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BLOSSBURG--Canton quarterback Bailey Ferguson faked the handoff, scanned the field and threw deep, finding Hayden Ward for a 40-yard touchdown.
That fourth-and-5 connection opened the scoring Thursday night at Island Park. A quarter later, Austin Allen took over at quarterback and promptly completed five straight passes as he and Ferguson started the game 7 for 7 for 106 yards.
Canton made a series of big plays in all facets, overpowering North Penn-Mansfield and winning, 53-0 Thursday night. Still, while every player shined, it was the passing game development which really stood out. A year after going 13-1 and reaching the Class A state semifinals, Canton is hungry for more and showing off an improved passing attack sure helps in that quest.
"We need to work on our passing game, so we really focused on that tonight," Canton coach Tyler Sechrist said. "I was happy with the time the line gave the quarterbacks and I thought they did a good job, and the receivers did a good job."
"We’ve been wanting to kind of break it out a little, so we weren’t so one-dimensional, so it was nice to get out and do it," Allen said after going 5 for 6. "I just calm down in the pocket and find the guys. I felt like I learned a lot from tonight. It was a big step from last week."
The Warriors were held to four passing yards in that opening 31-18 victory at Union but turned lessons into plays at Island Park. Canton looked like a machine against North Penn-Mansfield, piling up 413 yards, including 307 on the ground. The Warriors (2-0) blew things open early and scored 35 first-quarter points in less than eight minutes with five players scoring touchdowns. Linemen Rian Eberly, Mason Nelson, Brenen Taylor, Gage Pepper, Mason Harold and William Colton set a physical tone and the Warriors led 42-0 at halftime.
Weston Bellows dazzled the crowd with a Houdini-like 66-yard punt return for a touchdown, Michael Davis (102 yards) broke off an 82-yard touchdown run, and Riley Parker scored twice. A ferocious defense looked like the 1985 Bears and allowed just 97 yards, including 14 in the first half.
"We just wanted to come out real strong and put it to them right from the go and try to break them," Eberly said after collecting a sack, three tackles for loss and four quarterback hurries. "I think by the end of the first quarter we had them broke."
All the stats were impressive, but in terms of the big picture, it was what the defending district champions showed through the air in the first 18 minutes which really could signal more good times coming. Featuring a stout line and a bevy of versatile backs, Canton does not need its quarterbacks to put up prolific numbers.
What the Warriors would like is to keep teams guessing and off-balance more. This victory showed why Canton could be on the path toward doing so.
Just look at that Ferguson to Ward (4 catches, 69 yards) touchdown. North Penn-Mansfield (0-2) was doing a decent job against the run early while stacking the box. On fourth down, Ferguson sucked in the defense, hit Ward in stride and made the defensive strategy backfire.
"That gave us a real good spark," Eberly said. "We just wanted to get more."
And they certainly did.
The early passing success was a big reason why. It continued in the second quarter when Allen hit Ward, Bellows and Ferguson with five straight completions. He repeatedly delivered accurate passes and gave his receivers opportunities to run after the catch.
That passing flurry allowed Canton to go back to the ground and Parker exploded through a hole in the second quarter, going 30 yards for a touchdown. The Warriors kept on running from there with the margin so wide but gave defenses something to think about moving forward. That was as important as winning the game when thinking long term.
"Before, teams could just stack guys on the line and I think that once we broke that out it will help other teams respect our passing game a little more," Allen said. "Giving that we run the ball so much, play-action works really well. It gets everyone biting, even the corners. I feel like we can make it work and pass when we need to."
Holden Ward is the third Canton quarterback receiving time under center and adds an option element. The sophomore took his first snap 61 yards, setting up his brother Hudson for a 2-yard touchdown that made it, 28-0. Canton scored three touchdowns in final 2 minutes, 46 seconds of the first quarter with Parker running in a 19-yarder and Bellows a 2-yarder.
"I liked it (the balance). We have that athletes to do it. One guy doesn’t have to carry the load and different guys can do different things really well," Sechrist said. "It really puts some teams in a bind when you’re about to put that many athletes on the field to try to look out for."
