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.”
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.”
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.
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.”
On Friday, October 12, 2018, Massillon running back Jamir Thomas scored his 48th career rushing touchdown, breaking a record set in 1935-37 by Bob Glass. The following story written by James C. DeLong best describes Glass.
Few people who saw the Massillon Washington High School Tigers play at old Massillon Field in the mid-thirties will ever forget the herculean feats of fullback Bob Glass.
Standing about 5’-10” and weighing around 200 pounds, Glass was a rare combination of speed and power. Equally adept at smashing the middle of the line, running slants or streaking around the end, Massillon foes for three years were always confronted with the difficult task of setting up a defense that would hold Glass in check. Unquestionably, Glass was one of the best ball carriers in Ohio scholastic history.
Bob Glass
In addition to his superb ball carrying ability, Glass performed the other duties of the triple threat back – passing and kicking. He handled all the punting, kick-offs and extra points and did an outstanding job in each department. His poorest specialty was as a passer, although here he was still better than average, as he did most of the throwing during the 1937 season. On defense, he alternated at end and halfback.
Glass stepped into the Washington High grid picture from Longfellow Junior High School in 1935, when as a sophomore, and was given the task of filling the shoes of big D.C. McCants, who was a standout here in 1933 and 1934. Coach Paul E. Brown had followed Blass’s two-year apprenticeship at Longfellow closely and did not hesitate to install him in the starting line-up against Akron East in the 1935 opener. Glass responded with an outstanding exhibition of ball carrying and from that time on he started every game in his three year career except for the 1935 New Philadelphia game, which he missed due to an ankle injury.
Of the 47 touchdowns that Bob scored in his career here, probably the most important one came in the 1935 Canton McKinley-Massillon game. Here Glass broke a scoreless tie in the third quarter when he smashed over from the one yard line in this bruising battle to give Coach Brown his first win over Canton, 6-0, and to end a three year reign by the Bulldogs.
After completing his career at Washing High School, Glass led the Ohio High School All-Stars to a 19-0 victory over the Florida High School All-Stars in a game played in Florida in December, 1937, and then he enrolled at Tulane University, where he played three years as a starting halfback. He was on Tulane’s Sugar Bowl team during his sophomore year and in his senior year led the Green Wave in rushing, passing, kickoff returns and punting and played in the East-West Shrine Game. He received All-American mention at Tulane and was a high draft choice of the New York Giants of the National Football League. However, he never had an opportunity to test his talents in professional football as he was killed late in World War II while serving as a Marine Corps officer in the battle of Iwo Jima.
When Coach Paul Brown learned of Bob’s death in 1945, he remarked that “it must have been a big bullet” to kill Glass.
Bob Glass scores against Canton McKinley in 1935
Highlights of Bob Glass’ Career
Massillon was 28-1-1 during his career, winning three state championships
Scored 47 career touchdowns
Scored 49 career points after touchdown
Scored 330 career points
Scored the only touchdown in a 6-0 victory over Canton McKinley in 1935
Scored five career touchdowns against Canton McKinley plus four extra points
Scored 34 career points against Canton McKinley
Started 29 of 30 games
Carried the ball 31 times against Steubenville in 1937
Named 1st Team All-Stark County in 1935, 1936 and 1937
Named 3rd Team All-Ohio in 1935
Named 1st Team All-Ohio in 1936 and 1937
Inducted into Massillon Wall of Champions in 2008
Records Prior to 2018 Season
Career rushing touchdowns – 1st – 47
Career touchdowns – 1st – 47
Career points – 1st – 330
Single game rushing touchdowns – 3rd – 5 vs. Franklin, Cedar Rapids, IA, 1937
Single game rushing touchdowns – 5th – 4 vs. Alliance (twice), 1935 & 1937
MASSILLON Massillon was coming off its biggest win of the season to date. It was its most emotional and, easily, its closest.
As memorable as the Tigers’ win over East St. Louis (Ill.) was, they made a completely different kind of memory as they welcomed another out-of-state opponent – Sun Valley of Pennsylvania – to Paul Brown Tiger Stadium on Friday. It turned into a night not soon to be forgotten by anyone on either side.
Massillon turned a 73-point first half into a school-record 101-6 win over the Vanguards.
“Our kids work hard and they deserve to play,” said Massillon coach Nate Moore, whose 8-0 team will play at Louisville next Friday. “We subbed early and often. We just kept scoring. I don’t know. I don’t even know what to say.”
