Eric Smith, Author at MassillonTigers.com

1993: Massillon 34, Austintown Fitch 15

October 1, 1993September 18, 2017
by Eric Smith

Danzy is dandy as Tigers top Fitch

By JOE SHAHEEN
Independent Sports Editor

It’s beginning to look like the Massillon Tigers might be headed into a Week 10 showdown against the McKinley Bulldogs with an undefeated record.

The Tigers cleared a major roadblock to a perfect regular season by handing the previously undefeated Austintown Fitch Falcons a 34‑15 setback in front of 14,792 wind‑swept fans at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium Friday night.

Massillon, 5‑0, did it with what is fast becoming its trademark … a big‑time second half comeback.

Fitch, using its misdirection running attack to perfection, built a 15‑7 first half advantage. The visitors did it by averaging 4.4 yards per rush and hitting on 3‑of‑4 first half aerials in the first two quarters. The Falcon defense was a big part of their success in the first 24 minutes, holding Massillon to just three first downs and 59 net yards offense.

But the second half was the Mike Danzy Show. The Tigers’ 5‑foot‑8 jitterbug of a quarterback rushed for 116 yards after intermission, decimating the Fitch defense by attacking its perimeters with option runs. When the Falcons did draw a bead on No. 17, he used a lethal combination of quickness and strength to make the big play.

Austintown head coach David Hartman left town a believer.

”Danzy’s their man and rightfully so,” Hartman said. “His speed and quickness is exceptional. Our perimeter folks did not do a very good job technique wise. But give Massillon credit. They blocked our flanks … our perimeter very well in the second half.”

Tigers head coach Jack Rose revealed his quarterback was a big part of the Tigers’ second half game plan.

“We wanted Mike to carry it,” Rose said. “We had our tight end lock on their outside backer. We told Mike to get the corner and then pitch off the secondary support. But the secondary was so deep that Mike just ran at the guy and he didn’t know who to take.”

Danzy indicated play action fakes were fooling the Fitch defense.

“They were getting sucked up inside and we’d just bounce it outside and run a little bit,” he explained. “The coaches said I could get around the defensive end, and with the help of the tailback and fullback I was able to get outside.”

Massillon jumped out 7‑0, scoring on its second possession of the evening. Taking over at the Fitch 39 after a punt, Danzy hit Greg Merchant on a deep curl for 24 yards to the Falcon 13. Four plays later, Leon Ashcraft found a gaping hole over his right tackle and went in for the touchdown at the :33 mark of the first period.

Fitch came right back and marched 76 yards in 12 plays. Quarterback Jason Senvisky, using some deft play faking to slow the Tiger pass rush, hit Mike Polder with a nine‑yard touchdown strike with just under seven minutes to play in the half. The Falcons’ extra point attempt faded right and it was a 7‑6 contest.

The Tigers could not get a first down on their next possession and a bad snap from center rolled out of the end zone for a Fitch safety to make it 8‑7 with 3:45 until halftime.

The Falcons weren’t through. They took the ensuing free kick and set up shop at their 49. On third‑and‑14, Senvisky pulled a rabbit out of the hat. He dropped back to pass, nearly slipped down, then found Jayson Hill on the left sideline for a 21‑yard gain and a first down.

Five plays later, fullback Wally Hurdley bucked in from just inches away. The PAT made it Fitch 15, Massillon 7 at the half. And while the margin was just a touchdown, there was concern in the Tiger locker room. The defense had been unable to stop the Falcons in the first two quarters.

The Tiger offense took the field to start the second half, moving from their 38 to near midfield. A motion penalty set up first‑and‑15 at the 44. Danzy ran the option around his right end and slashed for 19 yards to the Falcon 37. One play later, Danzy rolled right, found a gap and tight-roped down the sideline to the 4.

On the next play, Danzy again rolled right. When the defense came up to meet him, the senior co‑captain left fly a bullet to tight end Isaiah Jackson for the score. Nick Pribich’s extra point made it a 15‑15 game with just under nine minutes left in the third period.

“The key was the second half drive,” Rose related. “We felt we could get it down the field on them. We got the dive option going with Mike going out around the corner. Mike did a great job. He’s an awfully quick kid.”

“As an offense we felt like we had to go down and score to start the second half,” Danzy said, “and we did.”

The score remained deadlocked for the balance of the quarter as both offenses had trouble getting untracked. But the Tigers caught a break at the 9:43 mark of the fourth when Fitch’s punter shanked one from his own 27 to give Massillon a first down at the Austintown 46.

Danzy appeared to bobble the first down snap, but righted himself and found a huge cavity over his right guard for 27 yards to the Falcon 20. Mike Paul then bucked up the gut for 14 more to set up first‑and‑goal at the five. Two plays later, Ashcraft had his second TD of the evening. The conversion was botched and it was a 21‑15 Massillon lead with just over eight minutes to play.

At that point, Hartman and the Falcons were still confident.

“All we needed was one of our patented eight minute drives,” he remarked. “We score a touchdown and get the extra point and they have something like nine seconds left.”

Even Rose admitted there was some concern on the hosts’ sideline after the extra point went awry.

“We missed the extra point and everybody’s getting these negative thoughts,” Rose said.
“’Oh, no, A 22‑21 game.”‘

Fitch took over at its 31. On first down Senvisky hit Shawn Davis for a 24‑yard pick‑up to the Tiger 45. Four plays later, Hurdley picked up another first on a fourth‑and‑inches dive play. On the next snap, Senvisky dropped back to throw a short hook. The pass was tipped into the air and Massillon safety Tim Menches grabbed the ball and began running. He spun. He stiff armed and he didn’t stop running until he was in the end zone, some 67‑yards later.

Ironically, the Tiger coaching staff nearly yanked Menches out of the game just prior to the pick.

“That was a terrific interception,” Rose said. “Tony got dinged up the play before and we were trying to figure out a way to get him off the field and he makes that interception. He got a couple of good blocks and he broke a couple of tackles.”

Menches admitted he didn’t recall all that much about the play.

“I saw their slot hook out,” he explained. “Then I looked back to see if someone was coming out behind him. There was no one there, so I jumped the slot man. He got a hand on it and I saw the ball tipped in the air. I just caught it and ran.

“I just kept running hard, stiff arming their guys was just looking for that goal line. I was just thinking about touchdown.”

“We were cooking there,” Hartman said. “But we made a bad throw and their kid made a great play. He made a great play. That’s what its all about. You’ve got to make the plays.”

Willie Spencer Jr., iced the cake three plays later, stepping in front of another Senvisky aerial and racing 54 yards to pay dirt and a 34‑15 final.

“Massillon played a great football game,” Hartman concluded. “We didn’t play very well. What did we turn it over? Four times. You can’t beat a good football team turning the ball over.”

“I’m disappointed. Our kids played hard but they didn’t play well. We played stupid some times. We turned the ball over and that’s not us. it cost us the game.

“Offensively we made the mistakes in the second half. Their defense stopped us and we didn’t sustain anything in the second half.”

“I think we sent a message to Fitch that they’re going to have to play well to beat us from now on,” he said.

MASSILLON 34
AUST. FITCH 15
M FI
First downs rushing 9 10
First downs passing 2 4
First downs penalty 0 0
Total first downs 11 14
Net yards rushing 193 168
Net yards passing 37 87
Total yards gained 230 255
Passes attempted 9 11
Passes completed 5 6
Passes int. by 2 0
Times kicked off 6 3
Kickoff average 47.8 43.3
Kickoff return yards 41 49
Punts 1 3
Punting average 51.0 29.0
Punt return yards 8 0
Fumbles 0 2
Fumbles lost 0 2
Penalties 4 3
Yards penalized 59 20
Number of plays 44 52
Time of possession 23.04 24.56
Attendance 14,792

AUST. FITCH 00 15 00 00 15
MASSILLON 07 00 08 19 34

FIRST QUARTER
M ‑ Ashcraft 2 run (Pribich kick good)

SECOND QUARTER
A ‑ Polder 7 pass from Senvisky (kick failed)
A ‑ Safety
A ‑ Hurdley I run (Lawrence kick)

THIRD QUARTER
M ‑ Jackson 4 pass from Danzy (Danzy run)

FOURTH QUARTER
M ‑ Ashcraft 4 run (kick failed)
M ‑ Menches 67 pass interception return (pass failed)
M ‑ Spencer 54 pass interception return (Pribich kick good)

FINAL STATISTICS

RUSHING
Massillon
Danzy 11‑136,
Paul 8-34,
Dixon 7‑25.
Ashcraft 6‑15 (2 TDs),
Herring 1‑3,
Heck 1‑5;
Fitch
Hurdley 15‑74,
Lawrence 2‑33,
Senvisky 5‑21,
Turner 12‑15,
Polder 2‑12.

PASSING
Massillon
Danzy 5‑9‑0, 1 TD;
Fitch
Senvisky 6‑10‑2, 1 TD;
Lawrence 0‑1‑0.

RECEIVING
Massillon
Merchant 1‑24,
Simpson 1‑8,
Dixon 1‑5,
Jackson 1‑4 (1 TD);
Fitch
Hill 2‑37,
Davis 1‑24,
Airato 1‑15.
Polder 1‑7,
Minter 1-4.

History

1993: Massillon 53, Mansfield Senior 22

September 24, 1993September 24, 2017
by Eric Smith

Tigers move to 4-0 with lopsided win

By MIKE KEATING
Independent Sports Writer

It had been nearly two years since the Massillon Tigers last won a football game away from Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

Last fall, the Tigers lost at Austintown Fitch and at North Central Indianapolis (Ind.).

That is one reason why Jack Rose felt relieved after Massillon defeated Mansfield Senior on its home grass 53-22 before 8,000 fans at Arlin Field Friday night.

“I kept bearing it around town how long it had been since we last won a game on the road,” sighed Rose, the second year Massillon head coach. “So, yes, winning on the road was a big concern coming into the game.”

