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Canton ran their shutout streak to four games, and their record to 5-0, as they pulled away from South Williamsport 50-0 during non-league football action Saturday afternoon.
It was Hall of Fame day for the Warriors, and Canton played like they had a few future hall of famers on the field, keeping South from getting a first down until 7:32 left in the third quarter, while, offensively, several players showed off their big play capabilities.

“Our defensive playing really well right now,” said Canton coach Tyler Sechrist. “Coach Bellows does a good job with schemes, and it helps that we have a lot of athletes, that we can do a lot of different things. They’re just firing on all cylinders, and that really helps our offense to feel comfortable, and there’s not much pressure on, so we can kind of cut it loose on offense.”

Early on it looked like South might give Canton a game, as the Warriors led just 7-0 after the first quarter, but once they got rolling in the second there was little South could do. The Warriors led 23-0 at the half, then poured in four touchdowns in the third quarter to put it out of reach.

Five different players lined up under center for Canton – four of them in the first half – as they tested out new things on the offense. That may have led to the slow start, but eventually they found their groove to the tune of 346 total yards.

“With the athletes we have, the more we can make it complicated for other teams – I don’t know how they can try to game plan for all kinds of different things,” remarked Sechrist. “We’re going to try and do that. I thought all quarterbacks did well.”

After relying on the run all season the Warrior passing game has come alive the last two weeks. Against Towanda they went 7-for-7 as a team, and here they finished 8-for-12 for 166 yards with a touchdown.

There were also several timely pass plays that kept drives alive in the first half on second and third and long.

“It helps out a lot, converting the downs, and moving the sticks,” said Austin Allen, who was 4-for-7 for 91 yards on the day. “It helps put the defenses on their toes, and not just know that it’s a run play coming.”

Holden Ward went 2-for-3 for 39 yards with a touchdown, while Weston Bellows was 1-for-1 for 17 yards and Bailey Ferguson also went 1-for-1 for 19 yards.

“We had some nice catches,” Sechrist remarked. “They weren’t easy catches, so, we’re fortunate and blessed to have the athletes we do to make plays.”

Bellows led the Warriors squad with three catches for 91 yards, while Ferguson had two catches for 38 yards. Riley Parker had two catches for 18 yards with a touchdown, while Hudson Ward added a 19 yard catch.

On the ground Parker ran the ball eight times for 79 yards and a score, while Holden Ward had eight carries for 43 yards and a touchdown. Bellows, Hudson Ward, and Bailey Ferguson also had touchdown runs.

And it wouldn’t be a canton football game without a defensive touchdown, as Michael Davis ran back a fumble for a score in the third quarter.

Radley Knapp was 9-for-19 for 100 yards under center for South, while Ryan Casella had eight carries for 38 yards. Landyn Gephart led the team in catches with five for 80 yards, while Dylan Scheller had three for 20.

Neither team did much on their first drives of the game, as they both ended with punts.

On Canton second drive, though, on third-and-7 Parker took the counter hand-off, found the seam, and ran it 47-yards to pay dirt for the first score of the game. Ferguson added the point after, and it was 7-0 Warriors with 6:59 on the clock.

The defensive battle continued, as South went 3-and-out, then made a goal-line stop against the Warriors, turning a 12-play, 72-yard drive into nothing.

But the Mounties couldn’t get out of the shadow of their own goal-line, and were forced to punt. The boot was a shank, giving Canton prime field position on the South 19-yard line.

It only took them four plays to get to the end zone, as Bellows ran it in from 3-yards out. The key play was Allen scrambling to his left to find Ferguson, who made a diving 21-yard catch on third-and-15 to keep the drive alive.

Ferguson’s point after was good, and it was 14-0 Canton with 8:12 on the clock.

After South went 3-and-out, Canton started at their 45-yard line, and would go 55-yards on six plays to get into the end zone. Again, a big play was a 30-yard completion of Allen to Bellows on 2nd-and-10 to get down inside the South 25-yard line.

Four plays later Hudson Ward did his best Kyler Murray impression, fumbling the snap, running right, then spinning away from the defense left to get into the end zone – about 20-yards of run for 1-yard of gain. Ferguson’s kick was no good, but Canton led 20-0 with 4:06 on the clock.

The next three possessions came up empty, but Canton’s final possession they were able to make some hay.

Starting at the Mountie 33-yard line off another short punt, Allen found Bellows for a 26-yard gain on the second play from scrimmage to get down to the 10-yard line. Four plays later Ferguson would boot a 33-yard field goal for the 23-0 halftime lead.

Canton got the ball to start the third quarter, and only needed one play to score. Holden Ward found an inside seam on an option, and scampered 32-yards to pay dirt. Ferguson’s kick was good and it was 30-0 with 11:47 on the clock.

South went 3-and-out, giving Canton the ball back at their 38-yard line. Once again, the pass came up big for the Warriors, as on second-and-13 Holden Ward hit Bellows for a 35-yard gainer.

On the ensuing play Holden Ward ran 25-yards down to the 4-yard line, where, on the next play, he hit Parker for a scoring strike. Ferguson’s kick was good, and, at 37-0, Canton had put a team into the mercy rule for the fourth straight game.

Finally, on South’s ninth drive of the game, they got a first down on an 18-yard Casella run.

However, just as they got into Warrior territory, Davis stripped the ball from running back Amir Kemrer, and ran it back 59-yards to the end zone. Ferguson’s kick was good, and the Warriors led 44-0 with 5:55 left in the third.

Another lost fumble by South – this one picked up by Canton’s Mason Harold – set the Warriors up at the Mountie 10-yard line. Two plays into the drive Ferguson ran it in from 10-yards out for the final score of the game, making it 50-0 with 3:13 left in the third.

In the fourth Canton’s JV defense held South out of the end zone, turning them over on downs on the final Mountie drive, to preserve their four game shutout streak.

“Our team’s starting to put together some good games, and we’re scoring at a good pace,” said Allen. “It feels good.”

The Warriors will now travel to Wyalusing next Friday for the Ram’s homecoming. Wyalusing is coming off a 26-0 win over Montgomery, and they’ll be looking to get back to .500 on the season.