Category: News

2026 Booster Club Report – Week 8 – Cornerstone…

2026 Booster Club Report – Week 8 – Cornerstone Christian Preview

Massillon (7-0) defeated Farrell, PA (4-2), 1-0. Farrell decided to forfeit the game a few weeks ago rather than play, citing “injuries.”  In the Harbin system, the Tigers will be awarded points for each Farrell win.  This week Massillon hosts Cornerstone Christian, TX (4-2).  Last season the Tigers came out on top, 45-20.

Other scores:

• 7th Grade (7-0): Defeated Akron Buchtel, 32-0.  Plays at home against Canton on Tuesday, October 6, at 5:00, at PBTS.
• 8th Grade (5-1): Defeated Akron Garfield, 28-8.  Plays at home against Canton on Wednesday, October 7, at 6:00 pm, at PBTS.
• Freshmen (1-5): Did not play.  Plays at home against Akron Buchtel on Thursday, October 8, at 6:00.
• Junior Varsity (2-4): Did not play.  Plays at home against Avon on Saturday, October 10, at 10:00 am.

The guest players were senior safety Braylon Gamble, senior defensive lineman Joe Karder and senior offensive lineman Landon Barnhart.

• Gamble – We all know what happened last year (against Football North following an open date).  They matched up well against St. John’s College last week (St. Edward defeated St. John’s by one point).  They are not the same team we played last  year.  This is a good team and we need to be ready.
• Karder – Monday practice was good.  They are bigger, but we are faster.  We’re not afraid.
• Barnhart – We need a good week of practice.

Preview of the Cornerstone Christian Game

Cornerstone scores to date:

• Autonoma de Neuvo Leon, Monterrey, Mexico: 62-21 W
• IMG Academy, FL (National No. 1) (6-0): 10-59 L
• Center, TX (Texas No. 709) (0-5): 51-14 W
• Parish Episcopal, Dallas, TX (Texas No. 108) (5-2): 42-16 W
• Lake Travis, Austin, TX (Texas No. 40) (2-1-1): 48-35 W
• St. John’s College, DC (D.C. No. 1) (5-1): 28-35 L

Cornerstone continues to build their program, apparently with goal of achieving the status of a national power.  Last year they finished 6-4, while their 5-year record is 25-25.  The Warriors return six lettermen on offense and five on defense.  Included in that group is running back Jaylen McKane, who rushed 13 times for 48 yards and a TD against Massillon last year.  He also caught six passes for 61 yards.  Also back is safety Elijah Fayall, who recorded eleven tackles and has committed to Arizona.

“This is a great matchup for this week,” said Massillon head coach Nate Moore.  “They return some good players from last year.  A really good team.  Well coached.  The style is a little different.  Wide open on offense.  Lots of spread.  We had a good Monday.  We need to keep that moving.”  In the state of Texas the Warriors are ranked No. 24 by maxpreps.com and No. 26 by hsratings.com (computerized ranking system).

The offense aligns mostly in spread, some with tight end, some empty.  They play two quarterbacks: senior Seth Shuler (6′-3″, 205), who is primarly a passer, and senior Rogan Parson (6′-1″, 200), who likes to run the ball.  The running back, junior Jaylen McKane (5′-9″, 190), is perhaps the best player on offense.  He is extremely fast, can break tackles and is someone Moore calls, “twitchy.”  He is a threat every time he touches the ball.  According to Moore, the entire receiving corps is athletic and fast.  The Tigers have faced some really big lines this year, but this one is simply monstrous, averaging 6′-5″, 321 lbs.  Included in that are a couple of tall bookend tackles in junior 4-star recruit Jaistrorm Knight (6′-9″, 340) and senior Joseph Games (6′-10″, 385).  “It will be a great challenge for our defense,” said Moore.

The Cornerstone defense shows four linemen and three linebackers, but the preferred alignment is 4-2-5.  The strength of the unit is the line, featuring senior Ahzan Bacote (6′-3″, 270).   Moore said he is a good as anyone the Tigers have faced this year.  Across the line, it averages 6′-3″, 255 lbs.  Behind are a couple of really good linebackers in senior Dominique Moore (6′-1″, 215) and senior Malcolm Carter (6′-0″, 200).  Both play downhill.  But they don’t seem to blitz a lot.  The Warriors return both starters from last year at safety.  The secondary uses a lot of man-to-man coverage, with some cover-3.

