Category: <span>History</span>

Massillon vs. McK - Throwback (Large)

2002: Massillon 34, Canton McKinley 17

Tigers overwhelm Bulldogs
Massillon secures its fourth straight post‑season berth

By JOE SHAHEEN
Independent Sports Editor

The Massillon Tigers paved their way into the playoffs by steam rolling archrival Canton McKinley in the second half for a 34‑17 victory in front of 16,162 fans on a cool, gray autumn Saturday afternoon at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

It was Massillon’s fifth consecutive victory over McKinley in the teams’ 110th meeting all‑time.

Program Cover

The Tigers, who improve to 8‑2 and will play at North Canton in a regional quarterfinal game next Saturday, were prohibitive favorites against McKinley, which falls to 3‑7. But the Bulldogs struck first for a 6‑0 lead and it took a Max Shafer 21‑yard field goal to give Massillon a 17‑14 lead at halftime.

The second half was a different story as the Massillon defense shut down McKinley running back Ryan Brinson, who had rushed for 123 yards in the first half, and the Tiger offense went almost exclusively to the ground game to overpower the Bulldogs.

“McKinley has done such a great job over the five years I’ve been here,” Tiger coach Rick Shepas said after getting an ice‑water drenching from his players at game’s end. “We needed everything in our play book to go against this McKinley team. Spider Miller does an outstanding job of coaching. Their kids played very hard. Brinson is a great back and I think Mike Shaffer is going to be a great quarterback as well.

0ur kids have been fighting all year long and they’ve been in big games and have come up short. But I’ll tell you what, I think our coaches have done a great job and I’m very proud of the way our kids have responded. We get a chance to play another week and who knows what can happen after that.”

McKinley sideline boss Spider Miller, who held his team together through an injury‑riddled and emotionally tumultuous season, had the Bulldogs primed to pull the upset.

“Our kids have never quit,” Miller said. “They played with great pride and character, but we just ran into a great football team. “Massillon has a lot of talent. We hung in there for awhile.”

The teams exchanged punts to open the second half with the Tigers taking over at their 43. That’s when Shepas opted to line up in the I‑formation and power the football at McKinley.

Massillon ran the football on seven consecutive plays, with senior Ricky Johnson getting six of those handoffs. Johnson, who would finish the game with 188 yards rushing to top the 1,000‑yard plateau for the season, capped the march with a nine‑yard gallop around right end. He extended the football over the goal line as he was being tackled.

“We felt like we could go up there and just power football right up the middle,” said Tiger senior tackle J.P. Simon “We felt like we were the more physical team, the more conditioned team. We felt like we could have success that way and that’s just what we did.”

Shafer added the point after and Massillon was up 24‑14 at 3:26 of the third quarter.
A long Brinson kick return gave McKinley good field position but Tiger cornerback Jamaal Ballard outfought Bulldog wideout Tyrone Gillespie on a deep pass to quell Canton’s momentum.

Massillon was then forced to punt and McKinley capitalized with Matt Campbell’s 31‑yard field goal to cut the Tiger lead to just 24‑17 at 10:55 of the fourth quarter.

But on the ensuing kickoff, Billy Relford returned the ball 61 yards to the McKinley 27.
“I felt like it was time,” said Relford. “I told coach to let me get the ball. I told the guys, ‘You set the wedge and I’m going to run this ball.’ They set the wedge and I just followed my blocks and just took off.”
Six plays later, Shafer kicked his second field goal of the game ‑ this one from 30 yards out ‑ and Massillon was up 27‑17 with 7:41 to play.

Eeriely, Massillon led Warren Harding 27‑17 with 7:29 to play one week ago but didn’t close. “Absolutely we talked about that and we worked on it all week,” Shepas acknowledged. “We were able to respond today.” The response came in the form of Ballard’s second interception of the afternoon, just three plays after the ensuing Tiger kickoff.

“Every game I always come out with the idea I’m going to shut down my side of the field,” Ballard said. “With them throwing to my side every time this afternoon, I proved that. He kept throwing it and I kept taking the ball from them.” “Jamaal Ballard needed to have a game like this,” added Shepas. “I’ll tell you what, he played great today and he has played great for two years here. He is an outstanding player.”

The Tigers tacked on their final score with a seven‑play, 45‑yard drive capped by a seven‑yard Johnson touchdown run over left tackle. Shafer added his fourth extra point of the afternoon to go with the two field goals.

“Max is definitely our Special Teams Player of the Game after a situation where last week he didn’t realize how important he was to our football team,” Shepas said. “I think he learned last week and I think he knows for sure now.

It’s awesome,” Shafer said. “It feels great because I wasn’t in last week and everything so I worked twice as hard this week to come back to where I was before.”

The smell of upset was in the air early on. McKinley jumped out when senior linebacker Josh Grimsley blocked a Massillon punt and senior Dorian Chenault covered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown. Relford blocked the extra point attempt and McKinley was up 6‑0 with 7:09 of the first quarter.

The Tigers came right back to score on their next possession. Beginning on the Massillon 29, the Tigers went to Johnson on four consecutive plays and he advanced it to the McKinley 47. Then, out of the wing‑T, Steve Hymes picked up seven yards on a keeper play to the 40. On first down Hymes ‑ ran the option to perfection, pitching to Johnson when the defense committed to him. Johnson went untouched down the right sideline 40 yards to the end zone. Shafer’s point after was on target and Massillon was up 7‑6 with 4:47 showing on the first quarter clock.

It appeared Massillon was about to blow the game open when it scored the very next time it touched the ball. Matt Martin handed the ball to James Helscel on an end around, but Helscel pulled up and threw a strike down the right sideline to Devin Jordan for a 45‑yard gain to the Bulldog 15. After a holding penalty on Massillon, Martin connected with Jordan at the 10 and the senior wideout carried it into the end zone. Shafer’s kick made it 14‑6 Massillon with :20 left in the opening period.

Brinson tuned the momentum back in McKinley’s favor after the teams exchanged punts.

On a first down play from the Bulldog 25, the sophomore running back went around right end, somehow eluded a pack of Tiger tacklers at the line of scrimmage, then bolted 75 yards to pay dirt. Shaffer hooked up with Chris Jeter for a two‑point conversion and it was a 14‑14 contest at 11:34 of the second quarter. That’s the way it stayed until the waning moments of the first half.

Beginning on their own 47, the Tigers got in position for a field goal when Martin found Relford wide open along the left sideline for a 47‑yard gain. Three plays later, Shafer was true on a 21‑yard field goal to set the stage for the second half, and the Tigers drive to their fourth straight playoff berth.

Massillon 34
McKinley 17
M MC
First downs rushing 13 4
First downs passing 4 3
First downs by penalty 0 1
TOTAL first downs 17 8
Net yards rushing 248 150
Net yards passing 130 59
TOTAL yards 378 209
Passes attempted 13 26
Passes completed 5 14
Passes intercepted 0 2
Punts 7 6
Punting average 32.1 27.2
Fumbles/Lost 1/0 0/0
Penalties 9 2
Yards penalized 72 21
Massillon 14 03 07 10 34
McKinley 06 08 00 03 17

SCORING

MCK ‑ Grimsley 10 blocked punt return (kick failed)
M ‑ Johnson 40 run (Shafer kick)
M ‑ Martin 34 pass to Jordan (Shafer kick)
MCK ‑ Brinson 75 run (Shaffer to Jeter)
M ‑ Shafer 21 field goal
M ‑ Johnson 9 run (Shafer kick)
MCK ‑ Campbell 31 field goal
M ‑ Shafer 30 field goal
M ‑ Johnson 7 run (Shafer kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Massillon rushing: Johnson 31‑188, Woods 9‑37.
McKinley rushing: Brinson 17‑152.

Massillon passing: Martin 4‑12‑86 1 TD.
McKinley passing: Shaffer 5‑21‑59 4 INT.

Massillon receiving: Jordan 2‑78, Relford 1‑48, Johnson 1‑5.
McKinley receiving: Gillespie 2‑44.

Shawn Crable
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo

2002: Massillon 27, Warren Harding 31

Massillon can’t escape Warren with a win
Fourth‑quarter lead slips away for Tigers in tough 31‑27 loss

By JOE SHAHEEN
Independent Sports Editor

In the end the Massillon Tigers undoing was a player who had caught just two passes and returned one punt all season long.

Warren Harding sophomore Mario Manningham returned a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns in the first half, and caught two touchdown passes in the second half ‑ the second one with just :49 left to play ‑ to spark the undefeated and No.1 ranked Raiders to a heart‑pounding 31‑27 victory over the Tigers in front of 11,500 at Mollenkopf Stadium Saturday.

Warren coach Thom McDaniels, who is now 12‑5 all‑time against the Tigers, admitted Manningham’s performance caught him by surprise. “Very obviously he is a very talented kid,” McDaniels said. “We’ve been bringing him along slowly. Maybe I don’t need to bring him along as slowly as I have been.”

