The Canton Eagles got back on track Friday night with a 35-7 rout of their rival, the Mabank Panthers.

Following two straight 20-point losses and the daunting task of district play looming on the horizon, Friday against Mabank represented a chance to get back on track for the Eagles.

Canton’s offense, which has been rather stagnant for the past six quarters of play, shot awake in the early portion of Friday’s contest.

“We have four new starters on the offensive line and a total of eight new offensive starters this year, so there is still a learning curve that is to be expected,” Coach Heath Ragle said. “The offense was very disappointed in how we played against Caddo Mills, and they were excited to get out and show something Friday.”

Following a Mabank punt on the game’s opening drive, Canton flashed a dose of Chantson Prox at the Panthers, as the senior took a jet sweep for 16 yards, then reeled in a Nathan Parker pass, dragging defenders on his way to a 25-yard gain. With prime field position in the redzone, Kameron Shaw took a direct snap and bulldozed his way into the endzone for a five-yard score. Following a successful PAT by Nathan Goodson, Canton took a 7-0 lead in the early minutes of the first quarter.

The Eagles defense once again showed stinginess against the run, forcing another punt after another threeand- out by the Panthers.

Canton’s defense had been incredibly stingy against the run in their first three games of the season, and they needed their best effort Friday against Mabank’s ‘Slot-T’ offense. Mabank came into the game having attempted just nine passes on the season, and it was no secret that they would be running the ball almost exclusively.

“I thought the boys did a great job in our preparation for Mabank on the game plan,” Ragle noted. “They were disciplined and read their keys, and that was something we talked about all week. Mabank is really good offensively and that system, in particular, is tough to stop. We were physical up front and pursued with great effort.”

The Eagles did their best to give Mabank a taste of their own medicine on the next possession, firing off a methodical 9-play drive which featured zero downfield passes. Shaw capped off the march by pounding his way across the goal line from 12 yards away, marking his second score of the game and pushing Canton’s lead to 140.

As the game moved hastily into the second quarter of action, Mabank struck gold on a handoff to Cody Chapman, as Canton’s defense lapsed, allowing Chapman to drag Eagle defenders into the endzone for a 46-yard touchdown.

Canton went three-and-out on their next drive, setting up Mabank with good field position, but Canton’s front bounced back in a big way. Mabank’s rushing attempts were thwarted on a crucial third and fourth down, forcing a turnover on downs and bringing the first half to a close, with Canton leading 14-7.

Big stops on the drive were made by Canaan Eiland and Reed Vannorsdel, :

who Ragle praised after the game.

“Canaan and Reed made a lot of plays from the outside linebacker spot and tackled really well. They were huge for us,” he said.

The second half of play opened with yet another big defensive play for the Eagles, when Prox scooped up a Chapman fumble deep in Canton territory, likely saving a touchdown.

Canton then began a gutsy drive in which the offense showed some resilience. Early in the drive, Parker, who has flashed an impressive scrambling ability in recent weeks, was hit hard on the crown of his helmet at the end of a 10-yard pick-up. Mabank’s defender was flagged for a non-flagrant targeting penalty, but Parker was shaken up and was forced to miss the rest of the contest.

When asked about the severity, Ragle remained reserved.

“We’ll be cautious with Nathan this week,” he said on Monday.

Shaw took Parker’s place by taking the snaps, the Eagles’ offense didn’t miss a step. Shaw put a cap on the drive by running over a would-be tackler in rout to an Eagle touchdown.

Mabank was forced to punt again to end the third quarter, and Canton entered the fourth with possession and a commanding lead. With Parker out of the game, Shaw and Colin Campuzano traded handoffs, executing perhaps the most bruising drive of the night for either team. Shaw waltzed into the endzone on the eighth play of the drive, and Canton extended their lead to 28-7 early in the final quarter.

Canton’s final blow came in unfamiliar fashion with 2:37 remaining in the game, when Shaw dropped back to attempt a pass, which caught Mabank, and everyone in the stadium, off guard. He delivered a beautiful ball to Prox, who broke his initial tackler and proceeded to waltz, untouched, for a 91-yard touchdown.

From there, Mabank’s offense ran the clock out, putting a bow on Canton’s second win of the season.

Shaw finished the night with five total touchdowns, giving him 15 through Canton’s first four games. Prox had a big game in multiple facets, with one touchdown reception, one fumble recovery, and countless drive extending catches.

Looking ahead, Canton travels to Center this Friday to kick off play in District 8-4A, Division 2.

Center enters the meeting at 3-1, following a loss at North Desoto (LA), and wins against Tatum, Spring Hill, and Daingerfield.

Center, much like last year, projects to be an elite offensive team, with a defense that has some holes.

“Center can score some points. They are super athletic. Quarterback [Emonte Cross] and [Jamarion] Evans at wide receiver are elite athletes,” Ragle mentioned.

The Roughriders make their money through the air, so you can expect to see Prox and breakout sophomore Reed Vannorsdel on a peninsula all night for the Eagles.

“[Evans] will be the best receiver we have seen, and [Cross] will be the most elusive quarterback we have seen thus far,” Ragle said. “We will need to get some guys to the football to get [them] down. They are big up front, so we must be quick off the ball to try and gain an advantage there.”

Offensively for the Eagles, Shaw and Prox will hope to take advantage of a Center defense that has allowed an average of 40 points per game this season.

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday at Roughrider Stadium in Center. 95.1 FM KWJB will carry the broadcast, and it will

Above, Nathan Goodson sets to kickoff before Friday’s bout with Mabank. Left, Chantson Prox makes an acrobatic grab before Canton’s game against Mabank on Friday.