing a lot of blitzing and even getting their with their front four. They also were getting back there without blitzing their front four," he said. "We have to be prepared for their blitz packages."

NOT ALWAYS A HILL TO CLIMB 

Teams have been always quick to key in on Nino Hill. But with Stephon Thomas also getting heavily involved in the run game, he presents a problem for opposing defenses with his speed. "Stephon always stays the course and is a solid back for us. He always comes to work every day," Hall said.

RESPECT FOR COACHES 

Although he has been the head coach at his alma mater for only three years, Hall has developed a great deal of respect for DeGeorge based on his 11 seasons replacing Durbin and DeGeorge the same for Hall. "Dan has had success no matter the situation it is. Lake will always play tough and that is a testament to their kids. He's a (heck) of a coach." DeGeorge also said the same of Hall in that aspect as well. "They are well coached and it will be a difficult battle. He really has them getting after it. We can't have any self-inflicted wounds, no missed tackles or breakdowns against them."

MEMORY LANE

Lake had two victories that stood out against McKinley. On September 3, 2004, McKinley played their first Federal League football contest against Lake at a sold-out Blue Streak Stadium. Lake emerged victorious with a 14-7 decision that had fans storming the field. Three years later in the first and only Saturday football game in their program on September 1, 2007, Lake dominated McKinley in a 24-6 victory at Fawcett Stadium. That 2007 season was Brian Cross's last year as Bulldogs coach after five seasons. Durbin coached another five seasons before retiring as Lake's coach.

Keno Sultan can be reached at 330-445-4575 or KenoSultan@hotmail.com.

Bulldogs overcome early Vikings assault, ascend to 5-1 on season with 37-28 triumph

 Bulldogs overcome early Vikings assault, ascend to 5-1 on season with 37-28 triumph

By Keno Sultan

C-Town Radio announcer and statistician

NORTH CANTON--In a matter of a minute and 25 seconds, Canton McKinley went from being up 7-0 to facing a 14-7 deficit in front of a capacity crowd at North Canton Memorial Stadium.

Everything was going the way of the host North Canton Hoover Vikings and signs were pointing toward another adversarial challenge for the Bulldogs. The recipe for a Vikings victory was in front of them and momentum clearly was on their side.

However, Canton McKinley has witnessed it all the last three weeks as they were down 14-0 to Dublin Coffman and 27-7 to Green recently. Friday night was no different as the Bulldogs rode the running tandem of backs Stephon Thomas and Nino Hill and three touchdown passes from senior quarterback Keaton Rode as the Bulldogs outscored the Vikings 30-14 after the first quarter to depart Memorial Stadium with a 37-28 victory in front of a near capacity crowd of 10,000.

Since losing a 28-7 decision to Avon in the second week of the season, McKinley has located their identity that has translated into a three-game winning streak and they are now one of two undefeated teams remaining in the Federal League with Lake being the other. The Bulldogs are now 5-1 on the season, 3-0 in league play.

A key to the Bulldogs victory was the tandem of Hill and Thomas. McKinley had three scoring drives that ended in touchdowns on plays that spanned 10 plays or more. Those drives eventually wore down a Hoover defense that was competitive for a second week in a row but eventually surrendered chunks of long yardage to the bruising Bulldog backs in the second half.

"Both did a great job. Our offensive line and our blocking backs did a good job especially in the second half. Hat's off to Hoover, they came in with a great game plan and kept us on our toes," McKinley mentor Antonio Hall said. "Our special teams was abysmal tonight. We had to overcome adversity tonight but we got the win."

Special teams was the calling card for the Vikings. Immediately after Thomas capped McKinley's first possession with a one-yard touchdown run to start the scoring, North Canton struck like lightning in the form of a Mason Ashby 97 yard kickoff return touchdown in which he went up the middle untouched to tie the score at 7-7. 

It got better for the Vikings when McKinley failed to recover a short kick that ended up in the hands of a Vikings player and five plays after the Bulldog miscue, running back Kyler Miraglia scored on a tough nine-yard touchdown run and the hosts had McKinley looking up at a 14-7 deficit swiftly.

