CHS football bows to Tewksbury in D4 playoffs
By Mike Berger
Senior QB Owen Lane hands off to running back Derrick McCruse. (Mike Tureski photo)
Tewksbury Memorial scored on the final play of the game to edge Canton High 35-33 in Friday night’s Division 4 football playoff opener, dashing the Bulldogs’ hopes of a Super Bowl run.
Canton will now move on to the consolation round with a home contest scheduled for Thursday (tonight) against Westwood beginning at 6 p.m.
Entering as the No. 13 seed in the 16-team tournament, the Bulldogs were the clear underdogs going into last week’s road game against fourth-seeded Tewksbury — although both teams had identical regular season records of 5-3. No. 9 Westwood (6-2) also lost its opening game on the road against eighth-seeded Somerset-Berkley, falling 29-20.
CHS head coach Anthony Fallon said despite the loss, he was as proud of this year’s group as he was with the 2019 team, which made it all the way to the sectional final. On Friday night, the Bulldogs battled back from a 14-0 deficit to tie the game at halftime and eventually take the lead late in the game.
“They came out of adversity, fought back, went ahead, fell behind and came back again,” Fallon said. “We went ahead with 54 seconds remaining. It was the best game I think since 2019. They played with poise; they showed mental toughness. They refused to quit.”
Fallon said it was a strong kickoff return late in the fourth quarter that proved to be the difference for Tewksbury, as the hosts needed only four more plays after that to find the end zone, scoring on a five-yard touchdown pass as time expired.
Statistically, it was an exceptional showing for some of the Bulldogs’ senior captains, notably quarterback Owen Lane, who rushed for 108 yards and two scores while completing 11 of 15 passes for 137 yards and another touchdown. Co-captain Ruairi Ritson was on the receiving end of Lane’s touchdown throw and also gained 53 yards on the ground.
Several underclassmen also made their mark in the game for Canton, including Kareem Chaplin, who returned a kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown and racked up 10 tackles on defense; Tyler Kelly, who led all Canton receivers with five receptions and scored on a two-point conversion; and Nick Crowe, who racked up 13 tackles, including six for a loss, and added an interception.
Charlie Zack also had a strong game, catching three passes and making four tackles on defense.
Thursday night’s game against Westwood will be Canton’s final game before the traditional Thanksgiving Day showdown against rival Stoughton on Thursday, November 23.
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Posted by Mike Berger
on Nov 10 2023. Filed under High School, Sports.
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