Canyon let this one slip away

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Canyon proved on Friday it can be just as good as St. Bonaventure, but it literally let the game slip away thanks to three lost fumbles -- two of which occurred deep within Seraph territory. If the Cowboys had held onto the ball better, it’s entirely possible they could have upset The Times’ No. 6-ranked team.

‘We just had too many turnovers, plain and simple,’ Canyon Coach Chris Varner said. ‘We need to learn to cut down on the mistakes if we want things to go our way.’

If there was any player who embodied Canyon’s night it was QB Sean Gavin. The senior finally broke out of Ben Longshore‘s shadow and proved he can be a starting QB on a top-flight team by connecting on 15 of 20 passes for 288 yards and a TD. Unfortunately, he couldn’t hold onto the ball. He fumbled at least twice and also suffered a late-game interception. The bulk of his effectiveness was limited to the first half.

‘We were happy with Sean’s performance, but there’s some things we need to work on with him and try to fix when we play Lancaster [next week],’ Varner said.

If Gavin can develop into a reliable QB, things will look a lot better for the Canyon offense than I predicted at the beginning of the season. Canyon WRs Mark Urbina and Stephen Wirthlin play like they’ve got Stickum on their hands, so Gavin’s development will be crucial to the Cowboys’ success.

I’m sure all the boys over on Nadal Street don’t need me telling them that, though.

- Austin Knoblauch