History Archives - Page 48 of 140

1994: Massillon 10, Austintown Fitch 7

September 30, 1994September 21, 2017
by Eric Smith

Pribich boots the Fitch ‘jinx’
Spencer’s long TD is key to win

By MARK LAUTZENHEISER
Independent Sportswriter

It’s amazing what one play and a little momentum can do for a football team.

The play?

Massillon quarterback Willie Spencer’s 86‑yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Thus, the momentum.

The result?

A Nick Pribich 40‑yard field goal with 2:58 remaining in the game to give the Tigers a 10‑7 win over Austintown Fitch at Falcon Stadium on Friday.

“This is a great win. This puts us over the hump,” a tearful Spencer said as he made his way toward the locker room. “We beat a great team. It is exactly what we needed.”

The win ends the Tigers’ losing streak at Falcon Stadium ‑ Massillon had been dealt four losses in four tries ‑ but it didn’t come without some anxious moments in the game’s final three minutes.

Pribich’s go‑ahead kick appeared to take the wind out of Fitch’s sails. The Falcons were down … but they weren’t out.

Starting from its own 11 after a mishandled kickoff, Fitch struck quickly.

On the first play from scrimmage, Falcon quarterback, Rich Marinelli found Jeff Hawkins down the middle for 53 yards, and a face mask, against Massillon put the ball on the Tiger 21.

The threat died two plays later when Marinelli fumbled a snap and Massillon’s Brad Lambrou recovered, giving the Tigers the ball and ‑ it appeared ‑ the win.

Not so.

As the Tigers worked to run out the clock, Spencer swept left end and lost the handle, with Fitch recovering at the Massillon 11.

Fullback Mike Stanec bulled six yards to the five; Marinelli dove ahead to the 4; and, with no timeouts left, threw out of bounds on third down to stop the clock.

That left Falcon kicker Chris Calcagni facing a 21‑yard field goal to send the game into overtime.

Calcagni, who gave Fitch a 10‑7 win over Lakewood St. Edward a week ago, couldn’t repeat his heroics.

His kick sailed wide right, giving Massillon the win, an end to the Falcon Stadium jinx and a 4‑1 mark on the year.

“We called the keeper and we told Willie to just fall down instead of taking the hit,” Tiger coach Jack Rose said of the late miscue. “We were going to run one more play, then take a safety. We figured there would be six or seven seconds left and we would win the darn thing 10‑9.

“Our defense made the big plays when it had to. It seemed like neither team wanted to win this one.”

“It was the greatest feeling ever. I just went numb,” Pribich said of his game‑winning boot. “When we got the ball back, coach told me to start loosening up and said that a field goal was going to win the game.”

Massillon’s clinching drive started on its own 43‑yard line after a Fitch punt.

On first down, Spencer handed off to tailback Leon Ashcraft on a routine off‑tackle play. Ashcraft was stopped for no gain, but managed to pitch the ball back to Spencer, who gained 18 yards to the Fitch 39.

From there, Massillon moved to a first down at the 26, but the drive stalled three plays later at the 23.

On came Pribich, drilling his 40‑yarder to put the Tigers ahead to stay.

“Nick had been hitting consistent 30‑yarders in pregame, so we knew that if we could get it down around the 30 we had a shot,” Rose said. “We were trying to keep the ball on the left hash because he kicks better from there. That’s why we were running to the sideline.”

“Nobody stopped us, we stopped ourselves,” Fitch Head Coach Jack Kenney said. “We kept finding ways to win, but we kept stopping ourselves.”

In the days leading up to the contest, Rose stressed the strength of the Fitch defense. First‑half action proved him right, as the Tigers could manage only 76 yards of total offense.

In that same span, the Falcons rolled up 224 yards and dominated on both sides of the ball, but managed only a 7‑0 halftime lead.

That score came on a 43‑yard touchdown strike from Marinelli to Mark Cruz.

Fitch continued to dominate in the third quarter, but failed to hit paydirt.

The fourth quarter was a different story, as the Tigers began to roar. On the strength of play in the final period, Massillon wound up out gaining Fitch 176 yards to 157 yards over the final 24 minutes.

For the game, Spencer led the Tigers with 122 yards on the ground in 22 carries, while Ashcraft finished with 90 yards in 18 carries.

MASSILLON 10
FITCH 7
M F
First downs rushing 7 15
First downs passing 2 3
First downs penalty 0 1
Total first downs 9 19
Net yards rushing 218 260
Net yards passing 32 119
Total yards gained 250 379
Passes attempted 12 17
Passes completed 4 4
Passes int. 0 0
Times kicked off 3 2
Kickoff average 53.7 57.0
Kickoff return yards 27 39
Punts 6 5
Punting average 31.7 31.2
Punt return yards 8 22
Fumbles 2 2
Fumbles lost 1 1
Penalties 4 10
Yards penalized 39 96
Number of plays 49 66
Time of possession 20:40 27:20

FITCH 0 7 0 0 7
MASSILLON 0 0 0 10 10

SCORING SUMMARY

Second Quarter
F ‑ Cruz 43 pass from Marinelli (Calcagni kick)

Fourth Quarter
M ‑ Spencer 86 run (Pribich kick)
M ‑ Pribich 40 FG

FINAL STATISTICS

Rushing:
Massillon
Spencer 15‑121, 1 TD;
Ashcraft 18‑90.
Fitch
Stanec 24‑147,
Evans 11‑51.

Passing:
Massillon
Spencer 4‑12‑32.
Fitch
Marinelli 4‑17‑119, 1 TD.

Receiving:
Massillon
Mohler 1‑20.
Fitch
Yargo 2‑23.

Leon Ashcraft

1994: Massillon 21, Mansfield Senior 13

September 23, 1994September 24, 2017
by Eric Smith

Tigers have to scrap to top Tygers

A much-improved Mansfield Senior squad pushes Massillon to the brink of defeat

By JOE SHAHEEN
Independent Sports Editor

If Mansfield Senior was to serve as the Massillon Tigers’ whipping boys after last week’s tough loss to Akron Garfield, someone forgot to tell the Tygers.

After turning the ball over to their hosts on an interception on the second snap of the ball game ‑ a turnover that led to the Tigers first touchdown ‑ Mansfield turned things around and played an inspired four quarters, before falling 21‑13 at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, Friday.

The contest began as if it would be no contest. Brennan Rohr’s interception near midfield gave Massillon superb field position before many fans had settled into their seats.

The Tigers moved the ball methodically, with quarterback Willie Spencer doing most of the damage on keepers around the Mansfield flanks. The senior pitched to fullback Vinny Turner on an option play around left end for a three‑yard touchdown with less than four minutes gone in the game.

Nick Pribich’s kick made it 7‑0 and visions of a rout began to dance in the heads of the Tigers and the hometown partisans.

“We got the turnover, went right down and scored and I think we thought, ‘Here we go. We’re going to rack up another 50 on them,”‘ said Tigers coach Jack Rose. “That’s a maturity thing with this team. They have to understand they’re going to have to fight for everything they get. Hopefully they’ve learned that lesson.”

Certainly Mansfield did its best to get the message across. The Tygers, beginning their ensuing possession at the 20‑yard line, began controlling the line of scrimmage. Junior Michael Jackson and sophomore Kenyonnah Rife took turns running the football and suddenly Mansfield was near midfield.

Then quarterback Deondre Jones hit tight end Clarence Jacocks for 25 yards to the Massillon 28.

Six plays later, Jones kept the ball on a quarterback sneak to culminate the 13‑play drive with a one‑yard touchdown plunge. The conversion kick made it a 7‑7 game at 1:47 of the first quarter.

Neither team could get much going in the first half of the second period. A Massillon punt gave Mansfield possession at the Tyger 41 with 8:00 until the band show. Rife ran the ball on the first three plays, moving it to the Massillon 43.

On second‑and‑five, Jones called the triple option and kept the football around right end. The Tigers had the play smelled out, so Jones changed direction and found no one at home for Massillon on the left side. He ran free to the Tiger 10, where he cut inside a tackler and into the end zone and the visitors led 13‑7 with 6:34 to go in the second.

Massillon gave the ball right back to their guests on a fumble at the Tiger 42. But the home team defense bowed its neck and forced Mansfield to punt after three snaps.

Then the Tigers found their groove, driving from their 18 to the Mansfield end zone in 11 plays. Leon Ashcraft accounted for 31 of those yards on a picture perfect draw play around right end. Spencer hit sophomore wideout Devon Williams for 20 yards along the left sideline for a key first down at the Mansfield 18.

Spencer capped the drive with a sneak from the 1. Pribich’s boot made it 14‑13 Tigers at halftime.

