Massillon Defeats Farrell, Pennsylvania, Team by Way of Forfeit

Farrell is one of the more successful small-school programs in Pennsylvania.  In fact, last year they posted a record of 12-3 and advanced to the state finals in Class AA (Class A is the highest).  In addition, they have lost just 14 games over the last five years.  Perhaps, in an attempt to test the waters, they elected to schedule a game against the nationally-ranked Tigers.

However, a few weeks ago Farrell backed out of the game citing, according to media releases, a number of injuries.  Possibly, the reason was the expectation of injuries that might arise in a game of that level, given their lack of depth.  Regardless, the game was canceled and later ruled as a forfeit in Massillon’s favor, by the official score of 1-0.  The implications are as follows:

• Massillon’s record improves to 7-0, while Farrell’s falls to 4-2.
• Massillon’s historical number of wins improves to 975.
• In terms of Harbin points, Massillon will receive the full benefit of each Farrell win, both those already earned and those going forward. However, given that Farrell is equivalent to an Ohio Division VII team, the benefit will be minimal.  That’s because the Tigers will gain just 3.5 points in the first level and just 3.5 points in the second level for each Farrell win.  Fortunately, Farrell is predicted to have a record of 7-2 by the end of Harbin point counting.

Next week Massillon will host Cornerstone Christian, Texas (4-1), a team that the Tigers defeated last year, 45-20.  However, the Warriors continue to build their program and are much improved this time around.