Clear sailing

Bryden's 100-yard interception return sparks Chiefs' 62-11 victory over Salem

  For about 12 seconds Friday night, Canton linebacker Garrett Bryden saw what teammate Adam Payter sees when he breaks free on the Chiefs' patented fullback traps.

  A lot of green turf and not many opposing tacklers.

  On the first play of the second quarter against Salem, Bryden stepped in front of a Jake Peterson pass at the goal line and rambled 100 yards to extend the Chiefs' lead to 21-0 in a game they would eventually win, 62-11.

  "I saw (Alex) Dixon blitzing, so I dropped back and the ball came right to me," Bryden said. "I just started running."

  And running. And running. And running.

  "It was the first touchdown I've scored, so it felt good," Bryden continued. "More importantly, though, it got our defense going. It got the team going."

  The victory improved Canton's record to 8-1 heading into next week's first-round playoff game against a yet-to-be-determined opponent.

  Salem, which dropped to 2-7, last beat Canton on Oct. 22, 1999.

  The triumph was a milestone for Canton coach Tim Baechler, who received the game ball from his captains moments after the contest in commemoration of his 100th win as the Chiefs' head coach.

  Baechler didn't remember all the details of his first win at Canton (a 27-7 victory over Northville on Oct. 2, 1998), but he remembers how good it felt.

  "We were 0-4 and had just lost a tough game to Churchill," he reflected. "We were down, but the kids kept believing. We ended up winning three games that season, which was an improvement over the 1-8 record the season before.

  "That first win was huge because it kind of got the monkey off our back. Winning a game back then when we were the underdog, you're so excited for every game. Now, it's more like you hate losing more than you enjoy winning. It's kind of a feed-the-monster kind of thing. It's good, but it's one of those things where you have to be careful what you wish for. You're supposed to beat everybody and it makes it not as fun."

  Payter had another monster game for the Chiefs. The speedy senior fullback registered 230 yards on just eight carries, half of which were touchdowns.

  His longest TD jaunt was 96 yards -- not quite Bryden-esque, but close.

  Payter has now gained 1,252 yards on 96 carries this season. His yards-per-carry and number of touchdowns are identical: 13.

  Canton led 14-0 5:28 into the game on 22- and 77-yard scoring sprints from Payter.

  Salem countered by driving to the Chief 18. The key play unfolded when Peterson threw a backwards hitch pass to Drew Thompson, who lofted a 58-yard strike to Alex King, who snuck behind the Chiefs' secondary.

  Four plays later, however, Bryden's pick six seized the momentum back for the Chiefs.

  "That was a key play," emphasized Baechler. "I was disappointed with the way we were giving up a long drive, but give Salem credit. They did a good job on that drive and they made plays.

  "Garrett's play was definitely a game-changer. It kind of broke their collective backs a little bit."

  Canton doubled its lead to 42-0 at the half on 5- and 96-yard TD runs by Payter and a 61-yard scoring strike from Kevin Delapaz to Davion Stackhouse with 43 seconds on the clock.

  Kevin Buford's 1-yard plunge 1:04 into the third quarter and back-up quarterback Ben Merbler's 7-yard keeper six minutes later expanded the Chiefs' advantage to 55-0.

  Salem's first points came on a 39-yard field goal by Ethan Walsh with 7:39 remaining in the game.

  The Rocks found paydirt with 5:37 to play when back-up signal-caller Brian Maksimovic connected with Brandon Ciciotti on a 34-yard TD pass. Maksimovic then hit Christopher Babb for the two-point conversion play.

  Nick Alaniva closed the scoring with a 33-yard TD run with 1:13 left.

  Canton freshman kicker Conner Shennan converted 6-of-7 extra points. Alex Dixon was 2-for-2 on point-after kicks.

  The Chiefs outgained the Rocks in total yards, 462-229.

  Alaniva picked up 67 yards on six hauls. Delapaz completed both of his passes for 91 yards. He also ran three times for 34 yards.

  Hauling in one of Delapaz's spirals was junior tight end Angelo Lanava, who turned a 15-yard out into a 30-yard gain.

  Marcus Houston led the Salem rushing attack with 27 yards on 17 attempts. The sophomore speedster had a spectacular 17-yard touchdown run in the second quarter nullified by a holding penalty.

  Peterson completed 6-of-13 passes for 76 yards. Maksimovic was 4-for-4 for 71 yards and the TD to Ciciotti.

  King had a fine night, grabbing five passes for 118 yards.

  Dixon continued his torrid play at linebacker for the Chiefs, chalking up a team-high nine tackles. Ben Poirer anchored Canton's defensive line with seven stops, one for a loss.

  Arron Boudreaux picked off his fourth pass of the season for Canton.

  Ed Wright can be reached at [email protected] or (734) 453-1980.