JAMIE COOK
Republished with permission of the Oakland Press
November 11, 2004
CANTON - Many years from now, Kevin Cislo will be able to look back fully on the great things he did against Canton.
For the time being, the Novi senior will have a hard time remembering all the big plays he made in Friday's game.
Cislo threw for one score, ran for two more and made a pair of huge defensive plays as Novi stunned the previously unbeaten Chiefs, 20-0, in a Division 1, District 2 final.
"I just do what the coaches ask me to," said Cislo, who also had an
interception and a fumble recovery from his safety position and
finished with 94 yards rushing. "This was a great team effort all
around. We pulled off what nobody thought we'd be able to."
The Wildcats will face league rival South Lyon in the first round of the regional playoffs next week.
Novi (9-2) stuffed a Canton offense that had rolled through opposing
defense all season long. The Wildcats weren't fooled by the confusing
full-house "T" offense that the Chiefs run, allowing just 235 total
yards and coming up with a pair of huge fourth down stops on the goal
line in the first half.
Cislo truly stood out, but he was astute in claiming the win was team
oriented. Fullback Rob Carter softened the defensive interior of
Canton, finishing with 89 yards rushing, and Chris Dalton made a
spectacular play on Novi's first score, adjusting to a underthrown pass
to haul in a 50-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
"We've got great football speed, and that pays off when we run," Novi head coach Tab Kellepourey said.
"The offensive line did a great job today."
Canton (10-1) almost exclusively runs the ball. The team's offense
twice had long drives in the first half, but came up empty near the end
zone both times.
On the first drive, a bobbled snap ended a fourth-and-goal chance from
the Novi 2. The second time around, Cislo held up running back Julian
Smith long enough to receive aid from teammate Josh Woods, who helped
deny Smith of the end zone on fourth down.
The play came just before the end of the first half.
"I had an arm on his jersey and was holding on for dear life," Cislo said. "Josh came over and really cleaned his clock."
In its past nine games, the Chiefs had not been challenged by an
opponent. The 14-0 deficit at the half loomed large, especially
considering Canton rarely passes and hasn't been in a comeback-type
situation.
Once it had the lead, Novi's defense did exactly what it was supposed
to against Canton's vaunted ground attack: Figure out who has the ball,
then gang-tackle.
The longest run of the day for the Chiefs was a 15-yard scamper by Chuck Schumacher.
"We moved the ball all night," Canton head coach Tim Baechler said. "We
could have had three touchdowns, but we didn't get them. We needed that
one before the half. It was really big."
One turnover also stood out. Novi was forced to punt on fourth down in
the first quarter, but a ferocious hit on Canton's return man jarred
the ball loose and - who else? - Cislo, this time the punter, recovered.
One play later, Cislo hit Dalton for the TD pass that made it 7-0. In
the second quarter, Cislo engineered a 12-play, 97-yard drive that
ended with his 13-yard scoring run with 6:15 remaining.
In the third quarter, Carter carried five times on a scoring drive that
culminated in Cislo's third score of the game - a 1-yard sneak up the
middle that effectively put the game out of reach.
Despite his football prowess, Cislo plans to play baseball on scholarship at the University of Michigan.
Kellepourey wishes the senior wasn't graduating.
"His attitude is always top-notch in everything he does," Kellepourey said.