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

The Website Corner – Week 8

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

This week our Tigers face Akron St. Vincent – St. Mary.  This year’s version of the Fighting Irish is a typical St. Vincent – St. Mary team.

The strength of this year’s version is their offensive line.  Their offensive line averages 280 lbs. and they are very physical.  They return four starters from last season and they are very good.  As a result they are a run first team, but they have a returning quarterback in Luke Lindsay and can throw very well to spread out the defense.  Their receivers are tall, but not as tall as we have seen in past weeks from Canisius and Firestone.  Their base offensive formation is the pro-I formation and they run the ball very well.

On defense they employ a multiple front depending on what their opponent does offensively.  Their base defensive alignment is a 4-3 and they are very well coached and are extremely disciplined.  In the secondary they employ a cover four and their safeties are very good at supporting the run.  This is a typical Fighting Irish team which means they are very good.  Their record is 5-3 and as a young team they are improving every week.

Our Tigers need to improve again this week to secure a victory.  Offensively we need to possess the ball by running it and make big plays with the passing game.  Defensively we need to get off the field and turn the ball over to our offense.  We will also need a superior game from our special teams.

As fans we need to support our Tigers with our best effort to help our Tigers bring home a victory.  This game is very important to keep the momentum going and will require a total effort from our Tiger Nation.  Go Tigers! — GV

Akron St. Vincent takes a 5-3 record into the game this week against 6-2 Massillon.  Although they don’t possess the offensive firepower they did a year ago, the defense is pretty stout and will create a good challenge for the Tigers. The Irish have struggled a bit with their offense, utilizing sophomores at both quarterback and running back, although both played some last year.  The best wide receiver is also a soph, one Coach Nate Moore calls “pretty good.”  The offensive line is massive, averaging 6′-4″, 280 lbs.  But Moore will be first tell you that in high school size isn’t everything.  Football skill is much more important.  St. V prefers to run the ball with the QB under center, but will go the shotgun in passing situations (60 times vs. Cincinnati LaSalle).  But it’s in that aspect of the game that inconsistency prevails.  Defensively, St. Vincent returns just three starters.  Two of them comprise their strong and free safeties and are perhaps the best players on the team.  So this should be a good test for Massillon’s passing game.  The front seven is “adequate” so look for the Tigers to pound the ball most of the night.  From the Irish, look for a cover-4 defensive alignment with the safeties reading the run, will serve as two additional linebackers.  St. Vincent hasn’t given up many points, but they are particularly good against the run.   Coach Moore expects to get St. Vincent’s best, as they showed against LaSalle in losing 17-9, but didn’t show against Barberton in a 35-14 loss. — DE

Based on the scores across the to state here is where the computer numbers stands:

• The following teams are a near lock to make the playoffs: Columbus Walnut Ridge, Massillon, Columbus Mifflin and Ashland.
• The following teams will likely make the playoffs, barring upsets: Boardman, New Albany and Columbus Northland.
• The following teams have a shot, but either need to pull an upset or get some help from the teams above: Licking Heights, Canal Winchester, Big Walnut and Wooster.
• The following teams are unlikely to make the playoffs: Westerville South, North Canton, Columbus Whitehall-Yearling, Franklin Heights and Worthington Kilbourne.
• Click here for the computer rankings.
• — DE

The Website Corner – Week 7

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

After the 49-35 defeat to Buffalo Canisius we as Tiger fans have to increase our support for our Tiger Team.  Some may not agree with me, but our young men do pick up on the mood of our community.  Therefore, we have to be unusually diligent in our preparation for the upcoming game against Akron Firestone.  It would be easy for we as fans to take the Falcon’s 3-4 record for granted and just expect an easy win.  This is not the case.  Canisius was able to stretch our defense with the combination of a good quarterback, a good running back and a couple of very good receivers.  Akron Firestone has an eerily similar combination of athletes.  They have a tall and athletic quarterback who can throw deep.  His name is Gavin Cornelius and he is 6’ 5” and weighs 220 lbs.  He is also very athletic.  They have a very good running back, Joshua Mitchell, who is 5’ 11” and weighs 170 lbs.  He is not big but he is very fast.  They also possess two 6’ 3” receivers who are 180 lbs.  They both have very good speed.  Their names are Lafeyette Johnson and Darshun Williams. — GV

