Mistakes Prove Costly in Playoff Loss to Big Walnut

Mistakes Prove Costly in Playoff Loss to Big Walnut

Statistics

Bracket

Revenge was on the minds of the Tiger football family for the entire season as both Massillon and Big Walnut appeared headed for a showdown in the Division II, Region 7 finals.  But it wasn’t to be.  The Golden Eagles played a nearly perfect game in a 27-21 victory, while the Tigers were the ones that made the mistakes and literally gave the game away.

The errors were numerous.  In the first quarter a punt snap sailed high over the head of the punter, placing the ball at the five yard line.  Three plays later Big Walnut quarterback Eli Stumpf (2^nd Team All-Central District) found Brody Hatfield (1^st Team All-District) open in the back corner of the end zone for the score.  In the second quarter the Tigers surrendered a blocked punt, giving the ball away at the six.  Stump subsequently carried it in on second down.  And then there were the two Eagle field goals, both following short drives, of 25 and 31 yards.  One of these was set up by a pass interception.  Then, there were the ten penalties for 100 yards, many of which hampered the Massillon offense early in the game.

The Tigers might have overcome all of that had they possessed any kind of a passing attack.  The quarterback rarely had time to set up, the receivers weren’t getting open and the passes were mostly errant as a result.  Perhaps the coaching staff anticipated this, as they spent the entire night running ball.  In fact, Massillon threw just three times up to the point when they fell behind 27-21.

While statistics don’t tell the whole story, Massillon did out-gain Big Walnut 355-196 in total yardage, with a 287-100 advantage in rushing yards.  Running back Savior Owens, behind the fine blocking of the linemen, was the lone offensive bright spot with a monster game, as he churned out 293 yards and three touchdowns off of 35 carries, while averaging 8.4 yards per attempt.  Included in that were TD runs of 29, 44 and 58 yards.

Defensively, the players were put in difficult situations.  However, they did manage to hold the Central District’s Offensive Player of the Year to just 104 yards (4.7 ave.) and no touchdowns.

It was on Massillon’s second possession that the errant punt snap occurred.  After an exchange of possessions, the Tigers went on a 10-play, 83-yard drive, with all plays on the ground, culminating in Owens’ 29-yard touchdown run to tie the score.

On the next series Massillon scored again, this time moving 64 yards in 3 plays, with Owens racing in from the Big Walnut 40.  Then came the blocked punt, with the score quickly tied at 14 apiece, followed shortly thereafter by an Eagle field goal by Owen Pyles of 28 yards.  Thus, the halftime score was 17-14.

Big Walnut received the kickoff to start the third quarter and produced their only long offense of the night, an 8-play, 66-yard drive, ending with a 1-yard quarterback sneak.  It upped the margin to 24-14.

Only, the Tigers got right back into it when Owens broke loose for a 58-yard touchdown run on the second play of a 63-yard drive.  Now it was just a matter of finding that fourth score.  Even with Big Walnut tacking on a 24-yard field goal to start the fourth quarter and a score of 27-21 there was still a chance.

The Tigers had three cracks at it.  On the first they drove to the Eagle 22 with 4:30 left and elected to forgo a 4^th down field goal attempt, only to be stopped on downs when a pass was broken up.  On the second, following a recovered fumble at the Big Walnut 35, they faced a fourth and four from the eight with 2:45 left.  Again they opted to go for the first down.  But the attempt picked up just two yards and they turned the ball over.

The final try began at the Eagle 43 with 1:30 left on the clock and all three time outs having been used.  The Tigers managed to get off nine plays, with quarterback Manny Patterson completing three passes.  The first was four yards to Malone and out of bounds to stop the clock.  Following a sack, the second was 16 yards on fourth down to Braylon Gamble, who made a great catch, while leaping high, then bobbling the ball and finally securing it for a first down.  The ball was then spiked to stop the clock.  Then, on 4^th and 23, following yet another sack, Patterson launched a desperation pass toward the end zone.  Within a mad scramble for the ball, Jadyce Thigpen was able to run it down and went immediately out of bounds at the 12 with just 1.7 seconds left.  One last try.  But Patterson never got the pass off as he was sacked for the third time.

Massillon ends the season with a 9-4 record, the second worst in Nate Moore’s eleven years as Tiger head coach.  Big Walnut improves to 12-1 and advances to face Cincinnati Anderson (13-0) in the state semifinals in a repeat of last year’s match.

