Friday Night Highlights: Plymouth, Salem Win; Canton Falters

The Salem Rocks put the brakes on a four-game losing skid on Friday night, smothering the South Lyon East Cougars 42-7 in a homecoming victory, and the Plymouth Wildcats extended their unbeaten streak with a 42-14 win over Westland John Glenn.

But while the weather was wet for everyone, the Canton Chiefs couldn’t find steady footing. Their unbeaten season slipped from their grasp Friday night in Livonia, where it wrested from them by the Churchill Chargers in a tight 27-26 loss.

“They played us tough,” said Tim Baechler, Canton’s head coach. “They definitely made it sticky for us. We didn’t get a lot of the plays tonight that we are accustomed to.”

Baechler cited sloppy play – which was to some degree a result of the weather – as the team’s undoing, saying that missed tackles, dropped balls and a fumbled snap late in the game prevented them from putting together any offensive momentum.

Despite having their winning streak snapped the week prior to their matchup with rival Plymouth, Baechler said that “sometimes it’s good to get humbled.” The loss drops Canton to 5-1.

The Wildcats, who improved to 6-0 with their win over the Rockets, will get a chance next Friday to put even more distance between themselves and the Chiefs. The two teams were side-by-side at the top of the Kensington Lakes South league heading into this week. But they will meet on the Wildcats' turf next week, which will be homecoming for Plymouth.

Salem, meanwhile, will look to build on its strong performance against South Lyon East and continue its climb in the Kensington Lakes Central. With the win over the Cougars, Salem moved up from last place to fourth (in a tie with Livonia Stevenson, who fell to 2-4 with a loss to Northville). The Cougars dropped into the sixth spot, with a record of 1-5.

“It’s a good team win, definitely,” said Kurt Britnell, Salem head coach, who praised the team’s running game against the Cougars, which accounted for 379 yards on 34 plays. “We just pounded the ball," he said.

He also cited the Rocks' clock control, and the play of junior quarterback Jacob Deprez, who threw for two touchdowns on the night, after returning from a two-game lay-off due to a shoulder injury. Sophomore junior varsity call-up Justin Sebowski, who took the ball while Deprez was sidelined, was slotted in at linebacker on Friday night, where he further impressed Britnell with a timely interception.

“He’s a really good football player,” said Britnell. “He’s got a really good nose for the ball, and he’s not afraid to hit.”

The Rocks will be at home next week against Livonia Stevenson, with a chance to claim sole possession of fourth place in the league standings.