Category: <span>History</span>

Homer C. Floyd – Destined To Become a Difference…

Homer Floyd was destined to become a difference maker capable of drawing harmony out of discord.  “In some respects I was a community project,” Floyd recalled. “My mother was ill a lot. I Iived on the Hill, I lived on Tremont Street, I lived with the Toles family in a foster home and I lived with Mrs. Dandridge. I had a lot of people touch my life in a variety of ways. I think all for the good.” (1). “Massillon helped me to get my start,” he said. “I was fortunate for the people involved in my life; they were all nice. Massillon was always nice to me and made certain I got the things I needed to be successful.”

Homer Floyd – 1954

Homer played running back and defensive back for the Tigers from 1952 to 1954.  His championship career started in 1950 when he was a player on the Jones Junior High Undefeated City Championship Team. In his three years playing for the Tigers Massillon was 29-1, beating McKinley all three years.   In 1952 and 1953 under Coach Chuck Mather the Tigers were 10-0 both years, capturing the Ohio State Championship and National Championship each year. In his senior year the team suffered their only defeat in Homer’s three years: a loss at Alliance, 19-7. “Homer Floyd looked like a thoroughbred,” said Coach Tom Harp. “He just bounced when he walked – it was like twinkle-toes or something. Nice looking, streamlined kid. Didn’t weigh much, 155 pounds. Could run like the wind, cut on a dime.” (1)

In his junior year Homer led his team with 78 rushing points and was second in total points with 84. He was named All-County and Honorable Mention All-Ohio. As a senior and Tiger Co-Captain in 1954 under Coach Harp, Homer had an incredible year. He set a school record with a 103-yard pass interception return for a touchdown against Barberton. He was No. 1 in rushing touchdown points with 84, and No. 1 in total points with 104. That year he rushed for 1372 yards with an 8.9 avg. per carry.  Verses McKinley that year, he rushed for 263 yards on 28 carries and scored two touchdowns.  The 263 yards was an all-time single game record and all-time single game vs. McKinley record that stood for 37 years until Travis McGuire rushed for 302 yards against McKinley in 1991.  Homer was Stark County Player of the Year and First Team All-Ohio running back in 1954. Currently Homer ranks fourth in Single Game Rushing All-Time and third in Single Game Rushing All-Time vs. McKinley, having just been passed in both categories by Jamir Thomas in 2018.

ON TO KANSAS

Homer joined former Massillon coach Chuck Mather at the University of Kansas in 1955 after receiving scholarship offers from an estimated 50 schools, including Woody Hayes from Ohio State. But life would be different in Lawrence Kansas. He faced personal rejections. “You and your wife cannot live here,” they said. “You cannot eat here.”  In the theaters African-Americans had to sit in the balcony. Only two of the three theaters in Lawrence had balconies. Homer would use these life experiences to make the world a better place.

Homer was the best football player at Kansas and at the same time Wilt Chamberlain was the best basketball player at Kansas.  From 1956-1958 Homer lettered all three years. He led his team in rushing those three years and led his team in tackles two out of three years. Homer was also Big 8 All-Conference at Kansas in 1958. In his final home game he scored two touchdowns against rival Nebraska for a 29 – 7 victory. It was the biggest margin of victory in the two team’s 66-game series.

During a 1957 game against TCU in Fort Worth Texas, the African -American players had to stay at a different hotel.  Homer shared that on one hand this was a very negative situation, but on the other hand it was a motivating factor in the sense that Chancellor Murphy got promises that it would never happen again. Homer said, “Our coach, Chuck Mather, was very much in the forefront of leading fights for African-Americans and Chancellor Franklin D. Murphy as well. Chancellor Murphy took it up himself to try to correct any issues that came up.”

In October of 2018 Homer shared this story.  In the 1890s Kansas had African-American players on the team. But because of a lawsuit African-American players were not allowed to play football.  No African-American played football for Kansas in the 1900s until John Francisco and John Traylor both from Massillon joined their former Massillon coach Chuck Mather in 1954. It was a year later that Homer Floyd joined the team.  In 1958 Homer enjoyed one of his proudest moments.  He was voted by the players to be co-captain of the team which including himself had only six African-American players. For him to be accepted by his teammates continues to be one of his fondest memories. He shared that many of his white teammates had never been around African-American players. This meant a great deal to Homer. He called his experience at Kansas “Terrific, Absolutely.”

1956 Kansas Jayhawks

WITH Permission of the University of Kansas Libraries

After Kansas Homer would play a year of Pro Football for the Canadian Football League Edmonton Eskimos in 1959 after being cut by the Cleveland Browns coach Paul Brown. “That (getting cut) could have been a blessing in disguise because I went on to have a successful career in other areas,” Floyd said. He realized that there was life after football.

CIVIL RIGHTS

Homer Floyd has been involved in civil rights for 50 years dealing with racial segregation, school integration, equal pay for women, and the resurgence of hate groups.  It was January 19, 1968 when Mr. Floyd, who was Executive Director of the Kansas Commission on Civil Rights, shared the stage with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This would be Dr. King’s last speech to a college audience.  When Dr. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968; found in his coat pocket was note with the name Homer C. Floyd written on it.