The last time the Tigers won a regular season road game was 42‑13 over McKinley in the 1991 finale.

“The coaches told us the dimensions on their (Mansfield’s) field were the same as ours,” added linebacker Joel Smith. “We just had to go out and play football.”

The fourth quarter has belonged to Massillon all season. The Tigers had outscored Alliance 20‑0, Grove City and Akron Garfield by a combined 56‑7 in the final period.

It was more of the same against the Tygers. Massillon scored 26 unanswered points in the fourth quarter ‑ 20 within the first 4:30.

Conditioning has been a factor for the Tigers in those final eight minutes.

“We work hard on conditioning in practice,” said tight end Isaiah Jackson. “That’s to our advantage.”

“We don’t practice long,” added Smith. “But we have very intense practices. It has helped pay off in the games.”

It appeared Mansfield was going to send the game to the wire after its second touchdown in the third quarter, a 66‑yard run by tailback Charles Fountain down the left sideline.

That score and subsequent extra point brought the Tygers to within 27‑22 at the 5:32 mark.

“I was nervous then,” admitted Smith, a 5‑11, 181‑pound senior. “But our offense just came back and pounded it right at them, like it had the whole game.”

The Tigers had the ball for nine series. The offense scored six touchdowns and had two other drives stopped after reaching the Mansfield nine.

Fullback Mike Paul helped prolong drive after drive with hard running between the tackles. Paul, a 6‑0, 217‑pound senior, wound up with a game high 132 rushing yards in 18 carries.

After Fountain excited the home folks with the big play, the Tigers just methodically drove the ball upfield. Nine running plays moved it to the Mansfield 29.

Paul carried the ball five times for 30 yards in that drive.

Then quarterback Mike Danzy rifled a strike to Jackson, a 6-3 226-pound senior, who made a one‑hand grab on the slant play and turned the play into a 21‑yard gain.

“If you ask me,” Rose said, “that was the key point of the game.”

“It was just an instinctive catch,” grinned Jackson.

Three plays later, halfback Ali Dixon bulled into the end zone from two yards out. Danzy optioned right for the two points and the Tigers led 35‑22 with 10:32 to play.

Mansfield had responded after Massillon built leads of 21‑7 and 27‑15, but the Tigers dug in defensively and forced a punt.

It was time for the special teams to deliver, as Kevin Buckland snared the punt at the Massillon 30, broke to the outside and raced to the Mansfield 40, where it appeared he would be stopped. Buckland kept his legs moving and used every ounce of his 150-pound frame to shake off the would‑be tacklers and race to the end zone that made the score 41‑22.

The back breaker for Mansfield occurred on its next series, when quarterback Effie James, who fired several passes on the mark only to be betrayed by some slippery‑handed receiver, tried a hitch to wideout David Lawrence.

Massillon cornerback Lonnie Simpson, who was playing the receiver, immediately turned when the pass was released, caught it at the Tygers 35, stopped on a dime and returned the interception untouched into the end zone. That score with 7:40 remaining made it 47-22 and the Mansfield fans started heading for the exits.

Simpson had given the Tigers their first lead when he got behind the Mansfield secondary, hauled in a Danzy pass in full stride and turned it into a 33-yard touchdown play with 4:20 left in the first quarter.

Fountain scored on a one-yard plunge at the 2:21 mark of the first quarter and Mansfield had caught the Tigers at 7‑7.

But Danzy and Jackson teamed up to give Massillon the lead for good in the second quarter.

The senior quarterback rolled left and hit an unguarded Jackson in the back of the end zone for a four‑yard touchdown strike. Randy Endsley kicked the P.A.T. and Massillon led 14-7 with 11:06 left in the half.

Mansfield never caught the Tigers again, but they provided a scare, until the fourth quarter.

“They were the best team that we played,” said Smith. “They were so fast.”

“They came well‑prepared and were well‑coached for us,” Rose added. “They threw deep early (an incompletion) and stretched us out.

“We didn’t play a real good first half. We had two drives stopped when we got inside the scoring zone. Our goal is to score everytime we get inside the scoring zone.”

The Tigers have not opened with four consecutive wins since 1988, when Lee Owens’ first team accomplished that feat.

The streak was stopped at four by Austintown Fitch ‑ the Tigers’ next opponent.

Fitch will travel to Massillon with a 4‑0 record.

Fitch has played plenty of football inside Paul Brown Tiger Stadium within the last year. The Falcons defeated Perry and Pickerington in postseason tournament games before losing to Cleveland St. Ignatius.

MASSILLON 53
MANSFIELD 22
M 0
First downs rushing 20 5
First downs passing 4 1
First downs penalty 1 0
Total first downs 25 6
Net yards rushing 381 170
Net yards passing 94 26
Total yards gained 475 196
Passes attempted 9 9
Passes completed 6 1
Passes int. by 1 0
Times kicked off 9 4
Kickoff average 42.6 49.8
Kickoff return yards 83 174
Punts 1 5
Punting average 33.0 38.2
Punt return yards 74 -3
Fumbles 2 1
Fumbles lost 1 1
Penalties 3 4
Yards penalized 15 25
Number of plays 64 36
Time of possession 30:31 17:29
Attendance 8,000

MANSFIELD 7 0 15 00 22
MASSILLON 7 7 13 26 53
MASS ‑ Simpson 33 pass from Danzy (Endsley kick)
MANS ‑ Fountain I run (kick good)
MASS ‑ Jackson 4 pass from Danzy (Endsley kick)
MASS ‑ Paul 8 run (Endsley kick)
MANS ‑ Fountain 25 run (Lawrence pass from James)
MASS ‑ Paul 9 run (pass failed)
MANS ‑ Fountin 66 run (kick good)
MASS ‑ Dixon 2 run (Danzy run)
MASS ‑ Suckland 70 punt return (run failed)
MASS ‑ Simpson 34 pass interception (kick failed)
MASS ‑ Ashcraft 13 run (kick failed)

RUSHING
Massillon
Paul 18‑132,
Ashcraft 13‑96,
Dixon 13‑71,
Danzy 8‑39;
Mansfield
Fountain 10‑121.

PASSING
Massillon
Danzy 6‑9‑94, 2 TDs;
Mansfield
James 1‑9‑26‑1.

RECEIVING
Massillon
Jackson 3‑36,
Simpson 1‑33,
Dixon 1‑17,
Merchant 1‑8;
Mansfield
Barber 1‑26.

History

1993: Massillon 28, Akron Garfield 7

September 17, 1993September 6, 2017
by Eric Smith

Tigers 3-0 after repulsing the Rams

B.J. ‘Paynes’ Garfield ‘11’
‘
By JOE SHAHEEN
Independent Sports Editor

The Massillon Tigers didn’t, wait until after the band show to get going this time, putting up 14 first‑half points on their way to a convincing 28‑7 victory over always‑rugged Akron Garfield before 13,245 at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium Friday night’

While the Tigers’ offense roared to life in the first half, the game’s turning point did indeed come after halftime, when the Massillon defense forced I he Rams to go three‑and‑out on their first possession of the third quarter.

In fact, Tiger defensive tackle B.J. Payne was a one‑man gang, making three consecutive tackles as Garfield netted zero yards in the key sequence.

After the Rams punted, Massillon drove 53 yards in eight plays Danzy capping the march on a nine‑yard touchdown pass to Ali Dixon in the right corner of the end zone. The score gave the Tigers a 20‑7 lead and Garfield ‑ with its ground based attack ‑ was pretty much out of the game.

“We needed that series right there,” recalled Tigers coach Jack Rose. “They had a chance to go back down and tie it up and that could’ve been a big drive for them. B.J. did a great job. The whole defense did on that we got the ball back and we scored.”

Payne admitted he felt the momentum might be slipping away from the Tigers at that point of the game. They had just received a good kickoff return and a fortunate bounce on a fumble but failed to capitalize with a score.

“Offensively when we got stopped, I knew we had to hurry up and get three plays and out,” [ Payne said. “I just tried to do my job and make some plays to get us out of it.”

On first down, Payne smelled out a draw play and tackled Rams halfback Antoine Winfield for a yard loss. On second clown, Winfield again got the football and Payne took him down for a four‑yard loss. Garfield gave the ball to fullback Frank Idley on third down, and Payne tripped him up just as it appeared he might find some daylight.

“There are certain times in the game when you have to step it up,” Payne. explained. “We have a lot of seniors on defense and we all know we have to step it up at certain times and that was my time right there.”

Garfield head coach Bill McGee couldn’t agree more.

B.J. is an outstanding player,” McGee said. “He’s the ideal size for a defensive tackle. He’s a guy where your offensive linemen have to stay down on him. He was outstanding. They had a lot of outstanding people on defense tonight.

“The turning point in the game was the first touchdown of the second half. Massillon kind of established control with that score. We felt at that point we had to do some things different and they just didn’t allow it. They played outstanding defense. They swarmed us and we couldn’t block them.”

Things didn’t look quite so bright for the locals in the first quarter. Garfield took the opening kickoff and marched 54 yards in 13 plays before a touchdown saving deflection by Lonnie Simpson in the end zone killed the drive. A 29‑yard field goal attempt hit the crossbar and bounced back.

But the Rams got another chance moments later, recovering a Massillon fumble at the Tiger 43. Four plays later, Idley found a hole over his left guard and tackle and rumbled 23 yards to pay dirt. Mark Glockner hit the extra point and it was 7‑0 Garfield with 1:40 to go in the opening period.

The Tigers came right back. On second‑and‑12 from the Massillon 43, Danzy rolled right and hit Eddie Griffith for a first down at the Garfield 44. On the very next snap, Danzy rolled the opposite direction and found Simpson alone in the end zone for a 44‑yard touchdown bomb. Randy Endsley’s conversion kick made it 7‑7 with less than a half minute gone in the second quarter.

More than any other, that score drew McGee’s ire:”

“They made the big play,” he said. “We allowed a guy (Simpson) to get behind us. We play zone coverage and that’s something you simply cannot have happen.”

