Author: Don Engelhardt

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2021 Booster Club Report – Week 2

Massillon picked up its first win of the season and evened the slate at 1-1 with a 34-0 thumping of Canton GlenOak.  Next up is home game against Reynoldsburg, with the kickoff slated for 7:30 pm.

  • 7th Grade (2-0): Defeated Warren, 28-16.  Plays Akron East 8th Grade at home (PBTS) on Wednesday, September 1, at 6:00 pm (schedule change)
  • 8th Grade (2-0): Defeated Cleveland Heights Roxboro, 40-6.  Plays Oakwood away on Wednesday, September 1 a6 6:00 pm (schedule change)
  • 9th Grade (2-0): Defeated Canton GlenOak, 18-14.  Plays Louisville away on Thursday, September 2 at 6:00 pm.
  • JV (1-1): Defeated Canton GlenOak, 47-0.  The “A” team plays Canton McKinley at home on Monday, September 6 at noon; the “B” team plays  Louisville at home on Saturday, September 4 at 10:00 am.

GlenOak (1-1), under new / returning head coach Scott Garcia, is in the process of putting the program back together and they provided a good test for Massillon’s  young offense.  The Tigers netted just one touchdown and a pair field goals to take a slim 13-0 lead into the lockeroom and needed to execute the 2-minute drill perfectly in order to grab the lone TD.  Fortunately, Massillon was able to break it open in the second half with three scores, one coming via a punt return.  Meanwhile, the Eagle offense struggled to move the ball against a stout Tiger defense and finished the game with just 66 yards of total offense, 48 on the ground and 18 in the air on 3 of 13 completions.  In fact, GlenOak never passed midfield throughout the game.

‘It was a great day to be a Tiger,” said Head Coach Nate Moore about the victory over GlenOak.  “The offense got it going from the last drive of the first half.  They had a nice plan against us defensively; 11 guys playing the run.”  But in the second half, as quarterback Darrius McElroy began to fine the range, the Eagles were forced to respect the pass a bit more and that provided additional opportunities for the Massillon run game.  “Our defense played really well for the second week in a row,” Moore added.  “We feel really good the way we’re going.”

Moore also talked about several players emerging from the sophomore group that were able to contribute at the varsity level, this from a class that was thought not to be exceptionally talented.  “We’re playing a lot of young kids and they’re going to get better and better,” he said.

Four unit leaders were on hand, including senior running back / outside linebacker Camden Beasley, senior inside linebacker Nathan DePuy, senior wide receiver / safety Austin Brawley  and senior wide receiver / cornerback Kurtis Miller.  The four addressed several questions from the Booster Club members and noted the following:

  • The defense played “lights out.”
  • They met the challenge of holding GlenOak under 100 yards.
  • Reynoldsburg is really fast.
  • The offense needs to get rolling early.

Player stats:

  • Willtrell Hartson: 21 carries for 167 yards and a touchdown.
  • Darrius McElroy: 8 carries for 36 yards and a touchdown; 12 for 21 passing for 116 yards and a touchdown.
  • Kurtis Miller: 6 receptions for 35 yards.
  • Zach Liebler: 4 receptions for 30 yards.
  • Camden Beasley: 6.0 tackle points (5-2)
  • Austin Brawley: 5 punt returns for 140 yards and a touchdown.

This week’s opponent is Reynoldsburg (0-2), which will be a first-time opponent for the Tigers.  They play in the same league division as Pickerington Central.  In week one the Raiders lost to Upper Arlington 42-41 and last week they dropped a close one to Huber Heights Wayne, 17-15, in a game that was decided in the final minutes.

Expect to see a large number of athletes on the field come Friday, especially on offense, which appears to be their strength.  In fact, according to the Massillon coach, Reynoldsburg has 3 or 4 players that are being sought after by Power-5 colleges.

Offensively, they run out of the spread 90% of the time.  They will also throw in some 2-back and 3-back sets.  The best player is senior quarterback Dijon Jennings (6′-1″, 185), who is a returning starter.  He is adept at scrambling and is effective both running and throwing the ball on the run.  Definitely a play-maker.  Moore said that he is the best QB the Tigers have faced this year.

The running back is senior Zion Jackson-Wilborn (5′-11″, 210).  He handles the position decently and is physical.  The line in front of him is considered average, but senior guard Caleb Turner (6′-1″, 330) is a powerful player.  The wide receivers are all excellent.  The fastest is senior Markez Gillam (5′-5″, 155), who runs a 4.3 forty.