Fumbles and illegal motion penalties plagued Mansfield throughout the second half. But Massillon was unable to take advantage, failing to get a first down until less than two minutes remained in the third period.

Massillon put Mansfield away with a clutch scoring drive that began midway through the fourth quarter at the Tiger 29. On first down, Spencer kept the ball on a bootleg around left end, picking up 14 yards. It was a sign of things to come.

“We began kicking the outside linebacker out with the fullback and having the guard pull through so Willie could carry it through there,” Rose said.

Up until that point, Spencer seemed to hesitate on the pass-run option, giving the Mansfield defense time to react.

“We told him to just run it,” Rose revealed. “We told him to pull it down and go. He really did a nice job reading the blocks and the guards got up in the hole and the fullback did a good job kicking out the end.”

After a pass interference call against Mansfield gave the Tigers a first down at the Tyger 40, Spencer took off on the bootleg run again, picking up 20 yards around left end to the 20.

Ashcraft found a small hole over left guard for six yards and Spencer picked up seven more around right end to the seven yard line.

Three snaps later, Spencer scored his second TD of the night on a quarterback sneak. Pribich’s PAT with 4:11 to play concluded the scoring.

Mansfield made one more run at the Tigers, but Lavell Weaver jarred the ball loose from Rife at the Massillon 40 and Heath Manson outfought the Tygers for the loose pigskin.

“we had some illegal motion penalties that hurt us,” said Mansfield coach Stan Jefferson, “but there were some other things that I felt were out of our control in terms of some things chat were called on us.

“I don’t care what anybody from around here says, we played them tough all the way to the end. If we cover the one fumble, who knows.”

“The key was the drive right before half that put us ahead 14-13,” observed Rose. “We had chances in the second half. We had one bust in the line of scrimmage that whole third quarter and that screwed our whole … we pretty much had them figured out as far as what we had to do. Then we made the adjustment on the boot run.

“That was a big win for us coming off of last week. The kids really spilled their guts out last week. Now we have to regroup and get ready for Fitch.”

Spencer had by far his biggest night of the season, rushing for 148 yards and two touchdowns in 21 carries. He also completed four passes for 36 yards.

Ashcraft was held under 100 yards for the first time in three weeks, but just varely. The senior tailback rushed for 98 yards in 21 carries, including that key 31‑yard scamper on the Tigers go‑ahead touchdown drive.

MASSILLON 21
MANSFIELD 13
M 0
First downs rushing 16 14
First downs passing 1 2
First downs penalty 2 0
Total first downs 19 16
Net yards rushing 263 264
Net yards passing 33 50
Total yards gained 296 304
Passes attempted 11 10
Passes completed 4 3
Passes int. 0 1
Times kicked off 4 3
Kickoff average 42.3 37.3
Kickoff return yards 44 47
Punts 4 4
Punting average 33.8 27.3
Punt return yards 1 7
Fumbles 1 5
Fumbles lost 1 2
Penalties 2 10
Yards penalized 18 60
Number of plays 60 54
Time of possession 23.36 24.24

MASSILLON 7 7 0 7 14
MANSFIELD 7 6 0 0 13

SCORING SUMMARY

First Quarter
Mass. ‑ Turner 3 run (Pribich kick)
Mans. ‑ Jones 1 run (VanDine kick)

Second Quarter
Mans. ‑ Jones 38 run (kick failed)
Mass. ‑ Spencer 3 run (Pribich kick)

Fourth Quarter
Mass. ‑ Spencer 1 run (Pribich kick)

FINAL STATISTICS

Rushing:
Massillon
Spencer 21‑148, 2 TDs;
Ashcraft 21‑98;
Turner 5‑17, 1 TD;
Fraelich 2-0.
Mansfield
Rife 13‑90;
Jones 13‑77, 2 TDs;
Jackson 13‑57;
Bessick 5‑30.

Passing:
Massillon
Spencer 4‑11‑36.
Mansfield
Jones 3‑10‑30, 0 To, 1 int.

Receiving:
Massillon
Williams 2‑25;
Griffith 1‑7;
Shanor 1‑1.
Mansfield
Jacocks 1‑25;
Grose 1‑12;
Jackson 1‑13.

Leon Ashcraft

1994: Massillon 6, Akron Garfield 21

September 16, 1994September 21, 2017
by Eric Smith

Tiger lament: Missed opportunities
Massillon falls 21-6, but score not indicative of tilt

By JOE SHAHEEN
Independent Sports Editor

When your offense gets inside the “red zone” against the rugged Akron Garfield Golden Rams defense, it had better put some points on the scoreboard.

The Massillon Tigers learned that lesson the hard way, squandering two “golden” scoring opportunities in the first half and falling to the defending Akron City Series champions 21‑6 Friday night in front of 15,772 at muggy Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

The defeat drops Massillon to 2‑1 on the season with the Mansfield Tygers scheduled to visit next Friday. Garfield improves to 2‑1.

The Tigers had all the better or it in the first half, but failed to put any points on the board. Garfield recharged its batteries at halftime and dominated play in the third and fourth quarters.

Massillon took the opening kickoff and marched to the Garfield 10 before stalling.

The drive was keyed by senior tailback Leon Ashcraft, who returned the kickoff 43 yards to the Rams 45‑yard line. Ashcraft found a hole over left guard and picked up 12 more on the second play of the drive to move the ball inside the 30.

On fourth‑and‑four, quarterback Willie Spencer gave the drive life by hitting Ryan Shanor over the middle for a first down at the 16. Vinny Turner picked up three yards on first down and Spencer added three more on second down.

But Ashcraft was stuffed for no gain on third‑and‑four at the 10 and Garfield’s Antoine Winfield came up with an interception in the end zone on fourth down to end Massillon’s first threat.

“When you get backed up your own goal line,” said Garfield coach Bill McGee, “sometimes character comes through and our guys had character tonight. I was real pleased we got solid and tough when we had to. Of course, you don’t have to defend as much ground, so it gets easier.”

Garfield’s next three possessions and the Tigers next two series ended in punts.

Brennan Rohr returned the Rams’ third punt of the evening from the Tiger 35 to near midfield and Massillon would mount its second serious march of the night from that point.

Ashcraft got the orange‑and-black started by picking up 11 yards on first down. Then, on second‑and‑nine from the Garfield 40, the Massillon line opened up a hole over left guard and tackle, and Ashcraft burst 18 yards to the Rams’ 21.

Turner picked up eight more on first down, prompting Garfield head coach Bill McGee to call for time out. It didn’t help much as Spencer rolled around right end for 10 yards to the three‑yard line two snaps later and it looked like the locals would draw first blood.

But with first‑and‑goal at the three, Massillon’s second opportunity to put up points went by the boards. Ashcraft was tackled for a loss of two on first down. Spencer lost four on a rollout on second down, then was sacked by Damon Turner for an 11‑yard loss on third down.

After a delay of game, Massillon faced a fourth‑and‑goal from the 26 and Spencer’s pass went out of the end zone for a Garfield touchback.

“Against a team the caliber of Garfield, you can’t miss those opportunities,” said a dejected Jack Rose in the Tiger locker room. “That was a big series for them when we got it down there and didn’t get in right before the half. It kind of took the momentum away from us a little bit. If we had punched it in there, it would have been a different ballgame.

“Give Garfield a lot of credit. They really controlled the line of scrimmage down there. We just couldn’t block them.”

Despite failing to score in the first 24 minutes, Massillon had the better of things. The Tigers out gained Garfield 100‑to‑65, recorded eight first downs to the Rams’ four, and owned a time of possession advantage of 14:26 to 9:34.

But the most important statistic, the score, was still 0‑0 and Massillon’s inability to put up any points proved fatal.

“I was happy to be 0‑0 at halftime, especially the way we played offense in the first half,” McGee admitted. “I knew we wouldn’t play that way the entire game.”

Obviously, he was correct. The Rams opened the second half by driving from their 22 to the Tigers 38 in eight plays. But Spencer fell on a Garfield fumble on the 29 yard line to quell the incursion.

Again the Tigers marched, sparked by runs of 14 and 31 yards by Ashcraft, who finished the night with 142 yards on 19 carries. Massillon had first-and‑10 at the Garfield 25, but failed to gain any yardage on the next three downs. On fourth-and‑10, Damon Turner sacked Spencer for an 11‑yard loss.

On the ensuing series Garfield moved from its 36 to the Massillon 47, where it was second‑and‑five. Desmond Bell took a handoff and attacked the middle of the Tiger line. He burst through a small seam as if he were launched by a rocket didn’t stop until he struck paydirt. The kick made it Garfield 7, Massillon 0 with 4:04 to play in the third.

