Bulldogs ready for opener after strong preseason

CHS head football coach Dave Bohane expects all of his players to be available for the upcoming season opener at home this Friday night at 7 p.m. against non-league Weston.

Bohane said the team had a good preseason, including a pair of wins in scrimmages against Dedham and Hanover last week. While noting there is still a lot of work to do and mistakes to fix before Friday’s game, Bohane sees a lot of potential in both the offense and defense.

Although no official score was kept in either scrimmage, Canton outscored Hanover 14-0 and scored once against Dedham while shutting out the Dedham offense in a controlled play, half-field game.

“I think we came off the field in both games feeling good about ourselves,” he said. “The defense played well in both scrimmages. The offense moved the ball at times but also missed assignments. All in all, the players played hard.”

The team has endured no serious injuries since practice opened on August 22, although a few players are nursing ankle injuries.

Bohane said there are three players vying for the top quarterback spot, with Anthony Bires, Josh Matt and Ian Flavin all playing well in camp and during the recent summer passing league. Bohane did say that he plans to use two quarterbacks in the Weston game and that one would see more time than the other.

Bohane has also seen improvements in the running game, which features lots of options with Dexter Green, Logan Cerruti, Elias Camacho, Evan Feldman, Davon Jacobs and Shane Nordgren all in the mix.

The biggest question mark right now is the development of the offensive line, which includes a mix of seniors and underclassmen. Bohane is hoping that seniors Brandyn Sparks, Devin Costa, Peter Sheehan and Calvin Winchell will set an example for the younger players.

Defensively, Bohane is pleased so far with the overall unit, which features Sparks, Costa, Justin Rudy and Conor O’Brien up front with a mixture of Nordgren, Bires, Camacho, Flavin, Green, and Cerruti either at linebacker or in the defensive backfield.

Bohane knows that Canton will have a difficult opponent this week in Weston, which beat Canton in its home opener last year 35-7. The Wildcats raced to a 28-0 halftime lead in that game, backed by a running attack that topped 100 yards. They did not pass much, but when they did their receivers were wide open.

“They have a good quarterback, are physical, and it will be a battle for us,” Bohane said. “In many ways they are a mirror image of us.”

The players elected four senior captains and they are: Matt, Sparks, Cerruti, and Jakiel Moses Harris.

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Posted by Mike Berger on Sep 7 2011. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.