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Can Canton football grow and survive? They need more players, new head coach

In one game this fall, Canton had just seven healthy substitutes on the sideline and 18 players ready to play due to injuries and low numbers.

In one game this fall, Canton had just seven healthy substitutes on the sideline and 18 players ready to play due to injuries and low numbers.

CANTON – It was a sunny October afternoon. The sun was warm and leaves were turning crimson and yellow. At Canton High School’s new synthetic turf field, the Warrior football team was hosting Valley Regional/Old Lyme.

Several dozen fans cheered in the stands. As the Warriors battled on the field, there were just seven players dressed and ready to play on the sideline. On this afternoon, there were just 18 players dressed and available to play for the football team.

Over 50 years ago, Canton disbanded its varsity football team midseason in October 1964 because of a lack of players. Can the Warrior football program stay alive?

Craig DeAngelis, Canton’s athletic director, is optimistic and hopeful when it comes to the future of the football program. There are youngsters in the Warriors Youth Football program that he hopes will play next year. He is also exploring the option of hosting or participating in a co-op situation with another school.

“We’re trying to give opportunities to play football,” he said. “How that looks might change but I think it is important to make sure the kids of Canton have the opportunity to play football.”

Mike Guy, who has been coaching high school football since 1975, believes football can succeed in Canton.

“The numbers have got to go up,” Guy said. “It needs someone who is constantly here and constantly on top of it. Can it succeed? Yes. But there has be someone who is on it all the time.”

Guy won’t be that mentor. He declined to reapply for the head coaching job next year in Canton because he simply lives too far away in Salisbury.

Canton coach Mike Guy provides instruction during a game earlier this year.

Canton coach Mike Guy provides instruction during a game earlier this year.

Part of building a successful high school program today is building relationships with the players. Interacting with the athletes in school and other athletic events, coordinating off-season weight lifting and other summer activities such as 7-on-7 passing leagues or coordinating sessions at local football camps takes time.

Canton had just 25 players on its roster this season – the smallest since the sport was reinstated in 2006.  They had seven seniors on the team – one who came out at midseason – and four juniors. The rest were sophomores and freshmen.

For the second straight season, Canton went 0-10. They scored just 60 points – the second lowest in the state – and allowed a school-record 423 points.

“We played most of the season with two seniors,” Guy said. “(Braedon) Bean was hurt. (Quarterback) Alex (Higley) was hurt. We didn’t have those seniors around for leadership (on the field). It was a difficult season. They did as good as they could. They never gave up and kept fighting. We started seven or eight sophomores on defense. It was basically a (junior varsity) team.”

Higley, a quarterback and defensive back, missed five games after spraining his ankle when he ran into an equipment box during the Lewis Mills game. He was one of the few players with experience, who played on Canton’s 2014 Pequot Uncas Division championship squad.

“We had very little experience from last year and the fundamentals were terrible. We’ve been working on it,” Guy said.

DeAngelis said he would have welcomed Guy back if he wanted to stay.

“There is a right way to go 0-10 and a wrong way to go 0-10,” DeAngelis said. “We were 0-10 the right way this year. There wasn’t one day we went to the practice field and those guys weren’t getting coached up. We went to the locker room several times and (the players) were happy. They were talking football and goals.”

Guy’s staff included Dante Boffi, Charlie Batan and Sean Cole, who all coach other sports here in the school, and Josh Penn.

“He established structure,” DeAngelis said of Guy and his staff. “(The players) understood what was required of them. There was a great emphasis on offseason work, which was huge. They were teaching the basic fundamentals to everyone, not just a small group of kids.”

Even in games, the emphasis was on teaching. Canton frequently gave up big plays. Often, there was Guy on the sideline with an arm on a player’s shoulder going over the play, discussing what the player did and what he should have done.

Former Canton High head coach Mike Guy provides some guidance to QB XXXXX.

Former Canton High head coach Mike Guy provides some guidance to QB Dugan Lloyd.

“You can’t knock the kids,” Guy said. “They worked their butts off. They did everything we wanted them to do. I worked with some great coaches. We had some great support from the parents and Canton had some of the best facilities I’ve seen in my career.”

DeAngelis said a search for a new coach is underway. He has also been in contact with area schools to discuss the potential of a co-op team. He declined to share the schools he has been speaking with.

“A lot has to fall into place. The numbers have to be right and the location has to be right,” he said. “We are seeking other opportunities from a safety standpoint and an experience standpoint. It would be better for everyone involved.”

In 2010, Canton and Wolcott Tech in Torrington investigated the possibility of a co-op team but Canton had too many players in their program at that time.

Wolcott Tech just finished the first year of a co-op program with Housatonic and Wamogo in November. OWTS Athletic Director Ray Tanguay said the school was pleased with the arrangement and plans to continue it next year with Housatonic and Wamogo.

CIAC co-op rules for football allow a school to have up to 32 competitors in grades 9-12 or 25 athletes in grades 10-12.

Either way, DeAngelis said there will be football in Canton next fall.

Historically, low numbers have always been a challenge for the football program in Canton. When the Warriors had a football program from 1934-64, they didn’t have large teams but there was no soccer or cross country program at that time. Until the late 1950s, Canton was a regional school with students from Avon and Burlington attending.

The number of students and potential athletes began to drop once Avon built and opened its own high school in 1958 and Burlington teamed up with Harwinton and opened Lewis Mills in 1961.

Canton dropped its football program after three games in 1960. They resumed varsity play in 1963 but again dropped the program after four games in 1964 due to low numbers.

Varsity football returned in 2007 thanks to efforts of parents and the Friends of Canton football booster club. The group organized a club team in 2006 and that turned into a varsity team in 2007 that played 10 games on the road.

From 2007-11, Canton had one winning season until Paul Philippon was named coach. Philippon led the Warriors from 2012-14, winning 24 games in three seasons and leading Canton to the 2014 Pequot Uncas Division title and helping the Warriors earn the school’s first-ever berth in the Class S tournament.

The program had 37 players in 2012 when the Warriors went 7-3 under Philippon. A year later, it dipped to 34 players. In 2014, Canton had just 26 players on the roster including eight seniors.

Chris Currier took over in 2015 and had nearly 40 players to begin the season. By the end of the season, there were less than 30 players on the team. Some players left before the season was even complete.

This year, under Guy, the team added players at mid-season. They got better.

“We spent a lot of time on fundamentals and they responded in a positive manner,” Guy said. “I’m disappointed we couldn’t get a win for those guys.”

The Warriors regroup at halftime of a recent game at the high school.

The Warriors regroup at halftime of a recent game at the high school.

What is the future of football at Canton High School? It’s really up to the kids.

The opportunity is there for them to play. If they want to take advantage of the opportunity, they can. Football isn’t an easy sport. It requires a lot of hard work before one even steps on the field.

Or the students will vote with their feet, not participate and program will vanish into the pages of history.

Gerry deSimas, Jr., is the editor and founder of The Collinsville Press. He is an award-winning writer and has been covering sports in Connecticut and New England for more than 30 years.

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