2024 Booster Club Report – Week 11 – Post-Licking Heights; Preview of the Canal Winchester Game

Massillon (9-2) defeated Licking Heights (4-7), 41-6.  It was historical win No. 957.  This week Massillon is at home for Week 2 of the playoffs against Canal Winchester (8-3).

Link to the Licking Heights Game Story

Link to the Licking Heights Game Statistics

Review of the Licking Heights game

Massillon opened defense of their 2023 Division II state title with a 41-6 victory over Licking Heights.  The Tiger offense struggled early to take control of the game against a run-focused Heights defensive front, but eventually pulled away in the second half, with a running clock underway for the entire fourth period.  Quarterback Jalen Slaughter had another fine outing, completing 13 of 17 passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns, one to Jacques Carter and another to Braylyn Toles.  Running back Ja’Meir Gamble carried the ball 18 times for 164 yards and two TDs.  Meanwhile, the defense completely shut down the Hornet rushing attack and they abandoned it early in  favor of the pass.

“I thought our defense played really well, said Massillon head coach Nate Moore at the weekly Booster Club meeting.  “Our offense played well in spots.”  He emphasized that regardless of the performance level, the most important point is to just get the win and move on.

The guest players were defensive back Daylan Pringle and linebacker Vito McConnell.  “The defense gave up a few big plays, but we will get that corrected,” said Pringle.  McConnell added that, “the defense did a really good job.”

Canal Winchester Scouting Report

Canal Winchester enters the game with an 8-3 record.  Their season to date:

• Worthington (0-10): 38-13 W
• Hilliard Davidson (7-4): 15-36 L
• Worthington Kilbourne (5-6): 31-7 W
• Reynoldsburg (4-7): 20-14 W
• Pickerington Central (9-2): 23-51 L
• Newark (7-4): 31-7 W
• Teays Valley (7-4): 30-10 W
• Logan (1-10): 42-0 W
• Lancaster (3-8): 27-24 W
• Groveport Madison (7-4): 27-29 L
• Westerville South (5-6): 17-7 W

The Indians had a signature win over Newark, with losses to Hilliard Davidson,  Pickerington Central and Groveport Madision.  Last week in Round 1 of the playoffs they defeated Westerville South, 17-7.  They average 27 points per game and only two teams have held them below 20 points.  On defense they give up 18 per game.  Canal Winchester is seeded 6th in Region 7 by Harbin, but are rated as the 5th best team by Calpreps.com and 4th best by Drew Pasteur’s Fantastic 50.  Their trip to Massillon this week will be the farthest they have traveled for a game in two years, as virtually all of their opponents are located in the Columbus area.

The Indians participate in the Buckeye Division of the Ohio Capital Conference, which is located in the Columbus area.  Over the past five years they have compiled a 38-20 overall record, including a 6-4 mark in the Division II state playoffs.  Their best finish in that span was 11-2, which occurred in 2023.  In 2022, the lost to Massillon in the second round of the playoffs, 34-0.  In that game they were held to four first downs and 62 yards of total offense, against 19 first downs and 378 yards of offense for the Tigers.

Canal Winchester has moved away from the Wing-T since the Tigers played them last, but still want to run the ball first, with a run-pass ratio of 70%, and mix in the deep pass.  They like to use the tight end in most formation and will normally align in 11, 20 and  21 personnel.  The strength of this unit is the offensive line.

The defense utilizes a 4-4 (new to Massillon this year), cover-3, with some cover-0 and cover-1.  It is an attack-style defense.  On third downs they like to change to a 3-man front.  They will often blitz, usually from the edge.  The strength of this unit is the front four.  They also have a solid kicking game.  Here are the players to keep an eye on:

• Senior offense tackle Landen Ward (6′-3″, 300) – Physical and will block until the whistle is blown.  His goal is to pancake the defensive lineman.
• Senior offensive tackle Lucas Flynn (6′-1″, 240) – Moves well in pass protection.
• Senior wide receiver Iverson Klusmann (6′-0″, 170) – Favorite target.  Good speed with a long stride.  Good hands.  Likes the comeback route.  Also plays some safety.
• Senior running back Corey Howard (5′-9″, 190) – Power back.  Has good vision and follows his blockers well.
• Junior backup running back Toreion Brooks (6′-1″, 195) – Fastest running back and likes to bounce to the outside with his breakaway speed.
• Senior defensive end Hayden Paschke (5′-10″, 195) – Plays with a high motor.  Athletic and gets to the ball from the edge.
• Junior defensive tackle James Dove (6′-2″, 265) – Good a taking on the blocker.
• Senior defensive tackle Eli Spruill (6′-0″, 250) – Best overall lineman.  Explosive off the ball.
• Senior cornerback / safety Ausar Imani (6′-0″, 180) – Best defensive back.  Can run with most receivers.

Pringle said that Canal Winchester is a better team than Licking Heights.  They have a lot of athletes.  McConnell added that they quarterback tends not to scramble much, so the Tigers need to bring the pressure in the passing game.  They have pretty good running backs.  “We will get the job done,” he said.  “It’s another step in the process.”

Tickets for the game must be purchased through the OHSAA website, which can be accessed through this massillontigers.com link.