Akron Firestone comes into Tiger Stadium on Friday with a 3-4 record.  Here are their results to date:

Wadsworth (7-0) 14-55 L
Copley (3-4) 0-42 L
Revere (2-5) 6-28 L
Toledo Scott (1-6) 26-12
Akron North (0-7) 41-6 W
Akron East (6-1) 0-31 L
Akron Kenmore-Garfield (0-7) 45-12

Although the Falcons are not a polished team like others the Tigers have faced this year, they do have some very skilled athletes in several positions.  Offensively, they return seven starters from last year, including 4 of 5 linemen and a pair of wide receivers.  Look for a lot of run/pass option plays, utilizing their strong-armed 6′-5″ quarterback and hard-running speed back.  They will also run some wildcat.  The line is on the smaller side and Massillon should match up well there.  According to Assistant Coach Craig McConnell, the Tigers need to accomplish three things this week on defense: get aligned right, do the job and TACKLE (30 missed tackles were recorded last week).  Defensively, Firestone will line up in in a 3-4 with a cover 4 secondary.  Four starters return, with three on the line.  Head Coach Nate Moore calls it a “good line.”  But Moore, who was extremely dissatisfied with the team’s performance against Canisius, emphasized that the Tigers must be good enough this week to beat the Massillon team of a week ago, regardless of the opponent this week. — DE

Here is a rundown of the Computer Rankings for Region 7:

• No. 1 Columbus Walnut Ridge – In the playoffs.
• No. 2 – Columbus Mifflin – Needs one win. HIghly likely.
• No. 3 Massillon — Currently in the No. 3 spot, the Tigers may need a win over Firestone to assure themselves of a playoff spot.  An additional win is needed for a first-round home game.
• No. 4 Ashland – Needs two wins.  Favored against Lexington and West Holmes
• No. 5 New Albany – Needs two wins.  Favored against Big Walnut, Franklin Heights and Groveport.
• No. 6 Canal Winchester – Needs three wins.  Favored against Franklin Heights, Newark and Big Walnut.
• No. 7 Boardman – Needs two wins.  Remaining opponents are Youngstown Ursuline (2-5), Austintown Fitch (4-3) and Ashtabula Lakeside (4-3).
• No. 8 Licking Heights – Needs two wins.  Favored against Watkins Memorial.  Needs to beat either Johnstown-Monroe (5-2) or Licking Valley (7-0).
• Others in need of an upset or two include Columbus Whitehall-Yearling, Columbus Northland, Westerville South, North Canton, Worthington Kilbourne, Dublin Scioto, Wooster and Columbus Franklin Heights.
• Click here for the computer rankings.
• — DE

The Website Corner – Week 6

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

Friday’s Tiger victory over Austintown Fitch was a total Tiger victory.  Our Tigers defeated Fitch 38 to 28.  The trip to Austintown was very satisfying as the Tiger Nation showed their best against a very good Austintown Fitch team.  Our players played with a world of heart and used all aspects of the game to bring home a victory.  The offense scored 38 points and used both a dominant running game and key pass completions to score and keep drives going.  The defense registered key stops to get the ball back for our offense.  Special teams played a key role in the game’s outcome, which was highlighted by a 39-yard Klay Moll field goal that provided the final margin of victory.  Our coaching staff deserves a lot of credit for the win.  They gave our Tigers a solid game plan and were instrumental in getting a large number of players on the field.  This showed as the Tigers dominated the fourth quarter.  Good job coaches. — GV

The Tiger Swing Band was the obvious superior band on the field that night.  Jason Neel’s group out performed their Austintown counterparts and provided great support to our team.  Good job Band. — GV