On the Washington High School Distinguished Citizen Plague in Massillon, Ohio — it reads:

  • 2013
  • Homer C. Floyd
  • Athletics/Civil Rights
  • Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (civil rights enforcement agency) 1970 – 2011
  • Settled and/or litigated landmark race and sex discrimination cases in the 70’s and 80’s which opened up opportunities for minorities and women in employment, housing, public accommodations, education.
  • Settled numerous cases for persons with disabilities, including a 6.4 million dollar case in the 80’s that improved access to public places statewide.
  • Precedence setting race cases in housing involving predatory lending and modification of housing for persons with disabilities.
  • From June 1999 to 2011 led the processing and resolution of approximately 55,000 cases resulting in benefits (directly or indirectly) to over 8,000,000 individuals, including $121,000,000 in financial award.
  • Executive Director of the Kansas Commission on Civil Rights 1966 – 1970, the Omaha Human Relations Board 1965 – 1966, and the Topeka Human Relations Commission 1964 – 1965.
  • Served as a Consultant to U.S. Commission on Civil Rights 1966 – 1970.
  • Consultant to U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 1965.
  • Consultant to the Government of the Virgin Islands (Labor Dept.) 1980’s.
  • Received numerous awards in Civil Rights, including New Pittsburgh Courier (newspaper) Top Hat Award 1970, Outstanding Service Award PA. State NAACP 1979, and 2010.
  • Distinguished Pennsylvanian Award by William Penn Committee 1981: IAOHRA Presidents award for outstanding Service 1987, 1993 and 2010: Pa House of Representatives Distinguished Service 2011: the Pa. Senate for Distinguished Service 2010; Talk Magazine Person of the Year 2008; Central Pa Martin Luther King Center ‘Keeper of the Dream Award 2012.”
  • U. S. Post Office Legacy Award 2004.
  • U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Outstanding Achievement Award 1999 and 2002.
  • Pa. State System of Higher Education Cornerstone of Excellence Award 2008.

EDUCATION

Washington High School (1955); B. S. University of Kansas (1961)

picture on the citizens award

 

In addition Mr. Floyd has done additional work at Fisk University and Washburn University.

Mr. Floyd retired January 2011 after 41 years as Director of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. He was honored by The University of Kansas, his alma mater’s Black Alumni Chapter’s African-American Leaders and Innovators Project.

On Mr. Floyd’s 80th birthday he was honored as the “Dean of Civil Rights in Pennsylvania” by the Martin Luther King Leadership Development Institute.

In October of 2018 Mr. Floyd was asked “after your distinguished career what thought or idea would you like to leave with the community of Massillon?”

His answer was profound.  “Access.  Access for the young people.  Access of information, access of people, access of life.”

People from Massillon and Stark County recognize Homer Floyd as a Massillon Tiger Football Hero. But better said – more accurately – Mr. Homer C. Floyd is a true American Hero who happened to be from Massillon and played football for the Tigers.

Mr. Floyd’s Hall of Fame Inductions include:

  • Stark County High School Football Hall of Fame, 2007
  • Massillon, Ohio Washington High School Wall of Champions, 2012
  • Massillon, Ohio Washington High School Distinguished Citizen, 2013
  • The University of Kansas K Club Once a Jayhawk, Always a Jayhawk, 2015
  • Massillon, Ohio Washington High School Tiger Hall of Fame, 2018

Written by Mike Riordan
Special Thank You to Mr. Homer Floyd
Contributors Ed Grier, Brock Herring, Gary Vogt, Linda Sasavicz

(1) Massillon Memories by Scott H. Shook

** Massillon Players in the 1956 Team Photo with Coach Chuck Mather

# 80 Bruce Brenner
# 33 Homer Floyd
# 43 John Francisco
# 63 Bob Kraus
# 71 Frank Gibson
# 32 Ray Lane
# 84 Jim Letcavits
# 45 Ernie Russell
# 22 John Traylor

2018: Massillon 41, Cincinnati Winton Woods 20

Massillon tops Winton Woods, heading to Division II title game

Nov 23, 2018 10:54 PM

GAHANNA Massillon faced an early deficit. It faced a second-half comeback. It faced injury to one of its best players.

Now, the Tigers will face three-time state champion Archbishop Hoban for the Division II state championship.

Massillon earned its first trip to the title game since 2005 thanks to a 41-20 victory over Winton Woods on Friday night at Gahanna’s Wilbur C. Strait Stadium. It is the Tigers’ fourth title-game appearance, and first in Division II.

“I’m really proud of our guys,” said Massillon coach Nate Moore, whose team scored 26 straight points in the second and third quarters to rally from a 10-0 deficit and improved to 14-0 while setting a school record for wins in a season. “They played a whale of a ballgame against a great football team. I’m really proud of them.

The Tigers will lock horns against the 14-0 Knights on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. To get there though, Massillon had to exert a bit of revenge on a nemesis from its recent past.

A year ago, Winton Woods overcame a 21-0 Tiger lead in the first half scored the final 56 points to win going away. A year later, the Warriors were the ones who were in possession of the early lead, only to see Massillon roar from behind.

“We’ve been waiting for them all season,” said cornerback Max Turner, whose 38-yard interception return for a touchdown with 21 seconds left in the first half capped a 19-0 Tiger second-quarter run. “I’m talking in the weight room, off-season, 15-for-15 was all for Winton Woods. We knew what it is.”