The defensive line, in their 4-3 alignment, is the strength on that side of the ball.  The best player is senior 2-year returning starter Keyshaun Slaughter (6′-2″, 345).  While the linebacker corps is average, it is supported by a very good secondary.  Junior safety Alex Crump-Whitson (6′-0″, 185) is extremely fast and can cover a lot of ground.

“This is a good football team,” said Nate Moore.  Massillon will need to exploit a defense that has shown some vulnerability to the run and minimize the big plays while on the other side of the ball.  Let’s hope this one doesn’t turn into a track meet.

The meeting next week will be at the Eagles 190.

Go Tigers!

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2021: Massillon 34, Canton GlenOak 0

Chris Easterling, The Independent

Darrius McElroy, Willtrell Hartson help Massillon offense come alive to roll past GlenOak

MASSILLON — It sometimes just takes a little two-minute drill to get an offense going.

Massillon had only mustered a pair of field goals over the first 22 minutes of Friday night’s home game against GlenOak. But over the final two minutes of the first half, the Tiger offense came alive, and the Golden Eagles were doomed.

Two touchdowns sandwiched around halftime helped Massillon turn a one-score game into a rout as it rolled to a 34-0 win over GlenOak at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

“I thought that last drive was very important,” said Tigers senior quarterback Darrius McElroy, whose 1-yard run and 47-yard pass to Ardell Banks turned a 6-0 lead into a 20-0 third-quarter edge. “We needed to do that to start that second half off strong. I felt like that last drive where we scored, we really needed that energy to finish off the game.”

McElroy, in particular, found his rhythm on the last first-half drive, which started with 1:56 remaining. He hit his first five passes of the drive for 37 yards to move the Tigers to the GlenOak 15.

McElroy also ran it eight times for 36 yards on the night. Two of those carries and 15 of those yards, as well as his only score, came on that final first-half possessionWe’re just going to continue to get better,” said Massillon coach Nate Moore, whose 1-1 team hosts Reynoldsburg next Friday. “That’s what happens with a young team and new starters and all that who are playing varsity football for the first time. It was a good job.”

The last drive of the first half also loosened up the GlenOak defense for Massillon. Much like Pickerington Central did a week earlier, the Golden Eagles obviously keyed on Tiger running back Willtrell Hartson until they were certain the passing game was able to hurt them.

Hartson still ran for 67 yards on 10 first-half carries, which helped to set up a pair of Shane Rue field goals. Once McElroy found the rhythm and GlenOak started to come out of the box more, the junior running back took off.

Hartson finished with 167 yards on 21 carries, rushing for an even 100 on 11 second-half carries. He opened the fourth quarter with a 1-yard run for a 27-0 Massillon lead.

“We got outside zone going there a little bit, which is good to see,” said Moore, whose team also got a 78-yard punt return for a score by Austin Brawley in the fourth quarter.. “We were able to hit a little play-action, which was good.”

Up until that final first-half drive, GlenOak had the game at its pace. The only problem for the Golden Eagles was their own inability to get any drive going.

GlenOak had just one first down and 25 net yards in the first half. It finished with four first downs and 66 net yards, and never got any closer to Massillon territory than its own 47 midway through the second quarter.

“I thought our kids played hard in the first half,” said Golden Eagles coach Scott Garcia, whose 1-1 team plays Austintown Fitch next Friday. “In the second half, I was disappointed in our effort. Our effort was awful in the second half. We’ve got to get that fixed.”

Reach Chris at chris.easterling@indeonline.com.

On Twitter: @ceasterlingINDE

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2021 Booster Club Report – Week 1

Massillon opened the season with a 26-7 loss to Pickerington Central.  Central was the Division 1 runner-up in 2020.  Next up is a home game against Canton GlenOak, with the kickoff slated for 7:30 pm.

  • 7th Grade (1-0): Defeated Canal Fulton Northwest, 34-18.  Plays Warren at home (PBTS) on Tuesday, August 24, at 6:00 pm (schedule change)
  • 8th Grade (1-0): Defeated Canal Fulton Northwest, 30-0.  Plays Cleveland Heights Roxboro at home (MMS) on Wednesday, August 25 a6 6:00 pm (schedule change)
  • 9th Grade (1-0): Defeated Pickerington Central, 17-3.  Plays Canton GlenOak home on Thursday, August 25 at 6:00 pm (location change).
  • JV (0-1): Lost to Pickerington Central, 14-12.  Plays Canton GlenOak away on Saturday, August 27 at 10:00 am.

