AKRON ‑ As time ticked down to a few precious seconds, the Massillon Tigers slowly turned sure defeat into an amazing victory.
The Tigers trailed by two touchdowns midway through the fourth quarter, but came back to stun the Barberton Magics 22‑20 Saturday night at the Rubber Bowl.
A 1‑yard touchdown plunge by quarterback George Whitfield with 17 seconds left capped a game Barberton firmly had tucked away before Massillon came back to steal a win. The Tigers scored 16 unanswered points in the final 6:24.
“We were very lucky to win,” Massillon head coach Jack Rose said. “But I have to give my kids credit. They never gave up in the fourth quarter. They played their hearts out and found a way to win it.”
Massillon tailback Vinny Turner. who suffered a pulled hamstring in last week’s game against Austintown Fitch, did not start. But with the game, and possibly the season, on the line the Tigers had no choice but to put their top offensive threat in the backfield.
A 2‑yard touchdown run by Turner and the two‑point conversion cut Barberton’s lead to 20‑14 with five minutes left.
Turner, who finished with 46 yards on 11 carries, caught an 11‑yard pass from Whitfield on the game‑winning drive. From the Barberton 3‑yard line, he grinded out two yards on two carries before Whitfield scored the winning touchdown with the Tigers out of timeouts.
“My hamstring is hurting, but I had to go in there,” said Turner. “And we made the big plays. That’s all we had to do.”
The difference in the game came prior to the final Massillon drive when Barberton punter Chad Whipkey ran out of the end zone for a safety after the snap sailed over his head.
“I felt we could win regardless of the safety, but that*s the breaks,” Whitfield said. “You have to have breaks like that. They had one in the first half. This was ours.”
Barberton’s break came just before halftime.
Rohn Noirot, who kicked a 31‑yard field goal midway through the second quarter, lined up to attempt a 20‑yarder with 20 seconds left.
But holder Jay Winker, a backup quarterback, took the snap and threw a shovel pass to fullback David Holderbaum as he raced into the end zone. Noirot’s extra point increased the Magics’ lead to 17‑6 at halftime.
The Tigers had only 61 yards of total offense in the first half. They also turned the ball over three times.
Massillon’s first turnover gave the Magics a 7‑0 lead. The Tigers fumbled a Barberton punt deep in their own territory and Danny Villers fell on the ball in the end zone after a wild scramble.
A 33‑yard touchdown run by Whitfield sliced Barberton’s lead to 7‑6. It remained 7‑6 after Tiger place‑kicker Josh Hose missed the extra point.
Massillon’s mistakes continued. The Tigers handed the Magics a first down when they lined up offside on fourth‑and-one from the Barberton 25‑yard line. The Magics then drove 61 yards in 12 plays and used Noirot’s 31‑yand field goal to extend their lead to 10‑6. Barberton kept the drive alive by converting on fourth‑and-inches from midfield.
Massillon’s next two possessions ended with turnovers. Whitfield was intercepted both times. Winkler returned the second one 43 yards to the Tiger 11‑yard line.
That set the Magics’ final touchdown in the first half ‑ the shovel pass from Winkler to Holderbaum.
Massillon 6 0 0 16 22 Barberton 7 10 0 3 20
B ‑ Villers recovered fumble in the end zone (Noirot kick) M ‑ Whitfield 33 run (kick failed) B ‑ FG Noirot 31 B – Holderbaum 3 pass from Winker (Noirot kick) B – FG Noirot 35 M ‑ Turner 2 run (Wiles pass from Whitfield) M ‑ Safety, Whipkey ran out of the end zone M ‑ Whitfield 1 run (kick failed)
The Massillon Tigers, severely handicapped by the loss to injury of their leading rusher and leading receiver, dug deep and came out with a 21-14 victory over an inspired Austintown Fitch crew in front of 10,922 at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, Friday.
Massillon (4‑1 ) had to do it without Vinny Turner, who suffered a pulled hamstring in the final seconds of the first half that prevented him from going 78-yards for a touchdown, and Vaughn Mohler, who may be done for the season with a torn lateral cruciate ligament.
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Clinging to a 14‑7 lead, Massillon began the second half by marching 67 yards in 15 plays. The sustained drive ate 7:17 off the game clock and was capped by George Whitfield’s one‑yard quarterback sneak into the end zone. Josh Hose added the conversion kick and the Tigers had the game under control at 21‑7.
Whitfield ran the football six times on the drive for 32 yards and hit Dustin Limbach for seven yards and a first down.
Raphel Bradley (6‑2, 215-pounds) started the second half in Turner’s place and came up big for the Tigers. The junior tailback rushed six time for 22 yards on the march and icked up a pair of first downs.
”That was a critical drive there,” Rose agreed. “We had to go with Raphel and he did a good job for us. He carried it well for us and blocked well.
”That drive took eight minutes off the clock. You do that and you’re going to be hard to beat.”
Fitch head coach Jack Kenney admitted he was feeling good about his teams chances after learning Turner was through for the night.
“We said we’re going to come out and we’re going to stuff them right now and we didn’t and they go in and score,” Kenney said. “That was a defining moment in this ball game.
“When Turner Went down I was prepared for them to go into more of a passing game. But they just come up with somebody else. They have a lot of great athletes around here.”
Fitch came right back after Massillon went up by 14 and moved the ball from its 25 to the Tiger 23, where the Falcons had first‑and‑10. But Jared Stefanko stuffed quarterback Jeff Lawrence on an option keeper for a two‑yard loss, and two plays later Henry McElroy batted down a pass in the end zone to quell the visitors’ threat.
The gang from Austintown wasn’t through, though. After a pass interference call on Massillon, Lawrence hit David Yargo between the numbers at the Tiger 30. The ball bounced off Yargo’s pads and was grabbed in midair by Fitch’s Chayne Mitchell who sprinted into the end zone for an “immaculate reception” touchdown that covered 53 yards.
Chris Calcagni tacked on the PAT and it was a 21‑14 game with just under six minutes to play.
After the ensuing kickoff, the Tiger’s went three‑and‑out and punted. Fitch took over at its 37 with 3:24 to play. The Falcons managed a pair of first downs and penetrated to the Massillon 40. On first down at that point, Eric Lightfoot sacked Lawrence for a six‑yard loss. Two plays later, with Paul Salvino pressuring Lawrence, Stefanko intercepted the Fitch quarterback at the 30‑yard line to secure the victory.
“Jared had a great drop and read the quarterback real well,” Rose said. “That was a great play at a very important time.”
Whitfield had a fine all around game for the Tigers, rushing for 59 yards in 15 totes. He hit on 7‑of‑15 passes for another 59 yards and 1 touchdown. But it was the senior’s execution of the option that left Rose smiling.
“That’s going to help us down the road.” Rose said. George was hitting option alley and took it right in there. He doesn’t need to pitch it a lot because they’re going to try to take away the pitch man and make him run it. He is a big, strong back and he call take it up in there. He is a strong runner and he just needs to assert himself out there.”
Kenney, too, was impressed with Whitfield’s contributions.
“He gives Massillon a very, very balanced, nice attack,” Kenney said. ”That makes it difficult because we couldn’t gang up on anything.
“Their coaches were right in tune. Whatever we’d give, they’d take. They’re well prepared, as you’d expect from a class outfit like this. It was their balanced attack that kept us off guard.”
Massillon opened the scoring by moving the ball 42 yards in nine plays after Fitch went three-and –out on its first possession.
Turner, who finished with 123 yards on 10 carries, had the big play with a 14‑yard burst off right guard that took the ball to the 11. Two plays later, Whitfield rolled left and found tight end Chris Martin for a nine yard TD at the 6:00 mark of the first period.
