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| Massillon Perry's first-year head coach walks off the field as they prepare to take on Canton Central Catholic. (Photo: Chuck Cordes/Ohsfbmedia.com) |
PERRY TWP, Ohio - Achieving significant victories is challenging for first-year head coaches; however, Spencer Leno and the Panthers secured a 41-14 win against Canton Central Catholic in their opening week game.
Perry managed to prevail over Canton Central Catholic following a sluggish beginning for both teams, which is common in week one games as both offenses and defenses seek to establish their rhythm in real-time play.
Upon discovering early on that Perry's running back would be unavailable for several weeks due to a collarbone injury, senior Connor Shephard was chosen to take on the role of starting running back.
However, Perry's running game did not start off as anticipated, as they failed to score during the first quarter. Central executed several defensive strategies to thwart the rushing attack, managing to score the only points of the quarter with a 19-yard run by quarterback Brock Bourquin, which occurred with 1:24 remaining.
"We want to establish the run, I think any high school football team wants to establish the run," said Leno.
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| Central Catholic sophomore quarterback Brock Bourquin would leave the game in the third quarter due to a head collision and would not return. (Photo: Chuck Cordes/Ohsfbmedia.com) |
The second quarter presented a different game for Perry, as they managed to score 27 of their 41 points during the period. Connor Shephard would quickly find his rhythm, frequently scoring on runs of 37 yards and six yards, which allowed them to take the lead 13-7 following a missed kick.
"Pretty much just give me the ball, I'll run it hard, score touchdowns," Shephard said.
Senior Nasir Foster scored on a 56-yard catch and run with 4:11 left, increasing the lead as the Panthers continued to dominate.
Central would answer as they would score on a pass from the quarterback, Brock Bourquin, who tossed a 25-yard pass to Patrick Sciarretti to close the gap 14-20.
The brief surge would soon end for Central as Perry would score on a 70-yard reception made by Jayden Wilson with 0:18 remaining in the quarter, which caught the Crusaders off guard, allowing them to have a 27-14 halftime lead.
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| Perry's Cameron Treharn calls out cadence during the first quarter of play. (Photo: Chuck Cordes/Ohsfbmedia.com) |
Jonathan Lemon played a pivotal role in the latter part of the game, as he initiated a drive following an interception by Ryan Happoldt, culminating in a 12-yard touchdown run with 4:19 remaining in the third quarter.
"We ran the ball in the beginning of the quarters and we know that it's not opening up, so we know we had to do something, umm, opening the passing game," said Lemon. The younger brother of alumnus Josh Lemon.
He also scored on a 42-yard run during the 4th quarter, securing the victory for the Panthers after Central's starting quarterback was injured in a collision that forced him to exit the game. The situation appeared serious, as the team doctor indicated that he had experienced a head-on collision and that all necessary precautions were being taken.
That would secure the win for first-year head coach Spencer Leno as they go (1-0) and will host St. Vincent-St. Mary in week two.
The Crusaders fall to (0-1) and will face Matt Adorni's Mogodore Wildcats on the road.
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