By Doug Chapin

sports@vindy.com

NILES

One might have expected the Canfield High football players to be hanging their heads these last two weeks of the football season. A program that has been to the playoffs six of the last eight seasons, the Cardinals saw their postseason hopes for 2010 disappear a week ago in a 38-21 loss to undefeated Maple Heights.

But that is not how things are done in Canfield. Coach Mike Pavlansky’s Cardinals came out Friday night at Bo Rein Memorial Stadium with intensity and focus in thumping Niles, 28-12.

“Certainly we’re disappointed that we’re out of the picture but we’re proud of our guys and they way they played,” Pavlansky said. “Anytime you step on the field you want to play the game of football in a first-class manner and we did that tonight.”

The Cards (5-4, 2-1 All-American Conference Red Division) rushed for 260 yards and held the Red Dragons to 24 net yards rushing and just six first downs.

“Defensively we’ve played well all year long. Tonight is no exception to that,” Pavlansky said. “Our guys come to play and they work hard in film study. Our defensive coaches put them in good position to make plays and, once again we’re proud of what they did tonight.”

The defense set up Canfield’s first two scores. A sack by Dante DeLorenzo on fourth down gave the Cardinals the ball on their own 49 early in the second quarter. Quarterback Jordan Italiano then raced 51 yards right up the middle of the field for the first touchdown of the night at the 10:54 mark.

A fumble recovery by Jimmy Rousher at the Niles 8 set up Italiano for another scoring run, this one coming with 5:56 left in the half. Italiano finished with 101 rushing yards on 12 carries.

Canfield scored two third-quarter touchdowns to all but put the game away. DeLorenzo scored from 2 yards out, one play after Italiano hooked up with Mike Ross for a 24-yard completion on fourth-and-9.

With 1:11 remaining in the third quarter, Blake Jackson scored on a 4-yard run, finishing off a 35-yard drive following a short Niles punt.

Niles (3-6, 1-3 AAAC Red) got two fourth-quarter touchdown passes from Zack Bailey, one to Dillon Palmer (54 yards) and the other to Mike Watson (29 yards), to make the score closer.

“We executed pretty well for the majority of the night, certainly well enough to win,” Pavlansky said. “But we’ve got a big one next week.”

He, of course, is referring to Canfield’s season finale against rival Poland.

The combined record of the teams which handed Canfield its four losses was 29-3 going into this week.

“We expect to play a challenging schedule every year, out of the conference to prepare us for conference play, and in the conference,” Pavlansky said. “This year, we’re good enough to be 5-4 right now.”