“It wasn’t the outcome we wanted, but we got a lot of feedback,” said Head Coach Nate Moore.  “Our kids played their tails off.  The defense played a great game against a very good team.”

Under Moore the Tigers have traditionally opened with strong competition in order to expose their weaknesses and correct them before they get too far into the season.  Pickerington Central, with several potential collegiate Division 1 players on hand, provided just such a test.  Moore said that in spite of a disappointing outcome, there were a lot of good takeaways.  And he was certainly not disappointed in the play of the kids.

Four unit leaders were on hand, including senior running back / outside linebacker Camden Beasley, senior wide receiver / safety Austin Brawley, senior inside linebacker Nathan DePuy and senior long snapper / co-captain Dominic Salvino.  The four addressed many questions from the Booster Club members and noted the following:

  • It was a very physical game.
  • In spite of seemingly adequate hydration and pickle juice, still several players still suffered from cramps.
  • There were just a few plays that made the difference in the final outcome.
  • They need to fix the mistakes.
  • They were pumped up by the big crowd, something that was lacking last season due to the Covid Pandemic.
  • The goal line stand was the highlight of the defensive effort.

Coach Moore noted during the film  session that Pickerington running back Olando Kamara was exceptional and ran behind a really big offensive line.  On offense, the coaches knew it would be difficult to protect the quarterback against such a great front-7, but quarterback Darrius McElroy did a tremendous job taking care of the ball.  Moore also singled out the play of several starting underclassmen.

Player stats:

  • Willtrell Hartson: 14 carries for 59 yards and a touchdown.
  • Camden Beasley: 7 carries for 28 yards.
  • Ressieo Kirksey: 8.5 tackle points, including a tackle for loss
  • Jaden Welch: 8.0 tackle points, including an interception and return for 32 yards
  • Austin Brawley: 7.5 tackle points, including a tackle for  loss

GlenOak, next week’s opponent, returns to the schedule after a 1-year absence, now under the guidance of Scott Garcia, who coached there previously.  Last Friday they defeated Shaker Heights 31-22, recording their first victory since the first game of the 2019 season.  This will be the 17th meeting of these two teams, with Massillon owning a 16-4 advantage in the series.  In 2019 the Tigers came out on top, 55-13.

Offensively, the Eagles operate out of a 2-back set, but will throw in some spread and wildcat.  Also, look for some buck sweeps, screens and deep passes.  The best player on this side of the ball is senior quarterback Isaiah Knox, a 2-year starter.  Keep an eye on Avantae Burt, who tops the group in skill level.  The line has three underclassmen.

The defense will align in a 3-4 with cover-4 and some press coverage.  Nearly every player on the defensive side also sees significant time on offense, indicating a lack of depth, which may be a factor Friday in the hot weather.

Go Tigers!

 

History

Bobby Grier is the Next Entry to the Wall…

As a football player, Bobby Grier had a conventional career for one of the Massillon’s better players, starting for Tigers during his senior season and then playing collegiately.  But in 1955 civil rights discrimination in the South reared an ugly head and Bobby, as a Black player for a Northern team, was caught in the middle.  But he along with his teammates handled it admirably.  And now Bobby is finally being honored by Massillon with a spot on the Wall of Champions.

Bobby Grier suited up for the Tigers from 1949-51, playing fullback and safety under successful head coach Chuck Mather.  During his junior year Massillon finished the season with a perfect 10-0 record and was named both INS state champion and national champion.  The Tigers were completely dominant in all ten games, outscoring their opposition 407-37.  The only team to score more than once on them was No.  8 Steubenville, which lost 35-12.  In the season finale the Tigers downed No. 9 Canton McKinley 33-0.  As a backup, Grier contributed five rushing touchdowns.

In 1951, the 190 lb. senior player started at halfback was instrumental in leading his team to a 9-1 record and an INS state championship, in spite of suffering a 19-13 setback to No. 7 Warren Harding.  Since there were no 10-0 teams in the state of note that year and the Tigers had defeated both No. 2 Steubenville and No. 6 Barberton, plus the fact that they were defending state champs, the crown went to Massillon.  Numbers-wise, they outscored their opponents 316-65.

Grier was teammates with several other outstanding players, such as Henry “Ace” Grooms, Tom Straughn, Chuck Vliet and Paul Francisco.  He was also tops on the team with eleven rushing touchdowns, ahead of Grooms, who had ten, and John Francisco, who had eight.  Against Steubenville he rushed 9 times for 49 yards and scored the game-winning TD.  Then against Barberton he scored the only touchdown in a 6-0 victory.  For his efforts he was named 2nd team All-Ohio Scholastic League and earned a Division 1 scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh.