Everything seemed to point to a Massillon win on the post‑game stat sheet. The Tigers out gained Warren 348‑202, senior running back Ricky Johnson led all rushers with 107 yards in 20 carries and quarterback Matt Martin passed for over 200 yards and three touchdowns.

But Warren Harding compiled 147 yards on three kickoff returns and 78 yards on three punt returns to more than balance the scales.

“It was all about the kicking game,” said Tiger coach Rick Shepas. “They scored two touchdowns on our defense and our offense did a great job against them scoring 27 points. “It was just about the kicking game unfortunately and that’s the way it goes.”

Massillon took a 20‑17 lead with 2:54 to go in the third quarter when Martin dropped a perfectly thrown deep ball into the hands of Devin Jordan running a post pattern for a 49‑yard touchdown.

The Tigers appeared to have Warren on the ropes when junior running back Tuffy Woods ran through a gaping hole in the middle of the Raider defensive line and went 33 yards to pay dirt at 7:29 of the fourth quarter to make it a 27‑17 ball game. Zach Smith tacked on both PATs.

“Our offensive and defensive game plans were outstanding,” Shepas said. “We did exactly what we wanted to do in a big ball game. Our kids stayed level.” After having kicked off out of bounds the previous two times to negate Warren’s return game, the final Tiger kickoff of the evening found Rob Massucci, who returned it 54 yards to the Massillon 26. “We were trying to kick the ball out of bounds but it just didn’t happen,” Shepas explained.

Warren quarterback Mike Kokal found Tremayne Warfield for 14 yards on the first snap following Massucci’s return. One play later he hit Manningham in the right corner of the end zone from 13 yards out. Joe Spain tacked on the extra point and Massillon’s lead was down to 27‑24 with 6:29 to play.

Massillon went three‑and‑out on its next possession when a third‑and‑one run was stuffed at the line of scrimmage by the Warren defense.

After a 33‑yard punt, Warren set up shop at its own 35 and on first down Kokal hit Manningham over the middle for 27 yards to the Massillon 38. Five plays later, on second‑and‑three from the 12‑yard line, Kokal zipped a short pass to Manningham at the three and he squirted into the end zone to all but vanquish the Tigers 2002 playoff aspirations.

“We played hard,” remarked Tiger linebacker Shawn Crable, who made plays all over the field this night. “It’s kind of hard to lose a game like that. As hard as we played to just give up the last touchdown, it’s a bit hard to swallow.”

Asked if it just wasn’t meant to be, Shepas said, “I guess not and we’re going to have to figure out why that is. Warren Harding‑ opened the scoring in the opening seconds of the second quarter when Manningham fielded a low line drive punt at the Raider 32, cut to his left, found a seam and scooted 68 yards for a touchdown. Manningham had just one obstacle after crossing midfield, but used a juke move to buckle the potential tackler’s knees. Spain tacked on the extra point and Warren led 7‑0 at 11:45 of the second quarter.

The teams traded punts with the Tigers then taking over at their own 20 yard line with 8:12 until halftime.

On second down, Martin rolled left and found James Helscel open for a 12‑yard gain to the 35. One play later, Martin dropped a perfect 35‑yard rainbow pass into the hands of Relford at the Warren Harding 30. After two Johnson runs, Martin executed a perfect play action fake and found tight end A.J. Collins wide open at the 15. The senior tight end caught the ball and rambled untouched into the end zone. Smith’s point after kick was true and it was a 7‑7 game at 4:58 of the second quarter.

Relford got the ball right back for the Tigers with a grass‑top interception of a Kokal pass at the Massillon 44. The teams then exchanged punts with Massillon beginning its final first half possession at its own 35.

On second and 10, Martin operating out of the shotgun ‑ found Relford in one‑on‑one coverage and dropped a pass just over the defensive backs hands for a 37 yard completion to the Warren Harding28. Martin would pick up a key first down on a fourth‑and-one keeper play to the 15. On first down from there, Martin ran the same play that produced the Tigers first touchdown. Once again the play action fake freed up Collins, who pulled in Martin’s short pass and sauntered into the end zone. Smith’s kick made it 14‑7 with just :31 until the break.

But Warren Harding struck back like lightening bolt as Manningham fielded the ensuing kickoff at the Raider 18 and streaked up the middle for an 82‑yard touchdown return. Spain’s PAT made it a 14‑14 game at the band show.

Warren Harding 31
Massillon 27
M WH
First downs rushing 5 2
First downs passing 7 8
First downs by penalty 0 0
TOTAL first downs 13 10
Net yards rushing 144 36
Net yards passing 204 166
TOTAL yards 348 202
Passes attempted 20 26
Passes completed 9 14
Passes intercepted 1 2
Punts 7 6
Punting average 31.6 28.0
Fumbles/Lost 0/0 0/0
Penalties 5 3
Yards penalized 29 23

Massillon 00 14 06 07 27
Warren 00 14 03 14 31

SCORING

W ‑ Manningham 68 punt return (Spain kick)
M ‑ Martin 27 pass to Collins (Smith kick)
M ‑ Martin 15 pass to Collins (Smith
kick)
W ‑ Manningham 82 kick return (Spain kick)
W ‑ Spain 31 field goal
M ‑ Martin 49 pass to Jordan (kick failed)
M ‑ Woods 33 run (Smith kick)
W ‑ Phillips 13 pass to Manningham (Spain kick)
W ‑ Kokal 12 pass to Manningh am (Spain kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Massillon rushing: Johnson 20‑106, Woods 8‑52.
Warren Harding rushing: Davis 13-23.

Massillon passing: Martin 9‑20‑204 3 TDs 1 int.
Warren Harding passing: Kokal 9‑16‑91 1 TD 1 INT, Phillips 5‑10‑75 1 TD.

Massillon receiving: Relford 4‑100, Jordan 1‑48, Collins 2‑41, Heischel 1‑12.
Warren Harding receiving: Manningham 4‑68, Warfield 4‑29

Shawn Crable
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo

2002: Massillon 54, Cleveland Lincoln West 6

Tigers put Lincoln West away with early burst
Massillon carries 7‑1 slate into Warren Harding showdown

By JOE SHAHEEN
Independent Sports Editor

The Massillon Tigers two‑week, late‑season interlude against out‑manned opponents came to an end with a 54‑6 victory over the Cleveland Lincoln West Wolverines in front of 6.229 fans at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium Friday.

The Tigers have scored 128 points in the last eight quarters of football against 0‑8 Woodrow Wilson and 0‑8 Lincoln West. Neither will be on the Massillon schedule next season.

Program Cover

In fact, there were persistent reports this week the Tigers attempted to buy out their contract with Lincoln West ‑which has lost 4 straight football games ‑ but were rebuffed by the Ohio High School Athletic Association. Massillon coach Rick Shepas denied there was any move to buy out the contract in favor of an open date, which would have been more beneficial for the Tigers from a computer playoff points standpoint.

Regardless of the quality of its foe, Massillon was on its game the first quarter. The Tigers had 11 snaps on offense in the initial 12 minutes of the contest and got a first down or a touchdown on nine of those plays.

“I thought we were really sharp,” Shepas said afterward. “I was really pleased with the way the players prepared this week. There was a lot of focus for a Lincoln West team. We wanted to improve and I believe we accomplished that tonight.”.

The Tigers led 34‑0 at the first stop on Shawn Crable’s 20-yard interception return for a touchdown, two Ricky Johnson touchdown runs, and two Matt Martin scoring passes ‑ one to Stephon Ashcraft that covered 18 yards and the other to Devin Jordan for 16 yards. Both touchdown passes were set up by interceptions by Tiger senior safety Dustin Jarvis.

“We wanted to let Matt Martin call the whole game offensively and he did a great job,” Shepas said. “Steve Hymes did much of the same in the second half.

“I thought we were’ sharp on both sides of the ball.” Martin completed 7 of 8 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns in one quarter of play. He has connected on 16 of his last 18 aerials for 276 yards and five touchdowns.

If nothing else, the game provided a couple of injured Massillon starters an opportunity to ease back into action. Johnson did not play last week, resting a badly sprained ankle. The Tigers leading rusher started and played the entire first quarter of Friday’s rout, toting the ball three times for 13 yards.

“Ricky Johnson is 100 percent good as new,” Shepas reported. “You saw him running out there. He looked fresh and ready to go.”

Another seeing action after a lengthy layoff was senior inside linebacker Tony Graves, who had played in just one game since suffering a high ankle sprain in the season opener. Graves was in for one series of downs in the first quarter but did not return. “Tony Graves is getting back in the flow and ready to go,” Shepas said.

Two key Tigers who did not see action were starting strong safety Markeys Scott (shoulder) and No.2 running back Terrance Roddy (knee). “We look to get Markeys back Monday at practice if the doctors say OK,” Shepas said. “But it looks like Terrance will be out four to six weeks with that knee.”

Steve Hymes took over at quarterback for Massillon in the second quarter and hit Ryan Schindler with a 20‑yard touchdown pass. Max Shafer’s fifth point after kick made it 41‑0 with 3:43 to play in the half.

