Canfield defenders lead 10-7 win over Can. South

By Tom Williams

CANFIELD — An opening kickoff touchdown plus a field goal on the final play of the first half were all the points the Canfield High football team’s defense needed to post its second-straight three-point victory.

“Our defense is what is going to win games for us,” said senior Kyle Vaclav after Canfield’s 10-7 victory Friday over Canton South. ”Our offense is all right, but in the end it’s our defense that wins it.”

Vaclav’s 87-yard return gave the Cardinals (2-0) a 7-0 lead 13 seconds into the game.

“Anthony Ross, I knew to follow him,” said Vaclav of the key to his long return. “He hit one [defender] and got me a seam.”

A little more than three minutes later, the Wildcats (0-2) tied the game when quarterback Jared May hit James Lucas with a short pass and Lucas spurted past a fallen defender for a 58-yard touchdown.

Then the defenses took over.

“Our coaches on defense preach short memories, so we forget,” said Vaclav, a defensive back. “We overcame it in the end.”

Defensive lineman Anthony Gelonese was a thorn in May’s side, three times batting down passes.

“They pretty much tell him to keep outside contain and he’s just so athletic that when he sees the ball goes up, he goes up with it,” said Vaclav who rushed for 100 yards on 18 carries. “He’s just so long and lanky — I’d hate to play against [him].”

Gelonese said he never has had a game with that many blocked passes. He had no explanation why tonight was so special.

“I just jumped, I guess,” said Gelonese who called the win “important because it gives us a lot of confidence. It helps us believe that we can [succeed] as a young team.”

Late in the second quarter, the Wildcats sent Phil Strauss out for a 26-yard field goal try that was short.

With Vaclav and Brett Cooper alternating at quarterback, the Cardinals responded with their only scoring drive. Seven plays later (included a 15-yard gain by Cooper and a 22-yard run by Jon Rogers), the Cardinals had first-and-goal at the Canton South 4.

Three runs netted 1 yard, so Canfield coach Mike Pavlansky sent Billy Fisher in for a 20-yard field goal as the half expired.

“No matter where the ball is, we want him to kick it,” Gelonese said.

The Wildcats’ best chance to take the lead came early in the fourth quarter when May was tackled at the Canfield 2 to set up first-and-goal.

Two consecutive illegal procedure calls backed the Wildcats up to the 12. After three incomplete passes, Canton South coach Moe Daniska gave Strauss another shot, this time a 29-yard try. The kick was good but the Wildcats were flagged for illegal procedure.

May failed to connect with Lucas in the end zone and Canfield took over, running 15 plays to gobble almost eight minutes.

“We certainly capable of putting sustained drives together, but we are still a young football team,” Pavlansky said. “We only have one offensive [lineman] back [center] in Nick Reinthaler and we think he’s doing a yeoman’s job up front, getting everybody to the right blocking schemes.”

On their final possession, the Wildcats drove in to Canfield territory but were stopped at the 47.

“It was a tremendous effort by our kids, especially the defense,” said Pavlansky after the Cardinals gave up 133 yards on the ground and 153 in the air. “They are so explosive offensively — I never thought 10 would be enough.

“But credit our defense and how hard they played all night long.”

Reinthaler, who sacked May twice in the second half, called the win “huge. Going into the season and even tonight I’m sure, people didn’t believe in us. They didn’t think we’d be very good, but we didn’t listen. We believed in each other.”

williams@vindy.com