The Tigers broke the most points in a game, which was 94, set in a 1922 win over Akron North. They were well on their way to that mark by the half, when they led 73-6.
Massillon was in front 94-6 after the third quarter. The Tigers would top the 100-point plateau on a 77-yard Raekwon Venson touchdown run with 1:56 remaining.
“They are top-notch, the highest level of high-school football program, and we’re not,” said Sun Valley coach Greg “Bubba” Bernhard, whose team fell to 3-5. “We lose our best three skill players in the first (half). We’ve got 37 kids in uniform. We’re in a tough spot. We basically had to hang on. What are you going to do?”
The school record for points in a game wasn’t the only mark to fall. Multiple individual career records also fell.
A week after Jamir Thomas became Massillon’s all-time rushing leader in the 46-40 win over East St. Louis (Ill.), he added another mark to his illustrious career. This time, he became the Tigers’ all-time leader in rushing touchdowns
Thomas came into the game two behind Bob Glass’ all-time mark of 47 rushing scores set between 1935-37. He pulled within one of that mark with a 27-yard scamper to give Massillon a 17-0 lead after one quarter.
The record-tying run, a 46-yard burst with 2:01 into the second quarter, gave the Tigers a 24-0 lead. He would break the mark with 5:52 remaining in the half with a 39-yard touchdown run to make it 52-6 Massillon.
Thomas carried the ball just seven times on the night, rushing for 167 yards and three scores.
Tyree Broyles became the Tigers’ all-time leader in kickoff return touchdowns when he took the second-half kickoff back – after getting the ball handed to him by a teammate at the Tiger 24 – 76 yards for his third career score. Broyles’ record, which broke the old mark of two set by Arvine Ulrich in 1922, made it 80-6 Massillon.
“We had a couple of records go down tonight, so I’m really happy about that,” said Moore, whose team did suffer a key injury when Zion Phifer – who scored the Tigers’ first touchdown – was taken off the field with an apparent head injury late in the first half. “Jamir Thomas with the all-time career rushing touchdown record and Tyree Broyles with the all-time career kickoff-return touchdown record. Those are great things; two records which stood the test of time and two really good players who deserved those records.”
The kickoff return for a score would give Massillon touchdowns five different ways: rushing, passing, kickoff return, punt return and interception return. Tre’Von Morgan would catch a touchdown pass and return a punt for a score, while Kyshad Mack and Max Turner each had interception returns for a score.
Marcellus Blake had two rushing touchdown as well for the Tigers.
Massillon would out-gain Sun Valley 582-274 in total offense. Julz Kelly would score the Vanguards’ only touchdown on an 81-yard pass from Anthony Ellis to make it 45-6, but would be injured on the play.
On Friday, October 5, 2018, Massillon running back Jamir Thomas broke the record for career rushing yards, a record that was set in 1958-60 by Art Hastings with 3,090 yards. The Tiger ironman, who last year shattered the record for career rushing attempts, broke the current mark against national power East St. Louis, the all-time winningest team in the state of Illinois.
But who was this Art Hastings, whose record Thomas was gracious enough to break? The best way to answer this question is to present the following Canton Repository article written by Jim Thomas on July 18, 2018, coinciding with Hastings’ induction into the Stark County High School Football Hall of Fame.
Tiger leader Hastings was ahead of his time
MASSILLON Time eventually swept him away from Stark County consciousness. To Massillon Tigers fans and the people who saw Art Hastings perform his feats as a fullback for the Tigers from 1958-1960, the images of power and speed never fade.
In his high school swan song (a 42-0 shellacking of the McKinley Bulldogs on Nov. 19, 1960), Hastings rushed for four touchdowns to lift Massillon to its second straight Associated Press state poll championship and first team All-Ohio honors for himself.
The Massillon Evening Independent’s Jim Quilty wrote of that performance: “He concluded his final two years of varsity competition with 220 points, over 2,400 yards rushing and innumerable other marks which may withstand the assault of future years.”
Quilty couldn’t have known how true his statement would be.
It’s been nearly 60 years since Hastings last carried the football for the Orange and Black. It’s been 20 since he passed away. But even now, no Massillon Tiger has run for as many yards as Hastings did in a career. His, 3,090 yards in little more than two-plus seasons remains as the school’s standard of excellence and help make Hastings a member of the Stark County High School Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2018.
Hastings’ record is still nearly 300 yards up on runner-up Falando Ashcraft’s 2,794. Massillon senior Jamir Thomas, who has 2,107 yards in his career, could finally break the mark this fall.