Lincoln West used a pass interference and two long pass completions ‑ one of which bounced off a Tiger defender and into the hands of Armando Lugo ‑ to get inside the Massillon 5‑yard line late in the first half. On fourth‑and‑goal, Michael Woulard bucked off right guard and into the end zone from about a foot out to break up the shutout.

Hymes, who rushed for 79 yards in 14 carries, scored from six yards out mid‑way through the third quarter to put the Tigers up 47‑6.

Junior running back Tuffy Woods closed the scoring with a nine‑yard touchdown run with 4:49 to play. He finished the night as the game’s leading ground gainer with 106 yards in 10 carries.

After having the team sing Happy Birthday to his daughter Maria, Shepas gave his charges the weekend off. He says the Tigers are where they need to be one week in advance of playing their most important game of the season against No.1 ranked Warren Harding.

“I think so,” he said. “These kids have done a great job from the time we started conditioning in the winter time. They practiced with great focus. “They’re a little bit on edge. They know the Ignatius game is going to factor in a little bit. They want to do their best to finish it out.”

If there was a down note for the Tigers in the game, it was their 10 penalties for 102 yards. But as Shepas noted, most came after the first team was long gone. “We played a pretty clean first half,” he said. Lincoln West head coach Walter Stokes was certainly impressed. “Massillon played a really good football game,” he said. “They are really well coached and fundamentally sound. I think they will have a nice run in the playoffs.”

For that to happen, the Tigers must first get past Warren Harding one week from tonight at Mollenkopf Stadium.

Massillon 54
Lincoln‑West 06
M L‑W
First downs rushing 13 3
First downs passing 10 3
First downs by penalty 1 3
TOTAL first downs 24 9
Net yards rushing 231 11
Net yards passing 235 106
TOTAL yards 466 117
Passes attempted 20 18
Passes completed 15 5
Passes intercepted 0 3
Punts 0 4
Punting average 00.0 25.8
Fumbles/Lost 1/0 3/1
Penalties 10 6
Yards penalized 102 36

Massillon 34 07 06 07 54
Lincoln‑West 00 06 00 00 00

SCORING

M ‑ Crabel 20 interception return (Shafer kick)
M ‑ Johnson 1 run (Kick failed)
M ‑ Johnson 18 run (Shafer kick)
M ‑ Ashcraft 18 pass from Martin (Shafer kick)
M ‑ Jordan 16 pass from Martin (Shafer kick) M ‑ Schindler 20 pass from Hymes (Shafer kick) L‑W ‑ Woulard 1 run (Kick failed)
M ‑ Hymes 6 run (Kick failed)
M ‑ Woods 9 run (Smith kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Massillon rushing: Woods 10‑106 TD, Hymes 14‑79 TD, Pullin 3‑15, Johnson 3‑13 2 TDs, Walterhouse 2‑9, Pettis 2‑9.
Lincoln‑West rushing: Woulard 22‑39 TD.

Massillon passing: Martin 7‑8‑150 2 TDs. Hymes 8‑12‑85 TD.
Lincoln‑West passing: Abdul‑Hakim 4‑12‑61 3 INTs. Johnson 1‑6‑45.

Massillon receiving: Hauser 3‑51, Ashcraft 2‑45 TD, Jordan 2‑43 TD, Helscel 2‑39, Schindler 2‑31 TD, Woods 4‑26.
Lincoln‑West receiving: Abdul Hakim 1‑45, Lugo

Shawn Crable
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo

2002: Massillon 74, Youngstown Woodrow Wilson 0

Massillon mauls Woodrow Wilson

By WILLIAM R. SANDERSON
Independent Sports Writer

With the mismatch between the Massillon Tigers and Youngstown Woodrow Wilson Redmen obvious from the start, among the Tigers priorities was keeping their key players healthy. No such luck.

Program Cover

An injury to senior running back Terrance Roddy ‑ Massillon’s second leading rusher this season cast a shadow over the Tigers 74‑0 victory over Wilson on Friday night at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

Massillon was closing in on its first touchdown of the game after receiving the opening kickoff when Roddy hurt his left knee on a carry that put the ball on the three‑yard line. After lying on the field for a minute, he limped off the field with assistance and didn’t return.

“We’re thinking it’s a knee sprain,” Massillon coach Rick Shepas said. “We don’t know. We, won’t know until we get it looked at.”

The Roddy injury comes one week after the Tigers top rusher Ricky Johnson limped off the field in the second half of the Mansfield game after aggravating his sprained ankle.

Aside from the injury to Roddy, the Tigers, now 6‑1 on the season, pretty much had their way with the 0‑7 Redmen.

For one thing, Shepas wanted to see a more disciplined performance from his team He wanted his squad to eliminate some of the penalties that have been problematic over the course of the first six weeks of the season. The Tigers only committed two infractions for 10 yards.

“I think our guys did a good job,” Shepas said. “They had a good week of practice and they played very enthusiastically instead of playing to the level of their opponents and that’s a credit to them.”

Another focus of Friday night’s action was the Tiger passing game. Despite the sheets of rain that fell throughout the first half of the contest, Massillon was able to get some work done in that area as well.

Starting quarterback Matt Martin played the first half and completed nine of his 10 passing efforts for 127 yards and two touchdowns before giving way to junior Shane Walterhouse and sophomore Brian Morningstar who split the quarterbacking duties in the second half. Devin Jordan led the receiving efforts with four catches for 92 yards and a touchdown.

“We had a great game plan from our coaches,” Martin said. “The line blocked very well and I had a lot of time. The receivers caught the ball well in the wet weather and the backs ran hard. It was a total team effort.”

Prior to the injury, Roddy had set up the initial touchdown of the game with a run of 20 yards. After the injury, junior Tuffy Woods stepped right into the breach and looked very impressive. After finishing off the first scoring drive from three yards out, he quickly scored again on Massillon’s next possession.

Following a Billy Relford punt return to the Wilson 27, Woods carried for 26 yards before scoring on the next play on a 1‑yard run.

After the Tigers sent Wilson three and out again, junior quarterback Steve Hymes lined up as a running back and scored from 22 yards out on the first play of the drive. That was set up by another strong punt return by Relford.

After rushing for the first three touchdowns, the Tigers scored the next couple through the air. Martin hit A.J. Collins for a 15‑yard touchdown pass that made the score 26‑0 after the extra point kick by Max Shafer.

After a blocked punt gave the Tigers the ball on the Wilson eight, Martin threw a 10‑yard touchdown pass to James Heischel. A two‑point conversion on a pass from Relford to Woods made it 34‑0 at the 6:03 mark of the second quarter.

Martin finished his day off with a six‑yard touchdown pass to Jordan at the end of the second quarter to make the score 41‑0 at halftime.

Even after mass substitutions in the early going of the second half, the Tigers not have much difficulty continuing to dominate. Shepas was pleased with the performance of his backups. “In that second half I thought Eric Smith made some nice hits,” Shepas observed.

“Tomar Pettis did a real nice job on defense. Andrew Pullin ran the ball well and Walterhouse and Morningstar did a good job at quarterback.” Pullin raced in from 15‑yards out for one score early in the third quarter. Walterhouse scored on another 15‑yard run and Pullin broke another scoring run from the Wilson 45 to make it 61‑0 after three quarters.

“I saw the hole open up and I just took it,” Pullin said of his 45‑yard jaunt. “I hope that I’ll get to play a little more next‑week and hopefully I’ll be able to produce the same way.”

With Roddy possibly sidelined, that may indeed be the case. Pullin finished with 90 yards on 10 carries to lead the Tigers’ ground game.

The defensive backups got into the act as well as Pettis, a sophomore, sacked the quarterback for a 18‑yard loss and later dropped a Wilson running back for a fouryard loss.

“I had to pinch to the outside and there was the opening,” Pettis said of the sack. “I rushed in on the quarterback and I don’t think he even saw me at first.”

Pettis proved he could do it on offense to with a 17‑yard run with 1:06 to go in the contest and Gavin Pedrotty intercepted a Wilson pass ran in the final score as time expired.

As badly as his team was outplayed by the Tigers, Wilson coach Dan DiGiacomo was proud of his team for not quitting. Even late in the game, the Redmen exhibited enthusiasm after making a play.

“They played for 48,” DiGiacomo said. “We asked them to give all they had for 48 minutes and they did that.”

The garne marked the first start for Tiger linebacker Shawn Crable, who had seen some time against Mansfield after returning from foot surgery. After the game, the defensive stalwart said he felt fine.

“I was just happy to be back on the field,” Crable said. “I didn’t feel any pain. I was getting a little restless, but they held me out for the right amount of time.”

