2026 Booster Club Report – Week 5 – Post-Canisius; Preview of the Lakewood St. Edward Game
Massillon (4-0) defeated Canisius, NY (1-1), 42-0. This week Massillon plays Lakewood St. Edward (4-0), Ohio’s No. 1 team in Division I. The venue for the game is Baldwin-Wallace University’s Finney Stadium.
Link to the Canisius Game Story
Link to the Canisius Game Statistics (later)
Other scores:
- 7th Grade (3-0): Defeated Medina Highland, 36-6. Plays at Warren on Wednesday, September 16 at 6:00 pm.
- 8th Grade (1-1): The game against Louisville was canceled due to weather, with the Tigers on top 16-0 at the time. Plays at home against Warren on Wednesday, September 16, at 6:00 pm.
- Freshmen (1-3): Lost to Austintown Fitch, 41-0. Plays at home against Lakewood St. Edward on Thursday, September 17, at 6:00 pm.
- Junior Varsity (2-2): Lost to Detroit Catholic Central, 20-6. Plays at home against Lakewood St. Edward on Saturday, September 19, at 1:00 pm.
Review of the Canisius Game
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. The Tigers finished with a balanced attack, rushing for 146 yards and passing for 148 yards, for a total of 294. 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.
Massillon head coach Nate Moore said that Canisius is one of the top teams in New York. “We played OK,” he remarked. “It wasn’t one of our best games. We lacked some physicality. Inconsistent at times. Took our feet off the gas a bit. We need to constantly guard against that. Hopefully, we learned a lesson.”
The guest players were senior wide receiver Gio Jackson Jr. and senior outside linebacker Issac Maxheimer.
Jackson – Last week was a good win. Our main priority was just to do a good job. This week we face a great opponent. They play hard football. They are very talented. We hope to take a good step in the right direction.
Maxheimer – St. Edward is a really good opponent. They are heavy run. They have a big line and run the ball a lot. They don’t pass much.
Preview of the St. Edward Game
Scores to date:
- Olentangy Liberty (1-3): 15-12 W
- Canton McKinley (3-1): 22-8 W
- Huber Heights Wayne (1-3): 48-21 W
- Akron Hoban (0-4): 17-14
In the last five years St. Edward has recorded an overall record of 62-13. They have also qualified for playoffs each year, with a record of 24-3. Recent state titles were earned in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Last season the Eagles finished with a record of 11-3 and advanced to the state semifinals, only to lose 28-0 to eventual state champion Olentangy Orange. During the regular season Massillon defeated St. Eds 21-14, which was the fourth win in a row in that short series. The Tigers lead 7-4 all-time. St. Ed returns seven starters on offense (including four lineman) and three on defense. They include offensive lineman Jack Marquard (1st Team All-Ohio), defensive back Langon Lehmer (2nd Team All-Ohio) and offensive lineman Landon Walkem (HM All-Ohio). In last year’s game Lehmer made 11 tackles and defensive lineman BP Paulozzi made six.
Moore had nothing but good things to say about the St. Edward team. “They are a typical Eds team,” he said. “They are a very good team. Big on both sides of the ball. They’re athletic and talented. They have a good quarterback.”
The offensive is run-first and revolves around senior quarterback Landston Lucas (6′-0″, 205) and his zone-read option scheme. He will often pull the ball and run. On other plays he will keep on a quarterback draw. He is quick and runs like a running back, similar to that of the NFL Academy quarterback. On hand offs they tend to say between the tackles with their massive line, which averages 6′-3″, 295 lbs. Lucas is also a good passer. The No. 1 target is Lehmer (6′-0″, 195), a 2-way player. He is a 3-star recruit, who has committed to Miami of Ohio.
The defensive line also has good size, averaging 6′-2″, 265 lbs. Normally an even-front, this year they have shown a lot of odd-front. They will use a variety of formations with the goal of putting a lot of pressure on the opponent’s offensive line. They want to control the run and pressure quarterback. The secondary is mostly in quarters, with some cover-1 and some cover-3. The corners are both good, particularly Lehmer.
“The front line will be a great challenge for us,” said Moore.
The key matchup will be Massillon’s running attack vs. St. Edward’s front 7 and and its solid linebacker corps. If the Eagles can have success in this area without bringing up extra defenders, then the Tigers could become one-dimensional. However, if Massillon is successful with the run and protects the quarterback, they have the speed at running back to get into the second level and athletic ability at receiver and tight end to stress the defense. On the other side of of the ball it is all about the Tigers limiting the quarterback production on the ground.
Regarding the Farrell game
The Week 7 game vs. Farrell has been officially canceled. It is unknown if the game will forfeited or canceled. Given that Farrell is a Division VII opponent it would be to Massillon’s benefit if it was canceled. For the Tigers would receive more Harbin points with a seasonal average than the minimal second level points earned when Farrell wins games (Note that each of Farrell’s opponents are also classified as Division VII and valued at just 3.5 points).
Go Tigers!