Typical of most college players, Grier worked his way through a talented roster striving for playing time.  As a sophomore he rushed 13 times for 198 yards.  But his coach was not sold on his defense at a time when players were required to play both ways.  Then in 1955, under Coach John Michelosen, Grier started the first game.  But he shared time the rest of the season.

Fortunately, he was a member of a very good Panther team that finished the year No. 11 in the country and was invited to participate in the 1956 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana.  The bowl committee had their eye on West Virginia, but in the final game of the season Pittsburgh defeated the Mountaineers 27-6 and the committee elected instead to invite Pitt.  Their opponent would be Georgia Tech.  And it was with Tech that the problems began.

Discrimination in the South was alive and well in the 1950s and a Southern team playing in a game against Black opponent players was frowned upon.  But the fact that the Black Bobby Grier was a member of the Pittsburgh team was overlooked by the bowl committee since Grier was not a starter and was not expected to play.

That didn’t keep Georgia Governor Marvin Griffin from urging Tech not to participate unless Grier was banned, which irked most of the country, more so than the Rosa Parks bus incident.  But what Griffin didn’t expect was 2,000 Tech students rioting at the governor’s house demanding that he rescind the request, while hanging the governor “in effigy.”  Even students from the University of Georgia supported Tech.  The bottom line was that the Tech students wanted their team to play in the Sugar Bowl, discrimination be damned.

Back in Pittsburgh, the players voted to stay home if Grier was not permitted to play.  “It made me feel great that the team, the university and everybody was behind me,” said Grier.

Eventually, the governor’s request was rejected by the Georgia State Board of Regents by a vote of 13-1.  First off, the contract had already been signed and second, they really wanted Tech in the game.  But still the board created a policy barring Georgia and Tech from playing integrated teams in future games, before integrated crowds, in segregated states, a ruling which seemed to appease the governor.  Only the policy was never enforced.

That brings us back to Bobby.  As luck would have it, the Pitt starting halfback was injured during a practice prior to the game and Grier was quickly thrust into the lineup.  So the game was held and everyone survived, with Blacks and Whites sitting together without incident.  But in the end, Bobby Grier became the first Black player to participate in a bowl game in the South, the significance of which was not realized until many years later.  Overall, the prejudice was a new experience for Grier.  “In Massillon, we learned to get along with people,” he said.  “We learned to play together as a team and do a good job of it.  We had our differences, but we always came together in the end.”

Although Pittsburgh lost the game 7-0, Grier led all rushers with 51 yards.  In an ironic twist, Grier was called for pass interference late in the game and the ball was placed at the one yard line, setting up the lone touchdown.  Bobby was beside himself later in the locker room.  And many thought it was Southern home cooking, noting that Grier was ahead of the receiver on the play and had been pushed to the ground prior to the ball sailing over both of their heads.  But later it was determined that the referee who made the call was from Pittsburgh.  After the game, following a review of the game film, the referee admitted that he simply made a mistake.

No other northern team was invited to the Sugar Bowl until nine years later when Syracuse made the trip.  Times were changing and the Orange featured two black players (future NFL stars Floyd Little and Jim Nance) with little fanfare.

After college, Grier joined the Air Force and became a missile officer.  Following his service, he was an administrator at a Pittsburgh community college

In 2009 Bobby was honored as a Washington High School Distinguished Citizen.  Then in in 2019 he was inducted in the Sugar Bowl Hall of Fame.

Now, in August of this year, he will be added to the Massillon Wall of Champions.  Congratulations, Bobby Grier.

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2021: Pickerington Central 26, Massillon 7

GAME STATS

Chris Easterling, The Independent

Pickerington Central football pulls away from Massillon in battle of state runners-up

MASSILLON – No football teams in Ohio may better understand the need to not overreact to opening night than the two teams that squared off on Friday night at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

Between Massillon and Pickerington Central, the teams had made a combined nine state semifinals and six title games over the last five years. That includes both teams reaching their respective championship games a year ago, the former in Division II and the latter in Division I.

So as both teams walked off the field after Pickerington Central’s 26-7 win, there was a sense of perspective from both sides. That perspective was simple: It’s not just about Week 1; it’s about 15 weeks.

“It’s just got to be process-driven” said Massillon coach Nate Moore, whose team was tied at 7-7 midway through the second quarter. “We’re a process-driven program. We prefer to have positive outcomes at the end of games, but we’re worried about the process. We have to move on from this fast. We want to have the best practice we’ve ever had on Monday.”