Massillon 74­
Wilson 00
M W
First downs rushing 14 1
First gowns passing 4 0
First downs, by penalty 1 0
TOTAL first downs 19 1
Net yards rushing 251 ‑18
Net yards passing 141 20
TOTAL yards 392 2
Passes attempted 12 15
Passes completed 11 4
Passes Intercepted 0 1
Punts 0 5
Punting average 00.0 29.2
Fumbles/Lost 4/0 2/1
Penalties 2 2
Yards penalized 10 15

Massillon 19 22 20 13 74
Wilson 00 00 00 00 00

SCORING

M ‑ Woods 3 run (Kick failed)
M ‑ Woods I run (Shafer kick)
M ‑ Hymes 22 run (Kick failed)
M ‑ Collins 15 pass from Martin (Shafer kick)
M ‑ Heiscel 10 pass from Martin (Woods pass from Relford)
M ‑ Jordan 6 pass from Martin (Shafer kick)
M ‑ Pullin 15 run (Smith kick)
M ‑ Walterhouse 15 run (Smith kick)
M ‑ Pullin 45 run (Kick failed)
M ‑ Pettis 17 run (Smith kick)
M ‑ Pedrotty 63 interception return

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Massillon rushing: Pullin 10‑87, Roddy 4‑34, Pettis 5‑32, Hymes 2‑31, Woods 3‑29, Walterhouse 4‑19, White 2‑12.
Wilson rushing: Benjamin 5‑11.

Massillon passing: Martin 9‑10‑126 3 TDs, Morningstar 2‑2‑15.
Wilson passing: Sims 4‑14‑20 INT.

Massillon receiving: Jordan 4‑92 TD, Collins 1‑14 TD, Woods 2‑12, Gates 1‑12,
Helscel 1 ‑10 TD, Smith 1‑3.
Wilson receiving: Jones 3‑12.

Shawn Crable
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo

2002: Massillon 56, Mansfield Senior 0

It’s Tigers … spelled with an “I”
Mansfield’s Tygers are beaten in every phase of the game

By JOE SHAHEEN
Independent Sports Editor

Lennox Lewis over Mike Tyson.
Richard Nixon over George McGovern.
The German army over the French army.

Program Cover

One‑sided victories all. But no more so than Massillon’s 56‑0 demolition of a Mansfield Senior team that was 4‑1 and ranked seventh in its computer region coming into Friday night’s game that was played in front of 7,538 fans at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

It was one‑sided almost from the opening kickoff as Massillon’s defense pitched its second shutout of the season and permitted Mansfield just two first downs in the first half, which ended with the Tigers comfortably in front 35‑0.

“Massillon has a very good football team I and we have a very young football team,” said Mansfield coach Stanley Jefferson. “They were able to physically come out and hammer it to us and we couldn’t do anything to stop them on either side of the football.”

That is reflected in the statistics as Massillon compiled 446 total yards to Mansfield’s 184.

It looked like the Tiger team that decimated its first three opponents and dominated St. Ignatius for a half.

“We are a very good football team when our kids are in the right frame of mind,” said Tiger coach Rick Shepas. “They can’t been too high or too low. They have to be right in the middle with a little bit of a chip on their shoulder. And that’s really important. That’s why we have to sit on them like we do. The better these kids feel about themselves, the more they take for granted.

“It took us a little longer to get over the Ignatius loss. We were moping around and we were flat against Fitch.” The Tigers controlled the line of scrimmage all night long, rushing for over 330 yards and averaging over eight yards per running play.

“We had a good week of practice all week,” said Tiger offensive tackle J.P Simon. “We went extra hard every day. We’re trying to come off the ball and dominate. We just wanted to come out tonight and show everybody what we are about.

“Give the backs a lot of credit. They were breaking a lot of tackles and hitting the holes hard.”

Although he didn’t start the game, due to missing a practice this week, senior Ricky Johnson led the Massillon ground game with 111 yards and three touchdowns in only 12 carries.

Fellow senior Terrance Roddy was superb once again with 75 yards and a touchdown in only six totes.

“We got into a good flowing mixing up formations in the running game on them,” Shepas said. “I thought Matt Martin did a good job checking at the line of scrimmage and I thought we de a good job throwing as well.

“We didn’t make some plays in the pass game. As much as we throw it, we want to be better in that area.”

Just minutes after Massillon scored on a Steve Hymes to Brad Hauser three‑yard touchdown pass to close the scoring with 1:12 to play, the Tigers were doing what Shepas calls Green Bay conditioning drills in the middle of the field.

“Those are just a little reminder for people who aren’t giving effort or for penalties that might hurt us,” explained Tiger co‑captain Keith Wade. “We’re trying to eliminate that stuff and become a better football team.”

It’s hard to imagine a better team than Massillon showed in the first half against Mansfield. The Tigers scored on their second possession following a 24‑yard Mansfield punt.

On first down from the Mansfield 48, Roddy took a handoff from Martin and found an opening over right guard and tackle. Roddy broke it to the right sideline at the 45 and was off to the races, finally being dragged down at the 6.

Two plays later, Roddy went over right guard again for the touchdown from four yards out. Max Shafer’s kick made it 7‑0 Massillon at 5:25 of the first quarter.

Mansfield’s second possession was a three‑and‑‑out series that ended with a shanked punt that traveled just 14 yards.

“Our special teams have been sporadic all year,” lamented Jefferson. “You can’t do that against Massillon. They take advantage of that.”

A holding penalty on the Tigers negated an eight‑yard Roddy touchdown run following the punt, but Massillon scored two plays later when Martin completed a short pass to Roddy in the left flat, and the senior running back outran the pursuit to the end zone for the touchdown. Shafer’s point‑after conversion made it 14‑0 Massillon at 3:08 of the first.

Johnson was inserted in the game after Mansfield’s third punt in as many possessions gave Massillon the ball at midfield. On second‑and‑10, the 6 foot, 193‑pound senior skirted around right end for 36 yards to the Mansfield 15‑yard line.

Martin hooked up with George Pribich for 10 yards to the 1 and Johnson did the honors from there, bucking into the end zone at 11:15 of the second quarter. Shafer’s kick was true and the Tigers led 21‑0.

Once again Mansfield went three‑and‑out but an excellent punt forced Massillon to start at its own 23. A six‑play drive that included an 18‑yard inside run by Tuffy Woods was capped by a 32‑yard touchdown run by Johnson at 7:30 of the second quarter. Shafer’s point‑after made it 28‑0 Massillon.

Massillon’s final tally of the first half was set up when Michael White recovered a muffed punt at the Mansfield 25. Five plays later Johnson bowled over a Mansfield tackler at the one‑yard line and strode into the end zone for his second touchdown of the half. Shafer tacked on the conversion kick at 2:04 of the first half and it was a 35‑0 contest.

After a scoreless third quarter, Hymes found pay dirt on a 10‑yard bootleg run around left end at 10:28 of the fourth quarter.

Devin Jordan got into the act, hauling in a high‑arcing Hymes pass in the end zone just 12 seconds later after Massillon covered its own kickoff.

Massillon 56
Mansfield Senior 0
Mas Man
First downs rushing 15 7
First downs passing 3 2
First downs by penalty 2 0
TOTAL first downs 20 9
Net yards rushing 334 183
Net yards passing 112 1
TOTAL yards 446 184
Passes attempted 23 8
Passes completed 13 3
Passes intercepted 0 0
Punts 5 9
Punting average 33.6 32.7
Fumbles/Lost 1/0 3/2
Penalties 7 7
Yards penalized 68 60
Massillon 14 21 00 21 56
Mansfield 00 00 00 00 00

SCORING

MAS ‑ Roddy 4 run (Shafer kick)
MAS ‑ Roddy 17 pass from Martin (Shafer kick)
MAS ‑ Johnson 1 run (Shafer kick)
MAS ‑ Johnson 25 run (Shafer kick)
MAS ‑ Johnson 3 run (Shafer kick)
MAS ‑ Hymes 10 run (Shafer kick)
MAS ‑ Jordan 26 pass from Hymes (Shafer kick)
MAS ‑ Hauser 3 pass from Hymes (Smith kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Massillon rushing: Johnson 12‑111 3 TDs, Roddy 6‑75 TD, Hymes 10‑68 TD,Woods 6‑61.
Mansfield rushing: Phillips 32‑149.

Massillon passing: Martin 11‑21‑83 TD, Hymes 2‑2‑29 2 TDs.
Mansfield passing: Molyet 3‑8‑1.

Massillon receiving: Jordan 2‑31 TD, Ashcraft 3‑23., Roddy 1‑17 TD, Woods 2‑13.
Mansfield reveiving: Greer 1‑3

Shawn Crable
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo

2002: Massillon 24, Austintown Fitch 14

Back on track
Tigers bounce back with a convincing 24‑14 triumph over Austintown Fitch

By WILLIAM R. SANDERSON
Independent Sports Writer

It wasn’t one of those patented seven‑ or eight‑touchdown wins some folks have come to expect, but the Massillon Tigers were able to wear down the Austintown Fitch Falcons for a 24‑14 victory on Friday night at Falcon Stadium. The 4‑1 Tigers took advantage of an errant snap on a punt and a couple of big runs by Ricky Johnson to survive the Falcons, who fall to 3‑2 on the season.