Photos by Marlene Kanipe

Massillon co-captains prepare for the coin toss

The Tigers take the field

Pre-game hug: Nate Moore and son Eli

Will Hymes (34), Anthony McMullen Jr. (24), Jadyce Thigpen (17)

Mateo Herrera (7) ties the score at 7; Greg Corsale (11) holding for the kick

Savior Owens (1) heads to the end zone; Jadyce Thigpen (17)

Ja’Dyn Williams (9) and Zay-Shawn Murray (56)

Long run by Anthony McMullen Jr. (24) called back for holding; Gio Jackson Jr. (21)

Savior Owens (1) on his third touchdown run

Savior Owens (1) in the wildcat; Robert Blakely (59, Marcus Garner (60), Dayvionne Floyd (52), Kevin Elliott (74), James Wallace Jr. (50)

Savior Owens (1) on the final play; Gio Jackson Jr. (21),  Kevin Elliott Jr. (74), Robert Blakely (59)

We’re true to thee!  Owen Sirgo (53), Coby Martin (54), Braylon Pachis (39), Owen Boylan, Savior Owens (1), Eli Moore (8)

Ten Massillon Players Receive All-District Honors

Ten Massillon Players Receive All-District Honors

The Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association (OPSWA) has released its 2025 Northeast Inland District All-Star Team for Division II.  Ten Massillon players are included, four on offense and six on defense.  All except three are juniors.  Massillon currently sports a record of 9-3.  This week they participate in the Regional 7 playoff finals against Big Walnut.

First Team

• Senior defensive lineman Sam Doussous
• Junior cornerback Deontay Malone
• Junior running back Savior Owens
• Senior inside linebacker Ja’Dyn Williams

Second Team

• Junior offensive lineman Dayvionne Floyd
• Junior outside linebacker / safety Braylon Gamble
• Junior wide receiver Gio Jackson Jr.
• Junior outside linebacker Isaac Maxheimer

Honorable Mention

• Senior tight end Logan Allman
• Junior offensive lineman Marcus Garner  Jr.

The Offensive Player of the Year is running back Casey Myser of Medina Highland.  The Defensive Player of the Year is Brayton  Feister of Akron Hoban.  The Coach of the Year is Justin Todd of Wadsworth (10-0).

Massillon Steamrolls Columbus DeSales to Advance in the Playoffs

Massillon Steamrolls Columbus DeSales to Advance in the Playoffs

Statistics

Bracket

Massillon used a devastating ground attack against Columbus St. Francis DeSales to overwhelm the host team 48-14 in Round 3 of the state playoffs.  With the win, the Tigers advance to the regional championship game for a much-anticipated match-up with Big Walnut, which defeated Canal Winchester to move on.  Last season, the two teams met in the same venue, with Big Walnut coming away with a 14-7 victory.

Coaches will tell you that when on offense you take what the defense gives.  And that works well for the Tigers, as they are very adept with both the run and the pass.  When prepping for Hoover, the coaches observed that the Viking secondary presented a sizeable mismatch in Massillon’s favor.  So, the game plan was to throw the ball, which resulted in quarterback Manny Patterson having one of his best outings of the season.  By game’s end he had completed 12 of 13 passes for 226 yards and four touchdowns, with a whopping 340 efficiency rating.

Against the Stallions, the mismatch was found on the lines, where the Tigers outweighed the DeSales front-3 by 50 pounds a man.  So, the plan was to run the ball.  And it worked as expected, with the offensive line opening holes all night long and with the 2-headed monster of running backs Savior Owens and Anthony McMullen combining for 32 carries, producing 303 yards and five touchdowns, with an average of 9.5 yards per attempt.  That, even with the Stallions loading the box with up to eight defenders in their cover-3 alignment.  Massillon ended up scoring on seven of its ten possessions, while punting just twice.  The tenth was the boggled trick play that resulted in a fumble and TD return by the Stallions.  One bad play out of 44, OK then.

Defensively, the aggressive Tiger defense completely grounded the DeSales rushing attack, limiting them to just 54 yards in 21 attempts.  To control the Stallion’s short passing game Massillon brought the safeties up closer to the line on most plays and often just matched up with the receivers without a safety.  The end result was that, although highly-touted quarterback RJ Day did complete 13 of 26 passes, it was for just 125 yards and one touchdown, that occurring during the running clock portion of the game.  Day also threw a pair of interceptions.

