Canyon proves it can still win the big one

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

It seemed like everyone was doubting whether Canyon could pull off a victory over a big-time opponent. Heck, even I had my doubts.

But after seeing them play in what RB Jordan Ferguson described as their ‘first real game of the year,’ it looks like ‘Cowboys football’ is back after their 17-14 triumph over Crespi, ranked No. 5 by The Times, on Thursday night.

From start to finish, Canyon was the superior team on the field, playing a mistake-free brand of football that had been missing in its previous games this season. They also shut down a Crespi running game that ran circles around St. Bonaventure last week and capitalized on the Celts’ mistakes.

‘Bottomline is Canyon made fewer mistakes than we did,’ Crespi Coach Jeremiah Ross said.

Still, what impressed me the most after Ferguson’s gutsy 97-yard night was how well Canyon’s defense played. Linebackers Mike Spagnola, Brandon Reeves and Chris Duncan terrorized Crespi QB Bryan Bennett and RBs Austin Shanks and E.J. Woods. That’s really impressive, especially when you consider Bennett and Shanks did the same against St. Bonaventure just last week.

Sure, Bennett passed for more than 380 yards, but he constantly ran into fourth-down roadblocks he couldn’t convert against. Only a sophomore, Bennett isn’t quite ready to shoulder the entire Crespi offensive effort just yet. Canyon, more often than not, forced the Celts to throw the ball with varying effectiveness.

Without a doubt, the Cowboys proved tonight they still have a nice chunk of that Division I state bowl championship flair left in them. They just have to make sure it doesn’t get covered up by silly mistakes.

‘Words can’t describe how I feel right now,’ Ferguson said. ‘We showed all the doubters out there what we can do.’

- Austin Knoblauch