Mike Miller Picks Hocking College

Yet another graduating senior has used his outstanding experience and performance as a Massillon Tiger to springboard his career to the next level.  Defensive end Mike Miller will join at Hocking College, which is located in New Lexington, Ohio, just southeast of Columbus.

Hocking College is registered with the National Junior College Athletic Association as an independent team.  According to their website, “In the first five years of the program’s existence, approximately 50 Hocking College football student-athletes have moved on to four-year colleges to continue their academic and football careers.”

Miller played just one year for the Massillon, but he had a major impact in helping his team to a 10-2 record and a runner-up finish in the Division 2 state playoffs.  He finished with 26 solo tackles and 35 assists, including 6.0 quarterback sacks (3rd all-time), 3 pass breakups and a team-leading 12.5 tackles-for-loss (6th all-time).

He was a one-man wrecking crew against Warren Harding when he led the team with five solo tackles and six assists, including four tackles-for loss.  Mike also had a big sack in the game against Canton McKinley when he chased quarterback Elijah Wesley back toward the end zone for a 17-yard loss, eventually dropping him at the 3 yard line.  As it was 3rd and long at the time, the Bulldogs were then forced to punt.

Congratulations to Mike Miller.

Massillon Releases 2021 Football Schedule

Another challenging schedule awaits the Tigers for the upcoming football season, highlighted by games against Pickerington Central, Lakewood St. Edward, Canisius and Canton McKinley.  It comes on the heels of three consecutive appearances in the Division 2 state finals, during which time Massillon compiled a 38-4 record.

Hopes are high that this schedule actually comes to fruition after the difficulties surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic last year.  Two weeks before the 2020 season got underway, fearing that the spread of the virus would accelerate by Thanksgiving, the OHSAA canceled all existing contracts and shortened the season to just six games, with all teams automatically qualifying for the playoffs.  In essence, the Tigers were forced to completely regenerate a new schedule just two weeks before the start of the season.  They ended up with perhaps the most challenging schedule they had ever faced, with the likes of St. Edward, Cleveland Benedictine, Cleveland St. Ignatius and McKInley.  But they did win five of the six games.

Incidentally, the 2021 season will start August 20, a week earlier than normal, in order to accommodate a sixth week of playoff games.  Starting this year twelve teams qualify in each region instead of the traditional eight, with the top four having byes in the first round.

Here is the full schedule along with some key data:

Pickerington Central – H

• League: Ohio Capital Conference
• Playoff Division: 1
• 2020 Overall Record: 11-1
• 2020 Playoff Results: Lost 44-3 to Cincinnati St. Xavier in the state finals
• 5-Year Record: 62-8 (.886)
• 5-Year Playoff History: 5 appearances; state titles in 2017 and 2019; runner-up in 2020
• Last Time vs. Massillon: No games played
• Historical Series vs. Massillon: 0-0
• Bonus: Returns wide receiver Lorenzo Styles, the Division 1 Offensive Player of the Year

 Canton GlenOak – H

• League: Federal League
• Playoff Division: 1
• 2020 Overall Record: 0-8
• 2020 Playoff Results: Lost 42-0 to Lakewood St. Edward in Round 1
• 5-Year Record: 11-38 (.224)
• 5-Year Playoff History: 2 appearances; lost in Round 1 each time
• Last Time vs. Massillon: Lost 55-13 in 2019
• Historical Series vs. Massillon: Massillon leads 12-4
• Bonus: Re-hired Scott Garcia as head coach

Reynoldsburg – H

• League: Ohio Capital Conference
• Playoff Division: 1
• 2020 Overall Record: 4-4
• 2020 Playoff Results: Lost 53-19 to Lancaster in Round 1
• 5-Year Record: 34-17 (.667)
• 5-Year Playoff History: 3 appearances; lost in Round 2 twice
• Last Time vs. Massillon: No games
• Historical Series vs. Massillon: 0-0
• Bonus: Plays in the same OCC division  as Pickerington Central; lost last year 38-13

Warren Harding – A

• League: All-American Conference
• Playoff Division: 2
• 2020 Overall Record: 6-4
• 2020 Playoff Results: Lost 35-6 to Hudson in regional semifinals
• 5-Year Record: 34-17 (.667)
• 5-Year Playoff History: 4 appearances; lost in regional finals in 2016
• Last Time vs. Massillon: Lost 24-0 in 2020
• Historical Series vs. Massillon: Massillon leads 57-25-3 (second-longest series)
• Bonus: Return 3 starters on offense and 5 on defense