Johnson ran the ball for 91 yards on 16 carries and scored two touchdowns, but it was the 6‑foot, 193‑pound senior’s blocking that made Massillon coach Rick Shepas especially happy. With Johnson playing a role in paving the way, senior Terrance Roddy actually led the Tigers in rushing with 140 yards and a touchdown on 11 totes.

“Ricky has been doing a nice job on a banged up ankle,” Shepas said. “There is no one showing more courage on our football team then Ricky Johnson. He’s very unselfish. He did a very good job blocking for Terrance Roddy, who had a nice game himself.”

Johnson credited Roddy and his backfield mates for his success. “We’ve got three or four good backs,” Johnson said. “If they key on one, the other will hurt them. That opens the other backs. It goes both ways. I won’t let him absorb a hit, just like he won’t let me absorb a hit.”

While the Tigers were able to run the ball for a collective 278 yards, Austintown Fitch made sure that none of it would be easy. In fact, the Falcons let Massillon know right away that nothing was going to be easy.

The Tigers took the opening kickoff and pounded their way to the Fitch 21‑yard line when they fumbled a snap out of the shotgun. Austintown’s Robert Hill scooped up the ball and ran it 30 yards. Eight plays later Jason Aikens plunged through for a one‑yard touchdown at the 5:55 mark of the first quarter.

Fitch stopped the Tigers on the ensuing drive, but returned the favor at the end of its next possession when a snap went over the punter’s head. The Falcons’ Shea Stewart alertly kicked the ball out of the end zone for the safety. The Tigers ‑ trailing 7‑2 ‑ were able to take advantage of the free kick.

Johnson broke off a 21‑yard run to set up his own three‑yard touchdown jaunt two plays later. Steve Hymes ran in a two‑point conversion to but Massillon up 10‑7 at the 19:22 mark.

“That was the turning point,” Shepas said. Fitch drove right back down the field and was threatening to retake the lead, when the Falcons gave Massillon another gift by coughing up the ball after reaching the Tiger 17. Brandon Fogle covered the fumble for Massillon.

Massillon had a chance to build some tremendous momentum in the closing minutes of the first half. A couple of Matt Martin passes to James Helscel moved the ball into the Falcon end. After getting inside the Fitch 10‑yard line, a sack and a couple of incomplete passes brought on the field goal unit. But Fitch’s Davanzo Tate came up with the block to keep it a three‑point ball game.

Any positive momentum that Fitch had going into the second half after the blocked field goal dissipated when the Tigers sent them three‑and‑out on their first three possessions of the third quarter.

After Aikens had run for 55 yards in the first half to lead the Falcons, Massillon held him to just 11 more after the band show. “They made some adjustments, but I don’t think we gave the plays a chance to develop,” Fitch coach Carl Pelini said. “They started pressing and starting pressing, cutting back and doing things that we haven’t done this year. They made some adjustments, but it was nothing that we couldn’t have adjusted to.”

Another big Johnson run helped the Tigers to another touchdown midway through the third quarter. He broke a 62‑yarder down the left sideline that put the ball on the Falcon 5. Roddy scored on the next play to make it a 17‑7 spread at that point.

The Falcons continued to struggle offensively and Massillon’s Jamaal Ballard blocked an Austintown punt and fell on it at the Falcon 5‑yard line. Johnson punched the ball in on the next play. Eric Smith’s second extra point of the game gave the Tigers a commanding 24‑7 lead at the 5:57 mark of the fourth quarter.

Austintown did score in the closing minute of the game to make the final a little more respectable. A three‑yard run by Dallas Root capped off a 35‑yard drive that occurred after Massillon fumbled a punt snap.

Martin completed nine of 16 passes for 91 yards. Helscel caught a team‑leading five balls for 46 yards.

Part of the game’s overtone, especially early on, for the Tigers was putting the St. Ignatius loss behind them and Shepas felt that they did that. “Last week was a tough one for everyone,” he said. “Everyone in the community wanted that win and we played so well for three quarters. It’s bound to stay with you for a while, but this has been a good place for us. Our kids showed that they can persevere through the adversity for a job well done.”

With Fitch having had three wins against solid programs in GlenOak, Jackson and Mansfield, Johnson knew a slew of playoff computer points were on the line if the Tigers could post a win. “We came in and did what we had to do, ” Johnson said. “We needed the points.”

Massillon 24
Fitch 14
M F
First downs rushing 10 4
First downs passing 5 4
First downs by penalty 1 2
TOTAL first downs 16 10
Net yards rushing 245 74
Net yards passing 91 60
TOTAL yards 336 134
Passes attempted 16 7
Passes completed 9 4
Passes intercepted 0 0
Punts 4 6
Punting average 38.8 35.5
Fumbles/Lost 3/1 2/1
Penalties 9 3
Yards penalized 119 15

Massillon 02 08 07 07 24
Fitch 07 00 00 07 14

SCORING
AF ‑ Aikens 1 run (Stewart kick) 5:55
M ‑ Safety, punt kicked out of end zone 0:01
M ‑ Johnson 3 run (Hymes run) 9:22
M ‑ Roddy 5 run (Smith kick) 5:11
M ‑ Johnson 5 run (Smith kick) 5:57
AF ‑ Root 3 run (Stewart kick) 0:27

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Massillon rushing:
Roddy 11‑140 TD, Johnson 16‑91 2 TDs, Hymes 4‑21.
Fitch rushing: Aikens 20‑45 TD.

Massillon passing:
Martin 9‑16‑91.
Fitch passing: Aikens 2‑4‑38, Hassen 2‑3‑22.

Massillon receiving:
Helscel 5‑46.
Fitch receiving: Root 1‑28.

Shawn Crable
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo

2002: Massillon 21, Cleveland St. Ignatius 29

St. Ignatius too much for Tigers

By JOE SHAHEEN
Independent Sports Editor

It was a Friday the 13th horror story of Hollywood proportions for a vast majority of the 15,051 fans at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium who witnessed the Massillon Tigers 29‑21 defeat at the hands of Cleveland St. Ignatius Friday night.

Program Cover

The Tigers looked like a well‑oiled machine in taking a 14‑3 halftime lead and out‑gaining the defending state champions 236‑74 in total yards in the first half.

Massillon extended its advantage to 21‑3 on Billy Relford’s 81‑yard interception return for a touchdown with just over two minutes left in the third quarter.

With St. Ignatius star running back Carter Welo sitting on the bench with a left shoulder injury, it appeared the Tigers were well on their way to their first‑ever victory over the Wildcats.

Despite an 18‑point deficit, Ignatius coach Chuck Kyle stayed cool and so did his charges. “We needed to get a score,” Kyle said. “It’s 21‑3. Plenty of time. If we get one in here, there’s plenty of time.”

A facemask call on Massillon gave St. Ignatius the ball near midfield on its ensuing possession. Two plays later, Tony Gonzalez shook himself loose in the Tiger secondary and junior quarterback Brian Hoyer found him for a 37‑yard pass and run for six points. The conversion kick was good and Massillon’s lead had been sliced to 21‑9 with a few seconds remaining in the third quarter.

“Tony gets that one and he has that great speed and he takes off and gets it and that’s just what we needed right there because the kids got excited,” Kyle said. “They got excited. “When things are going wrong, you just say something is going to hit and you put it in the hands of the guys who can get it done for you.” That would be Gonzalez, who has verbally committed to play his football at Ohio State next season.

After Massillon went three‑and‑out on its next possession, St. Ignatius took over at its 31. Two Hoyer completions moved the ball to the Massillon 35. Then it was back to Gonzalez, who got behind the Tigers coverage and caught Hoyer’s high‑arcing 35‑yard aerial in the end zone at 9:59 of the fourth quarter. The kick made it Massillon 17, St. Ignatius 16, and the Wildcats could smell blood.

W hat happened next was truly a nightmare for the Tigers. Beginning on their 20‑yard line, Massillon was flagged consecutively for too many players on the field, an illegal formation and a false start to set up first‑and‑25 from the 5‑yard line. One play later, Gonzalez stepped in front of a Massillon pass in the flats and zipped 15 yards to pay dirt. The conversion pass play failed but St. Ignatius was now on top 22‑21.

Massillon looked to be rallying back following the kickoff. The Tigers moved the ball to near midfield on four consecutive running plays. On the fifth, they coughed up the football and the Wildcats recovered on the Massillon 43.

A 25‑yard Hoyer pass to an uncovered Gonzalez set up Joe Palcko’s two‑yard scoring burst. The point after kick made it St. Ignatius 29, Massillon 21 with 4:41 to go.

The Tigers would move the football to the Ignatius 30 in the game’s waning moments but four straight incompletions ended any hope for a late comeback

Afterward, Massillon head coach Rick Shepas was composed. “I think we could have played harder in the second half but this is part of the learning process,” he said. “When the momentum went, it went pretty quick.”

And how do you stem the tide against a team as accomplished at coming back as St. Ignatius?

“You just have to make some plays,” Shepas said. “We were in position to make some plays and we didn’t. “It’s another situation where we’ve played them four times. We had them beat three out of the four probably and we just let them have it. They’re a good team and that’s why they win. They have a great coaching staff. But it’s all a part of the process and it’s a matter of how we handle it from here.”