Ashby's touchdown reminded ninth-year Hoover boss Brian Baum Sr. about former Vikings return specialist David Forrest, who six years earlier returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown against the Bulldogs.

"They both are great athletes. To go out there and watch them do that is a joy. Forrest was a very good receiver and Ashby is just a jitterbug. He has speed, he runs good routes," Baum said.

The turning point of the contest came in what ended up a big second quarter for the visitors. Facing a third-and-7 from the Hoover 10 yard line, Rode eluded a sack and found Thomas all alone in the middle of the end zone for the first of three touchdown passes in the quarter. After a Vikings three-and-out, Rode needed one play for his second touchdown strike, a 51-yard completion to Keith Quincy in which he got behind the secondary and scampered into the end zone to issue McKinley a lead they made sure not to relinquish this time. 

After another Hoover possession ended with a three-and-out, Rode eluded another Vikings blitz and sprinted for a 26-yard gain to the Vikings 13-yard line and the connected to Dayor Ferguson for a 13-yard touchdown run and McKinley closed the quarter out with a 21-7 advantage, not before senior QB Carson Dyrlund answered with a 15-yard touchdown bullet to John Collins to put a tourniquet on the bleeding and give the Vikings much needed momentum going into the intermission down 28-21.

Hall was pleased with the performance of Rode, who showed no ill effects from his five interception night against Green.

"He's a competitor. I knew he would bounce back in that fashion. Like I said, those five interceptions weren't on him. Offensively we did a good job tonight collectively. But we have to improve a lot more if we want to get to where we want to be," he said.

Hoover climbed back into the contest once again when Dyrlund went to the bread and butter of their offense in Ashby, who turned a short gain into a highlight reel 47 yard catch and run to tie the game at 28-28 in the third quarter. 

McKinley immediately turned to their running game and that is where Hill took over from there. Another 10 play drive ended with Hill scoring on a two-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter but Cooper Westfall blocked the extra point, still keeping the Vikings in striking distance before Rode's 28-yard field goal concluded the scoring for the evening and sending North Canton to 3-3 on the season (0-2 Federal).

When asked if this game was a carbon copy of a 2017 thriller that ended with McKinley winning 42-35 amid a controversial missed pass interference call in the end zone that will have benefitted the Vikings at that time, Baum conceded that this game was just like a variation of that battle and then shifted his sights to Perry.

"This game was very similar to that. You are 100 percent right about that. We just have to make that next play. Both games we just had to make that next play," he said "We are just one play away from it going in our favor. "Practice effort carries over to game effort. It's a total different attack. We're going to continue to play hard and fight like Vikings."

For McKinley, their road becomes a bit arduous with Lake arriving to Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium with first place on the line in the league. It's only fitting that the two schools who shared the crown last year will once again clash to determine supremacy in the league and the winner will take that step toward an outright title.

Lake (5-1, 3-0 Federal) defeated Jackson at press time 19-7. Hall knows what is in store for his team when the Blue Streaks arrive for this highly anticipated showdown.

"Lake is a team with a tough program. I respect the (heck) out of the program and their head coach (Dan DeGeorge). They do it right over there. We're going to be geared up and ready to go. We have to clean up a lot of things in practice this week and be ready to go out there and do our thing next week," he said of his legion of Bulldogs.

In a matter of a minute and 25 seconds, McKinley found themselves down 14-0. But a 30-14 scoring edge was enough to send McKinley home from North Canton Memorial Stadium as winners for a third straight week.

Canton McKinley players celebrate their 37-28 win over North Canton Hoover at North Canton Memorial Stadium Friday night. (Keno Sultan/C-Town Radio)

Keno Sultan can be reached at 330-445-4575 or email at KenoSultan@hotmail.com.

McKinley awaits challenge from Vikings in key league tilt

 McKinley awaits challenge from Vikings in key league tilt

By Keno Sultan

C-Town Radio announcer and statistician

CANTON--24 years ago, Antonio Hall saw his senior season at Canton McKinley flashing before his eyes.

It was bad enough the previous week that #1 ranked McKinley saw their stranglehold on the Victory Bell end with a sickening 35-7 loss to undefeated and #3 ranked Massillon who completed a 10-0 regular season inside Fawcett Stadium.

