Canyon Preserves 1st-Place Tie, 33-0

Canyon High’s 33-0 trouncing of Golden League opponent Quartz Hill on Friday night was a typical victory in the Cowboys’ rock ‘em, sock ‘em fashion.

There was plenty of ball-control offense, as Canyon rolled up 15 first downs and 293 yards rushing. There was control of the opposition’s running game, too, as the Cowboys’ defense held Rebel runners to 15 yards.

And there was plenty of Cowboy tailback Chris Peery up the middle--23 carries for 140 yards and 4 touchdowns.

But there were some things about Canyon’s win at Quartz Hill that weren’t so typical. Fullback Robert Leary gained 85 yards on 11 carries to balance the Cowboy attack. Canyon’s other fullback, Mike Lilly added 39 yards on 9 carries. And quarterback Rod Baltau threw a season-high 19 passes. Baltau completed only six for 97 yards, but several passes were dropped.

“We like to always be diversified,” Canyon Coach Harry Welch said. “Right now we’re far enough along into the season that our quarterback needs to throw more.”

Canyon (6-2, 3-0) might be running over its opposition, but the Cowboys are still not running away with the league title. Canyon is in a first-place tie with Palmdale, which defeated Antelope Valley, 14-12, Friday night at Palmdale. Canyon plays host to Antelope Valley next week.

The Cowboys should be happy about their place in the league standings, considering many people believed they would finish in third place or lower. But Welch was less than pleased with his team’s performance.

“I told the team that I thought that this was one of the worst games we played all year,” Welch said. “We just didn’t have the intensity, the fire.”

Said Peery, a 6-1, 200-pound sophomore: “We did make a lot of mistakes.”

Peery, however, is pleased to have some of the rushing load taken off his shoulder pads.

“I don’t get as tired,” he said, “and it lets the other guys get a chance. It’s all the blocking, really.”

Said Leary: “It’s nice.”

Canyon rolled up 247 yards and 11 first downs in the first half. Three times the Cowboys drove convincingly down the field for touchdowns.

Peery ran four yards for the game’s first score late in the first quarter. The play capped an 11-play, 69-yard drive in which Peery accounted for 45 yards on 5 carries.

Peery ran seven yards on a pitchout for Canyon’s second touchdown in the second quarter. The Cowboys began the drive on their own 28 and quickly made three consecutive first downs. Baltau threw 21 yards to Jason Stanley to move the chains and later ran 22 yards on a keeper.

The Rebels (4-4, 0-3) suffered from their own razzle-dazzle on their next series, resulting in a Canyon safety. Quarterback Marty Washington handed the ball to tailback Ron Coleman and Coleman tossed the ball back to Washington. Before Washington could get a pass off, however, he was sacked in the end zone by defensive tackle Tom Curran.

Canyon marched 63 yards on eight plays for another touchdown with 1:12 left in the half. Peery scored on a two-yard blast to culminate the drive.

Quartz Hill, which had 109 yards passing in the first half, threatened to score with seconds left in the half. Washington hit Coleman with a swing pass, but the drive died when Coleman was stopped at the two-yard line as time expired.

Tom Gahry booted a 35-yard field goal late in the third quarter and Peery bolted 11 yards for his fourth touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Stanley caught five passes for 81 yards. Baltau rushed for 29 yards on 7 carries.

Under heavy pressure all evening, Washington completed 16 of 37 passes for 185 yards.