First half ‘Rock’-y for Canton before pulling away against P-CEP rival
Salem senior running back Robert Jones is swallowed up by a swarm of Canton defenders including Antonio Correa (10).
Big game by Pettus, Chiefs’ offensive line leads to 52-17 blowout
For most of the first half of Friday night’s Salem-Canton football game, it felt like 1999 again for Rock fans.
That was the last year Salem upended the Chiefs, who had outscored their cross-campus rival 212-48 in the five meetings preceding Friday night.
Robert Jones’ 74-yard sprint to the end zone (and Alex Wiewiora’s extra point) 90 seconds before halftime deadlocked the showdown at 17-17.
But before Canton fans even had a chance to start feeling the blues, Canton’s Joseph Najduk scored on a 12-yard run and Masis Caliskan booted the point after to give the Chiefs a 24-17 lead.
Canton pulled away in the second half to win 52-17 in a contest played with a running clock over the final 4 minutes and change.
The Chiefs improved to 2-5 overall and 2-4 in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association’s West Division while the Rocks tumbled to 0-7 and 0-6, respectively.
Jones was a nightmare for the Chiefs’ defense for most of the night, rumbling for 168 yards and both Salem touchdowns on 26 carries. But with his team trailing 31-17 with 4:51 left in the third quarter, he fumbled the ball out of the end zone after breaking through the first wave of defenders inside the Canton 10-yard line.
Najduk scored on an 85-yard run on the next play to widen the hosts’ advantage to 37-17 and Canton never looked back.
Pettus was in beast-mode for the Chiefs, running for 175 yards and two scores on 15 carries. The junior’s longest run was a non-scoring 63-yarder.
Canton junior Caleb Williams picked up 146 yards on just six hauls while Najduk added 129 yards on four attempts.
Canton quarterback Aiden Carr completed 2 of 6 passes (both to Antonio Correa) for 65 yards.
The Chiefs’ defense picked off two Robert Ahlgren passes. Devvin Calhoun took his first-half pick to the Rock 5-yard line while Andon Locke secured a deflected aerial to snuff out a deep Salem scoring threat in the third quarter.
Ahlgren, who faced consistent pressure from Canton’s defensive line throughout the evening, turned in a solid effort, completing 13 of 19 passes for 115 yards. Ahlgren’s favorite target was senior Nick Mullin, who caught seven passes for 83 yards.
Salem’s defense was led by senior Evan Proske.
Canton junior Charles Salowich recovered a second-half onside kick to ice the victory for the Chiefs.
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