Massillon was held to 68 total yards in the second half and Shepas praised Kyle and his staff for their halftime adjustments. “They made some good adjustments but nothing we couldn’t handle,” he said. “It’s all a part of the process. It is a long season. It’s 15 games and our guys have to learn how to play four quarters with this team.”

Defending state champs continue Tigers, mastery of Massillon 29‑21 verdict

For the first two quarters, it appeared Massillon had finally gotten over the hump against its chief tormentor.

The defense set up both of the Tigers first half touchdowns by intercepting Hoyer on a pair of deep throws.

The first pickoff came on a third‑and‑11 call from the Wildcat 41‑yard line. Hoyer was looking to Gonzalez on a deep post pattern but senior free safety Craig McConnell swooped in front and intercepted the football on a dead run at the Massillon 30, returning it to the St. Ignatius 48.

On first down from there, left guard Vince Volpe and left tackle Bradley Grizzard opened up a gaping hole and Johnson tore through the cavity for 34 yards to the 14.

One play later, Johnson who rushed for 209 yards in 23 carries ‑ galloped around the left end of the Massillon line and went untouched into the end zone as senior wideout Stephon Ashcraft wiped out a St. Ignatius defensive back with a superb block. Max Shafer tacked on the extra point and Massillon led 7‑0 at 9:20 of the second quarter.

Hoyer again tested the Tiger secondary on the Wildcats ensuing possession, throwing down the left hash mark as Marquees Watkins applied the rush. Relford made a leaping interception at mid‑field and Massillon was in business once again. Three running plays ‑ two by Terrance Roddy and one by Tuffy Woods ‑ gave the Tigers a first down at the St. Ignatius 41.

Then it was time for Johnson to shine once again. The 5‑foot, 193‑pound senior took a handoff from quarterback Matt Martin and burst through a hole opened up by senior center Reggie McCullough. He was 10 yards past the line of scrimmage when he encountered Ignatius defensive back Darnell Martemus, shaking right then exploding past the stunned Wildcat and into the end zone. Shafer’s conversion kick was true and Massillon led 14‑0 at 6:46 of the second quarter.

St. Ignatius avoided the first half shutout with a 387 yard field goal at 4:15 of the second quarter.

“We have some soul searching to do because at times we didn’t play our best football,” Shepas said.

“That’s a great football team … Massillon,” Kyle remarked. “This was a great battle. People got their money’s worth.”

That is if you’re a fan of horror stories.

St. Ignatius 29
Massillon 21
M I
First downs rushing 12 6
First downs passing 2 10
First downs by penalty 0 3
TOTAL first downs 14 19
Net yards rushing 250 103
Net yards passing 54 203
TOTAL yards 304 406
Passes attempted 21 25
Passes completed 5 12
Passes intercepted 2 4
Punts 5 5
Punting average 40.6 31.4
Fumbles/Lost 3/2 2/0
Penalties 10 1
Yards penalized 88 5

Massillon 00 14 07 00 21
Ignatius 00 03 06 20 29

SCORING

M ‑ Johnson 15 run (Shafer kick)
M ‑ Johnson 41 run (Shafer kick)
I ‑ Kedzior 38 FG
M ‑ Relford 81 interception return (Shafer kick)
I ‑ Gonzalez 37 pass from Hoyer (Run failed)
I ‑ Gonzalez 35 pass from Hoyer (Kedzior kick)
I ‑ Gonzalez 15 interception return (Massey pass from Hoyer)
I ‑ Palcko 2 run (Kedzior kick) MEN

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Massillon rushing: Johnson 23‑203 2 TDs, Roddy 9‑42, Woods 7‑14.
St. Ignatius rushing: Welo 16‑78, Palcko 12‑43 TD.

Massillon passing: Martin 5‑21‑54 2 INTs.
St. Ignatius passing: Hoyer 12‑25‑203 2 TDs, 4 INTs.

Massillon receiving: Jordan 3‑40, Heiscel 1‑9, Hill 1‑5.
St. Ignatius receiving: Gonzalez 4‑102 2 TDs, Kralik 5‑59, Massey 2‑31.

Shawn Crable
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo

2002: Massillon 60, Akron Garfield 0

Another week… another whipping

Massillon mauls Garfield 60‑0 Martin ties touchdown mark

By JOE SHAHEEN
Independent Sports Editor

If the Massillon Tigers were hoping for a more competitive game to prepare them for next week’s invasion by defending state champion Cleveland St. Ignatius, they were sorely disappointed. It took less than 30 seconds for Massillon to put up the first score of the game and that set the tone for the Tigers’ 60‑0 thrashing of Akron Garfield in front of 9,015 fans at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, Friday night.

Program Cover

Matt Martin tied a Massillon single‑game record with five touchdown passes on the night, three in the first half, as the Tigers romped for the third week in a row. The senior first‑year starter, wasn’t even aware he’d tied the mark shared by Justin Zwick (2001) and Mike Byelene (1934).

“That’s awesome,” Martin said. “It would have been better if I hadn’t thrown an interception. “The coaches had a great game plan. The line is blocking really well. The receivers are catching everything. And we’re hitting on all cylinders.” But Martin put everything in perspective. “The record’s a great thing to accomplish and I’m proud of that,” he said. “But as long as we win the state title, I don’t care if I set any records or anything, as long as we win the state championship.”

If the Tigers do go all the way, it will be on the strength of its stellar defense, which limited Garfield to a measly four first downs and 87 net yards in posting its first shutout of the 2002 campaign. “We continue to get stingier and stingier,” Tiger coach Rick Shepas said. “I think the kids are really understanding the philosophy of the defense. That’s our primary goal. It is going to continue to be a strength for us.”

Shepas opted to keep starting linebackers Shawn Crable and Tony Graves on the sidelines “as a precaution.” Both have ankle injuries, though Crable was in a walking boot protecting the same foot he broke during basketball season last winter. Their absence didn’t seem to matter as the Tigers overwhelmed Garfield at the line of scrimmage all night long.

“We did what we had to do and the offense put points on the board,” said senior linebacker A.J. Collins, who played in Crable’s place. “Me and Patrick (Turner) know we had some big shoes to fill so we just stepped up until Crable and Tony get healthy.”

Turner stepped in for Graves at inside linebacker for the second week in a row. Garfield coach Bob Sax didn’t think the Massillon defense missed the two veterans at all. “They were without Crable and they’re still a real good defense,” Sax said. “We wanted to try to get outside on them. We just couldn’t do it. Their outside linebackers come real hard and they’re not going to let you get outside.”

By the time the Garfield was able to register its first first down of the game at 1:44 of the first quarter, the Tigers had already raced to a 14‑0 lead and were never in any real danger of giving up that advantage.

The Tigers landed a haymaker before Garfield even broke a sweat as Tuffy Woods forced a fumble with a jarring hit on the opening kickoff and Craig McConnell fell on the loose ball at the Golden Rams 35 yard line.

Martin wasted little time going straight for the jugular, lofting a pass to Stephon Ashcraft at the one yard line on the very first play from scrimmage. From there Ricky Johnson ‑ who finished with 116 yards on 18 carries ‑ took a handoff and went off his right tackle and into the end zone for the touchdown. Max Shafer’s conversion kick was true and the Tigers led 7‑0 just 22 seconds into the ball game.

Garfield’s second possession lasted only slightly longer than its first. The Rams decided to go for it on fourth‑and‑one at their own 40‑yard line but Massillon senior strong safety Markeys Scott buried Erique Dozier on an inside running play for no gain and the Tiger offense again had the short field.

Two runs by Johnson and one by Terrance Roddy moved the ball to the Garfield 14. Then Martin dropped back and targeted Devin Jordan in the end zone for the touchdown. Shafer’s kick was good and the Massillon lead was 14‑0 at 8:52 of the first quarter.

Billy Relford set up the Tigers third touchdown of the night when he short hopped a punt, then cut to his right and raced 44 yards to the Garfield 11‑yard line.
“Billy Relford is a playmaker,” marveled Shepas. “He has a set on him, I’m telling you. It’s going to be to his advantage down the road because he is going to have a lot of opportunities.”

Johnson ‑ did the honors from there, slashing over right tackle virtually untouched to the end zone. Shafer’s kick made it 21‑0 just 13 seconds into the second quarter.

Massillon’s fourth and fifth touchdowns of the first half capped sustained drives. The Tigers marched 68 yards in 10 plays following a Garfield punt, scoring on a 12‑yard Martin to A.J. Collins aerial when the southpaw rolled right and threw a strike across his body and into the end zone. The point‑after failed and Massillon was up 27‑0 at 5:15 of the first half.

“I thought Matt did a nice job going to his right, being a left‑handed quarterback a real nice job,” Shepas said. “He had a really solid performance. He continues to make great decisions for the team.”