Fitch counterpunched with a textbook, 14-play, 77-yard drive, that ate up nearly seven minutes. Chris Hunter scored standing up from a yard away with just over a minute gone in the second period. Calcagni’s kick made it a 7-7 contest.
After an exchange of punts, Massillon moved from its 39 to the Fitch 22 where it faced second‑and‑seven. Whitfield dropped back to pass and I threw what appeared to be a sure interception to Lawrence. But the pass went through the Falcon DB’s hands and was caught by Devin Williams at the three yard line.
On the next snap, Turner went in over right guard and tackle. Hose’s conversion boot made it 14-7 with 3:00 to go in the half.
“I think that was the real heartbreaker,” lamented Kenney. “If we go in at 7-7, we’d certainly have had a lot more confidence for the second half.”
Actually, Fitch dodged another bullet a couple of minutes later when Turner pulled up lame on what looked to be a sure TD jaunt.
”Oh, yeah, he’s gone for a touchdown,” Rose said. ”We have it walled off and Vinny’s going down the sidelines for an 80‑yard run.
“But Raphel is going to do a good job for us. He is a strong back with great speed. he will break a tackle, get into the secondary and he will be gone.”
But Rose wasn’t all smiles afterward. In addition to the injuries to Turner and Mohler, he was upset with his team’s inability to keep the yellow flags in the officials’ pockets.
“We had six penalties tonight for 73 yards and they played error free ball evidently,” Rose said. “ We’re got to learn to not make those mistakes. We were in a mode where we could’ve got another touchdown drive going.
MASSILLON 21 FITCH 14 M F First downs rushing 10 8 First downs passing 5 4 First downs penalty 0 3 Total first downs 15 15 Net yards rushing 245 109 Net yards passing 59 108 Total yards gained 304 217 Passes attempted 15 14 Passes completed 7 5 Passes int. 1 1 Times kicked off 4 3 Kickoff average 52.0 52.7 Kickoff return yards 68 76 Punts 3 2 Punting average 37.7 25.5 Punt return yards 0 0 Fumbles 0 1 Fumbles lost 0 1 Penalties 6 0 Yards penalized 73 0 Number of plays 53 51 Time of possession 26:01 21:59 Attendance 10,922
FITCH 0 7 0 7 14 MASSILLON 7 7 7 0 21
SCORING SUMMARY
First Quarter M ‑ Martin 9 pass from Whitfield (Hose kick)
Second Quarter F ‑ Hunter 1 run (Calcagni kick) M ‑ Turner 3 run (Hose kick)
Third Quarter M ‑ Whitfield 1 run (Hose kick)
Fourth Quarter F ‑ Mitcliell 53 pass from Lawrence (Calcagni kick)
Fumbles, penalties key in Tigers’ loss to Mansfield
By TODD PORTER Assistant Sports Editor
In the first three weeks, the Massillon Tigers won games by keeping their fans on the edge of their seats.
Friday night at Arlin Field, the Mansfield Tygers kicked Massillon off the throne and slapped the Tigers with a shot of Skin Bracer across the cheek.
Mansfield, a team averaging more than 100 yards a game in penalties, Was flagged just three times and didn’t turn the ball over to hand Massillon its first loss of the season, 21‑20, in front of about 9,100 fans.
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“If this isn’t a wakeup call,” Massillon head coach Jack Rose said, ”I don’t know what it’s going to take. We told these guys before the game if we played like we have been and let a team like that stay around, they’re going to gain confidence.
“For us, we’ve got to lick our wounds and we don’t have much time to do that. From me on down, everybody in this program is going to be held accountable for this.
“We’re going to find people who want to be in there. We didn’t coach them hard enough and they didn’t play hard enough. But we’ll bounce back.”
The win set off a wild celebration on the grass at Arlin. The last time the Tygers beat Massillon was in 1956, 14‑6. The Mansfield newspaper put the story on its front page.
“This is the biggest win in 40 years around here,” Mansfield fullback‑linebacker Marshall Levins said. “This is my senior year and I’ve played Massillon four times now. A win over them is the ultimate way to go out.
The two teams traded scores in the first half and went into intermission tied at 14.
Even after making its first blunder on a turnover in the third quarter, Massillon had a chance to win the game late in the fourth quarter.
With 7:49 left in the game, the Tigers started what would be their final legitimate chance to score. Beginning from the Massillon 40‑yard line, Whitfield and Turner drove the Tigers to the Mansfield 9 with under 5 minutes to play.
On third‑and‑one, Turner powered his way for three yards to set the Tigers up with first‑and-goal.
On the next play, Whitfield took the snap and fullback Nate Wonsick collided with him. The ball popped loose and Mansfield recovered.
“I don’t think George had a good handle on the ball when he took it out from under center,” said Rose, who added, “I’m real disappointed with our turnovers and penalties.
“Heck, Mansfield came into the game averaging 100 yards in penalties and turning the ball over a lot, and we’re the ones who had trouble with that.”
On Massillon’s second play from scrimmage in the second half, the Tigers fumbled the ball and Mansfield’s Lacario Tufts covered the ball at the Massillon 42.
However, the Massillon defense forced Mansfield to punt after three plays. On the second play of the second drive, Whitfield found Vaughn Mohler breaking open at midfield. Whitfield laced the needle and hit Mohler in stride for an 80 yard touchdown pass.
As Mohler raced into the end zone, he raised his hands in the air. An official threw a questionable flag, and conveniently called Mohler, who did not point at a Mansfield defender, for taunting.
The score counted, but the Tigers had to attempt the conversion from the 18‑yard line. A pass play failed.
Rose didn’t really want to comment on the play but offered, “That really takes the play out of your hands.”
The score gave Massillon a short‑lived 20‑14 lead.
On the Tygers’ ensuing drive, quarterback Jeff Soliday hit Levins on a screen pass. The 6foot‑3, 230‑pounder rumbled 50 yards down the left sideline for the TD. Nick Shasky’s kick gave the Tygers a 21‑20 lead.
Then Massillon turned into Mansfield of the first three weeks.
On a third‑and‑two play from the Massillon 23, Whitfield ran around the left side on a keeper. He ran over a Mansfield defender for the first down, but an illegal procedure penalty nullified the play and the Tigers ‑ eventually punted.
Late in the third quarter Massillon shot itself in the foot again.
The drive started at Massillon’s 17. The Tigers went to a tight end screen, and Whitfield hit Chris Martin for a 15‑yard gain. Two plays later, Whitfield connected with Devin Williams on a fade route. The ball was placed so only Williams could catch it as Mansfield’s Michael Jackson provided step‑for‑step coverage.
Four plays later, Turner broke loose and got inside the Mansfield 5 yard line. Once again, though, the play was brought back because of an illegal procedure call. Instead of having the ball at the 3, Massillon had it at the 18.
On fourth down, Levins blitzed Whitfield but couldn’t bring him down. Whitfield’s valiant pass, however, fell incomplete in the back of the end zone.
“I’m not upset with the way George played tonight,” said Rose, who noted the senior completed 10 of 18 passes for 204 yards.
Mansfield made it clear from the get-go it was a better than its 1-2 record indicated.
The Tygers took the opening drive 75 yards and scored with 6:31 left in the first quarter when Soliday, hit as he released the ball by Eric Lightfoot, found Levins for an 8‑yard score.
Realizing it was in a game, Massillon took its first possession 61 yards and scored in seven plays. Turner carried the ball on five of those plays and accounted, for 52 yards, including a 7‑yard touchdown run, which came after he ran over a Mansfield defender at the 1-yard line.
Massillon ate up 5:02 on its final score of the first half, and again Turner did most of the work. Of the Tigers’ 11 plays, Turner carried eight times ‑ including the final six plays.
