Massillon and Avon to Square Off in Initial Scrimmage
It’s finally here! The start of the much-anticipated 2026 high school football season. And what better way to begin than by matching up two of Ohio’s Division II state powers: Massillon, the state champion of 2023 and Avon, champion in 2024 and ‘25. Both are expected to contend this year for the state title and could potentially meet again in the state finals.
Although past accolades certainly won’t be the focus when they meet on Friday at 11:30 am in Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, and while state titles are not won in scrimmages, it will still be a great event. Fans should expect the respective coaches to challenge their players in game action settings in order to determine the starters and effective backups, while not focusing so much on which team comes out on top. Nevertheless, Tiger fans are sure to have other opinions and conversations to hold them over until the scrimmage the following week against another state power, Cincinnati Moeller.
Avon has had a long history of successful football under head coach Mike Elder, who is entering his 18th season in that position. His overall record to date stands at 198 wins and 27 losses, including eight undefeated regular seasons, eight playoff regional championships and two state championships, the latter occurring in the past two years. Interestingly, all of his post-season titles have come in the last nine years. But until the last two, there always seemed to be a hill climb; that hill being Akron Hoban. Five times in seven years it was Hoban that halted Avon’s run to the title. And not all of the games were close. The Eagles were also eliminated by Massillon 35-10 in 2019, the only time these two teams have met in a game that counted, and by Toledo Central Catholic 28-20 during their 2022 title run. Finally, in 2024, they reached the summit, convincingly knocking off Hoban 35-10 and winning the crown with a 20-13 victory over Cincinnati Anderson. The following year they handled Walsh Jesuit in the semifinals 38-7 before beating Anderson in the title game, 37-20.
For Massillon, head coach Nate Moore begins his 12th season, with an overall record of 119-29. During his tenure the Tigers have won six regional championships and advanced to the state title game four times. The state title came in 2023, on a 7-2 victory over Akron Hoban. In regular season encounters, Massillon holds a 10-game winning streak over rival Canton McKinley and a 4-game winning streak over state power Lakewood St. Edward, which captured the Division I state title in two of those years. Going into this season, the Tigers have been tabbed by multiple ranking services as the team to beat in Division II.
Avon will have some big shoes to fill this year with the loss of nine all-state players, including quarterback Blake Elder, son of coach Mike Elder. In addition, there are apparently few marquee players returning, according to the recruiting websites. However, the Eagles traditionally field a lot of interchangeable participants during key parts of games, positioning them as better suited to reload rather than rebuild. It begins with these promising players:
- Junior quarterback Carter Jenny
- Junior wide receiver Jackson Palmer
- Sophomore running back / linebacker Camden Bly
- Senior offensive lineman Maximus Hauck
- Senior offensive / defensive lineman Cameron Dietz
- Senior defensive lineman Lance Dawson
- Senior defensive back Jacob Weatherspoon (Power 4 recruit)
Meanwhile, Massillon welcomes back fifteen starters from its 9-4 campaign of the previous year. Although stellar linebacker Jayden Williams has moved on to Indiana, the Tigers are well positioned with several top-shelf athletes, including the following:
- Senior running back Savior Owens (1st Team All-Ohio, Michigan State)
- Senior wide receiver / cornerback Deonte Malone (2nd Team All-Ohio, Ohio State)
- Senior wide receiver Giorgio Jackson (2nd Team All-District, Miami of Ohio)
- Senior offensive lineman Dayvionne Floyd (2nd Team All-District)
- Senior offensive lineman Marcus Garner (Honorable Mention All-District)
- Junior defensive lineman Brydon Feister (1st Team All-Ohio)
- Senior linebacker Brayton Feister (Ohio Defensive Player of the Year, Oregon)
- Senior linebacker Isaac Maxheimer (2nd Team All-District)
- Senior safety Braylon Gamble (2nd Team All-District, Boston College)
What a great way to kick off the season.