Massillon coughed up the football at their 30‑yard line on its next possession and Garfield went for the kill. Winfield and Bell took turns blasting into the Massillon line. Then fullback Eric McKinstry took three handoffs in a row, diving in from the one on fourth‑and‑goal at 11:22 of the fourth quarter. The PAT made it 14‑0 Garfield.

Massillon came back with a 13‑play, 79‑yard march. Ashcraft had bursts of 19‑ and 14‑yards to move the ball to the Garfield 40. Spencer hit Rohr for 13 yards and then found Turner for 10 more to the Rams’ 2. The senior quarterback culminated the drive by scoring on a rollout around left end, making a superb cutback at the 3‑yard line to elude a final defender.

The Tigers tried for a two point conversion, but the pass was intercepted and it was a 14-6 game at the 5:28 mark.

There was still time for the locals and the comeback looked possible when Garfield faced a second‑and‑20 at its 10‑yard line. But Winfield dashed the hometown hopes by slashing up the middle and dashing 73 yards before Courtney Herring dragged him down from behind all the way down to the Tiger 17‑yard line.

Six plays later, Alonzo Wallace kept the football on the option play and swept around right end for the icing‑on‑the-cake TD with just l:50 to play.

“I thought our defense did a great job,” Rose said. “They couldn’t have played any better. Take a couple of plays out of there and we really shut them down. That last run of Winfield’s for 72 yards … up until then we had him contained. But a great player makes great plays in big games, and he made a couple on offense and defense. ”

Leon Ashcraft

1994: Massillon 39, Dayton Trotwood Madison 18

September 9, 1994September 20, 2017
by Eric Smith

Another blowout Trotwood Madison Tigers’ 2nd victim
Tigers take turnovers to trounce Trotwood
Massillon improves to 2-0 with 39-18 win

By JOE SHAHEEN
Independent Sports Editor

Just when it looked like Trotwood Madison tailback Howard Lankford would torture the Massillon defense all night long, the electrifying mighty mite coughed up the football and gave the Tigers the momentum they’d never relinquish in a 39‑18 victory in front of 10,201 at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, Friday.

With the Tigers clinging to a perilous 13‑12 lead in the final three minutes of the first half, Lankford ‑ who finished with 145 yards rushing in 25 carries ‑ fumbled after diving into the middle of the Massillon line. Senior linebacker Courtney Herring recovered for the Tigers at the Trotwood 40.

Massillon was quick to capitalize. On second down, senior tailback Leon Ashcraft skirted left end on a counter play and danced 23 yards to the 15. Two plays later, senior quarterback Willie Spencer rolled right, pump faked and sprinted into the end zone to give the Tigers a seven‑point advantage at 19‑12 and a much‑needed burst of confidence going into halftime.

“You just cannot turn the ball over against a quality team like Massillon, especially when we had things going our way,” said Trotwood coach Bill Dennis, who then addressed Spencer’s touchdown run. “Going in we knew we had to contain Spencer and keep him from getting to the perimeter. But he’s such a good athlete. We just didn’t get it done.”

Up to that point, it appeared Lankford would be the fly in the Tigers ointment the entire evening. He rushed for 97 first half yards and had the Massillon faithful holding its collective breath every time he touched the football.

“We just couldn’t tackle him, he’s so quick,” said Tigers coach Jack Rose. “They do a nice job of getting him the ball in certain situations and he is hard to find. They’d get him the ball and he’d just pop out of there.”

However, the Tigers came out in the second half and put the game away with two third-quarter touchdowns within a three minute span and a refocused defense that didn’t allow a Trotwood first down until there were nine minutes left in the game.

”The defensive coaches made some nice adjustments at halftime,” Rose observed. “But overall, our defense played today like it practiced all week, and we didn’t practice worth a lick.”

The first half was a different story. On the opening kickoff, Lankford showed what was to come, sprinting and spinning for 35 yards to the Trotwood 44. The Massillon defense stiffened and a fake punt misfired giving the Tigers superb field position at the Trotwood 48.

On third‑and‑seven, Spencer rolled right and hit Brennan Rohr, who made a sliding catch along the sideline at the 14‑yard line. A clipping penalty moved the ball back to the 18, but Ashcraft found a huge cavity on a delay over left guard and charged into the end zone for an 18‑yard touchdown and a 7‑0 Tiger lead at the 7:52 mark of the first quarter.

“That Ashcraft is a nice, little runner,” Dennis commented. “Their offensive line did a good job. We couldn’t get off their blocks and fly to the football like we did last week.”

“Bones runs hard,” Rose concurred. “He had a real nice game tonight.”

But Trotwood came right back, marching 52 yards in nine plays. Lankford put the points on the scoreboard when he took a pitchout around right end, ran through three would‑be tacklers for an 18‑yard touchdown with 4:29 to play in the first quarter.

Trotwood got a gift on the drive when Massillon was flagged for a late hit on a third down play, giving the Rams new life at the Tigers 21‑yard line.

The Tigers were intercepted on the second play of their next possession, but got the ball right back when Lavell Weaver recovered a Trotwood fumble to put the Massillon offense in business at midfield.

Ashcraft burst for 15 yards on first down, Spencer ‑ after a beautiful play fake ‑ hit tight end Ryan Shanor for 23 yards to the Trotwood 13, and Ashcraft finished off the lightning march with an 11‑yard bolt off left guard and tackle for a touchdown to make it Tigers 13, Trotwood 6 with :38 to play in the opening period.

Again Trotwood counterpunched after getting great field position at their own 40 after a short kickoff. With Lankford carrying on five of the seven snaps, the Rams pulled to within one point with 10:21 left in the first half. The 5‑5, 160‑pounder finished off the TD drive by finding paydirt on a seven‑yard draw play up the middle to make it a 13‑12 contest.

Massillon moved the ball on the next possession, but were finally forced to punt and downed the ball inside the Trotwood 1.

The Rams brought it out, as halftime approached, but gave the ball and the ballgame away on Lankford’s key fumble.

Massillon marched with the second half kickoff moving from its 20 to the Trotwood 19 before losing the ball on downs. The Tiger defense got the ball back by forcing the Rams to punt after just three plays. On first down from the 45, Vinny Turner picked up 17 yards on a draw and Spencer rolled around right end for a 23‑yard pick‑up to the 4‑yard line.

One play later Spencer scored on the quarterback sneak to make it 25‑12 with 3:56 to go in the third.

Again the Massillon defense did its job, forcing Trotwood to punt after three snaps. On first down from the Tiger 29, Ashcraft found a huge gap behind center Mark Wells, broke to the right sideline and galloped 52 yards to the Rams’ 19-yard line. Four plays later, Ashcraft dove into the end zone from the 3 to make it 33‑12 with less than a minute left in the third.

MASSILLON 39
TROTWOOD 18
M T
First downs rushing 17 11
First downs passing 3 5
First downs penalty 1 1
Total first downs 21 17
Net yards rushing 353 172
Net yards passing 85 132
Total yards gained 438 304
Passes attempted 7 26
Passes completed 3 17
Passes int. by 1 1
Times kicked off 7 4
Kickoff average 41.4 49.0
Kickoff return yards 25 129
Punts 2 2
Punting average 37.0 36.0
Punt return yards 26 0
Fumbles 0 4
Fumbles lost 0 3
Penalties 2 3
Yards penalized 30 24
Number of plays 56 57
Time of possession 26:09 21:51
Attendance 10,201

TROTWOOD 6 6 0 6 18
MASSILLON 13 6 14 6 39

SCORING SUMMARY

First Quarter
M ‑ Ashcraft 18 run (Pribich kick)
T ‑ Lankford 17 run (run failed)
M ‑ Ashcraft 11 run (kick failed)

Second Quarter
T ‑ Lankford 7 run (pass failed)
M ‑ Spencer 11 run (kick failed)

Third Quarter
M – Spencer 1 run (kick failed)
M – Ashcraft 3 run (Shanor Pass from Spencer)

Fourth Quarter
M ‑ Lewis 4 run (kick failed)
T ‑ Williams 25 Pass from Hutson (pass failed)

FINAL STATISTICS

Rushing:
Massillon
Ashcraft 17‑170, 3 TDs;
Spencer 8‑73, 2 TDs;
Lewis l4‑72, 1 TD;
Turner 8‑33;
Fraelich 1‑5;
Herring 1‑0.
Trotwood‑Madison
Lankford 25‑145, 2 TDs;
Christon 5‑18;
Hutson 1‑9.

Passing:
Massillon
Spencer 3‑7‑85, 1 int.
Trotwood‑Madison
Hutson 16‑24‑129, 1 TD, 1 int.;
Walker 1‑2‑3.

