Author: <span>Don Engelhardt</span>

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2024 Massillon Tigers Featured a Big-Play Rushing Attack

2024 Massillon Tigers Featured a Big-Play Rushing Attack

There are few events in football more exciting than when a running back takes the ball a long distance to the house for a touchdown.  The play may start simple enough with a nonchalant handoff from the quarterback.  But suddenly the running back breaks free of the line and explodes into the secondary.  And then we see the speed of the ball carrier as he maneuvers himself to evade would-be tacklers and then outrace them to the end zone.  The crowd quickly shifts its focus from the line of scrimmage to the entire field of play, all the while hoping that the back finds clear sailing and then erupting in boisterous cheers when he does.  What a marvelous happening it is.

Every team has a few of these long runs each year.  But for the 2024 Tigers, they had a lot more than the norm.  Credit All-Ohio running back Ja’Meir Gamble, who rushed for 114 yards per game with a whopping average of 8.7 yards per carry.  The speedy senior, who was clocked at 4.3 in the 40-yard dash, scored twenty rushing touchdowns this past season, with fourteen of his jaunts exceeding twenty yards.  And when the hole in the line was closed he was able to plant his foot in the ground and quickly turn toward to the edge, from where he scored most of his TDs.

This high number of long touchdowns in a single season is a rare occurrence indeed, in spite of the consistent success that Massillon has had over its 129-year history.  The passing game also had its share of long touchdowns, but that is not considered unusual, since this has been the case every year since the spread offense was introduced.

The chart below shows the median distance (half more than and half less than) for both rushing and passing touchdowns during the era of Head Coach Nate Moore (2015-2024).  The data shows that the median distance for rushing touchdowns per season has varied between 3 and 7 yards.  Except the 2024.  In that year median value skyrocketed to 20.

The two charts below were arbitrarily selected and display all of the rushing and passing touchdowns for the 2018 and 2021 seasons.  The vertical bars represent the relative distances of the scores, spread left to right from longest to shortest.  Rushing TDs are grouped together on the left side of the chart and with passing TDs on the right.  The charts are typical of what was seen in every year from 2015 through 2023.  The 2018 season featured running back Jamir Thomas, who averaged 137 yards per game at 7.3 yards per attempt, whereas the 2021 season featured Willtrell Hartson, who averaged 146 yards per game at 7.3 yards per attempt.

The statistics for both of these backs are outstanding.  But neither had the number of long distance jaunts that Gamble did, as shown in the chart below for the 2024 season.  Note the contrasting difference between the slope of the data for the 2024 season, which is relatively straight, and that of the previous two, which have severe bows, indicating that the vast majority of rushing touchdowns for those two years were of the short distance variety.

One might ask, how often did Massillon have a big-play rushing attack like the one recently experienced?  It turns out that, since the time of Paul Brown, who departed in 1940, it has happened only twice.   The first was the 1949 season, which featured running back Irvin Crable.  He averaged 113 yards per game at 11.3 yards per attempt.  The second was the 1959 team, which featured Art Hastings.  He averaged 125 yards per game at 10.6 yards per attempt.  Below are the charts of those two years.  However, it should be noted that neither team faced the caliber of competition that the 2024 team did.  There were a lot of blowouts against much weaker opponents, which certainly contributed to the high number of long runs.

So it turns out that the 2024 team, with Ja’Meir Gamble in the backfield, is indeed in small company.  But the commonality is that all three backs possessed great speed and running ability.

Finally, did the long rushing touchdowns make a difference on the scoreboard?  Not really.  As exciting as they were for the fans, it just meant that the Tigers scored quicker with their TD drives.  The 2015-2023 teams averaged 6.4 plays per drive, while the 2024 team averaged 4.6.  But in terms of scoring, the 2015-2023 teams averaged 36 points per game, while the 2024 team averaged 33.  About the same.  But it sure was sure was exciting to watch Gamble, and even running mate Mylen Lenix, break free on those long runs.

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Rating the 2024 Massillon Football Team

Rating the 2024 Massillon Football Team

The 2024 Massillon football team, which finished with a record of 11-3, will be remembered as one that performed at a high level, in spite of playing an extremely difficult schedule.  Included were teams such as Bergen Catholic (NJ), Canisius (NY), Lakewood St. Edward, DeMatha (MD) and Canton McKinley.  But how does it stack up against the teams of the past ten years, corresponding to the tenure of the very successful Tiger Head Coach Nate Moore.  Under Moore, Massillon has enjoyed great success, as detailed below:

  • Won 82% of games, with only one losing season, that coming in Moore’s first year; averaged 30 or more points per game in nine of ten years; four times ranked nationally in the Top 100.
  • Holds a 9-1 record against arch-rival Canton McKinley.
  • Qualified for the Division II playoffs nine times; won 32 of 40 playoff games; captured four regional championships; appeared in the state finals four times; won a state championship in 2023.
  • Maintained a winning program, in spite of significantly elevating the strength of schedule.

A detailed data analysis was performed to rate the performance of the 2023 team against the other nine teams.  The analysis studied four statistics for which teams have control over, including yards per rush, pass efficiency, penalty yards per game and turnovers per game.  These are referred to as control statistics.  Also studied are four additional statistics, which are the end results of the control stats.  These include performance rating, yards per play, punts per game and 3rd down efficiency.  Of course, the analysis would be remiss if it didn’t also review strength of schedule, season record and scoring.