The kicker is good and they have a good return team.

Go Tigers!

 

 

Massillon Defeats Farrell, Pennsylvania, Team by Way of Forfeit

Massillon Defeats Farrell, Pennsylvania, Team by Way of Forfeit

Farrell is one of the more successful small-school programs in Pennsylvania.  In fact, last year they posted a record of 12-3 and advanced to the state finals in Class 2A (Class 6A is the highest).  In addition, they have lost just 14 games over the last five years.  Perhaps, in an attempt to test the waters, they elected to schedule a game against the nationally-ranked Tigers.

However, a few weeks ago Farrell backed out of the game citing, according to media releases, a number of injuries.  Possibly, the reason was the expectation of injuries that might arise in a game of that level, given their lack of depth.  Regardless, the game was canceled and later ruled as a forfeit in Massillon’s favor, by the official score of 1-0.  The implications are as follows:

• Massillon’s record improves to 7-0, while Farrell’s falls to 4-2.
• Massillon’s historical number of wins improves to 975.
• In terms of Harbin points, Massillon will receive the full benefit of each Farrell win, both those already earned and those going forward. However, given that Farrell is equivalent to an Ohio Division VII team, the benefit will be minimal.  That’s because the Tigers will gain just 3.5 points in the first level and just 3.5 points in the second level for each Farrell win.  Fortunately, Farrell is predicted to have a record of 7-2 by the end of Harbin point counting.

Next week Massillon will host Cornerstone Christian, Texas (4-1), a team that the Tigers defeated last year, 45-20.  However, the Warriors continue to build their program and are much improved this time around.

2026 Booster Club Report – Week 7 – Post-Football…

2026 Booster Club Report – Week 7 – Post-Football North

Massillon (6-0) defeated Canada Football North (3-2), 31-8.  The game this week against Farrell, PA, has been forfeited in Massillon’s favor.  The score will be registered as a 1-0 win.  Next week the Tigers will host Cornerstone Christian, TX (4-1).

Link to the Football North Game Story

Link to the Football North Game Statistics (later)

Other scores:

• 7th Grade (6-0): Defeated Youngstown United, 50-8.  Plays at home against Akron Buchtel on Tuesday, September 29, at 5:30.
• 8th Grade (4-1): Defeated Youngstown United, 21-6.  Plays at home against at Akron Garfield on Wednesday, September 30, at 6:00 pm.
• Freshmen (1-5): Lost to Football North.  Plays at home against South Range on Thursday, October 1, at 6:00.
• Junior Varsity (2-4): Lost to Football North, 34-14.  This week’s game against Farrell, PA, has been canceled.

Review of the Football North Game

In yet another hard-fought game, Massillon used a strong defense along with big plays on offense to upend Canada Football North, 31-8.  It was historical win No. 974, which is ranked No. 2 in the country.  Throughout the game, each team’s running backs had little success on the ground, aside from some big gainers by Savior Owens.  But Massillon was just that good defensively with their front-7, particularly brothers Brayton and Brydon Feister.  In the air, Tiger quarterback Rasmus Haines had enough completions to move the chains.  However, the greatest difference between the two teams was the Tigers’ ability to finish drives.  In fact, after failing to advance on their first two, they scored on each of the next five.

Massillon head coach Nate Moore had praise for all three aspects of the Tigers’ performance.  “We had a lot of good play on Friday,” he  said.  Got a lot of good film.

Special teams – Good coverage on kickoffs.  Almost returned a kickoff to the end zone.  Mateo Herrera converted a 27-yard field goal and booted several kickoffs into the end zone.

Defense – “Pretty good job against the run all game.  This was a problem has year.”  Had praise for Brydon Feister, who was in on several quarterback sacks.  “He is so strong.”  Maxheimer had a great game.

