Massillon Crushes New York’s Canisius to Remain Unbeaten

September 12, 2026
by Don Engelhardt

Massillon Crushes New York’s Canisius to Remain Unbeaten

A smothering Tiger defense set the tone and the offense took advantage in a 42-0 victory over the No. 8 ranked team in New York, the Canisius Crusaders, who hail from Buffalo. It was the fourth time in head coach Nate Moore’s twelve years at Massillon that his team won its first four games of the season. In the previous ones, the Tigers went on to win the remainder of their regular season games and advance in the playoffs to the Division II state championship game, while winning the title in 2023. Could this be another of those outstanding seasons?

The strength of the Canisius offense is Elijah Kimble, a speedy 4-star running back that is headed to Syracuse next year. But you would never know it as he tried to push himself through a stifling Tiger front-7. His final numbers were not available at the time this story was written, but his team was limited on the ground to just 63 yards, hurt by several tackles behind the line of scrimmage. It helped that the Tiger secondary was pushed up to within seven yards of the ball, taking advantage of the talent in that part of the field. It only added to the running problems the Crusaders faced.

The impact of the outstanding defensive play was great field position for the offense. In fact, by late in the first half when Massillon was ahead 24-0, Canisius had managed to produce just two first downs, while punting five times. Thus, the average Tiger starting field position following those punts was the Massillon 49 yardline. That contributed to three offensive touchdowns and a field goal, plus a 50-yard punt return for a fourth TD. Unfortunately, the fifth possession resulted in a pass interception in the endzone.

Here’s how the scoring went:

First quarter

Following a Canisius punt on their first possession, Massillon took over at the Crusader 40. The Tigers went immediately to the air, with quarterback Rasmus Haines completing three straight passes to cover the distance. The scoring toss went to Geo Jackson Jr. on a look-in from the 13 yard line. Mateo Herrera then kicked the first of five successful PATs. Score: 7-0.
Canisius was forced to punt again, giving the Tigers the ball at the Crusader 46. Two more completions by Haines (five straight now). Only, the drive stalled at the 13, allowing Herrera to connect on a 30-yard field goal. Score: 10-0.

Second quarter

Following a punt, Massillon started the drive at their own 47 with two explosive runs by Gary Yeager (Savior Owens sat out this one). Then, Brayton Feister skirted the right side of the line, behind some great edge-sealing zone blocking, and outraced the Crusader secondary 18 yards to the end zone. Score 17-0.
The fourth drive started at the Tiger 35 yardline, but ended in a 28-yard pass that was intercepted in the end zone by Xavier Gates-Franklin.
With time running out, Canisius was forced to punt once again. It was then that Braylon Gamble fielded the kick, broke several tackles and didn’t stop running until he had finished off a 50-yard punt return for a touchdown. It came with 1:45 left in the first half. Score: 24-0.
Massillon led in total yards, 182-89, and first downs, 9-4.

Third quarter

Massillon received the kickoff and drove 77 yards for a score. The big play came when Haines went deep on the first play to Jackson, who almost made it to the end zone, only to be caught at the nine at the end of a 65-yard advance. Then from the five, once again on a zone-right play, Gary Yeager took the ball into the end zone. Score 31-0. A running clock was now in effect.
At the end of Canisius’ next possession, the ball was snapped over the punter’s head. He then retreated to the goal line and promptly soccer-kicked the ball out of the end zone for a safety to avoid giving the Tigers an easy TD. Score 33-0.
The subsequent punt was fielded by Deontay Malone at the Tiger 30. He sped to the right, turned the corner and nearly scored, while being stopped at the nine. On third down from the five, Feister went around the right end for the TD. Score 40-0.
The final points came via a safety when the Crusader quarterback was penalized for intentional grounding while throwing a desperation pass from the end zone. Final score: 42-0.

Fourth quarter

Massillon did not score with the backup offensive players in the game. It was also the only time the Tigers punted on the night, as they used only rushing plays throughout the quarter.
The Tigers finished with a balanced attack, rushing for 146 and passing for 148, for a total of 294 yards. Canisius was held to a mere 12 yards in the second half and finished with 101 total yards: 63 on the ground and 38 in the air.

Next week Massillon (4-0) travels to Baldwin-Wallace University’s Finney Stadium to face undefeated Lakewood St. Edward, the No. 1 ranked team in Division I. Canisius (1-1) is on the road to Martinsburg (1-0), the No. 1 team in West Virginia.

Photos by Marlene Kanipe