The following are the results of the 2024 season analysis:

The Season Overall

  • Strength of Schedule – High Rating – Each year this author rates the schedule using a point system in that a major power is worth three points, a playoff public school or mid-sized private two points, a non-playoff public school one point and a non-competitor zero.  This year’s team had a strength of schedule rating of 22, which is the highest measurement of any team over the last ten years, and perhaps all-time.  Close behind are the 2020 and 2022 teams, each with a rating of 20.  The average over the ten-year period is 18.  Certainly, some consideration of this high rating must be respected by the readers of this story when reviewing the discussion that follows.
  • Season Record – Medium Rating – Massillon ranks 5th with an 11-3 record, against an average of 11.0 wins and 2.5 losses.
  • Scoring – Medium-High Rating – The offensive scoring is rated medium and ranks 7th at 33 points per game, against an average of 35. The defensive scoring is rated high and ranks 2nd at 12 points per game, against an average of 17.  The point differential of the offense and defense ranks 4th at 21 points, against an average of 18.

The Offense

Control Statistics

  • Yards per rush – High rating – Ranks 2nd at 6.3 yards per rush, against an average of 5.3.  It is also ranked 7th all-time and 2nd among spread offense teams, behind the 2023 team’s 6.6.  Leading the rushing effort was the speedy Ja’Meir Gamble, who averaged a whopping 8.7 yards per carry.
  • Pass efficiency – Medium rating– Ranks 6th at 150, against an average of 154.  However, the team did have its moments with efficiency ratings of 293 against Football North and 269 against Teays Valley, contributed mostly by quarterback Jalen Slaughter and a host of high-level receivers.  The 2019 team with quarterback Aidan Longwell produced the best mark, of 185.
  • Turnovers per game – High rating – Ranks 2nd at 1.0, against an average of 1.4.  The 2017 team leads the group with 0.9 per game.
  • Penalty yards per game – Low rating – Ranks 10th at 101 yards per game, against an average of 69. In fact, this is the highest value in the last 25 years.  Ironically, the second highest mark was produced by last year’s team, which recorded 81 penalty yards per game.  It is possible that the high mark influenced the number of punts per game and the 3rd down proficiency, as shown in the following statistics.  But it should also be noted that in the vast majority of the big Massillon games over the ten-year study period the number of penalties per game had little influence on the final outcome.

Impact Statistics

  • Performance rating – High rating – The performance rating measures a team’s ability to “move the sticks.”  In other words, it measures the success rate of team achieving a first down (or touchdown) after beginning with a first down.  Ranks 3rd at 85%, against an average of 82.5%.  It also ranks third among all Massillon spread offense teams.
  • Yards per play – High rating – Ranks 4th at 7.2 yards per play, against an average of 6.5.  The rushing attack certainly had the most influence over this mark.
  • Punts per game – Low rating – Ranks 9th at 3.5 punts per game, against an average of 2.8.
  • 3rd down efficiency – Low rating – Ranks 10th at 37%, against an average of 45%.  The 9th place team is 2020 at 40%.  Perhaps this stat is a bit over-emphasized, given that the 2020 team ended up in the playoff state finals.

The Defense

Control Statistics

  • Yards per rush – High rating – Ranks 2nd at 2.8 yards per rush, against an average of 3.6. This success was achieved in spite of the team returning few starters on that side of the ball.  Nevertheless, the defensive front-7, led by Michael Moore Jr., and run support provided by safety Tyler Hackenbracht, became the strength of the team.  The 2023 team is tops with 1.7 yards per rush.
  • Pass efficiency – Medium rating – Ranks 5th at 106, against an average of 108.
  • Turnovers per game – Low rating – Ranks 9th at 1.3 per game, against an average of 1.6.

Impact Statistics

  • Performance rating – High rating – Ranks 2nd at 56%, against an average of 63%.  The 2024 team is slightly better than the 2023 team, coming in at 54%.  Among all spread offense teams, the 2024 squad ranks third, while the 2002 team is second at 52%.
  • Yards per play – High rating – Ranks 2nd at 3.9, against an average of 4.7.  The 2023 team leads the field, at 3.5.
  • Punts per game – Medium rating – Ranks 4th at 4.9, against an average of 4.4.
  • 3rd down efficiency – High rating – Ranks 2nd at 26%, against an average of 30%.  The 2023 team comes in at 22%.

Summary

The statistics of the 2024 team were ranked against all of Nate Moore’s squads, covering a span of ten years.  Overall, the 2024 team receives a high mark, based on a 30% differential between offensive and defensive performance ratings.  That comes in spite of the team playing what is perhaps the most difficult schedule ever in Massillon’s long history.  The 30% mark is also the second highest among all spread offense teams (1998-2024), and just behind the 35% differential posted by the 2023 team.

The offense ranks medium-high on the basis of a high rating for the rushing attack and medium rating for the passing game.  But it also receives low marks for penalty yards, punts per game and 3rd down efficiency.  The defense ranks high, with high marks for the rushing attack and a medium rating for pass efficiency.  Most of the statistics measured ranked second, just behind the outstanding 2023 team’s defense.

So, how do all of the teams stack up?  The best way to figure this may be to jointly consider the following statistics, while weighting each one equally:

  • Season record – Because, in spite of all the stats, you still need to win the game.
  • Strength of schedule – It certainly impacts any game statistic.
  • Offensive performance – The best measurement of a team’s proficiency.
  • Defensive performance – Ditto.

In spite of what may have happened in the playoffs, here are how the teams rank, based on their performances over the entire season:

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2024 Post-Season Award Winners

Through the Roof Offensive Player of the Year – Ja’Meir Gamble

Through the Roof Defensive Player of the Year – Michael Wright Jr.