The Tigers were hoping to get a quick start after receiving the opening kickoff.  But a third down bomb from Patterson to Gio Jackson, who had beaten his defender by a couple steps, was just overthrown by a few inches.  Following a 3-and-out by DeSales, Massillon took over at midfield.  From there it took just three plays to tally the first points, when Owens threaded the secondary on a 22-yard run.  The drive was kick-started with a 36-yard run by Owens.

The next possession was more traditional as Massillon ground out a 14-play, 92-yard drive, with each play on the ground, while picking up six first downs in the process.  The final deed was done by McMullen with a 2-yard run up the middle.  Unfortunately, Mateo Herrera missed his first PAT try of the year due to a low snap.

Later in the second quarter the Tigers were on the march again after DeSales fumbled the ball at their own 40 on a hit by Sam Doussous and a recovery by Isaac Maxheimer.  Owens ran for ten, then for nine, then for 21 and a touchdown, making the score 20-0.

Then came an interception by a leaping 285 lb. Zay-Shawn Murray at the Stallion 37 to squash a screen pass attempt.  Three plays later the score was 27-0, following a 16-yard pass to Deontay Malone and two runs by McMullen of 8 and 13 yards.

Then came a wild part of the game.  With seconds left in the half Day attempted a deep pass.  Only, it was overthrown and tracked down by Malone at the 13.  After eluding a several potential tackles near the goal line he crossed the field and headed up the sidelines, not being caught until he had reached the 44.  Just 15 seconds remained on the clock.  Time for one more score.  The call?  A trick play.  Owens lined up at wide receiver, which of course immediately tipped off many Massillon fans.  After taking a handoff while in motion left he reversed and threw back to Patterson for a halfback pass.  Only, the backward pass fell to the ground well short of the target and was immediately scooped up John Hockaday, who returned it untouched for the Stallion score, closing the margin to 27-7.

DeSales failed to move at start the third period and put the Tigers on the march once again.  It took five running plays to cover the 65 yards, with Owens scoring from a yard out.  Again stalling without a first down, this time the Stallions botched the punt, giving Massillon the ball with a short-field at the 20 yard line.  Three plays later Sebastian Harper went over from the three, sending the game into a running clock situation.

After that, DeSales finally found their offense, driving 80 yards in 7 plays, with Day connecting with Dax Middleton in the end zone on an 11-yard slant pass.  During the drive Day completed all three of his passes for 52 yards.  The TD halted the running clock, but not for long.  That’s because the speedy Malone promptly returned the ensuing kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown, making the final score 48-14.

Owens finished the night rushing 18 times for 215 yards (12.1 ave.) and three touchdowns.  McMullen had 14 carries for 80 yards (5.7 ave.) and a pair of TDs.  Attempting just six passes, Patterson completed three for 34 yards.  On defense Malone and DeVaughn Williams had seven total tackles each.  In addition, the Tigers recorded 6 tackles-for-loss and a sack.

Photos by Marlene Kanipe

Savior Owens (1), Manny Patterson (10), Kevin Elliot Jr. (74), Will Hymes (34)

Savior Owens (1)

Savior Owens (1) with the score

Celebrating the pass interception by Zay-Shawn Murray (56); Sam  Doussos (91), Braylon Gamble (5), Noah Jenkins (16), Christian Culler (2)

Deontay Malone (6)

Anthony McMullen Jr. (24) plows through the defender for the score

Celebrating the TD by Anthony McMullen Jr. (24); Marcus Garner (60), Kevin Elliot Jr. (75), Logan  Allman  (13), Dayvionne Floyd (52), Eli Moore (8)

Anthony McMullen Jr. (24) falls just short of the goal line

Quarterback sack by Ke’Aun Fowler (43); Isaac Maxheimer (20)

Touchdown

Deontay Malone (6) at the start of his 97-yard kickoff return.

Deontay Malone (6) headed for the end zone.

A well-earned victory!  Off to the regional finals.

