Here are the winners of the Massillon-McKinley Squares Board Contest:
1st Quarter (6-0) – Helle Tonn ($200)
2nd Quarter (21-7) – Tammy Wolfe / Julie Verne ($200)
3rd Quarter (23-7) – Paula Russ ($200)
Final (23-13) – Bob Wagner ($400)
Thank you to everyone who participated.
Josh Weir, The Repository
‘This game means everything’: Massillon football dominates start, cruises to win vs. McKinley
MASSILLON — Saturday’s sunny, 70-degree weather was perfect for the 133rd meeting of the Massillon and Canton McKinley high school football teams.
Perfect also could describe the first 15 minutes of the game for the Tigers.
Massillon jumped all over McKinley early and cruised from there for a 23-13 win in front of 14,474 fans at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.
By the 9:03 mark of the second quarter, the Tigers led 21-0, had run 26 plays to McKinley’s six and were well on their way to a seventh straight win in the rivalry.
“We went out and executed and kind of got them on their heels a little bit,” Massillon head coach Nate Moore said. “I wish we would’ve kept the pedal to the metal. We didn’t offensively. Defensively, that was a pretty awesome performance from start to finish.”
Massillon now leads the all-time series 75-53-5. McKinley hasn’t won in Massillon since Ron Johnson’s Bulldogs were victorious 40-17 in 2010.
“This game means everything to our program,” said Moore, now 79-21 in 100 games as Massillon’s coach and just one behind Paul Brown (80-8) on the Tigers all-time wins list. “Everything we do, everything we prepare for is for this moment right here. I’m so proud of our staff and our kids and everybody associated with the Massillon Tigers.”
Both Massillon (8-1) and McKinley (5-5) move on to the playoffs next week, and both are quite familiar with their first-round opponents. According to JoeEitel.com, the Tigers are No. 1 in Division II, Region 7 and will host No. 16 Perry (4-6) in the first round. McKinley is No. 6 in Division I, Region 1 and will host No. 11 GlenOak (4-6), which just lost 40-7 at home last week to the Bulldogs.
Official pairings will be announced Sunday.
McKinley’s problems started right away Saturday when senior wide receiver Cynceir McNeal injured his ankle covering the opening kickoff and did not return. The 6-foot-4 McNeal is McKinley’s biggest weapon in the passing game and his absence certainly contributed to the nightmare start.
So did a Massillon offense that pounded at McKinley with its Willtrell Hartson-led running game.
“It was terrible,” McKinley head coach Antonio Hall said. “We couldn’t get going on the ground. We were missing reads in the pass game. Receivers and quarterbacks weren’t on the same page. Defensively, we were blowing coverages. Our eyes were bad. It was a bad start.”
The Tigers limited McKinley to 199 yards of offense, including only 26 on the ground, and put heavy pressure on Bulldogs quarterback Keaton Rode.
Meanwhile, Massillon’s ground game was productive as usual, often using six linemen and 6-foot-6, 230-pound tight end Nolan Davenport. The Tigers ran it 53 times, led by Hartson’s 131 yards and two touchdowns on 35 carries. The senior Hartson, who has eclipsed 100 yards rushing in each of Massillon’s nine games, also caught a 30-yard pass to set up a touchdown.
Junior Dorian Pringle and sophomore Mylen Lenix added a combined 70 yards on 14 carries for Massillon, with Pringle doing some short-yardage damage and running in a two-point conversion. The 5-11, 220-pound Pringle also made a huge impact at middle linebacker for the Tigers, who have won eight straight games since a season-opening loss to Cincinnati Moeller.
Massillon ran the ball nine of its first 10 plays Saturday. The 11th play was a perfect 40-yard touchdown strike from sophomore Jalen Slaughter to senior Ardell Banks for a 6-0 lead.
Slaughter mixed in some good throws to complement the Tigers’ ground attack and finished 10-of-14 for 157 yards, the TD to Banks and an interception by McKinley’s DJ Lewis on a deep ball.