The Tigers closed the first half scoring on an eight‑play, 38‑yard drive. Martin connected with Stephon Ashcraft on an eight‑yard curl pattern in the end zone for the six. Shafer’s kick made it 34‑0 with 22 seconds left until halftime.

Martin again hooked up with Ashcraft to open the second half scoring. The diminutive wideout snared a 25‑yard toss at the Garfield 25 and was immediately sandwiched by a pair of Garfield defenders. But he somehow spun away and sprinted into the end zone for the score at 9:32 of the third quarter. The kick failed and Massillon’s lead was 40‑0.

Martin’s fifth and final touchdown pass of the night was a 1‑yarder to James Helscel after Greg Babcock blocked a Garfield punt. Two plays before the score Johnson tore off a 29‑yard run but limped off the field. Shepas says the running back will be ready for St. Ignatius.

Steve Hymes replaced Martin at quarterback and scored the game’s final two touchdowns on runs of 1‑ and 12‑yards as the Tigers improved to 3‑0.

“The last three years it has been the same thing,” Sax said. “They’re a real good team but we’ll see how good they are next week against St. Ignatius.”

We started fast and the kids are playing real hard right now,” Shepas said. “We were able to get some turnovers early. We continue to improve.”

Massillon 60
Garfield 00
M G
First downs rushing 14 3
First downs passing 7 3
First downs by penalty 1 0
TOTAL first downs 22 4
Net yards rushing 266 57
Net yards passing 161 30
TOTAL yards 427 6
Passes attempted 15 7
Passes completed 12 3
Passes intercepted 1 1
Punts 1 6
Punting average 46 28
Fumbles/Lost 2/0 2/2
Penalties 7 3
Yards penalized 53 40

Massillon 14 20 19 07 60
Garfield 00 00 00 00 00

M ‑ Johnson 1 run (Shafer kick)
M ‑ Martin 14 pass to Jordan (Shafer kick)
M ‑ Johnson 11 run (Shafer kick)
M ‑ Martin 12 pass to Collins (Kick failed)
M ‑ Martin 9 pass to Ashcraft (Shafer kick)
M ‑ Martin 51 pass to Ashcraft (Kick failed)
M ‑ Martin 1 pass to HeIscel (Shafer kick)
M ‑ Hymes 1 run (Kick failed)
M ‑ Hymes 12 run (Smith kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Massillon rushing: Johnson 18‑116 2 TDs, Hymes 8‑49 2 TDs, Pullin 4‑32, Woods 3‑31, Roddy 5‑30, Walterhouse 1‑8, Ashcraft 1‑5.
Garfield rushing: Taylor 6‑31, Council 4‑13.

Massillon passing: Martin 12‑15‑161 5TD.
Garfield passing: Donatelli 3‑7‑30 1 INT.

Massillon receiving: Ash Jordan 2‑20, Johnson 2‑13, HeIscel 213, Collins 1‑12, Caprita 1‑4.
Garfield receiving: Kightlinger 2‑23.

Shawn Crable
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo

2002: Massillon 76, Fremont Ross 6

Tigers take no prisoners at Fremont Ross

By TRAVIS MCCOWN
Independent Sports Writer

Massillon fended off an early Fremont Ross attack and responded with 70 unanswered points in its 76‑6 win over the Little Giants Friday night at Fremont.

Program Cover

The Little Giants took their opening possession deep into Tiger territory after a 35‑yard completion from senior quarterback Chad Clark to sophomore wideout Terrance Jones. The play set the Little Giants up at the Tiger 9‑yard line.

The Massillon defense set the tone for the game by turning back the Little Giants on four consecutive plays, giving the ball to the Tiger offense for the first time.

“Fremont moved the ball well,” Massillon coach Rick Shepas said. “They got down there and the defense really turned the momentum for us.”

Quarterback Matt Martin led the Tiger offense on a four‑play, 91‑yard drive capped by a 63‑yard touchdown strike to Devin Jordan. On the play Jordan shot through the middle of the field and Martin laid the ball in his hands on the run. Jordan then broke a tackle, avoided another and was off to the races. Jordan finished the game with 101 yards receiving on four catches and the one score.

On Fremont’s second possession, the Tiger defense again over powered the Little Giants with a blocked punt by linebacker Brock Hymes. The ball died on the 29‑yard line, leaving a short field for the Tiger offense. The offense again made short work of the Fremont defense, scoring in four plays on a Ricky Johnson two‑yard scamper.

Two plays later junior cornerback Billy Belford would strike, intercepting a Chad Clark pass at the Fremont 47‑yard line. Massillon drove but was stopped for the first time of the night.

The defense picked up the offense as senior linebacker A.J. Collins, subbing for the injured Shawn Crable who twisted an ankle in practice late in the week, forced Clark to fumble on the next play giving the ball back to the Tigers.

Johnson ran up the gut for his second score of the night on the first Tiger snap, making the score 21‑0 Massillon.

The Tigers would lose a score on their next possession when they fumbled the ball into the end zone and the Little Giants recovered.

On the ensuing drive, Massillon senior defensive back Jamaal Ballard would find the end zone when he returned an interception 40 yards for a 28‑0 Tiger lead.

Senior running back Terrance Roddy would find pay dirt with 3:36 left in the half on a 6‑yard run. “I thought I was in on the touchdown,” Roddy said. “But coach told me to get out there and get it back. I ran my hardest and got in.”

Senior tight end George Pribich finished the scoring in the half on a 7‑yard pass reception from Martin.
In all, the Tiger defense allowed Fremont’s offense only 149 yards in the game. Meanwhile Martin, Jordan and Johnson amassed 364 yards in the first half, on their way to a 42‑0 halftime lead.

The Massillon offense finished with 409 yards rushing and 249 yards passing on the night.

Lost in the offensive explosion were scoring plays that were taken away by penalties in the first half, four in all. “We have had a problem in the past with penalties,” Shepas said. “We are going to take a look at the tapes and see just what happened.”

Johnson and Roddy both lost touchdowns to holding penalties in the first quarter. Relford lost two punt returns to offsetting penalties in the second. Relford returned a punt for 60 yards only to be negated by offsetting penalties.

I was so fired up,” Relford said. I would have liked to have those touchdowns, but I knew we would get them back. Our team blocked well on the ones that were called back and I knew we would get another shot.”

The second half was marred by what appeared to be a serious injury to Fremont junior defensive back Jonathan Franks. The game was delayed 15 minutes as Franks was put on a stretcher and driven away in an ambulance.

Franks had feeling in his arms and legs and was taken to the hospital for precautionary reasons.

Collins sacked Clark in the end zone for a safety, the first score the second half.

Martin connected with Stephen Ashcraft to make the score 50‑0 and the Tiger first team offense and defense were finished for the evening. A game like this one gives us a chance to build our depth,” Shepas said. ‘We got some younger players in with some first teamers and got a look at how they would perform.”

Junior quarterback Steve Hymes came off the bench and rushed for 93 yards including a 41‑yard score.

Junior running back “Tuffy Woods rushed for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter on a 5‑yard scamper and a 65‑yard burst.

Fremont Ross would get on the board with 6:30 left in the game on a 70‑yard touchdown run by sophomore running back Charles Jones.

Woods returned the ensuing kickoff 75‑yards for a touchdown to round out the scoring for the night.

The biggest concern for Coach Shepas in the game was penalties. Massillon racked up 109 yards on 13 penalties.

“In this type of game those kind of things are going to happen,” Shepas said. “It was sloppy, but we are going to put this one in the books as a win.”

Massillon will now get ready for Akron Garfield next week at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

Massillon 76
Fremont Ross 6
M R
First downs rushing 15 2
First downs passing 8 2
First downs by penalty 0 1
TOTAL first downs 23 5
Net yards rushing 409 98
Net yards passing 249 51
TOTAL yards 658 149
Passes attempted 20 10
Passes completed 14 3
Passes intercepted 0 2
Punts 1 7
Punting average 39 25.3
Fumbles/Lost 1/1 1/1
Penalties 13 7
Yards penalized 109 34

Massillon 21 21 14 20 76
Ross 00 00 00 06 06

SCORING
M ‑ Jordan 63 pass from Martin (Shafer kick)
M ‑ Johnson 5 run (Shafer kick)
M ‑ Johnson 2 run (Shafer kick)
M ‑ Ballard 40 interception return (Shafer kick)
M ‑ Roddy 6‑yard run (Shafer kick)
M ‑ Pribich 7 pass from Martin (Shafer kick)
M ‑ Safety, Collins tackles running back in end zone
M ‑ Ashcraft 45 pass from Martin (Kick failed)
M ‑ Hymes 41 run (Kick failed) M ‑ Woods 5‑yard run (Shafer kick)
M ‑ Woods 65‑yard run (Shafer kick)
R ‑ Jones 70 run (Run failed)
M ‑ Woods 75 kickoff return (Kick failed)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Massillon rushing: Johnson 12‑131 2 TDs, Hymes 5‑93 TD, Woods 4‑76 2 TDs, Roddy 7‑55 TD, Pullin 6‑39, Dahlquist 330.
Ross rushing: Jones 6‑83 TD.

