Canadian Rocks Stratford

By Chris Doelle
- Tweet
- Pin It
Updated: September 24, 2017

Photos: Alan Hale Photography

Canadian Keeps Rolling with 40-7 Win Over Rival Stratford

Yet another rivalry game for Canadian in back-to-back weeks played out at historic Sam Bass Stadium in Stratford Friday night. Stratford ISD maintains one of the few remaining natural turf fields in the area for Class 2A and above schools and it was in great shape for the showdown between the Elks and the Wildcats. The numbers, as usual, got everyone excited for this year’s matchup. With both teams undefeated, the Elks offense averaged 64.5 PPG, the Wildcats 46.3.

Stratford’s defense had allowed only 6 points per game, Canadian 12.3. However, another defensive stat was glaringly out of proportion, the Elks had 4 sacks to Canadian’s 14. Once again, Canadian’s defense shone versus Stratford, coming short by only one big play by the Elks of another shutout.

Weather played its role as thundershowers slipped from the east to the north of Stratford during the first half and finally forced a delay due to lightning with 1:33 remaining in the second quarter. This set up the unusual schedule negotiated by the officials to allow the bands to perform their halftime shows, and then resume play with only a normal quarter break between the 2nd and 3rd periods.

The first quarter ended scoreless with the Elks still looking for a first down, which came late in the second. The Wildcats, on the other hand, got on track in the second quarter and scored 19 points before the weather delay at the 1:33 mark. They scored again quickly when play resumed after the out-of- sync halftime. That Wildcat scoring started with QB Casen Cavalier (13 rushes for 208 yds, 21 for 38, 238 yds, 0 INTs) finding a crease on an inside keeper that he took 66 yards to pay-dirt with a PAT by Edgar Salazar (4-for- 6 PATs) at the 11:22 mark. Then with 7:30 left in the second, Cavalier hit WR Kelton King (7 for 117 yds, 2 TDs) for a 5 yard TD pass (PAT failed) not only once, but again hit King for a 30 yard TD pass just before the weather delay a 1:33. The devastating second quarter for the Elks only ended after yet another score with 47 seconds left, a 15-yard TD pass from Cavalier to WR Mathew Lynch (6 for 48, 2 TDs).

The brightest moment and biggest play of the night for Stratford came with 2:57 left in the third quarter when QB Kade McBryde (3 for 14, 95 yds, 2 INTs) rolled right on a play action pass, but threw back to the left to hit RB Bronc Hodges on an isolated misdirection route. Wildcat DB Garrison McCook missed the tackle with the one-on-one coverage and Hodges took the pass 85 yards for the TD that prevented the Elks from being shutout in their own house.

The Elk celebration was short-lived however, when QB Cavalier answered the Hodges TD by running yet again for a 69 yard TD run on the first play of the following drive. The Canadian scoring finally ended with 9:20 left in the game when Cavalier found WR Matthew Lynch in the corner of the end zone, pulling down the catch over Elk DB Luden Romero and planting his feet firmly in-bounds for the TD.

Canadian held the Elks to only 7 first downs to the Wildcats 26. Matthew Lynch hauled in one INT from his DB position, while LB Caleb Martinez had a banner night leading the defense with 15 tackles and an INT of his own. Wildcat QB Casen Cavalier, by anyone’s standards, had the breakout game of his first season as a starter with the two 60-plus yard rushing TDs (209 yds total rushing) and 4 TD passes which totaled 447 all-purpose yards for the Junior play maker.

Next week Canadian will be open preparing to host the Vernon Lions for the Canadian High School Homecoming game on October 6. The Stratford Elks will travel to Littlefield to face yet another team which use Wildcats as their mascot.

Jerry Brunson for Lone Star Gridiron
@CHSWildcatNews

Stats provided Ron Shrader, CISD