Ferguson was a difference-maker in all facets and made a big defensive play early. Canton opened the game by fumbling on its first play. North Penn-Mansfield immediately tried to cash in from the Warrior 33-yard line and went for it all, but Ferguson stayed glued to the receiver and made a leaping end zone interception. After extending the ensuing drive with his legs on a 16-yard first-down run, Ferguson found Ward for the first touchdown and Canton was rolling.
The interception was the first of many terrific plays made by a physical defense which brilliantly played the team concept. Bill Belichick would have admired the way each player did his job. Canton took away the run, made North Penn-Mansfield one-dimensional and then crushed that dimension with a relentless pass rush.
Eight different players made tackles for loss and Eberly, Hudson Ward and Aiden Palmer added sacks. Davis and Eberly set up real estate in the backfield, all-state linebacker Hayden Ward was seemingly everywhere, and Canton allowed just 10 rushing yards.
Norh Penn-Mansfield quarterback Karson Dominick showed his toughness all night and stood tall in the face of pressure seemingly every time he dropped back. Canton knew getting to Dominick was critical because the 6-foot-4 signal caller can pick a defense apart. Rarely, though, could Dominick get set and on rare occasions when he did he was victimized by five drops, including one which would have resulted in a second-quarter touchdown.
"He’s a great athlete. We went against him in 7 on 7 and when he has time back there and can pick receivers he can do a lot of things," Sechrist said. "We didn’t get to him as often as I wanted to, but we were close enough that it made a difference."
Ferguson kicked a field goal of at least 30 yards for a second straight week, drilling a 30-yarder in the third quarter which would have been good from at least 40 yards. Davis capped the scoring when he broke a series of tackles before breaking free and outrunning the defense down the left sideline for his 82-yard touchdown.
Canton 53, North Penn-Mansfield 0
Canton 35 7 3 8--53
NP-Mansfield 0 0 0 0--0
First Quarter
C--Hayden Ward 40-yard pass from Bailey Ferguson (Ferguson kick), 8:03
C--Weston Bellows 66-yard punt return (Ferguson kick), 6:03
C--Riley Parker 19 run (Ferguson kick), 2:46
C--Hudson Ward 2 run (Ferguson kick), :28
C--Bellows 2 run (Ferguson kick), :19.6
Second Quarter
C--Parker 30 run (Ferguson kick), 4:41
Third Quarter
C--Ferguson 30-yard field goal, 7:44
Fourth Quarter
C--Michael Davis 82 run (Austin Allen pass to Bellows), 9:31
TEAM STATISTICS C N
First Downs 14 6
Rushes-yards 33-307 26-10
Passing yards 106 87
Comp-Att-Int 8-10-0 11-29-1
Total yards 413 97
Fumbles-lost 4-2 2-1
Penalties-yards 5-40 2-17
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Canton, Michael Davis 4-102, TD; Riley Parker 6-59, 2 TD; Holden Ward 4-57; Ben Fitch 2-28; Aydin Holcomb 3-25; Hudson Ward 7-17, TD; Bailey Ferguson 1-16; Austin Allen 2-8; Weston Bellows 3-3, TD; Hayden Ward 1-2. North Penn-Mansfield, Easton Pequignot 5-27; George Valentine 2-10; Ethan Dick 1-0; Karson Dominick 3-(-8); Cooper Shaw 1-(-5); Kohen Lehman 14-(-14).
PASSING: Canton, Allen 5-6-1, 63 yards; Ferguson 2-2-0, 43 yards, TD; Fitch 1-1-0, 0 yards; Holden Ward 0-1-0. North Penn-Mansfield, Dominick 11-29-1, 87 yards.
RECEIVING: Canton, Hayden Ward 4-69, TD; Bellows 2-23; Ferguson 1-14; Avery Dibble 1-0. North Penn-Mansfield, Sammy Lawrence 5-38; Cooper Shaw 4-39; Joe Sember 1-1; Alex Davis 1-(-1).
INTERCEPTIONS: Canton, Ferguson. North Penn-Mansfield, Dominick.
SACKS: Canton, Hudson Ward, Rian Eberly, Aiden Palmer.
RECORDS: Canton 2-0. North Penn-Mansfield 0-2.