But Hastings was more than a career number. He was the best Tiger running back on teams that had future NFL players Jerry Allen and Charlie Brown.
Hastings ran for 213 yards in that McKinley game, second only to legendary Homer Floyd’s 263 yards in 1954. His Tiger teammates set the record for most rushing yards (551) and highest average per carry (14.2) in a game in that finale against McKinley and they still stand, too.
His 1.274 yards in the 1960 campaign were second only to Floyd’s 1,372 in ’54 and his 10.6 yards per carry that season topped Floyd’s 8.9.
Former Massillon Tigers Booster Club president Brock Herring was in junior high school on assignment – “You would go to the game on Friday and watch what the guys who played our position were doing, and you would get asked what they did right, or wrong” – when he first took note of Hastings’ abilities.
”I remember watching a game, and Massillon was on the 7-yard line,” said Herring, whose father, Bob, was a standout running back too. “They ran 31-power, a dive play. Art ran in there and there was a pile up. You are thinking it’s a 3-, 4-yard gain.
“Out of that pile came Art, right up the middle. HE goes (93 yards) for the touchdown. You are thinking ‘How the heck did he do that?’
“He just would not go down.”
Art Hastings breaks free against Canton McKinley in 1960 during a 42-0 victory.
You would laugh if you saw a 5-foot, 164-pounder line up at fullback today. If you saw a fullback in the game at all for that matter. But this was the late 1950s and the head coach was Leo Strang – and these were the powerful Massillon Tigers.
With a stable of running backs led by Hastings and a monster defense, Massillon was undefeated state and national poll champs in 1959. They were state champion again in Hastings’ senior year, 1960. The Tigers were 28-2-1 in Hastings’ career under Strang.
In Scott Shook’s 2010 book A Century of Heroes, Strang described his star back’s style of running thusly: “Hastings looks like his hips went out of joint. He was like trying to catch a dog in the middle of an open field.”
The only loss in Hastings’ final two years was a Week 8, 19-18 road loss to Warren Harding in his senior season in which the Tigers failed on all three two-point conversions tries. That loss snapped a 20-game winning streak and was thought to have destroyed the Tigers’ chance to defend their Ohio crown.
Led by Hastings, the Tigers roared back to life in what was then an 11-game regular season. They crushed Toledo Waite (56-14), fifth-ranked Springfield South (62-32) and McKinley (42-0) as Hastings ran for 552 yards and scored 11 touchdowns in the home stretch to claim the title.
“He was the best back in Ohio that year,” said Dave Null, the Tigers quarterback in 1960 and their future boys basketball coach for many years.
“Our junior year he was as good as any back in Ohio. He was very durable, never hurt. He wasn’t big but he was very strong. And he was as good running inside as he was outside.”
In the win over fifth-ranked Springfield to decide the state title, Hastings tallied four touchdowns including that school-record 93-yarder.
“Because of his size, defenders thought they could hit him and wrap him up,” brock Herring said. “But he would bounce off them or run by them. His balance and strength were his (keys). Some years later I met him. I introduced myself and thought how strong his hands were, years later.”
Art Hastings speeds through the hole against Canton McKinley in 1960 during a 42-0 victory.
Hastings was not only atypical for being a small fullback, he received and exceptionally small load of carries for being a dominant back. Strang believed in using a stable of backs and Hastings averaged just 13 carries as a junior and senior. In his time as a Tigers, Hastings shared the load with Brown and Allen, Doug Toles (who had a cup of coffee with Denver in the AFL), Ken Dean, Marty Gugov, Bob Herring, Joe Heflin and more.
“We all got a chance to do something,” Toles said. “It was evident by the scores and our freshness on the field.”
As for Hastings, Toles said he was “not the fastest guy on the field, but he was deceptively fast. He was a strong runner. Basically, strength and speed were his strengths. HE was very hard to tackle.”
“They have exceptionally good backs,” legendary Benedictine coach Augie Bossu told the Independent after Hastings ran eight times for 177 yards and three scores in a 36-6 1960 win over the Bengals. “That makes a great deal of difference.”
When it was over, Hastings had carried the ball 276 times in his career. It wasn’t until 1991 that Ashcraft broke the mark with 410 carries.
Now it’s 2018, and still no Tiger has taken the mantle from Hastings as Massillon’s career rushing leader.
Art Hastings was born in Bloomville, Mississippi, on March 5, 1942. He died in Barberton, Ohio, on January 25, 1998.
Highlights of Art Hastings’ Career:
Finished the 1959 season with seven consecutive 100 yard games.
