Staff photo / Neel Madhavan. Canfield junior Carly Fleming (left) is defended by Boardman's Janessa Prisby during the Cardinals' conference victory over the Spartans on Saturday at Boardman.

CANFIELD — Before the start of the season, Canfield head coach Matt Reel wasn’t sure what to expect from his Cardinals team this year.

After graduating four seniors from last year’s district runner-up team, Canfield had some returning players back this year, but it was still a relatively inexperienced group. Only a handful Mof players had accumulated meaningful varsity minutes and two of those returners dealt with injuries that limited their effectiveness last year.

But despite that inexperience, the Cardinals have looked anything but so far this season, as they’re off to a perfect 11-0 start after Saturday’s All-American Conference victory at Boardman.

“Honestly, you have no idea what to expect when the lights come on with a varsity group,” Reel said. “We have so few people that have been in those varsity situations that you don’t know how they’re going to react. But it’s been a group that’s gotten better, and I really don’t believe they’re focused on being what their record is. We’re just trying to win the next one. We never really put expectations or goals on the season. We’re just trying to get better every day.”

As is customary for Canfield, the defense has powered the Cardinals during their undefeated start with the team holding opponents to just 32.7 points per game.

While teams are shooting only 34.8% against Canfield, the Cardinals’ defensive success has come in large part due to its ability to force turnovers. Canfield is forcing almost 19 turnovers per game, with roughly 14 of those coming on steals.

“Our defense really gives the opponent — it freaks them out,” junior Jenna Triveri said. “It’s difficult to play against us. So I feel like that’s the main reason why we’re so successful this year.”

On the offensive end, much like their regional runner-up team from 2022-2023, the Cardinals have had a balanced scoring approach.

Triveri and fellow junior Carly Fleming lead the team in scoring at 14.0 and 11.3 points per game, respectively. But Canfield has had others put together double-figure scoring performances throughout the season.

“When somebody’s not had a great game, somebody else has stepped up,” Reel said. “We’ve had people contribute, and it’s just one of those things that reminds me of our team two years ago where we didn’t have anybody scoring a ton of points — 20 points per game. But we had a bunch that on any given day, could really pick it up and have a good day. So I just think that makes us a little tougher to defend.”

For example, against the Spartans, junior Sofia Castronova scored 11 points for Canfield with Triveri struggling from the floor. Castronova also scored 11 in the Cardinals’ two-point win over defending Division II state runner-up Shaker Heights Laurel on Dec. 27.

Then on Dec. 11 against Louisville, senior Aleen Barakat had a 12-point outing, while senior Marina Koenig put up 11 points on Dec. 5 against Poland.

“We’re a very unselfish team, so it’s nice for everyone to be getting their shots and making them,” Triveri said. “It takes a lot of pressure off us because you have teammates that can really step up. So it’s nice being able to count on your teammates.”

Triveri was a starter on Canfield’s 2022-2023 team when she was a freshman and was expected to be one of the Cardinals’ primary contributors last year. But an injury caused her to miss almost half the season.

She’s bounced back, and after winning a state championship with the Cardinals’ softball team last spring, Triveri has been one of the driving forces behind Canfield’s success.

“It was good being able to play with older girls my freshman year and even my sophomore year,” Triveri said. “It’s really taught me more about the game, and Coach Reel has really taught me more about the game. (Now), I’m just trying to be like that older person for the younger girls.”

Fleming also dealt with a nagging injury throughout most of last season. Though she didn’t necessarily miss a ton of time, it still limited her effectiveness at times on the court.

“They’re two girls that have spent a lot of time on the court for us,” Reel said of Triveri and Fleming. “They’re two girls we count on to make plays when we need them, and they’ve done a great job with that so far. They’re both just tremendous competitors. That’s probably the best thing I like about them. Even when things aren’t going well, they don’t mind taking big shots and trying to make big plays.”

Despite its unbeaten start, Canfield knows some of its toughest tests lay ahead.

The Cardinals still have games remaining against conference foes Austintown Fitch (6-5), Howland (5-5) and Warren G. Harding (9-2). They also will face Massillon Washington (8-4), West Branch (9-1) and Streetsboro (8-2).

“A lot of teams would envy to be in our situation,” Reel said of the Cardinals’ 11-0 record. “We’ve beaten some good teams along the way, but none of this matters when you start league play, none of it matters when you start the tournament. So it’s a nice accomplishment and we don’t shy away from it. But with the success we’ve had in the last few years, we have a target on our back anyway. I think this just makes the target a little bit larger.”