Canton Rallies Past CV To Win Season Opener

By: Tim Taylor  |  August 29, 2026  /  Photo: Tim Taylor

CANTON - Canton scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to rally past Cowanesque Valley, 22-9, in the season opener for both NTL teams here Friday night.

“We struggled that first half,” said Canton coach Tyler Sechrist. “A lot of it, we just hurt ourselves. Missed tackles, muffing that punt where we got into that, and just we made mistakes.

“At the half, I said, ‘We're only halfway done with this game. If you guys want it, go take it."

“I think one thing it comes down to, we were in better shape. I feel like we wore them down in the fourth quarter, we were in better shape, and they wanted it, and they went and took the game.”

CV, despite struggling with penalties in the first half, would lead at halftime, 9-0, but that advantage wouldn’t hold up.

CV coach Jacob Lane attributed the loss to youthfulness and injuries.

“We’ve got a lot of young kids right now, which is going to be par for the course I guess,” he said. “Then we have some injuries that puts a lot of new kids in spots, moving people around, so to be expected, a lot of freshmen, sophomores got a lot of reps, and a lot of new kids that've never played before.

Lane also shouldered the blame for his team’s mistakes.

“A lot of that, I'm going to take the blame for that,” he said. “That's on me, it's not on the kids. I guess that's my fault.”

Trailing, 9-0, the Warriors found the endzone just 30 seconds into the final period when quarterback Owen Moore hit Monte Whitehead on a crossing route for an 80-yard TD. The PAT kick failed, but closed the gap to 9-6.

Following a CV punt, Canton put together a 7-play, 67-yard scoring strike capped by Moore's 8-yard pass to Gardner. Gardner added the PAT run to give the Warriors a 14-6 advantage with 8:05 remaining in the game.

A short kickoff gave the Indians the ball at midfield, but the possession ended at the Canton 39 when the Warriors’ Aaden Dowling leapt in front of CV’s Brody Bruce for an interception.

On the next play, Gardner bolted 61 yards down the right sideline, fending off several defenders for his second TD of the night with 5:28 on the clock. Jennings ran for the PAT and a 22-9 cushion.

With starting QB Dave Hess sidelined by an injury suffered earlier in the game, Max Millard lined up under center in an effort to rally the Indians. CV would have to attempt a punt and a bad snap would allow Canton to get the ball back at the CV 27 and run out the clock.

Losing Hess in the second half certainly didn’’t help CV’s effort.

“I think, with the cramping and injuries, things like that, yeah, it has an effect,” Lane said. “One player doesn't make the team, but it definitely does help out a little bit. I think with that and just little mistakes, things like that.”

The first quarter was a display of two struggling youthful teams as Canton and Cowanesque Valley combined for 27 yards offense and were penalized seven times for 40 yards.

The Indians tried to get something going with a fake punt on the first play of the second quarter, but were flagged for delay of game before the play got going.

The penalty turned out to be a blessing in disguise as Hess broke free on the next play for an 83-yard keeper 35 seconds into the period. The PAT run failed, but CV was on the board with a 6-0 lead.

A botched pitch on the Warriors’ first play of its next possession gave CV the ball at the Canton 43, but two tackles for losses and a pair of penalties forced a CV punt.

A high snap for a 13-yard loss and three incomplete passes offset a pass interference call against the Indians and create a punting situation. CV blocked the punt and got the ball at the Canton 39, but Moore picked off Hess at the 23 two plays later.

A 21-yard run by Gardner and a pass interference call against CV moved the ball down to the CV 30 then with a first down on the 19, but a bad snap pushed the ball back to the 30.

The Indians would go three and out, but Canton muffed the punt and CV took it 42 yards to paydirt. However, the officials ruled the ball dead at Canton 42.

A 23-yard Hess-to-Cam Stahli pass would help set up a 34-yard Mason Wonderlich field goal with 4 ½ seconds on the clock, giving CV its 9-0 lead at halftime.

A trio of tackles for losses and a Canton penalty thwarted the Warriors opening drive in the third quarter, then both teams went three and out.

After Hess went to the sidelines a second time late in the third quarter, underclassmen Millard and Levi Vahey were unable to move the CV offense.

The Indians also missed a 34-yard field goal in the third period.

Canton finished with 307 yards offense to CV’s 137.

Gardner finished with 228 yards, gaining 156 on 18 rushes and adding 72 more on five receptions. Moore went 10-for-23 through the air for 163 yards.

The Warriors’ resilience showed through when the team needed it most.

“I'm proud of them,” said Sechrist. “We’ve got a young team and they made a step forward today. They didn't give up was the main thing. They had hope in themselves and played together.

“I think it really did come down to they started cramping some, CV did, and we do a lot of conditioning. We feel and find that important, and I thought we just wore them down at the end.”

Hess led CV with 83 yards on 15 carries and completed a pair of passes for another 36.

The Indians were penalized 13 times in the first half for 100 yards, but were only flagged three times for 15 yards after intermission. Canton was penalized four times for 20 yards.

Lane realizes there is a lot of stuff CV can improve on.

“Oh, 100 percent. Things we’ve got to improve on, which is great,” he said. “We have a lot of young kids, but you make the best of what you’ve got. They're all great kids, great athletes, just got to get them to mesh.”