Austin Brawley Heads an All-Star Cast of District Honorees

The Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association (OPSWA) has released its Northeast Inland District All-Star Team for Division II.  Fifteen Massillon players are included, with special recognition going to Austin Brawley, who was named Co-Defensive Player of the Year.  Massillon finished the 2021 season with an 11-3 record and was runner-up in the playoff regional championship game.

The honorees are as follows:

First Team

• Jaiden Woods – Senior offensive lineman.  Helped his team rush for 5.6 yards per carry, which is ranked 5th among all spread offense teams and 15th among all Massillon teams.
• Marcus Moore – Junior defensive lineman.  Recorded 31.5 tackle points, including 19 solos and 25 assists.  Also had 10.5 tackles for loss with 2.0 quarterback sacks.  Also intercepted a pass against Wooster and returned it 53 yards, nearly for a touchdown.
• Riley Campbell – Senior defensive lineman.  Recorded 46.0 tackle points, including 31 solos and 30 assists.  Also had 10.0 tackles for loss and a team leading 4.5 quarterback sacks.
• Nate Depuy – Senior linebacker.  Third on the team with 65.5 tackle points, including 44 solos and 43 assists.  Also had a team leading 11.0 tackles for loss with 1.5 quarterback sacks.  Recovered 6 fumbles.
• Austin Brawley – Senior defensive back.  Second on the team with 72.5 tackle points, including 57 solos and 31 assists.  Also had 1.0 tackles for loss, two pass interceptions, four pass breakups and one fumble recovery.  Blocked 7 kicks and returned 4 kicks for touchdowns.

Second Team

• Freddie Lenix Jr. – Junior running back.  Assumed the starting job against Canton McKinley and ended up rushing 102 times for 778 yards (7.6/att.) and 9 touchdowns.  Longest run was 84 yards against Westerville South.
• Te’Jamere Nash – Senior offensive lineman.  A primary backup in 2020, he became an immediate starter in 2022.
• Shane Rue – Senior kicker.  Converted 46 of 47 extra points and 8 of 12 field goals, including a long of 42 yards.  Kicked off 70 times, averaging 53.9 yards per kick, with 17 touchbacks.  Punted 8 times, averaging 36.1 yards per punt with 5 inside the 20.
• Camden Beasley – Senior linebacker.  Recorded 53.0 tackle points, including 41 solos and 24 assists.  Also had 6.0 tackles for loss and 42.0 quarterback sacks.  Intercepted two passes and broke up 14 others.
• Ryan Zentkovich – Senior defensive back.   Led the team with 74.0 tackle points, including 58 solos and 32 assists.  Also had 3.0 tackles for loss and two pass interceptions.  Forced 3 fumbles.

Honorable Mention

• Jalen Slaughter – Freshman quarterback.  Became the starting QB in Week 6.  Completed 89 of 152 passes for 1,384 yards and 16 touchdowns against 9 interceptions.  Efficiency rating was 157.9, ranked 8th all time.
• Sam Snodgrass – Sophomore offensive lineman.  Became the starting center in Week 4.
• Michael Wright, Jr. – Freshman defensive lineman.  Recorded 18.5 tackle points, including 11 solos and 15 assists.  Also had 4.0 tackles for loss and 2.5 quarterback sacks.  One fumble recovery.
• Ardell Banks – Junior wide receiver.  Led the team with 44 pass receptions for 733 yards (16.7/rec.) and 8 touchdowns.  Longest catch was 64 yards against Big Walnut.
• Nate Watkins – Senior linebacker.  Recorded 28.5 tackle points, including 24 solos and 9 assists.  Also had 8.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 quarterback sacks.

Austin Brawley 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) and Brian Gamble (Illinois/Ashland).

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 championship (1970) and 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 Austin Brawley, the Tigers’ all-purpose player that led his team to an 11-3 record and runner-up finish in the regional tournament.  Austin received the award from Ben Liebermann, this year’s president of the Touchdown Club.