A week later, North Canton Hoover was threatening to bring McKinley's two-year reign as Division I state champions to a thudding halt along with Hall's career as the Vikings used two field goals to erect a 6-0 halftime lead. The Bulldogs were able to escape North Canton Memorial Stadium with an unlikely 7-6 victory that extended their season one more week.

24 years later, Hall is now in his third year as the football coach at McKinley and for the second time since the 1999 season, he will return as the visiting head coach of his alma mater when his battalion of Bulldogs descend on North Canton Memorial Stadium for a 7 p.m. showdown against the Vikings in a Federal League contest that will see if the Bulldogs take a step closer toward another league title or will Hoover find a way to get back into contention.

It has been nine years since longtime veteran Hoover general and alumnus Don Hertler Jr. stepped down but the Vikings have still thrived under current head coach Brian Baum Sr. When asked if saw differences between Hertler Jr. and Baum, Hall concurred there were more similarities to their styles as head coaches.

"There is not much of a difference. Both coaches and their teams are physical with strong running backs and a strong running game, so there isn't much of a difference there," he said.

Both teams took crazy turns last week as McKinley committed an uncharacteristic five turnovers in the form of interceptions (one went back for a touchdown to end the first half) against Green and Hoover spent all evening attempting to claw back into their contest against GlenOak.

Whereas Hall was relieved that his team was able to escape with a 28-27 win, he is well aware that another performance like that will result in a two going to the loss column along with a one in league play. On the other hand, although he was pleased with the fight of his team in their 27-24 loss to GlenOak, Baum does not want to see his team fall behind and having to catch up against a Bulldogs team that is stacked with vaunted firepower at their skill positions, especially at running back.

One thing Hoover has going for them is that they are capable of winning at home. Two years ago, they terminated a 13-year losing streak to McKinley as they routed the Bulldogs 24-0 in a game that turned completely in the Vikings favor when safety Anthony Gross intercepted a pass and nearly returned it for a 100 yard touchdown. Hoover scored several plays later and it left Hall having a long chat with his charges after the dismal setback.

Although that seemed like a long time ago especially when McKinley was still recovering from a scandal that rocked their program, Baum vividly recalled that contest.

"Anthony Gross, oh man he changed the momentum of that game. McKinley was driving to get back into the game and he read it perfectly. Our defense was flying down field that night, we got it into the fourth quarter and eventually took the game away from them," he recalled.

This may be a contest in which whoever can execute in the running game department will emerge victorious. The Vikings will bring quarterback Carson Dyrlund and running back Kyler Miraglia to the table whereas the Bulldogs will counter with power back Nino Hill and Stephon Thomas.

Thomas last week provided a spark for the Bulldogs as he came off the bench to ignite an offense that had been stuck in reverse for two quarters. He and Hill both finished with over 100 yards rushing and wore down Green's defense. For McKinley to have success, both will have to be in optimum form and the same can be said for Dyrlund and Miraglia, who transferred from Northwest before the start of the season.

If both Thomas and Hill are successful, it will take the pressure off of Keaton Rode, who struggled last week and still has in front of him tasks against stout defenses in Lake, Jackson and then Massillon, who has the top-ranked defense not just in Stark County but also the state in Division II.

"We had a great second half and was able to get back into the game with our running game. We had great momentum and controlled the clock," Hall said of his backs. "Defensively, we have to alter their quarterback and running back and neutralize their running game."

Last week, North Canton was not able to complete a successful bid for victory against GlenOak. Like McKinley, there were turnovers that were ruinous to the Vikings cause. North Canton enjoyed a 10-7 lead but were outscored 20-14 the rest of the way.

Baum is well aware of what will occur if his team has not corrected their maladies before McKinley has.

"Staying away from turnovers are important. You just can't have those like we did against GlenOak and McKinley has a team that will make you pay for it, he said.

North Canton is fighting for their Federal League title lives. Losing one league contest is one thing. But no team has ever won let alone split the title with two losses. A loss will likely spell the end of the Vikings hopes of winning a second league title in three years. Since taking the Hoover post in 2015, Baum has piloted the Vikings to league crowns in 2018 and 2021 with the 2021 crown coming outright.

