METRO ATHLETIC CONFERENCE The defense doesn't rest: Canfield stuns Alliance

The Aviators' only score came on a safety in the 14-2 loss.
By ERIC HAMILTON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
ALLIANCE -- After his team held a strong Canton South offense to just 14 points last week on the road, Canfield High football coach Mike Pavlansky might have wondered if his defense could play any better.
The answer is a resounding yes.
The Cardinals stuffed Alliance's big-play offense, holding All-Ohio running back Kendell Davis to just 65 yards and standout receiver Chris Banks to one reception, as Canfield notched an impressive 14-2 victory Friday night at Mount Union Stadium.
"I can't say enough about our defensive coaches' game plan tonight," said Pavlansky. "They had a great strategy on how to slow Alliance down and the kids carried it out to perfection. We knew we had limit their big plays and I don't remember them having any tonight, which was the key for us."
Canfield linebacker Zach Guerreri played a big part in shutting down Davis and sophomore quarterback Charles Baab. Guerreri led the Cardinals in tackles with nine, including three sacks.
Solid defense
"I have to give all the credit to the defensive line, because they got big penetration and forced everything up the middle to the linebackers," said Guerreri. "We shut down the run and our secondary shut down their receivers.
"We knew the only way they could beat us was if they got outside and we didn't let that happen."
When the Alliance offense did threaten to score, Canfield came up with a big play.
In the first half junior linebacker Kyle Banna pounced on an Alliance fumble to give the Canfield offense prime field position at the Cardinals' 46.
Canfield quarterback Jamie McNally and company took advantage of the break. The Cardinals drove 54 yards in seven plays to score the game's first touchdown. The score came on a 2-yard plunge from Joe Rosko.
The point-after kick was blocked, giving Canfield a 6-0 lead at halftime.
The turning point for the Cardinals (3-0, 1-0) came early in the third quarter. Canfield had the first possession of the second half and really put the pressure on the Aviators.
The Cards methodically marched 60 yards in less than three minutes for another score. The drive's big play was a 33-yard bomb from McNally to Chuck DeCola, setting the Cardinals up at the Alliance 1 yard line.
Taking control
On the next play, Rosko barreled in for the touchdown. McNally hit Angelo Babbaro with the two-point conversion pass to give Canfield 14-0 lead with 9:19 left in the third quarter.
Alliance showed signs of life on its next drive, but the Canfield defense again rose to the occasion. The Aviators drove to the Cardinals' 13 and had second-and-three. Guerreri broke loose on the blitz to sack Baab on the next play.
An Aviator holding penalty two plays later backed Alliance up to the Canfield 29. On fourth down, the Canfield defense held and the Aviators (1-2, 1-1) never threatened again.
"We had tremendous pursuit tonight," said Pavlansky. "That first series of the second half for both teams really set the tone for the rest of the game. We forced Baab out of the pocket and never let Davis bust outside for a big play."
With less than 30 seconds left, Canfield was forced to punt out of its own end zone. Rather than face the possibility of a blocked punt, Pavlansky instructed his punter to run through the back of the end zone, giving Alliance a safety.