Canton
Keeping it in control
Sunday, November 5, 2006
By
Joe Frollo Jr. Repository assistant sports editor
NEWARK There?s been a knock on the Canton South High School football team that goes back a while.
Skilled, but soft. Fast, but not physical.
It?s time to put that reputation to rest.
Canton South controlled the line of scrimmage Saturday night at Randy Baughman Stadium, and the Torrence brothers did the rest as the Wildcats beat Licking Valley, 27-17, in a Division III, Region 11 quarterfinal.
?Our lines worked all week long, harder than anyone else to get ready for this,? said senior Devon Torrence, who caught two long touchdown passes and added an interception. ?They got dirty. They got down. They gave everything they had.?
With plenty of room to work, DeVoe Torrence ran for 250 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries, both bullying past Panther tacklers and leaving them behind in footraces. DeVoe, a junior, also delivered a jarring second-quarter hit on Licking Valley tailback Storm Kline that separated the ball from the sophomore at the Wildcat 3 as South junior David Whipple fell on it in the end zone.
?It was about stepping up and making plays,? DeVoe said. ?Everyone stepped up and helped the team. That was my turn.?
The game started out sour for South as DeVoe Torrence fumbled on the Wildcats? first play from scrimmage. Licking Valley recovered at the 25 but had to settle for a 35-yard field goal.
It was the start of a trend as the Panthers began seven drives in Wildcat territory but could do little with it.
South survived four turnovers by swarming Kline, who came in averaging 175 yards per game. He was held to 90 yards on 25 carries.
?Our line did an excellent job and let the linebackers clean up,? South head coach Moe Daniska said. ?A lot of guys who never get their names in the newspaper came up big.?
It?s time to change that trend, too ? Ed Yerkey, Montel Bush and Justin Solvey.
Devon Torrence got the Wildcats on the board with a 75-yard touchdown catch in which he beat one-on-one coverage, hauling in Matt Trissel?s pass in stride with no one between him and the end zone. The extra point sailed wide and South led, 6-3.
Trissel was just 4 of 13, but threw for 127 yards.
DeVoe Torrence made it 13-3 midway through the second, knocking over two would-be tacklers at the line then sprinting down the right side for a 77-yard score.
Just before the half, Devon Torrence made it 20-3 when he outleaped two defenders for a 30-yard TD grab.
?What can you say? They?re big playmakers,? Daniska said. ?There?s no doubt about it.?
Meanwhile, South?s defense was frustrating Licking Valley so much that the Panthers switched from their traditional I-formation with two tight ends to a shotgun option. The result was better ball movement but no points as DeVoe?s forced fumble and a pair of punts kept Licking Valley off the scoreboard.
The Panthers went back to their power game in the second half and found success. A 14-yard reverse by Grant Markert and a pass interference call helped set up a 3-yard bootleg by quarterback Nick Phillips.
Down 20-9, Licking Valley got going again until South junior Brad Herbert broke up a fourth-and-7 pass at the goal line. Six plays later, DeVoe Torrence went around the left side and did not stop until he had a 62-yard TD.
?I looked up and saw a huge hole,? DeVoe said. ?Without my line, that would not have been possible.?
Licking Valley?s Josh Bailey returned the ensuing kickoff 93 yards for a score, but South put the clamps on the rest of the way as Adam Miller and Hebert both had picks during the final four minutes.
The result was South?s first postseason win in just their second playoff appearance and a date with No. 1-ranked Steubenville.
?We?ll go back and practice some more,? Devon Torrence said. ?We?ll play our game and take what comes.?
