History Archives - Page 17 of 142

2019: Massillon 42, Penn-Trafford, PA 21

September 21, 2019October 19, 2020
by Eric Smith

Record-setting night by Aidan Longwell helps Massillon top Penn-Trafford

Chris Easterling

Sep 20, 2019 11:00 PM

MASSILLON There was only record Aidan Longwell cared about as he walked off the Paul Brown Tiger Stadium turf on Friday night. That would be Massillon’s 4-0 record.

The Tigers, though, earned that record in part because of Longwell’s ability to set a new school career passing touchdown mark in their 42-21 victory over previously-undefeated Pennsylvania visitor Penn-Trafford.

“I think a lot of people are trying to pressure us into things this year,” the Massillon senior quarterback said. “We’re overcoming it. We’re just taking it one game at a time and we’re doing a great job of it right now.”

Longwell threw four touchdown passes in the victory, giving him 65 for his career. He broke the old mark of 63 set by Justin Zwick in 2000-01.

His record-tying 63rd career scoring pass, a 54-yard strike to Andrew Wilson-Lamp, gave Massillon a 28-14 lead with 4:10 remaining in the first half. His record-setting strike, an 8-yarder to Jayden Ballard in the front left corner of the end zone as time expired in the half, gave the Tigers a 35-21 halftime lead.

For the game, Longwell was 14-of-15 for 225 yards. He goes into next Friday’s home game against Firestone needing just 31 yards to break Kyle Kempt’s career passing record of 6,034 yards set from 2010-12.

“It’s special, especially at Massillon,” Longwell said of the record. “The quarterbacks and great players who have played here. I just have to give a great shout-out to my offensive line, present and past, and my receivers. Everybody’s kind of balled for me as part of this.”

Penn-Trafford was impressive in turning the game’s first drive into a methodical 17-play, 82-yard scoring drive that took the initial 9:38 off the clock. The Warriors converted all five third downs on the possession, including a 6-yard run by quarterback Gabe Dunlap to give them a 7-0 lead.

Dunlap would prove to be a handful all evening, gaining 90 of the Warriors’ 110 rushing yards, while throwing for 257 yards and two scores. He ran for two touchdowns and threw for another.

“He’s a field general,” said Penn-Trafford coach John Ruane, whose team falls to 4-1. “He’s an underrated football player. He continually makes plays for us in the passing game, and more importantly, in the run game sometimes. There’s a lot of times where it’s tough to get him down on the sack with one guy, and he kind of showed that tonight.”

The Warriors’ opening possession would be, by far, the longest scoring drive by either team over the duration of the first half. That is, until Massillon put together its half-ending 13-play, 74-yard drive to go up 35-21 at the break.

In between, the Tigers’ other four scoring drives went for a combined 15 plays. Penn-Trafford, meanwhile, scored its other two first-half scores on a combined seven plays.

In the second half, the only scoring drive was Massillon’s 13-play, 49-yard fourth-quarter march which ended with Longwell hitting Anthony Pedro on a 5-yard touchdown pass.

Massillon, which went scoreless in the first quarter for the first time this season, would score the game-tying touchdown on the first play off the second quarter on Zion Phifer’s 3-yard run. Then, one play after stopping the Warriors on a fourth-down play, Longwell and Ballard hooked up for a 30-yard touchdown pass to go in front 14-7 with 9:54 remaining in the first half.

The Tigers would lead 21-7 on Terrence Keyes’ 8-yard touchdown run with 7:32 remaining in the half. They would also open up 14-point first-half leads on Longwell’s record-tying and record-setting scoring passes at 28-14 and 35-21.

Penn-Trafford used a pair of big pass plays to stay within reach. A 64-yard catch-and-run by Ethan Carr on a fourth-down pass from Dunlap cut it to 21-14, while Mason Frye’s 77-yard catch set up Dunlap’s 3-yard run to make it 28-21 Tiger lead with 3:55 remaining in the half.

The Warriors, who had 253 yards at halftime, had just 114 yards in the final two quarters.

“We really did a good job, in a lot of ways, in the first half,” Massillon coach Nate Moore said of his defense. “We just had to make the plays that are there.”