The 2-year starter had a stellar career for Massillon, excelling on offense, defense and special teams.  He was also a member of the senior leadership group.  On offense this year he was the second leading receiver, catching 35 passes for 585 yards and four touchdowns.  On defense as a safety he was second on the team with 72.5 tackle points (57-31), intercepted 4 passes, broke up another 13, recorded 2 tackles for loss and forced 3 fumbles.  On special teams he returned 20 kickoffs for an average of 24.0 yards per return, returned 27 punts for an average of 16.6 yards per return and blocked 7 kicks, which is an all-time Massillon record.  In fact Austin made major plays in nearly every game, including:

• Pickerington Central – 7.5 tackle points
• Canton GlenOak – 79-yard punt return for a touchdown
• Reynoldsburg – 39-yard pass interception return
• Warren Harding – 89-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to open the game
• Lakewood St. Edward – 49-yard pass return for a touchdown; 60-yard kickoff return; team-leading 8.0 tackle points
• Austintown Fitch – team leading 6 pass receptions, including a long of 50 yards
• Euclid – 47-yard pass reception for a touchdown; pass interception
• Canisius, NY – team-leading 4 pass receptions for 109 yards, including a 72-yard pass reception for a touchdown; team-leading 9.0 tackle points
• Wooster – 44-yard punt return for a touchdown; team-leading 5.0 tackle points
• Canton McKinley – 28-yard pass interception return
• Columbus Independence – 53-yard punt return for a touchdown
• Westerville South – team-leading 6 pass receptions for 70 yards, including a 40-yard reception for a touchdown
• Big Walnut – team-leading 3 pass receptions; team-leading 8.0 tackle points
• Green – pass interception

And let’s not forget last year’s punt return against Perry in the playoffs, where he chased down the ball and returned it 80 yards for a touchdown to open a commanding 28-6 third quarter lead.

Also presented at the Touchdown Club was the Lunchbox Award, which was given to Jaiden Woods, emblematic of his concerted day-to-day effort throughout the entire year.

Congratulations to both of these fine senior players.

Left to to right: 2021 Touchdown Club President Ben Liebermann, Hardnose Award Winner Austin Brawley; mom Libby Ginther and Massillon Head Coach Nate Moore.

Left to right: 2021 senior leadership group players Austin Brawley, Jaiden Woods, Darrius  McElroy, Dominic Salvino, Massillon Head Coach Nate Moore.

2021 Booster Club Report – Week 14

In regional final playoff action No. 4 Massillon lost to No. 7 Green, 26-25, finishing the season with an 11-3 record.  The game was played at Mansfield’s Arlin Field Stadium.

The Tigers were favored in this one but lost with less than a minute remaining when Green’s Trevor Van Horn connected with Trey Martin for a 16-yard touchdown pass.  Green advances to the state semifinals where they will face Cincinnati Winton Woods.  The other semifinal pits defending champion Akron Hoban against Avon.

All-in-all it was a good game spoiled by some unfortunate referee calls.  Right from the start there were issues.  On Green’s second play from scrimmage, Van Horn threw a sideways screen pass that was dropped by the receiver.  The referee closest to the play ruled it incomplete, but the side judge on the far side of the field called it a backward pass and a fumble, which Massillon then recovered.  The Tigers would score the opening points a few plays later, but only after the Bulldog head coach was assessed a 15-yard penalty for disputing the call.  A review of the film shows that the pass was thrown parallel to the line of scrimmage and was thus incomplete.

In the second quarter Green had the ball at the Massillon ten facing a fourth down and a half yard to go.  Van Horn tried a quarterback sneak but was stopped dead in his tracks.  But the side judge ruled that he had advanced a full yard and awarded the Bulldogs a first down, overruling the ref on the opposite side of the field, who was closer to the play.  That led to Green’s first touchdown.

But the coup de gras came with 24 seconds left in the game.  Green was behind 25-19 on the scoreboard and was facing a 4th and 10 at the Massillon 25 .  It was undoubtedly the play that would decide the game.  Martin lined up near the right sideline and headed straight for the end zone looking to high top the ball and score.  Zahnii Berry was on defense but ended up trailing Martin by about a yard.  At the one yard line Martin stepped out of bounds with his right foot, which would have made him an ineligible receiver, unless he was pushed out, which he was not .  He stepped out again with his right foot after he had crossed the goal line.  Now in position to catch the ball at the corner of the end zone he was challenged by safety Austin Brawley, who had beat him to the spot, jumped straight up and intercepted the pass, as ruled by the back judge, who  was standing five yards from the catch.  It was a clean play as neither player interfered with the other.  But the side judge, who was some twenty yards away from the play ruled that one of the Tiger players had interfered.  Ironically, it was his fifth pass interference call against Massillon.  The side judge also failed to drop his hat at the spot where Martin had stepped out of bounds to indicate such.  The penalty gave Green new life and they scored the winning points two plays later.

