Scrimmage Report: Massillon vs. Avon
Scrimmage No. 1 is in the books. Over the past several years Massillon and Avon have met in the first scrimmage to gauge the progress of the teams following just a few days of contact practice. While the Eagles have the distinction of being the defending Division II champions, with the Tigers having captured the crown the previous year, both are shells of themselves at this point. But it certainly won’t stay that way as each is expected to challenge for the state title this year.
Throughout the contest the two teams had success with what they do best. For Massillon this year it is the ground game, behind two stellar running backs in junior returnee Savior Owens and senior newcomer Anthony McMullen Jr. Owens runs like his older brother Da’One and McMullen appears to emulate the skills of Dorian Pringle, both of whom were major contributors on the 2023 championship team.
The passing game, however, is a far cry at this point from what will be needed against formidable opponents, while Coach Nate Moore searches for his starting quarterback from the group of senior Eli Moore, junior Mandwel Patterson and sophomore Rasmus Haines. But it wasn’t necessarily a good venue for the competition in that Avon blitzed on nearly every play, while the Tigers never game plan for a scrimmage. With the blitz the QBs just didn’t have a lot of time to set up and throw. On a positive note, each QB showed that they can run effectively with the ball.
But all of that should be tempered with the facts that Massillon didn’t run any RPOs, didn’t throw any deep balls, ran a basic defense and substituted liberally. It was more about finding the right player fits and evaluating the individual play execution than finding the right score.
Meanwhile, Avon, of course, throws the ball. And they do it fairly well. In fact, it’s the bread and butter of their offense. But the orange and black held their own for the most part.
The first session of the scrimmage involved 10-play series, with no extra plays inside the red zone. In essence, run ten plays and then get off the field. Each team had two tries.
Avon went first and advanced the ball from their own 35 to the Massillon 20, aided by at least thirty yards in penalties. It appeared that the Tigers were just a bit overanxious to get to it early on;. it was much better as the event went on. From there the Eagles converted 37-yard field goal.
The Massillon offense then took its turn, with Patterson at quarterback, but gained just three yards and punted. On the start-over they advanced to the Avon 47 before running out of plays. Quarterbacking was shared by Haines and Moore.
Avon scored on their second try on a 22-yard run, only it was against the Tiger backups. With a few plays remaining, they moved to the Massillon 33 and missed on a 50-yard field goal attempt.
Patterson started at QB on the second series and was replaced by Haines midway through the drive. The run game really kicked into gear in this one, displaying good speed and physicality. With a pass or two sprinkled in, the Tigers moved the ball from their own 35 to the Avon 20, before Haines rifled a pass to Deontay Malone at the seven. Malone snagged the ball and then scored after first eluding a potential tackler with a nifty fake.
In the second session, each team started at the opponent’s 25 and had just five plays to see what they could do. Two series apiece.
Avon in series one scored on a 14-yard touchdown pass to a well-covered receiver, who simply made a great catch. With a play remaining, a 15-yard pass was intercepted by a diving Braylon Gamble.
Massillon in series one, with Patterson at QB, went immediately to the air. Only, the pass was just over the hands Gio Jackson, who had beaten his cover guy and was sprinting across the middle of the end zone. Subsequently, a 22-yard field goal attempt was wide.
Avon scored in series two on a 3-yard run against several Massillon defensive backups. With a play remaining, they missed on a 42-yard field goal attempt.
Moore was in at quarterback for series two. He did complete a 25-yard touchdown pass while sprinting to the sideline, but the referee blew the whistle to stop the play while the ball was in the air, since he judged that the QB had timed out. And, although the Tigers then moved the ball inside the ten, a 15-yard penalty took away the favorable field position. At the end, a 32-yard field goal was missed.
The best takeaway from the scrimmage was the speed and power of the Tiger run game. But as far as a starting quarterback goes, we will need to wait for the coach to make the call. None really stood out on this day. Defensively, the talent is certainly there. And don’t expect the Tigers to use a “basic defense” once the regular season begins. Special teams will need some work. Short snaps were inconsistent, which affected the kickers greatly. Punt snaps were a bit slow. And punts were variable. Kickoffs were OK.
The JV teams ran three 10-play series each, but neither scored, although they each moved the ball fairly well at times.
Massillon will take the field next against Cincinnati Moeller in a home scrimmage scheduled for next Thursday at 2:00 pm.
