Massillon Travels to Cincinnati for Final Season Tune-Up
Massillon head coach Nate Moore believes that facing top competition early is a major key to overall success, in that it gives the coaches opportunities to find the shortcomings and make the necessary adjustments before the team gets too deep into the season. For the two scrimmages this year, the Tigers face is Avon, winner of the last two Division II state titles, and Cincinnati Moeller, which is always a contender for the Division I title. Then it gets real, with the season opener against Cleveland Glenville, winner of the 2025 Division IV championship.
After dominating Avon last Friday, the Tigers hit the road this Thursday for the second of two scrimmages, this time against Moeller. Fans should expect this one to be played in more game-like conditions.
The Crusaders suffered through a number of paltry seasons before righting the ship in 2021 after finding the right coach in Mark Elder in 2020. Elder resigned following the 2022 season, opening the door for current head coach Bert Bathiany, who has continued that success. Here is how the Crusaders have performed over the past five years:
- 2021 – Record: 11-4. Won regional title. Lost 22-21 to Springfield in the state semifinals.
- 2022 – Record: 13-2. Won regional title. Lost 28-24 to Springfield in the state semifinals. Defeated Massillon 49-31 in the 2022 season opener.
- 2023 – Record: 10-5. Won regional title. Lost 29-19 in overtime to Springfield in the state semifinals.
- 2024 – Record: 14-2. Won regional title. Lost 28-14 to Olentangy Liberty in the state finals.
- 2025 – Record: 8-4. Lost to 17-13 to Cincinnati St. Xavier in the second round.
Moeller was relatively young last year, particularly on offense, where they return eight starters. Of particular interest is quarterback, where they are working on finding a new signal caller, having lost all-everything Matt Panatoski, now at the University of Kentucky. Panatoski previously won Ohio’s 2024 Mr. Football and was a finalist last year. A pair of juniors are vying for the starting spot, in Nick Monserez and Trey Noble. The defense returns five starters, including three in the defensive backfield.
The strength of the team may be the offensive line, which is anchored by three exceptional players:
- Senior Patrick O’Brien (6’-5”, 292), who was 1st Team All-Ohio last year and is verbally committed to Purdue.
- Junior Jace Mongomery (6’-3”, 250), who was Honorable Mention All-Ohio last year.
- Senior Kal-El Johnson (6’-8”, 320), a 4-star transfer from Cincinnati Taft, who has verbally committed to Georgia Tech.
This should pose a challenging task for the Tiger front-7.
Another player to watch is senior wide receiver Reggie Watson, who was 2nd Team All-Ohio last year. He is committed to Louisville for baseball.
For the Tigers, they hope to match up well with the Crusaders and gain some momentum heading into next week’s season opener against always strong Cleveland Glenville. The Tarblooders won last year’s encounter, 33-27 in overtime.