Lakewood St. Edward – H

• League: None
• Playoff Division: 1
• 2020 Overall Record: 6-2
• 2020 Playoff Results: Lost 35-31 to Medina in Round 3
• 5-Year Record: 50-12 (.806)
• 5-Year Playoff History: 5 appearances; state title in 2018
• Last Time vs. Massillon: won 24-23 in 2020
• Historical Series vs. Massillon: 3-3
• Bonus: Returns 4 starters on offense and 7 on defense, including quarterback Christian Ramos

Austintown Fitch – A

• League: All-American Conference
• Playoff Division: 2
• 2020 Overall Record: 7-1
• 2020 Playoff Results: Lost 24-10 to Warren Harding in Round 2
• 5-Year Record: 31-18 (.633)
• 5-Year Playoff History: 2 appearances; only playoff win was in 2020
• Last Time vs. Massillon: Lost 55-7 in 2019
• Historical Series vs. Massillon: Massillon leads 18-8
• Bonus: In games played at Fitch, Massillon leads the series 7-5

Euclid – H

• League: Greater Cleveland Conference
• Playoff Division: 1
• 2020 Overall Record: 5-3
• 2020 Playoff Results: Lost 30-20 to Cleveland St. Ignatius in Round 2
• 5-Year Record: 39-16 (.709)
• 5-Year Playoff History: 5 appearances; never won more than one game in each year
• Last Time vs. Massillon: No games
• Historical Series vs. Massillon: 0-0
• Bonus: Defeated Medina 31-28 in the regular season last year; Medina beat both St. Edward and St. Ignatius in the playoffs

Canisius, NY – H

• League: Monsignor Martin Athletic Association
• Playoff Division: Ohio equivalent 2
• 2020 Overall Record: n.a.
• 2020 Playoff Results: n.a.
• 5-Year Record: 30-16 (.652)
• 5-Year Playoff History: 4 appearances; never won more than one game in each year
• Last Time vs. Massillon: Won 49-35 in 2017
• Historical Series vs. Massillon: Canisius leads the series 1-0
• Bonus: Did not field a team in 2020

Wooster – H

• League: Ohio Cardinal Conference
• Playoff Division: 2
• 2020 Overall Record: 8-2
• 2020 Playoff Results: Lost 48-40 to Olentangy Berlin in Round 1
• 5-Year Record: 36-16 (.692)
• 5-Year Playoff History: 3 appearances; lost in Round 1 each year
• Last Time vs. Massillon: Lost 53-0 in 1933
• Historical Series vs. Massillon: Massillon leads 14-5
• Bonus: Wooster has recently been the dominant force in the OCC

Canton McKinley – A

• League: Federal League
• Playoff Division: 1
• 2020 Overall Record: 5-3
• 2020 Playoff Results: Lost 27-14 to Brunswick in Round 2
• 5-Year Record: 37-17 (.685)
• 5-Year Playoff History: 5 appearances; 3-5 playoff record; no significant advancements
• Last Time vs. Massillon: Lost 35-7 in 2020
• Historical Series vs. Massillon: Massillon leads 73-53-5; Massillon has won 9 of the last 10
• Bonus: Annually a leading contender to win the Federal League; returns 4 starters on offense and 6 on defense, including inside linebacker Mani Powell

The book on Massillon:

• League: Independent
• Playoff Division: 2
• 2020 Overall Record: 10-2
• 2020 Playoff Results: Lost 35-6 to Akron in the state finals
• 5-Year Record: 56-11 (.826)
• 5-Year Playoff History: 5 appearances; lost in the state finals in 2018, 2019 and 2020; regional champion in 2017
• Bonus: Returns 3 starters on offense and 1 on defense, including running back Willtrell Hartson, offensive linemen Toddrick Lee and Jaiden Woods, and safety/wide receiver Austin Brawley

Maxpreps.com Honors Tigers in Top 50 All-Time Rankings

Maxpreps.com, a high school sports website, includes in their archives a Top 50 all-time national team rankings.  How good is their Top 50?  Who knows.  And who really cares.  After all, for football junkies, it’s great stuff to talk about.

