Week 1 – Cleveland Glenville – In a much anticipated game throughout the state, Massillon hosted Cleveland Glenville in the season opener. The Tarblooders jumped out to a first half lead of 19-7, before Massillon regrouped and mounted an energetic comeback, tying the score at 27. Subsequently, a game-winning field goal attempt by the Tigers at the end of regulation was blocked. In overtime, Massillon failed to score when a second field goal attempt was blocked. Glenville then hooked up on a slant pass for the win. Savior Owens led all rushers with 25 carries for 131 yards. Quarterback Manny Patterson completed 8 of 11 passes for 130 yards and 3 touchdowns. Ja’Dyn Williams recorded 17 total tackles……….Full Story
Week 2 – Canton GlenOak – Massillon scored early and often in routing Canton GlenOak, 44-10. So dominant were the Tigers that all of their points were scored in the first half over a span of a just quarter and a half. Defensively, the Golden Eagles appeared to focus their scheme on stopping the run, specifically Massillon running back Savior Owens, who performed exceptionally well in last week’s overtime loss to Cleveland Glenville. That left the secondary in a cover-4 alignment, with little linebacker support against the pass. So, with the running attack hampered most of the night, the Tigers took full advantage of the pass game. So, by halftime, quarterback Manny Patterson managed to complete 16 of 21 passes for 200 yards and four touchdowns. Deontay Malone caught seven passes for 102 yards and a touchdown and Giorgio Jackson Jr. caught seven passes for 72 yards and two TDs. And all of these players sat out the second half. On defense, Ja’Dyn Williams had another big outing, with 12 total tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss……….Full Story
Week 3 – Rabun Gap, GA – Massillon played national power Rabun Gap and lost 50-35 in an offensive shootout. Rabun Gap is a boarding school located in northern Georgia that is stocked high-profile athletes from seven different countries, including Canada and some in Europe. At least eight players have offers from Division I colleges. The game was tied at halftime with 21 points apiece and the Eagles held a 35-28 lead entering the fourth quarter. But a Tiger fumble led to a Rabun Gap touchdown and the 2-score deficit was just too much to overcome. The difference in the game was Rabun Gap’s massive offensive line, which contains three players with Power-5 offers (1 @ Auburn, 2 @ TBD), and its ability to pass block for their very accurate quarterback (Menphis). In addition, the Eagles returned two kickoffs for long distances, one for a touchdown and another that set up a short TD run. For Massillon, quarterback Manny Patterson completed 11 of 17 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns. The scoring receptions went to Jadyce Thigpen and Deontay Malone. Running back Savior Owens carried the ball 21 times for 182 yards and three TDs, including a 42-yarder near the end of the game during which he broke numerous tackles. Defensively, Ja’Dyn Williams had 15 total tackles. Christian Culler had 8 total tackles, 1.5 tackles-for-loss and caused a fumble……….Full Story
Week 4 – Bennett, Buffalo, NY – Massillon evened the slate with a 35-0 victory over Bennett, from Buffalo, New York. It was a one-sided affair with all of the points scored in the first half and a running clock in effect for the remainder of the game. Eli Moore and Rasmus Haines shared duty at quarterback in place of the injured Manny Patterson and they performed commendably, combining for 8 of 11 completions for 89 yards and two touchdowns. On the receiving end of the two scores was Gio Jackson Jr., who finished the game with four receptions for 53 yards. Savior Owens led the rushing attack with 10 carries for 103 yards and two touchdowns, while Anthony McMullen Jr. added another 67 yards and score. On defense, Braylon Gamble had a pass interception……….Full Story
Week 5 – Lakewood St. Edward – St. Edward entered this year’s matchup with the Tigers as the No. 1 team in the Ohio and the No. 55 team in the country (per hsratings.com). The Eagles scored its two touchdowns via a long run on its play of the game and against a prevent defense at the end. In between those two scores, Massillon put up 21 straight points and racked up 386 yards of offense to the Eagles’ 141. The Tigers did it first with a crushing running attack, featuring junior back Savior Owens, who carried the ball 32 times for 162 yards (5.1 ave.) and two TDs. Junior quarterback Mandwell Patterson, completed 17 of 25 passes for 157 yards and a score, with most of the work coming in the first half, while helping his team build a 21-7 halftime lead. He spread his passes around to seven different receivers. The win marks the fourth consecutive victory over St. Edward. With the win and potentially the next five Massillon would likely be in position take first or second place in the computer rankings and receive a bye in the first round of the playoffs……….Full Story
