Several area coaches have said that Canton could very well be the best team in Class 3A this season.
Central Holmes showed on Friday night that they belong in that conversation as well.
The Trojans overcame a 28-6 deficit to pull within seven points in the fourth quarter before eventually falling 48-27 to Canton on Friday night.
Central Holmes falls to 2-5 on the season and will host Benton on Friday night for homecoming.
Despite the loss, Central Holmes coach Mitch Womack was proud of the effort his team showed in mounting a second-half comeback.
“First off, the final score was not indicative of the game,” Womack said. “They scored two late touchdowns. We got down early but fought back and played hard and physical. I thought our kids showed a lot of character. They were bigger and faster and more talented than us. For us to be where we were with the ball down by one score at the end says a lot about our kids. Losing is awful but our kids showed a lot of grit and determination. Canton is probably the best team in 3A and I thought we hung in there with them.”
Canton got the ball to start the game and went 64 yards in eight plays and scored on a 28-yard touchdown pass with 8:30 left in the first quarter. The try for two failed and Canton led 6-0.
After exchanging punts and fumbles, Canton extended its lead late in the first with a 24-yard touchdown run with 22.1 seconds left in the game. The try for two was good and Canton led 14-0.
After the Trojans turned the ball over on downs, Canton went 60 yards in five plays and scored on a 10-yard touchdown pass and converted the two-point attempt to go up 22-0.
The. Trojans finally got going on offense as Lamarian Buchanan got loose on a 55-yard run with 7:24 left in the first half. The try for two failed and Canton led 22-6, a score that lasted until halftime.
“We were down 22-6 at the half and I challenged the kids to put that behind them,” Womack said. “We came out were able to get within seven points. Lamarian had a big second half and scored four touchdowns. I thought the line did a great of blocking and we started playing with a lot more confidence. I was proud of our kids.”
Central Holmes got the ball to start the second half but threw an interception to give Canton a short field. The Panthers then scored on a 3-yard run and went up 28-6.
That’s when Buchanan and the Trojans started to get in gear. The Trojans went 56 yards in four plays as Buchanan scored on a 41-yard run with 8:16 left in the third quarter. The try for two failed and Canton led 28-12.
Canton responded with a 16-yard touchdown pass and extended the lead back out to 34-12
The Trojans then went 55 yards in eight plays as Buchanan scored on a 33-yard run with 2:21 left in the third. John Ward ran in the two-point conversion to cut the Canton lead to 34-20.
The Panthers turned the ball over on downs early in the fourth quarter. The Trojans then went 72 yards in seven plays and Buchanan scored on a 20-yard run and Pat Lindsey hit the PAT to cut the lead to 34-27.
After forcing a Canton punt, the Trojans put together a nine-play drive but turned the ball over on downs at the Canton 32, coming up one yard short.
Canton then a late score and a pick six at the end of the game as they pulled away and held on for the win.
The Trojans had 416 yards of total offense with 415 yards rushing. Buchanan had 269 yards on 27 carries with four TDs. Ward had 112 yards on 17 carries.
On defense, John C. Riley had 10 tackles while Mike Jones had seven tackles. Josh Robinson and Ashton Tate each had six tackles while Ward, Eli Carr, Logan Engle and Buchanan each had four tackles. Cayton Edwards and Aiden Adcock each had three tackles while John Hudson Word, Carson Burrell and Collin Magee each had two tackles apiece.
This week’s game
The Trojans will host winless Benton this week for homecoming festivities.
The Raiders are 0-7 on the season and have been outscored 265-23 and shut out three times.
“They lost a lot of players from last year’s team,” Womack said. There will be some distractions this week. There always is with homecoming. They will come in here and give us their best shot. You have to prepare to win the game and play your best, no matter who you are playing. You can’t take anything for granted.”
