Jay Berkman Photos
In a game that featured five lead changes and four touchdowns apiece, the Canton varsity football team fell just short of a fourth-quarter comeback, failing on a 2-point conversion attempt with 2:14 remaining to fall to host Saranac Central 28-27 in a non-league game at Saranac on Saturday afternoon.
Canton quarterback Charlie Todd scored on a 9-yard run on 1st-and-goal, changing directions several times and leaping over a defender to cut the Spartans’ lead to one point. The Golden Bears called a running play to try to take the lead on a 2-point conversion attempt, but the play was stopped short of the goal line. Saranac was able to run out the clock after recovering Canton’s onside kick and getting a first down.
The Spartans got out of the gate quickly, blocking a Canton punt at the end of the Bears’ first drive to get great field position at the Canton 31 yard line. River Poulin scored on a six-yard rush on the third play of the drive to give Saranac a 6-0 lead.
Canton responded with an eight-play, 58-yard drive, capped by a six-yard rushing touchdown by Todd. Aiden Richardson was successful on the first of his three PATs to give Canton a 7-6 lead.
The Spartans scored on the next drive to take a 12-7 lead late in the first quarter, with Poulin once again scoring from six yards out.
The Bears dominated the second quarter; the defense allowed just 21 yards on three drives, and Todd and Josh Ayrassian scored on seven- and two-yard touchdown runs to give Canton a 21-12 halftime lead.
Saranac cut the lead to one point with another Poulin touchdown on the first drive of the second half, with quarterback Zachary Lucia hitting Xavier Dubay with a pass for a successful 2-point conversion.
Halfway through the fourth quarter, after the Bears turned the ball over on downs at the Saranac 41 yard line, Poulin broke off a 59-yard touchdown run on the first play of the ensuing drive to give the Spartans a 26-21 lead. Saranac pulled out a little trickery on the 2-point conversion attempt, with wide receiver Branigan Boulds finding Corbin Duffield with a pass into the end zone.
Todd finished the day with 57 rushing yards on 14 carries with three touchdowns. He was also 12-for-22 passing for a season-high 211 yards. Mathew Bradish-Hayes added 41 rushing yards on 11 attempts, filling in for Saints’ leading rusher John Wilcox, who missed the game to attend a college visit.
Ayrassian caught four passes for 116 yards, including a 63-yard reception on a second-and-20 play late in the first quarter. Ryan Faunce added five catches for 55 yards.
Poulin finished with 171 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 25 carries for the Spartans.
John Gidney led the Golden Bears’ defense with six tackles, including one sack for a 5-yard loss. Owen Kenna, Todd and Faunce added five tackles for Canton.
Canton, now 3-5 on the year, earned the No. 4 seed in the Section X Class B playoffs and will play top-seeded Potsdam in the semifinal round on Friday at 7 p.m.
