Canton South Wildcats 2022 high school football preview
HEAD COACH: Matt Dennison, second year, 7-4
LAST YEAR: 7-4, 3-3 in the EBC
POSTSEASON: Division IV, Region 13
RETURNING LETTERMEN (16)
Tavon Castle - WR-DB - 6-1 - 195 - Jr.
Jayson Clark - OL-DL - 6-2 - 230 - Jr.
Jordan Fitzgibbon - WR-DB - 5-11 - 160 - Sr.
Ethan Fricke - RB-LB - 5-10 - 185 - Jr.
Aiden Geer - OL-DL - 5-8 - 220 - Jr.
Matt Guizar - OL-DL - 6-2 - 285 - Sr.
Jikai Holston - RB-LB - 5-9 - 175 - Sr.
Landon Karovic - H-LB - 5-10 - 180 - So.
Cory Noll - OL-DL - 6-1 - 205 - Sr.
Tyler Pugh - TE-DL - 6-0 - 180 - Jr.
Aaron Sims - RB-LB - 5-9 - 205 - Sr.
Poochie Snyder - QB-DB - 6-0 - 165 - Jr.
Deanthony Spear - OL-DL - 6-2 - 275 - Sr.
Matthew Stevens - TE-DL - 6-0, 200 - Sr.
Grant Treacher - OL-DL - 6-0 - 225 - Sr.
Xavier Williams - WR-DB - 6-3 - 165 - Sr.
IMPACT PLAYERS: Everybody knows Jack "Poochie" Snyder as he hits his third year at quarterback. In the 2021 regular season, he averaged 250 passing yards a game and amassed 35 TD passes against only five interceptions. Already he was accurate, fast and (certainly for a sophomore) polished. Now he is stronger, older and wiser, playing behind a line that includes returning starters Grant Treacher, Matt Guizar, Jayson Clark and Aiden Geer. … Snyder continually learns how to maximize his great speed and quickness. He averaged 6.4 yards on 45 runs last year. … Graduation claimed his top two targets, Akili Martin and Caleb Lott, as well as Tanner Pierce, a receiver-defender who made first-team All-EBC. … Tavon Castle, who caught five touchdown passes and averaged 15 yards a catch returns, returns as a 6-foot-1 senior. … Junior Ethan Fricke has a nose for the ball and is in his third year as a starting linebacker after leading the 2021 Wildcats in tackles.
WHAT'S NEW: South must replace the grit and muscle of two-way standout Tam Church, who scored 11 TDs as a ball carrier and was an anchor man on defense. The 2022 Wildcats aim to alternate senior Jikai Holston, Fricke and talented freshman Xion Culver as ball carriers. "All three can be threats," Coach Dennison said. "We're confident with Poochie. He can make all the throws. We think we are going to be much, much better running the football. I think you're going to see a team that can attack in a variety of different ways." … Dennison thinks a chemistry will emerge among capable wide receivers, and he likes the possibilities opened by the development of tight end Tyler Pugh. … Amidst switching from the EBC to the PAC-7, the Wildcats will play their first nine games against teams they did not face last year. The only returning foe is Northwest in Week 10 (this was not a league game in '21 when the Wildcats won 34-7 at Northwest in Game 3). … The opener is at St. Clairsville, which was on an 11-game win streak last year before losing in the fourth round of the playoffs. The home opener is against Columbus Eastmoor, Archie Griffin's alma mater. A longtime rival from yesteryear, Sandy Valley, comes back on the schedule in Week 3.
OUTLOOK: Dennison aims for stability and growth, and he knows the drill, coming from a family of program builders. He enters his second year at South after leaving New Philadelphia with the Quakers' all-time wins record. … "Last year was brand new to the kids, a new regime, a new philosophy, a new way of playing," Dennison said. "There was a big learning curve. The kids did a great job learning on the run. With a year in the offeseason, we have high expectations. Our kids have grown a lot. We've gotten a ton stronger. Our skill sets are much better. Our kids have really dedicated themselves to the program and to making themselves and the team better." … It will be interesting to see if Snyder can approach his 73.9% completion rate from 2021, when he went 193 of 261. He has some tall targets, including 6-3 senior Xavier Williams. … The team combines ability, experience and depth on both the offensive and defensive fronts. … South has had five winning seasons and five losing seasons in the last 10 years. The Wildcats seek a third straight winning season for the first time since 2008, which also was the last time South won a playoff game, beating Northwest in the first round. "Our goal is not just to get to the postseason, but win in the postseason," Dennison said. … Last year's team came close to a 9-1 regular season, with losses to Carrollton and Salem going to the wire. The only teams to beat South decisively were West Branch in Game 5 and eventual Division IV state runner-up Youngstown Ursuline in the playoffs. … West Branch and Salem aren't on the 2022 schedule, but they are in the same playoff region as South.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: 2022 Canton South High School football preview
