Post by Canton Cougar Fan on May 10, 2008 5:45:55 GMT -5
www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=411657&Category=17&subCategoryID=0
Saturday, May 10, 2008
BY Jim Thomas
REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER
CANTON They cannot be a winning team. At 0-7 with seven games left, that is an impossibility.
That doesn't mean the Canton Legends cannot be a playoff team, Head Coach Bobby Olive said.
"Mathematically, we're still in it," Olive said. "We need Reading to beat Erie twice, which it could do. You don't want it to come down to having someone else lose; just ask the Cleveland Browns. That's where we're at, though.
"We've got to take care of our own business."
For Olive's Legends to have any chance of finishing in the top two of the North Division, they must win tonight on Buckeyes/Browns Night in a 7 p.m. kickoff at Memorial Civic Center. They host the second-place, 5-2 Reading Express, who two weeks ago dealt Canton a 36-7 defeat.
But a lot has changed since then for the Legends. The fans who come to tonight's game will see a team that more closely resembles the 2007 squad than the one that struggled to put double-digit points up earlier this season.
Olive returned as head coach in last week's 50-48, last-second loss at Erie. His return produced a change in personnel, which resulted in a much-improved offense.
There was 35-year-old Kevin Mason, not at quarterback, but sprinting downfield to log six catches for 86 yards and a touchdown. Scotty McMullen was under center, throwing five touchdowns, much like he had done in last year's conference final loss at Reading. Kicker Jon McClain was back after a game's absence, too.
Just like the clothing store commercial, Olive says you'll like what you see tonight from his offense. He guarantees it.
"On the offense, we fixed our problems," he said. "Kevin Mason did a tremendous job. He gave us a deep threat we had been missing. He brought a presence that players picked up on.
"James Hawkins, I was very pleased with him," Olive said of his first-year wide receiver who caught seven balls for 104 yards and three TDs against Erie. "He really stepped up. Tim Smith (5-52, TD), too.
"Now I've got Scotty back. You know how good he is? Last week was the first time he even threw a pass since the (conference) championship game. He comes in and throws five touchdowns. Think what he could've done if he'd have been here all season."
McMullen flipped some long touchdowns in his 2008 debut. He and Hawkins hooked up for 45- and 30-yarders, while Mason had a 30-yarder. That led to Legends' leads after the first three quarters.
The season-long bugaboo of not finishing games remained, however. Erie scored the winning points with 14 seconds left, then blocked a McClain field-goal try at the buzzer to preserve it.
"We left a W in Erie," Olive said. "That's been our problem all year. But I'm very fired up about this team. I like our young talent mixed in with some of our old talent."
Reach Repository sports writer Jim Thomas at (330) 580-8336 or e-mail: jim.thomas@cantonrep.com
Saturday, May 10, 2008
BY Jim Thomas
REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER
CANTON They cannot be a winning team. At 0-7 with seven games left, that is an impossibility.
That doesn't mean the Canton Legends cannot be a playoff team, Head Coach Bobby Olive said.
"Mathematically, we're still in it," Olive said. "We need Reading to beat Erie twice, which it could do. You don't want it to come down to having someone else lose; just ask the Cleveland Browns. That's where we're at, though.
"We've got to take care of our own business."
For Olive's Legends to have any chance of finishing in the top two of the North Division, they must win tonight on Buckeyes/Browns Night in a 7 p.m. kickoff at Memorial Civic Center. They host the second-place, 5-2 Reading Express, who two weeks ago dealt Canton a 36-7 defeat.
But a lot has changed since then for the Legends. The fans who come to tonight's game will see a team that more closely resembles the 2007 squad than the one that struggled to put double-digit points up earlier this season.
Olive returned as head coach in last week's 50-48, last-second loss at Erie. His return produced a change in personnel, which resulted in a much-improved offense.
There was 35-year-old Kevin Mason, not at quarterback, but sprinting downfield to log six catches for 86 yards and a touchdown. Scotty McMullen was under center, throwing five touchdowns, much like he had done in last year's conference final loss at Reading. Kicker Jon McClain was back after a game's absence, too.
Just like the clothing store commercial, Olive says you'll like what you see tonight from his offense. He guarantees it.
"On the offense, we fixed our problems," he said. "Kevin Mason did a tremendous job. He gave us a deep threat we had been missing. He brought a presence that players picked up on.
"James Hawkins, I was very pleased with him," Olive said of his first-year wide receiver who caught seven balls for 104 yards and three TDs against Erie. "He really stepped up. Tim Smith (5-52, TD), too.
"Now I've got Scotty back. You know how good he is? Last week was the first time he even threw a pass since the (conference) championship game. He comes in and throws five touchdowns. Think what he could've done if he'd have been here all season."
McMullen flipped some long touchdowns in his 2008 debut. He and Hawkins hooked up for 45- and 30-yarders, while Mason had a 30-yarder. That led to Legends' leads after the first three quarters.
The season-long bugaboo of not finishing games remained, however. Erie scored the winning points with 14 seconds left, then blocked a McClain field-goal try at the buzzer to preserve it.
"We left a W in Erie," Olive said. "That's been our problem all year. But I'm very fired up about this team. I like our young talent mixed in with some of our old talent."
Reach Repository sports writer Jim Thomas at (330) 580-8336 or e-mail: jim.thomas@cantonrep.com