Offense – Quarterback Rasmus Haines was instrumental in the win with his ability to audible at the line to give his team the best advantages.  He also received his first Division 1 offer: Miami of Ohio.  Gio Jackson Jr. had a big game.  Savior Owens had some big runs.  Great blocking was provided by Da’Shun Williams.

The players were off on Monday, while the bye week gives them a chance to heal up.

Go Tigers!

Big Play Massillon Upends Canada’s Football North

Big Play Massillon Upends Canada’s Football North

It was another hard-fought game for the Tigers.  That, after coming off a big win over Lakewood St. Edward the previous week.  This time it was against a very athletically talented Football North team, one that came into this one averaging 41 points a game had handily defeated Massillon last year.  But the Tigers had more in the tank this time around and pulled away with a convincing 31-8 victory, aided several big running and passing plays.

Throughout the game, each team’s running backs had little success on the ground, aside from a few big gainers by Savior Owens.  Massillon was just that good defensively with their front-7, particularly brothers Brayton and Brydon Feister.  Meanwhile, North stacked the box and pulled the safeties up to help their cause.  In the air, Tiger quarterback Rasmus Haines had enough completions to move the chains.  In contrast, North quarterback Brandon Bailey was very accurate early, but struggled in the second half when Massillon tightened up the coverage.  However, Baily was a very good scrambler and ended up accounting for most of his team’s rushing yards.

The biggest difference, then, was the Tigers’ ability to finish drives.  In fact, after failing to advance on their first two, they scored on each of the next five.

Massillon took the opening kickoff and immediately lined up in an empty backfield set.  But they failed to gain a yard after two incomplete passes and a run for no gain.  North responded and moved right down the field, advancing from their 25 to the Massillon 14.  But a Deontay Malone sack off a corner blitz on fourth down ended the threat.

After an exchange of punts, the Tigers finally found the end zone when Haines escaped a strong pass rush by sprinting to his right and found Da’Shun Williams wide open at the back of the end zone for a 16-yard score.  Mateo Herrera’s kick made it 7-0, midway through the second quarter.  The play that set it up was a 46-yard bomb from Haines to Gio Jackson Jr. that moved the ball to the North 13.

North again moved effectively down the field.  Then, on fourth down from the Tiger 45, they attempted an innovative play involving consecutive backward passes to a pair of running backs.  Only, the second back could not find an open receiver and had to eat the ball.

Two minutes before halftime, Massillon scored again on a 43-yard run by Owens.  In this one, he broke through a pile of defenders, juked out a lone defensive back and sprinted to the end zone.  Score 14-0.

North opened the third quarter with a bang.  On the first play, Bailey connected on a 42-yard pass to the Tiger 32.  He then used his legs to will his team into the end zone for a score, which came at the end of an 11-yard scramble.  Interestingly, North went for two and converted it with pass from Bailey.  Score: 14-8.

Only, the threat didn’t last long.  On third and nine from the 21, Owens took a dump-off pass in the backfield from Haines.  He appeared to be initially bottled up by four defenders, but he broke free to the right as Da’Shun Williams took out two defenders on the edge, turned the corner, picked up a block from George Rivera, and was gone on a 79-yard touchdown pass.  Score 21-8.

Following a North punt, Massillon drove to the opponent 14 and was good a Herrera 27-yard field goal, after just missing connection on a 3^rd down TD pass.  Score 24-8.

If there was ever a chance for North to get back in the game, it was squashed when on the first play Bailey fumbled the ball away at end of a quarterback draw.  A 28-yard pass to Jackson Jr., a 17-yard run by Owens and a 7-yard TD run by Owens was all it took to put the game away.  Final score: 31-8.

Massillon (6-0) is off next week since Farrell, PA, elected to forfeit the game.  The Tigers will return to action the following week against Cornerstone Christian, TX.  North (3-2), heads to Beacon Hill, VA, next week.  Later they will travel to both St. Edward and Cleveland St. Ignatius.

Photos by Marlene Kanipe

Gio Jackson Jr (21) catching the long bomb.