The words spoken by the orange-and-black clad Tigers was really no different from those spoken by the purple-and-white clad Tigers. That’s even after Pickerington Central ended the game on a 19-0 run and finished with a 343-135 edge in total yards.

Tyler Gillison, who gave Pickerington Central a 7-0 lead on a 20-yard touchdown catch on fourth down late in the first quarter, may have summed it up best. For the victors, it’s not about winning a game in Stark County in August, but winning one here in December.

“It gets us ready for the playoffs,” said Gillison, who had a key fumble recovery early in the fourth quarter as well. “Our first four games this year, they’re really going to test us this year. It’s just going to get us ready for the playoffs.”

For Massillon, the challenge was two-fold. Part of it was playing an ultra-talented Pickerington Central team that has at least a half-dozen Division I college recruits.

The other part was essentially breaking in 18 new starters on either side of the ball. Yet, for all of that relative inexperience, it was just a handful of plays on either side of the ball that separated it from a different outcome.

That was especially true of Massillon’s defense. It came up with a huge goal-line stand in the second quarter and, despite allowing 178 rushing yards to Orlando Kamara, limited Pickerington Central to just 2-of-12 on third-down conversions.

On offense, Massillon reached the other side of the 50 four times during the course of the evening. Its downfall proved to be a pair of fumbles lost, which led to 10 Pickerington Central points.

Massillon also was dropped for a safety on the second play after it stopped Pickerington Central at the goal line. That provided a 9-7 lead with 6:18 left in the first half.

“Our kids played hard, on both sides of the ball,” said Moore, whose team tied the game at 7-7 on Willtrell Hartson’s 1-yard run 59 seconds into the second quarter. “Our kids played hard. There’s some hitting going on out there, some great solo tackles. … A lot of flashes of really good football. Just not enough.”

Both teams started new quarterbacks: Darrius McElroy for Massillon and Braden Mantooth for Pickerington Central. McElroy provided some effective yards on the ground, netting 25 rushing yards despite having to handle multiple tough snaps.

Mantooth, meanwhile, threw for a pair of touchdowns as part of his 104-yard passing night. His 26-yard strike to Kobi Gorman on the final play of the third quarter opened up a 16-7 lead.

Mantooth also added a 1-yard fourth-quarter run. He ran for 27 yards.

“I felt really confident with him,” Pickerington Central coach Jay Sharrett said. “… In high school football, we didn’t fumble any quarterback-center exchanges. You take them for granted, but when you’re in a hard-hitting game like this, that’s the No. 1 thing. He made some good checks at the line and we’re 1-0.”

One game. One win for one team, one loss for the other. For both, though, nothing more and nothing less.

Reach Chris at chris.easterling@indeonline.com.

On Twitter: @ceasterlingINDE

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Pickerington Central Game Preview

Massillon vs. Pickerington Central

  • Friday, August 20, 7:30 pm
  • Massillon Paul Brown Tiger Stadium
  • Internet broadcast via Washington High School (access link through massillontigers.com)
  • Plenty of tickets available at the gate

Massillon Head Coach: Nate Moore

  • 7th season
  • Record at Massillon: Regular season 44-12, playoffs 16-5, total 60-17 (.779)
  • Won Division 2 State Championship in 2014 while coaching Cincinnati LaSalle

Pickerington Central Head Coach: Jay Sherrett

  • 19th season
  • Record at Central: Regular season 151-26, playoffs 40-15; total 191-41 (.823)
  • Named head coach in 2003 after Pickerington HS split into two schools, Central and North

Massillon’s recent success

  • Division 2 state finalist in 2018, 2019 and 2020; regional champion in 2017
  • 2020 Results: 10-2 record; Division 2 finalist; lost to Akron Hoban 35-6
  • Defeated East St. Louis (IL) in 2018, Akron Hoban in 2019 and Cincinnati LaSalle in 2020; won the last five games against Canton McKinley
  • 31-game winning streak against public schools, longest in the state in D1 and D2.  Includes wins over Canton McKinley (3), Winton Woods, East St. Louis, Penn Trafford (PA), Gateway (PA) and Avon.  Last loss was in 2017 to Winton Woods.

