Seven Massillon football players recently committed to their respective colleges on Early Signing Day to further their academic and playing careers. They comprise the largest ever group of Massillon players that confirmed their commitments on an Early Signing Day. The 2024 team finished with a record of 11-3 and advanced in the playoffs to the regional finals. They also defeated Canton McKinley for the ninth consecutive time and 3-time defending Division I state champion Lakewood St. Edward for the third consecutive time. And let’s not forget that these the players were instrumental in the Tigers’ run to the Division II state championship of a year ago, during which they won all sixteen games.
Note: At the time of this story the 2024 All-Ohio team had yet to be released.
Jacques Carter – Carter will attend Southern Illinois University. He was a 2-year starter at wide receiver, playing at 5’-10”, 160 lbs. During the season he used his blazing speed to catch 29 passes for 560 yards and 8 touchdowns, at 19.3 yards per catch. For his career he caught 80 passes for 1,356 yards and 15 touchdowns at 19.4 yards per catch. His career number of receptions, yards and touchdowns are all Top 10 in the record book. He was named All-County and 2nd Team All-District. In 2023 he was named Honorable Mention All-Ohio.
Nolan Davenport – Davenport will attend the University of Wisconsin. He was a 2-year starter at offensive tackle, plus a sophomore season starting at tight end, playing at 6’-6”, 290 lbs. During the season he helped his team rush for 163.5 yards per game at 6.3 yards per attempt, while scoring 34 rushing touchdowns. In the passing game, the line surrendered just 13 quarterback sacks in 14 games. After the season he was named All-County and 1st Team All-District. In 2023 he was named 2nd Team All-Ohio.
Ja’Meir Gamble – Gamble will attend Merceyhurst University. He was a 2-year starter at running back, playing at 5’-10”, 190 lbs . During the season he rushed 189 times for 1,636 yards and scored 20 touchdowns, while averaging 8.7 yards per attempt. His yardage number is No. 4 all-time. Against Legacy School of Sport Science he rushed for 290 yards (No. 3 all-time), averaged 19.3 yards per carry (No. 2 all-time) and scored five touchdowns (No. 5 all-time). Against Warren Harding he averaged 15.2 yards per carry, which is also in the Top 10. With 4.3 second speed in the 40-yard dash, he was adept at breaking off runs toward the outside when the line was clogged. In fact, 14 of his 20 touchdowns were of 20 yards or more. For his career, Gamble rushed 333 times for 2,611 yards and scored 25 touchdowns, while averaging 7.8 yards per attempt. His yardage is No. 5, while his average is also in the Top 10. After the season he was named All-County and 1st Team All-District. In 2023 he was named Honorable Mention All-Ohio.
Tyler Hackenbracht – Hackenbracht will attend the University of Toledo. He was a 2-year starter at safety, playing at 6’-2”, 210 lbs. During the season he led the team with 113 tackles, a mark that is Top 10. His 63 assisted tackles is also Top 10. And he had 4 tackles-for-loss. He finished his career with 158 tackles and 16 pass breakups (Top-10 all-time). Hackenbracht had the uncanny ability to play down hill with speed on running plays and make physical tackles on the ball carrier at the line of scrimmage. But he also made an impact on special teams. Against Teays Valley he returned one kickoff and two punts for touchdowns, something rarely seen in a single game. The kickoff return spanned 100 yards and is No. 2 in the record book for the longest return. Throughout his career he was exceptional in the return game and now finds his name in the Top 10 of 13 different categories. After the season, he was named All-County and 1st Team All-District. In 2023 he was named Honorable Mention All-Ohio.
Vito McConnell – McConnell will attend Miami of Ohio. He was a 2-year starter at outside linebacker, playing at 6’-3”, 220 lbs. During the season he recorded 59 tackles, 7 tackles-for-loss for 27 yards and a sack. He also had 5 pass breakups and a pass interception. For his career, he had 156 tackles. 11 tackles-for-loss for 41 yards, a pair of sacks, 8 pass breakups and 4 pass interceptions. After the season he was named All-County and 2nd Team All-District.
Steven Reinhart – Reinhart will attend Ohio Wesleyan University. A backup inside linebacker, he played at 5’-8”, 200 lbs. During his career he recorded 13 tackles, one tackle-for-loss and one pass breakup.
Michael Wright Jr. – Wright will attend Youngstown State University. He was a 4-year starter as a defensive lineman, playing at 5’-11”, 285 lbs. and was perhaps the the most dominating player at that position that the Tigers have ever had. For the season he produced 47 tackles, 15.5 tackles-for-loss for 68 yards and 4 sacks for 26.5 yards. The two TFL numbers are both Top 10. For his career, Wright recorded 145 tackles. But he is also the Massillon leader for tackles-for-loss and sacks. His leaves with 48.5 TFLs for 258 yards and 23 quarterback sacks for 161 yards. After the season he was named All-County and 1st Team All-District. In 2023 he was named 1st Team All-Ohio and the same is expected this year.
Front row (l-r): Steven Reinhart, Michael Wright Jr., Ja’Meir Gamble and Jacques Carter. Back row (l-r): Head Coach Nate Moore, Tyhler Hackenbracht, Vito McConnell and Nolan Davenport.