“It’s a bootleg and there’s a lot of play action,” Danzy explained. “I saw the free safety bite on the play fake. Then Lonnie got behind him and it was just a matter of getting the ball to him. Lonnie was wide open and I hit him.”

“Mike has a good feel for that play,” praised Rose. “We want him to run it sometimes, too. If it’s open deep, throw it. Mike did a good job reading that and putting the ball down there.

“That really turned the momentum our way, especially after fumbling away the ball. The passing game was much better this week and it’s only going to get better.”

Rose admitted this week he’s heard from the fans about the aerial attack. So has Danzy.

“Sure, it becomes a challenge,” Danzy said. “I love challenges. People might criticize but I can take criticism and move on.”

With the game knotted at 7, Garfield retaliated. The Rams drove from their 20 to the Massillon 3S, with Winfield accounting for 42 yards on two slashing carries over the right side of his offensive line.

The Tiger defense stiffened at that point and quarterback Shane Legg dropped back to pass on third‑and‑11. Legg fired a short slant pass but Tim Menches timed it perfectly and stepped in front of the intended receiver for a drive‑killing interception at the 29.

Then Massillon mounted a drive that Garfield fans could appreciate, taking 12 plays to cover 75 yards and eating up over five minutes of game clock in the process. Danzy sustained the march with two key 17‑yard passes, the first to Dixon and the second to tight end Isaiah Jackson.

On second‑and‑goal from the 5, Danzy rolled right and executed the pitch option to perfection, getting the ball to Dixon at the last possible moment. The senior tailback handled the toss and sprinted untouched into the right corner of the end zone for a 14‑7 Massillon lead at 2:31 of the second period.

McGee thinks Danzy’s play is the spark in the Tiger attack.

“Danzy throws the ball well and he’s an outstanding runner,” McGee observed. “He really puts pressure on the defense. When you have to worry about containing him, it puts pressure elsewhere on the defense.”

After the Danzy‑to‑Dixon TD connection in the third quarter put Garfield in a hole, the Tigers threw dirt on top of the visitors with their final scoring drive of the evening. Massillon moved 77 yards in 10 plays as Leon Ashcraft and Dixon took turns running through holes created by the right side of the offensive line.

On third down from the 10 Danzy rolled left after a play fake, took a hit at the 2 but dove into the end zone for the final touchdown of the evening. The senior signal caller hit Ashcraft with a two‑point conversion pass to make it 28‑7 with 6:30 to play.

A late Garfield drive died when Willie Spencer Jr. picked off a pass on the game’s final play.

“The second half of the ball game they were more physical,” McGee said. “I was disappointed with that. We held our own physically in the first half. The second half they were more physical. They came out and went at us harder. They ran right at us and took it to us.”

Payne indicated the Rams may have stirred the Tigers’ emotions with some comments made following last season’s 14-13 Garfield victory.

“They said last year we weren’t physical enough and I think this year we showed them how physical we are,” Payne said.

“This is the kind of game I love. Somebody who’ll bring it right at me. Bring it on. Let’s see what you’ve got. I don’t think there’s anybody who can drop me. That’s my feeling.”

MASSILLON 28
GARFIELD 07
M G
First downs rushing 11 8
First downs passing 7 1
First downs penalty 0 3
Total first downs 18 12
Net yards rushing 171 135
Net yards passing 119 16
Total yards gained 290 151
Passes attempted 11 8
Passes completed 7 1
Passes int. by 2 0
Times kicked off 5 2
Kickoff average 45.8 48.5
Kickoff return yards 70 94
Punts 0 3
Punting average 0.0 32.0
Punt return yards 26 0
Fumbles 1 2
Fumbles lost 1 0
Penalties 7 3
Yards penalized 45 15
Number of plays 47 47
Time of possession 20:44 27:16
Attendance 13,245

GARFIELD 07 00 00 00 7
MASSILLON 00 14 06 08 28

G ‑ Idley 23 run (Glockner kick)
M ‑ Simpson 44 pass from Danzy (Endsley 1kick)
M ‑ Dixon 4 run (Endsiey kick)
M ‑ Dixon 8 pass from Danzy (kick failed)
M ‑ Danzy 10 run (Ashcraft pass from Danzy)

RUSHING:
Massillon
Ashcraft 14‑70,
Dixon 9‑62,
Danzy 10‑33,
Fraelich 2‑2,
Paul 1‑4;
Garfield
Winfield 17‑76,
Idley 12‑64,
Bell 5‑8.

PASSING:
Massillon
Danzy 7‑11‑119‑0, 2 TDs.
Garfield
Legg 1‑8‑13‑2.

RECEIVING:
Massillon
Simpson 1‑44,
Dixon 2‑29,
Jackson 2‑25,
Griffith 1‑13,
Merchant 1‑8;
Garfield
Cook 1‑16.

McGee rates
Tigers over the Bulldogs

Akron Garfield head coach Bill McGee knows a good opponent when he plays one.

Garfield has played a couple of them in the first three weeks of the season, arch rivals Massillon and McKinley. The Rams lost to the Pups 7‑0 in Week 1, and 28‑7 to the Tigers Friday.

So, Bill, which is better? Massillon or McKinley?

“At this point in the season, I’d have to rate Massillon an advantage,” McGee said. “They are quicker on defense and there’s the quarterback, situation.

“(Mike Danzy) made some big plays for them tonight. He makes their offense go because he opens things for other people.

“So I’d have to rate them a little bit ahead. But there’s a long way to go until Week 10

History

1993: Massillon 42, Grove City 10

September 10, 1993September 6, 2017
by Eric Smith

Who needs the first half? Tigers use a big second half to send Greyhounds packing

By JOE SHAHEEN
Independent Sports Editor

If this keeps up, Jack Rose is going to petition the Ohio High School Athletic Association to eliminate the first half of all Massillon Tiger football games.

In a virtual replay of last week’s victory over Alliance, the Tigers struggled to a 7‑3 halftime lead before blowing out visiting Grove City in the second half for a 42‑10 victory Friday in front of 13,352 fans on a breezy but otherwise practically perfect night for high school football.

The Greyhounds dominated the first two periods, getting off 33 plays to the Tigers’ 14 and owning a commanding time of possession advantage, 17:10 to 6:50.

It was all for naught as Willie Spencer Jr. put up the only touchdown of the half by picking off a Chad Henson aerial at the Tiger 13 and racing untouched 87 yards to paydirt. Randy Endsley made good on the conversion kick and the locals led 7‑0 with less than four minutes elapsed in the football game.

Spencer, who waged an inspiring battle with Mike Danzy for the starting quarterback position, caught the ball in full stride and was never challenged by the visitors.

“We were in man coverage and I saw the quarterback look that way,” Spencer recalled. ”When I saw him pump, I broke to the ball. I just caught it and ran. I was looking back behind me but they weren’t catching up.”

Grove City came right back on its ensuing possession, marching from its own 23 to the Tiger 15. On second‑and‑seven, Henson faked a handoff and got a face full of Massillon linebacker Monte Belser for a three yard loss. On the next play, Henson had an open receiver on a quick slant but linebacker Ian McClaskey stretched out and tipped the ball away to save a touchdown.

The Greyhounds kicked a 35-yard field goal at that point to make it a 7‑3 game with 2:46 to go in the initial stanza, but the visitors’ window of opportunity was beginning to close.

“We had some missed opportunities that would’ve given us momentum,” said Grove City coach Brian Cross. “When you have that many opportunities in the first half and you don’t cash in, you know bad things are going to happen.”

Grove City was to have one more chance to find the end zone in the first 24 minutes of play. Following the Greyhounds’ field goal, the Tigers fumbled the ball at their 20 on their first snap of the game.

Grove City quickly marched to the Massillon seven. On third-and‑six, Belser swooped in from the left side and sacked Henson for an eight‑yard loss. The Greyhounds’ field goal was wide left and another bullet had been dodged as the first quarter ended.

Neither team threatened in the second period and it was 7‑3 at half.

“The big difference this week,” Rose said, “is we didn’t execute offensively in the first half. We had two dropped balls, two turnovers. Our defense did a great job keeping them out of the end zone.

“Monte (Belser) made two big plays down there. He played well. All three of our outside backers did a nice job. Hey, they ran 33 offensive plays against us and had just 88 yards of offense.”

As was the case last week against Alliance, the Tigers came out for the second half and pushed their opponent all over the football field. Danzy drove the team from its 35 (after the Grove City kickoff went out of bounds) to the Greyhound 7. A holding call pushed the ball back to the 24, then Danzy had a perfect pass dropped in the left corner of the end zone, stalling the drive.

B.J. Payne sacked Henson on third down to kill Grove City’s ensuing drive and Massillon took over after the punt at midfield. On the third play of the series, Danzy rolled left again and laid a perfect pass in the arms of Lonnie Simpson in the end zone for a 37‑yard touchdown strike. Endsley’s kick made it 14‑3 at the 4:58 mark of the third.

“We just kept running that play and they could not stop it,” Simpson said. “I just got open and Mike threw me the ball. Touchdown.

“There was a lot of anxiety. I knew I had to get it one of those times. It was a boot play and I just kept getting behind the defensive back. The line blocked and we executed well. You execute well, you get big plays.”

The Tiger offense wasn’t the only ones executing. B.J. Payne spiked a Henson pass back in his face to stall the ensuing Grove City series and force a punt. The senior defensive tackle had his second straight big game and was congratulated after the tilt by the Grove City coaching staff.

Massillon put the game away early in the fourth period. Taking over at their own 42 following a punt, the Tigers went to tailback Leon Ashcraft who was finding big chunks of yardage behind the right side of the line. On third‑and‑seven at the Grove City 26, the Tigers went to the power I and were strong right. But Danzy, crossing up the defense, found a seam over his left tackle and shot to the one‑yard line.