Friday night, a near capacity crowd of 10,000 will be expected. Baum feels that his legion of Vikings will have to set the tone with a first score and to get the crowd on their side early. When asked if there will be more pressure on his team to obtain a victory to stay in the hunt, Baum put the matter in perspective. 

In Federal League football according to Baum, anyone can be a spoiler at any week.

"It will be important to get the crowd into the game. I was impressed with our fight in the second half last week so we have to bring that every minute Friday night," he said. "Far as pressure to win? In the Federal League, every game is pressure packed and we are getting a good McKinley team. They have a lot of pride and tradition and they are no different from last year as they have a lot of speed."

Going into this game, Hall knows that this Hoover team is not the same team that his charges decimated last year 42-9 via a running clock. He doesn't see his team living off of last year's result, something that may be fatal if they do so.

The league race at the same time is starting to tighten for McKinley. With Lake and Jackson facing off next week and depending on those results and how McKinley fares Friday night, the league picture will start to become clearer. However according to Hall, his team is just focused on the Vikings.

"I have not thought about anyone but just this game. We just have to play well and maximize our opportunities and take advantage of them when we can. We have traveled well during the road and we have to do that again," he said.

24 years ago, Antonio Hall saw his senior season flash before his eyes inside North Canton Memorial Stadium. 24 years later he is now the patriarch of the football program who has sights on extending their grasp on the Federal League.

Canton McKinley running back Stephon Thomas scores a one-yard touchdown against Green in the second half of last week's 28-27 win at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. (Keno Sultan/C-Town Radio)

POLL RECOGNITION

Canton McKinley arrived into the Division I Associated Press poll ranked #10. For Hall, as a three-year varsity player, he was part of Bulldog teams that were ranked #1 for three straight seasons from 1997-1999. When asked about this, Hall admitted that he was not aware of the recognition at the time. "I didn't know we were ranked tenth in the state. I don't pay attention to any of that kind of publicity. We are just trying to be 1-0 every week so I don't pay attention to polls," he said.

LOCAL LOYALTY

McKinley is one of three Stark County high schools ranked in the poll. Canton South is ranked #2 in Ohio Division IV while Massillon is ranked #1 in Ohio Division II on the strength of their 15-13 win over two-time defending Division I state champion and top ranked Lakewood St. Edward. The Tigers challenge the Bulldogs in four weeks at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. The last time the Tigers were a #1 ranked team facing McKinley four years ago, they used an Aidan Longwell 79-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Ballard to close out a spirited challenge from the Bulldogs and complete an undefeated regular season with a 24-14 victory in front of 15,000. 

SURVIVE AND ADVANCE

Many outsiders assumed McKinley was damaged psychologically venturing into North Canton Memorial Stadium after their ugly 28-point loss to Massillon and felt their year was going to end on the road. McKinley's defense held the vaunted Hoover offense and quarterback Bill Liber to two field goals in a 7-6 victory over the Vikings, who were 9-1 at the time. "That was a physical game and extremely warm and hot for a playoff game like that," Hall recalled. "We were very fortunate to come away with a win." Hall was 2-0 against North Canton Hoover in his playing career, both playoff wins with the first coming in 1997, a 40-8 demolition of the Vikings in a Division I regional semifinal at Dix Stadum in Kent.

Keno Sultan can be reached at 330-445-4575 or email at KenoSultan@hotmail.com.

After turnover filled first half, Canton McKinley clamps down on Green for victory

 After turnover filled first half, Canton McKinley clamps down on Green for victory

By Keno Sultan

C-Town Radio announcer and statistician

CANTON--As Julio Cesar Chavez entered his final round against a fading Meldrick Taylor in their classic 1990 WBC/IBF junior welterweight unification bout and his 66-0 record on the brink, his trainer told him words he had to abide by.

"You have to knock him out. Do it for your family. Do it for the love of God!"

The same could be said of Canton McKinley against a Green team threatening to spoil the 25th year reunion of the 1998 Division I state championship squad Friday night at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.