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

On Twitter: @ceasterlingINDE

2019: Massillon 49, Warren Harding 7

September 13, 2019October 19, 2020
by Eric Smith

Start doesn’t slow down Massillon dominance at Warren

Chris Easterling

Sep 13, 2019 9:49 PM

WARREN It’s never about the start. It’s always about the finish.

Or, more importantly, it’s about the final score.

Massillon found itself in its first deficit of the season after Warren Harding turned a literal bad bounce on a punt eventually into a first-quarter touchdown on Friday night at Mollenkopf Stadium. However, by the time the Tigers went into the locker room for halftime, they had once again established control of things.

By the time Massillon got on the buses to head back to Stark County, it had put together its third consecutive win to open the season, this time a 49-7 victory over Warren Harding at Mollenkopf Stadium.

“We’ve been preparing ourselves for adversity since December, since January,” said senior Preston Hodges, whose 48-yard interception return with 39 seconds left in the half gave Massillon a 28-7 lead. “Since when we were in the offseason working out, grinding. We’re prepared for the adversity to hit us at any point. We just knew we had to bounce back.”

The game was called with 3:12 remaining as lightning began to flash around the stadium. At that point, it was all academic for the Tigers, who take a 3-0 record into next Friday’s home game against Penn-Trafford out of Monroeville, Pa.

All three of Massillon’s wins have been running-clock situations in the fourth quarter. Although it took the Tigers a moment to get up and running that way on Friday night.

“We faced some adversity and came through it,” said Massillon coach Nate Moore, whose team faced a 7-0 deficit after Warren turned a punt recovery into a 35-yard touchdown pass from Eliah Taylor to Ty Artis with 10:10 left in the first quarter. “So, I’m proud of the guys staying true to what got us here and to keep working. I thought we played well.”

Even after the quick Warren score, Massillon still needed to get its footing. However, it would turn to the defense first to get a stop to get the ball rolling.

Warren’s defense then forced a three-and-out on the Tigers’ first offensive possession. The Raiders would take the ball on a 14-play, 38-yard journey to the Massillon 33, but turned the ball over on down there.

That’s when the Tigers would catch fire. They would turn their next three possessions into touchdowns – two Zion Phifer runs and a 9-yard Aidan Longwell-to-Jayden Ballard pass – and a 21-7 lead, while their fourth would reach the Warren 20 before a sack and an incomplete pass on fourth down halted the march.

That proved to be no real problem for Massillon, as Hodges stepped in front of a Warren pass at the Raider 48 and raced all the way to the end zone for a Tiger touchdowns. The point-after kick made it 28-7 Massillon with 39 seconds remaining in the half.

Hodges was part of a Tiger defense which limited Warren to just 27 yards on its final 15 first-half plays. The Raiders would finish the game with 160 yards on 49 plays.

“I’m really proud of the guys,” Moore said of the defense. “I thought all three levels played well. Obviously, we’ll get in there and watch the film and all that stuff, but we feel really proud of the guys and their effort.”

The Tiger offense, meanwhile, found its groove both through the air and on the ground after the initial three-and-out. By the half, Longwell had completed 11-of-18 passes for 162 yards and the one score.

Longwell would finish the game 15-of-20 for 200 yards and two touchdowns, moving him within two scoring passes of the career record. He hit Ballard for a 19-yard touchdown strike to make it 35-7 with 3:31 left in the third quarter.

Ballard had seven catches for 94 yards and two scores.

Meanwhile, after netting one yard on its first two runs, Massillon gained 46 yards on its final 12 carries of the half. Both Phifer, who scored on two of his five first-half carries, and Terrence Keyes shared the duties.

Keyes would gain 63 of his 96 yards on his third-quarter touchdown run which gave Massillon a 42-7 lead. Hodges added 50 yards on just five carries, while Phifer finished with 32 yards on six totes.