Ashcraft bulled into the end zone behind Trevor Paisley and Brett Shanor on the next snap to make it 21‑3 and it was all over but the long ride home for Grove City.

Spencer added his second TD moments later when he scooped up a fumble and went 39 yards to the end zone.

A Heath Manson interception at the Grove City 33 set up another scoring drive, capped by Ashcraft from a yard out at the 5:18 mark of the fourth period.

Courtney Herring put the final points up for Massillon with a hard driving 12‑yard run that included second and third effort. That made it 42‑3.

Grove City scored with 1:23 to play on a Henson‑to‑Steve Trout aerial that covered 23 yards.

Cross had much the same game analysis as did Alliance coach Ron Kuceyeski seven days ago.

“They just came right at us and kind of wore us down in the second half,” he said. “We made a ton of mental mistakes and when things started going bad they just kept on going bad and we did some things that aren’t characteristic of our football team.

“Massillon is a good solid football team and they have a chance to go a long ways. They really come after you.”

“The second half was like last week,” summarized Rose. “We got great field position and we didn’t have to drive that far to score.

“I was disappointed in the offense in the first half. We shot ourselves in the foot. We only ran one offensive play in the first quarter. We can’t afford that next week against Garfield.”

The Tigers did sustain one injury that may be serious. Fullback Mike Paul went out early in the second half with an ankle injury. He did not return.

But that could not dampen what was another impressive display of football by the Tigers.

“The kids have worked awfully hard,” Rose said. “I’ve coached 24 years and I’ve never been around a team that works as hard as this team. It’s a credit to them and the coaches.”

MASSILLON 42
GROVE CITY 10
M GC
First downs rushing 12 9
First downs passing 1 3
First downs penalty 0 2
Total first downs 13 14
Net yards rushing 245 103
Net yards passing 37 90
Total yards gained 282 193
Passes attempted 8 18
Passes completed 1 8
Passes int. by 2 1
Times kicked off 7 3
Kickoff average 43.1 28.0
Kickoff return yards 10 31
Punts 2 6
Punting average 37.0 30.0
Punt return yards 24 13
Fumbles 2 2
Fumbles lost 2 2
Penalties 8 4
Yards penalized 82 30
Number of plays 46 58
Time of possession 20:39 27:21
Attendance 13,352

GROVE CITY 07 00 07 28 42
MASSILLON 03 00 00 07 10

M ‑ Spencer 87pass int. return (Endsley kick)
GC ‑ Allmon 35 FG
M ‑ Simpson 37 pass from Danzy (Endsley kick)
M ‑ Ashcraft 1 run (Endsley kick)
M ‑ Spencer 38 fumble rec. return (Endsley kick)
M ‑ Ashcraft 1 run (Pribich kick)
M ‑ Herring 12 run (Pribich kick)
GC ‑ Trout 23 pass from Henson (Allmon kick)

RUSHING:
Massillon
Ashcraft 13‑71,
Paul 7‑59,
Dixon 8‑51,
Danzy 7‑43,
Herring 1‑12,
Lewis 2‑9.
Grove City
Lacy 14‑74,
Hedges 7‑23,
McCoy 6‑18.

PASSING:
Massillon
Danzy 1‑8‑1 37.
Grove City
Henson 8‑18‑2 90.

RECEIVING:
Massillon
Simpson 1‑37.
Grove City
Trout 3‑34,
Berry 2‑44,
Bunsey 1~10,
Freetag 1‑5.

History

1993: Massillon 40, Alliance 6

September 3, 1993September 6, 2017
by Eric Smith

Tigers ground Aviators in 2nd half

Ashcraft stars with 3 scores

By JOE SHAHEEN
Independent Sports Editor

Jack Rose had a reminder for his Massillon Tigers prior to their 1993 season opener against the Alliance Aviators.

Rose warned his charges that teams coming to Massillon see the Tigers as THE opponent on their schedule and will play their hearts out.

“But I told our guys if we keep after them, we expect to win,” Rose said. “It may take until the second quarter or the third quarter or the fourth quarter, but we expect to wear them down and win,”

The Aviators proved Rose a profit, fighting to a 6‑6 halftime tie with the Tigers with an inspired first half of football. But Massillon came out of the locker room for the third quarter with a new resolve and roared to a 40‑6 victory that left no doubt among the 10,326 in attendance on a rain‑swept Friday night which team was superior.

“We just had to come out and play hard and that’s what we did in the second half,” said Tigers quarterback Mike Danzy as he enjoyed a congratulatory embrace from his mother. “The offensive line really came off the ball after halftime. The second half is going to be our half all year.”

“We got pumped up at halftime and we took control,” agreed Tigers offensive tackle Trevor Paisley. “We just went to work and we played with a lot more intensity.

”As soon as we started hammering it at them, we could feel them give up.”

There was no surrender in the Aviators in the first 24 minutes of play. The 6‑6 halftime tie was reflective of the game statistics to that point. But Alliance failed to get into the Tiger end zone on its second possession when the Federal League entry had first-and‑10 at the Massillon 15. Quarterback Joe Brady tried to sweep left end and pitched the ball as the Tiger defense converged on him. The problem ‑ for Brady ‑ was the pitch was nowhere near the intended receiver. B.J. Payne pounced on the loose ball for the Tigers and some of the air came out of the Aviators.

“We squandered that scoring opportunity in the first half and you simply can’t get away with that when you play a team like the Massillon Tigers,” explained Alliance coach Ron Kuceyeski.

“Then we just got out muscled in the second half. They just played ‘iso’ football and we couldn’t stop them. But there’s no excuse for the way we played in the second half.”

Rose said Kuceyeski was right on target with his analysis.

“We did use more inside ‘iso’ plays in the second half and then we ran the option off of it,” Rose said.

“But the key to the second half was taking the opening kickoff and scoring and then pinning them deep in their territory and keeping them there. After that, it was a game of field position and we kept it in our favor the rest of the half.”

Actually, the second half, didn’t start all that well for the locals. After Kevin Buckland returned the kickoff to the 33, the Tigers were caught holding on first down to set up a firstand‑22 from their 21.

But senior tailback Ali Dixon got it all back and more on first down, eluding a tackler at the line of scrimmage and squirting 26 yards up the middle to the Aviator 47. Dixon found another hole on the very next play, gaining 14 yards to the 39.

One play later, Danzy broke containment around right end, cut back at the 30 and outran the pursuit for a 39‑yard touchdown run to make it a 12‑6 game with less than three minutes elapsed in the second half. Danzy found a hole over left guard for the two‑point conversion and Massillon was on its way with a 14‑6 lead at the 9:38 mark.

“When Danzy broke free for the first score in the second half, we just didn’t respond,” Kuceyeski said. “We knew we had to stop him to win and we just weren’t able to in that situation.”

The Tigers didn’t let their foe off the hook. Randy Endsley boomed the kickoff to the Aviator 10 and the visitors were only able to return it to the 17. B.J. Payne and Tim Menches sacked Brady on second down and Alliance had to punt two plays later.

Massillon smelled blood and proceeded to put the game away. After a holding penalty set them back to the 39, the Tiger offensive line again began opening huge cavities in the Alliance defense. Leon Ashcraft gained 13 yards on first down. Mike Paul added nine more on two carries. Then Ashcraft found another hole in the middle, left Alliance’s Derrick Jones grasping for air at the 5 and skated into the end zone.

The Tigers failed to convert the point after, but held a comfortable 20‑6 lead with 5:18 to play in the third quarter.

Alliance had better field position following the ensuing kick off, but a fierce pass rush by Joel Smith on third‑and‑seven forced Brady into an incompletion and the Aviators were forced to punt once again.

Massillon moved the ball to the three‑yard line but couldn’t punch it in and lost possession on downs. Again the defense refused to allow the momentum to swing back to the Aviators, forcing the Carnation City crew into another three‑and‑out series of downs.

After an eight‑yard punt return by Buckland, the Tigers had ideal field position at the visitors’ 36. Dixon ripped off 17 yards over left tackle. Then Danzy rolled right and fired a strike to Lonnie Simpson in the right corner of the end zone to put the game out of reach at 33‑6 with 7:46 to play.

“Those three series put us in the driver’s seat,” Rose said. “You could see them get deflated. With that field position, they just couldn’t run their offense.”

The Tigers put the finishing touches on Alliance after the Aviators turned the ball over on downs at their own 12. Two plays later, Ashcraft found a gap and the end zone with 4:40 to play.

Ashcraft opened the scoring by powering over right tackle from five yards out to make it a 6‑0 game at the 5:32 mark of the first period. The run capped a picture perfect nine‑play, 82yard march that consumed 4:12.

Alliance counter punched with a 10‑play, 66‑yard scoring drive, capped by Jason Siegfried’s 1‑yard burst over right guard that made it a 6‑6 contest at :34 of the opening period.

The Aviators moved the ball to the tune of 172 yards of offense in the first half. But when the final whistle was tooted, Alliance had managed but eight net yards in the second half.

MASSILLON 40
ALLIANCE 6
M A
First downs rushing 15 5
First downs passing 6 4
First downs by penalty 2 1
Total first downs 23 10
Net yards rushing 334 72
Net yards passing 103 108
Total yards gained 437 180
Passes attempted 8 15
Passes completed 7 5
Passes intercepted 0 1
Punts 1 6
Punting average 33.0 34.8
Fumbles 1 3
Fumbles lost 0 1
Penalties 7 7
Yards penalized 60 46

Massillon 0 6 14 20 40
Alliance 0 6 0 0 6

M ‑ Ashcraft 5 run (Kick failed.)
A ‑ Siegfried 1 run (Kick failed.)
M ‑ Danzy 37 run (Danzy run.)
M ‑ Ashcraft 23 run (Kick failed.)
M ‑ Simpson 19 pass from Danzy (Run failed.)
M ‑ Dixon 11 run (Endsley kick.)
M ‑ Ashcraft 2 run (Endsley kick.)

