Bulldogs looking for season’s 1st win in T-Day rivalry with Stoughton

There is no doubt that Canton is going to have to play its best game of the season in order to beat 3-7 Stoughton Thursday morning (Thanksgiving) at 10 a.m. at Stoughton High School.

Canton, which stands at 0-9-1, is looking to end its season on a high note after struggling all year with injuries and inconsistency. However, Stoughton is always a tough place to win, and Canton has not won a Thanksgiving Day game there since 2004, when the Bulldogs eked out a 7-6 victory. The historic rivalry, which dates back to 1926, is now in Stoughton’s favor at 41-39-4, with the Black Knights having owned the past decade and a half, going 13-2 over that span with six shutouts. Last year in Canton, Stoughton won convincingly 25-0, although the game was scoreless at halftime.

CHS head coach Jim Goff, who has yet to beat the Black Knights in five previous tries, knows that Stoughton is a formidable opponent and is counting on his players to bring their “A” game come Thursday.

“We need to play our best game of the season,” he said. “Stoughton is a physical team that plays tough defense. We will need to be physical to beat them. They have a solid offensive line and good skill players.”

Goff has been encouraged by the recent return of his two top players — running back and linebacker Anthony LaRose and receiver, tailback and defensive back Elias Camacho. Both have recovered from their injuries and are expected to suit up for the finale.

Goff said starting quarterback Ryan Conrad is still questionable for Thanksgiving as he is attempting to recover from injuries suffered in the game against Oliver Ames.

Another player who could aid the Bulldogs’ running attack is senior bruiser DaQuan Pendarvis, who, at 6’2” and 260 pounds, filled in nicely for an injured LaRose in the Mansfield game, at times carrying several players with him before they made the tackle.

But in order to beat Stoughton, the Bulldogs are going to have to tighten their defense and tackle much better than they did in their blowout loss to the Hornets last week.

In 10 games, Canton has given up a total of 336 points, an average of 33.6 points per game. By comparison, Stoughton has allowed 22.9 points per game. On the other side of the ball, neither team has been very prolific this year, with Canton averaging just under 10 points per game, compared to 13.3 points per game for Stoughton.

Despite their sub-par record, the Black Knights have been a competitive team for the most part this season. Their three lopsided losses came against the top three teams in the Hockomock’s Kelly-Rex Division: 9-1 Mansfield, 8-2 Attleboro, and 9-1 North Attleboro. Their wins have come against Winchester, 14-8, Foxboro, 7-0, and Sharon, 24-7, and their most recent game was a 20-13 loss to Franklin. The Black Knights are currently tied with Oliver Ames for second place in the Hock’s Davenport Division behind Foxboro (4-4).

Canton has lost several lopsided games, and its closest attempts at a win have included a 26-26 tie against Sharon and a 17-14 loss to Oliver Ames despite being ahead 14-7 in the early stages of the game.

Stoughton’s leading runner and scorer is Travis Demko. He has rushed for over 100 yards five times this season, with his best game coming against Franklin when he ran for more than 140 yards and two scores. Stoughton’s quarterback duties have been shared by sophomores Dan Eckler and Aaron Calixte after starting quarterback Sean O’Malley went down with a shoulder injury.

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Posted by Mike Berger on Nov 25 2010. Filed under High School, News, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.