In 1960, rushed 15 times for 189 yards and four touchdowns (1, 93, 6 and 8 yards) in a 62-32 victory over Springfield South. South was ranked No. 5 in the state prior to the game.
In 1960, rushed 14 times for 213 yards and four touchdowns (15, 29, 51 and 5 yards) in a 42-0 victory over Canton McKinley.
In 1959, named 3rd Team All-Ohio.
In 1960, named 1st Team All-Ohio.
In 1960, named WHBC Stark County Most Valuable Player
In 1960, received the Sportsmanship Award of the Massillon Junior Chamber of Commerce.
In 1960, was named Scholastic Magazine All-American.
In 2018, was inducted into the Stark County High School Football Hall of Fame.
In 2018, was inducted into the Massillon Tiger Football Hall of Fame.
The 1959 team was ranked state and national champions.
The 1960 team was ranked state champion and 7th in the nation.
Records Prior to the 2018 Season
Career rushing yards – 1st – 3,090 yards
Single season rushing average yards per rush – 3rd – 10.6 yards
Single game rushing touchdowns – 4th – 4
Longest touchdown run – 4th – 93 yards
Single season rushing yards per game – 5th – 127.4 yards
Reference: Photos from 1961 Massillon High School Yearbook
MASSILLON It was a night for records on Friday night at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.
Jamir Thomas broke the Massillon all-time rushing record, and moved within one of the all-time rushing-touchdown record as well. Yet, as incredible as those marks were, it was the record the Tigers emerged with at the end of the night – a 7-0 record – which was the most important one as they outlasted East St. Louis (Ill.) with a 46-40 victory.
“It means we’re national,” said Thomas, whose 116 rushing yards on the night gave him 3,121 career yards, 31 more than Art Hastings’ previous mark. “We’re national. We can get around. We’re really good.”
Thomas set the new mark with a 2-yard run early in the fourth quarter, moving him a yard in front of Hastings. However, it was the 9-yard touchdown at the end of that drive which was just as important, as it gave Massillon a 38-34 lead with 7:11 remaining.
Thomas also had a 3-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to make it 34-31 East St. Louis.
“It means everything,” Thomas said of the record. “It means everything to me. It means everything to our offensive line. They came with something they wanted to prove, and that is to be the best offensive line in the state. I think they are.”
However, it would be a 39-yard pass from Aidan Longwell to Jayden Ballard with 3:33 remaining which gave the Tigers the lead for good. Thomas, though, provided the final points on a two-point conversion run to make it 46-40.
That touchdown pass was one of five second-half scores for Massillon, which trailed 20-10 at halftime. The Tigers, who only had three first-half possessions, would score on five of their seven second-half drives.
They needed every one of those, as the Flyers – Illinois’ all-time wins leader – was almost equally unstoppable in gaining 538 total yards, including 418 rushing yards. They scored on three of their first four possessions to lead 20-7, then added scores on three of their six second-half drives.
The last East St. Louis score, a 21-yard Tyler Macon-to-Antonio Johnson touchdown pass, gave it a 40-38 lead with 5:26 left. The Flyers, though, would be stopped on downs and then picked off by Max Turner to end their final two possessions.
“The offense kept us in the game,” Massillon coach Nate Moore said. “The defense got the stop when they did. Hats off to the kids for keep playing hard.”
Massillon finished with 422 yards on 63 plays. That was a stark contrast to its first-half numbers, when it had just 141 yards on 24 plays.
The Tigers picked up 279 passing yards as a team, although Longwell only threw for 260 of those. He did throw three touchdowns, two of which went to Tre’Von Morgan.
However, Ballard and Longwell swapped roles to give Massillon its first lead of the game. After the Tigers recovered a fumbled kickoff by the Flyers, Longwell handed the ball off to Dean Clark on a jet sweep, who then tossed it back to Ballard coming back the other way.
Ballard then hit Longwell in stride for a 19-yard touchdown pass to give Massillon a 24-20 lead. It would be the first of five lead changes in the second half, but the fumbled kickoff which set it up was what stuck with East St. Louis coach Darren Sunkett.
“It was a great game,” said Sunkett, whose team falls to 5-2. “It was a slug-fest back and forth. I really think every game has three or four plays which really swings the momentum, and I think what it was was that fumbled kickoff coming out. That was a big swing.”
Treven Swingler rushed for 204 yards and two scores for the Flyers, while Macon added 140 and a score on the ground. East St. Louis, though, was flagged 23 times for 182 yards.
