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Kenston shuts down Canfield
Beating Bombers not in Cards
By Dan Hiner
Warren
The Canfield football team is used to having its way with other teams.
Through discipline and fundamentals the Cardinals advanced to the Division III, Region 9 final. But they hadn’t seen a team with the talent and athleticism like Kenston this season.
The Bombers beat the Cardinals 33-7 at Mollenkopf Stadium on Friday night, bringing Canfield’s season to an end.
Kenston (12-1) relied heavily on running back Jack Porter, who finished with 151 yards and three touchdowns on 34 carries. When the Bombers needed a big play, they turned to wide receiver Bransen Stanley.
The 6-1, 170-pound receiver finished with nine catches for 139 yards and won several “jump ball” plays, including a 28-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
“They’re well versed in throwing the football, that’s our Achilles’ heel right now,” Canfield head coach Mike Pavlansky said. “We probably tried to beat our head against the wall a little too much in the first half.”
Kenston dominated time of possession, stringing together long drives and capitalizing on opportunities in the red zone.
“Last week when we played Akron East, they were very athletic,” Canfield linebacker Tyler Stein said. “Tonight, [Stanley] was very good. They were very good all around, and it was their night.
“It was their night and that’s how it works. Somebody’s going to play better and somebody’s going to play worse. And the person who plays better wins and tonight it was them.”
The Cardinals (11-2) did what they usually do: ran the ball.
But the runs weren’t successful in the first half. Canfield had just 37 yards on 12 carries by halftime. The Cardinals finished with 169 yards rushing on 31 carries.
Mehlyn Clinkscale scored on a 1-yard run for Canfield’s only score of the game to cut the deficit to 17-7 in the third quarter. His 40-yard run on the drive set up the score. He finished with 69 yards rushing on 10 carries.
“They always had an extra guy,” Pavlansky said. “We came in with a game plan we’ve had for 12 ball games, and it worked for us. Tonight they took everything away.”
The Cardinals were held to eight first downs and managed just 178 yard of offense.
Pavlansky said the Cardinals should have attempted more passes in the first half to try to generate offense. But he’s not going to make excuses.
“They beat us up,” Pavlansky said. “They were better.”
Kenston quarterback Jon Tomcufcik finished 15 of 22 for 208 yards and a touchdown. Canfield’s Max Dawson completed 3 of 7 passes for 29 yards and two interceptions.
The Bombers put the game out of reach with three straight scoring drives in the fourth quarter, when they outscored the Cardinals 16-0.
The loss at Mollenkopf Stadium was the second regional final loss for the Cardinals in as many years. After down years in 2013 and ’14, the Cardinals are 38-9 since 2015.
The Cardinals had been on a roll since losing to East in Week 8. Since then, they won four straight and clinched the top seed in the region.
“The team never gave up. We never gave up, but they just outworked us this game,” Clinkscale said. “It’s something to be excited about. We made it to Week 13.
“I love my teammates. I’m just happy to be in the playoffs at all, so can’t really complain.”
Despite the loss, Clinkscale has a positive approach to his high school career and his time as a Canfield Cardinal.
“You can’t win ‘em all,” Clinkscale said. “I had a good season with these guys.”