Kevin Buford hauls in a long pass during Monday's practice. (photo by Ed Wright)

Chiefs flash team-wide speed during season-opening two-a-day session

BY ED WRIGHT
Aug. 9, 2010, 11:15 p.m.

  Kevin Buford's softball-sized calf muscles propelled him down the left sideline of the Canton practice field early Monday afternoon until he settled under a sharply thrown bomb from quarterback Ben Merbler.

  Buford's teammates may not be able to quite match the first-class sprinter's sub-4.5-second 40-yard-dash time, but the Chiefs' roster definitely will have plenty of speed to burn this fall.

  "We may not be the biggest team this year, but we're fast," said senior linebacker Garrett Bryden, moments after the Chiefs' season-opening practice ended on an overcast, low-humidity afternoon. "We've had testing the past week and coach (Tim) Baechler said yesterday that we had about 20 kids run under 5-flat 40s. I don't think they've ever had anything like that here before."

  Canton, which is coming off a stellar 10-2 season that ended with a hard-fought 31-24 overtime loss to eventual Division 1 champion Novi Catholic Central, will need the speed to navigate through a challenging early-season schedule.

  "It's tough," said Baechler, when asked to assess his team's 2010 slate. "We open with Walled Lake Central, which won its division last year, and then we play Grand Blanc, which won its division last year. Then in week three we have Livonia Franklin, which always plays us tough.

  "Our defense, special teams and skill guys are really going to have to make things happen early. Our offensive line is going to be good, but they're young, so it's going to take a while for them to gel."

  Baechler, who is beginning his 19th year as a head coach (the past 13 at Canton), said he likes a lot of the important characteristics his team has displayed early on.

  "I like our senior leadership up to this point," he said. "We have a long way to go as far as building team chemistry, but we have a lot of speed and a lot of enthusiasm."

  Thanks to a greater off-season commitment to working out than in decades past, players rarely step foot on the opening-day practice field out of shape, Baechler noted.

  "They're in much better shape than they used to be," he said. "We really noticed it on Friday when we put them through the ringer as far as conditioning. We push them pretty hard, but all but a few are in great shape."

  "Coach Baechler got us into a good off-season conditioning program and we've done a good job of sticking to it," said Bryden. "We're doing our 20 percent more, which is our saying this season, and it's paying off."

  The Chiefs play their annual Red/White scrimmage Saturday beginning at 8 a.m. at the PCEP varsity stadium.  On Aug. 19, they participate in a four-way scrimmage before kicking off the season Aug. 27 at Walled Lake Central.

Junior quarterback Kyle Adams (gray shorts) fakes a hand-off before dropping back to throw a pass. (Ed Wright photo)

A Canton defensive back makes a good play on the ball during a non-contact scrimmage Monday. (Ed Wright photo)

The Chiefs closed Monday's practice with a series of 30-yard sprints. (Ed Wright photo)

Canton head coach Tim Baechler addressed his team following Monday's practice. (Ed Wright photo)