Harry Agustus Stuhldreher — Everyone’s All-American
Written by Mike Riordan Contributors: Gary Vogt and Ron Prunty
“Outlined against a blue-gray October sky, The Four Horsemen rode again. In dramatic lore their names are Death, Destruction, Pestilence, and Famine. But those are aliases. Their real names are: Stuhldreher, Crowley, Miller and Layden. They formed the crest of the South Bend cyclone before which another fighting Army team was swept over the precipice at the Polo Grounds this afternoon as 55,000 spectators peered down upon the bewildering panorama spread out upon the green plain below.”
The Foursome achieved football immortality when Grantland Rice, a sportswriter for the former New York Herald Tribune, penned “the most famous football lead of all-time.” This was written after Notre Dame’s 13-7 upset victory over a strong Army team on October 18, 1924.
Notre Dame Four Horsemen: Dan Miller, Elmer Layden, Jim Crowley, Harry Stuhldreher
HIGH SCHOOL
Harry Stuhldreher was born October 14, 1901, in Massillon, Ohio. He grew up there and delivered papers with Luther Emery, the legendary Massillon sports writer. When Knute Rockne played for the pro Massillon Tigers (according to his biography in the College Football Hall Of Fame) Harry gained free entry into a pro Massillon Tiger game. While reaching for Rockne’s gear he asked, “Carry yer bag, Mr. Rockne?” Fate had drawn the two together and fate would bring them mutual immortality.
Harry (known as Hessie and Stuhlie) played for Coach John Snavely on the Tiger teams of 1917, 1918 and 1919. He was not a regular on the 1917 team, which ended with a 7-2 record and beat Canton McKinley, 7-6.
But that changed the following year. The 1918 team was 2-2-2. This was a unique season, when several games were canceled due to the Spanish Flu epidemic, including the one against the Canton McKinley game. In addition, the New Philadelphia game was forfeited when Coach Snavely pulled his players from the field because of what he believed was a biased ruling against the Tigers. Final score: New Philadephia 1, Massillon 0.
Paul Brown, Dave Stewart, Harry Stuhldreher
The 1919 team finished 8-1. Playing at a paltry 5′-5″ and weighing just 137 lbs., Harry started the first nine games. The Tigers beat McKinley that year 21-0, but he was held out due to an injured arm.
During his 3-year career at Massillon, Harry was described as a good, although not outstanding player. Unfortunately, Harry never got the chance to play in a Canton McKinley game.
In 1920 Harry moved to Pennsylvania where he played football for Kiski Prep and graduated in 1921. He was coached at Prep by future Massillon Head Coach Dave Stewart. It was Harry that recommended Coach Stewart to the Massillon administration for consideration as the coaching to succeed Elmer Snyder. Of course, Stewart (Paul Brown’s coach) went on to a very successful tenure with the Tigers.
NOTRE DAME
In college Harry played for Notre Dame’s legendary coach Knute Rockne in 1922, 1923 and 1924. Notre Dame’s record during his three years was 29-2-1 and his team captured the National Championship in 1924. “Stuhldreher was a self-assured leader who not only could throw accurately but also returned punts and proved a solid blocker. He was often labeled cocky, feisty and ambitious, but his field generalship was unmatched.”
Harry Stuhldreher – Notre Dame
Four games into his sophomore season, he beat out the older but slower Frank Thomas (future coach of Alabama). At that time players were not eligible for varsity competition until their sophomore year. Notre Dame finished 1922 with a record of 8-1-1. They tied Army 0-0 after winning the first 6 games the lost their season finale at Nebraska on Thanksgiving Day, 14 – 6.
Rockne once said of Harry Stuhldreher, “Harry made an error in his sophomore year. He never made another.”
As a junior his team recorded a record of 9-1, again losing to Nebraska late in the season. Harry would not lose another game at Notre Dame. In fact, Harry only lost to one team while at Notre Dame and that was Nebraska, in 1922 and 1923.
Luther Emery once wrote, “When Harry Stuhldreher was at Notre Dame the Massillon Tigers would start their summer practice before Notre Dame. “Stuhlie” would come down and work out with the Massillon team.”
As a senior Harry was one of the smallest quarterbacks in Notre Dame’s history, standing 5′-7” tall and weighing just 150 lbs. Notre Dame started the season 2-0 but it was after their rivalry game, a 13-7 win against Army at the Polo Grounds, that The Four Horsemen became immortalized. Notre Dame finished the season 10-0 with a season finale Rose Bowl victory over Stanford, 27-10 on New Year’s Day, January 1, 1925. Notre Dame was proclaimed National Champions by 10 poling/foundations/associations of the day. This would be Notre Dame’s last bowl appearance until the 1969 season. Harry had made All-American twice but this year he was voted Consensus First team All-American Quarterback.