In all, the two teams were flagged a combined 30 times, 20 against Massillon and 10 against Green.  Inexcusable, considering both teams were good enough this year to advance to a regional finals game and were not highly-penalized teams.  What ever happened to letting the kids sort it out on the field?  So it was indeed a good game spoiled by some bad referees.

As expected, Massillon was certainly a tough out in the playoffs.  It took a career effort from Van Horn to bring his team to victory.  He threw a whopping 57 passes and completed 31 for 276 yards and four touchdowns.  Ten of the passes went to Martin, for 129 yards and three scores.  Obviously, Green knew they wouldn’t be able to run the ball (26 carries for 54 yards), so they resorted to using an empty backfield formation (5 wide receivers) exclusively throughout the game.  The 57 passes were most ever thrown against Massillon in a single game.

The Tigers’ game plan was to run the ball and found success with quarterback Darrius McElroy, who carried 20 times for 136 yards and scored all three touchdowns.  Shane Rue also added a field goal, his eighth of the season.  But the base first down scheme, which involved 23 runs and just two passes, struggled since Green was blitzing their middle linebackers each time.  As a result, Massillon’s longest drive less penalties was just 37 yards.  But it wasn’t for lack of effort that they lost the game.  The Tigers gave it their all from start to finish.

“Congratulations to Green as they move forward in the state playoffs,” said Massillon Head Coach Nate Moore in his opening remarks at the final Booster Club meeting.  “Unfortunately we couldn’t get it done in spite of a great effort.  It was a great play when Austin picked off the ball at the end.  But we didn’t make enough plays to overcome twenty penalties.”

Stats:

• Jalen Slaughter – 5 for 11 passing for 41 yards
• Darrius McElroy – 2 of 5 passing for 5 yards; 20 carries for 136 yards and 3 touchdowns; 4 punts for 34.5 ave.
• Freddie Lenix Jr. – 14 carries for 67 yards
• Austin Brawley – 3 receptions for 11 yards; 6 kick returns for 77 yards; pass interception
• Camden Beasley – 8.5 (8-1) tackle points
• Maverick Clark – 8.0 (5-6) tackle points
• Ressieo Kirksey – 1.5 tackles for loss; 1 sack

Coach Moore brought all of his senior team leaders to the meeting.  They included:

• Austin Brawley – wide receiver / safety
• Riley Campbell – wide receiver / defensive lineman / outside linebacker
• Nathan Depuy – inside linebacker
• Darrius McElroy – quarterback
• Kurtis Miller – wide receiver / cornerback
• Angelo Salvino – long snapper
• Nate Watkins – wide receiver / outside linebacker
• Jaiden Woods – offensive lineman / defensive lineman

Each player addressed the attendees and thanked the Booster Club and community for the great support, saying he was sorry they couldn’t take it farther in the playoffs.

“What a tremendous career these guys had,” said Moore.  “They had a great senior year.  It didn’t end the way we wanted.  We lost to a team we should have beaten.  But they were part of a lot of wins.  A lot of people thought we wouldn’t be very good (just four returning starters and the loss of some key starters early in the season due to injury).  I couldn’t be prouder of these guys.  This is a great group of outstanding young men.  And they grew so much as leaders.  It was one of the most fun seasons I remember.  These guys raised the bar on effort and leadership.  I’m proud to stand with them today.”

Massillon ended the season with an 11-3 record, the fifth year in a row that they won at least ten games.  During past six seasons the Tigers have compiled a 67-14 mark, including four regional championships and three trips to the state finals.  And the future bodes well with the talent coming up  from the lower grades.

Next season’s schedule will see the return of Canton GlenOak (A), Warren Harding (H), Austintown Fitch (H) and Canton McKinley (H), games that cover Weeks 2, 4, 6 and 10, respectively.  That leaves six open dates for Moore to fill.  Look for another big name Ohio team for the opener and perhaps an out-of-state team or two.

Go Tigers!

2021: Green 26, Massillon 25

GAME STATS

Trevor Van Horn, Trey Martin lift Green Bulldogs football to improbable regional title win over Massillon Tigers

MANSFIELD — Green’s hopes looked dashed on Friday night as it trailed Massillon by six with less than two minutes remaining in the Division II Region 7 championship football game. That is, until a fumble and flag gave them hope.

That hope ultimately turned into a regional championship for the Bulldogs when Trevor Van Horn hit Trey Martin for a game-tying 16-yard touchdown with 24 seconds remaining. Eli Noirot’s point-after kick provided the winning point, as Green toppled the Tigers 26-25 at Arlin Field.