The Green Bulldogs were every bit like the flashy and quick rapid fire fists of the 1984 Olympic gold medalist and IBF champion Taylor, rocketing their way to a stunning 27-7 halftime lead as the Bulldog defense intercepted McKinley quarterback Keaton Rode five times, with Anthony Fortunato returning one for a touchdown to close the first half as the hosts went into the locker room down 20 amid a smattering of boos from their fans. However the second half was a different story as like the long reigning WBC champion Chavez, McKinley got their running game going and the defense finally clamped down on Green and caused three turnovers and wore down their Summit County visitors and emerged victorious with an unbelievable 28-27 victory to push their record to 4-1 (2-0 Federal League) at the midway point of the season.

No one may have imagined such an ending after how the first half played out. When asked if his team's comeback was reminiscent of Chavez's controversial come-from-behind TKO of Taylor with two seconds left to maintain his unbeaten record, fourth-year head coach Antonio Hall chuckled at the thought of the comparison.

"It's funny that you use a boxing analogy because today we watched some clips of Muhammad Ali and talked about what it means to be a champion so it's ironic that you said that," he said with a laugh. "It wasn't pretty by any means, a lot of self-inflicted wounds but I told them at halftime if we stay together, if we play for one another, if we come out one play at a time and execute one drive at a time, we'll get back in this thing, no matter what, we cannot fall apart."

Early on it seemed like the hosts were in for a long evening when Green quarterback Samino Manson connected on touchdown passes of 64 and 85 yards to Josh Just and Zachary Baglia and in just five plays, the visitors had a 14-0 lead in the opening quarter.

When junior running back Nino Hill scored on a short one-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, McKinley found some life in the second quarter as they only trailed by one when quarterback Jack Logsdon threw a fade to receiver Antonio Martin who outfought a McKinley defender for a touchdown. The extra-point was missed and Green led 20-7. The missed extra-point would prove large later on in the game.

Attempting to slice into Green's deficit, the Bulldogs anemia of turnovers continued. It was bad enough when Rode had a pass picked off by Martin in the end zone, and two more by Just. Followed by another one and then Anthony Fortunato picked off a Rode pass and eluded multiple defenders and scored on a long pick-six and it seemed Green was on their way to their first ever win against McKinley in nine attempts.

"Our defense caused all kinds of turnovers there in the first half and then we got a big stop to start the second half, I was real proud of them and the way they played," Green head coach Mark Geis said.

McKinley finally responded in the second half. Rode put behind his turnover malady when he threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Xavier Harris, who made a spectacular one-handed catch to truncate their deficit to 27-14. Pretty soon, momentum was swinging the way of the Bulldogs as they unleashed some depth at the running back position with Stephon Thomas and Hill doing damage on the ground for McKinley. 

Soon Green was depleted by fatigue and the McKinley durability took over in the second half.

"We have a great strength and conditioning staff. We train hard and we tell our guys if you don't rise to the occasion, you fall to the level of your training and we always put these guys in the most uncomfortable situations during practice when they train to be able to overcome adversity," Hall said. "Tonight was living proof."

Hill scored on a 22-yard scamper with over four minutes left to hand McKinley their first lead. After a solid punt return by Martin, Green got all the way to the McKinley 25-yard line. After a sack caused Green to hurry to the line of scrimmage (they expended all of their timeouts prior), a Logsdon pass was intercepted by Dante McClellan to seal McKinley's come-from-behind win, a win that will prove large over the course of the season.

McKinley is now 2-0 in league play but Hall knows they cannot afford those same turnovers next week against North Canton Hoover (who lost to GlenOak at press time 27-24) as ninth-year boss Brian Baum Sr. will have his legion of Vikings ready to battle. They got away with those turnovers but know such will not be tolerated.

"We have to take care of the ball first and foremost. We have to take care of the ball. We have to make sure our quarterback and receivers are on the same page and seeing the same things. Once we figured that out at halftime, we were great," Hall said. "Green did a good job of mixing up some coverages in the first half so hat's off to them, they had a great game plan, they played tremendous but ultimately we found a way to win."

"You can't take anything away from McKinley. They had some good drives and they finished the second half," Geis said as his team absorbed their second straight loss of the season to stand at 3-2 on the season (0-2 Federal League).