“He played a nice game,” Moore said about his lefty QB. “Distributed the ball well and took some shots. I’m really proud of him.”
Banks finished with 63 yards on four grabs. Braylyn Toles added 53 yards on four receptions.
McKinley found a little life late in the first half. Rode hit junior Alex Vazquez up the seam for a 40-yard touchdown with five seconds left. McKinley trailed 21-7 and was getting the second-half kickoff.
But McKinley’s first possession of the second half stalled at Massillon’s 43, with the Tigers’ Marcus Moore delivering a hit to Rode as he threw on third down.
With no McNeal and sophomore running back Nino Hill limited to 28 yards on 10 carries, the Federal League-champion Bulldogs looked nothing like the team that averaged 41.8 points during its five-game winning streak.
“We just couldn’t get a rhythm,” Hall said. “It was a bust here, a bust there. We just couldn’t get it going.
“…. We knew they were going to blitz us because they’ve been blitzing everyone all year. We prepared for it. They just played a helluva game.”
Rode threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Keith Quincy with 2:41 left and finished 11-of-25 for 173 yards, two TDs and no interceptions.
Adding to McKinley’s headaches, Kaden Billman, who handles the punting and (at times) kickoff duties, was found to have COVID on Friday and wasn’t available Saturday. So McKinley had to turn to Quincy to punt for the first time this season and brought up freshman Tommy Mankowski to handle kickoffs.
Massillon’s only points of the second half came when a McKinley punt snap sailed high over Quincy’s head and out of the end zone for a safety late in the third quarter.
The second half was disjointed for both teams. Then things turned ugly late as the jawing turned up a notch.
McKinley senior linebacker Bryan Foster and Massillon junior defensive back Adonis Vaughan were ejected for a scuffle after a McKinley onside kick. Both will have to sit the first half of next week’s playoff openers.
“It’s tough,” Moore said. “You understand the emotions of a rivalry game. But you want to win with class. And we want to make sure we do our part in that.”
Added Hall, “In this rivalry, that’s going to happen, especially at the end and things aren’t going certain guys’ ways. But we don’t teach that, we don’t coach that nor do we tolerate that in this program.”
This Saturday at 2:00 pm Massillon and Canton McKinley will renew their storied rivalry for the 133rd time in one of the longest high school football rivalries of the country. The Tigers currently hold the all-time win-loss advantage with 74 victories against 53 defeats and five ties in a series that began in 1894. The Bulldogs held the edge throughout the early history, but Massillon pulled even in 1950 with a 33-0 win. Since that time, the Tigers have a record against the Pups of 49-28-0. They have also won ten of the last eleven meetings. This year match will be held at Massillon’s Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, where the Tigers hold a 26-14-1 edge. The last McKinley win at PBTS was in 2010.
The Book on Massillon
The Tigers dropped their opener against state power Cincinnati Moeller, 49-31, but have since reeled off eight straight wins. Their signature win came in Week 5 against defending Division 1 state champion Lakewood St. Edward, which was ranked No. 1 in the state at that time. After falling behind 14-0 early, Massillon rallied to take a 21-19 lead into the locker room. After the Eagles went ahead in the fourth quarter and were in position end the game, linebacker Dorian Pringle stripped the St. Eds running back of the ball to give the Tigers a final chance. Eight plays later quarterback Jalen Slaughter connected with Braylyn Toles on perfectly thrown 24-yard pass to secure a 31-28 victory. The following week Massillon handed Austintown Fitch their only loss of the season, 49-28. Nate Moore is in his eighth season as head coach of the Tigers and while there has compiled a record of 78 wins and 21 loses (.788), including a 6-1 mark against McKinley.
