Late interception keeps

Cardinals unbeaten

By MIKE MClain

sports@vindy.com

CANFIELD

Mike Pavlansky, wearing a smile from ear to ear, was looking for anyone to slap on the back as he walked through the Canfield High School weight-training room.

“Let’s put some music on,” the Cardinals coach said to a few players who may have thought their coach had suddenly reverted back to his teenage days.

There was no need to crank up the tunes Friday night at Bob Dove Field. The party was supplied in the preceding hours as the Cardinals won their 17th straight regular-season game, 21-14, over the Boardman Spartans.

It was a tale of two halves (the Cardinals winning the first and the Spartans commanding most of the second) until Canfield defensive back Mehlyn Clinkscale intercepted a pass thrown by quarterback Mike O’Horo and returned it 15 yards for a game-clinching touchdown at the 5:18 mark of the fourth quarter.

“It was two good football teams,” Pavlanksy said. “No one is going to run away from anybody. Credit our kids for hanging in there. In the second half our defense made another play. We talked about if we won the turnover battle we would have a great chance to win the game, and that’s what happened.”

The Cardinals are 6-0 and will solidify their hold on the top spot in Region 9 of the Division III computer standings. The Spartans are 4-2.

Boardman was a completely different team in the second half after a sluggish first 24 minutes of play during which the Cardinals opened a 14-0 lead. Playing an up-tempo offensive style, the Spartans rallied behind O’Horo to tie the score on his 2-yard touchdown run and a beautiful throw and catch from O’Horo to Che Trevena.

Boardman then forced a Canfield punt and had possession at its 15. On second-down from the 15, O’Horo rolled to his right but was pressured from the back side by Colin Hritz. Clinkscale jumped in front of the intended receiver and made the interception, running untouched to the end zone.

“I think the tight end was going out on the flat route,” Clinkscale said. “They had been doing that the whole game. My boy Colin hit the quarterback. I knew it was my opportunity to come and get the ball and make a play for my team.”

It was a tough loss for the Spartans, who turned over possession on three O’Horo interceptions. The senior quarterback threw for 142 yards.

“It took us up until two minutes in the first half to wake up,” Spartans coach Joe Ignazio said. “Too many mistakes. Not executing, not getting calls. I thought we did better coming out in the second half when we put ourselves in the game and tied it up late. You can’t give up a pick-six there at the end.”

The Cardinals controlled play in the first half. Quarterback Max Dawson ran 16 yards for a touchdown on Canfield’s second possession to open a 7-0 lead. The Cardinals extended the lead to 14-0 midway through the second quarter on a 15-yard scoring pass from Dawson to Matt Zaremski, who also had two interceptions before suffering what appeared to be a lower leg injury.

Dawson, who rushed for 68 yards and was 9 of 11 for 162 passing yards, credited the blocking of the offensive line. He quickly reeled off their names — Richie Hofus, Tyler Stein, Gavin Tareshawty, Jarod Tincher and Michael Minenok. Dawson also singled out tight ends P.J. Hallof and Carter Myers.

“They’re amazing,” Dawson said. “They just dominated up front the whole game.”

Dawson often attends the weekly dinner meeting of the offensive linemen. After Friday night he might want to pick up the check.