The Tigers will take a 5-1 record into Friday’s game against Canisius, a parochial school from Buffalo, New York.  The Crusaders, currently at 4-1, have a record of 50-7 over the past five years and were Catholic school champs in New York last year.  This year’s offense features quarterback Jayce Johnson, who stands 6′-5″, 205 lbs.  He doesn’t run much, but he has a big arm and a favorite target in Paul Woods, who has committed to Rutgers.  Running back duties fall to Kenyatta Huston, a 5’10’, 170 lb. speedsters, who has been clocked at 4.35 seconds in the 40-yard dash.  Woods will run behind a massive line that averages 6′-2″, 284 lbs.  The attack is balanced, although not flashy, preferring to beat teams with their edge in talent.  Defensively, the Crusaders also have good size on the line, averaging 6′-2″, 251 lbs.  They will line up mostly in an odd-front, but will occasionally switch to an even front.  The kicker normally places the ball deep in the end zone.  Classified as a Division 2 team using Ohio standards, Canisius has five players going both ways, something that could work in the Tigers’ favor.  “I feel really good about our matchups,” said Massillon coach Nate Moore.  “I have a lot of confidence in our kids,”  — DE

The weakness of Region 7 is really showing through, with just five of 27 teams sporting winning records.  Here is a rundown of where the contenders stand after six weeks:

• Massillon — Currently in the No. 2 spot, the Tigers are a lock to make the playoffs.
• Boardman — The Spartans have Warren, Ursuline, Fitch and Ashtabula Lakeside remaining on their schedule.  They need to win three of these games.
• North Canton — The Vikings need to beat either Bishop Hartley (6-0) or Jackson (5-1), along with Lake and Green.
• New Albany, Canal Winchester, Franklin Heights — New Albany and Winchester both have upcoming games against Franklin Heights.  All three should win their remaining games.  To qualify, New Albany needs to beat Franklin Heights.  Winchester also needs to beat Franklin Heights.  Franklin Heights needs to beat both New Albany and Winchester.
• Ashland — The arrows need to beat a good Mansfield (5-1) team this week and then Wooster (3-3) in Week 10.
• Westerville South — Needs to beat either Olentangy Liberty (4-2) or Olentangy Orange (6-0).
• Worthington Kilbourne — Needs to beat Hilliard Darby (3-3) and Dublin Jerome (4-2).
• Licking Heights — After the next two easy wins, Licking Heights needs to beat either Johnstown-Monroe (4-2) or Licking Valley (6-0).
• Columbus Walnut Ridge — They are a lock.
• Columbus Mifflin — Almost certain to make it in.
• Click here for the computer rankings.
• — DE

The Website Corner – Week 5

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

Chris Easterling’s game story refers to some big numbers put up by the Tiger’s offense.  When you score 56 points and gain 420 yards in total offense, you have put up some impressive numbers.  However, the most important numbers from the Bedford game may have been four and zero.  A four to zero turnover edge was huge in determining the ultimate winner of this game.  Zero turnovers in a game is the result of good coaching by our coaching staff and good execution by our Tiger’s.  We are going to need a good week of practice by our team to keep the zero turnover record  going.  So, let’s all get out to Austintown and support our team.  It’s going to take a total Tigertown effort. — GV

Last week we faced a team with a group of tremendous athletes. When you face a team like Bedford you know there are going to be the chance for big plays and scoring that happens quickly. We saw that on Friday night, but it was the Tigers who struck first. I was impressed with the game plan our coaches came up with offensively and the toughness of our defensive to handle their responsibilities as they have been coached. Forcing two early turnovers really helped this defense have a great confidence throughout the game.  Each week I like to point out a different aspect of our team that is growing and getting better. This week that honor goes to our offensive line. They are playing in the shadows of the 2016 team which had arguably one of the biggest offensive lines since the early 90’s. These guys are gritty, tough and fundamentally sound in their responsibilities. You can see the push each week they are getting for our running backs to get down field. Great job O-Line!  See you in Austintown! Beat  Fitch! — ES

We’re halfway through the season and Region 7 is starting to take shape.  These are the contenders as I see it and they may finish in this order: Licking Heights, Columbus Walnut Ridge, Massillon, New Albany, Ashland, Canal Winchester, Columbus Mifflin and Boardman.  Westerville South is about to get into the meat of its schedule and I see just one more win for them.  North Canton (2-3) has a tough road ahead with Perry (4-1), Jackson (4-1) and Columbus Bishop Hartley (4-1). The Vikings will need to win two of these games to overtake Boardman.  Worthington Kilbourne’s finishing schedule is also a killer.  Based on all of this, and barring any collapses, the final eight should be pretty well set.  Now it’s just a matter of the final placement. — DE