Massillon’s season:
Individual statistics leaders:
Team statistics
Rankings
The Book on Canton McKinley
The Bulldogs started the season slowly, dropping their first four games, including losses to Mentor and Austintown Fitch. But they then rebounded with five straight victories to take command of the Federal League standings. During the winning stretch, they outscored their opponents by an average of 42-17. The difference was the insertion of sophomore running back Nino Hill, an early season transfer from Alliance, and marked improvement from quarterback Keaton Rode. McKinley’s signature win came in Week 7 when they defeated pre-season Federal League favorite Uniontown Lake, 36-26. In that game, the Bulldogs were adept at maintaining possession of the ball with time-consuming drives and taking advantage of several Blue Streak mistakes. Antonio Hall is in his second season as head coach of the Bulldogs and while there has compiled a record of 13 wins and 9 losses (.591), including an 0-1 mark against Massillon.
McKinley’s season:
Individual statistics leaders:
Team statistics
Rankings
Summary
Both teams have shown the ability score points with dominant rushing attacks and effective passing. Defensively, Massillon appears to have the stronger rush defense, while McKinley holds a slight edge in pass defense.
For Massillon, they need to establish the run like they have in previous games. Willtrell Hartson has shown that he can carry the load for the entire game and has become a bruising runner, while also having the ability to break the long one. Also, the Tigers have been quite successful with their 2-back alignment by inserting 225 lb. Dorian Pringle or 205 lb. Peytton Mitchell along with Hartson in short yardage situations. If McKinley decides to load the box, something they have not been prone to do over the past several years, the burden may then fall on Jalen Slaughter and his talented receivers to move the ball. The bottom line is that the Bulldogs will absolutely need to stop the run if they hope to win.
For McKinley, they need to show a balanced attack. Few teams have had success running the ball up the middle against the Tigers and only moderate success to the edge. But Nino Hill has proven to be an exceptional runner, one who is fast and has the ability gets those extra yards in traffic. But he alone will not win this game. The Bulldogs also need production from quarterback Keaton Rode, who is adept at both passing and running. That’s where Massillon’s devastating blitz package comes into focus, something that can take away the big play. The defensive front is sufficiently big and talented to draw double-teams from the offensive linemen, which frees up the linebackers to put tremendous pressure on the quarterback. In fact, this group is on pace to establish a new Massillon record for tackles-for-loss. They currently have 64 TFLs along with 19 quarterback sacks.
Look for this game to once again be close at halftime and then decided in the second half.
Massillon (6-1) defeated Canisius, New York (3-3), 42-7. The Tigers will now take a week off before hosting Canton McKinley (4-4).
Canisius, NY
It was a most unusual game. Canisius (3-3) led in first downs, 14-12. They led in plays run, 63-36. They held the ball for 23 minutes longer. And the Tigers just couldn’t get off the field on defense. The Crusaders’ sprint run game to the perimeter and short passes kept many drives alive, as nearly half of the drives ended in the Massillon half of the field. But in the end, it was the scoreboard that counted the most and Canisius managed to achieve just a single touchdown.
One problem was that the Tigers scored so quickly when they had the ball. Their first five TDs came on the end of drives lasting just 3, 2, 3, 4 and 3 plays in building a 35-0 lead by early in the third quarter. Another issue was that the game mimicked that of many previous seasons when facing opponents in a game prior to Beat McKinley Week. The level of intensity was just not there for all four quarters. I guess that’s just the nature of the beast.
Nevertheless, this one was over by halftime, with Massillon ahead 28-0. And they had only run 15 plays to get there. Yes, they ran only 36 plays for the entire game, but they averaged 8.8 yards per play against a team that really wasn’t all that bad. Massillon just had too many athletes on the field.
Quarterback Jalen Slaughter was sacked on the first play and did throw an incomplete pass on the next try. But then it was time to light it up, which came on a 63-yard pass to Kyler Wiggins. After that, Slaughter did just about what he wanted. It also helped that Canisius was loading the box to stop Willtrell Hartson, which left the receivers in one-on-one coverage, setting up many mismatches.
