Correspondent photo / Michael G. Taylor Canfield quarterback Paul Bindas fights for yards during the Cardinals’ Week 1 matchup vs. West Branch.

As Canfield football coach Mike Pavlansky led his team on its historic run to its first football state championship in school history last season, the Cardinals had no bigger fan than Mike’s brother and Poland head coach Tom Pavlansky.

“It was really special,” Tom said. “I know that (Mike) is rooting for us every single week of the season except for one. We’re a close family, and it really was a special time. I was happy for Mike’s program and his coaches because I know they do things the right way. It’s always exciting to see good people have success.”

Like Tom said, everything goes out the window during that one week each season. That week is this week as Poland and Canfield are set to continue their annual rivalry tonight for the 76th year.

However, ask the coaches and they will insist that the matchup isn’t about them. It’s about the players on the field, the two schools and the two close-knit communities.

“This game isn’t hard on Tom and I, I guarantee you that. This game is hard on our family, our mom especially,” Mike said. “When we play, I’m not thinking about Tom and he’s not thinking about me. We’re thinking about what’s best for our teams to try and win the rivalry game. Tom and I aren’t going to make any tackles, we’re not going to throw any passes. I think this game is more difficult for our brothers, sisters and extended family members. Tom and I are coaching a football game against each other, that’s all.”

The two schools that sit on opposite ends of Route 224 first met on the gridiron as eight-man football teams in 1921. In 1944, they began playing as 11-man teams and have played every season since then, with the exception of 2019 and 2020.

The Bulldogs have the edge in the series record 40-34-1, but the Cardinals have won each of the last six meetings.

In last year’s meeting, Canfield was 2-0, while Poland was 1-1 and the Cardinals were victorious 31-7 behind four touchdowns from former Canfield star Broc Lowry, who is now at Indiana.

This year’s clash offers a reversal of circumstances. This time around, Poland is undefeated, sitting at 3-0, while Canfield has opened its title defense season against a difficult schedule and is currently 1-2.

“(Records) don’t matter in this game, you just want to win the rivalry game, that’s all,” Mike said. “You work all year long for this game and our guys will go out and compete and give a great account of themselves. But we’re not looking to end anybody’s streak or this-and-that or get ourselves back on the winning track. We just want to play well and win the rivalry game.”

Coming off losses to Mansfield and Olmstead Falls, Mike wants to see his team be more consistent going forward, especially heading into this week’s showdown with Poland.

“The past two weeks we’ve lost the turnover battle and we’ve given up big plays on offense, defense and special teams,” Mike said. “We just haven’t been as assignment-sound and technically sound as we need to be to win football games.”

The biggest difference for the Bulldogs this season is that they’ve been able to stay healthy.

Poland was plagued by injuries all season long last year. Starting quarterback Dom Pagano missed the second half of the season, plus there were a handful of injuries at receiver and on the offensive line. In all, Tom estimated that key players missed a total of nearly 80 combined games.

But, those injuries had a silver lining. It allowed a lot of other players up-and-down the roster to get valuable reps and playing experience. As a result, the Bulldogs are now a team rife with depth and experience.

“I thought we had a good offseason — we had a good summer and a good fall camp,” Tom said. “But it’s the leadership of our seniors who have really helped set the tone and bring our young group along. Our seniors have been tremendous, and we’re all going to continue to rely on those guys to lead the way in all phases of the game on special teams, defense and offense.”

Both teams are set in their respective identities.

Lowry may be gone for the Cardinals, but Canfield still has several playmakers on the offensive side of the ball, including new quarterback Paul Bindas (476 passing yards and 136 rushing yards), running back and Iowa State-commit Danny Inglis (210 rushing yards and three touchdowns) and receivers Scottie Eaton and Anthony Mazzella (263 combined receiving yards).

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs will rely on their three-headed monster on offense, Pagano (237 passing yards and 113 rushing yards) and running backs Cole Fulton (242 rushing yards) and Danny Nittoli (178 rushing yards).

“It’s Canfield week and that brings a lot of excitement and a sharper mindset to get ready for these guys because it’s a great challenge in front of us,” Tom said. “We’ve got our work cut out for us, and it’s just a great opportunity.”

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. tonight at Dave Pavlansky Field in Poland.