Individual statistics

RUSHING:
(Massillon)
Dixon 12‑94,
Paul 9-82,
Ashcraft 10‑76,
Danzy 6‑55.
(Alliance)
Cameron 6‑41.

PASSING:
(Massillon)
Danzy 7‑8‑0 103.
(Alliance)
Brady 5‑15‑1 108.

RECEIVING:
(Massillon)
Simpson 5‑86,
Griffith 1‑10,
Paul 1-7.
(Alliance)
Craig 2‑30,
Cameron 2‑11.

History

1992: Massillon 6, Canton McKinley 14

November 7, 1992September 7, 2017
by Eric Smith

Once-in-a-career play twice in one day

McKinley nips Tigers, misses playoffs

By STEVE DOERSCHUK
Independent Sports Editor

McKinley’s 14-6 win over Massillon Saturday was a football student’s football game.

Last year’s was all day at Cedar Point on the tallest coaster ’til you’re dizzy, Tigers 42-13.

This time it was a lot of Woody vs. Bo, rock ribbed running, smashing hits, tight all the way, every decision might mean the game.

McKinley won it, really, on the double screen pass that sprang Che Bryant for a 57-yard touchdown.

Thom McDaniels has been McKinley’s head coach since 1982. How many times has he used the double screen pass? “Twice,” he said after the game witnessed by 17,863 at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. “Once to day when it went for a short gain. Once today when it went for a touchdown.”

Massillon led 3-0 at halftime on a 22-yard Jason Brown field goal. McKinley had a third-and-two on the first possession of the second half when McDaniels sent in the double screen. “We thought Massillon would have the regular screen pass pretty well defended,” McDaniels said. “We thought it would help to add a wrinkle.”

The wrinkle was to let the Tigers through to charge quarterback Joe Pukansky. Fullback Tremaine McElroy would be available as the dump-off man on the right side of the field. Tailback Che Bryant would be ready on the other side.

“I was just hoping we could get a first down out of it,” Pukansky said. “They bit on the fake (to McElroy). It was open to Che’s side.”

It was wide open. Bryant caught the ball around the line of scrimmage, the McKinley 43, ran ahead down the left sideline for 10 yards, spotted a gaping hole, cut across the grain, and used what he says is 4.5 speed in the 40 to race untouched into the right corner of the south end zone.

“Joe Gallo (the center) threw a real good block,” Bryant said. “Alfonso (Ash, the flanker) threw another one.” Two Tigers were on the ground when Bryant made his cut.

“We knew McKinley was a good screen passing team,” Rose said. “I was disappointed with our defense on that play. We lost our pursuit angles.”

Sophomore Josh McDaniels, the coach’s son, booted the point-after to give McKinley a 7-3 lead with 9:55 left in the third quarter.

The Tigers relied on 5-foot-5 senior fullback Eugene Copeland to respond immediately. Copeland, whose best game of the season yielded 85 yards in 14 carries, ran 17 yards on a trap to the McKinley 40.

A 25-yard sideline pass from, Mike Danzy to Alonzo Simpson, both juniors, got the Tigers close. The possession boiled down to fourth-and goal from the 5.

Rose said he thought about going for the touchdown. But it was so early. He sent in Brown and got a 24-yard field goal. It was 7-6, McKinley, with 5:17 left in the third quarter.

Partly since backfield starters Bryant (6-3, 178, Jr.) and McElroy (6-2, 195, Sr.) double, as standouts on defense, McDaniels likes to give them a breather for one or two series each game., The backups are sturdy and quick, just like the starters. Fullback Jeremy Kirkpatrick (6-1, 207, Sr.) and tailback Denell Harris (6-1, 195, Jr.) ran McKinley into scoring position early in the fourth quarter.

However, Bryant was re-inserted on fourth-and-one from the Tiger 21-yard line.

Both teams used defensive shifts and blitzes, successfully. This time, Massillon safety Eric Woods inched up to the line before the snap, then shot the gap. Woods smashed Bryant to the turf, for a two-yard loss. The Tigers got the ball back with 10:24 left in the game. McKinley’s lead remained one lonely point.

The Bulldog defense forced a punt, then the Tigers got McKinley in a fourth-and-one from just short of midfield with four minutes left. The Bulldogs acted as though they were going for a first down. Pukansky barked but the Tigers didn’t bite. McKinley called time out and lined up for a punt.

Rose disdained one’ risk having to drive 80 or 90 yards with time running out – in favor of another. “We went for the block,” he said. “Even if we didn’t get the block, we’d have a good chance of forcing a bad punt.”

Woods, who earlier had distracted Josh McDaniels into missing a 23-yard field goal attempt with a strong rush, was one of the shock troops assigned to go after the punt of junior Rob Pukansky, the quarterback’s first cousin, and possibly McKinley’s starting QB next year.

The Tigers got a bad punt out of it. It went off the side of my foot,” Rob Pukansky said.
But Pukansky and Woods both wound up writhing in pain of the field, the aftermath of what became a roughing-the-kicker penalty.

I felt the rush coming,” Pukansky said. “When that happens, I just try to get the ball out of there, not worry about booming it or making it look pretty. I got hit right here (he pointed to his stomach).” Woods and Rob Pukansky both were helped from the field.

McKinley kept the ball, then drove. Harris, the backup tailback, wound up crashing up the middle for 16 yards and a touchdown on a fourth-and-one play. Josh McDaniels’ kick created the 14-6 final score with 50 seconds left.

McKinley improved to 9-1 but was denied a playoff bid. The Bulldogs needed to finish in the top four in Region 3, Division I. They came in seventh.

McKinley played the same strong schedule as usual but missed the tournament because four opponents they beat did not fare as well as usual: GlenOak (3-7), Warren (5-5), Boardman (4-6) and Massillon (5-5).

Copeland, with his 85 yards, and Bryant, with 92 yards in 18 carries to go along with the touchdown reception, were Saturday’s leading offensive players.

Each team wound up throwing only nine passes. The Tigers came through an entire quarter without going to the airways.

On its first possession, Massillon ran four plays and elected to punt on fourth-and-a-foot from its own 36. McKinley then punched the ball past midfield on an all running segment before a post pattern from Joe Pukansky to Ash netted 27 yards to the 8. Tiger defensive backs Dan Hackenbracht and Chad Buckland thwarted a third-down try for a touchdown pass, after which Josh McDaniels couldn’t connect on a 23-yard field goal attempt.

The Tigers’ first pass – on their first play of the second quarter – was a 19-yard Danzyto-Simpson strike. That triggered a 50-yard drive from the Tiger 45 to the Bulldog 5, featuring a 22-yard run on a third-and-12 quarterback draw by Danzy. Brown’s 22-yard field goal came on fourth-and-goal from the 5 and gave the Tigers a 3-0 lead with 6:13 left in the first half.
McKinley wound up with a 327-173 lead in net offensive yards, a statistic belying the closeness of the game. Take away McKinley’s yardage on the double screen and the yardage the Pups gained after the roughing-the-kicker call, and McKinley’s edge was a modest 217-173.

The Tigers still lead the all-time series, 53-40-5.

MAS McK
First downs rushing 6 15
First downs passing 3 2
First downs by penalty 0 1
Totals first downs 9 18
Yards gained rushing 138 237
Yards lost rushing 15 6
Net yards rushing 123 231
Net yards passing 50 96
Total yards gained 173 327
Passes attempted 9 8
Passes completed 3 5
Interceptions 1 0
Times kicked off 3 3
Kickoff average 42.3 38.4
Punts 4 2
Kickoff return yards 22 11
Punting average 36.5 28.0
Punt return yards 1 0
Fumbles 0 0
Fumbles lost 0 0
Penalties 2 4
Yards penalized 21 20
Number of plays 40 60
Time of possession 18:43 29:17
Attendance 17,863

McKinley 0 0 7 7 14
Massillon 0 3 3 0 6

MAS – FG Brown 22
McK – Bryant 57 pass from Pukansy (McDaniels kick)
MAS – FG Brown 24
McK – Harris 16 run (McDaniels kick)

Individual statistics

Rushing
(Massillon) Copeland 14-85, Stinson 8-7, Danzy 7-31.
(McK) Bryant 18-92, McElroy 11-34, Pukansky 7-22, Harris 9-52, Kirkpatrick 5-32.

Passing
(Massillon) Danzy 3-9-1 50.
(McK) Pukansky 5-9-0 96.

Receiving

(Massillon) Simpson 2-44, Stinson 1-6.

(McK) Bryant 2-60, Ash 2-27, McElroy 1-9.

Dan Hackenbracht

History

1992: Massillon 55, Youngstown East 20

October 30, 1992September 6, 2017
by Eric Smith

Tigers tatoo East 55‑20, await Pups

By STEVE DOERSCHUK
Independent Sports Editor

The Massillon, Tigers smashed visiting Youngstown East 55‑20 Friday and declared themselves ready for McKinley.

The Tigers have scored 38, 44 and 55 points during what has become a three‑game winning streak. If they continue to escalate the scoring next week, there is liable to be an all‑week party in downtown Massillon.

While the odds are against that‑happening, the Tigers are probably as ready as they can be for McKinley in a season that included a four‑game losing streak. They have responded to the skid by outscoring the subsequent three foes 137‑20.

McKinley, which will visit Paul Brown Tiger Stadium one week from today, takes a 7‑1 record into tonight’s game against Boardman, 4‑4, at Fawcett Stadium. The Bulldogs have lost four straight Week Nine games, but Tiger head coach Jack Rose predicted “They’ll win” against Boardman. McKinley’s talent and consistency led him to say that.

As for his 5‑4 team, Rose said, “We played real well at times. At times we were real sloppy. But we won and for the most part we avoided injuries, which was one of the main concerns.”

Andre Stinson, the Tigers’ leading rusher all season, made a few hearts skip beats when he stayed on the turf after getting tackled in the second quarter. Stinson jogged off the field but did not play any more. At that point, he had gained 70 yards and scored two touchdowns.

