Cards of Canfield, Mooney bring pride home to Valley

The legions of fans in the Mahoning Valley who followed the Canfield High and Cardinal Mooney High football teams to state championship berths could not help but be disappointed by each squad's loss over the weekend.
That disappointment, however, should have been short-lived and tempered by the honor the two teams' tireless and tenacious play through the entire season brought to our little corner of the Buckeye State.
Close one for Canfield
In Division II action, Canfield coach Mike Pavlansky and his indomitable Cardinals have many reasons to look back at this memorable season with enthusiasm and pride. After a perfect regular season, Canfield bulldozed over regional contenders by a combined score of 42-3, the first year in history that the Cardinals advanced beyond regional play. Then Canfield made its date with state by defeating Tallmadge 17-14 in semi-final play.
Team members then set their sights on a first-ever state title by conquering Toledo Central Catholic Friday night at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium in Massillon. Sadly, that mission failed by a measly two points.
We'll now leave the what-ifs and what-could-have-beens regarding Canfield's loss of a star running back and other aspects of Friday night's game to the Monday morning quarterbacks.
Suffice it to say that Canfield outdistanced scores and scores of other schools in its division. Too, the Cardinals' superlative play has established a premium standard that Canfield teams will respect and strive to reach for decades to come.
A heartbreaker for Mooney
At Youngstown's Cardinal Mooney High School, state football championships have become a rich tradition. Mooney won state championships in 1973, 1980, 1982, 1987 and 2004. Members of the 2005 squad were looking to seal history's first back-to-back state title for a team in the Mahoning Valley.
Unfortunately, that dream was not to be. Playing without injured quarterback Derrell Johnson in Saturday's Division IV title game at Fawcett Stadium in Canton, Mooney fell 33-9 to Coldwater, Ohio's top-ranked team.
Mooney coach P.J. Fecko rightly refused to let dejection rule the day. He handed out particular praise for the team's seniors, who started at Mooney one year after an embarrassing 1-9 season and who rebuilt the team into a powerhouse feared statewide.
"What they've done over the past four years is something that will be remembered for a long time," Fecko said. Indeed he rightly considers all of his team members champions worthy of statewide acclaim.
His Cardinals and the Cardinals of Canfield's Pavlansky merit hearty congratulations and widespread respect for the honor they've brought home for their teams, their schools and their communities.
Hail to the Cardinals of Canfield and Mooney!