Next Man Up Award –

Leadership Award –

Nick Vrotsos Coach of the Year Award – Spencer Leno

Captain Awards –

Brandon Burlsworth Character Award – Gavin Kappes

John Pizzino, Sr. Academic Football $1,000 Scholarship – Braylyn Toles

Paul David Memorial Academic Award – Ransom Els

Bob Smith / Bill Snyder Sportsmanship Award – Michael Looney

Coach Lee Tressel Citizenship Award (Sideliners) – Chris Fair

Scout Team Player of the Year –William Hymes, Kavon Sankey and Ke’Aun Fowler

Offensive Player of the Year – Ja’Meir Gamble and Braylyn Toles

Defensive Player of the Year – Michael Wright Jr., Tyler Hackenbracht and Vito McConnell

Special Teams Player of the Year – Tyler Hackenbracht and Daylan Pringle

Carl “Ducky” Schroeder Outstanding Lineman Award – Nolan Davenport and Michael Wright Jr.

Lifter of the Year – Michael Wright Jr. and Chris Fair

Tom Harp Coaches’ Award – Jacques Carter and Deangelo Zimmerman

Most Valuable Player – Ja’Meir Gamble and Tyler Hackenbracht

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Six Massillon Players Named All-Ohio

Six Massillon Players Named All-Ohio

The Division II All-Ohio Squad was well represented by six Massillon Tiger players, all of whom have played their final high school games.  They were members of a team that finished the season with an 11-3 record and advanced to the regional championship game.  The players include:

First Team

  • Nolan Davenport – Davenport was a 2-year starter at offensive tackle, plus a sophomore tenure starting at tight end, playing at 6’-6”, 290 lbs.  During the season he helped his team rush for 163.5 yards per game at 6.3 yards per attempt, while scoring 34 rushing touchdowns.  In the passing game, the line surrendered just 13 quarterback sacks in 14 games.  After the season he was named All-Stark County and 1st Team All-District.  Next year Davenport will attend the University of Wisconsin.
  • Michael Wright jr. – Wright was a 4-year starter as a defensive lineman, playing at  5’-11”, 285 lbs. and was perhaps the the most dominating player at that position that the Tigers have ever had.  For the season he produced 47 tackles, 15.5 tackles-for-loss for 68 yards and 4 sacks for 26.5 yards.  The two TFL numbers are both Top 10.  After the season he was named All-Stark County and 1st Team All-District.  Next year Wright will attend Youngstown State University.
  • Tyler Hackenbracht – Hackenbracht was a 2-year starter at safety, playing at 6’-2”, 210 lbs.  During the season he led the team with 113 total tackles, including 63 assists, both marks of which are Top 10.  He also had 4 tackles-for-loss.  Hackenbracht had the uncanny ability to play down hill with speed on running plays and make physical tackles on the ball carrier at the line of scrimmage.  But he also made an impact on special teams.  Against Teays Valley he returned one kickoff and two punts for touchdowns, something rarely seen in a single game.  The kickoff return spanned 100 yards and is No. 2 in the record book for the longest return.  Hackenbracht set a new record for averaging 39 yards per punt return and tied a record with three punt returns for touchdowns in a single season, to go along with numerous other Top 10 marks.  After the season, he was named All-Stark County and 1st Team All-District.  Next year Hackenbracht will attend the University of Toledo.

Second Team

  • Ja’Meir Gamble – Gamble was a 2-year starter at running back, playing at 5’-10”, 190 lbs.  During the season he rushed 189 times for 1,636 yards and scored 20 touchdowns, while averaging 8.7 yards per attempt.  His yardage number is No. 4 all-time.  Against Legacy School of Sport Science he rushed for 290 yards (No. 3 all-time), averaged 19.3 yards per carry (No. 2 all-time) and scored five touchdowns (No. 5 all-time). Against Warren Harding he averaged 15.2 yards per carry, which is also in the Top 10.  With 4.3 second speed in the 40-yard dash, he was adept at breaking off runs toward the outside when the line was clogged.  In fact, 14 of his 20 touchdowns were of 20 yards or more.  After the season he was named All-Stark County and 1st Team All-District.  Next year Gamble will attend Mercyhurst University.
  • Mylen Lenix – Lenix played running back on offense in 2023, but defensive outside linebacker was his primary focus this year, playing at 5′-10″, 205 lbs.  It was there that he had an  immediate impact with his aggressive play.  During the season he recorded 48 tackles, 28 assists, 15.0 tackles-for-loss (Top 10) for 62.5 lost yards and a team-leading 6.0 quarterback sacks (Top 10) for 36.5 yards.  He also had a pass breakup, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble.  Against Legacy School of Sport Science he had 2.5 sacks, which is No. 5 in the record book.  After the season he was named 1st Team All-District.

Third Team

  • Jalen Slaughter – Slaughter was a 4-year starter at quarterback, playing at 6′-0″, 170 lbs.  During the season he completed 175 of 279 pass for 2,363 yards and 22 touchdowns.  His best performance of the year was against NFL Academy-London when he connected on 29 of 44 passes for 403 yards, with all three marks in the record book Top 10.  He also passed for over 200 yards against Football North (Clarkson) and Canal Winchester.  Three times in a game he tossed three touchdowns.  He finished his career in fine company as one of the Top Four Massillon passing quarterbacks ever, along with Justin Zwick, Kyle Kempt and Aidan Longwell.  After the season he was named All-Stark County and 1st Team All-District.