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

On Twitter: @ceasterlingINDE

Booster Club Report – Week 2

September 10, 2019October 19, 2020
by Don Engelhardt

Five games; five wins. The Tigers had success at every level last week, winning each game from the 7th grade through the varsity. Here are the scores:

7th Grade: Defeated Elyria Middle School, 36-12
8th Grade: Defeated Oakwood (GlenOak), 34-0
9th Grade: Defeated GlenOak, 44-20
Junior Varsity: Defeated GlenOak, 42-6
Varsity: Defeated GlenOak, 42-6

The guest players this week were quarterback Aidan Longwell and offensive lineman Cole Jones. Against GlenOak, Longwell completed 5 of 6 passes for 155 yards and three touchdowns. For his career, he has now tossed 59 touchdown passes and needs just four more to tie the record set by Justin Zwick in 2001. Jones anchors an offensive line that has yet to surrender a quarterback sack and has helped running backs to a 5.4 yards per carry average.

The guest coach was Jarrett Troxler, co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. “I thought the kids did a great job.” he said. “We played to our standard (not to the competition). Our kids handled it really well and put them away early.”

Troxler singled out the play of Longwell and emphasized the experience he brings to the game as a 3-year starter. On one play, Troxler described how Aidan scrambled out of the pocket and had the poise to point to the spot for Ballard to run in order to convert a 36-yard touchdown pass.

Troxler said that he wants the team to get better and take the next step in this process. And that next step is this Friday against Warren Harding. The coach said that Warren is more athletic than GlenOak. They have good secondary players and a really good player at linebacker in Emarion Perkins, a 6′-0″, 190 lb. junior.

After showing the highlight film of last week’s game against GlenOak and the scout films of Warren, Head Coach Nate Moore gave his impression of the Raiders, who previously lost to Canton McKinley, 32-27, and defeated Cleveland Rhodes, 56-0. On special teams, they have a really good kicker with good range and excellent skill players in the return game. The defense alternates between even and odd fronts. Although smallish like GlenOak, Moore is expecting better line play out of this opponent. Four seniors start on defense.

Offensively, Harding operates primarily out of the spread. Leading the attack is junior Elijah Taylor, a 6′-1″, 190 lb. quarterback, who is also a returning starter with a big arm. Against Canton McKinley in Week 1, he completed 19 of 37 passes for 346 yards and 3 TDs), albeit taking advantage of several blown Bulldog coverages. But he was not quite as effective against Rhodes. Nevertheless, Taylor has several good receivers to throw to and this may be where you’ll find Warren’s best skill players. The running game, however, was not productive against McKInley and netted just 81 yards in 25 attempts. Four seniors start on offense, with a line that lacks a lot of game experience, while averaging 6′-1″, 258.

The Booster Club is sponsoring a bus to the Warren game on September 13. The cost is $25 and includes a sandwich and drink. Tickets can be purchased at Keller’s Office Supply. Departure is planned for 4:30 pm at the old K-Mart on Lincoln Way E.

The WHS Ticket Office is now open on Thursdays from 5:00 to 7:00.

Game time: 7:00 pm

Go Tigers!

2019: Massillon 55, Canton Glenoak 13

September 7, 2019October 19, 2020
by Eric Smith

Dominant first half carries Massillon past GlenOak

Chris Easterling

Sep 06, 2019 11:46 PM

MASSILLON Darien Williams took the kickoff and, following his blockers, raced to the left and then down the field to the GlenOak 42.

The only problem, however, was a yellow flag sitting back inside Massillon’s 40. That holding flag negated what would have been a big return, plus extra yards tacked on for a horse-collar tackle.

That would be about the only thing to go wrong for Massillon in the first half of a dominant 55-13 victory over visiting GlenOak on Friday night at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

Once the Tigers were able to snap the ball – following a re-kick and then a GlenOak offsides penalty before the first play – they wasted no time laying waste to any hopes the Golden Eagles had of pulling off an upset. Massillon scored on its first six possessions, along with an interception return for a score by Preston Hodges, to jump out to a 48-0 lead just over 13 minutes into the game.

“We treat this like any other week,” Hodges said. “We come out looking to get as good as we can. We’re just looking to better ourselves as the season goes on.”

