Massillon Fills Week 8 with Charter School from Texas
Week No. 8 on the Tiger schedule has been a difficult one to fill and lately fans have resigned themselves to the premise that it would be an open date. But, after several false starts, it has finally been filled. The opponent is Legacy School of Sports Sciences, which is located in Spring, Texas, a suburb of Houston. This is the first time Massillon has played a team from the Lone Star state.
This is sure to be a unique experience for the players at Legacy, as they have never traveled this far for a game. Mostly, they compete in Texas, with an occasional game in Louisiana.
Legacy is a state accredited charter elementary/secondary school that serves grades six through twelve and focuses on both sports and education, while intertwining the two in the course curriculum. It would be similar to the former Cincinnati Academy of Physical Education (CAPE) from back in the 1970s and 80s. Also similar to the football-focused NFL Academy-London, which the Tigers played in Oregon this year. And it would have a correlation to Cleveland’s Ginn Academy, while their athletes participate in sports at Cleveland Glenville.
Legacy has a limited capacity in their facility, so they conduct a lottery among those students that desire admission. No tuition is charged. They offer a variety of sports, including baseball, basketball, cross country, flag football, scholastic football, soccer, softball and volleyball.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the school this year has 447 students in grades 6 through 12. Per U.S. News and World Report, 70% are boys, 95% are minority students and 69% are economically disadvantaged. The student-teacher ratio is 13:1.
Based on the number of students distributed throughout seven grades, the number of boys in the top three grades may be around 190. That would conceivably place it in Ohio’s Division V for computer playoff calculations. Therefore, a win over Legacy would net Massillon 4.5 first level points and the same number for each opponent that Legacy defeats throughout the season.
Legacy began playing football in 2018 and has compiled an overall record of 33-25, including 8-1 marks in both 2018 and 2023. This year they are 1-3, although all three losses were by a touchdown or less. Calpreps.com has them ranked No. 159 in Texas with a rating of 24.2. That would place them 18th in Ohio’s Division II. For comparison purposes, Massillon is rated 64.8 and ranked first in Ohio among all schools.
The Titans do not play in a league. According to Maxpreps.com, they have 36 players on the roster.
The game is not included in the season ticket packet. Therefore, tickets for the game must be purchased through the WHS Ticket Office.
