by Jared Wiker
jwiker@myweeklysentinel.com
CANTON — The Canton Warrior football team loses seniors every year, but this year just seems different. This 2022 senior class includes 16 seniors who return to the team this season. Of the 16 returners, 14 have played football together for a really long time.
“When I saw them in youth I knew they were a good team,” said Junior High head coach Craig Route.
Route became Canton’s Junior High head coach in 2016, but he also has spent the majority of his years coaching at the Junior High level since he joined in 1994 as an assistant.
Route explained what he thinks is the seniors’ strongest skills, “The biggest thing about this group of kids is they’re unbelievable tacklers and that helps them because they’re defense is just so strong. Defensively they are very good, offensively they have multiple playmakers.”
jwiker@myweeklysentinel.com
CANTON — The Canton Warrior football team loses seniors every year, but this year just seems different. This 2022 senior class includes 16 seniors who return to the team this season. Of the 16 returners, 14 have played football together for a really long time.
“When I saw them in youth I knew they were a good team,” said Junior High head coach Craig Route.
Route became Canton’s Junior High head coach in 2016, but he also has spent the majority of his years coaching at the Junior High level since he joined in 1994 as an assistant.
Route explained what he thinks is the seniors’ strongest skills, “The biggest thing about this group of kids is they’re unbelievable tacklers and that helps them because they’re defense is just so strong. Defensively they are very good, offensively they have multiple playmakers.”
Route also gave some background about the group, “They lacked a little confidence against Troy until their seventh grade year when they upset a very good Troy team and since then they’ve just gotten better every year.”
Canton football head coach Tyler Sechrist saw the potential of the seniors early on, “I knew about them since they had success all the way up through. Junior High they did really well. They work hard and they’re competitive.”
Sechrist also knew what had to look forward to when he became head coach in 2016, “I’m pretty sure when they were younger they got the ball taken away from them at recess because they were too competitive and getting too physical. So that’s a good sign you have a competitive group.”
Whether it was having fun at recess, or making it all the way to the PIAA 1A Football Semifinals last season, the seniors’ attitudes don't change.
“They’re okay with just being part of the team,” said Sechrist. “No one has to be the star. Last year it was one guy has a big game, the next guy has it, and that’s the biggest thing. They’re selfless and they want the team to do well. They’re not worried about their own stats or if they get the glory. They’re just excited to be with the team.”
Senior Austin Allen has his goal for the 2022 season.
“I would love to win a state title,” said Allen. “That would be awesome and a great way to end the high school career.”
Allen also talked about how being so close last year motivates the team this year, “It hurt, but it showed us where we want to get to and helped us set some more goals.”
“Last year was a feeling I’ve never felt before with football,” said senior Bailey Ferguson when reflecting on his junior season.
“We just had that connection,” said Ferguson. “We never made it that far so we didn’t know how it was going to go but we kept winning and winning and winning and we kind of just took it one game at a time, one week at a time.”
Senior Riley Parker also reflected on last season, “It felt good making it as far as we did. We worked hard all the way up through and deserved to go as far as we did.”
Senior Gage Pepper echoed the positivity around last season.
“Last year was an amazing season, and one of the best in Canton’s history,” said Pepper. “It’s good to feel that you were part of one of the best Canton football teams.”
Although all of the seniors are proud of what they accomplished last season, they want to leave it in the past.
“But again it doesn’t mean anything this year,” said Ferguson when thinking of the upcoming 2022 season. “It’s over, it doesn’t matter.”
Sechrist explained what he has told the team since last season ended, “Last year is last year and we have a lot of pieces back but every year is different, so we want to focus on getting better.”
Sechrist also talked about this season, “We all have that goal at the end of the year of course to win that state championship and for Canton I don’t think there’s too many years where you can say that as a goal and that it could actually happen.”
The 2022 season hasn’t started yet, but the seniors are already realizing that this is it.
“The seniors especially know that this is it,” said Sechrist. “A few of them might go play college football, but I think it’s sinking in a little.”
“We have a good time pushing each other and it’s definitely going to upset us all when it comes to an end,” said Parker.
Sechrist also mentioned how he is able to use the seniors’ final season as motivation, “That’s a good motivator for seniors to not have any regrets. Just give their best and give everything they have to the team.”
Route talked about what he thinks Canton will miss the most about the 2022 class, “I think the excitement they bring to the game. Not just as players but as individuals there’s just an excitement they bring and I think it’s their love of the game. It shows on the field and it shows the people in the stands and the community.”
There is no doubt that these seniors helped change the culture of Canton football last season, and even before last season.
“We were pretty successful all the way up, so when we started having success in high school it was a good thing to show the younger kids and bring a new culture around Canton,” said Allen.
Senior Hayden Ward talked about what helped the seniors to make the change, “I think we all play for each other and we all like to win so we all do it for each other.”
“It takes a strong group of kids to come in as freshmen as they did and change the atmosphere and they were able to do that,” said Route when thinking of how the program has changed. “And now that they’re seniors on the practice field, their leadership is going to set the way not just for this year, but for years down the road.”
Training the younger kids is something that Pepper focuses on, “It’s all about keeping it going. Taking younger kids in and teaching them is really important for the younger generation keeping Canton football alive.”