Turner, who gained 102 of his 164 yards in the first half, capped the drive when he waltzed into the end zone untouched from 7 yards out. Josh Hose’s point‑after kick tied the game at 14 with 4:55 to play in the first half.
If there’s a bright spot in the dark cloud over the Tigers, it was Whitfield’s effort. Rose wanted a more balanced attack, and Whitfield came through with 204 yards passing.
Massillon outgained Mansfield 368‑249. However, the Tigers have given away the ball eight times and taken it away just three times this season.
“We’re going to find out what kind of team we are,” Rose said. “We’ll find out what we’re made of this week.”
MANSFIELD 21 MASSILLON 20 M Man First downs rushing 8 8 First downs passing 7 4 First downs penalty 0 1 Total first downs 15 13 Net yards rushing 164 152 Net yards passing 204 97 Total yards gained 368 249 Passes attempted 18 14 Passes completed 10 7 Passes int 0 0 Fumbles 3 2 Fumbles lost 2 0 Penalties 5 3 Yards penalized 45 15
MANSFIELD 7 7 7 0 21 MASSILLON 7 7 6 0 20
SCORING SUMMARY First Quarter Man – Levins 6 pass from Soliday (Shasky kick) M ‑ Turner 7 run (Hose kick)
Second Quarter Man ‑ Soliday 1 run (Shasky kick) M ‑ Turner 2 run (Hose kick)
Third Quarter M ‑ Mohler 80 pass from Whitfield (pass failed) Man ‑ Levins 49 pass from Soliday (Shasky kick)
It sure seemed like the Massillon Tigers were on a roll when they carried a 21‑6 lead over the Akron Garfield Rams into the halftime locker room, Friday at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.
But the Tigers stumbled and bumbled their way through the second half, before regrouping to hold off the Rams 21‑14 in front of 10,872 fans. The victory boosts Massillon to 3‑0, while their counterparts from the Rubber City fell to an uncharacteristic 0‑3.
In a subdued Tiger locker room after the game, head coach Jack Rose admitted the signs were there the orange-and‑black might be in for a struggle.
“We didn’t practice very well all week,” Rose reported. “We just weren’t real crisp like we were the week before.
“We focused on Moeller real well. I didn’t see that same look this week. Anytime you have a ‘big win like (Moeller), that’s going to be the drawback. Plus the short week,. But (Garfield) is going to win some games. They’re a pretty good team.”
Garfield fumbled the game’s opening kickoff and it seemed the Tigers were in business at the visitors’ 35 yard line. But Massillon was unable to move the football and turned it over on downs at the 26.
Bill McGee’s Rams mounted one of their patented, clock eating, run‑dominated drives. They converted four third downs, the biggest coming at the Massillon 15 when a face mask penalty moved the ball to the 2‑yard line. Junior fullback Anthony Blackwell hit the middle of the line on first‑and‑goal and burst into the end zone to give the Akron crew a 6‑0 lead at the 1:41 mark of the first quarter.
The 15‑play, 74‑yard march consumed 8:04 and it seemed the Tigers’ worst fears were being realized.
After the ensuing kickoff, Massillon took over at its 33. Quarterback George Whitfield Jr. picked up the host’s first first down of the evening on a two‑yard quarterback sneak on the first play of the second period.
After Vinny Turner picked up 12 yards up the middle, Whitfield bootlegged left and found a wide open Vaughn Mohler along the left sideline at the 10‑yard line. Mohler hauled in the football and coasted into the end zone. Josh Hose’s PAT made it 7‑6 Massillon at the 10:20 mark of the second quarter.
Garfield cranked up its full house T‑formation offense once again, moving from the Ram 31 to the Tigers’ 30. But the Massillon defense pushed Garfield back nine yards on three plays, forcing the punt which traveled out of bounds at the Tiger 17.
On first‑and‑10, Whitfield handed the ball to Turner, who found a seam off right tackle and was off to the races. He didn’t stop until 83 yards later, leaving several Garfield defenders in his jet stream. Hose was true on the conversion kick and Massillon suddenly had an 8 point lead at 14‑6 with 5:42 left in the half.
Garfield got poor field position after Matt Stanley boomed the kickoff. The Rams, starting at their 19, went three‑and‑out and set up to punt at their 25. But Massillon’s Bill Condon broke through and spiked the kick. It rolled toward the Garfield goalline and after a mad scramble the Tigers’ Lance Grimsley fell on the football in the end zone for a touchdown.
Hose made it three‑for‑three and Massillon seemed to have it all their way at 21‑6 with 2:40 until the band show.
“It’s a crime to lose it on the kicking game,” lamented McGee. “But that’s what happened. We allowed them to block a punt. Those are always bad things. I don’t ever remember winning a football game in which we had a punt b1ocked. We haven’t had many blocked over the years. Maybe two or three. It’s something that’s not a good sign. It’s a momentum thing. We score first and we come in at halftime down 21‑6.”
Massillon fumbled away the second half kickoff and that was pretty much the way the third and fourth quarters would go for the Tigers.
Massillon held after the fumble, forcing Garfield to turn it over on downs at the 21. But the Tigers, after a couple of first downs, failed on a fourth‑and-one at the Ram 39.
Garfield quarterback Phil Mitchell hit tight end Erick Hawkins for 33 yards on the second snap of the next series and the Rams were in business at the Tiger 25. Another facemask penalty against the locals helped move the ball to the 8-yard line. Three snaps later, Blackwell found the end zone from two‑yards out. The junior also hit paydirt for the two‑point conversion and it was a 21‑14 game with just over one period left to play.
After a Massillon punt, Garfield got one final chance, taking over at its 22 at the 1:55 mark. The Rams hit on four passes, but Lavell Weaver’s sack of Mitchell eftded the game.
M G First downs rushing 7 12 First downs passing 4 3 First downs penalty 1 0 Total first downs 12 15 Net yards rushing 190 169 Net yards passing 98 79 Total yards gained 286 248 Passes attempted 12 10 Passes completed 6 6 Passes int. 0 0 Times kicked off 4 3 Kickoff average 41.0 47.0 Kickoff return yards 69 29 Punts 2 4 Punting average 36.0 19.8 Punt return yards 12 8 Fumbles 2 1 Fumbles lost 2 1 Penalties 7 6 Yards penalized 41 47 Number of plays 39 59 Time of possession 16:24 31:36 Attendance 10,872
GARFIELD 6 0 8 0 14 MASSILLON 0 21 0 0 21
SCORING SUMMARY
First Quarter G ‑ Blackwell 2 run (run failed)
Second Quarter M ‑ Mohler 44 pass from Whitfield (Hose kick) M ‑ Turner 83 run (Hose kick) M ‑ Grimsley recovered blocked punt in end zone (Hose kick)
Jack Rose has removed other monkey from the back of the Massillon Tigers.
A year ago, the Tigers traveled to Austintown and defeated the Fitch Falcons at Fitch for the first time in Massillon football history.
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Then, in November, Rose had the weight of the world lifted from his shoulders by notching its first win over storied rival Canton McKinley.
On Saturday, the Tigers did what no Massillon team had ever done before by dealing Cincinnati Moeller a 21‑18 defeat in front of 15,394 frenzied fans at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.
But an exhausted Rose didn’t want to talk about jinxes or hexes after the Moeller victory.
“All we’re going to do now is worry about Garfield,” Rose said of this Friday’s opponent. “They’re an awfully good football team, so we’ve got to get our feet back on the ground and get ready for them.”
Tiger tailback Vinny Turner who rushed for 196 yards and all three Massillon touchdowns in just 25 carries, shared some of his coach’s sentiments.
