The Website Corner – Playoff Week 2

Each week during the football season the staff of massillontigers.com will provide input of their choice related to the recent games or Massillon football in general.

There are eight teams left fighting for the Division II state championship.  When you get to this point there is one common thread that stands out and that is defense.

When you look at the regional semi-final results the theme of defense becomes quite clear.  One might argue that yielding 20 and 21 points is not great defense, but in today’s era of spread offenses that will win you a lot of games.  The results were Cincinnati Winton Woods 52 Cincinnati Anderson 21 and Olmstead Falls 21 Wadsworth 20.

The results from the other Division II games were as follows.

Avon 28                        Medina Highland 10
Massillon 28                 Ashland 7
New Albany 30            Columbus Walnut Ridge 6
Cincinnati LaSalle 41  Sydney 6
Akron Hoban 49          Lyndhurst Brush 0
Barberton 35               Bedford 0

The theme of defense rings very true and it continues as we go forward.  We will need a stellar defensive effort again this week.  With New Albany’s offense we will need to stop their run game.  If we can do that we stand a very good chance of moving on.  Go Tigers! — GV

Last week Massillon defeated Ashland in a hard fought game, 28-7.  It was the first Round 2 Playoff victory for the Tigers in five years.  “The guys played hard,” said head coach Nate Moore.  “The defense played really well against a high-powered offense.”  They created turnovers (stripping the ball twice) and forced many incomplete passes.  Receivers coach Caleb Miller said the players really like coming to practice now, unlike earlier in the season, owing to the youth of the team.  He believes in practicing well to play well, something they did prior to the Ashland game.  Miller emphasized that the players have been doing that now for the last several weeks.  “The kids have taken a leadership role and really gotten after it,” he said.

The Round 3 opponent is New Albany, winner over a pair of inner-city Columbus teams in Whitehall-Yearling (42-35) and Walnut Ridge (30-6).  The Eagles finished the regular season with a 6-4 record, losing a pair of games to two superior Ohio Capital Conference opponents and LIcking Heights (35-30).  Their signature win came in Week 1 against Reynoldsburg (7-3) by the score of 15-13.  They average 24 points a game and give up 25.

Offensively, New Albany runs the Wing-T.  It’s different from Perry’s scheme in that they put two running backs in the backfield and split one of the wings wide.  But some of the plays are similar.  Look for outside sweeps, inside traps and quarterback keepers around end.  Moore said that the junior  quarterback is a good athlete and throws a good ball, although they prefer to run 80% of the time.  The junior running backs are smallish at 5′-8″ each, but they possess very good speed.  Defensively, the Eagles utilize a 3-3 with cover-4.  Occasionally, they will switch to a 4-man front.  The linebackers are good and there are several athletes in the secondary.  The offensive line has a 255 lb. center, but the rest of the line averages 215 lbs.  Defensively, they average 238 lbs.  They have two full-time 2-way players.  They also start eight juniors on the defensive side of the ball.  Moore stated that they are well-coached and play very disciplined ball.  At this stage everyone is good and the Tigers will need to be at the top of their game to win this one.

The OHSAA announced this week that the winner of the Massillon-New Albany game will face the winner of the Cincinnati LaSalle-Cincinnati Winton Woods game next week, presumably in Columbus. — DE

The Website Corner – Playoff Week 1

Each week during the football season the staff of massillontigers.com will provide input of their choice related to the recent games or Massillon football in genera

Many area football fans believe that Massillon and Boardman are the best teams in Region 7.  As luck would have it, they were paired against each other in the opening round of the playoffs.  The Tigers came out on top in a come-from-behind effort, 28-23, but it wasn’t without some nail biting.  The game plan for Massillon was to pound the ball up the middle with the power running attack and wear down the defense, something that has worked in most games this year.  But against Boardman, it was a different story.  Aside from  an opening drive that netted a touchdown, the running attack was almost completely shutdown.  The reason for this, according to Coach Moore, was the different method that the Spartan defensive line used to attack, something that was different from the scouting films.  And the Tiger offensive line was never able to adjust.  Fortunately, Massillon pulled it out in the fourth quarter using an overwhelming passing attack, this aspect being particularly effective on first down. Also, the defense did its part when it mattered the most.  Let’s hope the rest of region does not measure up to Boardman. – DE

On Saturday “Principal Sal” tweeted.  “Our kids deserve to see a packed house in Wooster Friday!  Forecast looks great for November football.  No excuses . . . get your tickets this week!  TIG!”

