Bulldogs top rival Stoughton to cap winning season

Junior QB Owen Lane, wearing the late Ricky Shannon’s No. 27 jersey, rushed for a team-high 140 yards and two scores to help lead Canton over Stoughton in last week’s Thanksgiving Day game at Memorial Field. (Mike Tureski photo)

Behind a potent ground attack and a tough, opportunistic defense that seemed to get stronger with every possession, the Canton High football team had much to be thankful for this year as they rolled past rival Stoughton 28-14 at Memorial Field on Thanksgiving Day.

The impressive finale win earned Canton some much deserved bragging rights and capped off a winning 2022 campaign for the Bulldogs, who won their final four games of the year to finish at 7-3 overall. Stoughton, meanwhile, finishes at 3-8 and marks the end of an era with veteran head coach Greg Burke set to retire after 32 seasons.

Burke and the Black Knights did get the better of their rivals last Thanksgiving as they celebrated the opening of Stoughton High’s new stadium with a dominant, 47-14 victory. This year, however, the Bulldogs withstood Stoughton’s best and still came out on top, winning comfortably by two scores.

After trading touchdowns in the opening half, Canton would go on to snap a 14-14 tie with 3:30 left in the third quarter and go ahead for good on an explosive, 69-yard touchdown run by senior Godson Ofonagoro, who sprinted into the end zone after evading three would-be tacklers. For the game,

It was a fitting finale for the Xaverian Brothers transfer, who once again went over the century mark (120 yards) to cap a memorable single season with the Bulldogs.

But the day belonged to Canton’s rising star at quarterback, junior captain Owen Lane, who was chosen by his teammates to wear the late Ricky Shannon’s No. 27 jersey and then went out and had a game befitting of the former Bulldog legend. Not only did he account for three of the Bulldogs’ four touchdowns; he also paced the defense with eight tackles and served as the team’s punter.

Lane played almost every down in the game and was especially electric as a rusher, churning out several big gains and finishing with a team-high 140 yards on the ground, including touchdown runs of three and 18 yards. He also added 55 yards through the air, highlighted by a game-tying, eight-yard touchdown strike to senior James Robbins just prior to halftime.

Earlier in the contest, Stoughton had some success on offense, particularly with its short passing game, as quarterback Jarred Doughty connected with speedy running back-receiver Tagh Swiczewski for several completions. But the Canton coaching staff made the needed defensive adjustments and the Bulldog secondary clamped down, led by Charlie Zack, Sam Poch, Tyler Kelly, Charlie Cox and Michael Thomas.

Zack delivered arguably the play of the game on the defensive side of the ball as he picked off Doughty late in the second quarter to give the Bulldogs possession deep in Black Knight territory. A pair of Ofonagoro runs brought the ball to the Stoughton eight-yard line and Lane then connected with Robbins for the crucial tying score.

Thomas also had an interception for the Bulldogs and senior lineman Julian Prentice had a big day with one and a half sacks to go along with six tackles. Robbins added five tackles and split a sack with Cox while Ruairi Ritson and Hayden Rose each recorded solo sacks. Jack Flaherty was also credited with a half sack as Canton’s defenders relentlessly harassed the Stoughton QB.

Going into Thursday’s game, head coach Anthony Fallon said his team would need to be mentally tough and learn to adjust when Stoughton scored. He also felt his team had an advantage with the running of Lane and Ofonagoro. He proved to be correct on all three counts. “We beat a tough team today,” said Fallon. “We battled and I was glad to see we persevered. It was a total team effort.”

Lane said after the game that he appreciated his teammates choosing him to wear Shannon’s No. 27 and he was happy to see the team come together in all phases to get the win. He also praised the efforts of his offensive linemen, who produced several big blocks and were key to Canton’s success in the run game (284 yards).

In addition to delivering the Thanksgiving trophy back to Canton, the Bulldogs also helped Fallon record his first win over Stoughton as a head coach since assuming the job in the 2020 offseason. This year marked the 96th Thanksgiving Day game between the traditional rivals, and while Stoughton still holds the lead in the all-time series (49-43-4), Canton has now won three of the last five (excluding 2020) — a feat last accomplished in the early 1990s.

While there have been some brutal weather days in previous installments of the rivalry, Thursday’s game was played in almost ideal conditions with clear skies, little wind and temperatures in the 40s.

This year’s honorary CHS captains were four players from the 2012 team: Conor O’Brien, Shane Nordgren, Justin Rudy, and Elias Camacho. With just two prior wins that year, the Bulldogs would go on to shock a 9-1 Black Knights squad 28-26 in overtime, snapping a seven-year Thanksgiving Day losing streak.

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Posted by Mike Berger on Dec 1 2022. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.