Receiving:
Massillon
Shanor 2‑55,
Rohr 1‑30.
Trotwood‑Madison
Williams 5‑51, 1 TD;
Russell 6‑39;
Lankford 4‑10;
Mark 2-32.

Leon Ashcraft

1994: Massillon 41, Youngstown Rayen 6

September 2, 1994September 21, 2017
by Eric Smith

No contest!
Tigers maul Rayen in season opener Ashcraft, Spencer spark Massillon to easy victory

By JOE SHAHEEN
Independent Sports Editor

The Massillon Tigers seemed intent on giving Youngstown Rayen every opportunity to make a game of it in the teams’ season opener at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, Friday. But Rayen was just as determined to make things easy for their hosts.

In the end, Massillon walked off with an unfulfilling 41‑6 victory in front of 10,756 on an unseasonably chilly night.

How hard did Rayen try to be the perfect guest?

With Massillon leading 14‑0 early in the second quarter, the Rayen defense stiffened and forced a punt. But Massillon retained possession when Rayen was whistled for illegal participation. That usually means 12 men on the field, one too many. In this case, an official spotted 13 players on the field for the Youngstown entry.

The penalty gave the Tigers new life and they scored on the drive take a 21‑0 lead that would prove to be insurmountable for the visitors.

There’s more.

Late in the first half, Tigers quarterback Willie Spencer strolled out of bounds on a third-and‑long play. That meant the Tigers would have to punt, apparently giving Rayen a final opportunity to get on the scoreboard. But a Rayen defender bumped Spencer after the play was dead and then got into a jawing match and was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, an automatic first down for the hosts.

Massillon was not sharp, especially in the first half which ended with the locals holding a 21‑0 advantage. Spencer fumbled twice, recovering both. The secondary was burned twice for long pass plays, each of which went for over 35 yards. And Massillon’s longest pass play of the night, a 64‑yard hookup between Spencer and Steve Griffith, was called back on an illegal‑motion penalty.

Still, there were some bright spots for the Tigers, not the least of which was the impressive running of junior fullback Vinny Turner. When. it became apparent Rayen’s defense was eying on the Massillon tailbacks, head coach Jack Rose inserted Turner and began feeding him the football on quick hitters in the middle of the line.

Turner (5‑9, 194) responded with an impressive first half. He carried the ball seven times and picked up 65 yards before the band show, a 9.3 yards per carry average. His effectiveness forced Rayen to begin paying attention to the fullback and opened up things for tailbacks Leon Ashcraft and Nate Lewis.

“They were really penetrating hard off the back side,” Rose said. “So we thought we’d hit them quick, right over top of the center and soften them there. Then we hit them a couple times off tackle with the trap play and got a couple of good gainers there.

“Vinny is a converted tailback and has great feet. He has a great future, whether it be at tailback or fullback.”

Ashcraft scored twice in the first half. He capped a five-play, 43‑yard drive on the Tigers second possession with a one‑yard TD dive over left guard. The stocky senior went in from 13 yards out on Massillon’s next possession, absorbing a big hit at the 5 and keeping his balance to score standing up. The run culminated a three-play, 47‑yard drive that was keyed by Turner’s 31‑yard burst up the middle on the initial snap of the possession.

“That second run there was a nice little hole there and I just had to take it up in there,” Ashcraft explained. “A couple of people got on me, but I just did what I had to do to help the team.”

The Tigers only sustained drive of the first half took place on their first possession of the second quarter. Massillon moved from its 25 on 12 plays, scoring when Spencer snuck into the end zone from a yard away at 4:46 of the second period. Ashcraft’s ten‑yard burst off right tackle and an 18-yard scamper by Spencer on a roll out around right end keyed the drive.

Massillon came out sharp in the second half. Senior fullback Jeremy Fraelich rumbled for 25 yards on the first play after the band show. Spencer then hit Jason Manson for nine yards and two plays later found Vaughn Moeller along the left sideline for 30 more to the Rayen 7.

Spencer rolled right on second‑and‑goal and hit tight end Ryan Shanor under the crossbar for the TD and the Tigers led 28‑0 with 8:22 to play in the third.

Spencer found Moeller with a 37‑yard scoring toss at 3:38 of the third to make it 34‑0 and signal the end of the night’s work for the majority of Massillon’s starters.

“Vaughn has deceiving speed,” Rose said. “He got behind the secondary a couple of times. He can be a real deep threat for us this season.”

Rayen got on the scoreboard with 2:06 left in the third when Damien Williams gathered up a Tiger fumble and ran 46 yards to paydirt to make it 34‑6.

Lamar Lancaster intercepted a Rayen pass with 5:30 to play and ran it back to the five-yard line. Nate Lewis closed the scoring on first down when he burst into the end zone on the draw play. The kick made it 41-6.

“We’ve got to improve in the passing game,” Rose summarized. ”We had a couple of drops again tonight. We’re catching the ball and falling down and we should be catching the ball and running with it. But we improved as the game went on.

“Defensively, we missed a lot of tackles tonight. It looked like we were there, we just weren’t wrapping up.”

Rose had mixed feelings on the performance of his young offensive line, an area he believes will be the key if the Tigers are to return to the playoffs for a second year in a row.

“I thought we handled their pressure pretty good when we came down and did our steps correctly and zoned properly. We did a nice job,” Rose said. “The back side blocking could use some improvement.

MASSILLON 41
RAYEN 6
M R
First downs rushing 14 3
First downs passing 2 4
First downs penalty 2 0
Total first downs 18 7
Net yards rushing 262 65
Net yards passing 89 107
Total yards gained 351 172
Passes attempted 8 21
Passes completed 5 7
Passes int. by 1 1
Times kicked off 7 2
Kickoff average 45.7 38.5
Kickoff return yards 18 92
Punts 0 4
Punting average 0 25.0
Punt return yards 15 0
Fumbles 2 3
Fumbles lost 1 1
Penalties 5 12
Yards penalized 29 87
Number of plays 49 43
Time of possession 26:17 21:43
Attendance 10,756

Y’TOWN RAYEN 0 0 6 0 6
MASSILLON 14 7 13 7 41

SCORING SUMMARY

First Quarter
M ‑ Ashcraft 1 run (Pribich kick)
M ‑ Ashcraft 12 run (Pribich kick)

Second Quarter
M ‑ Spencer 1 run (Pribich kick)

Third Quarter
M ‑ Shanor 7 pass from Spencer (Pribich kick)
M – Mohler 37 pass from Spencer (kick failed)
R ‑ Williams fumble recovery in end zone (pass failed)

Fourth Quarter
M ‑ Lewis 5 run (Weirich kick)

FINAL STATISTICS

Rushing:
Massillon
Turner 9-72;
Lewis 9-61, 1 TD;
Ashcraft 9‑49, 2 TDs;
Spencer 7‑33, 1 TD;
Fraelich 4‑37;
Whitfield 3‑10.
Rayen
Johnson 7‑30,
Morgan 3‑18,
Jeffries 8‑14,
Williams 4‑3.

Passing:
Massillon
Spencer 5‑7‑89, 2 TDs;
Whitfield 0‑1, 1 int.
Rayen
Jeffries 7‑21‑107, 1 int.

Receiving:
Massillon
Mohler 2‑66, 1 TD;
Shanor 1‑7, 1 TD;
Manson 1‑9;
Rohr 1‑7.
Rayen
Crenshaw 2‑71,
Jones 3‑33,
Williams 1‑4.

1993: Massillon 20, Walsh Jesuit 30

November 20, 1993September 18, 2017
by Eric Smith

Walsh Jesuit holds on: Massillon finishes 10-2

By JOE SHAHEEN
Independent Sports Editor

Jack Rose knew 16 points would not be enough to beat the Massillon Tigers.

And he told his team that at halftime of Saturday’s Division I regional championship game against Walsh Jesuit at the Akron Rubber Bowl. The Tigers trailed the Warriors 16-0 at the time.

With 8:48 left in the contest, Rose looked like a prophet as Massillon had pulled to within 23‑20 on a 55‑yard touchdown bomb from Mike Danzy to Lonnie Simpson.

At that point, not only were the Tigers believers, so was Walsh Jesuit head coach Gerry Rardin.

“I was thinking, ‘We can’t let this happen again,”‘ confided Rardin after the game. “I was. I’ll admit it now.”

Rardin had seen Massillon come from behind to defeat his team in the 1989 playoffs and last year during the regular season. This time, however, Walsh Jesuit was able to hang on for a 30‑20 victory and a berth in the state semi-finals against Cleveland St. Ignatius on Dec. 4 at Fawcett Stadium.

The Warriors cemented the win with a clutch seven‑play, 48‑yard touchdown drive following Simpson’s TD catch. It was set up when Matt Lloyd gave his team superb field position with a hard‑driving 39‑yard kickoff return.