As Paul Salvino’s tweet confirms, we fans do make a difference.  That was never more evident than last Friday evening as our Tigers came from behind to earn a victory over Youngstown Boardman.  You could see our young men feeding off the energy from the crowd.  This was the loudest PBTS has been all year.  Great job Tiger Players!  Great job Tiger fans!

We will need a like effort this week against Ashland.  We need the Tiger Nation to get your tickets and make the trip Wooster.  We need to take over the Wooster stadium.  A total Massillon effort will be needed to bring home another Tiger Victory. – GV

Round 2 for the Tigers is a match against Ashland this Friday at 7:30 pm.  The game will be played at Wooster High School.  The Arrows come into the game with a 9-2 record, having dropped contests to 9-2 Clyde 22-19 and 5-5 Wooster 34-31.  Their signature win came against Mansfield in Week 7 by the score of 41-20.   Massillon Coach Nate Moore said at the Booster Club Meeting that Ashland is a well-coached team.  They are a good team and play very disciplined ball.  Only three players go both ways full-time.

Offensively, the game revolves around quarterback and Mr. Ohio Football candidate Keagan Armitage.  A 6′-2″, 208 lb. senior, Armitage has passed this year for around 3,000 yards, including 300 in the 48-47 overtime win over Columbus Mifflin in Round 1.  He has completed 65% of his passes and converted 31 touchdowns. At the other end of these passes is a fine group of receivers, including 6′-6″ Manny Langston and 6′-5″ Kamrin Knowlton Golings, who have caught 80 passes between them for 1,541 yards and 17 touchdowns.  But don’t forget Bryke Williams.  Although small in stature, he has grabbed 61 passes for 724 yards and 6 touchdowns.  But don’t think  Ashland is all about the pass.  They also have two very capable runners including the quarterback Armitage (974 yards and 18 touchdowns) and Owen Reef (853 yards).  Moore stated that all of the skill players have good speed and the running back “runs hard.”  The offensive line averages 6′-0″, 253 lbs.

Ashland will line up in an empty backfield; that is, a quarterback in the shotgun with five wide receivers.  The “running back” is one of the receivers, aligned in a slot position.  Most passing plays are directly from this formation.  When the Arrows want to run they motion the slot receiver/running back to quarterback for a  jet-sweep handoff or a quarterback read option.  Occasionally, the quarterback will run the ball on his own without prior motion.  They will run the ball about 50% of the time.  Massillon hopes to put pressure on the quarterback to force him into quick throws and bad decisions.

Defensively, Ashland is very similar to Austintown Fitch, who Massillon defeated 38-28 earlier in the season.  The alignment is 3-3 with a cover-3.  The defensive line averages 6′-0″, 243 lbs.  Personnel-wise, Moore said that they have some good players at safety and defensive line.  But the best player is Mason Harpster, a 5′-8″, 185 lb. linebacker.  He is a tough kid that makes most of the tackles.

The Arrows punt the ball out of the same formation that they use for offensive plays.  The quarterback just steps back a bit prior to the kick. — DE

Click here for the Division 2 playoff bracket

The Website Corner – Week 10

Each week during the football season the staff of massillontigers.com will provide input of their choice related to the recent games or Massillon football in general.

One could point to any number of attributes that led to a Tiger victory over our arch rival Saturday.  When you win by one point there are usually a number of areas that decides why one team wins and the other does not.

