Fast return policy

Boudreaux's game-opening kick-off return sets tone for Chiefs' 44-6 rout

  Canton's typical scoring drives are comparable to consuming your first cup of coffee  in the morning -- steadily paced and deliberate, but ultimately satisfying.

  In contrast, the Chiefs' opening drive Friday night against Westland John Glenn was similar to guzzling a can of Red Bull in about seven seconds.

  Senior Arron Boudreaux secured the opening kick off at the Chiefs' 5-yard line, shifted into overdrive at the 20, found a crease at the 30 and Usain Bolted the final 70 yards to pump an early dose of adrenaline into the Chiefs that didn't seem to fade the rest of the evening.
 
  In a match-up of undefeated teams, Canton dominated, pulling away with a 44-6 victory that finished with a running clock.

  "I kind of dropped the ball, but as soon as I picked it up I saw a lane and I just hit it," said Boudreaux, describing his game-opening play. "It gave us a lot of energy because we go on defense right after that and we're already up seven. Our defense is really strong, so we felt good about ourselves being up 7-0."

 John Glenn didn't waste any time answering Boudreaux's huge return. Utilizing the "Wildcat" offense, which consists of a single back working out of an empty backfield with shifting formations to either side of him, the Rockets used the supreme talents of Jeremy Langford to move 68 yards on four plays before scoring on Langford's 57-yard run.

  Glenn missed the extra point, allowing Canton to maintain a 7-6 lead.

  "We saw the 'Wildcat' a little bit on film from their previous games, but they didn't shift and motion to it like they did tonight," said Canton coach Tim Baechler. "So that was hard because they got us out of line a little bit and (Langford) made a great run.

  "Coach Dickey and Coach Hauser and all the defensive guys did a great job of making the adjustments after they scored. The key was for the kids to stay in their gaps, play disciplined and break down and tackle guys."

  The Chiefs extended their lead on their first offensive series, driving 34 yards on four plays before scoring on Adam Payter's fullback-trap run through the heart of the John Glenn defense. Conner Shennan's extra point made it 14-6.

  Canton produced its second big play of the night with 4:22 left in the first quarter when quarterback Kevin Delapaz sprinted  83 yards to paydirt to make it 21-6.

  John Glenn shot itself in the foot on the ensuing kick-off when it fumbled the ball and Chief Sam Scott pounced on  it at the Rocket 39. Eleven plays later, Shennan split the uprights for a 22-yard field goal to make it 24-6 with 8:30 remaining in the first half.

  Junior running back Davion Stackhouse put his speed/power skills on display midway through the third quarter when he equal parts sliced and bulldozed through the Rockets' secondary like an out-of-control bowling ball to complete a 20-yard TD run to up Canton's bulging lead to 30-6. The extra point was botched.

  Canton put the game on ice with a pair of 1-yard runs in the fourth quarter: the first by Ron Gaudi with 9:42 to play and the second by Scott with 2:02 on the clock.

  Canton outgained John Glenn, 349-277, in total yards. Three-hundred-and-thirty of the Chiefs' yardage came on the ground.

  Delapaz led the Chiefs' ground game with 117 yards on 11 carries. His only completion in three attempts was to Boudreaux, who caught the ball on a third-and-15 play and dragged two Rockets past the first-down line.

  Payter picked up 69 yards on 10 carries while Stackhouse finished with 50 on nine, respectively.

  Langford was the most-productive Rocket, gaining 147 yards on 22 attempts.

  Canton won the time-of-possession battle, 29:04 to 18:56.

  Canton's defense, which has yielded just two touchdowns in four games, was led by Kevin Buford, Garrett Bryden, Jack Slater, Josh Nolan, Ryan Powell, Jake Underwood, Boudreaux, Matt Gunnis, Alex Dixon and Tyler Hult.

Ed Wright can be reached at [email protected] or (734) 453-1980.