After quarterback Todd Riddle started things off with a 22‑yard strike to Brock Kreitzburg that moved the ball to the Massillon 26, Lloyd finished the Tigers off the way he does all of his rushes. The senior tailback carried on four of the next five plays, scoring on a two‑yard smash into the middle of the line with 4:38 to play.

“Matt Lloyd’s a great kid. Matt Lloyd’s an outstanding tailback,” Rardin said, “He just runs with a great deal of heart and determination.”

Those same remarks would apply to more than one Tiger on what turned out to be a disappointing evening. Danzy showed enormous heart in rallying his team in the second half with a 68-yard touchdown run on an option keeper and the lone bomb to Simpson. The 5‑7, 165‑pound senior was a heavyweight this day with 120 yards and 107 yards passing.

Ali Dixon and Courtney Herring played key roles also. Dixon breathed life into the running game in the second half while, Herring’s two‑way play at tailback and linebacker belied his lack of experience.

The Massillon defense, despite Walsh Jesuit’s 30 points, hung in against a well‑balanced Warrior attack. It forced and recovered two fumbles in the third quarter to get the comeback started. The second one, recovered by Chris Porrini, led to Jake Laughlin’s 3‑yard touchdown dive that made it 16‑7 with 3:39 to go in the third period.

Walsh Jesuit countered with an eight‑play, 78‑yard touchdown march. Lloyd personally accounted for 71 of those yards (54 rushing, 17 receiving) and put the points on the board with a 28‑yard scoring run on a counter gap play over the Warriors’ right side. The PAT made it 23‑7 with :07 to go in the third.

Massillon showed why if is appropriately dubbed the City of Champions by fighting right back. Danzy electrified the crowd of 11,765 with his 68‑yard TD scamper on the option keeper. His conversion pass failed but it was 23‑13 with just under 11 minutes still to play.

The Tiger defense made another stand on Walsh’s next possession, forcing the Warriors into a three‑and‑out sequence by sniffing out a screen pass to Lloyd on third down.

After the punt, Massillon had it first‑and‑10 at its own 45. Danzy rolled right found Simpson wide open along the right sideline at the Walsh 25 and put the pigskin on the money. Simpson did the rest, outrunning the secondary to the end zone to make it 23‑20 with just under 9:00 to go.

That’s when Lloyd and the Warriors put together their final scoring march, drawing the curtain down on a fine comeback season for the Tigers.

“It was a heck of a season,” a disconsolate Rose said softly in the empty Massillon locker room. “Going 10‑2 isn’t too shabby, coming back from a 5‑5 season.

“We’ve got a real nice junior class coming back and we should have another real fine season in 1994.”

Rose cited two factors contributing to the Walsh Jesuit victory; third‑down efficiency and pass protection.

“They did a real nice job on third down,” he noted. “They converted a lot of third down plays. They had to have a great percentage, (56 percent for the game) especially on that first drive when they got the field goal.

“Riddle is a strong kid. He can shake off a guy. They did a good job of protecting him and he really threw the ball (12‑for‑20, 173 yards). He was on. He can throw the ball well.”
Unlike the week before against McKinley, Walsh Jesuit was not able to be one‑dimensional on offense. The Warriors went to the air early and often – Riddle was 8 of 12 for 127 yards in the first half alone – to keep the Tigers defense off balance.

“We felt we would have to mix it up a lot more to keep them honest,” Rardin said: “The kids executed a lot‑of‑things well, even when it got tough and they were stuffing us. They kept their poise and they continued to execute. That was the difference.”

MASSILLON 20
WALSH JESUIT 30
M W
First downs rushing 10 10
First downs passing 3 3
First downs penalty 0 0
Total first downs 13 18
Net yards rushing 236 203
Net yards passing 108 173
Total yards gained 338 355
Passes attempted 13 20
Passes completed 3 12
Passes int. by 1 0
Times kicked off 4 6
Kickoff average 45.5 58.0
Kickoff return yards 54 83
Punts 3 1
Punting average 35.0 28.0
Punt return yards 2 3
Fumbles 2 3
Fumbles lost 2 2
Penalties 2 1
Number of plays 44 59
Time of possession 18:41 29:19
Attendance 11,765

WALSH JESUIT 3 13 7 7 30
MASSILLON 0 0 7 13 20

1993: Massillon 46, Mansfield Senior 6

November 13, 1993September 24, 2017
by Eric Smith

Tigers rebound: maul Mansfield

Walsh Jesuit next hurdle

By JOE SHAHEEN’
Independent Sports Editor

Yes, Virginia, those were the same Massillon Tigers thrashing Mansfield 46-6 Saturday in Parma as the squad that fell to Canton McKinley 21-13 seven days ago.

And, while Mansfield isn’t McKinley, neither is the artificial turf of Byers Field comparable to the muck and mire that is the Fawcett Stadium playing surface.

Now Massillon gets a Walsh Jesuit team that is peaking after an impressive 19-0 victory over McKinley. The Tigers and Warriors will do battle at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Akron Rubber Bowl.

One play underscored why the Tigers are among Ohio’s elite high school football teams when the playing surface isn’t a factor in the contest. It came in the second quarter, about 5½ minutes before halftime. Mike Danzy tried to execute the option around the right side of the Tiger offensive line on second-and-32 from the Massillon 27.

Mansfield got excellent penetration and had the play defensed. So Danzy reversed course in the backfield, looking for some daylight around left end. A wall of blockers formed and Danzy found a seam to the 51-yard line as the pursuit closed in on him.

But the Tigers’ 1993 Most Valuable Player wasn’t satisfied. He cut back against the grain at midfield, leaving a host of defenders grasping at air in his wake. Danzy turned on the afterburners and sprinted to the Mansfield 7-yard line before one of the Tygers’ track stars pushed him out of bounds.

It was the type of play that cannot be scripted, but one which Danzy and several of his teammates are capable of making at any time. Such plays are a big reason the Massillon offense is so explosive.

“You just cannot make that run on a muddy, sloppy field,” Jack Rose said of Danzy’s highlight file scamper.

The Massillon offense, paced by a line that gouged huge holes in the Mansfield defense front and the determined running of Leon Ashcraft (80 yards, three touchdowns), functioned like a well-oiled machine.

But it was the defense that limited Mansfield to a paltry 2.7 yards per rush and 144 yards of total offense that made a statement. The Tygers came into the game averaging more than 30 points per start. Yet Massillon shut the speedsters down, permitting just one meaningless score in the fourth quarter after the issue had long since been decided.

“The defense really was swarming to the football,” Rose said. “We looked quick tonight. That’s the way we looked all year. We were on the right surface. It was good to get on a good playing surface.”

There was more to the way the defense performed than just the playing surface. There seemed to be a higher than usual level of intensity.

“We were pretty disappointed with the way things went last week,” said Tiger tackle B.J. Payne, “and I think we turned that disappointment into anger. Mansfield just happened to be the opponent and they had to deal with it.”

Still, Payne loves playing on the fake grass.

“It helps a lot because we are more of a quick team,” he said. “On turf, we don’t have to worry about the mud making us look like we’re on a roller skates.”

Mansfield played the first half as if it was on roller skates, fumbling four time and losing three to the opportunistic Tiger defense. The first turnover came on a bad punt snap on Mansfield’s first possession. Geoff Osborn recovered at the Tyger eight, and after a penalty Ashcraft plowed into the end zone from four yards out on the first snap and Randy Endsley’s PAT made it 7-0 with just over two minutes elapsed in the game.

The Tygers marched from their 17 to Massillon’s 27, but Tim Menches recovered quarterback Effie James’ fumble to set up the Tigers’ best sustained march of the night. The locals drove 79 yards in 14 plays. A 15-yard Danzy to Greg Merchant pass and Mike Paul’s 22-yard burst highlighted the sequence, which was capped by Ashcraft’s 5-yard TD run behind the blocking of Trevor Paisley and Mark Fair on the left side. Endsley’s boot made it 14-0 at the :43 mark of the first period.

Christmas continued to come six weeks early for the Tigers. On Mansfield’s next play from scrimmage, James’ bad pitch was caught in mid-air by Massillon’s Matt Robinson at the Tyger 16. Three plays later, Paul went in untouched – some trick for a fullback in a goal line situation – and Endsley made it 21-0 at 11:18 of the second quarter.

Massillon scored twice more in the half, on a five play, 71-yard drive keyed by Danzy’s spectacular ad lib run, and on a 12-play, 63-yard march that featured Ali Dixon, who caught a 5-yarder for the TD to make it 34-0 at halftime.

The Tigers drove 52 yards with the second-half kickoff, capped by Courtney Herring’s 2-yard touchdown run at 5:08 of the third period.

