A Look Back at Past Massillon Teams – Part 7 – The 1996 Season

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

Head Coach: Jack Rose (5th Year)
Overall Record: 9-2
Regular Season Record: 9-1
Playoff Results: Division I, Region 2, 1st; lost in first round
Key Players: Ben Hymes (QB), Christian Morgan (RB), Devin Williams (WR), Ben Mast (OL), Milo McGuire (DL), Eric Lightfoot (DB)
All-Ohio: Ben Mast (1st), Milo McGuire (1st), Eric Lightfoot (SM)

The season was highlighted by an weeks-long No.1 ranking in the state A.P. Poll, plus victories over Cincinnati Moeller and eventual Division I  state champion Lima Senior.  Nevertheless, what started out as a promising season ended with a whimper, owing to a Week-10 loss to a dominant Canton McKinley team and a first round upset by Brunswick in a snow-covered Rubber Bowl.  Christian Morgan led the offense, rushing 202 times for 1,044 yards (5. ave.) and scoring 102 points.  Devin Williams caught 21 passes for 211 yards and 2 TDs.  Eric Lightfoot contributed with three pass interceptions, a fumble recovery and exceptional punting.  Josh Kreider had six takeaways: four picks and two loose balls.

PIVOTAL GAMES

Lima Senior – This was an early showdown of the season’s state powers and it was a classic, at least for Massillon.  For, they came away with 28-14 victory over Lima Senior, a team that went on to win the Division I playoff state championship.  It was also Lima’s only loss of the season.  The Tigers scored first on a 77-yard run by 6′-4″ Christian Morgan.  In in the second quarter the Spartans responded with a short run, but then Morgan followed with his second TD of the game, from two yards out, to put the Tigers out in front again.  Following the halftime break the momentum fully swung in Massillon’s favor when Eric Lightfoot intercepted a pass and returned it 37 yards for a score.  In the final period Morgan got his third touchdown of the game on a short run, making the score 28-7, although Lima did push one in late in the game to make the final margin respectable.  Morgan ended with 22 carries for 156 yards.

Walsh Jesuit – Walsh entered the game with a 4-1 record and a close loss to Lake Catholic, but was summarily pummeled by a surging Tiger team, 34-10.  Morgan again led the way with three rushing touchdowns, of 2, 21 and 2 yards, while Dusty Limbaugh returned a blocked punt for a TD and Elijah Blake scored on a 1-yard run.  It turned out to be the Warrior’s only regular season loss, although they failed to make the Division III playoffs.

Naperville Central, IL – Naperville Central, owning a 6-1 record, played a competitive game with the host Tigers.  In fact, they led Massillon 13-0 at halftime.  But the second half was a complete reversal and the Tigers left the field with a 21-13 victory.  In the third quarter Jared Sefanako scored on an 8-yard run.  Then in the fourth, Ben Hymes tallied from one yard out, with Josh Hose adding the PAT, to give Massillon a 14-13 lead.  The  clinching points were scored by Morgan on a 1-yard run.  The overall stats were fairly even, while the Tigers held a sizeable edge in the rushing game.  Naperville finished the season with a 7-2 record.

Cincinnati Moeller – Massillon defeated the Crusaders for a second straight time, by the score of 20-15.  Massillon was ahead 14-13 at the break off a 10-yard pass interception return by Josh Kreider and 25-yard run by Elijah Blake.  Moeller had a short run and kicked field goals of 32 and 45 yards.  Neither team found the end zone in the third quarter, but in the fourth Dave Hodgson got loose on a 74-yard TD run to put the Tigers ahead 20-12.  Meanwhile, the Crusaders could not dent the end zone and were forced to settle for a 46-yard field goal, which simply closed the gap.  Hodgson ended with 8 carries for 134 yards.  Moeller finished the regular season with an 8-2 record, the other loss coming at the hands of Cincinnati Elder.  In the second round of the playoffs the Crusaders again lost to Elder.

Canton McKinley – The two titans faced off in yet another classic.  Massillon came in unbeaten, while  McKinley had one loss, 47-19, to eventual state finalist Cleveland St. Ignatius.  As good as the Tigers were throughout the season, it all came crashing down in this one with a 21-0 defeat.  The Bulldogs scored twice in the second quarter and once in the third, while the Tigers gained just 110 yards for the game and were forced to punt six times.  They also turned the ball over twice on pass interceptions.  In the playoffs the Bulldogs, after defeating Brunswick, lost 31-24 in the state semifinals to St. Ignatius,

Brunswick – A driving snow storm at the University of Akron’s Rubber made playing conditions nearly impossible, with up to six inches of the wet stuff blanketing the field.  The snow came down so hard that attempts to plow it proved fruitless.  In a game that should have been postponed, the Tigers lost 7-6.  The difference?  Massillon attempted their PAT immediately following their touchdown, with the kicker lining up from within a bed of snow, while Brunswick called time out to first shovel the snow suitable enough for the kicker to have some footing during his ultimately successful kick.  After a scoreless first half, Christian Morgan sped through the line and plodded 89 yards for a touchdown.  The Blue Devils, employing a 2-tight end set, scored their TD late in the fourth quarter on a short run, capping a drive that covered just over half of the field.  Massillon’s size and speed advantage was negated by the poor field conditions and they managed just over 100 yards of offense, aside from Morgan’s long run.  Also, they couldn’t take advantage of four Brunswick fumbles.  Of course, the Blue Devil’s couldn’t cash in on the Tiger’s four turnovers.  The following week Brunswick would lose in the playoffs 36-15 to McKinley, on a dry field.