Bulldogs steamroll unbeaten Blue Hills Regional

The Canton defense held the high-powered BHR offense to just 6 points. (Cynthia Rosina photo)

In one of the most impressive wins this season, the CHS football Bulldogs controlled the lines of scrimmage for most of the game and especially in the second half and came away with a 38-6 win over previously undefeated (7-0) Blue Hills Regional Technical School on the road Friday night.

The game pitted Blue Hills, a Division 7 school, against Canton, a Division 4 school. Warriors coach Ed Madden, honored recently as the New England Patriots High School Coach of the Week, said the loss was the first for the team’s seniors and snapped a 14-game winning streak dating back to last season.

The game is the first of a two-year agreement between the two Canton schools to play each other and both Madden and CHS head coach Anthony Fallon agreed they would like to see the cross-town matchup established as an annual tradition. Despite the loss, the now 7-1 Warriors are headed to the MIAA Division 7 playoffs and will open as the No. 10 seed with a road game against No. 7 Mashpee tomorrow night at 7 p.m.

For the Bulldogs, the win improved the team’s record to 2-5 with both of their wins coming against nonleague opponents. They will now join the non-playoff pool of teams and will be given two games against opponents with similar records, starting with Westwood (1-7) tomorrow night at CHS at 7 p.m.

As for the big win against the Warriors, Canton won the game with outstanding effort on both sides of the ball, but Fallon said there were still plenty of mistakes that his team must eliminate, such as dropped passes, a few avoidable penalties, and a defense lapse that allowed Blue Hills running back Caiden Montas to scamper untouched up the middle of the field for a 41-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Montas’ score brought the Warriors to win within seven at halftime, 13-6.

But the Bulldogs broke the game open in the third quarter with a 16-point surge as CHS quarterback Owen Lane threw a 25-yard scoring pass to receiver Charlie Cox and then ran one in from the one-yard line after a Warrior fumble had set Canton up at the Blue Hills’ 35-yard line.

Canton opened the scoring in the first quarter after stopping the Warriors on their first possession and then mounting a long drive with key runs by Lane, Vinnie O’Brien, and Bahsor Mahn. Andy Butler would score on an end around from two yards out to give the visitors a 7-0 lead. A bad snap on a punt allowed the Bulldogs to regain possession of the ball at the BHRS eight-yard line and a second-effort run by Mahn from six yards out gave the Bulldogs a 13-0 lead with 11:08 left in the second quarter.

Canton was not done scoring in the fourth quarter despite a 29-6 lead. A sack by Evan Lee led to a two-point safety for the Bulldogs. Junior Cole Ouellette also made his presence felt in the latter stages of the game with 30 yards on the ground and a four-yard touchdown.

For the game, Lane and Mahn each had 53 rushing yards; Cox caught two passes for 33 yards, including the 25-yard touchdown; and O’Brien caught one pass for 35 yards. Defensively, Colin Albert and Cillian Collins combined for 11 tackles, and Lee and Julian Prentence were each credited with helping the Canton defense secure two-point safeties.

After the game, Fallon said he was concerned at halftime that the Warriors would rally but he was pleased that his team came out in the second half and dominated both lines of scrimmage.

Madden said he was not surprised by the Bulldogs’ strength, toughness and speed. “They also have a great coaching staff and runners who run hard. That’s a good team,” he said.

After the game, many of the Bulldogs came over to greet former CHS head coach Dave Bohane, who now serves as a Warrior assistant coach.

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