Josh WeirCanton Repository
CANTON — Midseason form isn't achieved in August.
That being said, Canton McKinley High School football coach Antonio Hall knows whatever form that was Thursday night, it can't continue from his Bulldogs.
McKinley overcame a disjointed performance thanks to Nino Hill's power running and a big-hitting defense, beating Warren Harding 26-19 in front of 2,489 fans at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
"Ultimately, we found ways to overcome adversity," Hall said. "We stayed together. There was no finger pointing when things weren't going our way. We took coaching.
"You expect a lot of mistakes the first game, but ..."
The Bulldogs committed two turnovers, one of them a pick-6 by Harding's Airiz Coleman-Bey in the second quarter.
They committed seven penalties (to Harding's 10), with a few of them helping keep drives alive for the Raiders.
There were missed assignments, breakdowns in the secondary and general sloppiness.
McKinley got away with it against a Harding team that wasn't super sharp either.
"There's a lot of work to do if we're going to compete with that Avon team next week," Hall said, referring to next week's road trip to Lorain County to take on the Division II power.
Hill was a force for the Bulldogs. The Buffalo commit ran 29 times for 164 yards and two touchdowns. His 10-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter put McKinley in the lead for good and answered a Harding scoring drive that ate up the first eight minutes of the third quarter.
"It felt great," Hill said. "We were ready. That's what we came to do: Finish drives, finish plays."
GlenOak transfer Jamar Johnson ran 11 times for 31 yards. McKinley ran the ball 49 times overall.
Kam Montgomery only completed four of his 11 passes in his McKinley debut, but they were big ones. The transfer from Texas threw touchdowns to Deejay Britt and Darius Hill. His other two completions converted third downs that ultimately led to scores.
Harding QB Chaz Coleman hung in there against a hard-charging McKinley defense led by Missouri recruit Dante McClellan. The 6-foot-5 Coleman spun out of tackles and kept plays alive, all the while playing a lot of defense for the Raiders as well.
He finished 6-of-8 passing for 92 yards and one touchdown while rushing for 51 yards and a TD on 18 carries.
"Man, No. 1 is impossible to get down," Hall said about Coleman. "I said, please, can't someone tackle that boy. ... He's special. I made it a point to find him after the game because I just think he's a helluva football player."
Harding got the ball back near midfield down a touchdown with 3:05 left and ran a wide receiver pass. The trick play worked, with a Raider running wide open behind the McKinley defense.
But the pass was well short and fell incomplete. Harding eventually turned the ball over on downs and McKinley ran out the clock.
"I'm proud of our effort," Matt Richardson said after his head coaching debut with the Raiders. "We ran. We hit. We did what we came to do. When two good teams are playing each other — we're trying to be a good team — the team that makes the least amount of mistakes wins the game. We made more mistakes than them, bottom line."
Here's how the game unfolded throughout our live updates.
McKinley football runs out clock, wins 2024 season opener
After their defense got a stop, the Bulldogs ran out the final 1:37 to win their opener 26-19 against the visiting Raiders.
McKinley defense gets big stop late in game vs. Warren Harding
The Bulldogs forced Harding to turn over the ball on downs near midfield with 1:37 left to preserve their 26-19 lead. The McKinley offense is on the field to try to run out the clock.
Harding gets ball back late in fourth quarter
A Bulldogs' drive stalled and then Keith Quincy kind of whiffed on a punt attempt. He recovered the ball, but Harding gets it at its own 45 with 3:05 left.
McKinley can't cash in Harding turnover
The McKinley defense rises up for a big play, with Dior Garner forcing a Chaz Coleman fumble and Dante McClellan recovering it to set up the Bulldogs at the Warren 28. But the Bulldogs can't take advantage and turn it over on downs, with Coleman batting down a Kam Montgomery pass on fourth down.
Nino Hill powers McKinley to lead on Warren Harding
Hill turned a third-and-1 play into a 10-yard touchdown run, taking a few Harding defenders into the end zone with him. Thomas Mankowski tacks on the PAT. The Bulldogs lead Harding 26-19 with 11:02 left in the fourth quarter.Hill up to 146 yards and two TDs on 27 carries.
Canton McKinley and Warren Harding tied 19-19 after three quarters
The Bulldogs will have second-and-2 at the Harding 11 to start the fourth quarter.
Long Warren Harding TD drive ties game
The Raiders marched 78 yards in 14 plays (with some help from a couple of McKinley penalties) to score on Chaz Coleman's 1-yard TD dive. That drive ate up more than eight minutes of clock. K'Vuone McNeal blocked the PAT to deny the Raiders the lead. McKinley and Harding are tied 19-19 with 3:22 left in the third quarter.