Over 14,000 high schools annually field football teams in a sport that has been ongoing for at least 125 years.  Over that time, it’s conceivable that there have been over a million different teams.  Creating a listing like this is certainly a tall task in that it recognizes just one out every 20,000+ schools.  So it’s the rare team that would make a list like this.

A grain salt must be added in that any team on the list must have been good for the era of that time, not necessarily across all time.  For instance, a top team from the mid-1900s would certainly not be expected to defeat a good team from the modern era.  So that must be taken into consideration.

What brings traditionally strong Massillon into the discussion is that they placed four teams in the Top 50, at least as many as any other school.  The Massillon teams include:

• 3rd – 1940. Coached by Paul Brown, Massillon finished 10-0, outscoring its opponents 477-6, with the lone defensive touchdown scored by Canton McKinley in a 34-6 victory.  Along the way, the Tigers handed four teams their only loss of the season.  Massillon was awarded both the state and national titles.  Brown would leave after the season to become the head coach at Ohio State University.  The 1940 team is the highest rated public school in the Maxpreps.com list.
• 31st – 1950. Coached by Chuck Mather, Massillon ran over all ten opponents, outscoring them 407-37.  For the effort, the Tigers were named both state and national champions.
• 37th – 1936. Coached by Paul Brown, it was one of several great Brown teams.  This one went 10-0 and topped its opponents 443-14.  Single touchdowns were scored by Mansfield and Barberton in one-sided affairs.  In the finale, the Tigers defeated unbeaten Canton McKinley 21-0 to capture the state and national crowns.
• 41st – 1953. Coached by Chuck Mather, it was his final team leading the Massillon eleven.  The Tigers were unchallenged in each of their ten games, outscoring their opponents 399-55.  Massillon was successful in defending its state and national titles from the previous year.  Mather left after the season to become the head coach of Kansas University.

The Top 50 list is headed by California’s De La Salle, which placed their 2001 and 2003 teams in the Nos. 1 and 2 positions.  The 2002 team extended De La Salle’s winning streak to 151 games.  De La Salle also placed two additional teams: 1998 and 2004, placing 19^th and 38^th respectively.

Valdosta, Georgia, placed four teams on the list: 1961 at 18^th, 1971 at 28^th, 1986 at 36^th and 1984 at 44^th.

Both Cincinnati Moeller and Cleveland St. Ignatius were honored three times.

• 4 – 1976 Cincinnati Moeller. Defeated Gahanna Lincoln in the state finals, 43-5.
• 6 – 1980 Cincinnati Moeller. Defeated Massillon in state finals, 30-7.
• 15 – 1993 Cleveland St. Ignatius. Defeated Cincinnati Moeller for the state title, 38-20.
• 17 – 1982 Cincinnati Moeller. Defeated Massillon in state finals, 35-14.
• 43 – 1995 Cleveland St. Ignatius. Defeated Brunswick for the state title, 41-21.
• 46 – 1989 Cleveland St. Ignatius. Defeated Massillon the state semifinals, 42-21.  Defeated Cincinnati Moeller for the state title, 34-28.

Bishop Gorman’s 2018 team was ranked 5^th.  Massillon was scheduled to open with the Nevada team in 2020, but the Covid Pandemic forced a cancellation.

From a state distribution, Ohio dominates the list with ten placings.  Texas and California have six, Florida five and Georgia four.  Thirty-three are public schools and 17 are private.

Thirty-two of the fifty teams were in the past 50 years.  Nine were prior to the 1940s.

From the beginning of football through the mid-1930s the primary offensive focus was the run game.  The best team during that period was Pine Bluff, Arkansas, in 1925.  From then through the mid-1970s, teams were mostly focused on the run, but threw the ball 20% of the time.  The best team in that group was Massillon in 1940.  Onward through the 1990s the passing frequency increased to 30%.  The best team during that time was Cincinnati Moeller in 1980.  Finally, in modern spread offense football the pass is used 40% of the time.  The best team in that period is De La Salle from California in 2001.

