Good start to Canfield's year

By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
CANFIELD -- After two so-so scrimmages, Canfield High football coach Mike Pavlansky entered Thursday's opener against The Rayen School with a lot of questions.
And a lot of nerves.
"Oh, shoot yeah," he said. "We have a lot of young guys, especially up front, and we didn't know exactly what to expect."
But he did know what to hope for.
"Going in, we felt like we had to control their speed on defense and make some plays on special teams," Pavlansky said. "I felt like we accomplished that."
Canfield blocked three punts, forced a fumble and held the Tigers to just 34 net yards in a 23-8 victory.
Not a bad start.
"We're an inexperienced team," said Canfield senior quarterback Jamie McNally. "But tonight we played like a team with a lot of experience."
Breakout scamper
McNally, one of Canfield's few returning starters, completed 5-of-8 passes for 52 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. But he made the game's biggest play with his legs, not his arm.
Early in the second quarter, Rayen junior Tyrell Davis hit a 43-yard punt to bury the Cardinals at their own 4. Two plays later, with 10 Rayen defenders in the box, McNally dropped back to pass and saw two Cardinals slanting over the middle. But he was flushed out of the pocket, found an opening on the left side and, after breaking one tackle, ran 91 yards for the touchdown.
"Big plays really help in a game like this," McNally said. "But we blew a couple drives. We have to move the ball better. We can't rely on [big plays] next week."
Despite the big run, McNally finished with just 45 net rushing yards as the Cardinals had 13 plays that resulted in negative yardage. Together, the teams combined for 27 negative yardage plays.
"We've got a ways to go on offense," said Pavlansky. "We kind of helped our own cause on defense and special teams, but we definitely need to get better on offense."
Canfield sophomore Sean Baker blocked two punts and senior Chuck DeCola had the other, while senior tackle Gary Brode had the fumble recovery for Canfield. Fullback Joe Rosko caught a 2-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-0 late in the first half. The score was set up by a 33-yard pass from McNally to Jordan Ferns, who also caught a 25-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.
"I thought it was a very good start for us," McNally said. "Not great. We still need to get better."
Rayen's touchdown
Tigers junior quarterback Ryan Wallace had 33 yards rushing and scored on an 11-yard touchdown with 1:49 remaining in the game to avoid the shutout.
It was little consolation for Rayen's second-year coach Brian Shaner, who entered the opener expecting the Tigers to contend.
"Honestly, it was embarrassing," he said. "We got beat in every aspect of the game, especially on special teams."
In addition to the three blocked punts, Rayen also had a 4-yard punt and one punt resulted in a 13-yard loss when Davis had to drop to one knee to catch a bad snap.
The Tigers played well on defense, but Canfield benefited from outstanding field position all night.
In the end, it was too much.
"It's back to the drawing board," Shaner said. "We've got a good group of guys and they'll come back ready to be coached and to get better."
scalzo@vindy.com