“Trevor threw a back-shoulder,” Martin said of the TD catch, his third of the night. “I was like, I knew it. We have that connection. I knew he was going to throw the back-shoulder. Turned at the right second and, bam, ballgame.”

It almost seemed like it was going to be ballgame for the No. 7-seeded Bulldogs — who won the second regional title in school history, and first since 2001 — when Massillon’s Austin Brawley intercepted Van Horn with 2:15 remaining. That gave the Tigers, who had rallied from a 19-14 deficit to a 25-19 lead, a chance to ice the game.

However, facing third-and-10 from the Green 47, Massillon fumbled. The Bulldogs’ Garrett Dennis fell on it to give them life at the Tiger 49 with 1:51 remaining.

“Two minutes left in a regional championship game, there’s no point to give up there,” said Green senior linebacker Jack Schaal, who had an interception earlier in the fourth quarter. “I mean, we made it all the way here, there’s no point just to stop trying. I just told everybody, let’s pull it together and let’s see what we can do. We got that fumble and it turned out to be a game-changer.”

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2021 Booster Club Report – Week 13

In regional semifinal playoff action No. 4 Massillon defeated No. 1 Big Walnut (12-1), 38-0, to improve their record to 11-2.  All-time win No. 920.  Next up is a playoff regional final matchup against No. 7 Green (10-3) on Friday at 7:00 pm.  The game will be held at Mansfield’s Arlin Field Stadium.

The Tigers’ two losses this year were to Week 1 opponent Pickerington Central and Week 6 opponent Lakewood St. Edward, both of which are still alive in the playoffs.  And both are considered contenders to win the Division 1 state title.  This week Central plays undefeated Upper Arlington and St. Eds faces undefeated Medina.

Massillon is currently riding an 8-game winning streak, during which they have outscored their opponents by an average margin of 44-13.  They have also running-clocked each of their three playoff opponents.

The regional championship is on the line this Friday and the Tigers will have a chance to win their their 15th regional title, fifth in a row.  Currently, Cincinnati Moeller and Cleveland St. Ignatius own the most regional championships among large Ohio schools with 16 and 15, respectively.

Big Walnut

This game took a bit of feeling out before Massillon got untracked and eventually took control.  In the first quarter it was all Golden Eagles as they literally threw the kitchen sink at the Tigers with their play calling.  Twice they twice advanced into the red zone and a third time to midfield, only to lose the ball once on downs and twice on fumbles.  It was apparent to the coaches early on that the Golden Eagles had put some wrinkles into both their offense and defense that were not shown on the scouting films.  Credit the Tiger coaches for making the right adjustments on the fly that got the Tigers headed in the right direction.

After a 3-and-out on Massillon’s first possession, they went on to score six times in their next seven possessions, while turning the game it into a running clock situation (30+ margin) midway through the third quarter.  By the end of the game, the Tigers had rolled up 402 yards of offense, nearly evenly split between the run and the pass and averaged 7.9 yards per play.  Meanwhile, the defense totally shut down the Big Walnut offense after their quick start, surrendering less than fifty yards through the second and third quarters and nearly all of the fourth.  Nate Sellers, the Eagles 2,000+ yard rusher, was held to just 100 yards (4.8 yds/att).  For the game, the Eagles averaged 4.3 yards per play.

“The kids came out and played really well,” said Massillon head coach Nate Moore.  “The guys made plays.  We played a 12-0 team that had dominated a lot of opponents and we gave them a taste of their own medicine.  But I didn’t expect to shut them out.”

Guest players were inside linebacker Nathan Depuy and outside linebacker/running back Cam Beasley.  Their comments are summarized below:

• They were a good team.  Not the best we’ve played.
• The Golden Eagles were shifting their tight end and wingback and often a wide receiver from side to side to gain blocking advantages.  Massillon’s players responded accordingly, but not always in the best way.  In the second half, the Tiger defenders just stayed put and that was much more effective in shutting down the Eagle ground game.  We made adjustments and really started hitting them.  After the adjustments we really shut them down.
• We treat every team like they’re a super team and smacked them around.  They never got hit that hard in their life.  Several Big Walnut players said after the game that Massillon hit harder than they thought they would.  The Tigers returned the same compliment.
• We figured out to stop running back Nate Severs.
• Big Walnut couldn’t keep up with our fast tempo and got gassed.