Ward added what he has experienced as a player growing up in the football program, “It’s great to have a good team, but it’s also I think important as teammates you get along, and as a younger kid watching games and being around all the older kids when they were in the locker room and everything, I could tell sometimes they didn’t get along. From what I see on our teams and from what I know most of us get along really good, and most of us are good friends so I think that helps a lot.”
Sechrist gave his perspective, “As a coach when you have a group like this, the ability to have athletically and the football knowledge they have, the way they play together really makes us as coaches look good and better than we are just because it’s such a great group of kids.”
Expectations are high for the seniors and the entire Canton football team in 2022. Despite some pressure, Sechrist has confidence in his players, “I have no doubts that these seniors will lay it all on the line.”
Canton football head coach Tyler Sechrist saw the potential of the seniors early on, “I knew about them since they had success all the way up through. Junior High they did really well. They work hard and they’re competitive.”
Sechrist also knew what had to look forward to when he became head coach in 2016, “I’m pretty sure when they were younger they got the ball taken away from them at recess because they were too competitive and getting too physical. So that’s a good sign you have a competitive group.”
Whether it was having fun at recess, or making it all the way to the PIAA 1A Football Semifinals last season, the seniors’ attitudes don't change.
“They’re okay with just being part of the team,” said Sechrist. “No one has to be the star. Last year it was one guy has a big game, the next guy has it, and that’s the biggest thing. They’re selfless and they want the team to do well. They’re not worried about their own stats or if they get the glory. They’re just excited to be with the team.”
Senior Austin Allen has his goal for the 2022 season.
“I would love to win a state title,” said Allen. “That would be awesome and a great way to end the high school career.”
Allen also talked about how being so close last year motivates the team this year, “It hurt, but it showed us where we want to get to and helped us set some more goals.”
“Last year was a feeling I’ve never felt before with football,” said senior Bailey Ferguson when reflecting on his junior season.
“We just had that connection,” said Ferguson. “We never made it that far so we didn’t know how it was going to go but we kept winning and winning and winning and we kind of just took it one game at a time, one week at a time.”
Senior Riley Parker also reflected on last season, “It felt good making it as far as we did. We worked hard all the way up through and deserved to go as far as we did.”
Senior Gage Pepper echoed the positivity around last season.
“Last year was an amazing season, and one of the best in Canton’s history,” said Pepper. “It’s good to feel that you were part of one of the best Canton football teams.”
Although all of the seniors are proud of what they accomplished last season, they want to leave it in the past.
“But again it doesn’t mean anything this year,” said Ferguson when thinking of the upcoming 2022 season. “It’s over, it doesn’t matter.”
Sechrist explained what he has told the team since last season ended, “Last year is last year and we have a lot of pieces back but every year is different, so we want to focus on getting better.”
Sechrist also talked about this season, “We all have that goal at the end of the year of course to win that state championship and for Canton I don’t think there’s too many years where you can say that as a goal and that it could actually happen.”
The 2022 season hasn’t started yet, but the seniors are already realizing that this is it.
“The seniors especially know that this is it,” said Sechrist. “A few of them might go play college football, but I think it’s sinking in a little.”
“We have a good time pushing each other and it’s definitely going to upset us all when it comes to an end,” said Parker.
Sechrist also mentioned how he is able to use the seniors’ final season as motivation, “That’s a good motivator for seniors to not have any regrets. Just give their best and give everything they have to the team.”
Route talked about what he thinks Canton will miss the most about the 2022 class, “I think the excitement they bring to the game. Not just as players but as individuals there’s just an excitement they bring and I think it’s their love of the game. It shows on the field and it shows the people in the stands and the community.”
There is no doubt that these seniors helped change the culture of Canton football last season, and even before last season.
“We were pretty successful all the way up, so when we started having success in high school it was a good thing to show the younger kids and bring a new culture around Canton,” said Allen.
Senior Hayden Ward talked about what helped the seniors to make the change, “I think we all play for each other and we all like to win so we all do it for each other.”
“It takes a strong group of kids to come in as freshmen as they did and change the atmosphere and they were able to do that,” said Route when thinking of how the program has changed. “And now that they’re seniors on the practice field, their leadership is going to set the way not just for this year, but for years down the road.”
Training the younger kids is something that Pepper focuses on, “It’s all about keeping it going. Taking younger kids in and teaching them is really important for the younger generation keeping Canton football alive.”
Ward added what he has experienced as a player growing up in the football program, “It’s great to have a good team, but it’s also I think important as teammates you get along, and as a younger kid watching games and being around all the older kids when they were in the locker room and everything, I could tell sometimes they didn’t get along. From what I see on our teams and from what I know most of us get along really good, and most of us are good friends so I think that helps a lot.”
Sechrist gave his perspective, “As a coach when you have a group like this, the ability to have athletically and the football knowledge they have, the way they play together really makes us as coaches look good and better than we are just because it’s such a great group of kids.”
Expectations are high for the seniors and the entire Canton football team in 2022. Despite some pressure, Sechrist has confidence in his players, “I have no doubts that these seniors will lay it all on the line.”