That didn’t mean Massillon wasn’t in for a little bit of early adversity.

Winton Woods led 10-0 after the first quarter thanks to a 36-yard Yeri Velasquez field goal and a 3-yard Miyan Williams rushing touchdown. The Tigers, meanwhile, had just two first downs and 39 total yards of offense in that same time.

“Just keep playing ball,” Moore said of his message to the team. “Just keep playing football. Keep playing football.”

Jamir Thomas would put Massillon on the board with a 15-yard touchdown run two minutes into the second quarter at 10-7. He would added a 1-yard run with 40 seconds left in the half to give the Tigers the lead for good at 13-10.

Thomas, who would leave the game late in the third quarter with an injury, ran for 83 yards on 12 carries.

Massillon would turn momentum totally on its side just 19 seconds later, when Turner’s pick-six provided it a 19-10 halftime lead. That lead would grow to 26-10 less than a minute into the third quarter when Aidan Longwell hit Tre’Von Morgan for a 58-yard touchdown.

Longwell finished 14-of-27 for 210 yards with one touchdown and one interception. That interception, with Massillon leading 26-13 in the third quarter, was the only crack Winton Woods could find to attempt to get back in the game.

After the pick, the Warriors faced a 3rd-and-29 from their own 24. MiChale Wingfield hit Williams on a screen pass for 75 yard to the Massillon 1.

On the next play, Williams scored his second touchdown of the night to pull Winton Woods within 26-20. Williams, who rushed for 2,742 yards over the first 13 games, finished with 82 rushing yards on 20 carries.

“I thought they did a great job,” Massillon defensive coordinator Craig McConnell said of the defense against Williams. “Honestly, our plan was, if we stop 28 (Williams), we win. I wouldn’t use the words that we stopped him, but limited him. He’s going to make his plays. He’s a great football player.”

With the Tigers’ own All-Ohio running back, Thomas, sidelined for the final quarter, the ball went to junior Zion Phifer. Phifer didn’t disappoint.

“I did it for the seniors,” said Phifer, who gained 76 of his 82 yards on 15 fourth-quarter carries. “When Jamir went down, we had no one else to come up but me. So I did it for me team.”

Phifer’s 13-yard run on the second play of the fourth quarter gave Massillon a two-score lead again at 34-20 after Longwell hit Dean Clark for a two-point conversion. His 1-yard run with 1:34 remaining in the game gave the Tigers a 41-20 lead.

A 21-point lead which Massillon rode into the Division II state championship game.

GAME STATS

Reach Chris at 330-775-1128 or chris.easterling@indeonline.com

On Twitter: @ceasterlingINDE

2018: Massillon 41, Wadsworth 19

Kickoff return keys Massillon’s return to the state semifinals
Nov 16, 2018 10:39 PM
Chris Easterling

NORTH CANTON Massillon was looking for something to help it get a little separation.

Almost two full quarters into Friday night’s Division II Region 7 championship game against Wadsworth, the Tigers were locked in a tie game. Every time they would seem to grab a bit of momentum, the Grizzlies had the answer.

That is, until the final three-plus minutes of the first half. That’s when Massillon grabbed the separation it needed to send it to its second consecutive regional championship with 41-19 victory in front of a capacity crowd at North Canton Memorial Stadium.

“I knew it was a big key in the game,” said senior Kyshad Mack, whose 82-yard kickoff return with 3:12 remaining in the first half gave the Tigers the lead for good at 17-10. “I went out and made a play for my brothers.”

Mack’s kickoff return was one of two Tiger touchdowns in the final 3:12 of the half. The other was a 12-yard Aidan Longwell-to-Jamir Thomas’ scoring pass with 17 seconds remaining, giving Massillon a 24-10 halftime lead.

The Grizzlies, who bow out at 12-1, would get no closer than 12 the remainder of the game. The Tigers, meanwhile, would use Mack’s return to key a 31-9 game-ending burst.

“The kickoff return was huge,” said Massillon coach Nate Moore, whose team now has the best start in school history at 13-0. “Then, to drive down the field and get a score there to push it to two scores there was big.”

Massillon’s state-semifinal matchup won’t be official until the Ohio High School Athletic Association announces it on Sunday afternoon. However, based upon the results of Friday’s Division II regional finals, it sets up the extreme likelihood of two rematches from a year ago in the final four, with the Tigers facing Winton Woods and three-time state champion Hoban meeting Avon.

Moore, whose team tied the 2005 state runner-up team for most wins in school history, wasn’t prepared to focus too much on the next opponent.

“I have a feeling how it’s going to go,” said Moore, whose team lost to the Warriors in last year’s state semifinals. “I think we’re going to have to wait and see what the OHSAA decides.”

With just under four minutes left in the first half on Friday, Massillon couldn’t afford to look ahead to the state semifinals. At that point in time, it was just trying to shake a very good Wadsworth team.

Massillon took leads of 7-0 and 10-7 in the first half thanks to a 53-yard Longwell-to-Jayden Ballard touchdown pass and a 32-yard Alex Bauer field goal. Wadsworth, though, would get a Trey Shaffer-to-Tyler Montgomery 20-yard pass and a 25-yard Blake Turano field goal to twice square the game.