Stats:

• Freddie Lenix Jr. – 23 carries for 140 yards and a touchdown
• Darrius McElroy – 8 carries for 66 yards and 2 touchdowns; 5 of 6 passing for 78 yards; 2 punts averaging 39.0 yards
• Jalen Slaughter – 7 of 12 passing for 126 yards and 2 touchdowns
• Ardell Banks – 5 catches for 92 yards, including a 64-yard TD
• Kurtis Miller – 3 catches for 20 yards and a touchdown
• Austin Brawley – 2 catches for 58 yard; 8.0 (7-2) tackle points
• Nate Depuy – 7.5 (7-1) tackle points; 1 tackle for loss; caused fumble
• Maverick Clark – 5.0 (4-2) tackle points; 2 tackles for loss; fumble recovery
• Mike Wright Jr. – 0.5 tackles for loss; fumble recovery
• Shane Rue – 20-yard field goal

Green

This is the first ever meeting between Massillon and Green.  The Bulldogs are a member of the 7-team Federal League, having joined the group in 2015.  Previously they were a member of the Suburban League.  From 2015 through 2020, Green compiled a league mark of 5-28.  This year they are 4-3 in league play, including a 14-10 playoff victory over North Canton, avenging a previous 17-7 defeat.

Green will enter the game against Massillon with a 10-3 record, averaging 28 points a game and giving up 15.  In the 34-14 loss to McKinley they gained 113 yards on the ground (4.0 yds./att.) and completed 18 of 29 passes for 108 yards (6.0 yds/compl).  On defense they gave up 189 yards on the ground (5.4 yds/att.) and 8 of 15 passes for 121 yards (15.1 yds/compl).

Their season to date:

• Akron Ellet (3-7) – 48-6 W
• North Olmsted (6-5) – 43-14 W
• Garfield Heights (3-7) – 33-0 W
• Massillon Jackson (9-3) – 20-21 L
• Canton McKinley (8-5) – 14-34 L
• Canton GlenOak (3-7) – 16-14 W
• Louisville (2-9) – 49-24 W
• Massillon Perry (2-8) – 28-0 W
• North Canton (9-3) – 7-17 L
• Uniontown Lake (5-5) – 24-14 W
• Marion Harding (7-4) – 53-21 W
• North Canton (9-3) – 14-10 W
• Wooster (7-6) – 21-14

The Green offense will line up in an empty backfield set (5 wide receivers) 98% of the time and throw the ball on most downs.  But they will also run some quarterback keepers and jet sweeps, and occasionally power reads.  Against McKinley they ran the ball 60% of the time, which is a level that Moore said they normally scheme for.  Defensively, the Bulldogs utilize a 4-3 with man-to-man coverage in the secondary; cover-1 against three wide receivers.  The defensive line is strength of the team on this side of the ball.  The linebackers are pretty good as a group but do not have a lot of size.  Seven players start on both sides of the ball, which may be a factor in the second half.

Green is not stacked from top to bottom as Massillon is with great athletes, they do have a few of these.  Here are the players to keep an eye on:

• Quarterback Trevor Van Horn, a 6′-3″, 205 lb. senior.  The offense revolves around the arm of Van Horn.  This year he has completed 271 of 430 passes (63%), for 3,000 yards (11.1 yds/catch) and 24 touchdowns, along with 8 interceptions.   Most of the passes involve quick releases off the snap.  Van Horn has also run 172 times for 716 yards (4.2 yds/att)  and scored 14 TDs.  He’s not considered to be a fast runner, but effective nonetheless.  Coach Moore considers him their best player on offense.  Look for Van Horn to either run or throw around 80% of the time.
• Offensive tackle/defensive tackle CJ Dawson, a 6′-4″, 300 lb. senior.  He is their best offensive lineman.  A good player, very talented, powerful with good hands.
• Tight end/defensive tackle Jacob Reed, a 6′-3″, 220 lb. senior.  Reed is a good blocker in the run game.  Powerful on defense, gets off blocks, hard to move.  One of the of the better defensive tackles the Tigers have seen this year.
• Wide receiver/defensive back Trey Martin, a 6′-2″, 190 lb. senior.  Martin is the player everyone is talking about.  He has caught 66 passes for 1,134 yards (17.2 yds/catch) and 16 touchdowns.  Improvises well when the quarterback is scrambling.
• Wide receiver/middle linebacker Jack Schaal, a 6′-1″, 185 lb. senior.  Schaal is the No. 1 target for Van Horn.  He has caught 57 passes for 606 yards (10.6 yds/att) and 17 touchdowns.  On defense, he is their leading tackler and has 12.5 tackles for loss.