“This is a big monkey off our backs,” Turner said. “This win helps us out a lot. It shows us where we’re at.
“Now we’ve got to get ready for Garfield. We’ve got to get our minds on Garfield.”
Turner was absolutely magnificent against Moeller. He accounted for more than 75 percent of the Tigers’ total offensive yardage.
Moeller let field position slip away early when a punt returner failed to field a kick midway through the first quarter. It rolled dead at the Crusaders’ 15. Three plays later the visitors punted and the Tigers were in business at the Moeller 42‑yard line.
On third and six from the 38, Turner took the ball on a draw play, broke a tackle on the left side of his line and went the distance. Josh Hose’s PAT made it 7‑0 Massillon with 2:42 left in the first quarter.
Moeller’s special teams betrayed the Crusaders again as the Tigers’ Nate Wonsick fell on a fumbled punt at the visitors’ 29‑yard line with 6:43 1eft in the first half.
Turner was open deep down the left sideline on first down, but the pass was overthrown. The senior came right back on second down, breaking four tackles on a draw play for a 14yard pickup to the Moeller 15.
Five plays later, Turner followed Tim Mendenhall, Ben Mast and Randy Weiford over the right side and into the end zone from a yard out. Hose’s conversion made it 14‑0 with 3:43 left in the half.
“Special team mistakes hurt us and then we couldn’t stop them when we had to stop them,” lamented head coach Steve Klonne.
“We got quick scores both times they made mistakes on special teams,” Rose agreed. “Good teams get a turnover and convert it into points. We did that well tonight.”
A disputed field goal ‑ after it appeared time had run out in the first half ‑ made it a 14‑3 game. Moeller came out of the locker room after halftime, stopped the Tigers’ initial second‑half drive, and then marched 80 yards in 11 plays. Quarterback Pat McLaughlin ran the option keeper around left end for the touchdown with 3:32 remaining in the third quarter. He hit Ted Fitz for the two‑point conversion and suddenly Mo was back in it at 14‑11.
That’s when Turner and the Tigers turned it up a notch.
Taking over at the Massillon 34 after the kickoff, Turner bulled for 10 yards off right guard and tackle on first down. On the next snap he burst off left guard, shedding several tacklers at the line, and sprinted 40 yards to the Moeller 16.
One play later, Turner got the ball on a delayed handoff, found a seam in the middle of the line, then broke tackles at the 5‑ and 3‑yard lines before crossing the goal line. Hose’s boot made it 21‑11 Massillon with 1:33 left in the third period.
But Turner was nearly the goat, fumbling the ball away at the Moeller 44 after a nifty 19-yard run midway through the fourth quarter.
Six plays later, the Crusaders scored on Jim Higgins dive from three yards out. The kick by Jim Siciliano made it 21‑18, with 3: 00 to play.
It appeared Moeller would get another shot at it when the Tigers failed to complete a third‑and‑six pass play at their own 28. But a roughing the passer penalty on the Crusaders – a call Klonne did not dispute – gave Massillon’s offense new life and the hosts ran out the clock.
“I felt it would have been a great injustice if they would’ve won the game on that fumble,” Rose said. “When he fumbled it there at the end, Vinny felt terrible.
“But he is only going to get better. He is a tailback who can break tackles and we haven’t had one of those around here in a while.
“My heart just about stopped when I lost that fumble,” Turner said. “I’m glad the defense did what it did when it had to.”
Although Moeller had more total yards than the Tigers (281-268), Klonne had praise for the Massillon defense.
“I thought they played very well, very sound,” he said. “They didn’t beat themselves by giving up the big play. They made us earn everything and they stopped our rushing game pretty good tonight.”
Massillon averaged 6.7 yards per running play to Moeller’s 4.2.
Our defensive front seven played a lot tougher and stronger this week,” Rose said. “We start eight underclassmen on defense and I thought they did a pretty good job against a really sophisticated offense.
“I’d like to see our underneath coverage get better. On the plus side, I was happy to see our defensive line flash their hands and bat down some passes out there.”
MASSILLON 21 MOELLER 18 M C First downs rushing 12 8 First downs passing 2 9 First downs penalty 1 0 Total first downs 15 17 Net yards rushing 222 146 Net yards passing 46 135 Total yards gained 268 281 Passes attempted 9 18 Passes completed 4 14 Passes int. 0 0 Times kicked off 4 3 Kickoff average 36.0 46.3 Kickoff return yards 38 28 Punts 3 4 Punting average 40.3 34.2 Punt return yards 5 0 Fumbles 2 1 Fumbles lost 1 1 Penalties 1 4 Yards penalized 1 31 Number of plays 42 54 Time of possession 20:08 27:57 Attendance 15,394
Walking off the turf at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium Friday night, Youngstown Rayen coach Pete Lymber found a good luck charm.
It probably fell out of Jack Rose’s pocket. The Massillon head coach had luck on his side … more than ever.
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Lymber, following his team’s last‑minute 26‑21 loss to the Tigers, picked up a dime. His team, tears streaming down their faces, walked past him.
“Hey, it’s my lucky dime,” Lymber said as he smiled at his shiney 10‑cent treasure. “I could have used this before the game.”
Friday night, though, luck wasn’t on Rayen’s side. Luck sided with Massillon and the 10,307 fans who attended what was supposed to be an easy win, for the locals.
Instead, the Tigers escaped what might have been the biggest upset in the state.
“We feel very, very fortunate to get out of here with a win,” Rose said. “We told the kids before we went out, ‘If you let a team like that stay in the game, they’re going to get more confidence as the game goes on.”
All the confidence in the world was taken out of Rayen’s sails by the time they boarded the bus to go back home. It took Massillon less than two minutes to deflate the high‑flying Division III team.
“I’ve been counting down the days until this game. The weight of the world is off my shoulders,” Lymber said “Back home, all the papers said we were going to get killed. They didn’t know why we were even playing the game. They found out tonight.”
With Massillon’s offense sputtering in the second quarter and most of the second half, Youngstown took a 21‑20 lead as the third quarter expired. Fullback David Morgan took a trap play 33 yards into the end zone and Dajaun Dukes’ point‑after gave Rayen the lead.
Stunned silence fell over the stadium.
Massillon tailback Vinny Turner, who gained 120 yards in the first half alone, was on the sideline with an ankle injury. Until the Tigers’ last drive, the offense didn’t register a first down and only ran 12 plays and punted four times in the second half.
“When Vinny’s not in there … I’m not going to lie, the offense is different,” said Massillon senior quarterback George Whitfield. “When he was out, it was like we were lethargic on offense.
“He came back in and the line seemed to block a little harder and as a group, we gained more confidence. Everyone in the backfield looks to Vinny and he came through tonight.”
Turner didn’t do everything by himself, though. Along with Whitfield, the two seniors making their first offensive starts pardoned everyone in the stadium. Until the last drive, Massillon was headed to the electric chair ‑ shocked by Rayen’s fourth‑quarter lead.
With three minutes left in the game, the Tigers began their final drive at their own 36‑yard line. And it started the same way much of the second half went.
Whitfield rolled left to pass and was quickly sacked for a 7-yard loss.
On second down, Whitfield saw a wide open Brett Wiles breaking across the middle of the field. The gap closed quickly and Rayen’s Demetrius Jones nearly ended Massillon’s hopes. However, he dropped the sure interception.
“I wanted a second chance to prove myself and prove we could win this game,” Whitfield said. “We started to believe in ourselves again.”
Turner gimped off the sidelines and into Massillon’s huddle. Rose found his good luck charm.
Whitfield hit Vaughan Mohler for a 19‑yard pass to midfield. The next play, he rifled the ball to Henry McElroy. McElroy gained 14 yards on the short hitch route.
