Canfield rallies for 31-14 victory

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Canfield rallies for 31-14 victory

By TOM WILLIAMS

Vindicator Sports staff

CANFIELD — Trailing 14-0 late in the second quarter against the defending Division III state champions, the Canfield High football team needed a spark.

Igniting the Cardinals to 31 unanswered points and a playoff victory was the quarterback tandem of Brett Cooper and Kyle Vaclav.

With 11 seconds remaining before halftime, Cooper hit the all-purpose Vaclav on a crossing route at the Aurora 2. Vaclav dragged defender Mike Ganoe into the end zone for six points.

The Cards dominated the second half, limiting the Greenmen to 55 yards in Friday’s 31-14 victory in a Div. II Region 5 playoff opener at Cardinals Stadium.

Vaclav, who rushed 16 times for 114 yards and scored three touchdowns, downplayed the momentum provided by the touchdown.

“We really didn’t have [much], but we just knew that we couldn’t give up,” Vaclav said. “I told my line to give me a little seam and I’ll run hard.”

Canfield coach Mike Pavlansky and Aurora counterpart Bob Mihalik felt otherwise about Vaclav’s first score.

“The key was getting a touchdown before the half,” said Pavlansky whose Cardinals are making their sixth playoff appearance since 2002.

Mihalik agreed.

“We had momentum early and they woke up,” Mihalik said. “The key momentum-wise was right at the end of the half. They were the better team tonight. They took us out to the woodshed in the second half.”

After each team punted once to open the third quarter, the Cardinals (10-1), took advantage of a shanked punt. Billy Fisher’s 37-yard field goal reduced the Greenmen’s (8-3) lead to 14-10.

Led by Cooper’s 11-yard pass to Will Kelly and Vaclav’s 19 yard run to the 3, Canfield took the lead on Vaclav’s 1-yard run with 11 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Desperate to regain the Greenmen’s early success, Aurora quarterback Ty Watson was sacked on two of their next three plays.

“It was awesome,” said Cardinals defensive Blake Jackson of the win. “We were down by seven points, but that meant nothing to us. Our defense has kept us in the game all year. Our whole game is coming back and playing to the end.”

On first down, Jackson sacked Watson for a 4-yard loss.

“The opportunity came [because I] was wide open,” Jackson said. “Nobody came for me. I just wanted to get to him and ... knock him out.”

Linebackers Jon Rogers and John Liszka were credited with the second sack. Another bad punt gave Canfield possession at the Aurora 28.

Cooper’s second touchdown pass, a 16-yarder to Ben Angelo, gave the Cardinals some breathing room with a 24-14 lead.

Vaclav sealed the win with a 31-yard score with 2:13 to go.

“We just couldn’t wrap him up,” said Mihalik whose team had six starters back. “Our kids knew if we could stop Kyle, we were going to win. The kid never gives up. How many yards he had after first contact, I’d like to see that stat.”

The second half was a reverse of most of the first when the Greenmen were in control.

“Our defense played lights out after the first quarter,” Pavlansky said. “Maybe it was just playoff nerves or jitters. And that’s a good football team.”

Aurora scored on its second possession, marching 56 yards on seven plays. Watson found Nick Sivillo in the end zone for a 32-yard touchdown for a 7-0 edge.

“We weren’t getting properly to the gaps and we talked to the kids about that,” Pavlansky said. “It made all the difference in the second half.”

The Greenmen doubled the lead not long after Ganoe recovered Donnie Allison’s fumble at the Canfield 34. Eric Schultz broke through the middle of the Canfield defense for an 11-yard touchdown.

“I think at first we were a little shellshocked at the way they came out, but we got back up and played the defense we’ve been playing all year,” Vaclav said.

williams@vindy.com