“Andre’s all right,” Rose said, indicating Stinson suffered a bruised thigh. Team doctor Robert Erickson said Stinson should be ready to practice Monday.

The Tigers blew out to a 21‑0 lead. “We blocked real well at the point of attack,” Rose said. East head coach Jerron Jenkins wasn’t about to argue. “They outmanned us up front,” Jenkins said.

An East assistant said Massillon’s line is “easily the best we’ve faced.” Jenkins nodded in agreement. East, 2‑7, would have had to play its best game of the year to stay with the Tigers.

Instead, the Golden Bears committed these pigskin sins, all in the first quarter: Penalty for too many men on the field. A 15‑yard penalty against an assistant coach who hurled profanities at an official. Three weak punts that enabled the Tigers to begin scoring drives on the East 22‑, 35- and 33‑yard lines. A screen pass thrown into triple coverage. An illegal‑man‑downfield penalty.

Following the poor punts and good returns by Dan Hackenbracht and Kevin Buckland, the Tigers scored on their first three possessions, on a combined 17 plays covering a combined 88 yards.

Stinson opened the scoring with a three‑yard run in which. he spun off a pile and trotted into the end zone. Jason Brown’s kick made it 7‑0 with 8:18 left in the first quarter.

The second touchdown was set up on a nice. running pass from quarterback Mike Danzy to Alonzo Simpson along the right sideline. It covered 21 yards. Stinson scored from a yard out, Brown made the kick, and it was 14‑0 with 3:09 left in the opening period.
East’s third consecutive three‑and‑out possession gave Rose cause to smile about the defense. “We did some nice tackling,” Rose said. “They had a couple A plays that could have gone for something, but our defense reacted well.”

The offense kept taking, advantage. Dan Hackenbracht’s 5‑yard TD run and Brown’s kick made it 21‑0 with 10:30 left in the second quarter.

East, 2‑7, flaunted its speed moments later when junior quarterback Anthony Mixon play‑faked, then found Darnell Johnson wide open for a 63‑yard touchdown. A two‑point conversion made it 21‑8 with 10:12 left in the second quarter.

However,. the Tigers would wind up scoring on all five of their first‑half posssessions. They answered the East touchdown with a 69‑yard drive capped by Ali Dixon’s 6‑yard TD run. Dixon scored moments after replacing the injured Stinson . A 26‑yard Danzy‑to‑Todd Peters pass helped. Brown’s kick made it 28‑8 with 7:39 left before the band show.

The defense kept humming, East wound up with two first downs in the first half, and minus‑8 yards rushing ‑ and the offense added a 68‑yard drive. Danzy scored standing up from a yard out, Brown made the kick, and it was 35‑8 with 38 seconds left in the half.

The Tigers built a 42‑8 lead on an 11‑yard TD run by Danzy, who for the third straight week left the game after the first series of the third quarter.

Massillon previewed some of its running attack of the future via a 13‑yard TD run by Leon Ashcraft and a 21‑yard scoring run by Dixon. Both of their brothers were starting Tiger running backs during the Lee Owens era (Falando Ashcraft and Lamonte Dixon).

East scored two more TDs against backup Tiger defensive units. Dixon, a 5‑foot‑7, 144‑pound junior, was the Tigers’ rushing leader with 75 yards in 10 carries. The Tigers wound up with a 436‑182 lead in net offensive yards.

Massillon senior Marty Gigov intercepted a pass, giving him three pickoffs in the last two weeks. The Tiger rushing attack racked up season highs of 26 first downs and 389 yards.

No crowd figure was given. Estimates put it in the 7,000 range. Add at least 10,000 to arrive at next week’s crowd figure. The Bulldogs are coming to town.

Obie photo day

Tiger fans are invited to “Obie XXIII photo day” Sunday at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

The Massillon Tigers’ mascot can be photographed from 1‑3 p.m. Sunday, handler Ed Annen said. Enter the stadium through the south gate.

M E
First downs rushing 26 4
First downs passing 2 2
First downs by penalty 0 1
Totals first downs 28 7
Yards gained rushing 393 103
Yards lost rushing 4 20
Net yards rushing 389 83
Net yards passing 47 99
Total yards gained 436 182
Passes attempted. 8 9
Passes completed 2 3
Interceptions 0 1
Times kicked off 9 4
Kickoff average 38.9 32‑3
Kickoff Mum yards 46 90
Punts 0 4
Punting average 00.0 31.5
Punt return yards 42 0
Fumbles 2 2
Fumbles lost 0 1
Penalties 7 8
Yards penalized 50 54
Number of plays 77 26
Time of possession 34:34 13:26

East 0 8 0 12 20
Massillon 14 21 7 13 55

M ‑ Stinson 3 run (Brown kick)
V ‑ Stinson I run (Brown kick)
M ‑ Hackenbracht 5 run (Brown kick)
E ‑ Johnson 63 pass from Mixon (Smith pass from Mixon)
M ‑ Dixon 6 run (Brown kick)
M ‑ Danzy 1 run (Brown kick)
M ‑ Danzy I I run (Brown kick)
M ‑ Ashcraft 13 run (Brown kick)
E ‑ Fitzgerald 37 run (pass failed)
M ‑ Dixon 21 run (kick failed)
E ‑ Perdue 5 run (pass failed) I

Rushing
(M) Danz, 10‑55, Copeland 11 55, Stinson 13‑70, Hac anbracht 2‑7, Dixon 10‑75, Seimetz 2‑7, Utterback 2‑9, Arney 4‑21, Riley 5‑16.
(E) “ant 1‑3, Rhodes 3‑9, Perdue 6‑37, Fitzgerald 3‑43.

Passing
(M) Danzy 2‑5‑0 47, Utterback 0‑3‑3.
(E) Mixon 341‑1 99. Perdue 0‑1‑0.

Receiving
(M) Simpson 1‑21, Peters I26.
(E) Johnson 1‑0, Perdue 2‑37.

History

1992: Massillon 44, Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary 0

October 23, 1992September 6, 2017
by Eric Smith

Tigers win in rout

Tigers roar to emotional win

Players dedicate game to coach’s hospitalized son

By STEVE DOERSCHUK
Independent Sports Editor

The Massillon Tigers spent the week praying for 2‑year‑old Christopher Rose. On Friday, they played for him. Did they ever play. The Tigers dedicated the game to Christopher, hospitalized son of head coach Jack Rose. Then they went out and clobbered Akron St. Vincent‑St. Mary 44‑0.

“We played this game for Coach Rose and his son,” said senior tight end Todd Peters. “They were in our hearts the whole game.”

Rose kept an upbeat attitude during a four‑game losing streak that ended last week with a 38‑0 win over Bloomington South. He has done the same thing while Christopher battles congestive heart failure in Akron Children’s Hospital.

”I didn’t know they had done that (dedicate the game to Christopher) until after the game,” Rose said shortly before leaving Paul Brown Tiger Stadium to be with his wife, Denise and son at the hospital. “I appreciate them and the coaches for all they did;’

Rose said medication seems to have improved Christopher’s condition, which he developed several months after undergoing open‑heart surgery. “It’s been a tough week,” Rose said. “It kind of puts this (football) in perspective.”

It is difficult to explain why the Tigers, 4‑4, could so thoroughly dominate St. Vincent‑St. Mary. The Fighting Irish are 3-5, but they were competitive last week in a 17-0 loss Youngstown Cardinal Mooney, the team that clobbered Canton McKinley early in the season.

“I guess we’re not as good as I thought,” said Irish head coach John Cistone. “Maybe playing Mooney and Massillon back to back was too much . this year, anyway. That’s the worst we’ve played since 1970, when Massillon had that great team.” Cistone was talking about a 68‑7 loss to Bob Commings’ state championship team of 22 years ago. “Massillon,” added Cistone, “has an awful big offensive line. They manhandled us on the inside. And (quarterback Mike) Danzy was too quick to the outside for our ends. “Put that together with all our turnovers (two fumbles, three interceptions) and I guess this is what happens.”

For the second straight week, the Tigers rolled up a 38-0 lead before the fourth quarter then brought in numerous backups. For the second straight week, they fashioned a shutout. “The defense,” noted Rose, “has played well all year.”

One of the senior defenders, nose guard William Shahan, said the players never got down during the losing streak. “Coach Rose told us, ‘Keep chopping wood … keep chopping wood.’ We did, and we’re coming up with a lot of intensity. If we keep playing like this the last two weeks, we should do great.”

Not all of the Tiger starters took a rest because the game was a blowout. Senior safety/running back Dan Haceknbracht suffered a foot injury in the second quarter and finished the game in street clothes. “It’s a sprain,” Hackenbracht said. “I’ll be all right.” Team doctor Robert Erickson said he will examine Hackenbracht this morning. Erickson said the injury is unrelated to the broken ankle that cost Hackenbracht most of his junior year.

Senior Marty Gugov filled in for Hackenbracht and set up two touchdowns, first by causing and recovering a fumble, then by making an interception. “This was a big game for the team,” Gugov said. “It was a real great team effort.”

The Tigers took the opening kickoff and set the tone early. They drove 62 yards in 12 plays, using four ball ‑carriers on a smash‑mouth march. Danzy sneaked in from the 1 for the touchdown, Jason Brown kicked the P.A.T., and it was 7‑0. The drive consumed nearly half the first quarter.

The defense forced St. Vincent to punt after three plays but an effective punt pinned the Tigers at their own 12. If there was a turning point in the game, it may have been a third‑and‑long completion from Danzy to Peters that went for 21 yards. “We sent two guys deep and one guy over the middle,” Peters said. “They can only put so many defenders on so many people. ”

Danzy danced to his right on a bootleg and hit the man who crossed the middle, Peters. It was the key play in a 14‑play, 88‑yard march that included a 22‑yard counter‑gap run by Andre Stinson and a 1‑yard touchdown plunge by Hackenbracht. Brown’s kick made it 14‑0 with 9:42 left in the second quarter. The drive consumed 6:41.