Our opponent was undisciplined and numerous penalties hurt their ability to compete.  The Tigers had a distinct advantage in the passing game.  The Tigers did not turn the ball over.  Our Tigers possessed the ball.  Jamir Thomas had forty-two carries.  The Tigers were able to pass with some success while McKinley was held to just 25 yards.  Klay Moll’s field goal provided just enough points to outscore McKinley.

All these items are currently in the past and our focus is now turned toward Youngstown Boardman.  So, what can we bring forward from our win, to use as we take on this week’s opponent.  The biggest attribute that we displayed last week that can be brought forward to this week’s game is the physicality with which our Tigers played.  Being physical and playing with great energy will help bring home another win this Friday.

We as fans need to bring that energy in supporting our team.  Massillon kids have always been able to feed off of the energy of our crowd.  Bring your “A” game and help our Tigers play with that physicality that they displayed last week.  Go Tigers beat Boardman. — GV

Massillon finished No. 2 in Region 7 and will host No. 7 Boardman this Friday at 7:30 pm in the first round of the playoffs.  Boardman brings a 6-4 record into the fray with a signature win over Jackson  (8-2) 39-36 coming in Week 3.  The four losses followed a 3-0 start when their star running back was lost to an injury.  Two losses were to undefeated Steubenville (41-21) and undefeated Canfield (17-7).  The others were to 6-4 Youngstown Cardinal Mooney (21-7) and 6-4 Austintown Fitch (28-7).  While the Tigers bested Fitch 31-21, both teams own wins over Warren Harding by similar margins.

Offensively, the Spartans will aim to establish the run, something they have favored this year on 80% of the plays.  They typically operate out of the spread formation, with a tight end and three receivers.  The offense flows through quarterback Mike O’Horo, a 6′-1″, 200 lb. senior.  Massilllon Coach Nate Moore calls him a “really good football player.”  Expect O’Horo to carry the ball a majority of the time, occasionally using the read-option to set up his runs, something that gave that Tigers problems earlier in the season..  The featured running back is 5′-11″, 202 lb. senior Domonhic Jennings.  He’s a strong runner, but not particularly fast, as compared to previous Tiger opponents.  The offensive line averages 6′-1″ and all are between 240 and 250 lbs.  Although this group comprises only two seniors, it’s the two juniors that have impressed Moore the most.  The passing game is OK at best.

The line is the strength of the defense, which averages out at 6′-2″, 234 lbs.  Although the linebacking corp is on the smaller side, the middle linebackers appear to play well.  Expect a 4-4, cover-3 alignment, with 2-high in passing situations.  Boardman will occasionally blitz, usually from the edge.  Once again, it will be a chess match to see if the Tigers try to pound it out or take advantage of several mismatches in the passing game. – DE

Here are some interesting facts on the eight teams in Region 7:

• Three teams qualified with 6-4 records, including New Albany, Boardman and Canal Winchester.
• New Albany played the most D1 or D2 teams (10), followed by Canal Winchester (9) and Massillon (8), although it’s hard to call Ursuline or St. Vincent anything less than D2.
• Massillon faced the most playoff teams (5), followed by Boardman (4) and Columbus Walnut Ridge (3).
• Massillon played three private schools; Columbus Whitehall and Boardman played two each.
• The most potent offenses belong to Ashland (37) and Columbus Mifflin (34).  However, neither boasts of a strong schedule.
• The best scoring defenses are Canal Winchester (16) and Walnut Ridge (17).
• The biggest signature wins were Massillon over both Bedford (9-1) and Canton McKinley (8-2), Boardman over Jackson (8-2) and New Albany over Reynoldsburg (7-3).
• Unexpected losses were both Licking Heights (6-4) and Big Walnut (4-6) over New Albany and Wooster (5-5) over Ashland.

Additional notes:

• Had Warren Harding defeated Football North from Canada last week, Boardman would have moved to 5th in Region 7 and the Tigers would be playing Ashland this week.
• Had Massillon been in Division 1, they would have ousted 9-1 Perry from the playoffs with the win over McKinley and traveled to Cleveland St. Ignatius for Round 1.
• Click here for the Division 2 playoff bracket
• DE