Statistics

Across four long quarters of football Massillon and Cardinal Ritter slugged it out. Back and forth they went. Ground-pounding, old-style football. Gaining yardage little by little. But by the end of the night, it was the big plays that spelled the difference, giving the Tigers a hard-earned 28-14 victory over a very good opponent.

Cardinal Ritter, a private school from St. Louis, Missouri, came into the contest with a 2-2 record. But all four opponents were ranked in the Missouri Top 50, including No.1 Christian Brothers, which had a close win over previous Massillon opponent Rabun Gap, GA, on this same night. The Lions were huge up front, with an offensive line that averaged nearly 300 pounds. In addition, every skill player had extreme speed and was very athletic. And the Lions knew how to play the game. It was quite a challenge for Massillon, coming off last week’s one-sided loss to Canada’s Football North. But by game’s end they had made more big plays than Ritter and that really made most of the difference in the game.

The other difference was a Massillon defense that refused to let the Lions cross the goal line when they got close. They stopped the Lions with an interception at their own 29. They recovered a fumble at their own 13. And they held on downs at their own 7 late in the game.

But some of Ritter’s undoing was their own fault. Sixteen times they were whistled for a penalty, accounting for 144 lost yards. Add to that three turnovers and it became just too much to overcome.

Nevertheless, the Tiger fans could never get comfortable unless the lead was at least two touchdowns. That’s because the Lions had the talent to score on any play, either running or passing. In fact, several times they launched a long bomb to a slightly open receiver, only to have the ball sail just past his hands.

Massillon wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. On the first play from scrimmage junior running back Savior Owens ripped off a 14-yard run, setting the tone for the night. Two plays later he sped around the right side of the line and raced 45 yards for a touchdown. Mateo Herrara’s PAT then put the Tigers up 7-0.

On Ritter’s second possession they drove 46 yards in 10 plays to the Massillon 13, but fumbled the ball away to Joe Karder.

Early in the second quarter, the Tigers scored again, after first stopping the Lions on downs at the Massillon 46. The 10-yard TD by Owens came at the end of a 7-play drive that covered 54 yards.

But Ritter got right back into it when Manny Ellis sped 70 yards to the end zone. Lacking a kicker, the Lions went for two and were successful on a pass from Kashmir Manuzuk to Elijah Lucas, making the score 14-8.

Massillon responded by driving to the Ritter 17, but Manny Patterson lost control of the ball while scrambling out the pocket and the Lions took possession at their own 27. Only, they gave it right back on a punt snap that literally dribbled along the ground, never reaching the punter. The stop gave Patterson a chance to redeem himself. Lining up in the slot, he took a reverse lateral from Owens, who first took the snap from the shotgun, and launched a perfectly thrown ball to Jadyce Thigpen in back corner of the end zone for the score.

Although there were just 19 seconds left in the half, it was enough time for the quick-strike Lions to have the last say. It came in the final play when Manuzuk fired a 46-yard “Hail Mary” dart into end zone and somehow Ryan McDavis found the ball for a TD. The PAT pass was incomplete. So, the two teams headed to the locker room with the Tigers up, 21-14.

The second half was a back-and-forth affair, with the Tiger defense keeping the Lions out of the end zone and the offense finding a way to score one more time. It came early in the fourth quarter when Christian Culler, who was in the game for the injured Owens, broke loose for a 44-yard run down the right sideline. It was Culler’s first carry of the season, having been relegated so far exclusively to defense.

Cardinal Ritter led in total offense, 321-259. For Massillon, Owens rushed 27 times for 168 yards and two touchdowns. Patterson was 3 of 8 for 30 yards and one score, that pass going to Thigpen. Isaac Maxheimer led the defense with 9 total tackles, one TFL and a fumble recovery. Ja’Dyn Williams had seven total tackles and 0.5 TFLs. Chayce White intercepted a pass to spoil a Lion drive.

For Ritter, Ellis rushed 22 times for 164 yards and one TD. Rylan Moore completed 6 of 10 passes for 91 yards, while Manuzuk completed 3 of 9 for 42 yards and a touchdown. The defense was led by Da’Ryan Stringer, who had 11 total tackles and 0.5 TFLs.

Next week Massillon (4-3) will entertain Cornerstone Christian (4-2), from San Antonio, Texas. Ritter (2-3) will host Roosevelt (1-4).