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It’s Early Signing Day for Seven Tigers

Seven Massillon football players recently committed to their respective colleges on Early Signing Day to further their academic and playing careers.  They comprise the largest ever group of Massillon players that confirmed their commitments on an Early Signing Day.  The 2024 team finished with a record of 11-3 and advanced in the playoffs to the regional finals.  They also defeated Canton McKinley for the ninth consecutive time and 3-time defending Division I state champion Lakewood St. Edward for the third consecutive time.  And let’s not forget that these the players were instrumental in the Tigers’ run to the Division II state championship of a year ago, during which they won all sixteen games.

Note: At the time of this story the 2024 All-Ohio team had yet to be released.

Jacques Carter – Carter will attend Southern Illinois University.  He was a 2-year starter at wide receiver, playing at 5’-10”, 160 lbs.  During the season he used his blazing speed to catch 29 passes for 560 yards and 8 touchdowns, at 19.3 yards per catch.  For his career he caught 80 passes for 1,356 yards and 15 touchdowns at 19.4 yards per catch.  His career number of receptions, yards and touchdowns are all Top 10 in the record book.  He was named All-County and 2nd Team All-District.  In 2023 he was named Honorable Mention All-Ohio.

Nolan Davenport – Davenport will attend the University of Wisconsin.  He was a 2-year starter at offensive tackle, plus a sophomore season starting at tight end, playing at 6’-6”, 290 lbs.  During the season he helped his team rush for 163.5 yards per game at 6.3 yards per attempt, while scoring 34 rushing touchdowns.  In the passing game, the line surrendered just 13 quarterback sacks in 14 games.  After the season he was named All-County and 1st Team All-District.  In 2023 he was named 2nd Team All-Ohio.

Ja’Meir Gamble – Gamble will attend Merceyhurst University.  He was a 2-year starter at running back, playing at 5’-10”, 190 lbs .  During the season he rushed 189 times for 1,636 yards and scored 20 touchdowns, while averaging 8.7 yards per attempt.  His yardage number is No. 4 all-time.  Against Legacy School of Sport Science he rushed for 290 yards (No. 3 all-time), averaged 19.3 yards per carry (No. 2 all-time) and scored five touchdowns (No. 5 all-time).  Against Warren Harding he averaged 15.2 yards per carry, which is also in the Top 10.   With 4.3 second speed in the 40-yard dash, he was adept at breaking off runs toward the outside when the line was clogged.  In fact, 14 of his 20 touchdowns were of 20 yards or more.  For his career, Gamble rushed 333 times for 2,611 yards and scored 25 touchdowns, while averaging 7.8 yards per attempt.  His yardage is No. 5, while his average is also in the Top 10.  After the season he was named All-County and 1st Team All-District.  In 2023 he was named Honorable Mention All-Ohio.

Tyler Hackenbracht – Hackenbracht will attend the University of Toledo.  He was a 2-year starter at safety, playing at 6’-2”, 210 lbs.  During the season he led the team with 113 tackles, a mark that is Top 10.  His 63 assisted tackles is also Top 10.  And he had 4 tackles-for-loss.  He finished his career with 158 tackles and 16 pass breakups (Top-10 all-time).  Hackenbracht had the uncanny ability to play down hill with speed on running plays and make physical tackles on the ball carrier at the line of scrimmage.  But he also made an impact on special teams.  Against Teays Valley he returned one kickoff and two punts for touchdowns, something rarely seen in a single game.  The kickoff return spanned 100 yards and is No. 2 in the record book for the longest return.  Throughout his career he was exceptional in the return game and now finds his name in the Top 10 of 13 different categories.  After the season, he was named All-County and 1st Team All-District.  In 2023 he was named Honorable Mention All-Ohio.

Vito McConnell – McConnell will attend Miami of Ohio.  He was a 2-year starter at outside linebacker, playing at 6’-3”, 220 lbs.  During the season he recorded 59 tackles, 7 tackles-for-loss for 27 yards and a sack.  He also had 5 pass breakups and a pass interception.  For his career, he had 156 tackles. 11 tackles-for-loss for 41 yards, a pair of sacks, 8 pass breakups and 4 pass interceptions.  After the season he was named All-County and 2nd Team All-District.

Steven Reinhart – Reinhart will attend Ohio Wesleyan University.  A backup inside linebacker, he played at 5’-8”, 200 lbs.  During his career he recorded 13 tackles, one tackle-for-loss and one pass breakup.

Michael Wright Jr. – Wright will attend Youngstown State University.  He was a 4-year starter as a defensive lineman, playing at  5’-11”, 285 lbs. and was perhaps the the most dominating player at that position that the Tigers have ever had.  For the season he produced 47 tackles, 15.5 tackles-for-loss for 68 yards and 4 sacks for 26.5 yards.  The two TFL numbers are both Top 10.  For his career, Wright recorded 145 tackles.  But he is also the Massillon leader for tackles-for-loss and sacks.  His leaves with 48.5 TFLs for 258 yards and 23 quarterback sacks for 161 yards.  After the season he was named All-County and 1st Team All-District.  In 2023 he was named 1st Team All-Ohio and the same is expected this year.

Front row (l-r): Steven Reinhart, Michael Wright Jr., Ja’Meir Gamble and Jacques Carter.  Back row (l-r): Head Coach Nate Moore, Tyhler Hackenbracht, Vito McConnell and Nolan Davenport.