Chayce White (0)

Brayton Feister (18) with the sack; Brydon Feister (8)

Savior Owens (1) looking for running room; Marcus Garner (61)

Da’Shun Williams with the touchdown catch; Savior Owens (1)

Savior Owens (1), Landon Hose (22), Da’Shun Williams (84), Deontay Malone (6)

Mateo Herrera (7) kicking the field goal.

Savior Owens (1), Davionne Floyd (52), Gio Jackson Jr. (21), Rasmus Haines (13).

Savior Owens (1) scoring.

Pass reception by Gio Jackson Jr. (21); Landon Barnart (72).

Rasmus Haines (13) retrieving the high snap; James Gatsios (61), Marcus Garner (60).

Players with the formation boards.  Kadrian Alexander (91), Jeff Riley (14), Greg Corsale (16), unknown (?2)

 

Top Games for Week 6

Top Games for Week 6

Canada Football North (3-1) at Massillon (5-0) – Massillon defeated Lakewood St. Edward last week, 23-21 to remain undefeated.  They also own wins over Cleveland Glenville and NFL Academy-Europe.  North lost to Glenville in Week 3, 37-21.  Last year North defeated Massillon, 34-2.

St. John College, D.C. (4-0) at Lakewood St. Edward (4-1) – St. Edward is coming off a hard-fought 23-21 loss to Massillon.  This week they are right back into the fire against St. John, the No. 1 team in D.C.  St. John has victories Maryland No. 4 Archbishop Spalding (21-18) and Florida No. 6 West Boca Raton,(15-14).  St. John played Massillon in 2023, losing 28-7.  Next week they host future Massillon opponent Cornerstone Christian, TX.

Akron Hoban (1-4) at Walsh Jesuit (5-0) – Hoban finally got on the win track last week with a 19-14 victory over North Carolina No. 10 Cardinal Gibbons.  Have they turned the corner?  Walsh owns wins over Medina Highland (4-1), Toledo Central Catholic (4-1) and Cleveland St. Ignatius (3-2).

Berea Midpark (4-1) at Avon (3-2) – If high-scoring Midpark can solidify their defense this week they have a chance to upend Avon.  Midpark has a loss to Brunswick.  Avon lost to Cleveland St. Ignatius (3-2) by one and Upper Arlington (4-1) by 21.

Toledo Central Catholic (4-1) at Lumen Christi, MI (5-0) – Toledo is No. 1 in Region 6 and hopes to hold onto that ranking with a win over a team from up north.  They are favored by 17.

Detroit Catholic Central (4-0) at Toledo St. John’s (3-2) – Perhaps a tall order for St. John’s against the No. 1 team in Michigan.  Last Week Detroit defeated Toledo Central Catholic, 45-14.

Columbus DeSales (4-1) at Columbus Watterson (5-0) – This is a battle of two contenders in Region 7.  DeSales lost 20-17 to a good Cleveland St. Joseph team.  Watterson owns a 35-13 win over Cleveland Glenville.

Upper Arlington (4-1) at Hilliard Bradley (4-1) – The two best teams in this Ohio Capital Conference division will battle it out.  Upper Arlington defeated Avon 43-22, but lost to New Albany, 28-21.  Bradley looked terrible in a 32-7 loss to Big Walnut, but has since won four straight.

Big Walnut (5-0) at Ironton (5-0) – The first real test for Big Walnut.  But, don’t let records fool you.  Big Walnut could roll in this one.

Cincinnati St. Xavier (2-3) at Cincinnati Elder (5-0) – It’s GCL week with the 4-team conference in full action.  St. X lost 30-15 to Cincinnati Moeller last week.  Elder is a contender for the Division I state title and should win big.

Cincinnati Moeller (3-2) at Cincinnati LaSalle (3-2) – A Moeller win sets up a big Moe vs. Elder game next week.  However, LaSalle may be surging after last week’s 27-14 victory over Hamilton Badin (4-1).

Cincinnati Princeton (5-0) at Lakota East (4-1) – A good match against two top-level teams in the Greater Miami Conference.  Both have played Lakota West, with Princeton winning 27-24 and East losing, 48-18.