Wadsworth finished the game with 394 total yards, the second-highest total of the season against Massillon. That included 244 rushing yards, 109 of those by Dom Loparo.

Brock Snowball added 91 yards on the ground for the Grizzlies.

Wadsworth, though, couldn’t get the game tied for a third time. After Mack’s return, the Tigers tried a pooch kick which they recovered, but were called for illegal touching to give Wadsworth the ball at the Massillon 46.

Four plays later, the Grizzlies faced a fourth-and-6 from the Tiger 9 and attempted a field goal. The kick fell short, giving Massillon the football back at its 20.

Ten plays later, the Tigers – who had 403 total yards – had the two-score lead it wouldn’t relinquish. Compounding the issue for Wadsworth was the fact its first second-half possession was stopped on downs at the Massillon 1.

“That was the plan,” Wadsworth coach Justin Todd said of making it a one-score game out of the half. “That’s what we needed to do. We needed to come out in the second half and we had to score. Unfortunately, we didn’t punch it in.”

The Grizzlies would get a safety on the subsequent play after the goal-line stand to pull within 24-12. However, their next drive was snuffed out by a Dean Clark interception at the Massillon 22.

The Tigers would turn their next two possessions into points, essentially removing all doubt. They would get a 33-yard Bauer field goal for a 27-12 lead, followed by a 24-yard Longwell-to-Clark pass for a 34-12 edge.

Longwell, who missed the last three quarters of the regional-semifinal win over Whitehall-Yearling with an injury to his non-throwing shoulder, showed no ill effects. The junior was 17-of-25 for a career-high 306 yards with four touchdowns.

“He played pretty well,” Moore said of Longwell. “He made a lot of good decisions out there and threw a lot of good balls. I’m proud of him.

GAME STATS

Reach Chris at 330-775-1128 or chris.easterling@indeonline.com.

On Twitter: @ceasterlingINDE

Massillon Tigers Letter Logo

Booster Club Report – Week 13

Scores from last week:

  • Varsity defeated Columbus Whitehall-Yearling, 35-17

This week’s schedule:

  • Friday – Varsity vs. Wadsworth (12-0) at North Canton Hoover Stadium, 7:00 pm

For the first time since 1982 the Tigers have fashioned a 12-0 record and are now tied for second place for all-time wins.  A victory this week would tie the 13-win seasion posted by the 2005 team.  Both the 1982 and 2005 teams played for the state title.  This week Massillon is aiming to win back-to-back regional championships.  This feat has never before been accomplished by the Tigers.

The guest players were Aidan Longwell (quarterback) and Dean Clark (defensive back / wide receiver).  Asked about the performance of the backup quarterback in last Friday’s game, Longwell said, “Zach Controne really stepped it up.  We had a great game.  The defense played really well.”  “It was a great team win,” added Clark.  “Defensively we can play better.”  He said that the defense’s goal this week is to not allow any points.

Massillon head coach Nate Moore reviewed the film from the Whitehall game and then quickly turned his attention to this week’s opponent, undefeated Wadsworth.  The Grizzlies have won 24 of their last 25 games and were champions this year of the Suburban League large school division, beating such teams as 3-7 Hudson (35-13), 9-1 Nordonia (35-25) and 5-5 Stow (48-21).  They also own a pair of wins over playoff participant Wooster, 37-31 in the regular season and 42-38 in the post season.  Last week they beat a very good defensive team in Tri-Valley 13-3, overcoming a 3-0 halftime deficit.  The Grizzlies average 39 points per game and give up 16.  Six of their opponents were held to a touchdown or less.  “This is a good football team,” said Moore.

Defensively, Wadsworth is similar to Canton GlenOak in that both align in a 3-3 odd stack.  Of course, the Grizzlies appear on film to play it much better.  The secondary alignment will vary throughout the game.  They are not a great blitzing team, but will bring it at times.  They play very aggressively.  Linebackers senior Mason McMillen (6′-0″, 210 lbs.) and junior Jack Grice (6′-0″, 215 lbs.) are their best players on this side of the ball.  McMillon has 139 tackles including 22 for loss, 9 sacks and an interception.  Grice has 104 tackles with 17.5 for loss, 6.5 sacks and a pair of interceptions.  Senior safety Jake Herbert (5′-10″, 166 lbs.) has 10 interceptions.  The defensive line, anchored by 303 lbs. nose tackle Cole Lamp, averages 6′-0″, 243 lbs. “It’s a tall task for us,” said Moore.

Guest coach Craig McConnell addressed the Wadsworth offense.  With a 70:30 run/pass ratio, watch for lots of formations to spring open a pair of really good running backs.  Senior Brock Snowball (6′-2″, 211 lbs.) has 1,116 yards (6.4 yds/carry) with 11 touchdowns and junior Dominic Loparo (5′-9″, 175 lbs.) has 1,075 yards (8.3 yds/carry) with 16 touchdowns.  Both are downhill, hard-running, physical players that have a knack for finding open holes.  Junior quarterback Trey Shaffer (6′-1″, 181 lbs.) has passed for 2,236 yards with a 71% completion percentage and makes good decisions according to McConnell.  He has 21 touchdowns and 9 interceptions.  While not considered a dominant runner, he is allusive in the backfield and knows when to throw the ball away to avoid a sack.  The receivers are good, but not great.  However, McConnell says they catch the ball well and know how to find the holes in zone defenses.  The offensive line goes 6′-0″, 250 lbs.