Tigers to Date

• Quarterback Jalen Slaughter – 84 of 141 passing (60%) for 1,343 yards and 16 touchdowns, with 7 interceptions.
• Quarterback Darrius McElroy – 45 of 78 passing (58%) for 443 yards and 2 touchdowns.  No interceptions.  Has completed 20 of his last 24 pass attempts.  Has also rushed 64 times for 295 yards (4.6 yds/att) and 8 touchdowns.
• Running back Willtrell Hartson – 114 rushes for 831 yards (7.3 yds/att) and 9 touchdowns
• Running back Freddie Lenix Jr. – 88 rushes for 711 yards (8.1 yds/att) and 11 touchdowns; 66 points
• Wide receiver Ardell Banks – 43 receptions for 719 yards (16.7 yds/rec) and 8 touchdowns
• Wide receiver Austin Brawley – 32 receptions for 578 yards (18.1 yds/rec) and 4 touchdowns
• Wide receiver Kurtis Miller – 25 receptions for 203 yards (8.1 yds/rec) and 1 touchdown
• Kicker Shane Rue – 44 of 45 extra points and 7 of 10 field goals; 65 points.
• Punter Darrius McElroy – 25 punts, 35.3 ave.
• Safety Ryan Zentkovich – 71.5 (56-31) tackle points; 3 tackles for loss; 2 interceptions
• Safety Austin Brawley – 69.0 (54-30) tackle points; 2 tackles for loss; 3 interceptions; 7 blocked kicks
• Inside linebacker Nathan Depuy – 60.5 (40-41) tackle points; 11 tackles for loss
• Defensive lineman Marcus Moore – 10.5 tackles for loss

Playoffs

On win on Friday will advance Massillon to the state semifinals where they will face the survivor of one of these games:

• Akron Hoban vs. Walsh Jesuit
• Cincinnati Winton Woods vs. Piqua
• Toledo Central Catholic vs. Avon

2021 Booster Club Report – Week 12

In Round 2 playoff action Massillon defeated Westerville South (8-3), 50-19, to improve their record to 10-2.  All-time win No. 919.  Next up is a playoffs regional semifinal matchup against No. 1 regional seed Big Walnut (12-0) on Friday at 7:00 pm.  The game will be held at Mansfield’s Arlin Stadium.

With the victory last Friday, the Tigers have now won at least ten games in each of five consecutive season, which is a first since the introduction of the post-season playoffs some fifty years ago.  Prior to that, in seasons limited to ten games, it has never been done.

Westerville South

Coming into the South game Massillon was considered as a modest favorite by several national computerized rating systems.  But after a running clock finish, they are once again proving that at least for this year the Tigers have been generally underrated.  Or perhaps starting with the Wooster game they are finally coming into their own.

Against Westerville, Massillon scored four four straight touchdowns to open the game and took a 28-13 lead into the locker room.  They fashioned it via drives of 73, 77, 60 and 45 yards using a mixture of runs and passes.  In the run game it was a Freddie Lenix Jr., Darrius McElroy and Camden Beasley combining for 23 carries and 145 yards (6.3 per att.).  The big one was a 53-yard jaunt to paydirt by Lenix on the fourth play of the game.  Freddie finished with 226 yards and two touchdowns and is consistently proving to be an adequate replacement for the injured Willtrell Hartson.  He would later spring for an 84-yard TD run, giving the Tigers an insurmountable 43-13 third quarter lead.

Freshman Jalen Slaughter had another good day at quarterback and during the four TD drives he completed 8 of 9 passes for 107, including a 40-yard scoring pass to Austin Brawley, who found himself wide open on a crossing route post pattern.  Also catching passes were Ardell Banks, Kurtis Miller and Riley Campbell.  Slaughter finished with a 12 of 18 effort for 168 yards and three touchdowns.  Jalen’s quarterback efficiency rating is now 163.9, which is creeping up on Aiden Longwell’s career mark of 174.1.  McElroy was used exclusively in the wildcat formation in the Tigers’ 2-quarterback system.  He literally, along with the offense line, plowed the road to the end zone.  Darrius also completed 3 of 3 pass attempts.  He has now hooked up on 15 of his last 18 passes, showing that he is also a threat to pass.

