MANDATA - Mike Carson wishes he knew a little more about Canton.
The Line Mountain head coach knows enough, however, to issue a warning to his team prior to tonight's District 4 Class A semifinal against the Warriors.
"They are really aggressive," Carson said. "They are always aggressive.
"We obviously hope to have the opportunity to play Southern Columbia again. And if we want to play Southern again, we have work to do this week. I told them to be prepared."
The Eagles (9-1) sustained their only loss this season in what was a much-anticipated Week 1 matchup with the perennial power Tigers. After that, they ran off nine consecutive victories including last week's 34-28 outcome over Pine Grove in what amounted to the Twin Valley Conference championship game.
The next step toward that possible rematch with Southern is tonight's semifinal against the 7-3 Warriors.
Canton is ground-oriented, spreading the ball among four backs while rushing for more than 2,000 yards as a team. Quarterback Ben Pepper, however, has also surpassed 1,000 yards through the air, including eight completions for touchdowns.
"Their offense is off tackle and sweep oriented," Carson said. "They get as many bodies to the point of attack as they can.
"They'll try to run it down your throat or around the edge. The passing game is, for the most part, play action."
Pepper, a 6-foot-1, 145-pound senior, is central to the Canton attack. In addition to his passing, he's rushed 90 times for 490 yards and seven touchdowns. Another senior, 5-9, 135-pound Jordan Campbell, is the Warriors' leading rusher with 698 yards and 12 touchdowns on 132 carries, while Scott Rockwell and Wes Moore have 591 yards and six scores and 369 yards and five touchdowns, respectively.
Moore is the leading receiver with 27 catches for 240 yards and one score.
The challenge for Canton will be keeping up on the scoreboard with an Eagles' offense that features the considerable talents of senior quarterback Marty Beninsky and senior halfback Kyle Troutman.
Beninsky has passed for 1,019 yards and 14 touchdowns, while rushing for 821 yards and 19 scores. Troutman, 86 yards from the school single-season rushing record, has carried 130 times for 1,615 yards and 24 touchdowns. He's also scored once on a kickoff return and once on a pass reception.
Canton's aggressive nature, Carson says, continues on the defensive side of the ball.
"They stack the box and play man in the secondary," Carson said. "They come after you."