This Friday the Tigers will travel to Austintown to take on the Fitch Falcons, which currently stands at 3-2.  After dropping their first two games to Hudson (4-1) and Brunswick (3-2), the Falcons have rebounded against Louisville (1-4), Warren Harding (0-4) and Youngstown East (1-4), outscoring these three three teams by an average margin of 38-16.  Offensively, Fitch operates out of the spread formation, normally with a tight end on one side and trips to the other.  The run/pass ratio is 80:20.  The quarterback is new this year, having started at middle linebacker in 2016.  Passing is not his specialty, but he regularly puts up around 100 yards rushing per game.  Both running backs return and have good ability.  The line is undersized in some positions.  Defensively, look for a 3-3 odd stack, similar to what Cincinnati St. Xavier ran against Massillon in the 2005 state title game.  When the outside guys scoot in, the 8-man front can put a lot of pressure on the opposing offense.  Fitch will blitz more than 50% of the time.  The defensive line is smallish, averaging around 200 lbs.  According to Coach Moore the Falcons are very aggressive against the run and will present a good challenge.  The are well-coached, disciplined and play with good technique.  And they really play hard to make up for the lack of size. — DE

The Website Corner – Week 4

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

Ursuline coach Larry Kempe said, “For the first time in four weeks we played with great passion.”  Despite winning by 29 points the game was much closer than the score indicates.  Our Tigers had 418 yards in total offense while Ursuline had 375 yards.  That is a difference of just 43 yards.  To state the obvious our Tigers have to keep getting better.  Getting better means working to contain the speed of this week’s opponent, Bedford.  So, Tiger fans we need to get out and support our guys with great energy.  This is a BIG GAME! — GV

The Tigers showed continued growth this week vs. Youngstown Ursuline. While our defense was challenged by what appears to be a very talented running back in Joe Floyd, the Tigers never broke and held Ursuline out of the endzone for most of the game. This week the Tigers will again face a talented team that will surely test them and show if they continue to grow. Offensively our Tigers continue to gel in both the running and passing game. Our special team’s punting and field goal kicking have been very good for us. Our freshman punter Magnus Haines is averaging 33.1 yards per punt and has had two downed inside the 20 yard line. Klay Moll is 2-2 on his FG attempts this season and 15-15 on his extra points for the season! – ES

We’re four games into the season and just one team in Massillon’s region remains unbeaten: Columbus Walnut Ridge.  Based on performances so far and considering the remaining opponents, it appears that ten teams are in contention for the coveted eight playoff spots.  They are Massillon, Boardman, Westerville South, Wooster, New Albany, Canal Winchester, Licking Heights, Columbus Walnut Ridge, Columbus Mifflin and Columbus West.  Another five teams are on the bubble, including North Canton, Westerville North, Ashland, Franklin Heights and Columbus Northland.  Wooster (1-3) will need to win out, but may stumble against Mansfield in Week 8.  New Albany (1-3) will also need to win out.  North Canton will need to beat either Columbus Bishop Hartley (3-1) or Jackson (3-1).  Ashland may fall short even with an 8-2 record due to poor scheduling.  This week, keep an eye on Massillon vs. Bedford, Boardman vs. Youngstown Cardinal Mooney, North Canton vs. Canton McKinley and Columbus West vs. Columbus Marion Franklin. — DE

The Tigers are no stranger to fierce competition and annually seem defeat a team or two that finishes 8-2 or better.  This week’s test is Bedford, which comes in with a 4-0 record and is on a quest to post an undefeated season.  Although the schedule so far has been substandard, Bedford has won each game convincingly like a good team should.  The Bearcats possess a host of athletic talent at the skill positions, particular at running back and wide receiver.  Offensively, the they will line up in a Power-I formation and run the ball between the tackles utilizing No. 11 Kenneth Wilkins.  When they need to pass, it’s down the field to No. 4 Davion Johnson. Both of these players have track speed.  The offensive line is not as big as Massillon’s earlier opponents, but they fired off the ball well. According to Coach Nate Moore, the Tigers will need to line up correctly, read their keys, react properly and gang tackle.  Defensively, the normal alignment is 4-2, with the linebackers over the defensive ends, but they occasionally push one inside.  Moore expects something similar to what Youngstown Ursuline did in the first half of last Friday’s game; i.e., pushing a safety up into the box.  The linebackers are the strength of the defense, while the secondary also plays well.  The line is undersized and does not seem to have an overwhelming pass rush.  The kicking game is a challenge for them. — DE