Although Westerville was able to score a few touchdowns, it was Massillon that controlled the tempo throughout.  But South was able put up the best rushing numbers of any previous Tiger opponent, gaining 181 yards.  Their two tailbacks averaged a combined 6.1 yards per attempt, proving once again that every opponent n the playoffs is good in some form.   But South’s passing game was sporadic (12 of 27) and they only converted a first down on 2 of 10 third down passing attempts.  Meanwhile, the defense simply couldn’t get Massillon off the field on third down.  The Tigers converted on 9 of 12 attempts and were successful on their only try on fourth down.  They were also effective on 6 of 9 third down passing attempts.,

“It was a really good week by our offense,” said head coach Nate Moore at the weekly Monday Booster Club meeting.  “We really executed.  We played at a high level.  We had a pretty good game defensively, but had a little trouble with the outside zone.”

Guest players were inside linebacker Nathan Depuy, offensive tackle Te’Jamere Nash and long snapper Dominic Salvino.  Their comments are summarized below:

• We played as a team.  Freddie Lenix Jr. and Ryan Zentkovich really stood out.
• The offense showed up.  Played all four quarters.  Scored four straight touchdowns to open the game.
• We have lifted each other up the last couple of week and come together.
• It’s hard to play Massillon for four quarters due to the physical play and conditioning.
• We throw so much offensively at the opponent’s defense that they are prone to get confused and occasionally line up incorrectly, such as during the uncontested touchdown pass from the one yard line.
• We are now working at a high tempo on offense to pressure the defense.  We can do that now that the starting lineup has been locked down.

Stats:

• Freddie Lenix Jr. – 22 carries for 228 yards and two touchdowns; long of 84 yards (2nd half)
• Darrius McElroy – 8 carries for 47 yards and two touchdowns; 3 of 3 passing for 21 yards; two punts averaging 35.5 yards
• Jalen Slaughter – 12 of 18 passing for 168 yards and 3 touchdowns
• Austin Brawley – 6 receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown
• Ardell Banks – 5 receptions for 89 yards and a touchdown
• Ryan Zentkovich – 9,0 (5-8) tackle points; pass interception with 31-yard return
• Nathan Depuy – 7.0 (5-4) tackle points; one tackle for loss

Big Walnut

This is the first ever meeting between Massillon and Big Walnut.  The Golden Eagles are a member of the 8-team Capital Division of the Columbus-area Ohio Capital Conference, a division that also includes Westerville South, Dublin Scioto and Canal Winchester.  In the five years previous to the 2021 season they compiled an overall record of 19-33.  In last year’s playoffs in which every team qualified they defeated Logan 62-0 and then lost to Scioto 31-13.  They also own a 17-8 all-time playoff record, which includes a Division 3 state title in 2007.

Big Walnut will enter the game against Massillon with a 12-0 record, averaging 43 points a game and giving up 13.  But they are also moving into unexplored territory owing to this year’s unusual success, with no recent playoff experience at this level.

Notable wins this season include:

• Westerville South (8-3): 38-7
• Dublin Scioto (8-4): 28-20
• Canal Winchester (7-5): 45-24 and 38-7.

Moore noted that schematically they are similar to the Tigers more than any other team they’ve played this year.  The offense operates out of a 3-back spread (quarterback, tailback, fullback) with 2 X 1 receivers.  They are very multiple in their play calling: some unbalanced, motions, shifts.  A run-first offense, they will use some play-action, screens and occasional deep throws.

Personal-wise, the offense is a young group with a starting lineup that includes just three seniors, along with five juniors and three sophomores.  Although the line is not stacked with notable players, it competes well as a group and is among the better ones Massillon has seen.  They are well coached and get off the ball.  The linemen average 6′-2″, 234 lbs.  The best among the group is junior left tackle Grant Conklin (6′-4″, 280).  Physical and athletic.

The running attack revolves around sophomore tailback Nate Severs (5′-11″, 205), who this year has gained 1,719 yards (8.5 yds/att.).  Moore considers Severs as the best running back the Tigers have faced this year.  He is a tough, physical runner, with good speed. He is also strong and possesses good patience and vision.  He will bounce it to the outside.  The backup, sophomore Garrett Stover (6′-2″, 190), is also very good.

Passing is not Big Walnut’s strength, but they do have a good possession receiver in junior Grant Coulson (5′-11″, 180),.  He is the No. 1 target with 21 catches for 268 yards and four touchdowns.  In the gun is sophomore Jake Nier (6′-2″, 190).  He’s probably more of a runner than a thrower.  Not bad on tag screens and play action.  A good field general.

The defense has aligned in a 4-3 in some games and a 3-4 in others.  The secondary uses match coverage, similar to  Massillon.  They will also use some cover-4 and some cover-6.