Massillon passing: Martin 14‑20‑249 3TD.
Ross passing: Clark 3‑10‑51 2 INTs.

Massillon receiving: Jordan 4‑101 TD, Ashcraft 5‑97 TD, Roddy 1‑20, Pribich 215 TD, Caprita 1‑14.

Ross receiving: Jones 1‑35.

Shawn Crable
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo

2002: Massillon 43, Westerville South 6

Massillon runs wild in victory

By JOE SHAHEEN
Independent Sports Editor

Who was that team wearing the orange uniforms and black helmets at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium on Saturday afternoon?

It couldn’t have been the same Rick Shepas‑coached Massillon Tigers who won 30 games over the past three seasons by decimating opposing defenses with their Air Raid Attack producing 300‑yard passing games with almost monotonous regularity.

Program Cover

Ah, but it was the Tigers throwing just 12 passes on the afternoon while rushing the football for over 300 yards and four touchdowns in whipping Westerville South 43‑6 in front of 8,530 paying customers, many of whom did not return for the proceedings after Friday’s lightening storm postponed the game 18 hours.

Not only did Massillon make a living on the ground, thanks to an offensive line that opened holes for Ricky Johnson (148 yards on just 13 carries) and Terrance Roddy (77 yards on eight carries), the Tiger defense and special teams were outstanding as well in producing one touchdown and setting up at least two other scores.

But it was the Massillon ground game that impressed Westerville South head coach Rocky Pentello. That makes them a better team, running like that, because you have to cover Devin Jordan and you have to cover Ashcraft,” Pentello said. “You have to cover both of them and that makes you thin right there. Now when they bring in two tight ends or one tight end, we can’t hang with that. Someone down the line may be able to a little, but if he does that, they’re a tough team to beat because they’re a good running football team.”

The Tigers had game planned all week to run the football. When a downpour hit Paul Brown Tiger Stadium at kickoff, it cemented Shepas’ resolve to pound the football at Westerville South. “We wanted to get better up front and we wanted to establish a ground game,” Shepas said. “That was the focus of our game plan regardless‑of what the weather was going to be like. “It just happened the weather was inclement and we wanted to get that done even more so to protect the football in that driving downpour when the game started.

Johnson, who averaged over 11 yards per carry in less than one half of football, says the Tigers aren’t necessarily going to become a conservative offensive football team. “I don’t know,” Johnson said. “I can’t tell you. Our running game worked out better against the defense they were running today. That’s why it worked out a lot more. Against most defenses we pass a lot more.”

While Shepas was encouraged by Johnson’s three‑touchdown afternoon, the Tiger sideline boss was even more impressed with his running back’s selfless attitude this day. “We talked before the game today about how it would be great to get two 100‑yard backs,” Shepas said. “Ricky had his 148 by halftime and he sat down so Terrance could pursue his 100. Ricky sat down so Terrance could get a shot at it.”
“I did volunteer to do that because everybody deserves to get a chance to play if they work hard and Terrance works hard at what he does,” Johnson admitted. “He deserved a chance to play and I didn’t want to take that from him.”

The Tigers received the opening kickoff and moved 65 yards in four plays to take the early lead. Johnson scored at 10:09 of the first quarter on a 30‑yard burst over left guard. He stepped through a Westerville tackle at the 10 and rushed for 54 yards on the drive. Max Shafer tacked on the extra point to make it 7‑0 Massillon.

One of the highlights of the drive was Michael White’s 15 yard gain on an end around. “We tried to work everyone into the game plan,” Shepas observed. White scored the Tigers second touchdown of the afternoon when the Westerville punter muffed the snap and then had the ball batted from his hands by Massillon cornerback Jamaal Ballard. The ball bounced into the end zone and White fell on it at 8:04 of the first quarter. Shafer’s PAT made it 14‑0.

Markeys Scott’s fumble recovery stopped Westerville South’s ensuine drive at the Massillon 35.

But the Wildcats scored on their next possession when Greg Clark executed a fine play fake and found Alex Ellis running free in the Tiger secondary for a 60‑yard touchdown at 11:52 of the second quarter.

Westerville South got the ball back following a Massillon punt but couldn’t move it. On fourth‑and‑one, Shawn Crable swooped in and blocked the Wildcats’ punt to give the Tigers the short field. The third of three straight Ricky Johnson running plays got the ball in the end zone on a stretch play around left end. Shafer’s kick at 6:15 of the second quarter made it 21‑6 Tigers.

Massillon junior linebacker Andy Zalaiskalns recovered a Westerville South fumble at the Wildcats 26, leading to Shafer’s 42‑yard field goal at 3:31 of the second quarter.

The Tigers closed the first half scoring on Johnson’s 26‑yard touchdown run through a gaping hole over right guard. The senior running back made a fine cut at the 10‑yard line, leaving a Westerville defender frozen in his tracks. “I just saw how he was positioned,” Johnson said. “He was standing still so I just tried to shake him off balance and just jump in the end zone.”

Tiger quarterback Matt Martin found Stephon Ashcraft with a 21‑yard touchdown pass just four seconds into the fourth quarter, and Terrance Roddy closed the scoring with a 23‑yard touchdown run up the middle when Martin read a Westerville blitz and checked off to the perfect play.

Still, Pentello cited the Massillon defense as the difference. “Their defense is phenomenal,” Pentello said. “It’s the defense that makes their team good. When you have great defense you have a chance in every game. All you have to do is ball control on your offense and let the other team break down because you know your defense is good.

“They’re better than last year, because they’re not one dimensional with pass. I think their running is real good. They’re very, very good. And when they run the ball, they’re better.”

Massillon 43
Westerville South 6
M W
First downs rushing 12 9
First downs passing 4 2
First downs by penalty 0 0
TOTAL first downs 16 11
Net yards rushing 316 10
Net yards passing 61 106
TOTAL yards 377 216
Passes attempted 12 8
Passes completed 7 5
Passes intercepted 0 0
Punts 2 0
Punting average 21 0
Fumbles/Lost 0/0 5/5
Penalties 8 3
Yards penalized 52 20

Massillon 14 16 00 13 43
Westerville 00 06 00 00 06

SCORING

M ‑ Johnson 30‑yard run (Shafer kick)
M ‑ White fumble recovery in end zone (Shafer kick)
W ‑ A. Ellis 60‑yard pass from Clark (Kick failed)
M ‑ Johnson 10‑yard run (Shafer kick)
M ‑ Shafer 42‑yard field goal
M ‑ Johnson 26‑yard run (Kick failed)
M ‑ Ashcraft 21 ‑yard pass from Martin (Shafer kick)
M ‑ Roddy 23‑yard run (Kick failed)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Massillon rushing: Johnson 13‑148 3 TDs, Roddy 8‑77 TD, Hymes 6‑35, White 2‑33.
Westerville South rushing: Clark‑17-65, Gordon 20‑64.

Massillon passing: Martin 6‑10‑54 TD, Hymes 1‑2‑7.
Westerville South passing: Clark 5-8‑106 TD.

Massillon receiving: Ashcraft 2‑20 TD, Jordan 2‑17, Hill 1‑17, Schindler 1-7.
Westerville South receiving: A. Ellis,1‑60 TD. Zalewski 2‑20

Storms rain on Tigers’ Parade
Change will keep band off field

By: R.J. Villella
City Editor

The Massillon Tiger Swing Band won’t be swinging today.

The band has been forced to cancel its pre‑game and half­time shows, because too many band members can’t attend the rescheduled game, said Chris Smith, swing band director.

Friday night lightning forced postponement of the Massillon Tiger football game against Westerville South. “An Ohio High School Athletic Association rule prevents a foot­ball game from starting or re­suming until one‑half hour, after the last spotted lighting strike,” Smith said.

At about 9:30 p.m. officials and Massillon School District personnel decided to reschedule the game for 1:30 p.m. today.

That created a problem for the band Smith explained. Nearly 30 members of the 163‑member band had scheduling conflicts.

“They either had to go out of state, out of town, to work or had other activities,” Smith said. “I really can’t blame them. We were scheduled to be off this weekend.”

The band director schedules the band through December. “We can’t do an adequate per­formance with 27 members missing,” he said. “Too many critical members are going to be missing and we don’t have time to adjust. If this had happened two days ago, we would have been OK, but not at 10 p.m. the night before a performance.

“The bottom line is the kids can’t be here and we don’t have a band.” Smith said “squad leaders and senior band members will attend the game, sit in the stands and perform as a pep band to support the team and rally the fans.

That decision, he said, was made following discussion in­volving Washington High Princi­pal Mark Fortner, Assistant Superintendent Bob Rohrer, band booster officers and the entire swing band. “It was an act of God,” Smith said. “I’m sorry there was a thunderstorm. I know the kids are disappointed. “It couldn’t be helped. Never in the 17 years I’ve been associ­ated with the band has there been a situation where a game was (postponed) and resched­uled like this. “We’ll be ready to go next week and on Sept. 6 for the next home game.”

Shawn Crable