Defensively, the front seven completely controlled the run game up the middle and pressured the quarterback all night. They recorded nine tackles for loss for negative 37 yards, including a pair of quarterback sacks. They also had two pass interceptions. And, accounting for the lost yardage, held the rushing attack to just 1.6 yards per attempt. The quarterback did complete 60% of his passes, but just for 7.5 yards per catch, which wasn’t enough to get it done when it counted the most.
“It was a really strange game,” said Massillon Head Coach Nate Moore, who is just two wins away from tying Paul Brown’s all-time win record as a Tiger coach. “A strange flow to the game. We scored so fast that they were able to hold onto the ball a lot. I wish we were able to put them away earlier. It was just a miserable game. But we scored six touchdowns on 36 plays. Defensively, we played well for a lot of the game. But they were able to put some drives together. I’m happy it’s over.”
The guest players this week were offensive lineman Mike Mercurio and linebacker Chase Bond.
Stats leaders:
Canada Prep RICC
In a rare scheduling ploy, Moore decided to take an open date in Week 9 as he was unable to secure a suitable pre-McKinley opponent. Instead, he opted for a junior varsity game against Canada Prep’s RICC varsity team. And it will be played on a Friday night under the lights with all the normal varsity game festivities, except for fireworks. “I’m excited to get our young guys out there and see what they can do under the lights on a Friday night,” said Moore.
For this game, Massillon will suit up every varsity player, except for the normal starters. So it will be somewhere between a varsity and a JV squad.
Incidentally, the open date will result in the Tigers receiving an average of the other nine games in the computer rankings and it will actually provide a benefit in that RICC has yet to win a game.
Schedule to date:
RICC is comprised of a mixture of Canadian and international players. Their roster is on the smaller side and they have struggled with the American game. Their strength is in the size of the offensive and defensive lines, which may present some challenges for their Massillon counterparts. The quarterback is pretty good and he has some fine receivers to target. But the Tigers will have a decided advantage in the skill positions.
The RICC offense normally aligns with the quarterback in the shotgun, a single running back, three wide receivers and a tight end. Defensively, they use a 4-3 front group with two deep safeties.
Go Tigers!
Peter Holland Jr., The Repository
MASSILLON — Not to think that it was a quick-and-easy win for the Massillon football, but in just 36 plays – and only 12 minutes and 38 seconds of time of possession – the Tigers did a lot of damage.
The Tigers rolled to a 42-7 win Friday night over Buffalo (N.Y.) Canisius, gaining 318 total yards to extend their winning streak to seven games.
By halftime, the Tigers led 28-0. Their time of possession in the first two quarters was only five minutes. It took only three plays for the Tigers to get on the board in their first series.
The Tigers continue to sit with only one loss on the season and extend their winning streak to seven straight victories in seven different ways.
OHSAA football schedule:2022 football calendar
By halftime, the Tigers led 28-0. Their time of possession in the first two quarters was only five minutes. It took only three plays for the Tigers to get on the board in their first series.
“We always wanted to score as fast as we can, essentially,” Massillon coach Nate Moore said. “It just worked out like that with how they defended us. We weren’t worried about time of possession.“
Willtrell Hartson, Stark County’s leading rusher entering the night, didn’t get a lot of carries like he’s received in recent weeks. But all it took was one big run to put him at 101 yards in only eight carries. That’s his eighth consecutive game rushing for more than 100 yards. He also scored three total touchdowns, two on the ground.
Massillon (7-1) took it to the air, too. Jalen Slaughter threw three touchdowns to three different receivers. None of them were to leading receiver Ardell Banks, showing the depth of playmakers the Tigers possess.
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On their third play of the game, Slaughter connected with Kyler Wiggins (82 yards and two catches) for a 65-yard touchdown pass. Slaughter went deep again to find Ja’Meir Gamble for a 43-yard TD, and tossed TD pass on a wheel route to Hartson in the red zone. Mylen Lenix’s touchdown in the fourth quarter closed out the scoring for Massillon.