Here is the complete list:

1. De La Salle (CA), 2001
2. De La Salle (CA), 2003
3. Massillon Washington (OH), 1940
4. Cincinnati Moeller (OH), 1976
5. Bishop Gorman (NV), 2016
6. Cincinnati Moeller (OH), 1980
7. Mater Dei (CA), 2017
8. Katy (TX), 2015
9. Hampton (VA), 1996
10. East St. Louis (IL), 1985
11. Pine Bluff (AK), 1925
12. Waco (TX), 1927
13. Southlake Carroll (TX), 2005
14. Abilene (TX), 1956
15. Cleveland St. Ignatius (OH), 1993
16. Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, NJ), 2011
17. Cincinnati Moeller (OH), 1982
18. Valdosta (GA), 1962
19. De La Salle (CA), 1998
20. Everett (MA), 1914
21. Lakeland (FL), 2005
22. Harrisburg Tech (PA), 1919
23. John Curtis Christian (LA), 2012
24. Oak Park-River Forest (IL), 1912
25. Charlotte Independence (NC), 2004
26. Berwick (PA), 1983
27. Coral Gables (FL), 1967
28. Valdosta (GA), 1971
29. Little Rock Central (AK), 1957
30. St. Thomas Aquinas (FL), 2008
31. Massillon Washington (OH), 1950
32. Miami Northwestern (FL), 2007
33. Miami Booker T. Washington (FL), 2013
34. St. Thomas Aquinas (FL), 2010
35. Berwick (PA), 1992
36. Valdosta (GA), 1986
37. Massillon Washington (OH), 1936
38. De La Salle (CA), 1994
39. Odessa Permian (TX), 1989
40. Tuscaloosa (AL), 1926
41. Massillon Washington (OH), 1953
42. Louisville Trinity (KY), 2011
43. Cleveland St. Ignatius (OH), 1995
44. Valdosta (GA), 1984
45. Batesville South Panola (MS), 2010
46. Cleveland St. Ignatius (OH), 1989
47. Allen (TX), 2013
48. St. John Bosco (CA), 2013
49. Portland Jefferson (OR), 1958
50. Austin Reagan (TX), 1968

2020 Season Wrap-up

Massillon advanced to the Division 2 State Finals for the third consecutive year, but once again came up short in their quest for a first-ever playoff-era championship.  Nevertheless, 2020 was still regarded as an immensely successful season, especially given the impacts felt from the Covid-19 Pandemic.

In a normal year the Tigers would begin off-season workouts in January with weight lifting, conditioning and instructional sessions by position group.  Then during summer the players would participate in 7-on-7 passing contests and attend various college camps.  But by the end of February the spread of the virus had rapidly intensified and government health agencies had shut all of this down.  Students were sent home and provided daily instruction online, while all sports activities were curtailed.  Thus, the team wasn’t together again as a whole until the beginning of August.  As a substitute, coaches maintained contact with the players using Zoom Meeting.  Also, a computer program was engaged for the players to use in recording their daily workout regimens as provided by the lifting coach.  For those that didn’t have equipment, the Booster Club provided some help.

Safety of the players was of the utmost importance and the Ohio Department of Health took charge and it looked for a while that there wasn’t going to be a football season at all this year, given the seriousness of the disease.  But the Ohio High School Athletic Association was able to work with the ODH to develop appropriate protocols that would enable sports to resume.  But the question was to what extent would seasons be played.

In a compromise between the two organizations, the regular season was designed to start on time, but would be reduced in length to just six games.  Also, there would be no pre-season scrimmages.  And the playoffs would be open to any team that elected to participate.  So with six weeks of regular games and seven weeks of playoffs, the entire season would be completed by Thanksgiving.  This plan met the ODH’s requirement that all games be played by that date, fearing an increase in the spread of the virus as winter approaches.

Players and coaches were required to follow specific safety procedures, such as face coverings and social distancing while on the sidelines and frequent sanitation of equipment.  There was also a provision for games to be canceled on account of a specific team’s exposure to the virus at the time of play.

Fan attendance was limited to immediate family members of players, cheerleaders and bandsmen, but not to exceed the lower of either 15% of stadium capacity or 1500.  So a stadium the size of Massillon’s, with 16,000+ seats, was restricted to just 1500, but in actuality was held to much less when the family count restriction was brought into play.  Also, bands were not permitted to travel.  Fortunately, the Massillon City Schools did a great job making each game available via internet broadcasting.

With the lateness of the decision to proceed, schools had just two weeks to construct 6-game schedules.  Naturally, leagues opted to stay exclusively within their own ranks, leaving independent teams like Massillon to schedule each other.  Fortunately, Federal League member Canton McKinley was able to accommodate the Tigers on its schedule.

