Canton High football team clinches winning record

Using some dependable offensive and defensive weapons mixed with a few added wrinkles, the CHS football team played one of its most complete games of the season last week, dominating the Bishop Stang Spartans in all three phases en route to a 36-14 win.

Sterlin Garvin and Brian Hagan both had big games for the Bulldogs last week. (Mike Barucci photo)

Playing in their final home game in cold conditions Friday night, Canton improved to 6-4 overall and clinched their first winning record in several seasons. The Bulldogs will now look to put an exclamation point on their 2014 campaign when they travel to Stoughton on Thanksgiving Day to play the rival Black Knights (8-2), who were previously eliminated in the MIAA playoffs and lost to Milford Friday night.

The Bulldogs, meanwhile, continued to impress as they pulled ahead of Bishop Stang at the half 22-14 and went on to dominate the final two quarters with a bruising running attack and timely passing from quarterback Brian Hagan to receiver Derrick Harris.

Bulldog running back Sterlin Garvin, continuing to raise his game to higher levels, topped the 100-yard rushing mark for the second straight game. He had 122 yards in the first half alone and 157 for the game, including a 58-yard touchdown run. He also had a 52-yard touchdown that was called back on a penalty.

“Sterlin is an amazing runner,” said head coach Dave Bohane. “He is so quick; he hides behind the blocker, makes his moves and he is gone. Usually my runners are north and south, but Sterlin is unique and really adds something special to our offense.”

Harris, who has been a consistent weapon at receiver all season, caught a 35-yard touchdown on a perfectly thrown pass from Hagan and finished with 83 yards receiving while also snagging an interception on defense.

Jake Ragusa also had a big game for the Bulldogs in all three phases of the game. He was especially dominant on defense as he finished with a team-high eight tackles and a sack. He also rushed for 35 yards and had a two-yard touchdown run.

Also making an impact on defense and special teams was senior Robby DiCalogero, who was all over the field and equaled Ragusa with eight tackles and a sack. Other defensive standouts included senior lineman James Bourikas and junior linebacker Joe Bires, who tallied six tackles apiece.

After the game, Bohane said he was especially pleased with the defense, which rebounded well after giving up 40 points to Medway a week earlier. He praised the game planning by assistant coach Rich Eckler as well as the team’s execution and overall tackling. The Bulldogs did give up a 79-yard run by the Spartans’ Nick Landry early in the game but allowed only one other touchdown drive in the second quarter.

After the game, Spartan head coach Ryan Sylvia praised the Bulldogs as a “good football team that hit hard, ran hard, and gave the effort.”

“We didn’t give the effort we needed,” Sylvia said. “We had a couple of our key starters go down, which hurt us, but overall we had trouble with our blocks and we have to do a better job tackling.”

In the last two plays of the game, Bohane inserted senior runner Kevin Wing in a victory formation as Wing continues his recovery from a serious leg injury sustained early in the season.

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Posted by Mike Berger on Nov 20 2014. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.