Stuhldreher’s obituary reads, “The undefeated 1924 team went to the Rose Bowl and defeated Stanford 27-10. It was that year that Mr. Stuhldreher was selected virtually unanimously as All-American quarterback”
“Even as a freshman, Harry had the most promise of the Four Horsemen. He sounded the leader on the field.” — Knute Rockne
Don Miller, Harry’s roommate and member of the Four Horsemen said, “Harry was the greatest quarterback in the history of Notre Dame University … not only a great passer and blocker but also a great safety man on defense.”
Harry Stuhldreher will always be associated with the “Hail Mary” desperation touchdown pass. Jim Crowley, a member of the Four Horsemen, used this story in many of his speeches. “During a tense game against Georgia Tech, Fighting Irish lineman Noble Kizer (member of the Seven Mules) suggested a Hail Mary prayer. Shortly thereafter, Stuhldreher threw a touchdown pass on fourth down. After the game, Kizer said, “That Hail Mary is the best play we’ve got.”
PROFESSIONAL
September 16, 1925 Stuhldreher had offers to play for three pro teams in the Connecticut area, but signed a contract to play for the Providence Steam Roller in the team’s inaugural NFL season. The Steam Roller had a non-league game on September 20th, annihilating West Point Artillery club 127-0. Stuhldreher played in that game, but he jumped teams when his demand for a salary increase was refused. He immediately signed with the Waterbury/Hartford Blues for $7,500 plus a $500 bonus. On October 11, Jim Crowley, another member of the Four Horsemen, signed and joined Stuhldreher against Adams, Massachusetts.
Crowley scored three touchdowns and Stuhldreher booted two field goals and three extra points. Crowley picked up his check after the game and said adios to the Blues. On Sunday December 13 all Four Horsemen were signed (for a speculated cost of $5000 for one game) to play the Cleveland Bulldogs in their last game of the season. The Bulldogs prevailed 13-6 and the Blues ended the season 10-2
In 1926 the Brooklyn pro team of the American Football League (AFL) was named “Horsemen” after the signing of Harry Stuhldreher and Elmer Layden, two of Notre Dame’s Four Horsemen. The team’s first game was decided by a 60-yard pass from Stuhldreher to Ed Harrison. Unfortunately, that was their only offensive highlight and their only win. The Horsemen ended with a 1-3 record, playing their last game on November 7, 1926, with a 21-13 loss to the New York Yankees. They then merged with the NFL’s Brooklyn Lions to complete the season. The local media dubbed the team the “Horse-Lions.”
On November 14, 1926, and playing for the Brooklyn Lions, Harry finally got his win against the Canton Bulldogs, winning 19-0. Notable players on the Bulldog team included Washington High School’s own Ben Roderick and Canton’s greatest player Jim Thorpe.
VILLANOVA
Harry Stuhldreher was named head football coach of Villanova in 1925 and found immediate success, being tabbed, “The Man who brought horsepower to Villanova Football.”
Villanova’s president, Father Hickey, asked, “How can we bring that winning Notre Dame spirit to Villanova?” The answer was to bring on a 23 year old, a three-time All-American from Notre Dame to be the 17th head coach of Villanova.
In his 11 years (1925-1935) as head coach, his teams were 65-25-9, with an undefeated season in 1928 at 7-0-1. He had only one losing season. His winning percentage of .722 remains the highest among all Villanova head coaches with at least a 2-year tenure. And his 65 victories were more than Villanova’s first 12 coaches accumulated in 31 seasons.
Coach Harry was instrumental in picking his replacement before moving on. His choice was Maurice J. “Clipper” Smith, a Notre Dame 1920 graduate and lineman coached by Knute Rockne. “Clipper” coached eight years at Villanova. Beginning late in his first year his teams had a record of 25-2-2, sixteen shutouts and was undefeated in 1937.
Outgoing Villanova Coach Harry and Replacement Clipper Smith
WISCONSIN
In 1936 Harry Stuhldreher was hired as the 19th head football coach for Wisconsin, which the Wisconsin State Journal called, a “Coaches Graveyard.” “The little man with the big job.” Harry responded, “Gentlemen, I’ve bought a one-way ticket from Philadelphia. I plan to stay here for a long time.”