Herring’s 53-yard burst over left tackle highlighted Massillon’s final scoring drive. The junior tailback scored from the 2 to make it 46-0 after three periods.

Mansfield head coach Stan Jefferson attributed the outcome more to his team’s errors than anything the Tigers did in the playoff opener.

“we did the damage to ourselves,” Jefferson said. “We had the bad snap. Then we fumbled. Then we had another fumble. I mean, that’s 21 points we gave right now. It was nothing Massillon did to us. It was self-inflicted wounds.

“When we came out there and saw (Massillon) today, they didn’t look as big as the first time we saw them. We felt coming in anything could happen.

MASSILLON 46
MANSFIELD 6
M O
First downs rushing 17 5
First downs passing 1 1
First downs penalty 2 1
Total first downs 20 7
Net yards rushing 379 131
Net yards passing 25 70
Total yards gained 395 14
Passes attempted 6 13
Passes completed 3 3
Passes int. by 0 0
Times kicked off 8 2
Kickoff average 39.6 18.5
Kickoff return yards 0 31
Punts 1 3
Punting average 5.0 44.7
Punt return yards 58 0
Fumbles 2 5
Fumbles lost 2 3
Penalties 5 11
Yards penalized 57 71
Number of plays 70 40
Time of possession 30:03 17:57
Attendance 10,312

MANSFIELD 0 0 6 0 6
MASSILLON 14 20 12 0 46

SCORING SUMMARY

First Quarter
MASS ‑ Ashcraft 4 run (Endsley kick)
MASS ‑ Ashcraft 5 run (Endslay kick)

Second Quarter
MASS ‑ Paul_2 run.(Endsley kick)
MASS ‑ Ashcraft 2 run (Endsfoy kick)
MASS – Dixon 5 pass from Danzy (kick failed)

Third Quarter
MASS ‑ Herring 1 run (kick failed)
MASS ‑ Herring 2 run (kick failed)

Fourth Quarter
MANS ‑ Lawrence 50 pass from Jones(run failed)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING
Massillon
Danzy 8‑86;
Ashcraft 16-80, 3 TDs;
Herring 8‑77, 2 TDs;
Dixon 11-44;
Paul 6-38, 1 TD;
Turner 7-21;
Laughlin 4-16;
Fraelich 2-8;
Hiegl 1-3.
Mansfield
James 6‑50,
Fountain 8‑39,
Barber 5‑6,
Jackson 4‑9.

1993: Massillon 13, Canton McKinley 21

November 6, 1993September 18, 2017
by Eric Smith

Clutch plays decided this one

By JOE SHAHEEN
Independent Sports Editor

For the first nine weeks of the 1993 high school football season, the Massillon Tigers made the big plays, evidenced by a 47 points per game average, a 9‑0 record and a number four statewide ranking.

But things went the other way at Fawcett Stadium Saturday afternoon, as the McKinley Bulldogs parlayed big plays into a 21‑13 upset of the Tigers.

Making many of the big plays for McKinley was one of their smaller players, 5‑9, 140‑pound senior quarterback Josh McDaniels.

With the game at tied at 7‑7, and less than three minutes left in the first half, the Bulldogs took over at their 34 yard line. On third‑and‑5, McDaniels kept the ball on an option, picking his way for 15 yards and a key first down.

On the very next snap McDaniels rolled right and hit Jaivonne Richards along the right sideline for 18 yards to the Tiger 28, and the Pups were in range.

McDaniels found Tom Hastings for seven more to the 21. But it appeared the Tigers Chris Porrini had come up with the stopper, when he smelled out a middle screen to Kinta Mitchell for a three‑yard loss.

McDaniels barely overthrew Hastings along the left side on a perfectly run fade pattern, setting up fourth-and‑6 at the Tiger 24. It also set up what may have been the play of the game.

On the next snap, McDaniels and Hastings connected on a short curl in the left flats, and Hastings pitched the ball back to Denell Harris, who scooted to the Tiger five where Lonnie Simpson made a touchdown saving stop.

With a minute to go until the half, McDaniels rolled right but couldn’t find an open receiver. So the coach’s son tucked the ball and took off, finding paydirt, and giving the Pups a 14‑7 lead at half.

McKinley opened the afternoon scoring on its first possession. Tailback Che Bryant carried the ball on the first three plays ‑ including a 27‑yard burst ‑ as the Bulldogs moved from their own 20 to Massillon’s 47. The Pups kept the football on the ground with Mitchell and Harris on the next two plays, moving it to the Tiger 27. Then Bryant found a gaping hole over left tackle. Defensive back Tim Menches made one of many fine stops at the 19.

Bryant then gained 10 more yards over right tackle on the next snap, making it first‑and-goal at the eight. Three plays later, McKinley faced a decision. It was fourth‑and‑goal at the three.

In came McDaniels, who didn’t start at quarterback. He lined up in field goal formation, but shifted to a conventional set at the last moment. He handed the ball to Harris, who went over left tackle for a TD. McDaniels’ PAT made it 7‑0 with 6:50 to play in the first quarter.

The drive covered 80 yards in 11 plays.

Massillon came right back on its initial possession of the contest. It looked like three downs and out, but a roughing‑the-kicker call on McKinley, giving the Tigers new life on their 46. On the next play, a late‑hit‑penalty moved the ball to the 39.

Tiger fullback Mike Paul carried twice for 14 yards to the 25, then Mike Danzy ran around right end for 10 more. On third‑and‑6 from the 11, Paul carried on a draw play, cut off a fine block by Brock Herring, and picked up a first down at the four. Three plays later, Paul scored from the one to make it 7‑7 with 11:57 left in the first half.

The Tigers came out for the third quarter, and looked like they were ready to erase a 14‑7 lead, driving from their 36 to McKinley’s 16, as Dixon and Danzy took turns making plays.

Dixon picked up 13 on a counter around left end to give the locals a first down near midfield, then ran another counter over right guard to the 33. Two plays later, he hit Merchant to the 21.

Danzy then found tight end Isaiah Jackson to set up first‑and‑goal at the six. But the Bulldog defense stiffened and Massillon turned the ball over on an interception by Richards in the end zone.

The Massillon defense stopped McKinley on the next possession. But the Tigers fumbled, giving the Bulldogs back the ball at the Tiger 35. Eight plays later, Mitchell found the end zone from three yards out to make it 21‑7, 37 seconds into the fourth quarter.

But the Tigers came, back, getting a big play of its own on the next possession, as Danzy hit Jackson on the right sideline for 44‑yeard gainer to the McKinley 28. Two plays later, Danzy hit Merchant for a short pass on the left side. Merchant slipped two tackles, and sprinted down the sideline into the end zone, making it 21‑13.

Harris tipped away a conversion pass, intended for Jackson.

McKinley was forced to punt on its next possession. But the Tigers couldn’t do anything, giving it back to the hosts with 3:59 to play. McKinley ran out the clock without giving the Tigers the ball back.

The Bulldogs averaged 6.7 yards on first down plays, compared to under three yards for the Tigers.

MASSILLON 13
MCKINLEY 21
M Mc
First downs rushing 8 10
First downs passing 4 2
First downs penalty 2 1
Total first downs 14 13
Net yards rushing 108 240
Net yards passing 101 44
Total yards gained 209 284
Passes attempted 15 10
Passes completed 5 6
Passes int. by 2 0
Times kicked off 3 4
Kickoff average 54 31.3
Kickoff return yards 10 28
Punts 2 3
Punting average 34 31
Punt return yards 6 0
Fumbles 2 1
Fumbles lost 1 1
Penalties 4 7
Yards penalized 40 55
Number of plays 48 50
Time of possession 24:43 23:17

MCKINLEY 7 7 0 7‑21
MASSILLON 0 7 0 6‑13

McK. ‑ Harris 3 yard run (McDanielS kick)
Mass. ‑ Paul 1 yard run (Endsley kick)
McK. ‑ McDaniels 5 yard run (McDaniels kick)
McK. ‑ Mitchell 3 yard run (McDaniels kick)
Mass. ‑ Merchant 28 yard pass from Danzy (pass failed)

Individual statistics

RUSHING:
Massillon
Dixon 10‑38,
Paul 11-28,
Danzy 5‑24,
Herring 2‑7,
Laughin 2‑5,
Spencer 2‑4,
Ashcraft 1‑2;
McKinley
Harris 15‑101,
Bryant 8‑77,
Mitchell 8‑26,
Burns 4‑18,
McDaniels 4‑15,
Pukansky 1‑3.

PASSING:
Massillon
Danzy 5‑15‑101‑2, 1 TD;
McKinley
McDaniels 5‑8‑38‑0 0 TDs,
Pukansky 1‑2‑6‑0, 0 TDS.