“Is that what we were planning for? Yes. And they did go out there and actually defended us,” Moore said. “They were loading the box. We matched up on the outside and took advantage of it.”
“Ardell (Banks) draws a lot of attention. So, he’s helping us make plays even when he’s not catching the ball because two or three guys have to be concerned about him. Jalen did a nice job finding some of those guys and those guys ran great routes and caught the ball.”
Massillon (5-1) defeated Middletown, Delaware, 42-24. The Cavaliers are the No. team in Delaware. This week Massillon plays Canisius, New York (3-2). The all-time series is tied 1-1.
Middletown, DE
The Cavaliers struck early with an effective passing attack. Scoring on their first and third possessions of the night, quarterback Austin Troyer completed 10 of 15 passes for 171 yards, including long completions of 29 and 30 yards. But after that, Massillon pulled up the corners and safeties and blitzed often. That kept Middletown in check for the better part of the next two quarters, while the Tigers built an insurmountable 35-12 lead by the end of three.
The offense also started out slowly. Massillon had practiced against an odd front all week and then Middletown came out with an even front. It took a couple possessions to adjust, but then the “O” just took off, scoring touchdowns on its next three possessions and rolling up 148 yards of offense on 21 plays.
Willtrell Hartson had another good night, recording his 7th consecutive game of 100 yards or more rushing. This time he rambled for 198 yards and scored three touchdowns, bringing his season totals to 1,096 yards and 16 rushing touchdowns. Quarterback Jalen Slaughter also had an effective night, tossing three touchdown passes, two to Ardell Banks (7) and a third to Kyler Wiggins, his first of the year. The offense converted 6 of 11 third down tries. For the season, Tigers have been successful 51% of the time on third down, which is the best mark achieved during Nate Moore’s 8-year tenure as head coach.
On defense, the front seven continues to excel, this time holding the Cavaliers to negative ten yards on the ground. They also sacked Troyer five times for a loss of 57 yards. Middletown only converted 4 of 12 third down tries. For the year, the Tigers have surrendered just 2.8 yards per rush, a mark matching that of Massillon’s great rushing defense of last season. The group has also sacked the quarterback this year 16 times, which ranks 7th all-time for a complete season. The record is 29 and it may be in jeopardy of falling.
“That was a good football team,” said Moore. “The quarterback was as good as advertised. They had treat receivers. WE got pressure on the quarterback. Got some stops. Got the offense going. And it secured the game.”
The guest players were Willtrell Hartson, Mike Mercurio and Chase Bond. Their comments were as follows:
Stats leaders:
Canisius, NY
Massillon will face Canisius this Friday in a battle of Ohio vs. New York. The Crusaders are making their third trip to Tigertown, having won the first encounter, 45-35, and dropped the second (last year), 23-13. Canisius appears to be struggling somewhat this season, while dealing with a roster of just 30 players. Although, they have won three of five games. Their scores so far:
“I like the out-of-state matchups,” said Moore. “Seeing what they are doing.” He also said that Massillon in this one represents the state of Ohio. He’s hoping the team will have an Ohio flag in their hands when they come out of the tunnel on Friday.
Offensively, Canisius lines up in multiple formations, often employing four wide receivers in a twin set. The offensive line is good up the middle, while they have a big, strong running back in junior Dyrell Howard (6′-1″, 220). Quarterback Nicholas Penuvchtev is a good player and can make plays. His primary receiver is sophomore Jayden Clark (5′-11″, 175). But also keep an eye on senior Mike Doctor (6;-2″, 195).
Defensively, they utilize four linemen, while the secondary aligns in a 2-high set with quarter coverage. The best player on the line is Howard. The top linebacker is junior Nyzell Lash (6.-0″, 180), who is their No. blitzer.
Depth and experience could be issue for the Crusaders. Five starters go both ways. In addition there are only three seniors on offense and three on defense. Finally, Moore believes that there are areas that the Tigers can exploit.