That was just the start, however. By the time the teams went to the locker room for halftime, the Tigers had already scored more points than GlenOak had given up in more than two decades, as they held a 55-6 lead.

Then only score of the half for the Golden Eagles came on a 91-yard Leeshawn Johnson kickoff return with 10:37 remaining in the second quarter. That trimmed the Massillon lead to 48-6.

GlenOak would have one other chance in Tiger territory over the first 24 minutes of the game. Jamiel Randle intercepted a Massillon pass on the Tigers’ seventh possession and returned it to the Tiger 13.

Four plays later, however, Massillon would get the ball back by stopping the Golden Eagles at the Tiger 9. Nine plays after that, Massillon would tack on its ninth touchdown of the half when Austin Brawley took a quick pass at the line of scrimmage from backup quarterback Zach Catrone and raced 35 yards for the touchdown with 3:39 remaining in the half.

If the scoreboard didn’t show the dominance of the first half, the statistics did. Massillon held a 401-21 edge in total yards, including 211-10 in rushing yards.

The Tigers also forced three turnovers in the first half. Besides Hodges’ pick-six, Robbie Page set up Massillon’s third touchdown of the night on a diving, juggling interception at the GlenOak 30. There was also a recovery by Isaiah Clark of an uncovered kickoff.

GlenOak did not pick up a first down until the 2:45 mark of the third quarter on a 29-yard run by Johnson to the Tiger 38. By that point, Massillon held an 18-1 edge in that stat.

Johnson would score GlenOak’s other touchdown as well on a 9-yard run with 4:54 remaining.

“We’re real young offensively right now,” said GlenOak coach Beau Balderson, whose team was out-gained 466-115 in total yards, and out-first-downed 21-4. “We’re taking our lumps. We’re going to continue to get better and they’re going to continue to fight and not point fingers at each other. We’re going to build from the positives of tonight and move on.”

All of that was done with the Tiger starters essentially calling it a night after Hodges ripped off a 16-yard scoring run to put Massillon ahead 48-0 with 10:53 remaining in the half. That was on the first play after Clark’s kickoff recovery.

Those starters, however, did the most with the little opportunity. Aidan Longwell was 5-of-6 passing for 155 yards and three touchdowns, completing his final five pass attempts.

Jayden Ballard, meanwhile, turned both of his catches into touchdowns for a total of 109 receiving yards. Andrew Wilson-Lamp added two catches for 38 yards, including a 30-yard touchdown catch.

All of that passing came after Massillon ran the ball on 11 of its first 12 plays, for 117 yards. Terrence Keyes would gain 79 of his 83 rushing yards on seven of those plays, while Zion Phifer added 29 of his 47 yards on four carries.

“We weren’t trying to establish the run,” Massillon coach Nate Moore said. “We were just calling the plays we thought would be successful. The kids executed.”

Both would score on 2-yard touchdown runs for a 14-0 Massillon lead with 6:25 left in the first quarter.

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

On Twitter: @ceasterlingINDE

Booster Club Report – Week 1

September 4, 2019October 19, 2020
by Don Engelhardt

The first Football Booster Club meeting of the 2019 season was held on Tuesday at the WHS Communications Center. Head Coach Nate Moore reviewed last week’s 44-14 victory over Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary and previewed this week’s opponent, Canton GlenOak.

Guest players were Inside Linebacker Ben Krichbaum, who will return to action this week, and Defensive Lineman Manny McElroy, who Moore called “unblockable” after his stellar performance last Friday. Against the Irish, Manny was able to continuously fight through double-teams to totally disrupt the Irish’ iso run game, leaving the linebackers “clean” to make the tackles.

The guest coach was Jason Jarvis, who coaches cornerbacks and special teams. Jarvis noted that of the three phases of football (offense, defense and special teams), it was the special teams that graded the highest. Their effort included three kickoffs in the end zone by Magnus Haines, who also averaged 45 yards a punt in his two attempts. Alex Bauer converted all six of his extra point tries. Coverage teams were great, according to Jarvis. And in the return game, St. Vincent elected to kick off short and out of bounds all night long, except after a safety, which might have been a miss-hit by the kicker. For Jayden Balled returned that one 66 yards for a touchdown, a play that included a downfield block by Zion Phifer that lasted five seconds, as he waited for Ballard to clear his area. “The drive to win is what makes them play well,” beamed Jarvis.