Lebanon (4-1) at Kings  (3-2) – Two upper echelon teams in the ECC.  Both have played Cincinnati Anderson.  Lebanon lost 52-13 in Week 4 and Kings lost 49-33 last week.  It remains to be seen how good Cincinnati Winton Woods (4-1) is.  They beat Kings, 35-0 and will play Anderson in Week 9.

Indianapolis Cathedral (3-2) at Trotwood Madison (4-1) – An intriguing matchup for independent school Trotwood.  Cathedral’s losses were to two excellent teams in Ben Davis and Loyala.  They also beat Cincinnati St. Xavier, 30-21.  Trotwood lost 27-9 in the opener to Toledo Central Catholic, but beat a good Springfield team, 25-9.  Should be a good one.

 

 

 

 

2026 Booster Club Report – Week 6 – Post-Lakewood…

2026 Booster Club Report – Week 6 – Post-Lakewood St. Edward; Preview of the Football North Game

Massillon (5-0) defeated Lakewood St. Edward (4-1), 23-21.  This week Massillon plays at home against Canada Football North (3-1).

Link to the St. Edward Game Story

Link to the St. Edward Game Statistics

Other scores:

• 7th Grade (4-0): Defeated Warren, 36-0.  Plays at home against Chardon on Wednesday, September 23 at 6:00 pm.  Game moved to PBTS.
• 8th Grade (3-1): Defeated Warren, 27-8.  Plays at home against Youngstown United on Tuesday, September 22, at 5:00 pm.
• Freshmen (1-4): Lost to Lakewood St. Edward, 33-14.  Plays at home against Canada Football North on Saturday, September 26, at noon.
• Junior Varsity (2-2): Lost to Lakewood St. Edward, 47-20.  Plays at home against Canada Football North on Saturday, September 26, at 10:00 am.

Review of the St. Edward Game

In a game played at Baldwin Wallace’s Finney Stadium, Massillon held off a late charge by Lakewood St. Edward to come away with a hard-fought 23-21 victory.  Sophomore running back Gary Yeager led the offensive attack by rushing 16 times for 232 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Savior Owens also scored a touchdown, while Mateo Herrera added a 30-yard field goal.  On offense the Tigers stayed mostly to the ground for the entire game. For St. Edward, they had difficulty running the ball against the stout Massillon defense and relied on an aerial attack to move the ball.  The Tigers led throughout most of the game, but needed to defeat a Hail Mary pass from the Eagle quarterback to the goal line as time expired to secure the win, Massillon’s fifth straight in the series.  No other team in the last fifty years owns a winning streak this long against St. Edward.

“Eds is a great team,” said Massillon head coach Nate Moore.  “A good program.  I’m just really proud of our team.  They played really well.  They played really hard.  A lot of really good stuff.  Everybody was on the same page.”

Moore had a lot of praise for the backups that stepped up to fill spots vacated by players with injuries or other issues.  He particularly cited the play of Gary Yeager at running back, Wyatt Porter at nose tackle and Worth Hirning at center.

The coach also had good words for defensive lineman Joe Karder.  “Karder became a man,” he beamed.  “He had a great game.”  In fact, the entire offensive line was discussed in length.  “It was the best performance I’ve ever seen,” he said of the line.  In fact, Moore spent a lot of time showing film and discussing the solid techniques used by the linemen against the huge Eagle players, and the holes they were able to open up for the running backs, resulting in several long gains.

Then he talked about quarterback Rasmus Haines.  Although he didn’t throw a lot of passes, his check downs prior to the snaps played a huge part in the victory.  “He got us out of a lot of stuff,” Moore said.

The kicking game also received some kudos.  Good, accurate boots (except the last punt and the blocked PAT).  Great coverage.  Mateo  Herrera’s kickoffs were spot on and he converted a 30-yard field goal attempt, which proved to be the winning margin.

And he didn’t forget the remarkable performance of sophomore running back Gary Yeager.  Moore said that he didn’t know a lot about him when he came into camp.  But once he got into the games, his talent really showed up.  “Gary runs bigger than he is,” said Moore.  “He’s not afraid of contact.  A great player.  A great kid.”

Finally, he thanked the outstanding, boisterous Massillon crowd that attended the game.  “It provided us a lot of energy,” said the coach.