 

History

Michael Wright Jr. Receives Touchdown Club Award

Michael Wright Jr. Receives Touchdown Club Award

At the end of each season the Touchdown Club honors one of the players with the “Bob Commings Memorial Hardnose Award.”  That player would have received the most votes from among weekly tallies taken by the club members.  Past players honored include John Mulbach (Ohio State), David Whitfield (Ohio State), Chris Spielman (Ohio State), Shawn Crable (Michigan), Brian Gamble (Illinois/Ashland) and Dorian Pringle (Bowling Green).

Bob Commings was a very successful coach for the Tigers from 1969 to 1973, compiling a record of 43-6-2, including Massillon’s last state poll championship (1970) and a qualification for Ohio’s first ever state playoff games (1972). Commings departed following the 1973 season to become head coach of the University of Iowa and later coached at GlenOak High School, for which their field was later named.

This year’s Hardnose Award winner is Michael Wright Jr., the Tiger defensive nose tackle who led his team to an 11-3 record and a spot in the playoff regional finals.

It didn’t take long for Wright to become a Tiger varsity starter, as his knack for disrupting opposing team’s offenses early in his freshmen season did not go unnoticed by the coaches.  In fact, his career on the frosh team lasted all of two games.  And once moved to varsity he quickly became a starter, and thereafter always demanded a double-team from opposing offenses.  Head Coach Nate Moore looked back on Mike’s 4-year career and recalled his level of athleticism and football prowess as key factors in the move.  Then, over the last four years he marveled at his growth both on and off the field.  Moore believes that Wright will be remembered as one of the best defensive linemen to ever suit up for the Tigers.

During his four years of varsity ball Wright posted the following numbers:

  • Freshman – 26 tackles, 4 tackles-for-loss for 21 yards lost and 2.5 sacks for 16 lost yards.
  • Sophomore – 36 tackles, 13.5 tackles-for-loss for 73 yards lost and 6 sacks for 43 lost yards.
  • Junior – 36 tackles, 15.5 tackles-for-loss for 96 yards lost and 10.5 sacks (all-time record) for 76 lost yards (all-time record)
  • Senior – 47 tackles, 15.5 tackles-for-loss for 68 yards lost and 4 sacks for 27 lost yards.

His record-setting career numbers are as follows:

  • 145 tackles
  • 48.5 tackles-for-loss (all-time record)
  • 258 lost yards from tackles-for-loss (all-time record)
  • 23 sacks (all-time record)
  • 162 lost yards from sacks (all-time record)

He also had 3 tackles-for-loss against Middletown, DE, in 2022 and 3 sacks against Canton McKinley in 2023.  He ends his career with a team record of 50-8 and a Division II state championship.  He was also named 1st Team All-Ohio in 2023 and will mostly receive that same honor this year.  Next year he plans to play for Youngstown State University.

The guest speakers at the event were Glen Weirich, a Hardnose Award winner in 1971, and Bob Commings Jr., son of Bob Sr., for whom the award was named.  The trophy was presented to Wright by Commings.

Congratulations to Michael Wright Jr.

(l-r) Dad Michael Sr., Michael Jr., mom Alicia, Touchdown Club Chairman George Mizer and Head Coach Nate Moore.

 

 

 

 

 

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Massillon Playoff Run Ended by Big Walnut

Massillon Playoff Run Ended by Big Walnut

Statistics

Massillon’s dream of a consecutive Division II state championship came to a sudden end when they were upset by Columbus-area Big Walnut, 14-7, in the Region 7 finals.  The Golden Eagles returned a kickoff to start the second half for a touchdown to break a 7-7 tie and that ended up being the difference in the game on the scoreboard, although the statistics show a much different story.

Ja’Meir Gamble

The two teams played at Mansfield’s Arlin Field and they were met with a miserable night of weather.  The temperature was around 40 degrees and there was a 20 mile per hour wind howling along the length of the field, with rain coming down in sheets throughout the contest.  In spite of that, the Tigers were able to put up 378 yards of offense against 170 yards for Big Walnut.  In fact, Massillon running back Ja’Meir Gamble rushed for 184 yards (8.4 yards per carry), eclipsing the entire Eagle offense.  The Tigers even led in first downs, 16-10.  But they couldn’t translate that performance onto the scoreboard, as a slew of penalties prevented them from finishing drives.

The Massillon offensive line was whistled for an unprecedented nineteen false starts, at least one occurring during eight of their nine possessions.  In fact, one drive alone saw six flags thrown for that infraction.  From this writer’s vantage point there appeared to be two possible reasons for this and probably a combination of both.  The first was that the smaller Golden Eagle line needed to gain some advantage or else be blown off the ball on run plays by the larger Tiger line.  So, as a legal football ploy, many times Jalen Slaughter went into his snap cadence, the 3-man line in unison quickly shifted a half gap or a full gap to one side or the other.  That required the offensive linemen to rapidly readjust their blocking plan.  The Eagles did this on every play.  And it might have been too much for these young minds to handle.  But sometimes it might have been players reacting to the twitching movements.

The second was that the Big Walnut crowd was quite enthusiastic throughout the game and brought the noise every time Massillon had the ball.  It’s possible that the offensive line had difficulty hearing Slaughter’s cadence and they began to anticipate the snap.

Massillon received the opening kickoff and returned it to the 20  yard line.  They did advance to the 40, but a pair of false start penalties hampered the try and they were forced to punt.  Big Walnut returned the favor a few plays later and the Tigers this time started at their own 18, only to punt from the 44.  With anticipated difficulty in throwing against the wind they kept it mostly to the ground.  In other words, the goal  may have been  to get through that first quarter unscathed and then turn on the offense.