St. Vincent’s next possession ended when Gugov stripped third‑year starting quarterback Josh Zwisler of the ball. Gugov recovered at the Irish 41, setting up a booming 32‑yard field goal by Brown that may have been good from 15 yards deeper. There was 5:30 left in the first half, and Massillon had already dented St. Vincent for as many points as Mooney did in an entire game.

With less than a minute left in the half, linebacker Vic Murray jarred the ball loose from Irish running back Cameron Pooler. Tiger senior Paul Schroeder recovered near midfield.

On third down from the Irish 43, Danzy rolled right and unloaded a bomb to junior Eddie Griffith, who had raced behind a cornerback and a safety. Griffith caught the ball cleanly in the end zone and Brown delivered the kick to make it 24‑0 at the 0:03 mark of the first half.

For the second straight week, Danzy played one series at quarterback in the second half. It was a quick one. Gugov’s interception gave the Tigers the ball in the opening moments of the third quarter. Danzy connected with Peters for a 24‑yard touchdown, and Brown’s kick made it 31‑0 with 10: 37 left in the third quarter.

The backup offensive players maintained the pace. With 7:22 left in the third quarter, junior quarterback Mike Utterback tossed a 14‑yard TD pass to Leon Ashcraft. Brown’s kick made it 38‑0 with 7:22 left in the third quarter.

Ali Dixon scored on a 4‑yard run with 8:56 left in the game to create the 44‑0 final.

Tim Menches’ interception in the end zone preserved the shutout.

The Tigers will take on struggling Youngstown East next Friday before playing host to arch‑rival McKinley. “We’re on a roll , right now,” concluded Peters. “We’ve got to go after it.

MASSILLON 44
St. VINCENT 0

M St. V
First down: rushing 18 5
First down passing 7 4
First downs by penalty 1 0
Totals first downs 26 9
Yards gained rushing 284 134
Yards lost rushing 7 17
Net yards rushing 277 117
Met yards passing 145 56
Total yards gained 422 173
Passes attempted 12 11
Passes completed 8 5
Passes int. 0 3
Times kicked off 8 1
Kickoff average 49.3 53.0
Kickoff return yards 30 96
Punts 1 2
Punting average 31.0 33.0
Punt return y yards 0 0
Fumbles 2 4
Fumbles lost 1 2
Penalties 2 6
Yards penalized 15 36
Number of play 65 42
Time of possession 27:39 20:21
Attendance 10,497

St. Vincent 0 0 0 0 0
Massillon 7 17 14 6 44

M ‑ Danzy 1 run (Brown kick)
M ‑ Hackenbracht 1 run (Brown kick)
M ‑ FG Brown 32
M ‑ Griffith 43 pass from Danzy(Brown kick)
M ‑ Peters 24 pass from Danzy (Brown kick)
M ‑ Ashcraft 14 pass from Utterback (Brown kick)
M ‑ Dixon 1 run (kick failed)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing:
(M) Stinson 11‑72, Copeland 10‑54, Danzy 7‑20, Selmetz 1‑6, Hackenbrachl 5‑12. Dixon 6‑26, Ashcraft 4‑7, Arney 5‑61, Riley 2‑26, Hock 1‑3.
(St. V) Pooler 14‑66, Haller 6‑6, Zwisler 3‑(minus)3, James 5‑41, Shenigo, 3‑7.

Passing
(M) Danzy 4‑8‑0 94, Utterback 4‑4‑0 51.
(St. V) Zwisler 3‑8‑1 33, Haller 2‑3‑1 23.

Receiving
(M) Peters 2‑45, Griffith 1‑43, ‑Manson 2‑22, Ashcraft 1,14, Elder 1‑6, Westland 1‑15
(St. V) Pooler 2‑14, Close 1‑19, Frattura 1‑12, Gilbride 1‑11.

History

1992: Massillon 38, Bloomington South, IN 0

October 17, 1992September 6, 2017
by Eric Smith

‘Best 3‑4 team in country ‘ Tigers sack South 38‑0

STEVE DOERSCHUK
Independent Sports Editor

For the first time in more than a month, the end of a football game didn’t hurt for B.J. Payne.

“We’ve got to be the best 3‑4 team in the county,” Massillon’s punishing defensive tackle said after the Tigers snapped a four game losing streak with a 38‑0 romp over Bloomington (Ind.) South before 9,571 Saturday in Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

Payne didn’t like the sound of that. After all, this was a 7‑0 team the Tigers had tamed.

“No,” Payne said, “We’ve got to be the best 3‑4 team in the state.

Payne still didn’t like the ring. Shucks, the Tigers had put up their first shutout of the year against some guys whose chances of winning the Indiana state title are supposed to be better than in 1991, when South made the state semifinals.

“We may be the best 3‑4 team in the country,” Payne said.

He grinned. That sounded right.

It was grins all around for the Tigers, who hadn’t won since Sept. 11, when they outlasted Walsh Jesuit 28‑24 in overtime.

Head coach Jack Rose, who hadn’t wanted it to be that way in his first year on the job, didn’t really sound relieved. He sounded more like a man who knew this sort of business was coming.

“These guys never did stop practicing well,” Rose said of his 3-4 team. “I was saying again all week that we were having a great week of practice. A lot of people thought I was blowing smoke I wasn’t. These guys have never given up on themselves.

It was an early blowout. Massillon led 32‑0 at halftime. The first‑stringers for the most part got in one more series in the second half then took a rest.

How could this be? How could the Tigers wipe out an Indiana team Hoosier State football types were saying was about as strong as the Indianapolis North‑Central squad that beat the tigers 35‑20 one week earlier?

Mo Moriarty, the Bloomington South head coach, suggested a couple of reasons. This time, Moriarty said, it was the Indiana team and not Massillon that had to put up with the long bus trip. The other factor: The Tigers are tough customers.

“This kind of trip is too long for high school kids,” Moriarty said. “We checked into the motel at 11:30 p.m. Friday and we spent all day away from home, touring the Hall of Fame and a lot of other things. By the time the game came around we were very sluggish.

“But give Massillon a lot of credit. I hate it when a coach gives every reason for a loss except the fact the other team is better. Let’s face it. They beat our butts tonight.

“They were very physical, and they hurt us with the blitz.”

Massillon’s defense was out outstanding South never mounted a serious scoring threat. In the first‑half, when it was first unit against first unit, Massillon led 206‑67 in net offensive yardage. Throw in the kickoff and punt returns of Leon Ashcraft, Dan Hackenbracht and Kevin Buckland and you get another 138 first‑half yards.

In the end, Massillon led 307‑134 in net offensive yards and 220‑122 in punt/kick return yards.

Speaking for his position the TNTs (tackles/nose guards) ‑ Payne said the game plan was superb.

“Coach (Gary) Wells had them figured out pretty well,” Payne said. “I don’t think they had a clue what our defense was going to throw at them next.”

The defense wound up throwing the Panthers for 41 yards in losses, resulting in a net rushing total of minus‑2 yards.

Payne seemed to be happiest about the performance of the Tigers’ offense.

“They really made our job easy tonight,” he said “It was a never‑ending story. They just kept scoring and scoring and scoring.”

The Tigers used a mix of superb field position, passing and running to blow it open early.

On three different occasions, the early part of a touchdown drive included an 18‑yard completion from quarterback Mike Danzy to Jerry May.

“One of the things we worked on this week with Mike was looking to pass to the second level,” Rose said. “He had been tending to overlook the second level and throw deep. Tonight, he did a nice job going to the second level.”

Danzy wound up completing 6‑of‑11 passes for 88 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed four times for 37 yards.

Leon Ashcraft got the night off to a flying start when he returned the opening kick 57 yards to the South 32‑yard line.

The first play from scrimmage was one of those 18‑yard completions to May. Dan Seimetz scored from 3 yards out and Jason Brown converted the kick to make it 7‑0 with just 91 seconds gone in the game.

A long punt return by Hackenbracht to the South 22 set up the second Tiger TD.

“They had a weird way of covering punts,” Hackenbracht said. “They stayed back on the line of scrimmage longer than most teams.”

An 11‑yard option run by Danzy set up Andre Stinson’s 2‑yard run for a touchdown. South was penalized on the point‑after try, but the Tigers still elected to try for a kick with the ball 11/2 yards away. The snap went awry and the score stayed at 13‑0 with 3:00 left in the first quarter.

South went three‑and‑out, Hackenbracht returned a punt to near midfield, and the Tigers went to the run. Gains of 7, 9, 9, 4 and 17 yards put the ball on the 13, from where Hackenbracht bounced off a block by Stinson and went around the left side for an easy six. The conversion run failed and it was 19‑0 with 9:13 left in the second quarter.

South’s offense again was stuffed and Buckland returned a punt to the Panther 43. A procedure penalty cost the Tigers 5 yards but Danzy compensated by hitting May for 18 yards on the next play. The rest of the series featured more running. Stinson scored from a yard out, the conversion run attempt failed, and the Tigers led 25‑0 with 3:40 left in the half.

Moriarty gambled late in the half. South punched the ball to near midfield where it was fourth‑and‑one. The Tigers snowed under quarterback Eli Stoddard on a sneak attempt with 1: 55 left in the half.

The Tigers used the field position to drive 46 yards. Danzy scored from 5 yards out, Brown kicked the P.A.T., and it was 32‑0 with 54 seconds left in the half.

South’s last gasp was a 25 yard completion on the first play of the second half. A Vic Murray sack led to another punt, a 50‑yard punt return by Buckland, and a 14‑yard TD pass from Danzy to Eddie Griffith. The kick was wide but the Tigers led 38‑0 with 7:59 left in the third quarter.

After that, Rose substituted freely.

The Tigers will be back at Tiger Stadium Friday to take on Akron St. Vincent‑St. Mary.

St. V fell to 3‑4 Saturday with a 17‑0 loss to Youngstown Cardinal Mooney, the state’s sixth ranked team in Division‑III.

