The Vikings play in the Federal League, which is comprised of teams located either in or near Stark County.  Last year they finished with a 6-5 record, including a 28-0 loss to Uniontown Lake in the first round of the playoffs.  Their record over the previous five years is 35-21, including a 19-11 mark in Federal League play and 5-5 in the playoffs.  Their best season over that time span occurred in 2021 when they captured the Federal League title with a 6-0 record,while finishing 9-3 overall, including a 14-10 loss to Green in the second round of the playoffs.  In the previous year they finished 6-3, losing 48-23 to Masssillon in the second round of the playoffs.

This year’s regular season record was 8-2, with a 4-2 mark in the Federal League.  The losses were to Lake by a touchdown and Canton McKinley by a single point.  Last week, in the first round of the playoffs, the Vikings defeated inner-city team Columbus Northland, 50-6.  Below are their scores.

• Akron Buchtel (4-6): 30-0
• Medina (4-7): 42-17
• Akron North (1-9): 64-0
• Green (6-5): 27-21
• Louisville (6-5): 31-13
• Canton GlenOak (2-8): 28-21
• Canton McKinley (8-2): 20-21 L
• Massillon Perry (5-5): 35-21
• Uniontown Lake (7-3): 14-20 L
• Massillon Jackson (6-5): 35-14
• Columbus Northland (7-4): 50-6

With a bye last week as the playoffs got underway for most qualifying teams the Tigers had a chance to heal any wounds emanating from their 21-14 victory over Canton McKinley and regroup in preparation for a second-round match against visiting North Canton Hoover.  “It’s playoff  time,” said Massillon Head Coach Nate Moore.  “It’s win or go home!”

The guest players were junior linebacker Isaac Maxheimer and junior offensive/defensive lineman Marcus Garner.

• Maxheimer – Last week was a really good week to get our technique right.  But now we need to play five championship games.
• Garner – We got back to the fundamentals, the basics.  Hoover has a good defense.

North Canton uses a spread offense, aligning mostly in an empty set.  Occasionally, they will include a running back in the mix.  The “go-to” guy is Jack Andes, who plays both running back and wide receiver.  Expect him to be involved in the majority of their play, either running the ball or catching it.  Moore said that he might be the best player in the county this year.  The quarterback, John Collins, manages the offense well.  He is very accurate and is a good scrambler.  His No. 2 target is Brycen Beyer.  Expect to see the ball to be in the air 60-65% of the time, more if the Vikings are unable to establish a running attack.  Then again, with rain and high winds in the forecast, it may be just the opposite.

The offensive line has good size, averaging 6′-3″, 270 lbs.  It is led by 3-star recruit Jack Ziarko.  He is an excellent football player.

The top players on offense are (regular season statistics shown):

• Senior quarterback John Collins  (6′-2″, 190): 79 of 164 passing (59%) for 1,434 yards (14.8 ave.), with 4 interceptions and 14 touchdowns.
• Senior running back/wide receiver Jack Andes (5′-11″, 175): 79 carries for 553 yards (7.0 ave.) and 7 touchdowns, 46 receptions for 744 yards (16.2 ave.) and 11 touchdowns.
• Senior wide receiver Brycen Beyer (6′-0″, 175).
• Senior offensive lineman Jack Ziarko (6′-4″, 295): Committed to Miami of Ohio.

The defense aligns almost exclusively in a 4-3, cover-3 zone.  However, they have shown some 3-man fronts.  They will blitz on a rare occasion.  Although it’s very basic, Moore said that Hoover is good at what they do.  The line averages 6′-2″, 243 lbs. and is led by Ziarko, a 2-way player.  Ziarko is really good on this side of the ball and gets off quickly.  The best linebacker is Carter Lukens, who leads the county in tackles.  Moore considers him to be a “really good player.”  The best corner is Teayn Ledwell, while Brycen Beyer, another 2-way player, can be found at safety.

The top players on defense are:

• Senior defensive lineman David Tully (6′-2″, 255): 20.0 TFLs, 7.0 sacks.
• Junior defensive lineman Owens Williams (6′-0″, 210): 12.0 TFLs, 7.0 sacks.
• Junior defensive lineman Aaron Brubaker (6′-3″, 210): 11.0 TFLs, 7.0 sacks.
• Senior linebacker Carter Lukens (5′-10″, 200): 146 total tackles 20.0 TFLs, 3 interceptions.
• Senior cornerback Carson Morris (6′-0″, 170): 5 interceptions.
• Junior cornerback Teayn Ledwell (6′-0″, 160).

Hoover is good in all areas of special teams.

In summary, the Vikings have some size, are athletic and run well.  They are well coached and display sound fundamentals.

Go Tiger!