Pickerington Central’s recent success

  • Division 1 state champion in 2017 and 2019; state finalist in 2020; regional champion in 2016 and 2018
  • 2020 results: 11-1 record; Division 1 finalist; lost to Cincinnati St. Xavier 44-3
  • Defeated Cincinnati Elder in 2016 and 2019, Mentor in 2017, 2019 and 2020, Huber Heights Wayne in 2016, Colerain in 2017 and Hilliard Davidson twice in 2018.
  • 21-game winning streak against public schools, second longest in the state in D1 and D2.  Includes a pair of wins against Mentor.  Last loss was in 2019 to Groveport Madison.

Massillon key players

  • Willtrell Hartson: 5’-10”, 195 lb. junior running back; returning starter on offense; 138 carries for 1,111 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2020; named Honorable Mention All-Ohio; several Division 1 offers
  • Austin Brawley: 5’-9”, 190 lb. senior, safety / wide receiver; returning starter on defense; 2nd in tackle points in 2020 with 47.5; 5 receptions for 125 yards
  • Toddrick Lee: 6’-2”, 250 lb. senior, offensive tackle; returning starter
  • Jaiden Woods: 5’-10”, 260 lb. senior, offensive center; returning starter
  • Te’Jamere Nash: 6’-3”, 305 lb. senior, offensive tackle; returning part-time starter
  • Riley Campbell: 6’-3”, 210 lb. senior, wide receiver / outside linebacker; transfer from Canton Central; leading receiver with 37 receptions; 2nd Team Division 6 All-Ohio at linebacker
  • Marcus Moore: 6’-2”, 340 lb. junior, defensive lineman; transfer from Beachwood; 3rd Team Division 5 All-Ohio
  • Freddie Lenix: 5’-10”, 180 lb. junior, wide receiver / cornerback
  • Camden Beasley: 6’-2”, 190 lb. senior, backup running back / outside linebacker; 44 carries for 248 yards and 2 touchdowns

Pickerington Central key players

  • Olando Kamara: 5’-11”, 205 lb. running back
  • Kobe Asamoah: 6’-4”, 295 lb., senior offensive lineman; 3 star recruit
  • Alex Styles: 6′-4″, 215 lb. junior defensive back; 5-star recruit
  • C.J. Doggette: 6’-2”, 285 lb. senior defensive lineman / wide receiver; Honorable Mention All-Ohio; 3-star recruit
  • Kobi Gorman: 6’-0”, 260 lb. junior defensive lineman
  • Reece Brancifort: 6’-0”, 195 lb. senior inside linebacker
  • Tyler Gillson: 6’-4”, 245 lb. senior defensive lineman / running back; 3-star recruit
  • Dakari Frazier: 6’-4”, 245 lb. senior defensive lineman / wide receiver; 3 star recruit

Massillon offense

  • A few starters return, mostly on the line; rebuilding the wide receiver corp.
  • 1,000+ rusher returns
  • Skill players talented, but lacking varsity game experience
  • Big, experienced offensive line
  • Offensive line / running back is the strength
  • Spread formation
  • Run first
  • Power and zone blocking

Massillon defense

  • Only one returning starter, at safety
  • Talented group, but lacking varsity experience
  • Potential to be strong across the board
  • 3-4 alignment; some 4-3
  • Some secondary cover-2, some cover-4

Pickerington Central offense

  • Lost nearly the entire offense from last year
  • Unbalanced line
  • Run first
  • Quarterback under center, occasionally in shotgun
  • 1-back and 2-back sets; some double wing
  • Mostly power and zone blocking; some draw plays; some jet sweeps
  • Quarterback will have designed runs from the shotgun
  • Good sized line

Pickerington Central defense

  • Returns several very good players within the front seven
  • Secondary is new
  • 3-4 alignment
  • Press coverage on all receivers; DBs play back on trips
  • Inside linebackers play close to the line; one middle linebacker blitzes on nearly every play
  • Good size and team speed

Keys to success for Massillon

  • Establish the run by winning the battle between the offensive line and Central’s defensive front seven.
  • Play from in front on the scoreboard; neither team may have the firepower at this point in the season to come from behind.
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Booster Club Meetings to Get Underway

The first weekly Booster Club meeting will be held on Monday, August 23, at 7:00 pm at Eagles 190.  The meeting is open to all who have purchased a Booster Club membership, which can be obtained at the door.

The first weekly Touchdown Club meeting will be held on Tuesday August 17, at 11:30 am at Eagles 190.  The meeting is open to the general public for a seasonal fee of $25 and a weekly lunch fee of $10.  The only exception is the Beat McKinley lunch, which costs $12.  At the end of the season, the Touchdown Club presents the Bob Commings Memorial Hardnose Award to a deserving player on the basis of member votes that are tallied at the lunches.