Seven Tigers Named 2025 All-Stark County

Seven Tigers Named 2025 All-Stark County

WHBC recently announced its All-Stark County team and six Tigers received honors.    The local players, as selected by the area coaches, include Sam Doussous, Marcus Garner, Braylon Gamble, Gio Jackson Jr., Deontay Malone, Savior Owens, and Ja’Dyn Williams.  Wiliams was also named as the Defensive Player of the Year.  Massillon is currently 8-3 on the season and plays Friday against Columbus DeSales in Round 3 of the state playoffs.

• • Sam Doussous – Senior defensive lineman (6′-4″, 220).  This was a breakout year for Sam after playing a backup roll last season.  He immediately impressed as an impact player at defensive end, to date recording 35 total tackles (4th on team), 8.5 tackles-for-loss (3rd on team) for 31 lost yards, 3.0 quarterback sacks (2nd on team) for 15 lost yards and a forced fumble.  He also had 8 total tackles in the game against Football North, Ontario.
  • Braylon Gamble – Junior outside linebacker / safety (6′-2″, 190).  A 2-year starter, Braylon began the season at safety.  Recently, he has begun to line up at times at outside linebacker due to his versatility as a defender.  For the season he has recorded 34 total tackles, 2.0 tackles-for-loss, 3 pass interceptions, 6 pass breakups, 1 fumble recovery and 3 forced fumbles.  He also had 6 tackles in the game against Rabun Gap, GA, and 4 tackles and a pass interception against Canton McKinley.
  • Marcus Garner – Junior offensive lineman (6′-3″, 285).  Marcus is a 2-year starter at offensive tackle, where he helped his team rush for 1,811 yards at 4.9 yard per attempt and score 27 rushing touchdowns.  He also played part time on defense as a nose tackle, where he recorded 18 total tackles and 1.5 tackles-for-loss.
  • Gio Jackson Jr. – Junior wide receiver (6′-4″, 185).  Gio has incredible athletic ability as an underclassman, with good ball sense and “go-deep” speed.  He leads the team with 41 receptions for 508 yards (12.8 ave.) and 8 touchdowns.  Against Hoover, he caught 7 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown.  He also had 7 receptions for 72 yards and 2 TDs against Canton GlenOak and 6 catches for 61 yards and a TD against Warren Harding.

  • 

    Deontay Malone – Junior wide receiver / cornerback (6′-0″, 175).  Malone is a 2-year starter at wide receiver.  He was selected for the All-Stark County Team as the Massillon MVP.  To date on offense he has caught 30 passes for 476 yards (15.9 ave.) and 7 TDs.  On defense, he has recorded 25 total tackles, one tackle-for-loss and 2 pass interceptions.  On special teams, Malone has returned 6 punts at 18.2 yards per try and 9 kickoffs at 25.2 yards per try.  He holds an offer from North Carolina.

  • Savior Owens – Junior running back (5′-11″, 210).  Owens is a first starter after seeing some time at the position last year, although he plays like a veteran.  He also occasionally lines up in the wildcat position.  Savior runs with both power and speed, and has the necessary shiftiness to make players miss in  the open  field. To date, he has rushed 169 times for 1,064 yards (6.3 ave.) and scored 15 touchdowns, to go along with six 100-yard games.  His best outings came against Rabun Gap, GA (21 carries for 182 yards and 3 TDs), Cardinal Ritter, MO (27 carries for 168 yards and 2 TDs) and Lakewood St. Edward (32 carries for 162 yards and 2 TDs).  He holds an offer from Wisconsin.
  • Ja’Dyn Williams – Senior inside linebacker (6′-2″, 205).  Ja’Dyn is a 3-year starter at his position.  With his knowledge of the game, first-step anticipation and quickness he is always around the ball and has the size and attributes required to play at the next level.  To date he has recorded 99 total tackles (1st on team), 11.5 tackles-for-loss (1st on team) for 54 lost yards, 4.5 quarterback sacks (1st on team) for 33.5 lost yards, 1 forced fumble, 5 fumble recoveries, 1 pass interception, 1 pass breakup and 1 blocked kick.  He also had 17 tackles against Cleveland Glenville, 15 tackles against Rabun Gap, GA, and 12 tackles against Canton GlenOak.  Williams has committed to Indiana University, while also being offered by Ohio State University.

• Deontay Malone – Junior wide receiver / cornerback

At the award banquet the Jim Johnson Award for Leadership was given to Massillon’s Eli Moore.

Congratulations to these fine Tigers.