By MIKE MCLAIN

sports@vindy.com

STRUTHERS

A common fear of football coaches a week before facing a rival is looking ahead to the confrontation.

One way to solve that problem is to schedule another rival the week prior, which is how Week 5 played out for the Canfield Cardinals.

Coach Mike Pavlansky wasn’t about to look ahead to next week’s game against Boardman with an away test Friday night against the talented Struthers Wildcats.

There was no room for letting down for the undefeated Cardinals, who improved to 5-0 with what can only be described a hard-fought 17-0 win at Laddie J. Fedor Stadium. Canfield opened a 7-0 lead on its first possession and kept Struthers out of the end zone on four trips inside the red zone. Two of the stops — both in the second half — ended at the Cardinals’ 1-yard line.

“Boy, our defense just plays,” Pavlansky said. “God bless them. The held up all four times. Just really proud of their effort.”

The Cardinals entered play ranked fifth in the Division III, Region 9 computer standings. The 3-2 Wildcats were ninth in Division IV, Region 13.

The elation felt by Pavlansky played out in frustration for the Wildcats, who moved the ball well at times in accumulating 297 yards. Struthers reached the Canfield 1 late in the second quarter but was stopped on consecutive runs by Joseph Macciomei and quarterback J.D. Hall. The Cardinals made another stop on the edge of its goal line in the final minutes of play.

“There are no words to describe that,” Wildcats coach Curt Kuntz said. “Just execution. I could have called a couple different plays to put us in better situations, but give them credit. They made plays down there.”

It appeared the expected shootout might play out when Nick Crawford ran 43 yards to the Wildcats’ 15 on Canfield’s first play from scrimmage. Quarterback Max Dawson ran 11 yards for a touchdown four plays later, and Ian Kristan added the point-after kick.

Although both teams compiled plenty of yards — Canfield finished with 391 — a combination of penalties and turnovers kept scoring to a minimum. The Cardinals lost two fumbles and were penalized eight times for 83 yards. The Wildcats had one pass intercepted and were penalized nine times for 73 yards.

“In a rivalry game like this and with two very good teams, things like that are going to happen,” Pavlansky said. “You don’t want [them]. We obviously have to keep our composure a little better.”

Struthers put together a 13-play drive that ended early in the second quarter at the Canfield 8 when Hall missed on a fourth-down pass intended for Keyshawn Chism.

The Wildcats threatened to score later in the period, advancing to the Cardinals’ 15 after Tyrese Hawkins recovered a fumble by Dawson at Canfield’s 39. The threat ended when a run by Hall on fourth-and-10 was stopped 3 yards short of a first down.

The Cardinals staged an 11-play, 85-yard drive late in the second quarter. Kristan ended the first half with a 29-yard field goal that gave Canfield a 10-0 lead.

The remaining score came when Crawford ran 11 yards at the 4:22 mark of the third quarter. The 68-yard drive was comprised primarily of runs by Mehlyn Clinkscale and Crawford.

“This is the best team we’ve played this year, and it’s probably our best effort,” Pavlansky said. “It had to be. Struthers can run it and throw. That’s a dangerous offense.”

Canfield hosts Boardman on Friday. Struthers is at Poland the same night.