McKinley started the contest as slowly as Chavez did against Taylor 33 years ago. But in the end, a strong second half lef them feeling like Chavez, hand raised in the air and relieved as winners.

Canton McKinley standouts Mike Doss (left) and Kenny Peterson (right) hold the Bulldogs 1997 and 1998 Division I state championship trophies during the ceremony honoring their back-to-back championship squads. Pictured also are former running back Marcus Quincy (left of Doss) and former offensive coordinator Donald Short (right from Peterson). (Keno Sultan/C-Town Radio)

Keno Sultan can be reached at 330-455-4575 or email at KenoSultan@hotmail.com.

A battle of Bulldogs and a silver anniversary

 A battle of Bulldogs and a silver anniversary

By Keno Sultan

C-Town Radio announcer and statistician

CANTON--25 years ago, Canton McKinley was the monarch of the Division I football kingdom. The names are still attached to that historic run that ended with them hoisting a second straight Division I title inside Paul Brown Tiger Stadium on a warm December evening in Massillon.

The names McDaniels, Doss, Bush, Hall, and others still are chatted about to this day. One of those men is now the patriarch of the program.

Antonio Hall was a junior two-way lineman who was part of that team which completed a 12-1 season punctuated by a 33-10 decimation of Cincinnati St. Xavier in the title match amid a four-year run in which he was a winner of 45 games out of 52 played and went on to have a successful career at the University of Kentucky.

25 years later, he is now the head coach of that same Canton McKinley High School and will also be a part of the pregame festivities honoring the 1998 Bulldogs a half-hour before their 7 p.m. kickoff against another Bulldog opponent, the Green Bulldogs from Summit County.

"That was 25 years ago and wow, 25 years goes by so quick. We want kids to use that as motivation as you can get there from here and start it down at the youth up to middle school and the high school. We want kids to use this moment to spark them and drive them at the same time," Hall said of McKinley's historic run

That McKinley team endured greater adversity in defending their title. A week eight contest against Warren Harding saw the Bulldogs trailing 16-7 through three quarters before obtaining a home victory that salvaged their playoff aspirations. Without it, their season will have been over after the 10th week as only the top four teams in each region before the field expanded to eight teams will have qualified. McKinley would have been looking in on the outside as Harding and not the Bulldogs would have solidified the final spot.

But for Hall, the toughest contest for him personally was their regional final agaist Marion Harding in Mansfield. The Presidents had topped North Canton Hoover 34-33 in a regional semifinal and McKinley had to overcome a 10-0 deficit against Jackson to take out the Polar Bears 17-13 in a low scoring defensive affair.

Harding led 7-0 at the half but being behind benefitted McKinley as having been in that situation before, there was no panic inside the Arlin Field locker room. The Bulldogs survived with a 14-7 win and kept their postseason train chugging for another two weeks.

"That was a good game and could have gone either way. At halftime we all called each other out in a good way and was able to win. And then there was the St. Ignatius game where (Mike) Doss knocked out receiver Pete Koch at the 1 yard line to preserve our semifinal win and then stopping St. Xavier. But for me, the Harding game stands out to me the most," Hall commented.

After the pregame honoring of that 1998 McKinley squad, Hall will turn his concentration to his alma mater's Federal League confrontation against Green. Last week, McKinley posted a wire-to-wire rout of the Perry as everything traversed their way in a 44-6 declawing of the host Panthers.

It was last season that players held a players only meeting when the team was 0-4. It was then the fortunes of McKinley changed in just 48 minutes. Wearing their frustrations on every play, they overpowered an undefeated Green squad, posting a 51-19 triumph on the road that set the tone for a run ending with six victories in their last eight games and with it a share of the league title.

Facing Perry's wing-T was one thing. Facing Green's spread offense will be another.

"Coach Mark Geis runs a challenging offensive system. Defensively they are an aggressive bunch and can move to the ball well," Hall said.

Like McKinley, Green arrives as a team that is 3-1 but with their league championship hopes in critical condition. Not only are they 0-1 in league competition but all-time they are 0-8 against McKinley. Their backs are obviously to the wall after a 20-13 loss to Jackson and capturing even a share of the league crown will become nearly non-existent with a ninth loss to the Stark County based Bulldogs.