Peter Holland Jr., The Repository
MASSILLON — On a chilly, fall night at Paul Brown Tigers Stadium, the Massillon Tigers brought some heat to the visiting powerhouse from Delaware, beating the Middletown Cavaliers 42-24 Friday.
Middletown just couldn’t handle the pressure. The pressure of Massillon’s defensive front, which helped the Tigers win their sixth straight game.
The Tigers’ defense got after it as they registered five sacks and a handful of hurries on Middletown’s quarterback Austin Troyer. While he did throw for three touchdowns, two in the first half, the Tigers’ defensive line made their presence known in the backfield. According to Massillon head coach Nate Moore, the key was forcing Middletown to eliminate running the football and making the Cavs a one-dimensional offense.
“I thought they played well,” Moore said after the game. “They couldn’t run the ball on us, at least consistently and that was key to the ballgame. Even when they were a good throwing team, we were able to make them one-handed. Then when you get to them in long situations … we were able to bring the pressure and started to get home during the game.”
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Dorian Pringle, Michael Wright Jr. and Malachi Card were the sack leaders on Massillon’s defense. Brandon Carman forced a fumble, and Chase Bond recovered it early in the third quarter. Cody Fair also recovered a fumble created by Pringle and Ryan Page.
“We had to get the ball out quickly. No. 45 (Wright Jr.) is a wonderful football player,” Middletown’s coach Zachary Blum said. “I’m sure he is going to play Power 5 football somewhere. Their linebackers did a great job in the pressure game. Our thought is to get the ball out quickly, hit on the edges and the perimeter and make these guys tackle in space.”
Massillon’s defense prevented that for the most part. Middletown did take an early 12-0 lead, then it was all Massillon. The Tigers (6-1) scored 35 unanswered points to take control of the game.
“After that first touchdown, it was kind of a wake-up call for us and it kind of set the tone for us the rest of the game and we knew what we were getting ourselves into,” said Zach Liebler, who led the Tigers in receiving yards with 56 yards and a touchdown.
What was working for the Tigers was running the football, led by senior Willtrell Hartson again. He ran for 198 yards and three touchdowns a week after netting 274 yards in their victory over Austintown Fitch. Sophomore quarterback Jalen Slaughter threw three TD passes and was 10-of-18.
Hartson said the Tigers got off to a slow start, “but we picked it up and started running hard.”
Liebler gave credit to Massillon’s defense for its limitless amount of pressure. “They completely dominated the game … to put the pressure on the quarterback and stop the run game.”
It’s not often that you see a game like Massillon’s 49-28 victory over Austintown Fitch; one in which the Tigers ran the ball 64 times for 406 yards. The last time the Tigers did that against a good team was in 1991 when they defeated Canton McKinley, 42-13. In that one, they ran the ball for 402 yards on 60 attempts. Spearheading that performance was Travis McGuire, who rolled his way through 302 yards, setting a new Massilon single-game rushing record. He also scored a whopping five touchdowns.
In last Friday’s game it was Willtrell Hartson, who carried the ball 40 times and gained 274 yards, while scoring four touchdowns. It was also his sixth consecutive 100-yard+ game. Here’s how those stats stack up historically for the orange and black:
With six games in the books, Hartson has now carried the ball 141 times for 898 yards and scored 13 touchdowns. Should Massillon advance to the state finals, here is what Hartson would need to make the record book for single season records:
The team offense also cracked the Top ten for the number of rushing attempts in a single game with 64, tying the Mansfield game of 1993 and placing 3rd. The record is 69, set by the 1992 team vs. Youngstown East. Unfortunately, the 406 yards gained on the ground did not make the Top 10. The current No. 10 mark is 452.
Earlier this year, in Massillon’s 41-12 victory over Warren Harding, quarterback Jalen Slaughter complete 14 of 19 passes for 248 yards and 4 touchdowns with no interceptions, earning an efficiency rating of 252.8. That performance is now No. 10 in the record book.
