By Ernie W. Webb III
Madison had a great 2019 season, but a 46-6 loss to eventual champion Canton-Galva in sub-state left a sour taste in the Bulldogs’ mouth. A year later, Madison tasted sweet revenge with a mild upset of the top-ranked Eagles on Friday night.
Madison, which improved to 11-0 and advanced to the semifinal round for the 13th time in school history, capitalized on six turnovers, recovered an onside kick and scored on a kickoff return during a 34-24 win at Canton-Galva. The Bulldogs (11-0) will host Little River (9-2) next Friday.
“I’ve reminded our guys weekly to go back and remember what it felt like walking off the field losing to Canton-Galva last year in sub-state,” said Madison coach Alex McMillian. “It’s fueled us ever since then. Our motto this year has been unfinished business, and we knew it would go through Canton-Galva again. This win means a lot to all of us. But we can’t be content … still a lot of football to be played.”
In ending the Eagles’ 23-game winning streak, the Bulldogs recovered from an eight-minute stretch in the first and second quarter that included a turnover on downs at their own 33, failing to recover an onside kick and missing a field goal. Early in the second period, Madison trailed 18-6 and appeared headed for a similar loss to last year’s semifinal.
But the game turned on a defensive play, as defensive end Drew Stutesman picked off a bubble pass at the 32 and rumbled into the end zone, cutting the deficit to 18-12.
The Bulldogs thwarted Canton-Galva’s next two drives when Ryan Wolgram intercepted a pass on the first and the defense forced a three-and-out on the second. After the latter, Madison took advantage of a short field, marching 35 yards in five plays to tie the score at 18 on quarterback Casey Helm’s 4-yard run on a keeper. The Bulldogs took the lead when Wolgram connected with Hunter Engle on a halfback pass with 1:32 remaining in the first half.
“Our defense played outstanding,” McMillian said. “We really keyed on their alignment, formations and tendencies. Our guys watched a ton of film and knew what was coming at the them.”
The Eagles (10-1) countered immediately, driving 62 yards on four plays, needing only 43 seconds to regain the lead at 24-20. Canton-Galva relied on all-state receiver Tyson Struber, who caught three passes 47 yards on the series, including a 19-yard scoring strike from Garrett Maltbie with 42 seconds left in the second frame.
Madison caught Canton-Galva off-guard with an onside kick to open the second half, and the ball ricocheted off an up man. The Bulldogs recovered at the Eagles’ 39 and scored three plays later when Bryson Turner sprinted toward the sideline and cut back to the right before breaking a tackle and scampering 32 yards for the go-ahead touchdown at 26-24 53 seconds into the half.
Canton-Galva responded with a long drive deep into Madison territory and had a second down inside the 10. But Maltbie fumbled while running up the middle, and the Bulldogs recovered at the 1-yard line.
Neither team mustered much offense the rest of the third quarter. The game-breaking play came early in the fourth quarter when Madison intercepted Maltbie for the third time and return it to the Eagles’ 13. Engle bowled into the end zone from the 1, giving the Bulldogs a 32-24 edge with 6:30 remaining. When Wolgram scored on the conversion, Madison had a two-possession lead at 34-24.
“Coach (Brett) Dannels had an awesome game plan, and Coach (Dustin) Stutesman made some great halftime adjustments,” McMillian said about his coordinators. “All the credit goes to them for putting our guys in a position to be successful.”
Canton-Galva fumbled on first play of its next possession, and Madison ran more than five minutes off the clock before turning the ball over on downs with 1:01 left. The Bulldogs picked off their fourth pass of the night in the closing seconds to clinch their spot in sub-state.
“We made plays when we needed and chewed up a lot of clock late in the game to secure the win,” McMillian said. “The two-point conversions were huge. We held them on all of theirs. And we made just enough to make it a two-possession game.”
Madison got off to a great start, as Turner took the opening kickoff and raced 70 yards for a 6-0 lead 12 seconds into the game.
Turner led the Bulldogs with 44 yards rushing, while Engle had 42. Helm completed 11 of 17 passes for 66 yards. Madison won despite rushing for 112 yards on 44 carries and finishing with 178 total yards.
“We definitely struggled offensively, and that’s a credit to Canton-Galva’s solid defense,” McMillian said. “I thought we did a nice job of playing field position and giving us short fields. I was very impressed with our physicality throughout the game.”
Maltbie, just a sophomore, completed 12 of 26 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 66 yards on 15 carries. Struber had 112 yards and two scores on seven catches, while Brayden Collins had 47 yards on eight rushes. Canton-Galva had 274 yards.
“It was an unbelievable game,” McMillian said. “I’m extremely proud of how hard we played and the sportsmanship between two great football teams.”
MADISON 34, CANTON-GALVA 24
Madison 6 14 6 8 — 34
Canton-Galva 18 6 0 0 — 24
First Quarter
Madison – Bryson Turner 70 kickoff return (Run failed)
Canton-Galva – Tyson Struber 30 pass from Garrett Maltbie (Pass failed)
Canton-Galva – Brayden Collins 6 pass from Maltbie (Run failed)
Canton-Galva – Collins 26 run (Pass failed)
Second Quarter
Madison – Drew Stutesman 32 interception return (Run failed)
Madison – Casey Helm 4 run (Hunter Engle pass from Ryan Wolgram)
Canton-Galva – Struber 19 pass from Maltbie (Pass failed)
Third Quarter
Madison – Turner 32 run (Run failed)
Fourth Quarter
Madison – Engle 1 run (Wolgram run)
TEAM STATISTICS
Team Madison Canton-Galva
Rushes-Yds 44-112 27-124
Passing Yds 66 150
Passing 11-17-0 12-26-4
Total Yds 178 274
Fumbles-Lost 5-1 5-3
Penalties 8-50 2-10
Punts 6-29.7 5-33.2
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Madison – Turner 9-44, Engle 13-42, Wolgram 5-21, Brome Rayburn 4-7, Helm 13-(-2). Canton-Galva – Maltbie 15-66, Collins 8-47, Struber 3-9, Brandon Huff 1-2.
RECEIVING: Madison – Rayburn 4-18, Stutesman 2-17, Chase Harrison 2-13, Turner 2-7, Engle 1-12. Canton-Galva – Struber 7-112, Collins 2-12, Huff 1-18, Tyler Rummel 1-8.
PASSING: Madison – Helm 11-17-0 66. Canton-Galva – Maltbie 12-26-4 150.