Another
week...
another
whipping
Massillon
mauls Garfield 60‑0
Martin
ties touchdown mark
By JOE SHAHEEN
Independent Sports
Editor
If the Massillon Tigers were hoping for a more competitive game to prepare them for next week's invasion by defending state champion Cleveland St. Ignatius, they were sorely disappointed. It took less than 30 seconds for Massillon to put up the first score of the game and that set the tone for the Tigers' 60‑0 thrashing of Akron Garfield in front of 9,015 fans at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, Friday night.
Matt Martin tied a
Massillon single‑game record with five touchdown passes on the night,
three in the first half, as the Tigers romped for the third week in a row. The
senior first‑year starter, wasn't even aware he'd tied the mark shared by
Justin Zwick (2001) and Mike Byelene (1934).
"That's
awesome," Martin said. "It would have been better if I hadn't thrown an interception. "The coaches
had a great game plan. The line is blocking really well. The receivers are
catching everything. And we're hitting on all cylinders." But Martin put
everything in perspective. "The record's a great thing to accomplish and
I'm proud of that," he said. "But as long as we win the state title,
I don't care if I set any records or anything, as long as we win the state
championship."
If the Tigers do go
all the way, it will be on the strength of its stellar defense, which limited
Garfield to a measly four first downs and 87 net yards in posting its first
shutout of the 2002 campaign. "We continue to get stingier and
stingier," Tiger coach Rick Shepas said. "I think the kids are really
understanding the philosophy of the defense. That's our primary goal. It is
going to continue to be a strength for us."
Shepas opted to keep
starting linebackers Shawn Crable and Tony Graves on the sidelines "as a
precaution." Both have ankle injuries, though Crable was in a walking boot
protecting the same foot he broke during basketball season last winter. Their
absence didn't seem to matter as the Tigers overwhelmed Garfield at the line of
scrimmage all night long.
"We did what we
had to do and the offense put points on the board," said senior linebacker
A.J. Collins, who played in Crable's place. "Me and Patrick (Turner) know
we had some big shoes to fill so we just stepped up until Crable and Tony get
healthy."
Turner stepped in for
Graves at inside linebacker for the second week in a row. Garfield coach Bob
Sax didn't think the Massillon defense missed the two veterans at all.
"They were without Crable and they're still a real good defense," Sax
said. "We wanted to try to get outside on them. We just couldn't do it.
Their outside linebackers come real hard and they're not going to let you get
outside."
By the time the
Garfield was able to register its first first down of the game at 1:44 of the
first quarter, the Tigers had already raced to a 14‑0 lead and were never
in any real danger of giving up that advantage.
The Tigers landed a
haymaker before Garfield even broke a sweat as Tuffy Woods forced a fumble with
a jarring hit on the opening kickoff and Craig McConnell fell on the loose ball
at the Golden Rams 35 yard line.
Martin wasted little
time going straight for the jugular, lofting a pass to Stephon Ashcraft at the
one yard line on the very first play from scrimmage. From there Ricky Johnson ‑
who finished with 116 yards on 18 carries ‑ took a handoff and went off
his right tackle and into the end zone for the touchdown. Max Shafer's
conversion kick was true and the Tigers led 7‑0 just 22 seconds into the
ball game.
Garfield's second
possession lasted only slightly longer than its first. The Rams decided to go
for it on fourth‑and‑one at their own 40‑yard line but
Massillon senior strong safety Markeys Scott buried Erique Dozier on an inside
running play for no gain and the Tiger offense again had the short field.
Two runs by Johnson
and one by Terrance Roddy moved the ball to the Garfield 14. Then Martin
dropped back and targeted Devin Jordan in the end zone for the touchdown.
Shafer's kick was good and the Massillon lead was 14‑0 at 8:52 of the
first quarter.
Billy Relford set up
the Tigers third touchdown of the night when he short hopped a punt, then cut
to his right and raced 44 yards to the Garfield 11‑yard line.
