MOGADORE — Fresh off a big win over previously unbeaten Fairport Harding, the East Canton Hornets took on tradition-steeped Mogadore on Friday, Nov. 14 in the regional quarterfinals of the OHSAA Division VII football playoffs.
Head coach John “Spider” Miller’s Hornets six-game winning streak ended at the hands of the powerful Wildcats, who secured a place in the Region 25 championship game with a 47-14 win. Mogadore’s 40 first-half points helped put the game into a running clock throughout the second half.
Here’s how the game unfolded through our live updates from Mogadore.
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Final | Mogadore 47, East Canton 14
The Wildcats are moving on to the regional finals after their decisive win over the Hornets. The Wildcats are 11-1, while the Hornets end one of their most successful seasons at 10-3. Just a week ago, they handed Fairport Harding its first loss of the season, winning 46-26 on the road.
Mogadore’s opponent in the regional finals will be No. 1-seeded McDonald (12-0), a 40-13 winner over No. 4 Monroeville (9-3).
Mogadore football adds to lead early in fourth quarter
The Wildcats lead 47-7 with 8:44 left in the game after Jake Dasco’s 2-yard TD run.
Second half begins with running clock
East Canton opened with the ball and moved the ball a bit before turning it over one downs. With a running clock being used because of the 33-point Mogadore lead, only four minutes remain in the third.
Halftime | Mogadore 40, East Canton 7
East Canton will open the second half with the ball, but will trail by 33 points and there will be a running clock to begin the third quarter.
Mogadore football scores 40 in the first half
QB Maddox Smith scored on a 55-yard run to give the Wildcats a 40-7 with 15 seconds left in the first half. Smith faked a handoff to Conner Lehner before tucking the ball and running around the right side for the score.
East Canton football gets on the scoreboard
The Hornets cut their deficit to 33-7 when Owen McCroskey hit Aydan Stephens in the end zone with a 30-yard TD pass with 2:12 left in the half.
Mogadore football gets another Dylan Benedum touchdown
The Wildcats lead 33-0 with 6:45 left in the first half after Dylan Benedum scored on a 3-yard run to cap a quick 45-yard TD drive. Their scoring drive followed a three-and-out by the Hornets.
Mogadore football adds to lead with pick-six
East Canton fans have packed the visitors grandstand, but do not have much to cheer for yet. Mogadore just pushed the lead to 26-0 when Kade Thomas intercepted a downfield throw and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown with 11:14 left in the first half.
End of first quarter | Mogadore 19, East Canton 0
The Wildcats open the second quarter in command with a 19-point lead.
Mogadore football builds three-TD lead
Conner Lehner’s second TD run of the game has Mogadore in front 19-0 with 46 seconds left in the first quarter. Lehner scored on a 3-yard run to cap a 70-yard TD drive by the Wildcats.
Mogadore football adds to its lead
The Wildcats are up 12-0 with 6:13 left in the first quarter after Dylan Benedum scored on a 35-yard misdirection run play. On the play, the Wildcats faked giving the ball to Lehner, who headed left. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Benedum took the handoff instead and ran right for the TD.
Conner Lehner puts Mogadore on top early
Mogadore star Conner Lehner made his presence felt in a hurry. He returned the opening kick to Mogadore’s own 44, breaking several tackles along the way. He then broke more tackles on the first place from scrimmage and ran 56 yards up the gut for a touchdown. Mogadore missed the PAT and leads 6-0.
East Canton football wins pregame coin toss
The Hornets defer their choice until the second half after winning the coin toss.
East Canton has been Mogadore’s link to Stark County
Mogadore has a proud tradition but is a relative stranger to Stark County.
For a while, East Canton was Mogadore’s link to Stark County, facing the Wildcats in regular-season finales for eight straight years starting in 2005 – the Hornets’ only win was in 2008. Before that, East Canton lost at Mogadore in the first round of the 2003 playoffs, 40-33.
In the current decade, Mogadore is 4-0 against St. Thomas Aquinas in the regular season. The Wildcats beat Canton Central Catholic in the 2021 and 2022 playoffs, lost to the Crusaders in the 2023 and 2024 regular seasons, and beat Central Catholic 22-7 in Week 2 this season.
East Canton Hornets football scores, schedule
This article originally appeared on The Repository: OHSAA football playoff scores | East Canton vs. Mogadore recap, highlights
Reporting by Steve Doerschuk, Canton Repository / The Repository
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