By Vito Chirco, Special to Detroitsports.org
Dearborn Fordson QB Hamze Elzayat and his multitude of offensive weapons proved to be too much to contain for Canton in the second half, allowing the Tractors to come out on top, 40-35, in the Friday nightcap at the Detroit Sports Commission Prep Kickoff Classic.
Canton senior running back Markus Sanders did all he could in the losing effort, accumulating 216 rushing yards and one touchdown.
Sanders took it 80 yards to the house on the first play of the opening Canton drive, giving the Chiefs the early 7-0 lead. The Chiefs tacked onto the lead on their second drive of the game when sophomore RB Steven Walker took it to the house from 21 yards out at the end of the first quarter. The Walker TD was set up by a 25-yard pickup through the air on the previous play from junior tight end Lou Baechler.
The game remained 14-0 until senior Brennon Pelland caught a 70-yard TD pass with 6:40 remaining in the first half.
Fordson didn't pack their bags and go home, though. Instead, it fought back and made it a must-see game.
The comeback started when Elzayat gained 18 yards on a QB keeper with about four and a half minutes in the half. He then threw it downfield to senior wideout Jamiel Abdellatif for a long completion, which was followed by a Fordson timeout with 1:59 in the half and the ball on the three for 2nd & goal. The long completion by Abdellatif beautifully set up junior Ahmed Sabbagh for a three-yard score on the ground.
Canton scored once more before halftime when senior QB Jake O'Donnell threw a five-yard TD pass to junior Colin Troup.
In the second half, however, the pendulum swung, as it became all about the Tractors' offensive attack.
And things began falling apart for Canton right away, as on the first play of the half, O'Donnell threw a pick to junior Fordson defensive back Slay Shajrah.
After the Canton turnover, Elzayat started showing why he deserved the Legacy Football Most Outstanding Player award. He ran into the endzone from 39 yards out for the first score of the half. And he didn't stop there.
On the Tractors' second drive of the half, they went for it on 4th & 16, and not only converted but also scored a TD via a throw from Elzayat to junior Basel Musaed.
O'Donnell followed up the Tractors score with his second mistake of the game, another INT to Shajrah. The Tractors took advantage of the turnover, too. They scored on a QB option with 11.1 seconds to go in the third quarter to make it a two-point game, 28-26, after a failed two-point conversion.
The Tractors then proceeded to seemingly complete their comeback attempt when Musaed scored on a 40-yard TD pass, which was followed by a successful two-point conversion from Elzayat. The Tractors had taken over the lead, 34-28, with 7:21 remaining. However, the game still was far from over.
It's because on Canton's fifth drive of the second half, senior Julian Thornton recorded a 27-yard TD to give back the lead to the Chiefs, 35-34. But that score ended up being only the lead-in to the main act of the night -- a 59-yard TD throw from Elzayat to Shajrah with 1:07 in the game.
"It was a really big victory," Elzayat said. "We had to set a statement. We came out and played hard, and set that statement."
In one of the best performances you'll ever see in a losing effort, Sanders received the Legacy Football MOP for the Chiefs.
Game Notes
- Canton beat Dearborn Fordson in last year's PKC, 42-25.
- Fordson QB Hamze Elzayat was the Most Outstanding Player for the Tractors last year, too.
- Canton RB Markus Sanders had 135 yards and one TD on nine carries after one half of football.