Harry served in a dual role as Director of Athletics (1936-1950) and Head Football Coach (1936-1948). In 13 seasons his teams posted a 45-62-6 record. This gives him a career record of 110-87-15 in 24 seasons.
1941 – Wisconsin played at Ohio State and first year coach Paul Brown. Ohio State prevailed 46-34. The Wisconsin band did not travel to this game and it was Harry Stuhldreher, not Paul Brown, who invited the Massillon Tiger Swing Band to perform at halftime (the band’s first appearance at Ohio State) under the direction of George “Red” Bird. George “Red” Bird would later become the Cincinnati Bengals Entertainment Director for Paul Brown.
1942 – Wisconsin finished 3rd in the Nation in the final AP poll with an 8-1-1 record and 2nd in the Big Ten at 4-1. They tied Notre Dame 7-7 and beat Paul Brown and Ohio State’s first National championship team by a score of 17-7, Wisconsin’s first ever win over a top-ranked team. This team featured All-Americans Dave Schreiner, Pat Harder and Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch.
1943 – Stuhldreher coached a college All-Star team to a 27-7 win over the Washington Redskins.
1947 – Wisconsin finished 3-2-1 in the Big Ten which placed them 2nd.
As Athletic director he developed a concept of “Athletics for All” and his leadership produced a well-rounded development of all sports and the accompanying facilities.
Harry Stuhldreher retired from football in 1950 after 33 “Hall of Fame” years as player, coach and executive.
RETIRED FROM FOOTBALL ??
After his years with Wisconsin he was known as Mr. Football. He was extremely involved and active while being so called “retired.”
This is a list of some of the activities in which he was involved:
Past President, American Football Coaches Association
Assistant to Vice President, U.S. Steel Corp.,1959 – 1965
He was past President or Director of
Junior Achievement of S.W. Pennsylvania, Inc.
Allegheny Council, Boy Scouts of America (Silver Beaver)
Boys Club of Pittsburgh
Kiski Preparatory
Pop Warner Midget Football Conference
He was principal speaker at the Canton Junior Achievement banquet in the spring of 1956
Harry Stuhldreher – 1964
Mr. Stuhldreher wrote the books, “Quarterback Play” and “Knute Rockne, Man Builder.” The latter was a source for the movie, “Knute Rockne, All American,” starring Ronald Reagan as George Gipp. He also wrote a short novel titled, “The Blocking Back.” Along with his books he was a regular contributor of articles for the Saturday Evening Post. His wife was also a writer and the couple had four sons.
In August 1962 Mr. Stuhldreher was master of ceremonies at ground-breaking ceremonies for the National Professional Football Hall of Fame. Then during Football’s Greatest Weekend in 1963, the charter class of 17 pro football greats were enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. During the ceremony, Mr. Stuhldreher made the formal presentation of Hall of Fame membership to ‘Slingin’ Sammy Baugh.’
Mr. Stuhldreher passed away at age 63 on January 26, 1965, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Before his death, Harry told his family that he never really enjoyed the role of a ‘horseman.” “He hated horses, and he hated getting on that horse they always made him get on,” Harry Jr. recalled. He used to tell us he was always afraid he would fall off and get hurt or embarrass himself, and my dad did not like to be embarrassed.His son Michael said, “He loved Massillon as his home, and he was very, very proud of it ”
Harry Stuhldreher will be forever linked with Knute Rockne and Notre Dame. Towards the end of his life he made appearances with the other members of the famous Four Horsemen. One was in Massillon in 1963 and they visited the Massillon Tigers locker room prior to the Cleveland East game.
His wife once said, “Harry has become a football legend. No matter where he speaks or what he says, he is always remembered as the quarterback of the Four Horsemen.”
1963 – Four Horsemen: Elmer Layden, Jim Crowley, Harry Stuhldreher, Don Miller
Mr. Stuhldreher’s Awards include
Walter Camp Consensus 1st Team All-American Quarterback, 1924
Amos Alonzo Stagg Award, 1965
Staff Award for the American Football Coaches Association, 1965
Massillon, Ohio Washington High School Distinguished Citizen Award ,1994
Four Horsemen of Notre Dame $.32 U.S. Postage Stamp, issued 1998
Villanova Wall of Fame, 2002
Mr. Stuhldreher’s Hall of Fame Inductions include
Helms Foundation Hall of Fame
Notre Dame University Hall of Fame, 1958
National Football Foundation / College Football Hall of Fame at Rutgers University, 1958
Massillon, Ohio, Washington High School All-American Hall of Fame Charter Class Inductee, 1964
Madison, Wisconsin, Sports Hall of Fame ,1966
Wisconsin University Football Hall of Fame,1994
Massillon, Ohio, Washington High School Wall of Champions Charter Class Inductee, 1994
Stark County Ohio High School Football Hall of Fame Charter Member, 2002
Kiski Prep School, Saltsburg, PA. Sports Hall of Fame, 2015
Massillon, Ohio, Washington High School Tiger Hall of Fame, 2015
MASSILLON Massillon long ago learned to never take an Austintown Fitch team lightly. That’s especially true when the Tigers are carrying around an undefeated record.