The strength of the defense is the front four, which averages 6′-1″, 216 lbs.  Two players stand out: senior defensive tackle Christian Takatch (6′-3″, 220) and junior defensive end Ethan Clawson (6′-4″, 220).  Takatch leads the team in tackles-for-loss and sacks.  He is strong and hard to move.  Clawson is second in both categories.  He’s tough and plays very hard.  Both can cause problems for an offense.

Other defensive players to keep an eye on are senior outside linebacker Lucas Tindall (6′-1″, 210) and Garrett, who plays safety.

Playoffs

Should the Tigers defeat Big Walnut, they will advance to face the winner of the contest between No. 7 Green and No. 14 Wooster, both of which fashioned upsets last week.  Green defeated No. 2 Hoover 14-10 and Wooster beat No.  6 Scioto 20-10.

2021: Massillon 50, Westerville South 19

GAME STATS

Freddie Lenix Jr., defense leads Massillon Tigers football to OHSAA playoffs win over Westerville South

MASSILLON – The year was different. The playoff round was as well.

The result, however, was very much similar to last year as Massillon rolled over Westerville South 50-19 in a Division II Region 7 quarterfinal on Friday night at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

It’s the second year in a row the Tigers (10-2) have ended the Wildcats’ season in the playoffs. A year ago, they won a 45-36 decision in the regional semifinals behind Willtrell Hartson’s school-record 324-yard rushing night.

This time, it was a different back who ran wild on the Wildcats. With Hartson sidelined for five of the last six games with an injury, Freddie Lenix Jr. stepped in and did the heavy lifting to carry Massillon into next week’s regional semifinal against undefeated and top-seeded Big Walnut at a site to be determined. Lenix rushed for a career-high 226 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries. He put the Tigers up for good with a 53-yard run just 1:22 into the game, then helped them open up a 43-13 lead with an 84-yard dash with 5:21 remaining in the third quarter.

“Man, it’s just amazing,” Massillon left tackle Toddrick Lee said of Lenix, who has rushed for 570 yards in the last four games. “I just block, and I’m watching him just run off for 70 yards. It’s just amazing. I just get so happy.”

In between Lenix’s two runs, the Tigers found the end zone on four of their five possessions. The only two they didn’t score on was a drive late in the first half after they had built up a 28-13 lead.

Both Massillon quarterbacks, Jalen Slaughter and Darrius McElroy, had a hand in building up the lead. McElroy scored on a pair of first-half runs of 17 and 1 yard, while Slaughter threw two of his three TD passes in the first three quarters.

“I thought our offensive line did a great job,” said Massillon coach Nate Moore, who’s now guided the Tigers to a program-best five consecutive 10-win seasons. “All the guys who got some seams did some damage. Just proud of everybody.”

Slaughter, who was 12-of-18 for 168 yards on the night, hit Austin Brawley on a 40-yard TD strike on the first play of the second quarter. He also tossed a 1-yard scoring pass to Jaden Welch, then added an 18-yarder to Ardell Banks in the fourth quarter to make it 50-19.

Part of the Tigers’ success on the scoreboard was their success on third down. They converted 9 of 12 third downs on the night, with Lenix’s first scoring run and Brawley’s TD catch each coming on third down.

“We had several opportunities on third-and-long in that first half that we needed to win,” said South coach Matthew Christ, whose team bows out at 8-3. “They made big pass plays to extend drives. I feel like that’s kind of their MO. They just kind of grind you and wear you out.”

Christ’s team pulled within 14-6 and 28-13 in the first half on Dominic Birtha TD passes. The first was a 21-yarder to Javi’er Willis in which Willis pulled in a deflected pass, while the second was a 5-yard slant to Kaden Saunders.

Birtha finished 17-of-27 for 151 yards with the two TDs. South’s final score came on a 21-yard run by Nasir Phillips, who led it with 98 rushing yards on 14 attempts.

Phillips’ score pulled the Wildcats within 43-19 with 1:44 remaining in the third quarter. However, unlike a year ago, when they outscored Massillon 27-3 in the fourth quarter to turn a lopsided score into a more respectable one, the Tigers didn’t allow them to gain any more ground.

“Basically, we just had to play our game of football and just not quit,” said Massillon safety Ryan Zentkovich, who ended the first half with an interception. “Last year, I’m pretty sure we got complacent and just slowed down. This year, we just wanted to keep on the pedal.”

Reach Chris at chris.easterling@indeonline.com.

On Twitter: @ceasterlingINDE