Incidentally, Massillon has now scored 30 or more points in six consecutive games, which is ranked 6th all-time. The record was set by Paul Brown’s 1939 team and later tied by Nate Moore’s 2018 team, which each had nine.
Massillon (5-1) defeated Austintown Fitch, 49-28. The Tigers now lead the series with the Falcons, 20-8-0. It was the second consecutive victory over an undefeated, state-ranked team, the former being Lakewood St. Edward. This week Massillon plays the first of two out-of-state opponents: Middletown, Delaware (2-1), at home. The Cavaliers are rated No. 1 in Delaware.
Austintown Fitch rolled into town last Friday with their high-powered offense, one that was loaded with skilled athletes. And they did not hide the fact that they were bent on breaking a 5-game losing streak to Massillon in this showcase of two state-ranked teams. But the Tigers avoided a letdown following the St. Eds game and brought the wood in a literal beat down, sending the Falcons home with their first loss of the season. They did it with a bruising rushing attack that racked up over 400 yards on the ground. It was a game that was won in the trenches, on both sides of the ball, with the defense holding Fitch to a mere 49 yards on the ground. Any offense the Falcons had came through the air. A one-dimensional attack is just not enough to stay with a team the caliber of Massillon.
For the record, the Tigers rushed 64 times for 406 yards at 6.3 yards per carry. Nearly all of the runs were up the middle as the offensive line simply punished the Falcon front seven. It was so devastating that according to the guest players they simply had enough by the end of the third quarter. Senior Willtrell Hartson, while producing his sixth consecutive 100 yard plus game, racked up 275 yards in 40 carries. For the season he now has 898 yards. Junior Dorian Pringle added 77 and sophomore Peytton Mitchell another 44 , which were big nights for both of these players.
But a ball-control ground attack was not the original game plan. The plan called for more of a balanced attack. Only, after the first few passes did not end well and it was evident that there was a mismatch in the run game, the coaches decided to just stay with the run for the rest of the game. By the end, the offense had doubled Fitch’s time of possession and racked up 28 first downs (Top 10 all-time) and seven rushing touchdowns (4 by Hartson and 3 by Pringle), and they never punted. Although two passes were intercepted in scoring territory. They also converted 10 of 12 third downs, while picking up the remaining two on fourth down runs. The 2-back offense was also effective in short yardage situations.
“The story of the game was the offensive line,” said Head Coach Nate Moore. “It was a dominating game from start to finish. The backs ran hard. I know we have the best coaching staff in the state of Ohio. This is the first time we made Fitch’s defensive line tap out.” And it may have been the best performance since Moore has been at Massillon.
The game is reminiscent of Massillon 42-13 victory over Canton McKinley in 1991. In that one, the Tigers rushed 60 times for 402 yards. And Travis McGuire carried the ball 36 times for 302 yards, setting a Massillon rushing record for total yards in a single game. Only three passes were thrown.
The Falcons, in spite of their defensive shortcomings, did display some of the offense that they are known for this year, at least in the air. Junior quarterback Deshawn Vaughn completed 16 of 23 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns. He also scored a rushing TD. In the receiving department, Jayden Eley caught six passes for 143 yards and a touchdown and Dan Evans III grabbed six for 48 yards. But their two stellar running backs were held to a combined 30 yards on 12 carries.
The guest players were:
Stats leaders:
Middletown
Middletown, is located in the northern part of Delaware, some 56 miles south of Philadelphia. With a population in 2020 of 23,192, their football team participates with ten other schools in Division 3A, which is the largest classification in the state.
This year the Cavaliers have a 2-1 record, having defeated rival Smyrna 21-14 and lost to Philadelphia St. Joseph Prep, the nation’s No. 25 team, 42-0. In the prior five years they compiled an overall mark of 46-8, including a state championship last year and three prior state runners-up. Later this year they will play Florida’s IMG Academy, the nation’s No. 5 team.