So, as the two long-time combatants met Friday night at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, Massillon didn’t necessarily expect to see its run of lopsided routs continue. The only thing that mattered was continuing the Tigers season-opening win streak.
The Tigers would end up keeping their winning ways going, but it wouldn’t necessarily be easy. They scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns to pull away for a 42-14 win over the Falcons.
“Our kids fought hard,” Massillon coach Nate Moore said after his team improved to 6-0, the school’s best start since 2013. “It was good to see us go the distance in a ballgame and win it in the fourth quarter.”
The Tigers, whose closest game in the fourth quarter previous to Friday was a 37-21 lead over Warren Harding in Week 3, would only lead 21-14 going into the fourth quarter. Massillon would score on three of its final four possessions, while the Falcons went three-and-out on each of their three drives in the fourth.
Massillon held a 151-5 edge in fourth-quarter yardage.
“I just told them I was proud of the way they fought,” said Fitch coach Phil Annarella, whose team is now 4-2. “We played extremely hard; we didn’t play well at times. Sometimes, a 5-(foot-)7 kid can’t cover a 6-5 kid or whatever he is.”
Much of the focus coming in was on Tiger running back Jamir Thomas’ assault on the school’s record books. Thomas came in just 190 yards behind Art Hasting’s career rushing mark, and four rushing touchdowns behind Bob Glass’ record.
For the first half, Thomas couldn’t find the room to run, with just 28 first-half yards on seven carries. That didn’t necessarily hurt Massillon in opening up a 21-7 halftime lead, thanks to big plays in the passing game.
Aidan Longwell threw three first-half touchdown passes, including two to sophomore Jayden Ballard. Tre’Von Morgan added an 18-yard scoring catch which put the Tigers ahead 7-0 on their first possession of the game.
Longwell hit Ballard, then, on a 58-yard touchdown pass on the first play of their second possession to make it 14-0 Massillon. Ballard added a 66-yard touchdown catch to make it 21-7 Tiger in the second quarter.
Longwell finished 13-of-20 for 263 yards and four touchdowns. He and Ballard would hook up for a third score with 11:17 remaining, a 13-yarder to make it 28-14.
The Tiger passing game had its share of issues in the second half, as Fitch was able to mix up its pressures up front. That’s where the Tiger running game, specifically Thomas, came to the rescue.
Thomas would help Massillon open up its first three-score edge of the night when he took off for a 32-yard touchdown run with 8:59 remaining. That put the Tigers in front 35-14.
Thomas finished with 105 yards on 18 carries.
The Tigers once again struggled with ill-timed penalties, with six flags for 56 yards. They also had a second-half interception.
“We had to overcome a fair amount of adversity tonight,” Moore said. “It was good to see our guys respond.”
However, Fitch also has its own hand in making things interesting. That’s especially true when quarterback Dom Montalbano’s second short scoring run, a 1-yarder, pulled the Falcons within 21-14 with 5:48 remaining in the third quarter.
Fitch made its presence known on the very first play from scrimmage, as Roddell Bebbs raced 21 yards into Massillon territory to the Tiger 44. The Falcons would eventually move as far as the 33, only to be turned away on a fourth-and-11 stop by Massillon.
That would be one of three first-half possessions by Fitch to reach Tiger territory. However, only one would actually do scoreboard damage, as Montalbano’s 3-yard touchdown run with 6:56 remaining in the first half pulled the Falcons to within 14-7.
Fitch had 165 total yards at halftime, 58 on a Bobby Cavalier-to-Reuben Talley pass which set up Montalbano’s scoring run. That total was more than the full-game outputs of three of Massillon’s first five opponents.
In his high school swan song (a 42-0 shellacking of the McKinley Bulldogs on Nov. 19, 1960), Hastings rushed for four touchdowns to lift Massillon to its second straight Associated Press state poll championship and first team All-Ohio honors for himself.