Coach Moore singled out Andrew Wilson-Lamp for his record-setting performance last week in which he caught eleven passes for 232 yards and a touchdown. The all-time Massillon single game record for yards now stands as follows:

Andrew Wilson-Lamp, 232 yards vs. Akron St. Vincent, 2019
Austin Jasinski, 222 yards vs. Mentor, 2016
Austin Kutscher, 208 yards vs. Canisius, NY, 2017
Devin Jordan, 206 yards vs. Dayton Chaminade, 2001
Reggie Rogers, 206 yards vs. Austintown Fitch, 2013

GlenOak enters this week’s contest against the Tigers coming off a 42-13 win over John Adams of South Bend, Indiana. New coach Beau Balderson is trying to right the ship after the Golden Eagles suffered through a 1-9 campaign last season, which included a 49-0 home loss to Massillon.

On offense GlenOak utilizes multiple sets, some with tight ends and some with spread. Two players share responsibility at quarterback, one a sophomore and the other a junior. Moore likes the soph, Isaiah Knox, 6′-0″, 143 lbs. Defensively, the coach says their are strong at cornerback, a position that includes Kindel Richardson, last year’s quarterback and a Michigan recruit. Recall that It was Richardson that the Tigers put out of action for the remainder of the season when he tried to run the ball up the middle of the Massillon line after failing to find an open receiver. Also keep an eye on inside linebacker Devon Blanchard, a 5′-10″, 220 lb., sophomore.

Depth may be a problem for the Golden Eagles in that several players go both ways. They will also start seven underclassmen on offense and six on defense. The offensive line averages 6′-0″, 248 lbs.and includes two seniors. The junior-laden defensive front four average 5′-11″, 201 lbs., which may be a problem matching up against Massillon’s 278 lb. line.

“This is a rivalry game,” said Moore. “A Stark County game. They have some good players. They will come ready to play.”

Go Tigers!

2019: Massillon 44, Akron St. Vincent St. Mary 14

August 30, 2019October 19, 2020
by Eric Smith

Record-setting night by Wilson-Lamp keys Massillon win

By Chris Easterling
Independent sports editor

Aug 30, 2019 10:30 PM

MASSILLON It must be something about season openers that brings out the best in Massillon receivers.

Junior Andrew Wilson-Lamp set a single-game school record with 232 receiving yards on 11 catches, helping the Tigers to a season-opening 44-14 win over St. Vincent-St. Mary on Friday night at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. It breaks the old record of 222 yards, set by Austin Jasinski in the 2016 opener at Mentor.

“I just came out ready to play,” Wilson-Lamp said after his record-setting performance. “I wasn’t expecting to break anything.”

It didn’t take long for Wilson-Lamp to get into the groove, as he hauled in a 51-yard catch on Massillon’s third play to set up its first touchdown, 13-yard Terrence Keyes touchdown with 7:15 remaining in the first quarter. By halftime, he would have six catches for 163 yards and a score, a 45-yard catch to give the Tigers a 21-0 lead.

In between that catch and his record-setting 17-yard catch-and-run late in the third quarter, his final catch of the game, however, Massillon would go from on its way to a rout to a close game back to a rout. The Irish would score two touchdown in the final 56 seconds of the first half to cut it to a 21-14 halftime deficit.

“The first post I caught, I was like, ‘This is going to be a good game,'” Wilson-Lamp said.

The Tigers, though, would come out of the locker room by scoring 16 points in the first 4:45 of the third quarter to open up a 37-14 lead. They would get a opening-drive Preston Hodges touchdown run, as well as a safety on a bad punt snap by St. Vincent-St. Mary.

On the subsequent free kick, Jayden Ballard return it 66 yards for a touchdown with 7:15 remaining in the third. Ballard, who had 63 yards on five catches on the night, added a 33-yard touchdown catch on the first play of the fourth quarter.

