Each week, the staff of massillontigers.com will provide input of their choice related to the current season or Massillon football in general.
Chris Easterling’s game story refers to some big numbers put up by the Tiger’s offense. When you score 56 points and gain 420 yards in total offense, you have put up some impressive numbers. However, the most important numbers from the Bedford game may have been four and zero. A four to zero turnover edge was huge in determining the ultimate winner of this game. Zero turnovers in a game is the result of good coaching by our coaching staff and good execution by our Tiger’s. We are going to need a good week of practice by our team to keep the zero turnover record going. So, let’s all get out to Austintown and support our team. It’s going to take a total Tigertown effort. — GV
Last week we faced a team with a group of tremendous athletes. When you face a team like Bedford you know there are going to be the chance for big plays and scoring that happens quickly. We saw that on Friday night, but it was the Tigers who struck first. I was impressed with the game plan our coaches came up with offensively and the toughness of our defensive to handle their responsibilities as they have been coached. Forcing two early turnovers really helped this defense have a great confidence throughout the game. Each week I like to point out a different aspect of our team that is growing and getting better. This week that honor goes to our offensive line. They are playing in the shadows of the 2016 team which had arguably one of the biggest offensive lines since the early 90’s. These guys are gritty, tough and fundamentally sound in their responsibilities. You can see the push each week they are getting for our running backs to get down field. Great job O-Line! See you in Austintown! Beat Fitch! — ES
We’re halfway through the season and Region 7 is starting to take shape. These are the contenders as I see it and they may finish in this order: Licking Heights, Columbus Walnut Ridge, Massillon, New Albany, Ashland, Canal Winchester, Columbus Mifflin and Boardman. Westerville South is about to get into the meat of its schedule and I see just one more win for them. North Canton (2-3) has a tough road ahead with Perry (4-1), Jackson (4-1) and Columbus Bishop Hartley (4-1). The Vikings will need to win two of these games to overtake Boardman. Worthington Kilbourne’s finishing schedule is also a killer. Based on all of this, and barring any collapses, the final eight should be pretty well set. Now it’s just a matter of the final placement. — DE
This Friday the Tigers will travel to Austintown to take on the Fitch Falcons, which currently stands at 3-2. After dropping their first two games to Hudson (4-1) and Brunswick (3-2), the Falcons have rebounded against Louisville (1-4), Warren Harding (0-4) and Youngstown East (1-4), outscoring these three three teams by an average margin of 38-16. Offensively, Fitch operates out of the spread formation, normally with a tight end on one side and trips to the other. The run/pass ratio is 80:20. The quarterback is new this year, having started at middle linebacker in 2016. Passing is not his specialty, but he regularly puts up around 100 yards rushing per game. Both running backs return and have good ability. The line is undersized in some positions. Defensively, look for a 3-3 odd stack, similar to what Cincinnati St. Xavier ran against Massillon in the 2005 state title game. When the outside guys scoot in, the 8-man front can put a lot of pressure on the opposing offense. Fitch will blitz more than 50% of the time. The defensive line is smallish, averaging around 200 lbs. According to Coach Moore the Falcons are very aggressive against the run and will present a good challenge. The are well-coached, disciplined and play with good technique. And they really play hard to make up for the lack of size. — DE