The Website Corner – Week 3

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

There were a number of things one could point to in describing the Tiger’s efforts that resulted in a victory over Warren Friday.  The defense contained a pretty good Warren running game, our passing game was very efficient, but our ground game was the clincher.  Those two fourth quarter drives are examples of how to play with a lead.  They ate up the clock and kept the Warren offense off the field.  The first drive was huge as it ended with a Klay Moll 21-yard field goal that gave the Tigers a two score lead.  The second ate up the clock and ended with Aiden Longwell taking a knee to end the game.  That is how to finish.  A like effort will be needed this Friday against Youngtown Ursuline.  We will need a good defense against the run, timely passing and of course a physical run game. — GV

Three weeks into the season, just three unbeaten teams remain in Division II, Region 7: Columbus Mifflin, Boardman and Columbus Walnut Ridge.  Massillon continues to position itself for a qualifying position with a big win over Warren Harding, which should provide plenty of second-level points down the road.  Hoover, which lost to Akron East last week 27-20, remains a mystery team.  But it should sort itself out on Friday when the Vikings travel to GlenOak.  Licking Heights edged New Albany 35-30, but both teams should finish in the Top 8.  The crystal ball says that the final eight teams in Region 7 should come from this group: Columbus Walnut Ridge,  Massillon, Columbus Mifflin, Licking Heights, Canal Winchester, New Albany, Boardman, Dublin Scioto and Columbus West.  Time will tell for North Canton, Lake, Ashland, Westerville South and Worthington Kilbourne. — DE

Youngstown Ursuline comes to Massillon sporting a 1-2 record.  The lone win was over hapless Youngstown East 40-19, while losses were to Cleveland Benedictine 39-29 and Akron Hoban 49-0.  The offense revolves around the quarterback, who returns from last year.  Coach Nate Moore says that he throws and runs equally well. The running backs have good size, but not the speed of Warren’s.  The receiver corps is all new.  The offense uses a similar scheme to Massillon, except that the running backs are aligned closer to the QB.  A weaker area would be the defense, which returns just three starters, one on the line, one at linebacker (although he was a defensive end last year) and one in the secondary.  The two corners are both sophomores and just 5’9″ tall.  The Irish operate out of a 4-3 alignment.  Six players go both ways. — DE

In the Warren game you may have noticed the Warren quarterback threw a backward pass to the receiver while they were behind the line of scrimmage. If the pass is completed the statistician makes the judgment, if the pass is forward or backward. If the pass was backward the play is recorded as a rushing play. If incomplete the action of the game officials determines if the pass is a forward pass or a lateral. In the Warren game the play was recorded as a rushing play. There were a couple of other stats that are interesting from the Warren game. Massillon made 4 of 8 third down conversions and Warren made 2 or 8. On fourth downs, Warren only made 1 or 3 forth down conversions. Massillon was winning at half time but the time of possession was in Warren’s favor 8 minutes to Massillon’s 4 minutes. That was turned around by Massillon in the second half, Massillon controlled for 16:32 minutes and Warren for 7:28 minutes. Warren only having 8 plays from scrimmage in the 4 quarter. — JB

The Website Corner – Week 2

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

Great week for the Tigers! I am really enjoying watching this young team develop. Names that you may not have expected to hear all season are being large contributors early in the 2017 season. Dyson Berry and Zion Phifer both come to mind immediately on defense and offense respectively. Defensively the Tigers did a great job of forcing Rhoads to get the ball out of his hands and limit his running ability. The Tigers went the entire 1st half without a penalty, but emotions got the best of them in the second half. We have to eliminate the drive extending penalties going forward. This game was a great building block for what is expected to be a tough road game next week vs. Warren. — ES