Massillon had originally been slated to open the season with Nevada Bishop Gorman in a Nike Classic to be held at Benson Stadium in Canton.  But that event went away early.  Gorman was replaced with Pickerington North in a game that would be played at PBTS and televised by ESPN.  Only, that game was canceled too when the Ohio Capital Conference scheduled North to play Pickerington Central in Week 1.

Thus, the Tigers were about to face one of the most difficult regular season schedules they had ever encountered.  It included the likes of Lakewood St. Edward and Cleveland St. Ignatius and Cleveland Benedictine and Warren Harding and Canton McKinley.  But at least they had six games and, fortunately, they were able to get them all in without any cancellations.  One positive was that all six games were at home.

Most Booster Club events, such as the Duncan Plaza Kickoff, McKinley game festivities and season ending banquet, were canceled or held on Zoom Meeting.  For example, the Spring Kickoff was also held in this manner, where the guest speaker was Ryan Day, head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes, participating from his home in Columbus.

For the playoffs, Massillon was assigned to Region 7, a Columbus-Stark region they had participated in during the 2018 season.  This meant that a potential matchup with state-champ favorite Akron Hoban could wait until the state finals.  And that’s exactly what happened.

The Regular Season

• Lakewood St. Edward (home) – In a game that had the flavor of a first scrimmage, Massillon rolled up 396 yards of total offense, including 262 yards and two touchdowns passing by Zach Catrone.  But the Tigers lost 24-23 on account of a kickoff return and a late trick play.
• Columbus Bishop Sycamore (home) – Backup sophomore quarterback Jayvian Crable filled in admirably for the injured Catrone in leading the Tigers to a 35-0 victory.  It was Massillon 900^th all-time win.
• Warren Harding (home) – Massillon continued its recent domination of the Raiders with a 24-0 victory.  Catrone completed 21 of 31 passes, eight to Jayden Ballard and six to Martavien Johnson.
• Cleveland Benedictine (home) – Johnson and Isaiah Clark combined for three pass interceptions to keep the Bennies at bay in a 28-10 victory.
• Cleveland St. Ignatius (home) – Massillon recorded its second all-time victory over the Wildcats, 21-14.  Iggy assumed a 14-6 lead late in the third quarter following an 80-yard pass interception return.  But the Tigers came right back to tie the game on a Raekwon Venson 1-yard run.  On the Wildcat’s next possession they failed to control a backward pass and Jaiden Wise pounced on the loose ball.  Venson then ran it in on the first play from scrimmage to secure the win.  Unfortunately, Venson was injured near the end of the game and was lost for the rest of the season.

• 

  Canton McKinley (home) – There were many heroes in this 35-7 victory.  Sophomore Willtrell Hartson (8.5 yards per carry) and senior Nick Liebler (6.3 yards per carry) filled in superbly for Venson and rushed for a combined 257 yards and three touchdowns.  Austin Brawley had eight solo tackles.  But, all-in-all it was a great team effort.  It was Massillon 5^th win in a row over the Bulldogs and 9^th of the last ten.

The Playoffs

• Bye Week – Having a week off following the McKinley game re-energized the Tigers as they were about to initiate playoff competition.  No hangover funk this year.

• Columbus Walnut Ridge (home) – Massillon opened up a 42-0 halftime lead and cruised to a 56-0 victory.
• North Canton (home) – The Hoover passing attack tested the Tigers secondary.  But it wasn’t enough and Massillon rolled to a 48-23 win.  Hartson rushed for 196 yards (15.1 yards per carry) and Catrone completed 9 of 10 passes.  It was the local’s 500^th all-time win at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.
• Westerville South (home) – The Wildcats had the best quarterback-receiver combination in Division 2 and played a competitive game with the Tigers, losing just 45-36, after falling behind 42-9 after three quarters.  Hartson set a new Massillon single-game record with 324 yards rushing.  He also averaged 12.0 yards per carry and scored three touchdowns.
• Massillon Perry (regional finals) (at Perry) – Up just 7-6 at the half over the region’s top seeded Panthers, the Tigers ran away in the second half to secure a 43-13 victory.  Quarterback Zach Catrone completed all ten passes and recorded a pass efficiency rating of 396 to set new Massillon marks in those categories.  He also racked up 234 yards and three touchdowns.  Ballard had seven catches for 150 yards.  Liebler became second all-time with 17.0 tackle points (11 solo, 12 assists).  Clark had 11.0 tackle points.