Massillon Head Coach Nate Moore will speak at each meeting, often accompanied by several team co-captains.  Game highlight films are narrated by the coach at the Booster Club meetings only.

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Massillon Battles St. Xavier to a Draw in Scrimmage…

Two of Ohio’s high school football powers knocked heads in Cincinnati on Thursday in the final tune-up before the start of the 2021 season.  It was an abbreviated affair, most likely due to the 95-degree weather, with each team running two series of 10 plays each.  But next week it gets serious, with the Tigers hosting 2020 Division 1 state finalist Pickerington Central and the Bombers facing Queen City contender Lakota West, a team Xavier beat last year in their regional finals, 10-7.

Massillon was the Division 2 state finalist in each of the past three years and currently holds a 31-game winning streak against public schools.  St. Xavier, on the other hand, captured the Division 1 state championship last year.  These two teams last met In 2005 at Fawcett Stadium to decide the D1 title, with X winning by a touchdown.

Willtrell Hartson breaks free on a 50-yard run against Cincinnati St. Xavier (Boxcast extract)

The Tiger offense took the field first, starting at their own 35 and advanced to their own 49 before being forced to punt.  But the second try started off with a bang.  Returning running back Willtrell Hartson, who showed flashes of brilliance throughout the second half of last year’s season, broke through the line on the first play for 50 yards and wasn’t caught on a shoestring tackle until he reached the Xavier 15.  The next play netted just two yards and a second down pass fell incomplete.  On third and eight the Tigers opted for a run, but gained just five yards.  So they settled for a 25-yard field goal by freshman Nolan Hendricks.

St. X came right back with a 9-play, 48-yard drive that ended in a 27 field goal.  The big play was a screen pass while the Tigers were in an all-out blitz that advanced the ball from the Massillon 32 to 12 yard line.  But the Tigers stiffened at that point to force the kick.

Massillon’s third series ended after six plays with a punt from their own 49 and the final series ended at the Xavier 41 when they ran out of plays.

Meanwhile, Xavier drove to the Massillon 26, but also used up their allotment of ten plays.

Statistics wise, Massillon’s running backs gained 67 yards in 7 carries (9.6 ave.).  Quarterback Darrius McElroy completed 2 of 6 passes for 27 yards and was sacked three times.  Total yardage was 94.

St. Xavier’s backs gained 43 yards in 9 carries (4.8 ave.).  Their quarterback completed 6 of 9 passes for 78 yards.  Total yardage was 121.

On offense, Massillon struggled to get the running game going against the Bomber 3-3 odd stack defense, except for on Hartson’s long run.  The passing game was a struggle with the receivers needing to fight through press coverage by the cornerbacks.  In addition, for the second week in a row, the offensive line was unable to keep the defensive linemen and blitzers at bay, which prevented the quarterback from settling in to make good throws.

Defensively, the Tigers played very vanilla, with a cover-4 secondary against what is perhaps the most potent offense in the state.  For example, last year St. X with their vaunted passing game put up 62 points on St. Ignatius the week after Massillon beat the Wildcats 21-14.  With eight returning starters, including their quarterback and entire line, they run a fast-pace offense with multiple formations and plays, and looked the part of a polished team all day.  Nevertheless, the Tigers held their own against this challenge.

Now Massillon must take what they have learned from these first two outings and improve on any obvious shortcomings.  They can also now game-plan for specific opponents, something that wasn’t the case for the scrimmages.

Following the first team work, Massillon had a chance to run several plays using the second team offense.  Freshmen quarterback Jalen Slaughter was one for four for 15 yards, including one sack.  The run game produced 16 yards in 7 attempts.

The junior varsity was bested 14-7, with both teams scoring on long drives and St. Xavier also scoring on a long pass play.

The freshmen continue to show great potential as they defeated the Bombers 28-0.

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Massillon Opens the Preseason with the Annual Avon Scrimmage

It’s early, early in this new season and teams are just now learning what a football looks like.  But that didn’t stop Massillon and Avon from getting together to knock heads, something they’ve been doing for several years now in a first scrimmage venue. This time Avon was the host.

Both teams have achieved much success over the past few years, something that always bills this matchup as a good one.  The Tigers have played in the Division 2 state finals in each of the past three years and the Eagles have won four straight regional titles in the same division.  Therefore, this scrimmage gives head coaches Nate Moore and Mike Elder excellent first looks at their players against worthy opposition in order to figure out who their starters and backups will be.

