The Canton Eagles fell to 1-2 in the young 2022 season, following defeat at the hands of the Caddo Mills Foxes this past Friday, 31-13.

In a game where the final score appeared closer than how competitive the contest felt, Canton seemed to be out of sorts all night long.

Caddo Mills, coming off a last-second win at Bullard on Sept. 2, and facing some criticism across the area, put those critics to rest with a defensive clinic against the Eagles.

Canton’s most impressive offensive drive of the game came on the opening sequence, which saw Nathan Parker connect with Kameron Shaw for a 65-yard touchdown pass on the second play from scrimmage. With 14:37 left in the first quarter, Canton would stake claim to their only lead of the night.

Canton’s offense began to sputter, struggling to get across midfield and settling for numerous punts. This proved to be a trend that would continue throughout the game.

Caddo Mills’ offense wasn’t the powerhouse that the Eagles have seen in recent memory, but skill players such as Caden Lemmon, Adrian Baxter, and Brady Wasurick gave the Foxes just enough to chip away at the Eagles’ line of defense.

Lemmon found Wasurick on a short pitch-and-catch for a score, and after forcing a turnover late in the first quarter, Caddo Mills nailed a short field goal to claim the lead, 10-7.

Caddo Mills continued to assert their dominance into the second quarter of play, showing a two-quarterback set that confused the youthful Eagles front line. The Foxes, behind Baxter, executed two methodical drives that ended in touchdown scampers, and they headed into the locker room with a 24-7 lead.

Canton’s defense forced a stop on Caddo Mills’ first drive of the second half, providing Parker and the offense solid field position for one of the only times in the game.

Canton fed the ball to tailback Colin Campuzano, as he notched impressing runs of 31 and 20 yards en route to a score.

Campuzano, currently the backup to Shaw, showed immense promise in Canton’s Sept. 2 contest against Winnsboro, taking six handoffs for 51 yards on the ground. Fans should expect to see more of the speedster, as he seems to be earning more touches week by week.

“Colin was a kid that I felt really flew under the radar when I evaluated him this summer. He rotated in as a junior varsity receiver last year,” Coach Heath Ragle mentioned when asked about Campuzano. “He has worked hard in the weight room to get his body in a position to be able to carry the ball, embracing the switch to running back. I am excited to see him continue to grow there.”

The game began to move at a snail’s pace after Campuzano’s score, loitering along into the final quarter of action.

Baxter and Caddo Mills had one more long and methodical effort in them, as Baxter punched in a handoff for a oneyard score midway through the fourth quarter, increasing Caddo’s advantage further.

The game clock would slowly trickle away, and Canton was chased out of Caddo Mills with a 31-13 defeat on their record.

“We knew [coming in] that Caddo was really good on offense,” Ragle said. “They are undefeated for a reason and have played six playoff games in the last two years for a reason. They won the battle up front, so it was a tough night on offense. We must be able to do a better job up front to be able to consistently move the ball. I am confident the boys will continue to work and improve.”

Defensively, Ragle saw promise with how the Eagles youth handled the up-tempo Caddo offense, following last week’s defensive struggle against Winnsboro.

“I thought our defense played much better this week [than last] against another good offense. We played a lot of plays on defense again, [but I thought we] handled their tempo fairly well. We gained a lot of valuable experience on both sides of the ball that will help us get ready for district play next week.”

Focus now diverts to this Friday for Canton, where they will be hosting their long-time rival, the Mabank Panthers.

Mabank enters the contest sitting at 1-1 on the season, following two games against Canton’s future opponents of District 8-4A, Division 2.

In the opening game of the season, Mabank was shocked by the Bullard Panthers, 28-22, in a slugfest that saw Bullard quarterback Ayden Barrett toss for four touchdowns.

Following a BYE week on Labor Day weekend, the Panthers returned this past Friday with a thrilling 42-41 against the Brownsboro Bears.

In both games, Mabank relied heavily on its running

Reed Vannorsdel continues to make big plays on the defensive side of the ball for Canton.

Photo by Ethan Adams

After his 65-yard catch and score Friday, Kameron Shaw has nine total touchdowns in his first three games.

Photo by Ethan Adams game, similar to the ground and pound schemes that they have shown in the past.

“Coach Hudson has them in a perfect offense for their kids to succeed in. He has done a good job with those guys over there,” Ragle mentioned. “Brownsboro is a good win.”

Senior Jayden Rogers is the featured back in the system, although they will showcase a variety of runners, including fullback Cody Chapman.

“They have such a good back in Jayden Rogers. He is fast and tough to bring down. They also have a hardnosed fullback with Chapman,” said Ragle. “They are big up front on the offensive line, so we will have to do a good job on the defensive side to not get blown off the ball.”

Canton’s defense will likely turn back to their gameplan from week one against Mineola and their revered running game. The Eagles often showed a ‘contain scheme’ with their defensive ends, forcing the rusher down the seam, instead of on the outside. The Eagles front seven was then able to contain the runner and limit the home-run rushes.

Ragle and his defensive unit will hope to have the same success this Friday, as kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Norris Birdwell Stadium, in Canton. 95.1 FM KWJB will be broadcasting the game.

Chantson Prox celebrates after the Eagles’ defense forces a turnover in the first quarter of Friday’s loss.

Photo by Ethan Adams