Canton 16, Malone 0
After the Bears took down St. Lawrence Central 40-6 to move to 1-1 after a tough first game loss to Gouverneur 35-14, they looked ahead to an away game in Malone to advance to above .500. Coach Rico Dobbs, in his second year, is still trying to make the program at Canton a perennial powerhouse, and each game is an important step to him building the foundation to one.
The first drive was the Bears’, and they controlled the tempo and set the foundation for what ended up being a gritty game. Two big runs by Daniel Richardson and Jamison Zysik of 27 and 26 yards respectively put the Bears up 6 after a missed extra point, with Zysik scoring, and the Bears looked like they were going to run away with it after the first drive.
Two straight punts saw the Huskies with favorable field position at the 35, but a penalty left them at 3rd and long from the 45, when the Huskies delivered a 20 yard strike on a seam to the tight end that would’ve picked up a first down if not for a fumble forced by Senior Safety Ryan Faunce that was recovered by him to give the ball back to the Bears.
The second quarter was uneventful compared to the first. 5 total possessions saw the huskies holding field position near the red zone, but multiple failed 4th down conversions meant they went into halftime scoreless, and the Bears had very little going for them since the first drive. The Huskies gashed the Bears run defense multiple times, and it was clear that whoever would win on the frontlines would win the game. The Bears had more big play potential with the outside running of RB Hayden Towle and a strong end-around game, but the Huskies were better at running between the tackles and gaining consistent yardage.
Moving forward, the third and fourth quarter were more of the same. Field position battles, failed 4th downs, and punts characterized the second half in a great display of defense against an ugly display of offense. The Bears held on to that first drive lead through an interception on a deep ball and a lack of a strong passing attack. In the fourth quarter, the Huskies failed a fourth down conversion on a big loss to set the Bears up with immaculate field position on the 15. The offense stalled, but they ended up with a two possession lead, 9-0 after a Devin Robert 25 yard field goal. The Huskies needed to rely more on the passing attack, as not much time remained, and this is where the Bears sealed the game. A pass to the numbers from the opposite hash resulted in a Kolby Todd pick-6 that settled the game in a 16-0 win after the extra point.
The Bears look ahead win a 2-1 record to a strong Potsdam team that won in all three matchups they had last year on October 4th for the Bears’ homecoming game. Coach Dobbs mentioned in an interview that they’re a strong team, with an all-section athlete at QB, and a strong rushing attack, so it will take all of the Bears’ best efforts to pull it off.