Green was able to take away the Jackson running game, something that stood out to Hall. But it was a turnover by the Jackson offense in the form of an interception that was returned for a touchdown that led to their demise.

As for McKinley, aside from the Avon loss, they are averaging a healthy 33.6 points and surrendering just 11.3 defensively. Take away the four touchdowns Avon scored and a Harding kickoff return touchdown, the Bulldogs have only allowed an astonishing three touchdowns on defense. Offensively, they have only turned the ball over once. That is scary for other teams who will eventually have to challenge the Bulldogs if they keep this up.

"Defensively everyone has adjusted to our scheme and we simplified some things there and also offensively. We just go out and play football and read our keys," Hall said. "Last week, we were sound across the board in all three phases of the game, offense, defense, and special teams. We need that effort to continue this week."

One thing Hall knows is that Green is still a formidable opponent. They are two years removed from an unlikely run that ended with them in the state semifinals with a loss to eventual Division II state champion Cincinnati Winton Woods. The current seniors on the roster were sophomores at the time so they have been down that road. They are a team capable of turning a game on one play offensively so the urgency is there for McKinley to keep Green in front of them and out of the end zone and value possession of the ball as they have done successfully.

"Green has a lot of athletes and a lot of speed so we have to stay focused on what we have to do one play at a time and have solid execution." Hall said.

25 years ago, Antonio Hall was a two-time state champion with the McKinley Bulldogs as a player. 25 years later he is the patriarch of the program he hoisted two trophies with.

Canton McKinley players celebrate their 44-6 win over Perry last week at Wakefield Stadium. They hope to have another one Friday night against Green. (Keno Sultan/C-Town Radio)

BATTLE OF BEHEMOTHS

Tickets still remain for Friday's highly anticipated showdown between the two-time Division I state champion and #1 ranked Lakewood St. Edward and Massillon, who is ranked #3 in Division II. Both teams come in undefeated at 4-0 with the winner taking the series lead after nine games. Plenty of tickets are still available and can be purchased at www.massillonschools.org. Special credit to ticket manager Tori Wolfe for the information.

NOT FOR ANOTHER FIVE WEEKS

Massillon doesn't arrive to Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium for another five weeks for their annual showdown with McKinley but right now boast the county's top-ranked defense with the Bulldogs behind them in second. Massillon has boasted the county's top defensive five years in a row dating back to the 2018 season that saw them appear in the first of three state final contests under the tutelage of ninth-year Tiger general Nate Moore. Overall, Massillon is 3-2 at Benson Stadium and were the first visiting team to obtain a win in the new stadium, a durable and hard-fought 16-15 win when Tre'Von Morgan caught an eight-yard scoring pass from Aidan Longwell to overome a six-point fourth quarter deficit in 2017 to cap a long drive. Morgan is the son of former Tiger running back Christian Morgan and nephew of feared shot blocking basketball giant Marco Morgan, who is Massillon's third all-time leading scorer.

FORMER BULLDOG COACH

Dan Reardon, who was the last McKinley head coach to defeat Massillon at Fawcett Stadium and the last Fawcett Stadium head coach in his second stint at Youngstown Ursuline has the Fighting Irish flawless at 4-0 and #3 in Division III. Reardon coached McKinley from 2015-2018 and twice had the Bulldogs ranked #1 in Division I in 2017 and 2018 till the ninth week of the season. Prior to becoming McKinley's head coach and taking a head coaching job in Colorado, Ursuline won three straight Division IV titles from 2008-2010. Reardon was 1-3 against Massillon but the losses were by a combined 10 points, two of them decided by ultimately long scoring drives by the Tigers in 2017 and 2018.

Dan Reardon looks on in the fourth quarter of the 2018 McKinley-Massillon contest at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium following a timeout. Reardon is back at Youngstown Ursuline, where he has the Irish undefeated at 4-0. Reardon was McKinley's head coach from 2015-2018. (Photo cred. Keno Sultan)

Keno Sultan can be reached at 330-445-4575 or email at KenoSultan@hotmail.com.