There are no full-time 2-way players.

Go Tigers.

 

2018: Massillon 35, Columbus Whitehall-Yearling 17

Massillon overcomes injury, Whitehall-Yearling, to reach regional final
Nov 09, 2018 10:38 PM
Chris Easterling

MANSFIELD If it could go wrong for Massillon, it went wrong on Friday night.

An injury to starting quarterback Aidan Longwell. Multiple turnovers. Flags galore.

Yet, when it was all over, the Tigers’ state-championship dreams remained intact, as they held off Whitehall-Yearling 35-17 in a Division II Region 7 semifinal at Mansfield’s Arlin Field.

“All through the offseason, our coaches preached coming through adversity,” said Massillon senior Dean Clark, who will join his teammates in a regional final against Wadsworth next Friday at a site to be announced this weekend. “We’ve been going through adversity this whole season, the whole year. We were prepared for it.”

The adversity started on the next-to-last play of the first quarter, when Longwell – who had given Massillon a 7-0 lead on its first play, a 70-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Ballard – suffered an injury while attempting to score from the Ram 1. To add a certain insult to the injury, the official ruled an inadvertent whistle on the play, negating what possibly could’ve been a 99-yard fumble return by Whitehall for a score.

Enter sophomore Zach Catrone, who would lead the Tigers through the final three quarter. Catrone finished 16-of-24 for 177 yards with three touchdown passes and an interception.

“(Catrone’s) done a great job all year,” said Massillon coach Nate Moore, whose team matched the 1982 team for best start to a season at 12-0. “He led our JV team to an undefeated record. We have a lot confidence with him going in. We’re real proud of his performance.”

That performance included a 15-yard touchdown pass to Tre’Von Morgan right before halftime to give Massillon a 17-9 lead. Catrone also hit Ballard for a 55-yard touchdown with 5:07 remaining in the third quarter to give the Tigers the lead for good at 23-17.

Catrone would hit Morgan for a 9-yard strike with 42 seconds left to provide the final margin. The officials would call the game after that score when Whitehall was flagged for multiple unsportsmanlike penalties on the subsequent point-after try.

The entire Ram bench emptied onto the field after the play. After a lengthy conference, the officials ended the game, which was marred by multiple personal fouls on both sides.

“We came out and played hard,” Moore said. “We certainly weren’t perfect, none of us. Just played hard and got the win.”

Massillon would be flagged 12 times total in the game for 104 penalty yards. Whitehall was hit with seven flags for 63 yards.

It was Tiger turnover, though, which helped open the door for the Rams. Massillon had three giveaways on the night, compared to just one takeaway, a Luke Murphy interception with just over two minutes remaining.

The biggest of those Tiger turnovers came on the second play of the second half. A bad snap was picked up by Whitehall’s Sir-Blake Singleton and returned for a touchdown.

Raymell Byrd’s two-point conversion run would help the Rams, who never led in the game, pull even at 17-17.

That would be the only time Whitehall was able to get the game even after Massillon took the lead on its first play from scrimmage. The Rams would pull within 10-9 on Christian Gordon’s 64-yard catch-and-run off a Byrd pass, but the tying conversion failed due to a bad snap.

Whitehall would finish with 191 yards, 101 of those through the air. Byrd, the Rams’ leading rusher, finished with 52 yards on 11 carries.

Massillon would put the game away by bowing up on defense and running the football in the fourth quarter. The Tigers twice kept Whitehall from scoring over the final 12 minutes despite reaching their side of the 50.

Meanwhile, Massillon would run the ball on 15 of its final 16 plays. That included a 15-yard touchdown run by Jamir Thomas with 5:45 remaining to put the Tigers up 29-17.

“It was huge, huge,” Moore said. “It pushed it to a two-score game. That was huge, especially after the blocked extra point.”

Thomas finished with 136 yards on 16 carries for Massillon.

GAME STATS

Reach Chris at 330-775-1128 or chris.easterling@indeonline.com.

On Twitter: @ceasterlingINDE

Obie Logo (Large)

Seven Tiger Players Named WHBC All-County

WHBC will hold their annual awards banquet on Thursday, November 15, at which time their Stark County All-Star team will be announced.  Unlike most all-star teams, this one is voted on by the area coaches.  This year’s honorees from Massillon include Jamir Thomas, Tre’von Morgan, Dean Clark, Aidan Longwell, Deon Williams, Kyshad Mack and Justin Gaddis.  There are certainly others off of this year’s undefeated team deserving of the award, but I guess you can’t select the whole group.  The county MVP and coach of the year will be announced at the banquet.

Jamir Thomas – Running Back.  It was a record-setting year for Thomas as he eclipsed Art Hastings’ mark for total career yards and Bob Glass’ mark for career touchdowns, and he continues to add to his record for career carries.  Through eleven games, Jamir has rushed 207 times for 1,602 yards, an average of 7.7 yards per carry.  In ten of those contests he rushed for 100+ yards.  But the 6′-1″, 215 lbs. Thomas is not limited to just offense, as he also sees time at linebacker.  On that side of the ball, Jamir has recorded 9 solo tackles and 5 assists, and has put great pressure on opposing quarterbacks with his blitzing, including a key 4th quarter stop against East St. Louis, IL.  Thomas has several D1 offers.