The format for most of the scrimmage was such that each team ran ten plays, commencing at their own 25 yard line.  If a fourth down play was called for, the team either punted or attempted a field goal and then returned to the 25 until the plays were exhausted.  Throughout the affair both coaches mixed up their first and second units.  The 3rd and 4th played later.  Here’s a breakdown of the series for each team:

Massillon

  • Darrius McElroy at quarterback.  Advanced to the Avon 12.  Field goal was wide.  Willtrell Hartson was running very effectively during this drive.
  • QB Jalen Slaughter connected with Austin Brawley in the corner of the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown pass.  Vinny Keller kicked the extra point.  The play was set up by fine end around run by Freddie Lenix, Jr.
  • Ran a couple more plays to end the series.
  • McElroy now at QB.  Advanced to their own 30 and punted.
  • Advanced to their own 39 and punted.
  • Threw a 60-yard pass interception.
  • Slaughter at QB.  Brawley ran an end around for 74 yards and touchdown, but it was called back for holding.  Punted from the 22.
  • Intercepted pass.
  • Advanced to their own 40 and ran out of plays.
  • McElroy at QB.  Advanced to their own 36 and punted.
  • Advanced to the Avon 8 and ran out of plays.  Keller kicked a 25-yard field goal.  However, Avon was called for offsides, which negated the play.  On the next try the same player was offsides, but the penalty was not called by the referee.  The kick was wide owing to the interference of the player who was now literally standing next to the holder as Keller kicked the ball.
  • Slaughter at QB.  Advanced to the Avon 49 and punted.
  • Slaughter threw a 76-yard touchdown pass to Riley Campbell, who had separated from the defender.  He gathered the ball at midfield and then outraced the Avon secondary to the end zone.  Keller kicked the PAT.
  • Total points scored: 14

Avon

  • Advanced to their own 33 and punted.
  • Advanced to the Massillon 40 and ran out of plays.
  • Advanced to the Massillon 19 and missed a field goal.  Lots of short passes underneath the coverage.  Had difficulty running the ball.
  • Advanced to their own 39 and punted.
  • No gain and ran out of plays.
  • Advanced to the Massillon 29 and kicked a 46-yard field goal.  Advanced to their own 31 and punted.
  • Advanced to the Massillon 45 and ran out of plays.
  • Total points scored: 3

Each team then ran one series starting at the opponent’s 40.

Massillon

  • McElroy hit Brawley on a 34-yard TD pass.

Avon

  • Kicked a 21-yard field goal.

Each team finished with a two series each starting at the opponent’s 20.

Massillon

  • Hartson scored on a 5-yard run, untouched as he sped through the line.  Keller’s PAT attempt was good.
  • McElroy tossed a 20-yard pass to wide open Campbell for a touchdown.  Keller again kicked the extra point.

Avon

  • Failed to move the ball.
  • Kicked a 29-yard field goal.

Observations:

  • Rushing offense – The backs used the most were Hartson, Camden Beasley and Ressieo Kirksey.  All ran hard and the line blocked for them very well given this early in the season.
  • Passing offense – Both McElroy and Slaughter had their moments, but pass completions were not the main contributors to the offensive production.  McElroy curtainly has the long arm, which bodes well down the road for quick touchdowns.  And the faster Slaughter, while only a freshman, showed a lot of poise and made a few big plays with his arm.  Brawley showed that he will give secondaries fits.  The 6’-4” Campbell also appears to be a good target.  Look for these two to dominate the stats, depending on whether someone else steps up.
  • Rushing defense – The middle was completely clogged up for Avon.  What little success they had came around the end, but only when a defensive back missed a tackle or two.
  • Passing defense – This area will take some time.  Granted most of the short passes are surrendered by design, the middle seemed to be a good target for Avon and this will need to be shored up.  Also, Avon dropped a couple of longer passes, which might have resulted in touchdowns.  Time will improve this, as the secondary certainly has the talent.
  • Kicking game – McElroy as a punter is not Magnus Haines in any way, but he is effective and did get one boomer off during the scrimmage.  Keller is consistent with his extra points and the sophomore will only get stronger with kickoffs and field goal attempts as he gets older.

Next up is a Thursday scrimmage at Cincinnati St. Xavier, the 2020 Division 1 state champions.  Start time is 2:00 pm.

Willtrell Hartson sprints into the Avon secondary.

Ardell Banks goes high for the long pass against the Avon defender.

Quarterback Darrius McElroy lets loose from the pocket.

Austin Brawley completes a 14-yard touchdown pass from Jalen Slaughter.