Statistics

For the second time this year Massillon played a game against a team from out of state, this time L.J. Bennett, from Buffalo, York. Last week they faced Georgia’s Rabun Gap and there are still three more of these opponents remaining on the schedule. Following next week’s match against Lakewood St. Edward, the Tigers will face in order, Football North from Ontario, Canada, Cardinal Ritter from Missouri and Cornerstone Christian from Texas. While the Tigers met their match last week, this time around it was a much easier encounter as they cruised to a 35-0 victory. In fact, all of the points were scored in the first half and a running clock was in effect for the entire second part of the game.

The big story was that the fans were excited to see how the two backup quarterbacks, Eli Moore and Rasmus Haines, would perform in place of the injured Manny Patterson. Fortunately, from the get-go they both responded well. In that first half of action Moore completed all three of his attempts for 23 yards and a touchdown. And Haines connected on five of seven for 66 yards and a score.

Meanwhile, Massillon’s No. 1 running back Savior Owens saw limited duty while lining up at both his normal position and in the wildcat, carrying the ball just nine times in the half. But he was still the best player on the field, rushing for 91 yards and scoring two touchdowns. Backup Anthony McMullen Jr., who had more of dual starting role in this one, had 15 attempts for 43 yards and a TD. He also ran for a 2-point conversion.

Bennett (also called the Tigers) competes in Buffalo’s city league where they are considered the best of the group and the favorite to win their remaining six games. They have very good players at the skill positions, along with good sized lines, and they put forth a good effort on every play. But their fundamentals are just a tad behind a team like Massillon, and this was evident in their inability to finish drives when on offense. The one bright spot for Bennett was their quarterback, Jacob Dowell. For the game he ended up completing 10 of 17 passes (3 of 8 in the first half) for 53 yards, while helping a running attack that struggled throughout against the stout Tiger defense. For the game Bennett rushed 15 times for 27 yards.

For Massillon, Owens was mostly in the wildcat position. When the situation called for a pass, Owens came out and McMullen plus one of the two quarterbacks was inserted. But it certainly wasn’t a walkover game. Bennett forced the Tigers earn everything they got and appeared to be coached very well. Their alignment was man-to-man on the receivers with one free safety and the corners pulled back at times, up close at other times. Thus, for most plays they had eight players committed to run. So, it’s a credit to Owens’ running ability that he was able to do what he did, averaging over ten yards per carry. Meanwhile, the quarterbacks were limited to short throws throughout, while Haines did manage to complete one long one for a touchdown. And at times the QBs were unable to locate open receivers. Nevertheless, it was the consistency of the balanced Tiger offense they eventually won the day.

Massillon scored on each of its first five possessions. The first was on a 12-play, 67-yard drive that ended when Owens ran the ball into the end zone from the ten. That’s when special teams problems arose once again. The snap was low on the PAT attempt and the holder was forced to eat the ball. Later in the game, Bennett would return a kickoff 50 yards, in spite of the Tigers having four players in position to make the tackle during the early part of the return.

Following a Bennett 3-and-out, Massillon was on the move again, driving 46 yards in 9 plays. The score came when Moore completed a 5-yard pass to Gio Jackson. McMullen then ran in the PAT to make the score 14-0.

It was after this score that Bennett’s Jack Eskridge V returned the kickoff 51 yards to the Massillon 22. But the visitors gave up the ball four players later. In response, Massillon proceeded to move the ball 83 yards in nine plays to score their third touchdown, a 19-yard run by Owens. Owens also had runs of 14 and 20 yards during the drive.

After another 3-and-out by Bennett, Braylon Gamble returned a punt 32 yards to the Bennett six. Two plays later McMullen was in the end zone following a 3-yard run. The final score came following a Bennett fumble at their own 34. It took just three plays from there, with Haines dropping a perfect pass to Gio Jackson at the goal line, along the right sideline, with Jackson ahead of the defender by a single step.

The second half was played under a running-clock situation and neither team scored. Although, Massillon did lose the ball on a fumble near the Bennett goal line on one of their two possessions. And Gamble returned a pass interception 24 yards for a score, only to have the ball brought back on account of a defensive penalty. Bennett never did threaten against the backups.

By game’s end the Tiger two quarterbacks had combined to complete 8 of 11 passes for 89 yards and three touchdowns; a very commendable outing. Owens had a final run in the third quarter of 12 yards and he finished the game with 103 yards. On defense, Ja’Dyn Williams recorded six total tackles.

Next week Massillon will host Lakewood St. Edward, Ohio’s No. 1 team (No. 53 in the country). Bennett will be at home against Hutchinson Tech.