First half ‘Rock’-y for Canton before pulling away against P-CEP rival

Sports
Ed Wright
October 9, 2022
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6 minute read

Salem senior running back Robert Jones is swallowed up by a swarm of Canton defenders including Antonio Correa (10).

Big game by Pettus, Chiefs’ offensive line leads to 52-17 blowout

For most of the first half of Friday night’s Salem-Canton football game, it felt like 1999 again for Rock fans.

That was the last year Salem upended the Chiefs, who had outscored their cross-campus rival 212-48 in the five meetings preceding Friday night.

Robert Jones’ 74-yard sprint to the end zone (and Alex Wiewiora’s extra point) 90 seconds before halftime deadlocked the showdown at 17-17.

But before Canton fans even had a chance to start feeling the blues, Canton’s Joseph Najduk scored on a 12-yard run and Masis Caliskan booted the point after to give the Chiefs a 24-17 lead.

Canton pulled away in the second half to win 52-17 in a contest played with a running clock over the final 4 minutes and change.

Salem senior Robert Jones enjoyed a huge night, rushing for 168 yards.

The Chiefs improved to 2-5 overall and 2-4 in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association’s West Division while the Rocks tumbled to 0-7 and 0-6, respectively.

Jones was a nightmare for the Chiefs’ defense for most of the night, rumbling for 168 yards and both Salem touchdowns on 26 carries. But with his team trailing 31-17 with 4:51 left in the third quarter, he fumbled the ball out of the end zone after breaking through the first wave of defenders inside the Canton 10-yard line.

Najduk scored on an 85-yard run on the next play to widen the hosts’ advantage to 37-17 and Canton never looked back.

Canton’s Devon Pettus fights for extra yards as he’s wrapped up by Jaywan Thomas and Evan Proske.

Pettus was in beast-mode for the Chiefs, running for 175 yards and two scores on 15 carries. The junior’s longest run was a non-scoring 63-yarder.

Canton junior Caleb Williams picked up 146 yards on just six hauls while Najduk added 129 yards on four attempts.

Canton quarterback Aiden Carr completed 2 of 6 passes (both to Antonio Correa) for 65 yards.

The Chiefs’ defense picked off two Robert Ahlgren passes. Devvin Calhoun took his first-half pick to the Rock 5-yard line while Andon Locke secured a deflected aerial to snuff out a deep Salem scoring threat in the third quarter.

Ahlgren, who faced consistent pressure from Canton’s defensive line throughout the evening, turned in a solid effort, completing 13 of 19 passes for 115 yards. Ahlgren’s favorite target was senior Nick Mullin, who caught seven passes for 83 yards.