The Bulldog Football team went into Thanksgiving morning with hopes of knocking off favored Stoughton for the 2nd straight season. The team certainly gave Bulldog fans plenty to cheer about and provided quite a 4th quarter comeback for those fans who braved the cold temperatures until the end. But it was too little to late as the 'Dogs fought hard but had to settle for seconds, falling 28-20.
The game started out on a high note for the Bulldogs who seemed to catch the Knights sleeping. A nearly flawless first possession saw the home team score on a 4-play drive, ending with a Sterling Garvin rushing touchdown. The 'Dogs (3-8) kept the Knights (10-2) off the scoreboard for the rest of the half but were unable to capitalize on a couple of good scoring chances and had to settle for the 7-0 lead at the break.
The 3rd quarter was all Black Knights as the visitors seemed to come out of the locker room with more determination for the 2nd half. An early Stoughton touchdown tied it up and was quickly followed up by three more Black Knight visits to the end zone, resulting in a 28-7 Stoughton lead midway through the final quarter.
With many frigid fans heading to the exits and turkey dinner, it appeared that the game was out of reach, but the Bulldogs had other plans. A Garvin 4 yard run and a perfect 32 yard strike of a pass from Brian Hagan to Derrick Harris narrowed the lead to just 8 points with about 2 minutes left. The Harris touchdown opportunity came as a result of a Bulldog onside kick recovery- something the 'dogs have been quite successful with this season. After an apparent 2nd onside kick recovery was called back due to illegal touching, the 'dogs could have quit, but instead, they caused a Stoughton fumble and got the ball back in Black Knight territory and marched down to the 15 yard line. With plenty of momentum, thoughts turned to yet another Turkey Day OT finish, but it was not meant to be as a Stoughton interception in the corner of the end zone iced the victory for the Black Knights.
It was a great high school football game, complete with great play, comebacks and great sportsmanship by both teams on the gridiron. The stands featured a packed WWII Veteran's Memorial Field with students, relatives, and community members rallying behind both teams. The CHS Band did a tremendous job rallying the crowd and the boys on the field while the Regional Champion Cheerleaders performed exceptionally well on the sidelines.
The Bulldogs honored two greats from the class of 1976. Billy Cravens- who is currently battling ALS- served as Honorary Captain for the Bulldogs, while Jimmy Duggan- who passed away last week was honored during the pre-game ceremony for his fine Bulldog career and all of his commitment to Canton Athletics ever since. Canton High School Athletics is Thankful to have so many great alums who continue to give back years after walking our halls. Happy Thanksgiving to all.
