Cards boast lucky charms

Ten years to the day that the Canfield High girls basketball team first played in a state championship game, Coach Pat Pavlansky's Cards will take the court this afternoon at 2 seeking the school's first girls crown.
The opponent is Cincinnati Archbishop McNicholas, and with the green-trimmed Rockets playing on St. Patrick's Day, the luck of the Irish, at first glance, doesn't appear to be on Canfield's side.
But Canfield has more than a few of their own lucky charms. For one, there's the winning streak. The Cards have reeled off 12 consecutive victories by executing a tremendous team-oriented defense.
Destiny: Thirteen won't be an unlucky number if the Cards prove to be a team of destiny.
Canfield has two starters named Erin (Martin) and Kelly (Williams). Their bench includes another Erin (Fening), a Megan (Turocy) and a Mara (Boak, whose mother is former WKBN Channel 27 anchor Bridget Mahoney).
Nothing says good luck better than strong defense. In Thursday's state semifinal game, Canfield again limited one of the state's Top 16 teams to 45 points or less.
Before we crown the Cards, let's not forget that McNicholas eliminated last year's defending champion Thursday. This game will be a battle.
Still, Canfield can do it. Once again, the key will come on the defensive end of the court. Forwards Nicole Vlajkovich (junior), Julie Playforth (senior) and Jill Vertanen (sophomore) must pull down the rebounds.
Guards Martin (junior), Williams (sophomore) and Jenny Miller (senior) must continue to harrass the opponents on the perimeter, stealing balls and befuddling the Rockets the way they did to every other tournament opponent.
Crowd support: What has to help is seeing the sea of red-and-black-clad fans who will travel 170 miles to Columbus' Value City Arena to see them play the game of their young lives.
Because so much was expected from Pav's senior-laden squad last year, no one expected this group to excel, especially not after a 9-6 start.
But those six losses came against two regional finalists (Boardman and Ursuline), a regional semifinalist (Howland) and the defending district champion and 2000 state semifinalist (Poland).
The schedule the Cards played in their first 15 games helped prepare them for their ubeaten streak that covers February and March.
Pavlansky began his summer sessions with two returning two-year starters (Vlajkovich and Playforth) plus Martin, who saw a decent amount of playing time last year.
Super sophs: Canfield's bonus is the quality of players in the sophomore class, most of whom saw no varsity action last year because the Cards had so much depth.
This year, that depth disappeared and the sophomores (particularly Williams, Vertanen, Turocy and Boak) have had to grow up real fast.
Another thing fascinating about the Cards is how so many of them excel at more than one sport. Playforth qualified for state twice in doubles tennis and will be a starting outfielder for the Canfield softball team. Turocy also plays tennis and should be one of Canfield's ace pitchers this spring.
Boak runs cross country and track when she's not dribbling a basketball. Vertanen earned Metro Athletic Conference honors for volleyball.
And Williams is considered by Canfield coaches and administrators to be one of the finest all-around athletes the school has ever had. Despite a back injury that limited her playing time, Williams finished third in the voting for the district's top soccer player.
If her back allows her to play softball, Williams could become the anchor of the Cards' middle infield for the next three seasons.
Finally, there's Pavlansky, who didn't hestitate to switch from coaching boys to taking over a girls program that had flourished under Bill Wolf.
It's been a long road to Columbus for this year's Cards.
The ride home tonight might just be a breeze.
XTom Williams covers high school athletics for The Vindicator.