Preview of the Football North Game

North scores to date:

• Hewlett Sports Academy, MD (1-4): 65-0- W
• Propel / Imani co-op, PA (1-2): 44-20 W
• Cleveland Glenville (3-2): 21-37 L
• St. Francis Academy (Regional), MD (0-1): 33-6 W

Massillon hopes to reap revenge this Friday, after last season’s 34-2 disaster.

Once again, the Tigers will be facing a team with huge lines.  The North offense averages 6′-2″, 286 lbs., while the defense averages 6′-2″, 266 lbs. or 6′-2″, 250 lbs., depending on which group of four is in the game.  Incidentally, Massillon averages 6′-3″, 282 lbs. on offense and 6′-2″, 252 lbs. on defense.

The offense is run-first.  But they will also throw the ball around at times off of play action and RPO.

Best players:

• Senior quarterback Brandon Bailey (6′-1″, 195).  Good player.  39 of 52 (79%) for 860 yards and 11 TDs.
• Senior running back Peyton Mansfield (5′-11″, 205).  Good player.  Good speed.  81 attempts for 674 yards (8.3 ave.) and 6 TDs.
• Junior wide receiver Stefan Ptascek (6′-2″, 200).  16 receptions for 310 yards (19.3 ave.)and 3 TDs.
• Junior wide receiver Gabriel Tabora (6′-3″, 190).  10 receptions for 250 yards 25.0 ave.) and 2 TDs.
• Senior right guard Matteo Capilongo (6′-2″, 275).  Returning 2-year starter.

North has used as many as twenty different starters on defense throughout the season.  However, the strength of the unit is the front group in their 4-2-5 alignment.  There is a lot of size there and the players are very active.  It is a good group.  They will mix in some odd front on the line, and cover-3, cover-1 and cover-0 in the secondary.

Best players:

• Senior linebacker Ben O’Hara (6′-2″, 190).  35 tackles.
• Junior linebacker Zade Eliason (6′-3″, 225).  33 tackles.
• Senior defensive lineman Khalil Felix (6′-3″, 230).  Returning 2-year starter.
• Senior defensive back Bryan Davaies (6′-2, 205).  22 tackles, 3 interceptions.
• Junior safety Asher Abrams (6′-1″, 195).  Good player.
• Senior cornerback Sean Shook-Falomi (6′-3″, 190).  Best defensive back on the team.

The kicking game is also solid.

Go Tigers!

 

 

 

Massillon holds off Lakewood St. Edward in a Battle…

Massillon holds off Lakewood St. Edward in a Battle of Unbeatens

Massillon and St. Edward fans are fully aware that no lead is safe when these two nationally-ranked teams get together.  And Friday’s encounter at Baldwin Wallace’s Finney Stadium was no exception, with the Tigers taking home a hard-fought 23-21 victory.  As expected, this one came right down to the wire.

Massillon led throughout most of the game, but the Eagles had one last chance on a Hail Mary pass as time expired.  Quarterback Langston Lucas took the snap at midfield, rolled to his right to buy time and then lofted it deep to the end zone.  It appeared for a moment that wide receiver Caleb Hall had broken loose from the coverage and was in position to catch the winning TD at the goal line.  Only, speedy Tiger corner Deontay Malone closed quickly and swatted the ball away at the last second to secure the win.  Malone on that play alone showed why he is headed to Ohio State.

The other big story of the night was Massillon sophomore running back Gary Yeager.  With Michigan State-bound running back Savior Owens hampered by a nagging ankle issue, Yeager was thrust into the game with a more prominent role.  And did he ever deliver, rushing the ball 16 times for 232 yards and two touchdowns, while average a whopping 14.4 yards per carry against a very stout St. Ed front group.  But that is not unusual for Yeager.  Through five games he is now averaging an incredible 12.6 yards per carry.  He surely reminds older Tiger fans of OSU’s great Archie Griffin, with his great speed and running ability.