Unfortunately, the Golden Eagles, which had the wind at their backs, took over at their own 45 and proceeded on their lone scoring drive of the night.  They covered the distance in ten plays, with quarterback Eli Stumpf completing all four of his passes for 30 yards and short runs covering the rest.  The score came early in the second quarter when Stumpf, on third down and three, was able to elude a heavy pass rush and connect with Brody Hatfield for a diving catch just over the goal line.

With the field now reversed, the Tigers now had the wind.  From the 25, Slaughter went to play action pass on the first play and lofted a beautiful rainbow to a streaking Braylyn Toles.  He gathered the ball near midfield and raced untouched to the endzone.  It was a remarkable pass connection given the speed of the wind.  Nolan Hendrick’s kick was good and the score was tied.

Unfortunately, Massillon had only one other possession in the second quarter and this one stalled out at the Big Walnut 28.  They did have a fourth and one at the 18, but four consecutive false start penalties put that drive in the drawer.

The Golden Eagle dagger came when Nolan Buirley returned the second half kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown.  Ironically, with wind at their back, the Tigers elected to kick short of the goal line and the low kick got there a bit too quickly for the coverage team to get into position to make the stop.

One quarter remained for the Tigers to take advantage of the wind before the field was reversed.  But the first attempt was squashed by a false start penalty.  Subsequently, they had Big Walnut stopped in their side of the field and would have had great field position, but they roughed the punter.  Two plays later they incurred an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.  By the time the Eagles punted they were at the Massillon 34 and downed the ball at the three yard line.

The Tigers tried to move out from the goal line, but were hampered by three false start penalties.  Fortunately, it was Big Walnut that now roughed the punter, giving Massillon new life.  They took advantage.  Aided by Gamble runs of 17 and 29 yards they advanced to the Eagle nine yard line, where they faced a fourth and two.  Mylen Lenix got the call this time and he dove high over the line for an apparent first down.  But he came up short the drive ended there.

The Tigers had three more tries in the fourth quarter, now operating into the wind, but never got out of their own territory.  Of course, there were three additional false start penalties during those drives.

But credit Big Walnut for playing good fundamental football and making sound coaching decisions.  The stunting by the defensive line appeared to be an effective technique in causing havoc for the Massillon line.  And they employed five pass defenders against three receivers to pressure the Tiger passing attack.  Nevertheless, they did only score one offensive touchdown, which is the norm for most of the games this year, so the Massillon defense did its job.

Slaughter ended up completing 7 of 18 passes for 163 yards, with the long one going for 75.  Dante Malone caught three balls for 66 yards and Toles had two for 76 yards and the score.  Linebacker Jadyn Williams led the defense with 11 tackles.

For Big Walnut, Buirley rushed 24 times for 92 yards (3.8 ave.) and Stumpf completed 11 of 16 passes for 67 yards (6.1 ave.) and the TD.  Four passes went to Owen.

The Tigers bow out with a fine record of 11-3 record and can look back at several big wins, including NFL Academy-London, Buffalo’s Canisius, Lakewood St. Edward (for the third consecutive year) and Canton McKinley.  For the Golden Eagles, they move on to the state semifinals to face Cincinnati Anderson.

 

Prior to the game; Chris Fair (52); Francesco Salvino (63)

Prior to the game.

Tyler Hackenbracht catches the opening kickoff.

Ja’Meir Gamble looks for running room; Gavin Kappes (57)

Ricardo Wells Jr. with the kickoff return; Judah Stewart (4)

Ja’Meir heads to the sideline; Judah Stewart (4)

Michael Wright Jr. sacks quarterback Eli Stumpf

Mylen Lenix with the carry; Logan Allman (13); Clint Stover (8)

Jalen Slaughter retrieves the errant snap in the end zone; Ja’Meir Gamble (21)

Tyley Hackenbracht is roughed following the punt

Ja’Meir Gamble is tackled; Michael Looney (75)

Pass to Jacques Carter broken up by Brody Hatfield (2)

Ja’Meir Gamble is chased by Big Walnut players; Will Clawson (36); Clint Stover (8); Landon Doan (34)

A dejected Chris Fair.

Post-game; James Wallace Jr. (50); Gavin Kappes (57); Francesco Salvino (63)

Obie Logo (Large) History

Fourteen Massillon Players Receive All-District Honors

Fourteen Massillon Players Receive All-District Honors

The Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association (OPSWA) has released its 2024 Northeast Inland District All-Star Team for Division II.  Fourteen Massillon players are included, six on offense and eight on defense.  Massillon currently sports a record of 11-2, with the two losses coming to nationally ranked Bergen Catholic, NJ, and DeMatha, MD.  This week they participate in the Regional 7 playoff finals against Big Walnut.

First Team

  • Senior quarterback Jalen Slaughter
  • Senior running back Ja’Meir Gamble
  • Senior offensive lineman Nolan Davenport
  • Senior defensive lineman Michael Wright Jr.
  • Senior linebacker Mylen Lenix
  • Senior defensive back Tyler Hackenbracht

Second Team

  • Senior wide receiver Jacques Carter
  • Senior linebacker Vito McConnell
  • Senior defensive back Daylan Pringle
  • Junior linebacker Ja’Dyn Williams

Honorable Mention

  • Senior wide receiver Braylyn Toles
  • Senior tight end Deangelo Zimmerman
  • Junior defensive back Lennox Lemon
  • Junior defensive back Tra’Yon Williams

The Offensive Player of the Year is quarterback Keller Moten of Walsh Jesuit.  The Defensive Player of the Year is shared between defensive lineman Carson Noonan of  Medina Highland and linebacker Eli Lee of Akron Hoban.  The Coach of the Year is Mike Gibbons of Medina Highland.

