Canton will host its first-ever athletic contest on its new multi-purpose turf field on Friday night when they host Lewis Mills at 6:30 p.m.

CANTON – There is plenty of excitement surrounding the first-ever night football game in Canton and the initial athletic contest on the new multi-purpose field at the high school.

Canton will host Lewis Mills (2-6) on Friday night at 6:30 p.m. on its new artificial turf field in the final home game of the season. Senior Night activities will begin at 6 p.m., recognizing the 11 seniors on this year’s football team.

Smoked pork sandwiches from Smoking Spokes restaurant and clam chowder from the Crown and Hammer restaurant in Collinsville be part of the food on sale along with the traditional hot dogs, hamburgers, cheeseburgers and chili dogs.

Friends of Canton Football, which funds the football and girls lacrosse program, will be paying for the rental of the lights and portable bleachers. They have secured a portable scoreboard from Ethel Walker School in Simsbury for the game.

Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students and senior citizens.

And let’s not forget about the game. Canton (5-3, 3-1 Pequot West) is facing Lewis Mills (2-6, 1-3 Pequot West) for the first time ever and the Warriors still have an outside shot and grabbing a spot in the CIAC’s Class S football tournament.

The top eight teams earn a spot in the playoffs and Canton is currently ranked 16th, so the Warriors will need a lot of help.

But any shot at the playoffs begins with winning games. Canton needs to capture their final three games beginning with Lewis Mills on Friday night. The Warriors close out the regular season at Enfield on Thursday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m., and at Granby on Thanksgiving morning at 10:30 a.m.

Canton began the season by winning four of its first five games. But the Warriors have lost two of their last three games. Three weeks ago, Gilbert/Northwestern’s Tony Ortiz ran for a career-high 297 yards in a 28-15 win over Canton.

Last week, Ellington/Somers took advantage of two Canton turnovers in the second half to earn a hard-fought 26-14 victory.

Dan Delos is Canton’s leading scorer with 12 rushing touchdowns in eight games. He is one touchdown shy of the single season record for rushing TDs (13), set by Kyle Mullins a year ago. Terrance Brophy has run for eight TDs.

Kicker Eddie Melton is 20-of-26 kicking extra points and has a field goal. Melton (23 points) has already kicked more extra points and has scored more points kicking than any other player in school history.

Quarterback Eric Scott has thrown eight TD passes, including three each to Keith Wilson and Jake Wood. Scott is two TD passes shy of the single season school record (10) set by Nick Delvecchio in 2007.

Lewis Mills has won two of its last three games but one was a forfeit win over Housatonic/Wamogo due to a lack of players. Mills beat Stafford/East Windsor two weeks ago with a 32-6 victory sparked by senior Max Stone with 111 yards rushing and three touchdowns.

Stone has been a catalyst for the Mills offense, rushing for nearly 500 yards this season. He ran for 97 yards in a 17-14 loss. Sophomore QB Lucas Lanning has thrown for over 500 yards and 8 touchdown passes.

Mills dropped a 40-30 decision to Sport Medicine Science Academy last week with Lanning completing 12-of-27 passes for a school record 264 yards and a four touchdown passes, also a new school record. Trevor Watts caught three passes for 110 yards and a touchdown.

Other Farmington Valley games this weekend

Manchester (5-4) at Farmington (8-1)
Friday, 7 p.m.
Series: Began 2009. Manchester leads, 1-0
Outlook: As Farmington continues to push for a potential spot in the Class L tournament, the Indians need to be wary of a Manchester team, a CCC Division I West squad that has played a tough schedule. Manchester has shown the ability to score with 68 points in a win over Conard and 36 points in a victory over New Britain. Farmington QB Jeremy Buck has completed 93-of-175 passes for 1,351 yards, 12 TD passes and 7 interceptions. Ivan Guadalupe (116-808, 8 TDs) is closing in on 1,000 yards rushing. Explosive receivers Kenny Jones (29-478, 3 TDs) and Anthony Carpenter (26-371, 3 TDs) are playing well. 

Middletown (8-1) at Simsbury (2-7)
Friday, 7 p.m.
Series: Began 1919. Simsbury leads, 3-1
Outlook: No. 11 Middletown dropped its first game of the season in a 23-21 loss to New London last week on a last-second field goal. The Blue Dragons committed 17 penalties and had three TDs called back. Led by QB Dario Highsmith, Middletown is an explosive team. Simsbury is looking to finish strong in its final home game of the season. RB Brad Helmkamp is close to breaking 1,000 yards rushing on the year. He has 947 yards and 7 TDs through nine games. Simsbury will close out the season on Saturday, Nov. 23 at Glastonbury under the lights, 7 p.m. … Simsbury won the most recent meeting in 2009 with a 45-14 decision. Middletown’s win came in 1919. 

Cromwell (4-4) at Avon (6-3)
Saturday, 1 p.m.
Series: Began 2008. Series tied 1-1
Outlook: The Falcons will play their final home game of the year against Cromwell, which has lost three straight games. Valley Regional/Old Lyme dominated in a 49-2 decision a week ago but Cromwell dropped a 20-7 game to Enfield and was upset by Sport Medicine Science Academy, 36-19. In the first six games of the season, Cromwell sophomore QB Mavric Pelletier threw for over 1,200 yards with 8 TD passes. For Avon, Jimmy Murphy has rushed for 19 TDs this season while Hahn had thrown 19 TD passes. Dylan Marquis has caught 7 TD passes while Justin Reichler has pulled in six TD receptions. 

Avon’s last game against Cromwell was in 2009 and it was one of the most exciting games in school history. The Panthers were the defending Class S champions and Avon scored two touchdowns in the final 1:15 for a 37-31 victory. The game-winning score came with no time left on the clock, a 57-yard run from Ross McDonald (26-208, 3 TDs). Avon never led until the final gun. 

Housatonic/Wamogo (0-9) at Granby (4-5)
Game cancelled
Series: Began 2010. Tied 2-2
Outlook: Granby (4-5) picked up its fourth win of the season after the Mountaineers forfeited a game for the third straight week. Housatonic/Wamogo is running short of players due to injuries. Housatonic makes decisions each week and hopes to play its season-ending Thanksgiving game against Gilbert/Northwestern. Granby QB Curtis Field has completed 93-of-186 passes for nine touchdowns, 8 interceptions and 1,306 yards. The Bears’ leading receiver is Ian Downey (38-628, 6 TDs).