Massillon’s offense stayed mostly to the ground using the 2-headed monster of Owens and Yeager.  But why not.  It was working.  It was also the game plan.  St. Eds was obviously concerned about the three talented Tiger receivers and defended that part of the field using all four secondary defenders plus an outside linebacker.  That left just six in the box to defend the run.  This set up the anticipated matchup: the Tigers’ speed versus the Eagles’ size.  While Owens struggled to break loose throughout the game, it was Yeager that had the better success, in that with his quickness off the ball, he didn’t need much of a crease to explode into the secondary for long gains.

Defensively, Massillon played well against the run, in spite of the Eagles’ tendency to run toward the opposite side of the field than stellar linebacker Brayton Feister.  But the Tigers had difficulty defending the passing combination of Lucas to 6’-4”, 230 lb. tight end Joe Moore.  He was the recipient of several tosses over the middle in front of the Tiger 2-deep zone.  Massillon just didn’t have an answer for that.  And that scheme greatly contributed to keeping St. Eds in the game.

The Eagles received the opening kickoff and drove to midfield before punting.  On the Tigers’ first possession they advanced the ball into St. Ed territory, but lost it on a 3rd down pass interception, while covering the distance of a punt.

The next time Massillon had the ball they were more effective, moving 53 yards for a second quarter score, with Owens blasting in from the 16 yardline.  Owens headed toward the middle of the line and, realizing that the path was closed, cut it to the right edge and worked his way across the goal line for the TD.  All of the plays in the drive were on the ground.

St. Edward tied the score with 15 seconds remaining in the half on a 10-yard pass from Lucas to Moore.

The Tigers began the second half with the ball their own 30.  After moving to midfield, they caught a huge break.  The snap to quarterback Rasmus Haines was high and bounced off his hands into the air.  But right into the grasp of Yeager.  He immediately headed to his left and was able to turn the corner.  In spite of several defenders poised for the stop, he managed to elude each one and didn’t stop running into he had earned a 50-yard touchdown.  Unfortunately, the extra point was blocked, giving the Tigers a 13-7 lead.

Malone intercepted a pass on the ensuing Eagle possession, but the drive stalled at midfield after a bomb to an open Braylon Gamble was just overthrown.  Nevertheless, the Tigers did move the ball the length of the field on their next possession, which ended in a 30-yard field goal by Mateo Herrera.  The key plays were two long runs by Yeager, of 56 and 26 yards.  Ironically, prior to the field goal, Owens was dragged down by the facemask.  Had a penalty been assessed, the Tigers would have had a first and goal situation.  It was one of many infractions on the night that were not called, a situation that seemed to affect both teams.

The Eagles responded with a long drive and a 5-yard TD run by Colin Tedesco, closing the margin to 16-14, with just over five minutes remaining.  After failing to recover the subsequent onside kick, Massillon was right back in business.  Yeager kickstarted it with a 29-yard run to the 14 yardline with 1:24 left in the game.  He then finished the drive with a 10-yard run, upping the score to 23-14.

But St. Eds refused to quit, returning the favor with a 12-yard touchdown pass.  Score: 23-21.  Again, an onside kick and a Massillon recovery, by Malone.  Only, the Tigers failed to move the ball sufficiently to run out the clock.  Following a failed attempt to punt the ball deep and out of bounds, St. Edward had their final opportunity to score on the Hail Mary pass from midfield.  So, the Tigers escaped with the win, their fifth straight over St. Edward, and now lead the overall series, 8-4.

Next week Massillon hosts Football North, the all-star team from Ontario, Canada.  St. Edward hosts St. John’s College from D.C., the team that the Tigers had issues with between plays a couple of years ago, with the game being called in the fourth quarter.

Go Tigers!

Photos by Marlene Kanipe

The Tigers prepare for the opening kickoff.

Marcus Garner (60), Savior Owens (1).

Savior Owens (1) scores the first touchdown.

Davionne Floyd (52) snapping the ball to Rasmus Haines (13).  Gary Yeager (20), James Gatsios (61).

Gary Yeager (20).

Gary Yeager (20), James Gatsios (61), Marcus Garner (60).

Gary Yeager (20)

Head Coach Nate Moore with Da’Shun Williams.

Deontay Malone (6), Gary Yeager (20).

George Rivera (12), Van Hawkins (4), Joe Pierce (19), Geovanni Vinson (24).