Tre’von Morgan – Wide Receiver.  Morgan has had a breakout year at his position with 27 receptions for 502 yards and nine touchdowns.  His longest catch was 72 yards, coming against Sun Valley, PA.  Tre’von also returns punts and is a member of the kickoff team.  Occasionally he finds himself at outside linebacker, where he has eight tackles and a pair of assists.  The 6′-6″ Morgan has several D1 offers.

Dean Clark – Defensive Back.  A Kent State commit, Clark is the quarterback of the Tigers’ outstanding defensive secondary, calling the alignments based on the many different offensive receiver formations.  Through eleven games, Dean is fourth on the team in tackles with 27 solos and 20 assists.  He also has one pass interception, nine pass breakups and eight passes defended.  With spot duty at receiver, Clark has caught three passes for 45 yards and a touchdown.

Aidan Longwell – Quarterback.  Big things were expected from Longwell, this being his second year as a starter and he certainly has produced.  Aidan has completed 116 of 188 passes for 25 TDs with just eight interceptions.  He is also one of the most efficient quarterbacks to ever play for the Tigers, with a rating this  year of 179.7, second highest in the record book.  Aidan has rushed for three touchdowns, including a key score in the first round playoff game against Columbus Walnut Ridge.  Possessed with a rocket arm, the junior currently holds a scholarship from Kent State to play pitcher on the baseball team.

Deon Williams – Offensive Lineman.  Williams is a 3-year starter and has played regularly on both sides of the ball.  On offense he is a key blocker, opening up gaping holes for the running backs, while protecting the quarterback from edge blitzes.  On defense he has also been a stalwart, recording nine tackles and 16 assists.  Expect 261 lb. Williams, who has a scholarship offer from Malone University, to play somewhere at the next level.

Kyshad Mack – LInebacker.  Mack uses his outstanding speed and football prowess to own the wide side of any offense.  Through eleven games, he has recorded 12 solo tackles and 15 assists.  He also leads the team with four pass interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns.  Mack holds a scholarship offer from Malone University.

Justin Gaddis – Team Most Valuable Player.  Gaddis anchors a stellar offensive line that has propelled the team to an explosive running attack, while providing great protection for the quarterback.  To date, the offense has rushed for 240.1 yards per game at 6.6 yards per carry.  On many of these plays, while paying at the center position, Justin has called many of the blocking schemes.

Congratulations to all of these worthy Tigers.

2018: Massillon 45, Columbus Walnut Ridge 14

Massillon pulls away in fourth to bury Walnut Ridge
Nov 02, 2018 10:35 PM

MASSILLON Kameron Simpson took the pass out of the air and took off running. By the time the senior linebacker crossed the goal line, he and his Massillon teammates were well on their way to Week 12.

That doesn’t mean Week 11 was as easy as Simpson’s 45-yard, game-sealing interception return for a touchdown on Friday. Yet, because of the Tigers’ ability to dominate the fourth quarter, they were able to pull away for a 45-14 Division II Region 7 quarterfinal win over Columbus Walnut Ridge at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

“They say Week 11 is the toughest bump,” said Simpson, whose pick-6 with 19 seconds left assured Massillon its seventh running-clock finish in 11 games. “So, to go out here and grind it out with my brothers, and for all of us to do our jobs and keep it going, it’s a great feeling. Four more weeks until Week 15. We plan on winning it all.”

The Tigers, who are 11-0 for the first time since 1982, will continue their quest to “win it all” in a regional semifinal contest next week against No. 5-seeded Columbus Whitehall-Yearling at a site to be announced by the Ohio High School Athletic Association on Sunday. The Rams, 10-1 on the season, upset No. 4-seeded Dover 38-31 in another opening-round game on Friday.

Massillon, the region’s No. 1 seed, made sure it wasn’t a third top-four seed in the Region 7 to suffer a setback thanks to a 28-0 run over the final 16:24 of the game. That includes a 21-0 fourth-quarter burst which started with an Aidan Longwell 2-yard run on the first play of the quarter, and ended with Simspon’s touchdown return on its next-to-last play.

The Tigers only held a 112-90 edge in fourth-quarter yards, as they finished with 351 total yards to the Scots’ 256. However, Massillon’s 3-0 edge in scores was more than enough.

“We found a way to get the win,” Tigers coach Nate Moore said. “I’m proud of the guys for grinding it out. It wasn’t pretty, but we’ll certainly take it.”

Massillon won on a night where its vaunted running game was held to 134 yards on 34 rushing attempts, the second-fewest yards in a game this season (Louisville, 123 yards). Leading rushing Jamir Thomas was held to just 40 yards on 17 carries, although it was his 1-yard run with 4:24 remaining in the third quarter which started the Tigers’ game-ending run.

Zion Phifer led Massillon, which was held to a 3-0 lead in the first quarter, with 85 yards on 13 carries. Phifer gave the Tigers the lead for good at 10-7 on an 8-yard run with 6:03 left in the second quarter.