“We just coached them up,” Massillon coach Nate Moore said of the halftime talk. “The coaches just got together, made the adjustments we needed to make, tried to take care of it. We just came out and played better.”

Or, essentially, play much like the Tigers did to start the game.

Massillon couldn’t have scripted a better opening 20 minutes. It had the football for four possessions and had found the end zone three times for a 21-0 lead with 4:18 remaining in the half.

Not only that, but the Tigers were doing just about what they wanted on offense, especially in the passing game. Aidan Longwell connected on 12 of his first 13 passes for 215 yards, including the 45-yard touchdown pass to Wilson-Lamp to give Massillon a three-score lead.

Included in Longwell’s start was a run of eight consecutive passes to open the second quarter, all but one of them to either Wilson-Lamp or Jayden Ballard. Longwel was 20-of-23 for 322 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

Beyond the passing, Keyes was making the most of his Massillon debut. Playing against the team for which he played his first three seasons, Keyes had a the Tigers’ initial two touchdowns on runs of 13 and one yard.

Keyes would finish with 58 yards on 14 carries.

“I really like how we spread the ball around,” Moore said. “We take pride in getting the ball to all of our athletes.”

St. Vincent-St. Mary, however, would find life in the final 56 seconds of the first half. Enough life to turn what appeared to be heading to a halftime blowout into a one-score game.

The Irish cracked the scoreboard with a 10-yard Luke Lindsay-to-Josh Nickerson touchdown with 56 seconds left in the half to make it 21-7. Then, after Quinn Knox came up with an interception for St. V-St. M at the Irish 49, Lindsay hit Darrian Lewis for a 27-yard touchdown pass to make it 21-14 with 21 seconds left.

“We showed a lot of resiliency,” said Irish coach Bobby Nickol, whose team finished with 179 total yards. “We could have fell behind 28-0 at halftime and hung our heads. We made a few plays there at the end of the half.”

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

On Twitter: @ceasterlingINDE

“Dutch” Hill – Wall of Champions

July 3, 2019January 4, 2024
by Don Engelhardt

“Dutch” Hill – Wall of Champions

“Dutch Hill Signs with New York.” “Dutch Hill leads the Giants to the Pro Football Championship.” “Dutch Hill Inducted Into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.” Oh, if only these headlines were true. But they might have been, save for an accidental gunshot that brought Hill’s life to an early end. For he was truly that good of a football player.

Edwin “Dutch” Hill was born in February 1904 and was a Pennsylvania resident for most of his high school career. Finding immediate success at Burgettstown HS, Hill made varsity for the Blue Devils in the 7^th grade and played his first two years as a 140 lb. tackle. By the 9^th grade he had moved to fullback, a position he would play for the rest of his career. In addition to being football team captain, he also excelled in basketball, where he was named to the Tri-Star All-Star Team, and baseball, in which he was a starting pitcher, batting .517. The Tri-State Sports Writers called him “one of the greatest scholastic players in the United States.” In fact, Hill was such a prolific athlete that the town honored him in 1945 by naming the football stadium after him.

Unfortunately, while still having a year of high school remaining, Hill had aged out in Pennsylvania. But he found that he could play one more year, albeit in Ohio, based on the higher age limit in their scholastic sports regulations at the time. So in 1922 he convinced his family to relocate and he enrolled in Massillon, where he played football, basketball and track.

Playing for the Tigers, his prowess on the gridiron had an immediate impact. In the course of ten games, Dutch Hill scored 33 rushing touchdowns and returned a fumble for another to total 204 points, a Massillon single-season scoring record that stands today. The 204 points was also perhaps the highest total in the country that year.

Hill scored at least one touchdown in every game, including four against both Alliance and Warren, and eight against Akron North in a 94-0 victory in which he set a single-game scoring record of 48 points. Regarding his performance against North, one sports reporter wrote, “The big fullback gained from five to 10 yards with six or eight Akron players hanging onto him, trying desperately to down him. Other times he bowled the entire Akron team over like a ball knocks over pins on a bowling alley and then would dash away for a touchdown leaving a trail of fallen Akron warriors in his wake.” Dutch also scored three of the four touchdowns in a 24-0 victory over Canton McKinley.