“They are a very good team,” said Moore. “Very seasoned team. Really good at the skill positions.”
Offensively, they operate out of the spread formation, led by junior quarterback Austin Troyer (6′-3″, 185). He has offers from UConn and Temple. He’s very accurate and has good arm strength. The top receiver is Ty’Renne Hynson (6′-2″, 175). He has good size, good hands, is very athletic and makes a lot of plays. The running back is senior Michael Pearson (5′-9″, 195), who has committed to Navy. But they struggle running the ball and therefore put it in the air around 65% of the time.
On defense, they are normally in a 3-3 odd-stack or 3-4 alignment. Some 4-man line. They have really good team speed and skill and fly to the ball. All are solid players. Junior safety Ronnell Davis (6′-2″, 180) has an offer from West Virginia. Junior defensive end Tristen Graham (6′-3″, 245) is a very physical player, who runs a 4.5 40-yard dash.
Football Showcase
Next year Massillon will host a football showcase sponsored by a Northeast Ohio football group. The event will feature four games at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium during the first week of the season. Presumably, there will be four top NE Ohio teams, including Massillon, playing four out-of-state teams.
Go Tigers!
Peter Holland Jr., The Repository
MASSILLON — The Massillon Tigers were on the run, and it’s not referring to their five-game winning streak. The Tigers ran the football a lot Friday night, and Austintown Fitch had no answer for it at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.
The Tigers depended heavily on their running attack in handing Fitch its first loss, 49-28, in a battle of state-ranked high school football teams. It’s the second straight game Massillon handed a state-ranked team its first loss of 2022, after knocking off the state’s No. 1-ranked Division I team, St. Edward, a week ago.
Massillon rolled up 406 yards, led by Willtrell Hartson, who delivered yet another big game. The senior finished the night with 274 rushing yards on 40 carries, 50 yards shy of his own school record he set his sophomore year. He scored four of Massillon’s seven touchdowns on the ground.
Hartson entered the game ranked fourth in the area in rushing and he put himself into position to move up higher. He’s rushed for at least 100 yards in all six Massillon games this season.
Dorian Pringle, who also anchored the defensive effort for Massillon, ran for 77 yards and two touchdowns.
Peytton Mitchell added 44 yards on the ground for the Tigers and a rushing touchdown as well.
Massillon head coach Nate Moore refused to comment on the win to The USA Today Network after the game. However, Fitch’s coach TJ Parker credited the Tigers’ offensive line for creating gaps for the Massillon trio in the backfield.
“Don’t get me wrong, Willtrell is special, but I think it’s more on the offensive line, and what they were doing. He won his fair share of one-one ones,” Parker said after the game. “He did that and made some special plays . He’s a special player, and we know that, but there were times we had him bottled up and he made his plays and there were times we had him bottled up and we kept him bottled up, but I think what you saw throughout the game was there push off up front, and they moved us.”
Fitch (5-1) entered the game ranked ninth in Division II by the Associated Press, but had its hands full against the Tigers, who are ranked No. 3 in Division II.
Massillon’s passing attack — which came up big in recent games — was limited in its impact Friday (50 total yards and two interceptions). But the running game more than made up for it as the Tigers controlled the line of scrimmage.
“They beat us up,” Parker said. “We learned a hard lesson tonight.”
Fitch kept it competitive despite trailing by at least two possessions much of the night. Leading the way for the Falcons was their quarterback Deshawn Vaughn, who also plays defensive back and made one of the two interceptions. Vaughn threw three touchdown passes and added one more score on the ground. He completed 16 of 23 passes for 266 yards.
“He’s a complete warrior,” Parker said about Vaughn. “I think early on the first bubble screen that they blitzed really kind of threw him off. From there after he got the jitters out, he got back to his gutsy self and started making some plays and I thought offensively, we kept battling. They took things away. That was a very good box that we went against and we battled.”