By MIKE MUNDY
The Press-News
The East Canton Hornet football team opened its season at Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy last Friday and fell to the Royals 26-7. A perennial Division III playoff team, the Royals used a potent running game and big plays in the passing game to upend the Hornets.
The hosts drew first blood at the 6:01 mark of the first quarter on a 30-yard scoring pass and followed with a PAT for a 7-0 lead. They expanded the lead to 14-0 with a six-yard run from Alex Utley, who entered the game with consecutive 1,000 yard rushing seasons. The PAT made the score 14-0.
The Royals dominated the stanza by rushing for 74 yards and piling up six first downs. The Hornets could muster but a pair of first downs and just eight yards on the ground while the passing game yielded just 12 yards.
However, the Hornet defense rose to the task in quarter two and shut down the potent Royal attack. The hosts could not even register a first down in the stanza while the Hornets began to move the ball and picked up six first downs. Quarterback Landon Schmidt racked up 85 yards on seven completions.
The Hornets also scored a touchdown on a nice catch from senior Seth Mayer. However, the score was nullified when officials ruled that Mayer had pushed off and the drive failed on a fourth down incompletion.
The second half reverted to form. Utley ruled the ground and the Royals continued to make big plays in the air. They scored on a short Utley run and a 27-yard pass. Another pass for a score was dropped by a wide open receiver as the secondary struggled to cover Royal receivers.
The Hornets ended the shutout as the stanza closed when Schmidt scored on a short keeper at the 0:03 mark. A Pat Applebey PAT made it 26-7.
On the night Utley rushed for 169 yards and led CVCA to a 269-104 advantage on the ground. The Royals totaled 18 first downs to 10 for East Canton. Schmidt hit 12-of-20 passes for 113 yards. The hosts hit just four passes but got the two scores and 97 yards from their completions. The hosts were penalized six times for 50 yards and East Canton four times for 40 yards.
East Canton will visit Sandy Valley on Friday night. The Cardinals lost a 34-28 shootout to Indian Valley in their opener.
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