Against Cleveland Shaw, a 7-6 Tiger win, he left the game ill in the first half, jeopardizing a potential undefeated season. But he returned late in the second half to complete two passes and then run six straight times, scoring a touchdown with 27 seconds left on 4^th and goal from the one. Bill Edwards’ drop-kick extra point secured the win.

“He was a big star,” said Bud Houghton, former Massillon player and head coach. “He was just a big burly guy. Kind of had a swaggering walk. He normally plowed over everybody.” “He was a powerhouse,” said classmate Tom McConnaughy. “He would take the ball and plow through the other team, knocking them right and left.”

The 6’-0”, 190 lb. fullback, passer and punter played under legendary coach Dave Stewart and helped fashion a 10-0 season and a state championship. Post-season he was named All-State, and later named as Massillon’s All-Time First Team Fullback. His high school football career over, Hill left behind the following Tiger records:

Most touchdowns rushing in a game (8)
Most points scored in a game (48)
Most touchdowns scored in a game (8)
Most touchdowns scored rushing in a season (33)
Most points scored in a season (204)
Most touchdowns scored in a season (34)

After taking a year off to travel west, Dutch Hill enrolled in Bellefonte Academy in 1924. There he led the nation in scoring with 456 points, including 113 against Susquehanna, and helped his team to its divisional national championship. He also played baseball.

Hill played next at Adrian College and subsequently arrived at New York University, from where he graduated. At NYU, his principle role was blocking back for All-American and future Pro Football HOF Ken Strong. When accepting the HOF award Strong credited team captain Hill for his success at NYU stating in his speech, “I would have been an ordinary back if it had not been for Hill.” But that didn’t mean Hill didn’t get to carry the ball. For in the game against Cushing Academy he scored 38 of the team’s 39 points.

His 1928 team won the Eastern Championship and he was named All-American. The New York Football Sport Writers called him the best defensive player and punter in the East. Later, in 1935, Hill was named NYU’s All-Time first-team fullback.

His collegiate time over, Hill was destined for the NFL, with the New York Giants showing interest. But in 1929, in a moment of horseplay with a campus security guard, the guard’s gun accidentally discharged, killing Dutch instantly. Such a tragic end to a fine individual and outstanding football player. Oh, what might have been? But Massillon was fortunate to have him for one memorable year and he won’t be forgotten.

OHSAA Realigns Football Regions for 2019

June 12, 2019October 19, 2020
by Don Engelhardt

High School football fans eager to see a state finals rematch between Massillon and Akron Hoban may have their wish fulfilled this year, only it would come a bit earlier than expected, assuming both teams advance far enough for that to occur. That’s because the OHSAA has moved the Tigers from Region 7 to Region 5 opposite the Hoban Knights, setting up a potential regional finals matchup of these two state powers. Massillon spent the last four seasons competing in a region comprised of mostly Columbus area teams and prior to that played against teams primarily from the Toledo region. But with the new alignment, the Tigers find themselves in a region matched up against teams from Cleveland. In fact,.this is the first time in over 40 years of playoff history, covering both Division 1 and Division 2, that this has occurred.

Here is a breakdown of each of the Division 2 regions:

Region 5 – The dominant powers are Akron Hoban, Division 2 state champions in each of the past two years and Division 3 state champs in the two years prior to that, and Massillon, the Region 7 winner in both 2017 and 2018 and state runner-up last year. Joining them are Austintown Fitch, a Division 1 qualifier last year, Warren Harding, a D2 qualifier last year, and local teams Perry, North Canton, Lake and newcomer Alliance. Other teams to watch are 2018 playoff qualifiers Mayfield, Boardman, Nordonia and Painesville Riverside, plus Hudson and Bedford. Top-to-bottom, this may be the toughest region in Division 2.

Region 6 – Both Barberton and Wadsworth return to the region after a cameo appearance last year in Region 7. They will compete against Avon, Avon Lake, Medina Highland and Grafton Midview, The strength of this region has been diminished somewhat with the loss of Toledo Central Catholic and Anthony Wayne, which are now in Region 7.

