Canton South Marches to Regional Final over West Branch
As the regional brackets shrunk down to 4, two teams were planning to punch their ticket to the regional title game. In Division IV, Region 13 semifinals was one to look out for, with a matchup between the West Branch Warriors and the Canton South Wildcats. West Branch is coming off a close 31-28 victory over Streetsboro, while Canton South is coming off a 27-26 victory over Buchtel. With both teams going into the matchup as offensive powerhouses in Region 13 (West Branch: 544-266, Canton South: 557-314), a shootout was expected at Louisville Stadium.
Wildcats’ First Half Offensive Dominance
The first quarter started off slow, with both defenses being sharp as ever. The Wildcats were the first to score as time expired, with a 1 yard run by senior QB Poochie Snyder to end the first up 7-0. In the second quarter of play, the Wildcats managed to stop the dominating Warriors offense before finding the end zone themselves with a 31 yard strike from Snyder to senior WR Ma’Taeuan Frazier to go up 13-0 after a blocked extra point attempt. Later in the quarter, the Wildcats found the end zone once again with a 9 yard pass from Snyder to senior WR Tre Wilson to further the score to 20-0. Down by 3 scores, the Warriors needed to cut the lead before halftime. The Warriors finally connected for 6 with a 62 yard pass from senior QB Beau Alazaus to sophomore WR Jeremiah Thomas to cut the lead to 20-7. The Wildcats however, kept the deficit at 3 possessions with a 35 yard field goal by sophomore Kicker Landon White to go in the half up 23-7.
Second Half Adjustments and Late Dagger
The second half opened up with Poochie Snyder finding the end zone for the third time from 9 yards out to boost the Wildcat lead 30-7. The Warriors managed to counter the score with a 38 yard strike from Alazus to junior WR Joey Jackson to bring it to a 30-14 game with 6 minutes left in the third. South opened up the 4th quarter with a 16 yard field goal by White before the Warriors cut the score to 12 with a 21 yard pass from Alazaus to junior RB Boston Mulinix, tip-toeing his way into the end zone. The Wildcats however, put the game away with a 29 yard dagger run by junior RB Jerome Cox with 3:04 remaining. Down 19 with their season on the line, the Warriors needed a quick score to stay alive. The Wildcat defense slammed the door on the Warriors with an interception by Joseph Meyer to seal the win for Canton South and their ticket to the regional title game.
Game Notes:
The Wildcats doubled the Warriors in First Downs 28-12
The Wildcats went 58% in 3rd Down Conversions and 50% in 4th Down Conversions to the Warriors 40% and 50%
The Wildcats held a 525-253 advantage in total yards
Wildcat QB Poochie Snyder’s 22/30, 255 Passing Yards, 2 Pass TDs, 147 Rushing Yards and 2 Rush TDs officially made him the Stark County All-Time Passing Yards Leader and Touchdown King
Warrior Kicker Eliza Hurst went 3-3 for PATs, finishing her junior season 59-66 PATs and 2-3 FGs totaling 65 points. Hurst previously set a Warriors record of 10 PATs in their 70-0 win over Minerva in September
What’s Next?
With the win over West Branch, the Wildcats will advance to the regional final on November 12 against Poland Struthers for a chance to punch their ticket to the Division IV Final Four.