“You have to give credit to those guys,” Moore said of Walnut Ridge, which led 7-3 early in the second quarter on a blocked punt it recovered in the end zone. “They’re fired up on defense. They were playing really, really hard. They were giving us some shifts and some overloads and what-not.”

Massillon’s passing game came through to pick up the slack for the running game. Longwell completed 21-of-33 passes for 216 yards, including an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Ballard with 2:47 remaining for a 38-14 lead.

The gaps were filled in by the Tiger defense, which held Walnut Ridge to just 27 rushing yards, which was 194 yards below its season average. The Scots did throw for 229 yards, 56 of those on a Isaiah Murphy-to-Qian Magwood touchdown which pulled them to within 17-14 with 9:04 left in the third.

Massillon, though, countered Walnut Ridge’s one touchdown pass with two interception returns for touchdowns. Kyshad Mack gave the Tigers a 17-7 lead with 5:48 left in the first half on a 36-yard pick-6.

“The defense played well,” Moore said. “We put them in some bad spots. They bowed up and got some stops. I’m really proud of them for that.”

GAME STATS

Reach Chris at 330-775-1128 or chris.easterling@indeonline.com.

On Twitter: @ceasterlingINDE

Massillon vs. McK - Throwback (Large)

2018: Massillon 24, Canton McKinley 17

Massillon edges McKinley 24-17 in 129th meeting of rivals
Oct 27, 2018 7:30 PM
Josh Weir
Canton Repository

MASSILLON While his teammates whooped it up Saturday at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, Massillon senior Jamir Thomas shed tears as he hugged his family.

Why this emotion in a time of celebration?

“Because this is the last Massillon-McKinley game I ever get to be a part of,” Thomas said.

He made the most of it.

Thomas ran for a career-high 269 yards to key Massillon’s 24-17 win against McKinley in the 129th meeting between the rivals.

A near-capacity crowd watched the Tigers hammer the ball on the ground on a rainy, cold afternoon. Fifty-three times Massillon ran it, with Thomas carrying it 35 times and scoring twice.

After Thomas did most of the heavy lifting to get Massillon down the field, it was junior Zion Phifer punching the ball into the end zone on a 1-yard run with 5:55 left to break a 17-17 tie.

McKinley went three-and-out on its ensuing possession, which turned out to be its final possession. Massillon ran the ball 11 straight times to eat up the final 4:52 of clock and complete the program’s first 10-0 regular season since 1999.

“It’s just playing like Tigers, which means playing hard, playing with discipline, playing with great effort, and doing that for eight months,” Massillon head coach Nate Moore said.

Phifer added 67 yards on 15 carries as the Tigers attempted only eight passes all afternoon. Massillon has won three straight and seven out of the last eight in the series against McKinley.

“We came out here expecting to pound the ball,” Thomas said. “I mean, they knew our plays. They were calling out our plays from their sideline. So we really just had to execute. That’s what we did.”
OHSAA playoff pairings will be announced Sunday, but it appears Massillon will host Columbus Walnut Ridge next week in Division II, Region 7, while McKinley will go to Solon in Division I, Region 1.

Down 17-10 at halftime, McKinley’s Kris Hunter recovered a pooch kick that Jayden Ballard couldn’t collect. Nine plays later, quarterback Alijah Curtis fought off at least three tackles before just breaking the plane of the goal line on a 4-yard TD run before the ball popped loose.

The game was tied and the Bulldogs had life. Soon Massillon was sucking it away.

McKinley ran seven offensive plays over the final 19:54 of game clock thanks to Massillon’s punishing run game.

“It was a quick second half,” McKinley head coach Dan Reardon said. “We’ve got to do a better job of getting them stopped. We had a couple of opportunities.”

Entering Saturday, only one of Massillon’s nine wins had come by less than 28. If the Tigers needed a test, they got it from McKinley.

Lameir Garrett ran for 104 yards on 19 carries to lead the Bulldogs. He added a 15-yard touchdown on a throwback screen in the first quarter that had McKinley up 7-3.

Curtis completed 7 of 13 passes for 90 yards and one interception as the Bulldogs dropped their second straight game after beginning the season 8-0.

“I thought our kids did a lot of good things,” Reardon said. “Rivalry games, big games, this game, everything is magnified. A missed tackle is magnified. A misalignment is magnified. A misread. Ultimately, they made more plays than we did.

“… I’m very proud of our kids. Our kids this year have done a tremendous job of getting so much better over the course of the year. The team we are today is a thousand times better than 10 or 12 weeks ago.”

Facing a fourth-and-6 at their own 37 on the first play of the fourth quarter, McKinley ran a fake punt. The play’s timing seemed to be disrupted and Matthew Reardon’s pass was picked off by Max Turner.

A Massillon unsportsmanlike penalty pushed the ball back to the Tigers’ 36, where it embarked on the game-winning drive. It included QB Aidan Longwell plowing forward to get a first down on fourth-and-1 from the 20.

“This game, it’s a slugfest,” Moore said. “It always is. Our kids stood tall.”

Tyree Broyles got an interception off a Kyshad Mack deflection in the second quarter to thwart any McKinley momentum after the Bulldogs got a turnover on downs. The Bulldogs finished with only 224 yards of offense.

Massillon junior nose tackle Emanuel McElroy was a force in the trenches. His stop of Garrett on third-and-goal from the 1 in the first quarter forced McKinley to settle for a 20-yard Ronald Pino field goal.

