Sports

The 8th grade A team swept the rival Van Lady Vandals in the final game of the season last weekend, capping the first district title for the program since the junior high volleyball program was instituted in 2004.

Both games of the match were competitive, with the Eaglettes pulling out a 26-24, 25-20 win over Van.

The first game was very close as both teams allowed very few consecutive serves before breaking the other team. Meagan Fyfe was the top server in game one with four points. 

In game two, the Eaglettes gained control from the beginning with five unanswered serves from Sara Mefford.

Coach Julie Neff stated, “The game was just a great example of teamwork and hustle.  I was extremely proud of each player.”

The win over Van helps the Eaglettes to a 6-2 record overall in district play, as well as a District 14-4A Championship.

The Canton Eagles celebrated Senior Night at Norris Birdwell Stadium on Friday night, hosting the Bullard Panthers with a chance to claim the second seed overall in District 5-4A play. Unfortunately for Canton fans, Bullard started strong and held tough defensively to take sole possession of second place with a 34-14 win over the Eagles.

Turnovers were a huge factor in the contest, with five Canton drives ending early as a result of either an interception or fumble.

Hunter Moore finished as Canton’s leading passer in the contest, completing 12/33 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns. Jordan Jackson added 16 carries for 49 yards on the ground and Logan Nace led all Eagle receivers with 4 catches for 45 yards and a touchdown.

The loss dropped Canton to 5-5 overall, including 3-2 in District 5-4A play. The Eagles will now play Gladewater, which also finished its season with a 5-5 record overall (including 4-1 in district play).

The Canton Eagles scored 27 unanswered second-half points and halted the Rains Wildcat’s two-game winning streak with a 27-16 win over the Wildcats on Friday night, October 30, at Wildcat Stadium.

The game was a tale of two halves with the Wildcats taking advantage of a steady downpour to jump out to a 16-0 advantage. Just before the end of the halftime intermission, the rain ceased allowing Canton’s passing attack to gain traction which lead to their 27 second-half points.

The Wildcats survived losing a fumble on the opening kickoff after forcing Canton to give up the football on four downs. The Wildcats then drove 76 yards on five plays capping the drive with a 24-yard run by Austin Nelson. Ryan Ratliff ran in the 2-point conversion for an 8-0 Wildcat lead.

Two of the top 4A volleyball teams in the state of Texas, the Canton Eaglettes and Emory Rains Lady Cats, added another thrilling chapter to what has steadily become one of the premiere matchups in all of East Texas sports.

Canton, ranked 13^th in the latest Texas Girls Coaches Association 4A State Poll, and Emory Rains, ranked 26^th, split their first two meetings in district play.

On Sept. 22 in Emory, the Lady Cats raced out to an early lead only to see Canton come back to force a decisive fifth set. Rains managed to weather the Eaglette challenge, pulling out a 29-27, 25-22, 17-25, 23-25, 15-13 win.

Canton bounced back from their heartbreaking defeat to upend Emory Rains in the second meeting by defending their home court with a 25-21, 24-26, 25-16, 25-13 win.

The CJH volleyball teams traveled to Brownsboro Oct. 19 to play Brownsboro.

The 7th grade B team won with ease: 25-11, 25-14. Hannah Walker led the team with eleven consecutive serves in the first game, and Natali Sweat finished game two with eight consecutive serves. 

The 8th grade B team continued the trend by defeating the Bearettes 25-12, 25-13. Josie Petree was the top server in the game with ten consecutive points. Macie Chitty contributed five serves.

The 7th grade A team was led to victory by top server Audrey Thelen, who scored six consecutive points. Carly Autry served four unanswered points as well. The Eaglettes finished with a 25-13, 25-23 win.

The competition was a bit tougher in the 8th grade A game, but the Eaglettes held on for the win, 22-25, 25-21, 26-24. Missed serves contributed to the loss in game one, but Ashley Riffe led the team with eight unanswered serves, and Olivia Norrell contributed five serves in game two. 

Top Left: The Canton Junior High boys cross country team competed against teams from Brownsboro, Van, Wills Point and Emory Rains at the District Meet Oct. 19. Team members included Colby Chastain, Daniel Bartley, Nash Heddin, John Vogt, Spencer Logan, Victor Ruiz and Philip White. 

Bottom Right: The Canton Junior High Eaglette cross country team finished their season as district champions Oct. 19. Team members include Darby Pruitt, who finished also finished as the individual district champion, Claire Boyd, Olivia Norrell, Kaitlyn Crudgington, Emma Brey, Haylee Terry, Shelby Wycough, Ellie Fabri, Tori Huggins and Sarah Horton.

The Canton Eaglettes recorded two more wins in district play over the past week, keeping hope alive for a third showdown with rival Emory Rains since the start of district play for a match to determine this year’s District 14-4A Volleyball Championship.  

The Eaglettes eased their way past Wills Point in straight sets Oct. 20, and topped Brownsboro on the road Oct. 23 to improve to 6-1 overall in district play.

Emory Rains, already finished with both rounds of their district play schedule as of press time, currently holds the top seed overall in District 14-4A play with a 7-1 record.

With a win over Van Oct. 27 on Senior Night, the Eaglettes would join the Lady Cats atop the standings with identical 7-1 records, setting up a yet to be scheduled match either Oct. 30 or 31 to finalize the seeding.

The Canton Running Eagles competed at the Regional Cross Country Meet in Grand Prairie Oct. 26.

Karen James qualified for the state competition by finishing 13th overall in a time of 12:40. Coach Marta Morgan stated, "We are all so proud of Karen.  She set a goal to make it to state and achieved that goal." 

The girls team finished 8th overall out of 22 teams and 166 runners. Juliana Bratcher was 36th in 13:16, Hannah Manry 42nd in 13:28, Taylor Marshall 76th in 14:14, Lindsey Lamar 79th in 14:17, Morgan Palmer in 14:28 and Olivia Boyd 15:19. 

The boys team finished 11th overall out of 22 teams and 167 runners.  Matthew Hook led the way with a finish of 17:56 and 44th place. Cordale Harrison 18:10, Juan Ruiz 18:31, Christian Bourquin 18:45, Andrew Hamel 18:52, Jonathan Bourquin 18:53 and Fernando Lopez 20:33. 

"I'm so extremely proud of all these young athletes," said Morgan. "They have worked so hard this season." 

A long road trip, two lightning delays and the Melissa Cardinals proved to be no match for the red hot Canton Eagles on Friday night with the offense storming out of the gate to seize an early lead and the defense delivering a solid effort in a 33-14 Canton win that wasn’t nearly as close as the final score would indicate.

Canton started the game on offense and, in a sign of things to come, took the first play from scrimmage to the end zone. Jordan Jackson, who finished with 258 yards and two scores on 27 carries, raced through the Cardinal defense for an 83-yard touchdown to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead just 19 seconds into the game.

Defensively, the Eagles got off to just as good a start as their offensive counterparts with Mason Baugh recovering a Cardinal fumble just three plays later to give Canton the ball back at the Melissa 39-yard line.