A Look Back at Past Massillon Teams – Part 4 – The 1993 Season

This is the fourth of a 10-part series looking back at all of the Massillon teams of the 1990s.

Head Coach: Jack Rose (2nd Year)
Overall Record: 10-2
Regular Season Record: 9-1
Playoff Results: Division I, Region 2; Regional finals
Key Players: Mike Danzy (QB), Leon Ashcraft (RB), Ali Dixon (RB), Alonzo Simpson (WR), Jerry May (WR), B.J. Payne (OL), Mark Fair (OL), Trevor Paisley (DL), Chad Buckland (DB), Willie Spencer, Jr. (DB)
All-Ohio: B.J. Payne (1st Team), Trevor Paisley (2nd Team), Alonzo Simpson (SM)

Massillon won its first nine games, before dropping a 21-13 decision to Canton McKinley.  In the the first round of the playoffs the Tigers defeated  Mansfield (9-1), 46-6.  It was the second time these two faced each other that year, with Massillon winning the regular season encounter, 53-22.  But, the Tigers lost in the second round to unbeaten Walsh Jesuit, 30-20.  Ironically, Walsh had defeated Canton McKinley 19-0 in their first round game.  Quarterback Mike Danzy was a true dual-purpose quarterback, passing for 948 yards (17.2 ave.) and rushing for a team-high 702 yards (7.5 ave.).  Ashcraft and Dixon combined for 1,358 yards (6.4 ave.).  The team’s total rushing average of 6.56 yards per attempt ranks 5th in the Massillon record book, while their 3,223 rushing yards ranks 7th and their 47 rushing touchdowns ranks 10th.  Their 42 points per game ranks 9th.

KEY GAMES

Akron Garfield – The Golden Rams entered the contest with a 7-0 loss to McKinley and a 28-7 win over Akron St. Vincent.  Garfield scored first on a 23-yard pass, but Massillon then reeled off the next 28 points to win convincingly, 28-7.  The Tigers were ahead just 14-7 at the start of the second half, but Payne came up big on defense with three successive stops, forcing the Rams to punt.  The Tigers then drove 53 yards in eight plays to score and take a commanding 21-7 lead.  For the game, Danzy completed 7 of 11 passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns, including one to Dixon, who also scored a rushing touchdown.  The Rams would win the rest of their games that year and finish 8-2.

Austintown Fitch – Both the Tigers and the Falcons entered the game undefeated at 4-0.  In front of nearly 15,000 fans, Massillon scored first on a 2-yard Ashcraft run.  But Fitch, with their misdirection attack, would score the next 15 points on two touchdowns and a safety to lead 15-7 at halftme.  Only, the second half belonged to the Tigers as they tallied four times to win 34-15.  Two of the scores were off of interception returns by Tim Menches (67 yards) and Spencer (54 yards).  For the game, Danzy rushed 11 times for 136 yards and threw a touchdown pass.  Fitch would finish the season at 7-3, including a 1-point overtime loss to McKinley and 1-point loss to Youngstown Ursuline, with wins over Youngstown Cardinal Mooney, Warren Harding and Boardman.

Canton McKinley – On a muddy Fawcett Stadium turf Massillon’s potent offense, which was averaging 47 points per game coming into the game, was ground to a halt in a 21-13 defeat by the Bulldogs.  It was also the Tigers’ first loss of the season.  Massillon’s vaunted rushing game managed just 108 yards in the quagmire, while Danzy’s passing was not enough to overcome the deficit.  McKinley, which had a much larger team, managed the conditions better and led 14-7 at the half.  The two teams split touchdowns in the fourth quarter.  The Bulldogs finished the season with a 9-2 record, including a first round loss to Walsh Jesuit, 19-0.

Walsh Jesuit – The Warriors jumped out to a 16-0 lead by halftime and maintained a lead throughout the rest of the game in a 30-20 win.  Walsh had a pair of brothers at quarterback and wide receiver and that combo proved deadly throughout the game.  Nevertheless, the Tiger did cut the deficit to 23-20 in the fourth quarter when Danzy connected to Simpson on a 55-yard pass.  But, Walsh had the last say with a final TD on a 48-yard scoring drive following a 39-yard kickoff return.  The total yards in the game were relatively even and Massillon’s rushing average was a fine 7.4 yards per carry.  But three turnovers contributed to the loss.  Danzy finished with 120 yards rushing off of 10 carries, but managed to complete just 3 of 13 passes for 108 yards and one TD.