Six Massillon Players Named All-Ohio
The Division II All-Ohio Squad was well represented by six Massillon Tiger players, all of whom have played their final high school games. They were members of a team that finished the season with an 11-3 record and advanced to the regional championship game. The players include:
First Team
- Nolan Davenport – Davenport was a 2-year starter at offensive tackle, plus a sophomore tenure starting at tight end, playing at 6’-6”, 290 lbs. During the season he helped his team rush for 163.5 yards per game at 6.3 yards per attempt, while scoring 34 rushing touchdowns. In the passing game, the line surrendered just 13 quarterback sacks in 14 games. After the season he was named All-Stark County and 1st Team All-District. Next year Davenport will attend the University of Wisconsin.
- Michael Wright jr. – Wright was a 4-year starter as a defensive lineman, playing at 5’-11”, 285 lbs. and was perhaps the the most dominating player at that position that the Tigers have ever had. For the season he produced 47 tackles, 15.5 tackles-for-loss for 68 yards and 4 sacks for 26.5 yards. The two TFL numbers are both Top 10. After the season he was named All-Stark County and 1st Team All-District. Next year Wright will attend Youngstown State University.
- Tyler Hackenbracht – Hackenbracht was a 2-year starter at safety, playing at 6’-2”, 210 lbs. During the season he led the team with 113 total tackles, including 63 assists, both marks of which are Top 10. He also had 4 tackles-for-loss. Hackenbracht had the uncanny ability to play down hill with speed on running plays and make physical tackles on the ball carrier at the line of scrimmage. But he also made an impact on special teams. Against Teays Valley he returned one kickoff and two punts for touchdowns, something rarely seen in a single game. The kickoff return spanned 100 yards and is No. 2 in the record book for the longest return. Hackenbracht set a new record for averaging 39 yards per punt return and tied a record with three punt returns for touchdowns in a single season, to go along with numerous other Top 10 marks. After the season, he was named All-Stark County and 1st Team All-District. Next year Hackenbracht will attend the University of Toledo.
Second Team
- Ja’Meir Gamble – Gamble was a 2-year starter at running back, playing at 5’-10”, 190 lbs. During the season he rushed 189 times for 1,636 yards and scored 20 touchdowns, while averaging 8.7 yards per attempt. His yardage number is No. 4 all-time. Against Legacy School of Sport Science he rushed for 290 yards (No. 3 all-time), averaged 19.3 yards per carry (No. 2 all-time) and scored five touchdowns (No. 5 all-time). Against Warren Harding he averaged 15.2 yards per carry, which is also in the Top 10. With 4.3 second speed in the 40-yard dash, he was adept at breaking off runs toward the outside when the line was clogged. In fact, 14 of his 20 touchdowns were of 20 yards or more. After the season he was named All-Stark County and 1st Team All-District. Next year Gamble will attend Mercyhurst University.
- Mylen Lenix – Lenix played running back on offense in 2023, but defensive outside linebacker was his primary focus this year, playing at 5′-10″, 205 lbs. It was there that he had an immediate impact with his aggressive play. During the season he recorded 48 tackles, 28 assists, 15.0 tackles-for-loss (Top 10) for 62.5 lost yards and a team-leading 6.0 quarterback sacks (Top 10) for 36.5 yards. He also had a pass breakup, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble. Against Legacy School of Sport Science he had 2.5 sacks, which is No. 5 in the record book. After the season he was named 1st Team All-District.
Third Team
- Jalen Slaughter – Slaughter was a 4-year starter at quarterback, playing at 6′-0″, 170 lbs. During the season he completed 175 of 279 pass for 2,363 yards and 22 touchdowns. His best performance of the year was against NFL Academy-London when he connected on 29 of 44 passes for 403 yards, with all three marks in the record book Top 10. He also passed for over 200 yards against Football North (Clarkson) and Canal Winchester. Three times in a game he tossed three touchdowns. He finished his career in fine company as one of the Top Four Massillon passing quarterbacks ever, along with Justin Zwick, Kyle Kempt and Aidan Longwell. After the season he was named All-Stark County and 1st Team All-District.