McElroy, a transfer from Tuslaw, is the son of former McKinley star Jamar Martin, creating an interesting dynamic for his family.

“It was nerve-wracking at first,” McElroy said. “I didn’t know what to expect, but I knew what I was going to do. Whether they came for McKinley or Massillon is whatever they feel. I’m going to keep doing what I do for my team and help us go 15-for-15.”

With a weapon such as Thomas, anything is possible for Massillon. The Canton native, a mix of power and speed, highlighted his final McKinley-Massillon game with 78- and 16-yard touchdown runs.

“It’s just unbelievable,” Thomas said. “I just love my team, man.”

GAME STATS

or josh.weir@cantonrep.com

On Twitter: @jweirREP

Massillon vs. McK - Throwback (Large)

History of the Massillon-McKinley Rivalry

Introduction

No high school football rivalry in the nation can claim the extraordinary tradition of Massillon vs. Canton.  The rivalry has festered for over 100 years.  It’s bigger than a family feud and it’s more intense than a street fight.  In fact, it’s almost akin to going to war.  And the success or failure of each team is often based on its outcome.

Dave Sheegog scores the winning touchdown in the 1964 Massillon-McKinley game.

Click here for the whole story

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo

2018: Massillon 41, Louisville 0

Focused Tigers shut down Leopards to stay undefeated
Oct 19, 2018 11:30 PM
Chris Easterling

LOUISVILLE Louisville made a point to let undefeated Massillon know it was on the field before the ball was even teed up on Friday night. The teams had to be separated after the Leopards ran up to the Tigers while the latter waited to take the field.

Once the ball was kicked off, Massillon made sure Louisville knew it was on the field. The Tigers scored four first-quarter touchdowns, while the defense dominated, to lead them to a 41-0 win over the Leopards in front of a standing-room-only crowd at Louisville Stadium.

“That really surprised me that that even happened before the game,” Massillon coach Nate Moore said. “We certainly responded well. We got out focus back and played hard.”

The win gives Massillon it’s first 9-0 start since 2005. However, the chance for the first Week 10 showdown between undefeated and untied Massillon and McKinley teams since that season – and sixth time ever – was thwarted when Perry knocked off the Bulldogs.

Still, the Tigers have a chance to post their first undefeated regular season since 1999 with a win over McKinley in next Saturday’s 129th edition of The Game at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

“It’s the biggest game in high school football,” Moore said. “It’s an honor to be a part of it.”

Part of a tradition to The Game is the worry both teams have about Week 9. A potential to peak ahead to the rivalry game always seems to exist, regardless of who the opponent they may be facing.

Any doubt that the Tigers would be looking past Friday’s game was erased when the Leopards made their pregame beeline toward Massillon. While the “scuffle” was more bark than bite by either team, it certainly ignited a fire under the Tigers.

Louisville coach John DeMarco declined to comment about the pregame incident, as well as the four first-half personal fouls his team committed. However, he acknowledged what he saw over the four quarters his team played against the Tigers supported everything he saw of them on film during the week.

“They played like I thought they could play,” said DeMarco, whose team was shut out for the first since since Austintown Fitch won 26-0 in Week 3 of the 2016 season. “They’re a very good team, a very complete team. They do a lot of different things well.”

While the offense has been one of the calling cards for Massillon this season, it was the defense which set the tone throughout the game. That started with the Tigers’ first score, a 24-yard interception return for a touchdown by Max Turner with 8:42 remaining in the first quarter.

Turner’s pick – his second in as many weeks which he returned for a score – was one of three for Massillon on the night. That includes back-to-back possessions in the first quarter, as Kyshad Mack picked off the first pass of the Leopards’ subsequent possession at the Louisville 33.

That set up Massillon’s first offensive score of the night, a 1-yard Aidan Longwell touchdown run to make it 14-0 with 5:38 left in the quarter. That was the first of three consecutive touchdown drives for the Tigers, with Longwell hitting Jayden Ballard for a 74-yard scoring strike to make it 21-0 with 1:56 left in the quarter, and Jamir Thomas scoring from a yard out to make it 28-0 one play into the second quarter.

Ballard would catch a 78-yard touchdown pass with 1:51 remaining in the first half to make it 34-0 Tigers. Thomas’ second 1-yard run made it 41-0 with 5:10 left in the third quarter.

Thomas rushed for 113 yards on 17 carries. Longwell completed 8-of-11 passes for 203 yards with two touchdowns and one pick.

It was, however, the Tiger defense which set the tone.

Massillon limited Louisville to just 145 total yards. Leopard quarterback Colton Jones, who had thrown for more than 800 yards in his team’s three-game win streak entering the game, was 17-of-34 passing for 143 yards.

Not only did the Tigers keep the potent Louisville passing game in check, it did so despite having their backs to the goal line on multiple first-half possessions. Massillon had three fourth-down stops in the first half, including back-to-back fourth-and-goals in the second quarter from its own 3.

“We got down there a couple of times and weren’t able to score,” DeMarco said. “That was a little frustrating. They had a lot to do with that.”

GAME STATS

Reach Chris at 330-775-1128 or chris.easterling@indeonline.com.

On Twitter: @ceasterlingINDE