Front and center

Dunleavy's blocking prowess a big reason for the success of Canton's running game

  On most occasions this season, when Canton's Adam Payter has busted one of his big-yardage touchdowns while running the Chiefs' vaunted fullback trap, he's taken "Route 66" to the end zone.

  Sixty-six is the number worn by senior center Ryan Dunleavy, an often-unheralded member of the Chiefs' offense whose in-the-trenches skills have sparked more than a few clock-eating scoring drives.

  "Ryan's so strong and his first two steps are so quick that he's able to take out the guy in front of him by himself when we run the trap against odd-man fronts," said Canton coach Tim Baechler. "A lot of people like to point to the pulling guards as the key to the success on the trap, but by Ryan being able to take out the man over him by himself, it frees up our guard to go get the linebacker.

  "Ryan has put in a lot of time with our centers coach, Tom Dixon, to get to where he is now. When you look at him, he doesn't look real big; he's probably 225 or 230. But he's so strong and solid. He's smart, too. He makes all of our line calls and you don't have to tell him something twice."

  Playing center -- and playing it well -- is apparently in the Dunleavy DNA. Ryan's brother, Kyle, was the Chiefs' starting snapper last season and his cousin, Nick, started at the position four seasons ago.

MUCH-APPRECIATED SKILLS
  While Dunleavy's effectiveness often goes unnoticed by the fans in the stands, it's appreciated wholeheartedly by the team's coaches, especially when they review tapes of the games a few hours following the final whistle.

  "Against Westland John Glenn (a 44-6 Canton victory), Ryan was in on 50 plays," Baechler said, "and he made a successful block on 49 of them. Ninety percent is considered very good; actually, if you make your block 80 percent of the time that's pretty good. To get a 98 shows you what kind of a player he is."

  Dunleavy rarely gets to rest from 7-9 p.m. on fall Friday nights. The senior captain is a starting defensive end on a unit that has yielded just four touchdowns in five games.

  "The first couple of games I was dead tired," Dunleavy admitted. "But I'm feeling really good now. Last year, I played defense only because my brother was the starting center. It was O.K., but I like being out on the field all the time."

  "We give Ryan breaks on defense when we can, but he's out there the majority of the time because we know he's accountable," said Baechler. "He does his job and doesn't make mistakes."

UNPARALLELED SUCCESS RATE
  Canton's record during Dunleavy's two years on the varsity is 17-2. He never lost a game while playing for the Chiefs' freshman and junior-varsity teams.

  "We come out here every day, practice hard and we have great coaches," Dunleavy said, when asked about the program's success. "And everybody has a great attitude."

  Dunleavy's gridiron career kicked off at the age of 8 when he first pulled on a pair of shoulder pads for the Dearborn Lions.

  "I always loved practice and the games, but I wasn't a big fan of conditioning my first year," he said, smiling. "But I've learned to like everything about the sport."

  An accomplished lacrosse player in the spring, Dunleavy dedicates a good chunk of the winter months to something he dreaded as a youngster -- conditioning.

  "Off-season conditioning is really important because that's when you develop your strength," said Dunleavy. "I don't get a lot of time to lift during the season because the offense usually lifts when the defense is watching film and vice versa, and I play offense and defense."

  Dunleavy was voted one of the Chiefs' four captains in a vote of his teammates and coaches.

  "He's one of those unsung-hero-type of guys who keeps his mouth shut and goes out and leads by example," Baechler said. "I love players like Ryan because he motivates his teammates by talking with his actions that this is how you do it."

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