Then he hit a wide open Mohler at the Rayen 20. Mohler caught the ball near the left sideline and cut back to the middle to Youngstown’s 5‑yard line.
“I was very disappointed in the fact that we didn’t show any emotion on offense,” Rose said. “I was pleased, though, with the poise George showed on the last drive.
“We have a kid making his first start at quarterback and we even had a sack to start the drive. He hung in there and everything came together.”
Fittingly, Rose called Turner’s number for the first time in the final drive. The 5‑foot‑10, 210‑pounder ran over Rayen’s smallish defensive line and into the end zone.
“I don’t know what happened to the offense tonight,” Turner said. “We’re capable of playing with me, or without me. I know I wanted the ball and I know we all wanted to win.”
Massillon flexed its muscles on the opening kickoff and jumped out to a quick 14‑0 lead, which was probably its first mistake.
We tookour first drive of the year right down and scored,” Rose said. “Before you know it, it’s 14‑0 and our defense hasn’t been on the field yet.
“Hell, our kids were looking at that and probably thinking ‘This is going to be too easy.”‘
Turner carried the ball on all but two of the Tigers’ 8‑play scoring drive to start the game. Out of Massillon’s full house goal‑line offense, Turner followed backs Nate Wonsick and Lavell Weaver into the end zone with 7:34 left in the first quarter.
Before fans could settle into their seats and finish a gulp of popcorn, Rayen turned the ball over on the ensuing kickoff. Junior Tony Danzy knocked the ball loose from Youngstown’s Squire Cross and Bill Condon recovered for Massillon at the Raven 24.
After an illegal procedure penalty on the Tigers, Whitfield attempted his first pass and completed it to Doug Steiner for a 12‑yard gain. Four plays later Turner tip‑toed into the end zone behind a key block by center Ed Evans. Josh Hose’s second point after made it 14‑0 with 4:39 left in the first quarter.
Rayen made the game more than interesting, though ‘
Youngstown’s Robert Johnson took Hose’s kick at the Rayen 4‑yard line. He proceeded to keep running – 96 yards ‑ to the end zone for Rayen’s first score. Dajuan Dukes’ left‑footed PAT made it 14‑7.
And then Rayen made it even more interesting.
Massillon’s third possession started and ended quickly. Whitfield’s second pass was a bullet intended for Steiner near the left sideline. However, outside linebacker R’Lay Wilkerson batted the ball with his left hand and managed to hang onto it for an interception.
Rayen got away from giving the ball to Johnson, clearly the fastest player on the field. Instead, Youngstown attempted two wobbly passes and punted.
The Tigers’ offense decided to take the rest of the first quarter and half of the second quarter off. Turner went down with an ankle injury, but returned just before the end of the half.
Four plays after the mighty tailback went out, Whitfield hit Steiner with a strike near the left sideline again. However, the ball went through Steiner’s hands and to Rayen defensive back Demetrius Jones.
The Massillon defense hung tough. Rayen faced a third‑and-four from the Tigers’ 31 yard line. Wilkerson, who doubles as Rayen quarterback, reversed his roll out and found Massillon outside linebacker Lavell Weaver in his face for a 15‑yard loss.
Turner returned to the offense with 5:05 left in the first half and coerced Massillon’s offense back to work.
Turner carried five times for 38 yards to get Massillon inside the Rayen 10. Elijah Blake watered Massillon’s thirsty offense when he weaved his way to the end zone to give the Tigers a 20‑14 lead before halftime. Hose’s PAT was blocked.
Rayen was more than content with the score and ran the final two minutes off the clock.
“I’m disappointed that we weren’t emotionally into the game,” Rose said. “That cost us tonight. There are a few things we can take away from here and build on.
“We found out we’re not a very good team right now. That last drive is something that we can build on. We have a week to get ready and correct some mistakes to play Moeller. We better be ready to play that game.”
That’s right, Lymber pocketed the dime and took it back to Youngstown.
MASSILLON 26 RAYEN 21 M R First downs rushing 12 13 First downs passing 4 0 First downs penalty 0 0 Total first downs 16 13 Net yards rushing 190 164 Net yards passing 91 15 Total yards gained 281 179 Passes attempted 12 12 Passes completed 5 3 Passes int. 2 0 Times kicked off 5 4 Kickoff average 37.2 43.8 Kickoff return yards 64 105 Punts 4 4 Punting average 33.8 25.3 Punt return yards 0 20 Fumbles 1 1 Fumbles lost 1 1 Penalties 5 8 Yards penalized 39 36 Number of plays 50 53 Time of possession 24:41 23:19 Attendance 10,307
RAYEN 7 7 7 0 21 MASSILLON 14 6 0 6 26
SCORING SUMMARY
First Quarter M ‑ Turner 7 run (Williams kick) M ‑ Turner 2 run (Williams kick) R ‑ Johnson 96 kickoff return (Dukes kick)
Second Quarter R ‑ Morgan 1 run (Dukes kick) M ‑ Blake 7 run (kick failed)
Third Quarter R ‑ Morgan 33 run (Dukes kick)
Fourth Quarter M ‑ Turner 5 run (run failed)
FINAL STATISTICS
Rushing: Massillon Turner 24‑145, 3 TDs; Blake 7‑40, 1 TD; McGuire 1‑6 Wonsick 3‑7; Rayen Morgan 14‑94, 2 TDs; Johnson 17‑61; Abrams 4‑17; Jones 2‑15.
Mistakes doom Tigers’ title run Massillon ends with 10-2 slate
By JOE SHAHEEN Independent Sports Editor
The one constant in the Massillon Tigers’ late‑season three game run of excellence was missing in their 27‑20 Division I regional championship loss to the McKinley Bulldogs before a throng of 34,208 at the Akron Rubber Bowl, Saturday night.
The Tigers simply did not play mistake‑free football against their arch‑rivals the way they did in averaging 36 points in defeating St. Vincent-St. Mary’s in Week 9, McKinley in Week 10 and Fremont Ross in the playoff opener.
Game action vs. Canton McKinley – Playoffs
Massillon’s mistakes weren’t all of the glaring variety, but the Pups ‑ who meet St. Ignatius this Saturday at the Rubber Bowl in the Division I state semifinals ‑ seemed to always capitalize. Among the more costly errors:
The Tigers fumbled away the football at midfield on their first possession and the Bulldogs drove 52 yards for the game’s first touchdown.
The Bulldogs’ second score came on Adrian Brown’s 71-yard burst and included several broken or missed tackles within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage.
McKinley’s third tally appeared to be on a blown coverage assignment in the secondary which resulted in a 47‑yard Josh McDaniels‑to-Mark Thewes TD strike.
Massillon’s second‑to‑last drive included a key illegal proceedure penalty. It ended in a punt with 7:47 to play.
The Tigers’ final ill‑fated series reached the McKinley side of the field when an illegal shift penalty, a delay of game penalty and a dropped pass doomed their comeback.
“You can’t have those kind of things, missed tackles and penalties, against a quality opponent like McKinley,” Tiger mentor Jack Ross said afterward.
“But I wish McKinley all the best. They are a very good football team and they played a great game out there tonight. They will represent the region well.”
Massillon certainly did not self destruct in the 12th week of the season. The Tigers had the Pups holding their collective breaths until the final seconds, ticked off the scoreboard.
The Bulldogs scored first 26‑yard wingback reverse, executed to perfection by Jaiyvonne Richards.
Massillon took the ensuing kickoff and drove 73 yards in just seven plays to knot the score at 7‑7. Willie Spencer Jr. was at his best on the drive, running the option with a magician’s sleight of hand, all the while frustrating the McKinley defense.
