Chiefs roll to 36-0 homecoming night victory over Wildcats

  The cloud of thick, white smoke that floated over the P-CEP varsity football field during the second quarter of Friday night's showdown between Canton and Plymouth was probably the result of a nearby pile of burning leaves.

  Or it may have been a by-product of the blazing-fast wheels of Chief speedsters Davion Stackhouse, Zac Merillat and Kevin Buford.

  Led by Merillat's career-night total of 141 yards, the trio of Canton speed-burners combined for 377 yards rushing, fueling their team's 36-0 homecoming triumph over the Wildcats.

  Canton, which has outscored its first seven opponents, 315-55, improved to 7-0 overall and 5-0 in the KLAA South Division.

  (To check out UPDATED video highlights of Friday night's game, CLICK HERE. Several action-packed photos can be found at the end of the article.)

  The Wildcats, who entered the night with an impressive four-game winning streak, slipped to 5-2 and 4-1, respectively.

  "Some of the speed we have is unbelievable," said Canton head coach Tim Baechler, when asked what impressed him the most about Friday night's performance. "Some of the runs they make kind of make you go, 'Wow!'

  "We finally got our fullback game going tonight with Zac. That was a big step for us. It's a good thing we play a team-oriented offense. We don't care who scores the touchdowns or who gets the yards -- as long as somebody does."

  Canton senior quarterback Ben Merbler said the offense benefits from the Chiefs' red-wave defense.

  "When they play like they did tonight, it gives us a lot less to worry about," said Merbler. "Obviously we try to score as many points as we can for them and they try to hold the other team's offense as low as they can for us. We both have each other's back."

  The Chiefs had a number of concerns regarding Plymouth's swarming defense heading into Friday's contest.

  "No. 1 was probably Brennen (Beyer) coming off the edge," said Merbler. "He's a great player and we were concerned about keeping him taken care of. Plymouth has some great linebackers and and some good DB's, too. They're a great team, but we took care of them tonight."

  It was clear to Plymouth head coach Mike Sawchuk why his team suffered its most-lopsided loss since last year's Sept. 11 49-7 setback to the Chiefs.

  "They have more athletes than we do," Sawchuk said. "We couldn't match up. We started out good, but we couldn't match their intensity.

  "We three-and-outed them the first series, but we couldn't keep it up. To beat a team like Canton, you have to keep their offense off the field. We didn't do it, plus, our defense couldn't get off the field. They're a very good football team."

  Plymouth appeared well on its way to seizing an early lead. The Wildcats picked up two of its six first down on the night during its first drive, which advanced the ball to the Canton 29 before stalling.

  However, Plymouth's Notre Dame-bound kicker, Kyle Brindza, was wide left on a 46-yard field goal attempt, leaving the game scoreless with 7:06 remaining in the first quarter.

  The Chiefs countered with one of their patented clock-devouring possessions, capping a deliberate 12-play, 80-yard monster drive with a 1-yard Stackhouse TD plunge with 29 ticks left in the first quarter.

  A dazzling Stackhouse cut-back-against-the-grain 33-yard TD scamper four plays earlier was brought back by a holding penalty.

  For the second week in a row, the Chiefs turned a botched snap into gold when holder Ryan Powell scooped up the little-too-low hike and sprinted around the left end to make it 8-0.

  Following a Plymouth three-and-out, the Chiefs took over at their 32 and marched 78 yards five plays, scoring on Merillat's bust-it-up-the-gut run from 11 yards out to make it 15-0.

  Plymouth's Donte Fox took the ensuing kick-off deep into Canton territory, however, the run was wiped out by a holding penalty.

  The Wildcats' next drive was wiped out by Canton defensive linemen Jeff Straub, who recorded back-to-back sacks on Plymouth quarterback Shaun Austin, forcing a punt.

  "Jeff Straub had a couple of huge sacks," said Baechler. "He's very, very quick. And (Jack) Slater is an animal out there. That kid can play."

  Canton extended its lead to 22-0 nine seconds before halftime when Merbler hit Powell with an 8-yard fade pattern in the right corner of the end zone.

  Two long TD runs by Buford (60 yards) and Stackhouse (35) sealed the deal.

  The Chiefs' defense is night-and-day better than it was in week one, according to senior cornerback Josh Nolen, a two-year starter who can hit as well as cover.

  "I have to give big props to our defensive linemen," said Nolen. "The first game, they didn't really know what they were doing because they were so young. But right now they've got it together.

  "Our defensive backs have improved and our linebackers are better. We're trying to prep ourselves for the CC's and Rockfords we may meet down the road."

  Canton outrushed the Wildcats, 410-19, while picking up 23 first downs to Plymouth's six.

  The Chiefs ran 56 offensive plays to Plymouth's 35.

  Buford picked up 145 yards on 15 carries while Stackhouse dashed for 91 on 12 hauls.

  Merbler was efficient, completing 3 of 5 passes for 23 yards.

  Braden Price was Brian Urlacher-esque, registering 14 tackles -- 10 solo -- while getting two sacks and a fumble recovery. Matt Gunnis (seven tackles) and Garrett Bryden (six stops) also played well.

  Fox led Plymouth's ground game with 14 yards on four carries.

  Wildcat quarterback Shaun Austin, who fired five TD passes last week, completed 6 of 18 passes for 68 yards. Vic Hicks caught three Austin aerials for 34 yards.

  The Chiefs will travel to Northville next Friday night to take on the Mustangs in the KLAA Kensington Conference championship game.

  Ed Wright can be reached at (734) 453-1980 or info@plymouthcantonsports.com.

Plymouth's defense, led by Tony Rhodes (24), bottled up Kevin Buford on this first-quarter run. (Ed Wright photo)

Josh Nolen (on the ground) trips up Victor Hicks as Matt Gunnis closes in to finish off the play. (Ed Wright photo)

Garrett Bryden hauls in a Ben Merbler pass. (PlymouthPictures.com photo)

Jake Morris makes a leaping grab while being wrapped up by Zach Smilo. (PlymouthPictures.com photo)

Braden Price sacks Shaun Austin. (Chris Fcasni photo)

Kevin Buford outsprints the Plymouth defense for a long TD run. (Chris Fcasni photo)

Canton's student cheering section was active throughout the night. (PlymouthPictures.com photo)

Plymouth's student cheering section made a lot of noise in support of the Wildcats. (PlymouthPictures.com photo)