One additional note, this is the second week in a row where we have seen the impact of the NFHS new rule on defenseless players. Last week it was a crack back block and this week it was in the 4th qtr. on a Glenoak player falling to the ground on an incomplete pass and subsequently getting cracked by Dean Clark. The stands were up in arms about this play and getting on the refs, but as we know, this is the way the NFHS and OHSAA are trending and that has to be communicated to everybody from fan to team. — ES

A lot of kudos to go around after our Tigers out hit Glenoak 24-10.  The Tiger defense limited Glenoak to just 43 yards rushing which forced the Golden Eagles to rely on their passing game.  A like effort will be needed this week at Mollenkopf Stadium against Warren.  The Raiders passed for just 30 yards in their opening game loss to Canton McKinley.  Warren was open in week two and undoubtedly worked on their passing game, but expect them to rely on their strength which is running the football.  Our Tigers will need another physical effort against the Raiders.  So, get out to Mollenkopf Friday and help our Tigers attain their second victory of the season. — GV

Friday will mark the 17th meeting between Massillon and Warren Harding in the current series, which started in 1989 and stands at eight wins and eight losses for each team.  The Tigers’ record at Mollencopf Stadium during that time is 2-5, with the last win coming in 2013 by the score of 35-14. Massillon’s wins there have been by an average of 21 points, whereas the losses have been by an average of 7 points.  This year Warren appears to be favoring the ground attack, as they possess two pretty good running backs who operate behind a big offensive line.  However, in the passing department, they are still searching for an identify, alternating two quarterbacks and occasionally running the Wildcat.  Against Canton McKinley, the Raiders aligned their defense in a 4-3 with a cover-4 secondary. Although the skill level here is decent, the defense has many new players from last year.  But they do return a pair of good ones in safety Jalen Hooks (6′-1″, 190 lb. Sr.) and defensive tackle Kaprice Sledge (5’11”, 325 lb. Jr.).  Hooks has received several D1 offers. Warren has only played one game so far and has had two weeks to prepare for the Massillon invasion.  So Coach Moore doesn’t know what Warren will bring.  But he also said an early season bye does not necessarily provide an advantage.  He emphasized that you need to play games in order to improve.– DE

After two weeks of competition only 5 of the 27 teams in Division 2, Region 7 are still unbeaten, attesting to the weakness of the region.  Those five are Columbus Northland, Columbus Walnut Ridge, North Canton, Boardman and Columbus Briggs.  The big surprise was Westerville South, a 50-14 victor over Dublin Scioto in Week 1.  Last Friday South lost to a resurging Gahanna Lincoln team, 34-0.  Other highlights included Lake losing to Dover, Ashland losing to Clyde, and Wooster and Dublin Scioto both starting out 0-2.  I know it’s early, but the current teams to keep an eye on are Massillon, North Canton, Boardman, New Albany and LIcking Heights.  Others in the hunt include Ashland, Lake, Worthington Kilbourne and Westerville South.  Once again, there may be several teams qualifying with just six wins.  And there may just be two Columbus City teams qualifying.  Games of interest this week include Massillon (1-1) vs. Warren Harding (1-1), Boardman (2-0) vs. Jackson (2-0), New Albany (1-1) vs. Licking Heights (1-1), Westerville South (1-1) vs. Hilliard Darby (1-1), and Lake (1-1) vs. Copley (1-1).  More as the season goes along. – DE

I have been asked why there are “Team” statistics in the game stats. There are several reasons for this. The most common is when a quarterback “takes a knee” after the snap from center. The loss that results is recorded as a “Team” rush and and the lost yards are charged to “Team”. Another reason you will see “Team” yardage is on a wild pass from center where there is a loss of yards. However, If after a wild pass from center the ball is picked up and a yardage gain is the result, the play is recorded as the if the wild pass from center did not occur. On an unblocked punt the entry is similar. If in the opinion of the scorer an improperly centered ball prevents the punter from carrying out his assignment the resulting loss is recorded as a “Team” loss. If the punter is able to recover the ball and punt, but the ball goes for a loss or out of bounds the punt is recorded as a “Team” punt. If the center snap is proper and it the judgment of the scorer the punter miss handles the ball the result of the rush or pass or kick is charged to the punter. — JB