"Billy Relford is
a playmaker," marveled Shepas. "He has a set on him, I'm telling you.
It's going to be to his advantage down the road because he is going to have a
lot of opportunities."
Johnson ‑ did
the honors from there, slashing over right tackle virtually untouched to the
end zone. Shafer's kick made it 21‑0 just 13 seconds into the second
quarter.
Massillon's fourth and
fifth touchdowns of the first half capped sustained drives. The Tigers marched
68 yards in 10 plays following a Garfield punt, scoring on a 12‑yard
Martin to A.J. Collins aerial when the southpaw rolled right and threw a strike
across his body and into the end zone. The point‑after failed and
Massillon was up 27‑0 at 5:15 of the first half.
"I thought Matt
did a nice job going to his right, being a left‑handed quarterback a real
nice job," Shepas said. "He had a really solid performance. He
continues to make great decisions for the team."
The Tigers closed the
first half scoring on an eight‑play, 38‑yard drive. Martin
connected with Stephon Ashcraft on an eight‑yard curl pattern in the end
zone for the six. Shafer's kick made it 34‑0 with 22 seconds left until
halftime.
Martin again hooked up
with Ashcraft to open the second half scoring. The diminutive wideout snared a
25‑yard toss at the Garfield 25 and was immediately sandwiched by a pair
of Garfield defenders. But he somehow spun away and sprinted into the end zone
for the score at 9:32 of the third quarter. The kick failed and Massillon's
lead was 40‑0.
Martin's fifth and
final touchdown pass of the night was a 1‑yarder to James Helscel after
Greg Babcock blocked a Garfield punt. Two plays before the score Johnson tore
off a 29‑yard run but limped off the field. Shepas says the running back
will be ready for St. Ignatius.
Steve Hymes replaced
Martin at quarterback and scored the game's final two touchdowns on runs of 1‑
and 12‑yards as the Tigers improved to 3‑0.
"The last three
years it has been the same thing," Sax said. "They're a real good
team but we'll see how good they are next week against St. Ignatius."
We started fast and
the kids are playing real hard right now," Shepas said. "We were able
to get some turnovers early. We continue to improve."
Massillon 60
Garfield 00
M
G
First downs rushing 14 3
First downs passing
7 3
First downs by penalty 1 0
TOTAL first
downs 22 4
Net yards rushing 266 57
Net yards passing 161 30
TOTAL
yards 427 6
Passes attempted 15 7
Passes completed 12 3
Passes intercepted 1 1
Punts 1 6
Punting average 46 28
Fumbles/Lost 2/0 2/2
Penalties 7 3
Yards penalized 53 40
Massillon
14 20 19 07 60
Garfield
00 00 00 00 00
M ‑ Johnson 1 run (Shafer kick)
M ‑ Martin 14 pass to Jordan (Shafer kick)
M ‑ Johnson 11 run (Shafer kick)
M ‑ Martin 12 pass to Collins (Kick
failed)
M ‑ Martin 9 pass to Ashcraft (Shafer
kick)
M ‑ Martin 51 pass to Ashcraft (Kick
failed)
M ‑ Martin 1 pass to HeIscel (Shafer kick)
M ‑ Hymes 1 run (Kick failed)
M ‑ Hymes 12 run (Smith kick)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Massillon rushing: Johnson 18‑116 2 TDs,
Hymes 8‑49 2 TDs, Pullin 4‑32, Woods 3‑31, Roddy 5‑30,
Walterhouse 1‑8, Ashcraft 1‑5.
Garfield rushing: Taylor 6‑31, Council 4‑13.
Massillon passing: Martin 12‑15‑161
5TD.
Garfield passing: Donatelli 3‑7‑30 1
INT.
Massillon receiving: Ash Jordan 2‑20,
Johnson 2‑13, HeIscel 213, Collins 1‑12, Caprita 1‑4.
Garfield receiving: Kightlinger 2‑23.