Obie Logo (Large) Editorial

Massillon Has Had Great Success in Playoff Regional Finals…

Massillon Has Had Great Success in Playoff Regional Finals Games

This season marks the 53rd year that the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) has been conducting playoffs to determine football state championships.  While most armchair fans of the sport cite the number of state titles won by a team as the sole measurement of success, the number regional titles should also receive some consideration.  And it may be even a better measure of historical achievement, given the much larger dataset of games.  Besides, even the OHSAA gives regional titles enough respect that they award trophies to the champions.

Massillon has performed extremely well in both reaching regional games and winning those games.  In fact, among large schools, they have more regional titles than any other public school in the state and trail only parochial counterpart Cincinnati Moeller when considering all schools.  Through the 2023 season, as shown in the chart below, the Tigers have reached the regional championship game 19 times out of 45 tries (45%) (only one team per region qualified during the first eight years).  Massillon reached the game 12 times in 33 years (36%) in Division I and 6 times in 12 years (50%) in Division II, including the last seven.  Of those 19 regional final games played, Massillon has won 14 (74%), 8 of 12 in Division I and 6 of 7 in Division II.

In state semifinal games the Tigers have a record of 7-7; 5-3 against public schools and 2-4 against parochial schools.  In state finals games the Tigers have a record of 1-6, with all games having been played against parochial schools.  They have never faced a public school in the finals.  The schools Massillon has most frequently faced in those two games have been Akron Hoban (1-3), Cleveland St. Ignatius (0-3), Cincinnati Moeller (0-2), Cincinnati LaSalle (1-1) and Cincinnati Winton Woods (1-1).

The chart below shows the large schools across the state that have won the most regional championship games along with their respective number of state titles.  Two sets of calendar data are displayed, marking the realignment of the divisions that occurred in 2013.  For contrast, the public and parochial schools are shown separately.

Among public schools, Massillon leads the way with 16 regional titles, ten in Division I and six in Division II.  Well behind are Canton McKinley and Chardon with nine apiece.  Eight of the eleven schools listed have secured one or more state titles.  Three have not, including Avon, Mentor and Toledo Whitmer.  Interestingly, all of the regional titles earned by McKinley, Princeton and Whitmer and most of those by Upper Arlington and Steubenville occurred prior to realignment of the divisions, while all but one of Avon’s titles came after the realignment.  Of course, it should be noted that prior to the alignment both Massillon and McKinley were fortunate enough to be assigned to regions that did not include a major parochial school.  And McKinley was unfortunate following the realignment to be moved to the Cleveland region that includes both Cleveland St. Ignatius and Lakewood St.Edward.  Finally,  just 19% of the regional champions in this group went on to win a state title.

Among parochial schools, Moeller leads the way with 19, followed by Cleveland St. Ignatius with 15 and Lakewood St. Edward with 13.  Moeller was the dominant team in the 1970s and 1980s, while St. Ignatius had their powerhouse teams immediately after Moeller, but most prior to the realignment.  Ironically, they have has captured just one regional title following the realignment of the divisions, while recently it has been St. Edward at the top of the heap.  Most of Akron Hoban’s and Cincinnati LaSalle’s titles have come after the realignment, of course for different reasons.  Hoban increased its focus on championship football shortly before the realignment took place and LaSalle benefited from moving down from Division I to Division II.  Overall, the parochial schools have been dominant with a whopping 81% of regional champions going on to win the state titles.

This week the regional championship games will be held once again, with the field stocked with the teams shown in the chart, as indicated by the yellow highlighting.  In fact, 10 of the 24 teams in the top three divisions are in this group.  Six are expected to come on top, while all three eventual state champions are expected to come from this group.  But at the end of the day, Massillon and Moeller will still remain atop the regional championship pack.

History

2024 Booster Club Report – Week 13 – Post-Teays…

2024 Booster Club Report – Week 13 – Post-Teays Valley; Preview of the Big Walnut Game

Massillon (11-2) defeated Teays Valley (8-5), 48-14.  It was historical win No. 959.  This week Massillon travels to Mansfield for a regional championship playoff game against Big Walnut (12-1).

Link to the Teays Valley Game Story

Link to the Teays Valley Game Statistics

Review of the Teays Valley game

Tyler Hackenbracht

Massillon advanced to the Region 7 championship game with a 48-14 victory over Teays Valley.  It was an odd first half of football as the Tigers ran just four plays offensively and scored three touchdowns, while the special teams returned three kicks for additional scores, to take a 42-7 lead into the locker room.  The offensive TDs came on a 7-yard run by Mylen Lenix, a 77-yard pass from quarterback Jalen Slaughter to Braylyn Toles and a 52-yard run by Ja’Meir Gamble.  Tyler Hackenbracht tallied all three special team touchdowns on punt returns of 50 and 81 yards, along with a touchdown return of 100 yards.  Meanwhile, the defense held Teays Valley to a net zero yards rushing and ten yards passing during the half.  The backups played most of the second half with a running clock in effect.  Peytton Mitchell led all Massillon rushers with 12 carries for 61 yards and a touchdown.  Inside linebacker Ja’Dyn Williams led the team on defense with five tackles and a sack.

“It was a big win last week,” said Massillon head coach Nate Moore.  “Every playoff win is a good win.  The Tigers pretty much rolled.  It was a great performance by a lot of guys. ”  Moore also singled out the outstanding play of Tyler Hackenbracht, who returned two punts and a kickoff for touchdowns.  And following his third punt return attempt when he was finally tackled by Teays Valley, he received a standing ovation from the Massillon crowd, along with loud joyous relief evident from the other side of the field.