On the first snap of their next possession, the Bulldogs regained the lead. Brown got the ball on a draw play and dashed to paydirt, leaving several Tigers in his wake. The conversion kick was wide and the Pups led 13‑7.
It was the type of play, coming right after Massillon scored to even the game, that could’ve broken a lesser team’s spirit. But the Tigers came resolutely back, marching 80 yards in 17 plays. Spencer covered the final seven on an option keeper around his left end. Pribich’s boot gave the locals the lead 14-13 with 6:44 until halftime.
The Bulldogs took the second half kickoff and made a statement, driving 65 yards in nine plays. Kinta Mitchell’s 32‑yard gallop eventually led to his one-yard scoring burst at 7:10 of the third stanza. McKinley failed on a two‑point pass play and it was a 19‑14 game.
Spencer got the TD hat trick as the Tigers regained the lead with an 11‑play, 62‑yard drive. The senior signal caller completed clutch passes to Devon Williams (18 yards), Ryan Shanor (10 yards), and Leon Ashcraft (5 yards), before sweeping in from the 3‑yard line for his third tally of the evening.
After a pass fell incomplete on the try for a two‑point conversion, the Tigers owned a 20‑19 lead at 1:32 of the third period.
But the Bulldogs would land the final punch on this night. It was a roundhouse right in the form of the 47‑yard McDaniels to Thewes pass play. Julius Lancaster took a pitch from McDaniels, then hit the senior QB on a throwback for the two point conversion that made it McKinley 27‑20 with 11:11 to play.
Massillon drove to the McKinley 49, where an illegal procedure penalty changed a second-and‑five play call into second-and‑ten. Ace Gillens sacked Spencer two plays later to force a punt.
Spencer was injured on McKinley’s ensuing series when he brought down Brown on a pitch out around left end. The Bulldogs were forced to punt one play later and the Tigers last chance began at their 9‑yard line.
Ashcraft asserted his championship mettle by getting Massillon out of the hole on a 34‑yard first down burst behind Aric Simpson and Tim Mendenhall. The 5‑foot, 7‑inch, senior tailback finished the night with 131 yards on 21 carries.
With senior Mark Hiegl now at the controls, Jeremy Fraelich gained 11 yards up the middle to the McKinley 46. An illegal shift penalty followed, then a delay of game one play later set up second‑and‑20 at the Massillon 44. Hiegl rolled right and hit a receiver at the McKinley 33, but the ball fell incomplete. Two plays later the Bulldog pass rush forced an incompletion and Massillon’s unlikely run had ended.
“That’s the problem in the playoffs,” Rose concluded, unless you go all the way, you end on a sour note.
“Unfortunately, it had to happen against (McKinley). That certainly doesn’t make it any easier.”
MCKINLEY 27 MASSILLON 20 M MCK First downs rushing 12 9 First downs passing 6 5 First downs penalty 0 0 Total first downs 18 14 Net yards rushing 253 226 Net yards passing 92 120 Total yards gained 345 346 Passes attempted 13 12 Passes completed 7 9 Passes int. 0 0 Kickoff return yards 89 41 Punts 2 2 Punting average 36.5 44.0 Punt return yards 0 0 Fumbles 1 0 Fumbles lost 1 0 Penalties 6 4 Yards penalized 41 35 Number of plays 55 38 Time of possession 27.52 20.08 Attendance 34,208
MASSILLON 7 7 6 0 20 MCKINLEY 13 0 6 8 27
SCORING SUMMARY
MCK ‑ Richards 26 run (McDaniels kick) M ‑ Spencer 21 run (Pribich kick) MCK ‑ Brown 70 run (kick failed) M ‑ Spencer 6 run (Pribich kick) MCK ‑ Mitchell 1 run (pass failed) M ‑ Spencer 4 run (pass failed) MCK ‑ Thewes 46 pass from McDaniels (McDaniels pass from Lancaster)
Here we go again Tigers face Pups after edging Ross
By JOE SHAHEEN Independent Sports Editor
The Massillon Tigers didn’t exactly stop Fremont Ross star tailback Charles Woodson at Byers Field in Parma, Saturday.
In the end, however, it was the defense’s motto of “Make ‘em take another snap” that best explains how the Tigers survived Woodson’s onslaught and secured a 35‑28 first round Division I playoff victory.
The win enables Massillon to play on, with a date Saturday against the McKinley Bulldogs in the Region 2 final at the Akron Rubber Bowl. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Woodson, 6‑foot, 1‑inch, and 190 pounds of dynamite, exploded for 231 yards rushing and four touchdowns. It looked as if he’d make it five TD’s after the Tigers took a seven‑point lead with just 3:02 to play in the game.
Ross drove from its 17 to the Massillon 2, but was out of timeouts with less than :10 to play. Little Giants quarterback Shane Moran rolled right and threw into a crowd, where Tigers outside linebacker Matt Robinson tipped and then intercepted the football to wrap up the victory.
“When they got down there close,” Robinson said afterward, “I kept thinking to myself, ‘Make ’em take another snap. Something good will happen if we just make ’em take another snap.’”
That something good turned out to be Robinson’s game saving pick.
A couple of stout defensive plays by fellow senior Steve Griffith helped set up Robinson’s drive killer. On the third snap of the Little Giants’ final possession of the 1994 season. Woodson set sail for the end zone through a seam in the defense. He would’ve made it if not for Griffith, who ran down the speedster at the Ross 23.
Three plays later, Griffith knifed through to nail Woodson for a three‑yard loss on a thirdand‑3 play.
Ross still got down to the shadow of the Tigers goal posts, but never did get that game‑tying touchdown.
The Tigers game‑winning drive was clutch football at its best. It began at the Massillon 21 with 10:53 to play after Ross had tied the game for the third time at 28‑28 on Woodson’s 13yard TD burst off the right side is line.
Massillon started in a hole when false start penalty set up a second‑and‑14 at the 17. But Willie Spencer found Devon Williams on a curl pattern to the 30 and Leon Ashcraft converted the first down on a run over left guard.
Spencer and Williams hooked up again on a rollout left and the sophomore reached the Ross 22 before he was dragged down.
The Tigers went into their ball control mode, eating up the clock by giving the ball to Ashcraft on four consecutive plays. Then, on third‑and‑six from the Ross 7, Spencer rolled right … and rolled… and rolled, waiting for a receiver to break open. Finally, junior Vaughn Mohler did just that and Spencer threw a strike for the touchdown.
Nick Pribich nailed the extra point to cap the 13‑play, 78‑yard season‑extending drive.
“That play was supposed to go to Leon, but he was covered,” Spencer explained. “So I looked for my secondary receiver and he was covered. I thought I was going to have to run out of bounds, but then I saw Vaughn and I threw it and he caught it.”
Massillon broke on top after Mark Lightfoot recovered a Ross fumble at the Little Giants 30 on the third snap of the game.
After an option pitch to Mohler moved the ball 26 yards to the Ross 3, Spencer got in on a quarterback sneak. Pribich’s kick made it 7‑0 at the 8:35 mark of the first quarter.
Ross, capitalizing on a muffed pooch kick, moved 46 yards in nine plays. Woodson went in over right tackle with 4:40 to go in the first to make it 7‑6 as the PAT was wide left.
Massillon took but six plays to move 86 yards on its next possession. Spencer, employing a textbook play fake, found Williams wide open for 51‑yard touchdown bomb. Pribich’s boot made it 14‑6 with 1:44 left in the opening stanza.
Ross matched the Tigers six-play, 86‑yard scoring drive with one of its own. Woodson covered the final 44 yards when his offensive line opened a hole on the left side and he raced through to the end zone with 7:06 until halftime.
