SEISMIC SHIFT: Rocks upend Canton again after 20-year win drought

Since its decisive 27-0 Week 1 victory over Utica Ford, Salem’s dramatically-improving football team has been knocking on the door of victory practically every week, dropping three straight games by seven points or less heading into Friday’s showdown with arch-rival Canton.

Using a sledgehammer (senior running back Aidan Moore) and an emerging team-wide confidence level, the Rocks smashed down the door against the Cobras, reeling off 30 unanswered points in a 30-6 triumph.

It was the second straight season Salem has earned possession of the coveted Sandmann-Cummings trophy, which is presented to the winner of the two schools’ annual clash.

Prior to Friday night, Salem hadn’t defeated Canton in consecutive seasons since 1996-97.

“It feel so good to finally close one out,” said Moore, who unofficially ran the ball 29 times for 190 yards and three touchdowns. “We’ve been in so many close games this seasons, teams don’t take us lightly anymore. We’re on everybody’s radar. To finally put it all together feels great.”

(To view video highlights of Friday’s game, click here.)

Part of resurgence

Moore said he was well aware of Canton’s dominance over Salem back when he first started playing youth football for the Canton Lions while in fifth grade for, coincidentally, his current head coach Landon Garrett.

“When I drew Salem (in sixth grade), I [wasn’t happy], to be honest,” Moore admitted. “But now, being a part of this turnaround, I couldn’t be happier how things turned out.”

Modest in physical size, the Rocks are one of those teams that doesn’t scare opponents when they walk off the bus.

However, the tough-as-nails players are starting to earn respect once they step on the turf.

“This team has so much heart,” said Garrett. “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.

“We got bigger and stronger over the off-season with a lot of work in the weight room. We have 36 juniors and 12 seniors on the roster this year, so we’re still relatively young, but we get outstanding leadership from the seniors we do have. They listen to what our coaching staff tells them and apply it when they step on the field.”

Four of the Rocks’ difference-makers — Moore, Perko, Rocco Spica and Landon Garrett (the coach’s son and the team’s leading tackler) — are slightly less than 6-feet-tall and weight under 200 pounds; but their feistiness is off the charts.

“I’m not the biggest guy out there, but I love to hit and I fly to the ball,” said Spica, who was a ball-hawk on defense and contributed a 40-yard reception on offense.

Cobras missed their captain

Canton played without its two-way (quarterback and safety) senior captain Devvin Calhoun and it lost starting left tackle Jake Low to a first-half injury.

Canton debuted its new “COBRAS” uniforms (black with white numbers outlined in red) in style by earning a 6-0 lead when back-up QB Alex Guadagni scored on a 4-yard keeper one play after connecting with Nick Parrish on a 39-yard sideline bomb.

After playing well early, the Cobras were undone by physical miscues and costly penalties. At one point in the second quarter, Canton had the ball first-and-goal from Salem’s 1-yard line. Three plays and one penalty later the Cobras were facing a fourth-and-38 and were forced to punt.

With the game knotted at 6-6 late in the first half, Rock senior Jordan Perko scored on a bulldozing 4-yard TD run to give Salem the lead for good, 13-6.

Cool hand Luke

Starting junior quarterback Luke Creighton, who is filling in for the Rocks’ starting kicker, booted a 24-yard field goal to give Salem a 16-6 halftime lead.

Moore scored the game’s only two second-half touchdowns: the first on a 23-yard swing pass from Creighton; the second on a 2-yard run.

Creighton, the son of Eastern Michigan University Head Football Coach Chris Creighton, plays like a coach on the field, calling check-downs and audibles that are vital to his team’s no-huddle offense.

“Luke had a great game,” Garrett said. “He’s incredibly poised and he’s a smart kid who can make the checks and get us into the right play.”

Creighton’s lone blemishes were a pair of interceptions registered by Canton’s Parrish and Lemuel Pettway.

Sharing the wealth

Salem sophomore receiver Caleb Chinyadza had a solid game, securing three Creighton passes for 53 yards. Creighton spread out his nine completions to six different receivers.

Guadagni played well in relief of Calhoun, completing six passes (three to Parrish for 59 yards) while ripping off four runs of 10 yards or more, the longest a 35-yard keeper in the first half.

(To watch a video of Salem A.D. Tim Baechler presenting the Sandmann-Cummings Trophy to the Rocks, click here.)

Salem now sets it sights on Friday’s 7 p.m. game against Plymouth that will determine the P-CEP champion for 2024. If the Rocks can win their final two games, they could sneak into the playoffs with a 4-5 record.

“We’re not even thinking about playoffs at this point,” Garrett acknowledged. “We’re focusing all our attention on Plymouth next week.”

Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.