Correspondent Photo/Lowell Spencer Salem running back Brandon Cana, 26, overcame contact to win Friday’s game against Minerva.
SALEM – The Salem Quakers football team needed something positive to happen after three consecutive weeks of heartbreaking last-minute losses. They got just that and more with a commanding 55-0 victory over the Minerva Lions.
“This past week hasn’t been about Minerva,” Quakers head coach Ron Johnson said. “We knew roughly what they were doing. But it was all about us. It was us against them, not us against them. I set some goals and objectives this week, and I achieved them.”
The Quakers, who improved to 2-5 on the season and 1-1 in the Eastern Buckeye Conference, controlled the game from the opening kickoff and built a 48-0 lead by halftime. They scored on their first eight possessions, gaining 419 yards and had a comfortable advantage at intermission.
The Quakers scored their first five touchdowns on just 12 offensive plays. It took him just three plays to reach pay dirt on his first two possessions, and he scored on a 57-yard pass on his third possession.
Sophomore Brandon Cana set the tone with a 37-yard rumble on the first play of the game. He scored on a 2-yard run just two plays later. That night, Cana rushed for 112 yards and three scores.
“It was really exciting to see the team come together,” Kana said. “I think we did a good job. The coaching staff was really excited in the locker room.”
Quakers quarterback Cletis Monroy ran for 109 yards on the night and completed 7 of 8 passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns. Senior kicker Troy Gibson added the extra point on 7 of 8, allowing just one kickoff return as the other seven spikes found their way into the end zone for touchbacks.
With the loss, the Lions dropped to 1-6 overall and are 0-2 in league play after losing 0-119 over the past two weeks. The Lions only gained 83 total yards of offense that night.
The Quakers hope to continue the momentum by entertaining Carrollton next Friday. Minerva hosts Marlington next Friday.