The Tigers countered with an eight‑play, 76‑yard scoring series. Ashcraft rushed for 47 of his team‑high 136 yards on the drive. Spencer cashed it in on a six‑yard bootleg around right end. He tiptoed into the end zone at the 3:46 mark of the second quarter to make it 21‑14 Tigers.
But Ross displayed its mettle by going 65 yards in eight snaps. Woodson carried on the final four plays of the scoring drive, finding the end zone on a pitch around right end from three yards out. The PAT made it 21-21 at halftime.
Massillon came out and jammed the second half kickoff right down the Little Giants’ throats. The Tigers’ 83‑yard drive took 17 plays and used all but three minutes of the third period. Ryan Shanor’s 12‑yard leaping catch for a first down keyed the march. Ashcraft capped it from a yard out to make it a 28‑21 contest.
Woodson carried the ball on all four plays of Ross’ final scoring drive, knotting the game at 28‑28 with 10:53 to play.
MASSILLON 35 FREMONT 28 M F First downs rushing 13 14 First downs passing 6 1 First downs penalty 2 2 Total first downs 21 17 Net yards rushing 236 272 Net yards passing 130 36 Total yards gained 366 308 Passes attempted 11 7 Passes completed 7 4 Passes int. 0 2 Times kicked off 6 5 Kickoff average 33.5 51.6 Kickoff return yards 51 19 Punts 1 2 Punting average 27.0 26.5 Punt return yards 0 ‑3 Fumbles 1 1 Fumbles lost 1 1 Penalties 7 4 Yards penalized 41 31 3rd‑down conver 7‑11 0‑5 Average 1st‑down yds. 7.5 8.0 Number of plays 59 43 Time of possession 30:23 17:37 Attendance 13,400
It was a fitting 100th game between the Massillon Tigers and McKinley Bulldogs at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium this afternoon.
The storied rivalry went into overtime before the Tigers nailed down a heart‑stopping 42‑41 victory.
Massillon finishes the regular season with a 9‑1 record, while McKinley falls to 8‑2.
Both teams will qualify for the Division I playoffs. Pairings will be announced Sunday and the two schools will probably not meet in the first round next weekend.
Today’s game was one in which neither team seemed capable of stopping the other’s offense. In fact, the 83 total points scored is an all‑time record in the series that began in 1894.
McKinley forced overtime when it scored on a seven‑yard Josh McDaniels to Shakeer Abdullah pass with less than two minutes to play. McDaniels’ extra‑point kick made it a 35‑35 contest.
Pre-game vs. Canton McKinley 100th game
After a low snap foiled McDaniels’ 50‑yard field goal attempt as time expired, the teams headed to overtime.
Massillon won the toss and deferred, giving the Bulldogs the first chance in overtime.
Adrian Brown secured a first down just inside the 10 on the first snap of OT. Four plays later, on fourth and goal from the one‑yard line, fullback Kinta Mitchell went in standing up to make it 41‑35. McDaniels quickly changed shoes for what was another in what had been a string of routine conversion kicks all afternoon. But he sliced the kick to the right, missing it.
Game action vs. Canton McKinley 100th Game
crowd, which numbered 19,125, seemed to sense this was the opening the Tigers needed.
On second down, quarterback Willie Spencer Jr. ran the option around his right end. He appeared to have made up his mind to keep the football and was being dragged down at the 15 when he pitched to split end Victor Redrick, who was trailing the play. Redrick took the ball in stride and sprinted down the sideline and into the end zone to knot the game at 41‑41.
Game action vs. Canton McKinley 100th Game
Game action vs. Canton McKinley 100th Game
Game action vs. Canton McKinley 100th Game
Game action vs. Canton McKinley 100th Game
Game action vs. Canton McKinley 100th Game
Game action vs. Canton McKinley 100th Game
Game action vs. Canton McKinley 100th Game
Game action vs. Canton McKinley 100th Game
Game action vs. Canton McKinley 100th Game
Game action vs. Canton McKinley 100th Game
Then, with all the pressure of the rivalry’s 99 previous games riding on his shoulders, Nick Pribich calmly split the uprights with his conversion kick and the Tigers went wild.
Game action vs. Canton McKinley 100th Game
On the sidelines, McKinley’s Josh McDaniels kneeled with his head bowed in defeat, being consoled by his father, Pups head coach Thom McDaniels.
Spencer and Tigers assistant coach Steve Studer sprinted to the East stands and began ringing a victory bell.
The contest was highlighted by both teams’ refusal to quit – like two great heavyweights, exchanging knockdown punches and getting up for more.
McKinley opened the scoring with 11:30 to play in the second quarter. Mitchell capped a six play, 80‑yard drive with a seven‑yard TD run up the middle to make it 7‑0 Pups.
Massillon counter‑punched with a 12‑play, 80‑yard march. Spencer kept the football on the option and cut off his right tackle for a three‑yard touchdown to tie the game at 7‑7 with 6:20 until halftime.
Game action vs. Canton McKinley 100th Game
The Tigers got a break when McKinley fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Steve Griffith recovered at the Bulldogs’ 25. It took seven plays, but Leon Ashcraft ran through a big hole over left guard and into the end zone to make it 14‑7 with 2:18 left in the first half.
The Bulldogs executed the two‑minute drill to perfection, moving 65 yards in 10 plays with Mitchell doing the honors from the one‑yard line with just 18 seconds remaining until the band show. McDaniels’ PAT made it 14‑14 at the half.
The quick‑strike Tiger offense untied the score less than 40 seconds into the third quarter. On the second snap of the half, Ashcraft took a handoff, pitched it back to Spencer, who lofted a bomb to Redrick, The senior sprinter ran under the pass at the 23, broke a diving tackle, then cruised in to the end zone to make it a 21‑14 Massillon advantage.
Once again the Bulldogs answered, moving 82 yards in just eight plays. Adrian Brown ran the ball on the final four snaps of the march, bucking into the end zone from the 2 to tie it 21‑21 with 8:08 left in the third.
But Massillon would not be discouraged.
The Tigers, with Spencer often changing plays at the line of scrimmage, moved 68 yards in seven plays to regain the lead. Spencer hit Vaughn Mohler, who scooped the ball off the turf in the end zone for a seven‑yard TD catch, making it 28‑21 Tigers.
McKinley then mounted the longest drive of the game, going 80 yards in 15 plays. Mitchell again found the end zone from a yard away and it was 28‑28 with 8:13 left in regulation.
Back came the Tigers with another 80‑yard drive.
Ashcraft, who rushed for 109 yards on the afternoon, scored on a draw play from 20 yards out with four minutes left to make it Massillon 35, McKinley 28.
By this time, everyone in Paul Brown Tiger Stadium realized they were witnessing a classic game. Nobody believed the Bulldogs were done, and they were not.
McDaniels marshalled another drive, this one covering 68 yards in seven plays. The senior signal‑caller hit Abdullah in the left side of the end zone after a brilliant play fake. The seven‑yard TD toss accounted for the end‑of-regulation score of 35‑35.
Then came overtime, a missed extra point and the Tigers pulse‑stopping victory.
MASSILLON 42 MCKINLEY 41 M McK First downs rushing 14 15 First downs passing 3 8 First downs penalty 1 2 Total first downs 18 25 Net yards rushing 245 233 Net yards passing 103 148 Total yards gained 348 381 Passes attempted 13 20 Passes completed 6 14 Passes int. 0 1 Times kicked Off 6 6 Kickoff average 42.3 55.1 Kickoff return yards 65 52 Punts 2 1 Punting average 26.5 35.0 Punt return yards -4 0 Fumbles 0 4 Fumbles lost 0 1 Penalties 4 5 Yards penalized 47 25 umber of plays 51 65 Time Of Possession 23:23 24:37 Attendance 19,125
In a football game like today’s contest between the Massillon Tigers and McKinley Bulldogs, selecting one big play is all but impossible.