Canton McKinley and Warren Harding halftime stats
Buffalo recruit Nino Hill leads the way for McKinley with 118 yards on 22 carries. GlenOak transfer Jamar Johnson has 23 yards on four carries. McKinley has run the ball 28 times in 33 plays. Kam Montgomery is 3-for-5 passing for 56 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in his Bulldogs debut. Warren Harding hasn't done much offensively with five first downs, but the Raiders have a pick-6 from Airiz Coleman-Bey and a 42-yard TD reception by Marcus Crum Jr. from Chaz Coleman. McKinley is outgaining Harding 203-80 in total yards. The Raiders will get the ball coming out of halftime.
McKinley scores late in first half to take the lead back
Kam Montgomery picked a good time for his two best throws of the night so far. The transfer from Texas bought some time to his right and zipped a 9-yard touchdown pass to Darius Hill with 18 seconds left in the half. The PAT kick missed, so the Bulldogs take a 19-13 lead to the half. The play before the touchdown, Montgomery found Deejay Britt for 16 yards to convert a third-and-13. Montgomery is not afraid to uncork it, and rightfully so with an arm like that.
Raiders answer quickly
Chaz Coleman avoided K'Vuone McNeal, rolled to his right and threw a 42-yard touchdown strike to Marcus Crum Jr., who got behind McKinley's secondary. Jaron Edmonds' PAT kick is good. Harding and McKinley are tied 13-13 with 2:21 left in the second quarter. Coleman took a big hit from Isaac Brooks as he threw.
Bulldogs ground and pound
There was no fooling around on that McKinley drive. The Bulldogs go 80 yards in 14 plays, all runs. Nino Hill scores on a 5-yard, second-effort TD run. Thomas Mankowski's PAT kick is good, putting the Bulldogs ahead 13-6 with 3:45 left in the second quarter. That drive ate up almost seven minutes of clock.Hill has 70 yards on 15 carries.
Warren Harding defense rises up
Airiz Coleman-Bey jumps an out route from Kam Montgomery, picks it off and returns it 30 yards for a Raiders touchdown. PAT kick was wide left, so McKinley and Harding are tied 6-6 with 10:33 left second quarter. Montgomery was under heavy pressure from Chaz Coleman and absorbed a big hit as he threw.
McKinley leads Warren Harding 6-0 after one quarter
The Raiders facing a second-and-13 to start the second quarter. McKinley's K'Vuone McNeal just dropped a Raiders' ball carrier for a 3-yard loss. The Bulldogs defense is producing a lot of negative plays.
Disjointed start leads to McKinley striking first
Kam Montgomery hits a wide-open Deejay Britt for a 31-yard touchdown reception. The PAT was blocked. McKinley leads Warren Harding 6-0 with 8:28 left in first quarter.
This all was after McKinley's Nino Hill fumbled the ball away on the second play of the game. Chaz Coleman caused it, Airiz Coleman-Bey recovered it for the Raiders.
But Harding went backwards thanks to a sack from Collin Hinkle and a tackle for loss from Missouri recruit Dante McClellan. Coleman went down to a knee to field a low snap on the punt, setting up McKinley with good field position, leading to the Montgomery TD pass.
McKinley Bulldogs will receive opening kick
Warren Harding won the coin toss and chose to defer to the second half. The Bulldogs will get the ball to start the 2024 season.
McKinley vs. Warren Harding football history
This will be the 61st meeting between McKinley and Harding. McKinley leads the all-time series 36-23-1, including a 33-14 win in Warren to open last season.
Coming off a 9-4 season, McKinley boasts a talented roster with a lot of returning experience. One new face is Kam Montgomery. The 6-foot-4 transfer from Texas will make his debut at quarterback for the Bulldogs.
Tonight also marks the head coaching debut for Harding's Matt Richardson. He replaces Steve Arnold after the Raiders went 5-7 last year.
Ohio high school football: Greater Canton Week 1 breakdowns, predictions
Watch Ohio High School Football Live on the NFHS Network all season
Pro Football Hall of Famer handling coin toss for Canton McKinley Senior High School's game vs. Warren Harding
Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiverFred Biletnikoff is expected to do the coin toss ahead of tonight's game.
Biletnikoff was enshrined into the Hall in 1988. After being an All-American at Florida State, he starred with the Oakland Raiders from 1965-78, setting numerous franchise and NFL records. He retired as the NFL postseason record holder for catches (70), receiving yards (1,167) and touchdown catches (10) in 19 career playoff games. The six-time Pro Bowl pick was the MVP of Super Bowl XI, a 32-14 win by the Raiders over the Vikings.
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