RECEIVING:
Massillon
Jackson 3‑65,
Merchant 2‑36;
McKinley
Alkire 2‑3,
Richards 1-18,
Harris 1‑16,
Hasting 1‑10,
Mitchell 1‑3.

This one is more than
just a game

By TODD PORTER
Independent Sports Writer

For many of the Massillon fans at Fawcett Stadium Saturday afternoon, the McKinley game is the culmination of an entire season.

For others, it’s the one game they live for while growing up in Tigertown.

Some are former players or booster club members. Some are only part‑time fans. Others are just your everyday Massillon Tiger fanatics.

They all had something in common. They were pulling for the Tigers to come out on top.

The game is the pinnacle of the season for both teams.

The Bulldogs did their best to take the Tiger faithful out of the game early, surging to a 14‑7 halftime lead.

“I said I was worried about this game,” one fan decked out in orange and black said on his way to take his seat after a visit to the concession stand.

“McKinley’s better than most people give them credit for.”

Many fans spent part of the afternoon reliving the excitement leading up to “The Game.”

“Everything else ‑ the nine games before this, the practice before the season ‑ is superficial, ” said Al Rogers Jr., who played for the Tigers in 1976.

“This is what playing Massillon Tiger football is all about. You throw all the records out. I remember when I was a junior we played McKinley and we were 5‑3‑1 coming in and they were 9‑0. We beat them and knocked them out of the playoffs.

“That’s what makes this game so special. The tradition is what sets this game apart from any other game in the country.”

Tiger Booster Club president Rollie Layfield will always remember the 1993-94 season. Win or lose, the Tigers, according to Layfield, had a great team.

“If we get into the playoffs, I think we’ll be respectable,” said Layfield who is only allowed to serve one term a president. “This has been a great season. This group of young men have come together as a team, and that’s what this game is all about.”

Rob Maylor, who played offensive line for the Tigers in 1981 and ’82, is a staunch Tiger fan. Maylor was one of the booster members forming the man‑made tunnel before the Tigers took the field.

He hasn’t lost any intensity since his playing days.

Maylor was slapping helmets am screaming encouragement to the Massillon players.

“As a player, this game is something you live for,” Maylor said. “When I see the players come out of the locker room and head for that hoop, I get goose bumps every week.

“This game is special, It’s the pinnacle of the season.

1993: Massillon 63, Youngstown East 6

October 29, 1993September 18, 2017
by Eric Smith

Massillon runs roughshod over East

Tigers tune up for McKinley with 63‑6 win

By MIKE KEATING
Independent Sports Writer

Maybe seven years ago it would have been an inviting matchup between the Massillon and Youngstown East Golden Bears.

But Friday night in Paul Brown Tiger Stadium before 8,975 fans, it was no contest.

The Tigers scored early and often and crushed East by a 63‑6 count, their final regular season game before next Saturday’s battle against arch‑rival McKinley.

Massillon has won its first nine regular season games for the first time since 1982, the last time the Tigers played in the state championship game.

That Massillon team featured junior two‑way starter Chris Spielman, now a starting linebacker for the Detroit.

“It’s great to be part of a Massillon team that has the same record as one that had Chris Spielman on it,” said defensive tackle B.J. Payne.

“There’s no greater feeling than being 9‑0 heading into the McKinley game,” added quarterback Mike Danzy.

Danzy downplayed skeptics who said the Massillon schedule is not as rugged as in past years, especially with the absence of Cincinnati Moeller.

“People might say we don’t play anybody because we’ve beaten teams by a lot of points,” he shrugged. “But you have to understand we’ve beaten some teams that were supposed to have success this year.

“Look at (Youngstown) Rayen. They were supposed to be a playoff team. Then the (teacher’s strike) happened and they had a hard time recovering. They also lost their good runner (Herman Benson).

“We’ve also beaten teams that have had success against us in the past.”

East, however, has not been one of those teams. The Golden Bears, whose strike abbreviated record reads 1‑4, were tamed handily by the Tigers in the five meetings since the series resumed in 1988.

The closest score was 24‑0 in 1989, followed by 45‑7 in 1990, 76-26 in 1991 and 55‑20 last fall.

Selling the Tigers on East wasn’t the easiest task for the Massillon coaching staff. But Jack Rose was pleased with how the team concentrated on taking it one game at a time.

“The seniors also knew it was their last game on their home field,” said the second‑year Massillon mentor. “They came out and played hard. So did the other kids.”

Despite the final margin of victory, the Tigers were tested by East.

“They have great team speed,” said Rose. “They had a good option scheme. They were more disciplined.”

“Their linebackers blitzed us from the backside and gave us some problems,” Danzy added.

Whatever problems East presented, the Tigers were able to answer with smash‑mouth football.

Massillon kept the ball on the ground most of the game, as the line fired out and controlled the line of scrimmage. The Tigers finished with 434 rushing yards.

“You don’t put the ball in the air too much, when you average 13 yards a carry,” Rose noted.

Massillon scored on its first nine possessions, with maximum efficiency.

When fullback Jeremy Fraelich plowed off tackle into the end zone from five yards out with 3:44 left, it was only the 44th play the Tigers had run from scrimmage.

“We just came out and fine tuned everything,” said running back Ali Dixon. “We wanted to be sure we’re ready for the next game.”

Dixon was ready for East and gave the partisan Tiger fans an indication of what would transpire on Massillon’s first play from scrimmage.

He ran an isolation play up the middle, turned outside and raced to the end zone for a 49-yard score as Massillon led 7‑0 at the 9:51 mark of the first quarter.

Danzy faked a dive play into the line and optioned left for a six‑yard touchdown run at the 6:07 mark of the first quarter and it was 14‑0.

Maybe seven years ago, the Golden Bears would have been able to slug it out with the Tigers. The 1986 East team fashioned a 9‑1 regular season record, defeating Youngstown Ursuline, Boardman and a Youngstown South team that paddled McKinley 27‑10.

While the 1993 edition struggled most of the contest, East managed a sustained drive in the opening quarter. Quarterback Leartis Day, similar in size to Danzy, completed a 12-play, 65‑yard march with a 7-yard touchdown strike to tight end Michael Claytor and it was 14‑6 at the 1:18 mark.

Massillon, however, was undaunted and tacked on another score on its next series to stifle any East comeback hopes. Dixon raced 48 yards for the touchdown and the Tigers moved ahead 21‑6 with 10:51 left until halftime.

Junior Leon Ashcraft, who has shared the halfback spot with Dixon this season, burned East with a 51‑yard touchdown run on a trap play at the 7:54 mark and it was 28‑6.

Kevin Buckland’s 17‑yard punt return to the East 30 set up the fifth and final Massillon first‑half touchdown. It was Ashcraft who did the honors on a six‑yard scamper with 2:41 to go as the Tigers lead swelled to 35‑6.

Fullback Jake Laughlin, running back Courtney Herring, and Fraelich scored in the second half.

Herring, a 5‑10, 169‑pound junior, led the Tigers in with 154 rushing yards and was a workhorse on the team’s 84‑yard scoring drive. His 2‑yard burst off left tackle at the 9:33 mark of the fourth quarter was his 11th carry of the drive.

“This was a big win,” said Danzy. “The 1991 team kind of looked ahead in the ninth game and (Akron) St. V got them.”

The Tigers now have scored 425 points this season. The school record is 483 by the 1935 team. Danzy thinks the key to the McKinley game is offense.

“We have put points on the board (against McKinley) like we did against other good teams we played like Mansfield, (Akron) Garfield and (Austintown Fitch),” he said.

“Now,” smiled Rose, “we can turn our thoughts to McKinley.”

MASSILLON 63
EAST 6
M E
First downs rushing 17 4
First downs passing 1 3
First downs penalty 1 0
Total first downs 19 7
Net yards rushing 434 73
Net yards passing 26 77
Total yards gained 460 150
Passes attempted 4 17
Passes completed 3 5
Passes int. by 2 0
Times kicked off 10 2
Kickoff average 40.8 49.0
Kickoff return yards 58 119
Punts 0 5
Punting average 0.0 23.0
Punt return yards 69 0
Fumbles 1 1
Fumbles lost 0 0
Penalties 4 6
Yards penalized 52 40
Number of plays 46 50
Time of possession 24:41 23:19
Attendance 8,975

EAST 6 0 0 0 6
MASSILLON 14 21 14 14 63

SCORING SUMMARY

FIRST QUARTER
M ‑ Dixon 49 run (Endsley kick)
M ‑ Danzy 6 run (Endsley kick)
E ‑ Claytor 7 pass from Day (kick failed)

SECOND QUARTER
M ‑ Dixon 48 run (Endsley kick)
M ‑ Ashcraft 51 run (Endsley kick)
M ‑ Ashcraft 6 run (Endsley kick)

THIRD QUARTER
M ‑ Laughlin 1 run (Pribich kick)
M ‑ Herring 18 run (Pribich kick)

FOURTH QUARTER
M ‑ Herring 2 run (Pribich kick)
M ‑ Fraelich 5 run (Weirich kick)

FINAL STATISTICS

Rushing:
(Massillon)
Herring 12‑154,
Dixon 6‑118,
Ashcraft 8‑85.
(East)
Fitzgerald 14‑55.