• 

  Cincinnati LaSalle (at Marysville) – Massillon avenged the previous year’s state finals loss to the Lancers, winning 14-10.  Down 10-7 late in the fourth quarter, Catrone connected with Martavien Johnson on a 24-yard touchdown pass with 2:44 left in the game and the Tigers then held on at the end to secure the victory.

• Akron Hoban (state finals) (home) – The Knights showed why they were one of the top ten teams in the country by dominating the Tigers 35-6.  They also gained revenge from their 2019 loss to Massillon.

The formula for success for the season was running the football and playing good defense.  However, this was disrupted temporarily in Game 5 against Cleveland St. Ignatius when leading rusher Raekwan Venson (438 yards) was lost to an injury for the remainder of the season with the McKinley game looming the following week.  But it was “next man up,” and sophomore Willtrell Hartson and senior Nick Liebler answered the bell.  Hartson would finish the season rushing 138 times for 1,111 yards (8.1/att.) and 13 touchdowns.

You cannot have a stout running attack without a good offensive line.  And this group did themselves proud, finding their way with the power run game.  It might have been that much better, save for an
injury to 320 lb. Rager Els, who was lost for the season in Game 1.  His loss was severely felt against the stout front 7 of Akron Hoban.

On defense, in spite of returning just a single starter, Massillon was able to assemble one of the best groups on that side of the in many years.  This is especially significant given the difficulty of the schedule.  Credit the program the Tigers now have in place as all eleven players were keys to this success.  When weighed against other Massillon teams that faced spread offenses (23-year period starting in 1998), the Tigers were able to produce the following defensive results:

• Points per game – 14.3 (4^th)
• Rushing yards per game – 110 (2^nd)
• Total yards per game – 233 (3^rd)
• Yards per rush – 3.2 (3^rd)
• Yards per play – 4.1 (4^th)

The Tigers finished the season with 909 wins and have now moved up to third in the national rankings.  The 21-game regular season winning streak ended with the loss to St. Edward.  Against public schools, the Tigers have extended their winning streak to 31 games.

Jayden Ballard set a new record for career pass reception yards (2,363) and touchdowns (37).  He was also invited to participate in the Under Armour All-American All-Star game.  Unfortunately, the game was canceled due to the Covid-19 Pandemic.

In other records, kicker Alex Bauer established career marks for total attempts (213) and total conversions (205); he also tied the record for field goal percentage (77.8); punter Magnus Haines set new career records for punt attempts (119) and punt yards (4,405); Caiden Woullard tied the record for career quarterback sacks (8.5).

Eleven players were named to the Stark County All-Star Team.  Sixteen were honored on the Division 2 All-Inland District Team, headlined by Jaeden Wise, who was named Defensive Player of the Year.  Nine advanced to the Division 2 All-Ohio Team, including first teamers Jayden Ballard, Terrence Rankl and Caiden Woullard.

Three players took advantage of NCAA early signing: Jayden Ballard (Ohio State), Terrence Rankl (Pittsburgh) and Andrew Wilson-Lamp (West Virginia).  Many other players will be signing later.

The state finals were originally scheduled to be played in Columbus at Fortress Obetz Stadium and it was in fact the site for the Division 1 game, which was played a week prior to the other divisions.  But during the following week, the City of Columbus put further restrictions on sporting events and it needed to be relocated.  In a late move, Massillon stepped up to the plate and hosted the remaining six games over a 3-day period to the relief of the OHSAA.

Let’s hope that in 2021 the football season returns to normal.

All-Ohio Team Dotted with Tigers

Nine Massillon players have been named to the 2020 Division 2 All-Ohio Team, four on offense, four on defense and one on special teams.  Included are:

• Jayden Ballard – First team wide receiver, senior
• Terrence Rankl – First team offensive line, senior
• Caiden Woullard – First team defensive line, senior
• Jaiden Wise – First team linebacker, senior
• Mike Miller – Second team defensive line, senior
• Martavien Johnson – Second team defensive back, senior
• Magnus Haines – Second team punter, senior
• Willtrell Hartson – Honorable mention running back, sophomore
• Andrew Wilson-Lamp – Honorable mention wide receiver, senior

Massillon finished as the Division 2 playoff state runner-up for the third consecutive year, winning 10 of 12 games.  They also during the season recorded their 900th all-time victory and currently rank 3rd in the nation in total wins.  Over the past three years, the Tigers have compiled an outstanding 38-4 record and placed 24 players on the All-Ohio teams.