MASSILLON 38
SOUTH 0
M S
First downs rushing 15 0
First downs passing 5 6
First downs by penalty 0 1
Totals first downs 20 6
Yards gained rushing 217 39
Yards lost rushing 4 41
Net yards rushing 213 ‑2
Net yards passing 94 136
Total yards gained 307 134
Passes attempted 13 22
Passes completed 7 10
Interceptions 1 0
Times kicked off 7 1
Kickoff average 51.7 49.0
Kickoff return yards 57 122
Punts 2 7
Punting average 33.0 34.9
Punt return yards 163 0
Fumbles 2 1
Fumbles lost 1 0
Penalties 4 2
Yards penalized 33 17
Number of plays … 59 45
Time of possession 26:31 21:29
South 1 0 0 0 0
Massillon 13 19 6 0 38

M ‑ Hackenbracht 3 run (Brown kick)
M ‑ Stinson 2 run (kick failed)
M ‑ Hackenbracht 13 run (run failed)
M ‑ Stinson I run (run failed)
M ‑ Danzy 5 run (Brown kick)
M ‑ Griffith 14 pass from Danzy (kick failed)

History

1992: Massillon 20, Indianapolis North Central, IN 35

October 10, 1992September 6, 2017
by Eric Smith

Tiger fans respond as their team takes the field in Hoosier Dome Saturday

Tigers in need of home cooking after road trip

By STEVE DOERSCHUK
Independent Sports Editor

INDIANAPOLIS ‑ It was a lazy Saturday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, when many visitors from Massillon plunked down a buck to ride the tour bus around the oval made famous by the Foyts, Unsers and Andrettis.

“Speed week” moved to the Hoosier Dome, where Indianapolis North‑Central burned to a 35‑20 high school football victory over the Massillon Tigers.

“We’ve played a team that has that kind of speed,” Massillon head coach Jack Rose said. “But they (the Garfield Rams) don’t use it the same way these guys (North‑Central’s Panthers) do.”

“On one of their touchdowns, our cornerback made a good play. He was in good position to tackle their guy for a loss. But the guy used his speed to turn the play into six points.”

North‑Central rode its run‑and‑shoot offense to a 5‑2 record. The Tigers must fight being down‑and‑out in the wake of a fourth straight loss. They will take a 2‑4 record into this Saturday’s home game against another Indiana team, Bloomington South. South, ranked sixth among Indiana’s big schools, improved to 7‑0 with a 47‑0 blowout over Shelbyville this past Friday.

“One concern is how much our guys can absorb,” Rose said. If history repeats itself, there is some of it to consider in terms of the four‑game losing streak. Massillon has had only five such skids in its entire history. Three were in the very early years, 1899, 1917 and 1912. It is the other two that are the most intriguing.

In 1931, a four‑game losing streak and 2‑6‑1 overall record did in fourth‑year head coach Elmer McGrew. McGrew was replaced in 1932 by Paul Brown, whose first team ended the season with a four‑game losing streak.

Naturally, Rose hopes his path in the wake of a four‑game slide more closely follows Brown’s than McGrew’s.

One Tiger player, talking to his mother after the game at the Mariott Hotel, seemed to think the players would be all right. “The coaches took it harder than the players did,” he said.

Many of the players decided to take a deep breath and enjoy the road trip, much as did the 3,000 Massillonians who traveled to Indianapolis for the game. Massillon people swarmed into Union Station, a downtown shopping area. A man twisting balloons into all kinds of shapes was encountered by a Massillon man. “Can you make one in the shape of a Tiger?”

“You mean, like the one (an Obie) on your shirt ?” A crowd gathered. After that, the vendor must have made 400 balloon tigers.

The path of Saturday’s game was the fast lane. The first contest in a double‑header witnessed by more than 11,000 set the tone. Defending Indiana state champ Ben Davis scored in the final three minutes to secure a frenzied 28‑21 win over Cincinnati Elder.

In the nightcap, the Tigers simply could not slow down North‑Central’s balanced attack.

“I knew it was going to be a shootout,” Rose said. It was, and the Tigers weren’t dead until the Panthers, leading by 8 points, drove 80 yards in 12 plays for a touchdown with 2:58 left in the game.

“We saw some things in their style of defense that made us think we could move the ball,” North‑Central coach Al Harants said. “We weren’t sure we’d be able to deal with their offense quite as well as we did.”

The Tigers generated far more offense than they had the previous week in a 14‑0 loss at Austintown‑Fitch. After racking up 184 yards in the first half, though, they were held to 110 yards in the second half ‑ North‑Central poured it on in both halves, gaining 219 yards in the first half and 196 in the second half.

North‑Central junior quarterback John Clippinger, who was a sophomore watching from the sidelines when the Tigers tore up the Panthers 41‑0 at Massillon in 1991, completed 14 of 20 passes for 185 yards. Junior Tony Nefouse, taking advantage of the spread‑out defense created by Clippinger’s apt operation of the run‑and-shoot, rushed 19 times for 125 yards and scored two touchdowns.

If the Tigers are struggling, Clippinger didn’t seem to know it. “They’re an awesome team, along the same lines as Ben Davis,” he said. “They’re much better than the two teams that beat us. When we lost those two games, it was right after we beat Ben Davis. We had big, fat heads, but we got ourselves straightened around.”

Massillon’s crowd set the tone before the kickoff with a rousing chant of “T‑1‑G … E‑R‑S” that resounded around the Teflon‑topped Dome. The team responded by driving 80 yards in nine plays for a touchdown.

Running back Andre Stinson, who finished with a season‑high 110 yards, set up the TD with a 7‑yard run. Stinson wound up going in from the 1, Jason Brown converted the kick, and it was 7‑0 with 8:27 left in the first quarter.

North‑Central answered by driving 88 yards for a score on its first possession. The mostly running, 11‑play march was capped by Clippinger’s one yard plunge and Tommy Keenan’s kick. It was 7‑7 with 4:58 left in the first quarter.

A three‑and‑out Tiger possession was followed by a short punt and a 41-yard North-Central scoring drive. Clippinger hit senior split end Arthur Angotti for 20 yards on first down. The TD came on a 8-yard run by Nefouse. After Keenan’s kick, it was 14-7 with 1:58 left in the first quarter.

The Panthers’ next possession ended quickly with their only punt of the game. Dan Hackenbracht made a daring, running catch on the punt and returned to the North-Central 34. Quarterback Mike Danzy scored on a spectacular 36-yard run, breaking three tackles after dropping back to pass, then outrunning the Panther defense into the left corner of the end zone. Brown’s kick made it 14-14 with 8:24 left in the half.

North-Central regained control with a 13-play, 71-yard drive again capped by a 1-yard drive again capped by a 1-yard Clippinger plunge. Keenan’s kick made it 21-14 with 3:14 left in the half.
The Panthers got the ball back on a punt but quickly lost it when a big hit by William Shahan caused a fumble covered by Tiger junior Josh McElhaney near midfield. A 32-yard field goal attempt by Brown with seconds left in the half was deflected.

North-Central drove to the Tiger 10 at the start of the second half before a big third-down stop by Hackenbracht followed by an incompletin stalled the threat.

The Tigers then drove 90 yards. Thanks largely to a 51-yard strike from Danzy to Alonzo Simpson. Hackenbracht scored from two yards out, but Brown’s kick was blocked and North-Central kept a 21-20 lead with 4:46 left in the third quarter.

The Panthers inflicted the critical blow when they drove 46 yards in 10 plays for a score. Junior Dave Mosley’s one-yard run and Kennan’s kick made it 28‑20 with 57 seconds left in the third quarter.

Even at that, the Tigers could tie it with a TD and two‑point conversion. Their best chance came midway through the fourth quarter when Danzy reached the Massillon 40 on a scramble. The would‑be first down was wiped out by a holding penalty. Instead, it became third down at the 10. The Tigers had to punt, setting up the clinching North‑Central touchdown, a 6‑yard run by Nefouse with 2:58 left in the game.

NORTH‑CENTRAL 35
MASSILLON 20
M N
First downs rushing 9 13
First downs passing 2 10
First downs by penalty 0 1
Totals first downs 11 23
Yards gained rushing 228 250
Yards lost rushing 14 20
Net yards rushing 214 230
Net yards passing 80 185
Total yards gained 294 415
Passes attempted 11 20
Passes completed 2 14
Interceptions 1 0
Times kicked off 4 6
Kickoff average 41.8 58.0
Kickoff return yards 36 51
Punts 5 1
Punting average 29.2 23.0
Punt return yards 22 9
Fumbles 0 3
Fumbles lost 0 2
Penalties 2 3
Yards penalized 30 31
Number of plays: 48 73
Time of possession 19:33 28:27

Massillon 7 7 6 0 20
North‑Central 14 7 7 7 35

M ‑ Stinson 1 run (Brown kick)
NC ‑ Clippinger 1 run (Keenan kick)
NC ‑ Nefouse 8 run (Keenan kick)
M ‑ Danzy 36 run (Brown kick)
NC ‑ Clippinger 1 run (Keenan kick)
M ‑‑ Hackenbracht 2 run (kick failed)
NC ‑ Mosley 1 run (Keenan kick)
NC ‑ Nefouse 6 run (Keenan kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing
(Massillon) Seimetz 4‑25, Stinson 21‑110, Hackenbracht 5‑11, Danzy 6‑68.
(North‑Central) Nefouse 19‑125, Allen 12‑67, Mosley 6‑24, Perkins 3‑13, Clippinger 11 ‑0.

Passing
(Massillon) Danzy 2‑1‑11‑1 80
(North‑Central) Clippinger 14‑20‑0 185.

Receiving
(Massillon) Peters 1‑21, Simpson 1‑59.
(North‑Central) Allen 4‑59, Angotti 6‑81, Mosley 3‑30, McConnell 1‑15.

Author: <span>Eric Smith</span>