Week 6 – Football North (Clark), Ontario – Massillon played from behind the entire game in a 34-2 loss. North won the battle in the trenches on both sides of the ball and also took advantage of seven Tiger turnovers. North’s Josh Martin-Pendkey was the whole offense for North as he rushed 26 times for 192 yards and scored four touchdowns. The North defensive front, along with a constant linebacker blitz, put tremendous pressure on the Massillon quarterback. The stout defense also kept the Tigers bottled up in their own end of the field, with the average starting field position being the 25 yard line. Massillon also failed to score an offensive point, the first time since 2015. For the Tigers, Savior Owens rushed 14 times for 51 yards. Quarterback Manny Patterson completed 13 of 24 passes for 117 yards. Giorgio Jackson Jr. had four receptions for 16 yards. Isaac Maxheimer led the defense with 11 total tackles, a quarterback sack and two tackles for loss……….Full Story
Week 7 – Cardinal Ritter, MO – Massillon defeated a very good Cardinal Ritter team, 28-14. The Tigers scored on the third play of their first possession when Savior Owens broke through the right side of the line and raced 45 yards to the end zone. Owens then scored again from ten yards out to up the score to 14-0. The points continued as Ritter had the their own long run of 70 yards for a score, followed by a 12-yard touchdown pass from Manny Patterson to Jadyce Thigpen. Finally, the Lions connected on a Hail Mary pass of 46 yards as time expired, closing the margin to 21-14 at the half. In the fourth quarter Christian Culler salted the game away with a 44-yard touchdown run. It came on his first carry of the season. Owens finished with 22 attempts for 168 yards and two TDs. Isaac Maxheimer recorded nine total tackles and Ja’Dyn Williams had seven. Chayce White was spectacular in intercepting a long sideline pass……….Full Story
Week 8 – Cornerstone Christian, TX – Massillon (5-3) opened up a 24-7 halftime lead and cruised to a 45-22 victory over Cornerstone Christian (4-3) of San Antonio, Texas. The Tigers displayed a dominant offensive performance, scoring on every possession except one, when they were stopped on downs. Starting running back Savior Owens managed just one play due to a recurring injury, but backups Anthony McMullen Jr. and Christian Culler alternated at the position admirably and were major catalysts for the win. McMullen carried the ball 23 times for 130 yards (5.7 ave.) and a touchdown and Culler rushed 11 times for 102 yards (9.3 ave.) and two scores. In support, quarterback Manny Patterson was 5 of 8 passing, with TD strikes to Gio Jackson Jr. and Deontay Malone. On defense, Massillon completely shut down the Warrior rushing attack. Ja’Dyn Williams, Noah Jenkins and Isaac Maxheimer had 11, 9 and 9 total tackles, respectively, and Williams also recorded two quarterback sacks. Deontay Malone contributed with a pass interception. Relying almost solely on the air game, Cornerstone’s two quarterbacks completed 24 of 31 passes for 187 yards and one score, but at just 7.8 yards per catch……….Full Story
Week 9 – Warren Harding – Massillon jumped on Warren early, scoring two touchdowns in the first three minutes of the game as a result of turnovers enroute to a 42-10 victory. The Tigers led 28-3 at the half and scored on their second possession of the third quarter to send the game into a running clock situation. Running back Anthony McMullen Jr. had a second consecutive big night, rushing 22 times for 158 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Manny Patterson completed 12 of 17 passes for 133 yards, with TD throws to Giorgio Jackson Jr. of 14 yards and Deontay Malone of 27 yards. Linebacker Ja’Dyn Williams had a huge night, recording five total tackles, 3 TFLs and two fumble recoveries, one of which he returned 18 yards for a touchdown. The Raiders were hampered by five turnovers, three of which gave Massillon a short field and the fourth was the Williams return. The Massillon defense was suburb, holding the Warren rushing attack to just 32 yards on 25 carries. Warren’s lone TD came on a kickoff return……….Full Story
Week 19 – Canton McKinley – It was the 136th renewal of the rivalry game with Canton McKinley, held at Canton’s Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. The first half was played fairly evenly, with the two teams tied at 14-apiece at the break. In the first quarter Massillon scored on its second possession when running back Savior Owens went over the goal line from four yards out. The TD was set up when the Bulldog receiver was stripped of the ball by Braylon Gamble and Tra’Yon Williams dove over the pile to retrieve it at the four. On the Tigers’ next possession they marched 68 yards in 8 plays, with Owens scoring his second touchdown, this one from the 14 yard line. During the drive Manny Patterson completed a 22-yard pass to Jadyce Thigpen and Owens followed with a 12-yard run to advance the ball into four-down territory. The Bulldogs regrouped in the second quarter when Massillon changed its defense in order to defend the the expected passes to follow. Only, McKinley now found success with the ground game and tallied twice to tie the score. After the break the Tigers returned to their original defense and a back-and-forth quarter and half of defensive football ensued. That, until Deontay Malone returned the punt 50 yards for the winning points and a 21-14 victory. The play goes in the record book in that it was the first time in 136 games that a Massillon player had returned a punt for a touchdown against McKinley. Throughout the half the defense was a major factor in maintaining field position as it held McKinley without a first down until after the punt return. With the win, the Tigers’ 966th all-time, they they have now won ten consecutive times over the Bulldogs. In addition, they now lead the overall series, 78-53-5……….Full Story