But the most memorable for many was the Tigers’ flea flicker that went for a 62‑yard touchdown at the onset of the third quarter.
In addition to the significance on the scoreboard ‑ the bomb gave the Tigers a 21‑14 lead ‑ the play showed Jack Rose was going to attack the Bulldogs in the second half.
Rose sent a message to his players, to the fans and – most importantly – to the Bulldogs. He let them know Massillon was going to go out and get the victory the old-fashioned way – earn it.
With the game tied at 14, Massillon accepted the second half kickoff, and Nate Lewis returned the ball to the 29, for 19 yards.
On first down, Willie Spencer rolled left and hit Devon Williams for eight yards.
On second‑and‑two, Spencer handed the ball to Ashcraft on what appeared to be a simple dive play into the middle of the line. But Ashcraft took just one step, turned and pitched the ball back to Spencer. He looked long and there was Victor Redrick in full stride on a post pattern.
The pass was there, Redrick made the catch and 25 yards later, the Tigers had assumed a 21‑14 lead.
In doing so, they set the tone for the second half, one of the best shootouts in the history of high school football.
Bombs away! Tigers go to the air to eliminate Irish Big plays do in the Irish
By JOE SHAHEEN Independent Sports Editor
The last time the Irish of Akron St. Vincent‑St. Mary’s visited Massillon for a Week 9 football game, it was more trick than treat for the Tigers as the Summit County entry took home a 28‑25 upset victory back in 1991.
Program Cover
The Tigers took the field Friday night determined to learn from history. Despite the distraction of the historic 100th meeting with the McKinley Bulldogs looming just a week away, the orange‑and‑black tended to the task at hand and secured a 31‑15 victory at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.
Massillon, just a week removed from a lethargic first half performance at Alliance, came out with both guns blazing on this night. On their very first snap, the Tigers made a statement by going for a long bomb. Willie Spencer Jr.’s pass for Devon Williams barely missed connecting, but it drew an ovation from the partisans and put a smile on Spencer’s face.
Tigers coach Jack Rose noted the St. Vincent‑St. Mary’s defense almost dared the offense. to throw deep.
“We figured we were going to have to put it up because they put eight or nine guys up on the line,” Rose said. “We threw the deep ball early to try to get them off of us.”
“We were trying to open the game up because their corners were playing right up on the line,” explained Williams. “We showed them early we could beat them with our quickness.”
The first down misfire did not frustrate the Tigers. On second down, Leon Ashcraft picked up 14 yards on a draw play to the Tiger 27. Spencer ran the bootleg around left end for 17 more on the next play. Two plays later, Spencer found Vaughn Mohler along the right sidelines for 16 yards to the Irish 22 and the Tigers were cooking.
Spencer executed the option to perfection on the next play, pitching the ball to Ashcraft at the last moment as the pair went around left end. Ashcraft, who finished the night with 138 yards on 17 carries, sailed down the left sideline and into the St. Vincent‑St. Mary’s end zone. Nick Pribich added the conversion kick and Massillon led 7‑0 at 6:25 of the first period.
The opening drive was in stark contrast to the way things began for the locals a week ago at Alliance.
“We weren’t very good last week,” noted Rose. “We were flat. Every team hits that. That was our (flat) game last week. But that fiasco helped us focus this week‑”
The Tigers struck like lightning early in the second quarter after an Irish punt to the Massillon 45. On second‑and‑10, Spencer found Ashcraft running free along the left sideline and dropped a perfectly thrown pass in his lap. Ashcraft caught the ball near the Irish 30, cut back to the middle of the field at the 15 and was taken down on a shoestring tackle at the 2‑yard line.
On third‑and‑goal, from the one‑yard line, Spencer followed Eddie Evans and Tim Mendenhall into the end zone for a 13‑0 Tigers advantage.
St. Vincent‑St. Mary’s brought a little lightning of its own and pulled it out on its next possession. On first‑and‑10 from their own 33, quarterback Bob Butash executed the play fake and found Joe Gilbride open on a deep post pattern. Butash hit Gilbride at the Massillon 30 and he was off to the races for a 67‑yard touchdown strike to make it a 13‑7 contest at 8:19 of the second quarter.
The Tigers added a field goal late in the first half, marching from their 10 to the Irish 7. Ashcraft’s 23‑yard run on the first play of the drive and Spencer’s 29‑yard scamper on an option keeper one play later keyed the drive. Pribich drilled a 24‑yard field goal with :19 to play in the half to give Massillon a 16‑7 lead at the break.
The third quarter was uneventful with the exception of a 49‑yard burst by Ashcraft that moved the ball from the Massillon 13 to the Irish 38. That drive stalled on downs at the St, V‑St. M 19.
Early in the fourth quarter, Irish defensive back Tony Pierce intercepted the Tigers near midfield but fumbled the ball back to Massillon.
Two plays later, Spencer found Williams on a deep post pattern and the sophomore would not be caught, notching a 48‑yard touchdown catch and run with 11:05 to play.
Tigers holder Mark Hiegl kept the ball on a fake conversion kick, sweeping around right end for the two‑point conversion and a 24‑7 lead.
“That was the big one,” sighed Irish coach John Cistone of the double turnover. “It turned it around. You’re still in the game and you think you’re going to have good field position, then boom. Then they get the big touchdown. That knocks you down, especially when you’re young. It makes it tough to come back.”
“I was just trying to get a good fake so they would bite on the run,” said Spencer of the touchdown bomb. “I watched Devon all the way. I just threw it up there and I got hit hard. But, the line gave me great protection tonight.”
“Willie took a big hit on that touchdown pass,” observed Rose. “I was really proud of the way he stood in there. He took a hit on his blind side on that play. But he stood in there and stood in there and delivered a beautiful ball, You can’t make a much better pass than that. Devon kept running and caught up with it and made the great catch.”
The Tigers, 8‑1 going into next week’s showdown with the Bulldogs, wrapped it up with a 10‑play, 62-yard drive, capped by Jeremy Fraelich’s six‑yard burst up the middle and into the end zone. Pribich’s boot made it 31‑7.
The Irish scored on an 18‑yard touchdown pass with eight seconds to play, as both teams had their reserves on the field.
MASSILLON 31 ST. VINCENT 15 M V First downs rushing 11 9 First downs passing 5 4 First downs penalty 0 0 Total first downs 16 13 Net yards rushing 255 126 Net yards passing 169 116 Total yards gained 424 242 Passes attempted 18 15 Passes completed 7 6 Passes int. 1 0 Times kicked off 6 3 Kickoff average 47.0 37.0 Kickoff return yards 89 100 Punts 2 7 Punting average 33.5 33.0 Punt return yards 1 0 Fumbles 0 2 Fumbles lost 0 1 Penalties 0 3 Yards penalized 0 16 Number of plays 60 47 Time of possession 24:17 23:43
ST. VINCENT 0 7 0 8 15 MASSILLON 7 9 0 15 31
SCORING SUMMARY
First Quarter. M ‑ Ashcraft 26 run (Pribich kick)
Second Quarter M ‑ Spencer 1 run (kick failed) St. V ‑ Gilbride 67 pass from Butash (Hlivko kick) M ‑ Pribich 24 FG
Fourth Quarter M ‑ Williams 58 pass from Spencer (Hiegl run) M ‑ Fraelich 6 run (Pribich kick) St. V ‑ Hlivko 18 pass from Whitney (Knott pass from Whitney)