Passing:
(Massillon)
Danzy 3‑4‑0 26.
(East)
Day 4‑15‑1 72.

Receiving:
(Massillon)
Merchant 1‑16,
Dixon 1‑5,
Simpson 1‑5.
(East)
Claytor 3‑62.

1993: Massillon 42, Akron St. Vincent St. Mary 7

October 22, 1993September 18, 2017
by Eric Smith

Massillon staves off the Fighting Irish

Tigers are 8‑0 with East next

By JOE SHAHEEN
Independent Sports Editor

Each of us has had a moment in our lives when a little voice inside tells us it is time to step up and take charge.

Massillon Tigers senior Paul Schroeder heard that little voice Friday night and heeded the call.

Schroeder’s clutch 33‑yard reception midway through the third quarter turned momentum back in the Tigers’ favor and helped them secure a closer‑than‑it‑sounds 42‑7 victory over scrappy Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary in front of 10,412 at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

Massillon led 14‑0 at halftime but began the second half as if it didn’t want to remain unbeaten. On the Tigers first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, missed connections on a basic handoff left the football on the sand turf. The Fighting Irish recovered at the hosts’ 39 and seemed to get a burst of confidence.

One third‑and‑five from the 34, sophomore quarterback Bob Butash rolled left and found sophomore running back Andre Knott along the left sideline. By the time Knott had been pulled down, the ball was at the Tigers’ 5‑yard line. Three plays later, Gary James found a seam over his right tackle and scored. The extra point, which was executed three times due to a pair of penalties, made it a 14‑7 contest.

But Massillon’s generosity had not been tapped out. Following the ensuing kickoff, the Tigers took over at their 30. On first down, sloppy execution of the triple option left the football on the ground again and once again the visitors from Akron recovered.

Sensing a real threat, the Tiger defense stiffened. Josh McElhaney sacked Butash on first down and B.J. Payne blasted James for a loss on third down. Then Geoff Osborn batted down a fourth‑and‑seven pass to give the offense an opportunity at redemption.

After gaining four yards in two plays, Massillon needed something to happen on third-and‑six from the 20. Schroeder obliged, hauling in Danzy’s 33-yard strike along the right sideline to breathe life into the attack.

“That was a real big play down there,” said head coach Jack Rose. “It gave us the momentum back.”

The Tigers seemed renewed by Schroeder’s catch. Three plays later, Danzy executed the quarterback draw to perfection, cut off a superb block by Jake Laughlin and scampered 17 yards to the Irish 29.

On second down, Danzy rolled right, eluded the rush and hit Lonnie Simpson along the right sideline at the 5. Simpson cruised into the end zone to give the Tigers a 21‑7 lead and control of the ball game.

But it was Schroeder’s play that seemed to light Massillon’s fire.

“It was a play action for the off tackle play,” Schroeder recalled. “I show blocking and I cut out and go towards the corner and break it toward the sideline. Mike threw a perfect ball. You couldn’t ask for a more perfect ball. My job is easy, catching it.”

It was the second time Rose had sent in the play. The first time, Schroeder passed up the assignment.

“The first time they called it, I told the other tight end Isaiah (Jackson) to take it,” Schroeder said. “So we switched sides and he went out. When they called it the second time, it was like, let me have this one. I could just feel it. So I just did my job.

“I’m supposed to go to that side on that play. But for some odd reason, the first time I just told him to take it and the second time something in me told me, ‘Let me have this one.’”

The Irish weren’t able to do much after Simpson’s touchdown catch. They went three-and‑out on their next possession and Massillon took over at its 45. Two snaps later, Danzy hit Simpson with a short pass and the senior wideout broke it for a 22‑yard gain to the 19. After St. Vincent‑St. Mary dropped two sure interceptions, Ali Dixon took a pitch out around left end and outran the pursuit for a seven‑yard touchdown and a 28-7 advantage.

The scoreboard didn’t stay the same for long, as Willie Spencer Jr. picked off his sixth interception of the year and raced down the right sideline for a 36‑yard touchdown return and a 35‑7 lead.

It was three‑and‑out for the Irish once again and the Tigers set up shop at the 45. After a couple of quarterback draws, Danzy rolled left and hit Simpson along the left sideline at the 5. Again No. 21 stepped into the end zone to close the scoring at 42‑7.

Longtime St. Vincent‑St. Mary head coach John Cistone was not all that unhappy with his team’s performance.

“We were in it,” Cistone said. “When we couldn’t score down there fourth‑and‑seven … what are you going to do? We had to put it in.

”We had the momentum going and we ran out of gas. Most of our kids go both ways. The kids gave a hell of an effort.”

Rose was not quite as upbeat as his counterpart.

“Well, we turned the damn ball over,” Rose observed. “You turn the ball over against a team like that and you’re just asking for trouble. We turned it over twice down there in the third quarter.

“They never really stopped us. We were stopping ourselves.”

Rose found a lot to be desired in his squad’s play along the offensive line.

“I was really disappointed in our line play tonight,” he said. “We just didn’t play very well. We have a lot to work on. We took a step backwards in that area tonight. We’ve got to get that straightened out in the last two weeks or we’re not going to go where we want to go.”

Simpson, who had four catches for 77 yards and those two touchdowns, acknowledged the Tigers didn’t get going until midway through the third quarter.

“Yeah, we started a little slow,” he said. “But we got on the move. Look what we done.

“I feel real good about this team. We had a great week of practice; a good week of conditioning and it showed in the second half. The coach got us going.”

Schroeder confirmed that the Tiger staff did a little motivational speaking.

“Coach jumped on us and said we’re not playing up to our potential,” Schroeder reported. “We just showed a little of our potential out there in the second half. There’s always room for improvement, so we’re going to improve this week and take on Youngstown East.”

Danzy finished with 219 yards of total offense and made another fan along the way in Cistone, who has seen a few quarterbacks in his time.

“We wanted to keep him from getting outside,” Cistone said. “No one has been able to keep him inside and I thought we did a good job there. But still, his athleticism … . He still makes the plays. I don’t know what else we could’ve have done.

MASSILLON 42
St. V‑St. M 7
M V
First downs rushing 10 4
First downs passing 8 2
First downs penalty 0 0
Total first downs 18 6
Net yards rushing 172 50
Net yards passing 158 56
Total yards gained 330 106
Passes attempted 21 14
Passes completed 10 4
Passes int. by 1 1
Times kicked off 7 2
Kickoff average 43.6 44.5
Kickoff return yards 27 68
Punts 1 6
Punting average 44.0 31.2
Punt return yards 25 0
Fumbles 3 1
Fumbles lost 3 1
Penalties 3 7
Yards penalized 25 32
Number of plays 58 44
Time of possession 23:07 24:53
Attendance 10,412

ST. VINCENT 0 0 7 0 0
MASSILLON 7 7 7 21 42

FIRST QUARTER
MASS ‑ Ashcraft 1 run (Endsley kick)

SECOND QUARTER
MASS ‑ Dixon 4 pass from Danzy (Endsley kick)

THIRD QUARTER
ST. V ‑ James 2 run (Schapel kick)
MASS ‑ Simpson 26 pass from Danzy (Endsley kick)

FOURTH QUARTER
MASS ‑ Dixon 7 run (Endsley kick)
MASS ‑ Spencer 36 pass int. return (Endsley kick)
MASS ‑ Simpson 25 pass from Danzy (Pribich kick)

FINAL STATISITICS

RUSHING
(Massillon)
Dixon 18‑94. 1 TD;
Danzy 13‑61;
Arney 2‑10;
Paul 2‑4;
Ashcraft 2‑3, 1 TD.
(St. Vincent)
James 15‑29,
Knott 5‑19,
LaCause 4‑15.

PASSING
(Massillon)
Danzy 10‑21‑158‑1, 3 TDs.
(St. Vincent)
Butash 4‑14‑56‑1.

RECEIVING
(Massillon)
Simpson 4‑77, 2 TDs;
Dixon 5‑47, 1 TD;
Schroeder 1‑34.
(St. Vincent)
Knott 3‑41,
Shenigo 1‑15.

Category: <span>History</span>