Region 7 – The teams in Columbus may have said goodbye to Massillon, but it won’t be any easier with the addition of every Toledo school, including Toledo Central Catholic. Central is a base Division 4 team that has again found itself in Division 2 on account of a massive competitive balance number. None of the other teams in this region jump off the page, so Central may have been given a free pass to the state semifinals.

Region 8 – No real change here. Expect the winner of a game between Cincinnati Winton Woods and LaSalle to decide the region, although Kings and newcomer Columbus DeSales could make some noise.

It seems strange what the OHSAA did with this realignment. With Region 5 loaded with nearly all of the best teams in Division 2, already football fans are looking at this region to decide the state title, with subsequent games considered less prestigious. Another factor concerns a potential earlier than wanted matchup between Massillon and Akron Hoban. Last year’s game drew over 16,000 fans and was by far the best attended game among the seven state finals. The OHSAA may be hard pressed to find a stadium large enough to accommodate such a crowd and make the money they did last year. For example, two years ago Hoban faced Barberton in the Region 5 finals and the game was sent to Green, which was highly inadequate to hold the crowd. And last year, the Massillon-Wadsworth game drew a capacity crowd of over 6,000 at Hoover Stadium. Massillon-Hoban would certainly draw more. Maybe the OHSAA needs to revisit holding many preliminary playoff games on a Friday and move all D1 games to Saturday in order to free up stadiums like Byers for a big matchup. We’ll see how this one plays out.

Click here for a complete list of Region 5 teams.

Four WHS Athletes Receive Academic Scholarships

May 24, 2019October 19, 2020
by Don Engelhardt

Story written by Ben Lieberman

The Massillon Tiger Football Booster Club would like congratulate Kameron Simpson, Cameron Sunkle, Luke Brahler and Justin Gaddis. These four were recipients of a scholarship from the Booster Club that comes from proceeds generated by the Obie license plates that were initiated by former School Board member Mary Strukel. To date we have been able to grant $18,000 in scholarships because of this program.

The scholarship is academic-based and all four of these young men have outstanding credentials. All had a 4.0 GPA or higher, all are in the Top 30 in their class, three were nominated for Outstanding Senior Boy and one is class valedictorian!

Thank you to the community for your support of the Obie license plate program! Your support allows us to help our student-athletes further their educations at the next level.

2019 Lift-a-thon Photos and Results

April 21, 2019October 19, 2020
by Don Engelhardt

It was first class all the way. From the superb organization to the matching T-shirts to the very striking “Massillon” embossed weight equipment to the enthusiasm generated by both the lifters and the crowd, which counted a good number of parents and boosters urging on their favorites. Even OSU’s Thayer Munford paid a visit. Such was the atmosphere at the 2019 Steve Studer Memorial Lift-a-thon. And the effort put forth by the lifters was something to behold.

Two lifts were performed by each participant, first a bench press and then a squat. Each lifter selected his preferred weight for each lift and then attempted as many lifts as he could until his arms or legs gave out. A composite score was then used to determine the winner of each weight class based on total weight lifted and the number of reps. It became obvious right from the start that most were going for personal bests and striving to win one of the coveted awards. “They don’t like to lose,” beamed Tiger Head Football Coach Nate Moore, who strutted around the gym looking like the proverbial cat that swallowed the canary. He couldn’t be prouder of his troops.

The event was managed by several assistant football coaches, headed for the first time by Strength and Conditioning Coach Dan Studer. “It was my first one running it,” he said. “Obviously, I’ve been a part of it for a couple of years. But it’s the first time I’ve been able to come back and run it that way I want to run it. I’m really happy with it. Our kids are working their butts off and they moved some really good weight today. We’ve had a great strength program for a long time. It’s not like I’m really bringing that much to the table. But now that I’m a part of it and being able to run it and put my stamp on it, it means a little bit more. And every year it’s a great event. I’m really proud of our kids. They work really hard. And I’m glad they get an opportunity to display that.”

Category: <span>History</span>

“Dutch” Hill – Wall of Champions