2024 Booster Club Report – Week 9 – Post-Warren Harding; Preview of the Canton McKinley Game

October 22, 2024October 22, 2024
by Don Engelhardt

2024 Booster Club Report – Week 9 – Post-Warren Harding; Preview of the Canton McKinley Game

Massillon (7-2) defeated Warren Harding (6-3), 45-14. It was historical win No. 955. This week Massillon is at home against Canton McKinley (6-3).

Link to the Warren Harding Game Story

Link to the Warren Harding Game Statistics

Other scores:

Freshmen (4-5): Defeated Warren Harding, 30-6. Plays at Canton McKinley on Wednesday, October 23, at 6:00 pm.
Junior Varsity (4-1-2): Defeated Warren Harding, 43-0. Season finished.

Review of the Warren Harding game

Massillon traveled to Warren Harding and came away with a 45-14 victory. Ja’Meir Gamble led the Tigers by rushing 10 times for 152 yards and three touchdowns, and receiving a pass for a fourth. Massillon scored on four of six first half possessions and took a 24-7 lead into the locker room. Gamble’s 80-yard touchdown run in the third quarter sent the game into a running clock situation. Quarterback Jalen Slaughter completed 11 of 19 passes for 177 yards and two scores, with Braylyn Toles catching five aerials and Jacques Carter four. Massillon as a team rolled up 411 yards with just 40 plays. Meanwhile, the Raiders were limited to 74 yards on the ground, while suffering five quarterback sacks.

Canton McKinley Scouting Report

McKinley comes into the game with 6-3 record, having lost last week to Massillon Jackson, 20-7. However, they still managed to finish in a first place tie for the Federal League championship. Their season to date:

Warren Harding (6-3): 26-19 W
Avon (9-0): 14-21 L
Detroit Cass Tech, MI (6-2): 3-20 L
Canton GlenOak (1-8): 35-6 W
Massillon Perry (4-5): 38-7 W
Green (6-3): 26-17 W
North Canton (6-3): 28-21 O.T. W
Uniontown Lake (5-4): 35-21 W
Massillon Jackson (6-3): 7-20 L

Last season the Bulldogs compiled a 9-4 record, including a 35-0 loss to Massillon. In the playoffs they defeated Strongsville and Cleveland St. Ignatius, before losing to eventual Division I state champion Lakewood St. Edward, 41-17. Their 5-year record is 37-21 and they qualified for the playoffs each time in that span. The series with the Bulldogs is the Tigers’ longest and currently stands at 76-53-5 in favor of Massillon. The Tigers have also won 12 of the last 13 meetings, including the last eight.

McKinley returns seven starters on offense and five on defense including the following:

Senior quarterback Kam Montgomery (6′-5″, 210) – 120 of 185 (65%) for 1,534 yards and 12 touchdowns; has a decent arm with good accuracy and throws a nice ball when he has his feet set.
Senior running back Nino Hill (6′-0″, 205) – 2-star recruit; 129 carries for 759 yards (5.9 ave.); good player; rushed 8 times for 2 yards in last year’s game.
Senior running back Jamar Johnson (5′-11″, 185) – 5.1 ave.; good player; GlenOak transfer; rushed 13 times for 81 yards for GlenOak in last year’s game.
Senior wide receiver Keith Quincy (6′-2″, 190) – 2-star recruit, 14.9 ave.; good player; 4 pass receptions for 35 yards and 3 tackles in last year’s game; 2023 2nd Team Division 1 All-Ohio.
Junior wide receiver Darius Hill – 25 receptions for 426 yards (17.0 ave.); good player.
Senior defensive lineman K’Vuone McNeal (6′-3″, 235) – 13 tackles-for-loss; 7 sacks.
Senior defensive lineman Dior Garner (6′-4″, 280).
Senior linebacker Dante McClellan (6′-2″, 210) – 4-star recruit; Missouri offer; 11 tackles-for-loss; 38.3 ave. on punts; 9 tackles and 2 sacks in last year’s game; 2023 2nd Team Division I All-Ohio.

Offensively, McKinley operates mostly out of the spread with some pro and empty sets. The run-pass mix is balanced. Defensively, they are mostly in an odd front and frequently in cover-1 with man-to-man coverage. The strength of this unit is the defensive line.

“This game is so special,” said Massillon head coach Nate Moore. “The rivalry is so special. All the guys that came before! We understand that on Saturday you have a great responsibility to play this game the right way and bring home a victory.”

The event was attended by all of the varsity football players. Each of the seniors was asked to recall his greatest moment in a Massillon-McKinley game. “This is really a great senior class,” said Moore. “I’ve seen these guys play football since the 7th grade. I really like watching these guys grow.”