The guest players were wide receiver Jacques Carter and defensive lineman Michael Wright Jr.  “It was a good game,” said Carter.  “Got the young guys in early.  It was a good team win.”  “It was fun,” added Wright.

Preview of the Big Walnut Game

Big Walnut enters the game with a 12-1 record.  Their season to date:

  • Columbus Watterson (13-0): 0-20 L
  • Dayton Dunbar (3-7): 56-8 W
  • Groveport-Madison (7-5): 24-13 W
  • Delaware Hayes (7-4): 41-21 W
  • Westerville South (5-6): 31-28 W
  • Franklin Heights (3-7): 45-12 W
  • Worthington  Kilbourne (5-7): 31-0 W
  • Westerville North (6-5): 32-31 O.T. W
  • Dublin Scxioto (1-9): 38-10 W
  • Columbus Westland (8-3): 34-33 W
  • Logan (1-10): 42-0 W
  • Massillon Perry (6-6): 35-24 W
  • Ashland (12-1): 28-10 W

The Golden Eagles finished the regular season 9-1 and are 3-0 in the playoffs, while averaging 34 points per game and giving up 16.  In contrast, Massillon averages 35 points per game and gives up 12.  Big Walnut is seeded first in Region 7 by Harbin.  In Calpreps.com they are ranked second behind No. 1 Massillon.

Big Walnut participates in the Capital Division of the Ohio Capital Conference, which is located in the Columbus area.  Over the past five years they have compiled an overall record of 45-16, including a 9-4 mark in the Division II state playoffs, an event in which they participated in each of those years.  Their best finish in that span was 12-1, which occurred in 2022.  In that year, they fell in the playoffs to Massillon, 38-0.  The following year they also played the Tigers in the post-season and led 9-0 early.  But the Tigers quickly regrouped and won comfortably, 42-21.

Massillon during the last five years has compiled a record of 60-9, including a 21-3 mark in  the state playoffs.  They also captured the Division II state championship in 2023 with a perfect 16-0 record.  During that 5-year span they won all three games against Lakewood St. Edward, 3-time Division I state champion, and all five games against Canton McKinley.

As a whole, Moore believes that the Big Walnut offense is better than its defense.  The offense uses a pro-style, with a lot of tight end looks, usually with two and often with three in the formation.  To confuse the defense, they will frequently flip tight end/offensive tackle to gain a blocking advantage.  In the passing game, they are not shy about using empty sets.  The offense is a young group, starting four seniors, four juniors and three sophomores.

The best player is sophomore running back Nolan Buirley (6′-1″, 185).  He has good speed and can run with power.  He also has another gear when he’s through the line.  Buirley has the ability to put up a lot of yards in a game.  In empty sets he will line up in the slot.  Watch for tag screens to him in that situation.  The quarterback is sophomore Eli Stumpf (6′-3″, 180).  Moore says he does an nice job.  He throws a good ball and has decent speed when escaping the pocket.  He also has some designed runs.  Stumpf’s primary receiver is junior tight end Owen Pollock (6′-4″, 225), a 3-star recruit with an offer from Miami of Ohio.  The offensive line averages 6′-1″, 253 lbs.

“Big Walnut is a heavy-run team,” said Wright.  “We have to stop the run.  It’s a big game for me.  I need to do my job.”:

The defense aligns in a 3-4 odd front.  At times they will slide a linebacker up to present an even front.  The secondary utilizes cover-3 or cover-4, with zone coverage.  But they will occasionally mix in some man-to-man, with cover-1.  The strength of this unit is the linebacker corps.  Like the offense, this group is also young, starting three seniors, six juniors and a pair of sophomores.

The best player on this side of the ball is junior outside linebacker Clint Stover (6′-2″, 195), a 4-star recruit.  His brother, Cade, played defensive end for Ohio State and was drafted earlier this year by the Houston Texans.  Stover wlll come off the edge and is the primary blitzer.  He is also good in pass coverage.  The defensive line is on the smaller side, averaging 6′-2″, 213 lbs.  However, as a whole, the front seven is an extremely active group.

“We need to attack the corners,” said Carter.  “We can get it done if the quarterback (Slaughter) is on his  game.”

Massillon will be the visiting team.

Notes

Braylyn Toles

Here are some Massillon player statistics over the past six games:

  • Running back Ja’Meir Gamble:  80 attempts for 864 yards and 12 touchdowns.  Averaged 144 yards per game at 10.8 yards per carry.
  • Quarterback Jalen Slaughter: 61 completions in 93 attempts for 926 yards and 10 touchdowns.  Averaged 154 yards per game and 15.2 yards per completion with a completion percentage of 65.6%.  Way ahead of most high school quarterbacks.
  • Wide receiver Braylyn Toles: 26 receptions for 439 yards and 5 touchdowns.  Averaged 16.7 yards per catch.
  • Linebacker Mylen Lenix: 28 tackles, 4.5 sacks and 12 tackles-for-loss.
  • Lineman Michael Wright Jr.: 22 tackles, 3 sacks and 7.5 tackles-for-loss.
  • Defensive back Tyler Hackenbracht: 41 tackles and three kick returns for touchdown.

Academically, the Tigers produced a fine grade point average of 3.47.

The available cash for post-game player meals has been exhausted.  The Booster Club is look for additional funding.  Please help.

To Tigers!