St. John’s College HS Makes Massillon’s Schedule That Much…
St. John’s College HS Makes Massillon’s Schedule That Much Stronger
The last team added to the 2023 Massillon schedule was St. John’s College, located in the District of Columbia. This completed an already strong Tiger schedule that includes Valdosta, GA, Lakewood St. Edward, Middletown, DE, Austintown Fitch and Canton McKinley.
St. John’s, located in Chevy Chase, Washington D.C., was established in 1851 as the second oldest Christian Brothers school in the U.S. and is currently affiliated with the De La Salle Brothers. It is also the oldest Army Junior ROTC school in the country. With an enrollment of 1,100, it is a co-educational school with 100% of its students enrolled in college prep. Tuition is $22,950. In 2021, St. John’s graduates received $34 million in scholarship money.
In football, St. John’s is a member of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, which also includes three other schools: Our Lady of the Good Counsel (Olney, MD), Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) and DeMatha (Hyattsville, MD). At the end of the season the league holds its own 4-team playoff. Incidentally, Massillon played Gonzaga in 1982 and defeated them 23-0.
Last year the Cadets finished with a record of 8-4. In non-conference play they defeated Massillon opponent Middletown, DE (42-0), while losing to 12-1 Chaminade-Madonna, FL (35-28). In league play they beat rival Gonzaga as their only win. However, in the playoffs they upended Good Counsel in the semifinals (14-10) and then topped DeMatha (7-3) to win the league championship.
For many years football was an afterthought with three to five wins per year and an average Calpreps.com national computer rating of 33 (for comparison, Massillon’s rating last year was 53). However, in 2013 the school took a step upward into the ranks of the elite. From 2013 to 2015 they averaged eight wins per season and earned a Calpreps ranking of 56. Then, another step upward began in 2016 and they hold that level today. Over the past seven years their ranking has averaged 63, which places them closer to the 73 rating of Lakewood St. Edward, Ohio’s Division 1 state champion the last two years. They have also been ranked first in the D.C. area in eight of the past nine years and ranked in the National Top-50 three times in the last five years.
St. John’s plays mostly local opponents, but will occasionally venture out of their metro area or host a distant team. In 2017 they decided to test the waters by scheduling California power De La Salle and they were competitive in a 35-31 loss. Then, in 2018 they defeated 9-4 Hoover, AL (42-14) and 13-1 Christian Brothers, MO (50-49), finishing 9-1. Life was good, but not so much the following year when they appeared to over-schedule a bit, losing to Philadelphia St. Joseph Prep, PA (34-30), Duncanville, TX (35-14), perennial national champion Mater Dei, CA (53-24) and IMG Academy, FL (35-21), while slipping to 7-5. So, in 2021 following the Covid year, they scaled it back and achieved an 11-0 mark, their only unbeaten team in the past 20 years. Included in that was a win over 8-5 Don Bosco, NJ (27-6).
The Cadets return some good skill position talent from last year’s team, including:
- Quarterback Isaiah French, who completed 76 of 117 passes (65%) for 827 yards (10.9) and 5 touchdowns.
- Running back Da’Juan Riggs, who carried the ball 118 times for 962 yards (8.2) and scored 15 TDs.
- Wide receiver Jason Woods, who caught 17 passes for 165 yards (9.7) and a pair of touchdowns.
- Linebacker Jordan Seaton, a 4-star recruit.
Their offense operates out of the spread with a single running back and multiple wide receiver formations. But it is run-first. The quarterback is athletic and will run off of the read-option. All of the skill position players have great speed. The line has good size.
The defense aligns in a 3-4, cover-2 with the safeties pulled up to 10 yards off the ball. On occasion, they will walk a safety up toward the line. They are very stingy on the short pass and have the speed to go man-to-man on the deep routes. All of the players are very athletic.
Playing at 5’-9”, 155 lbs., his primary position was right halfback, where he became the second leading scorer with 54 points, behind Ivory Benjamin, who had 90. That included seven rushing touchdowns, six PATs and a 79-yard kickoff return for a score against Canton Lincoln. Two of his rushing touchdowns came against 
Hershberger first played with the White Sox AAA Club Pacific Coast League’s San Diego Padres where he batted .310. But it didn’t take long before he was called up by the big club, where he played outfield from 1961-64. The next two stops were Kansas City and Oakland, covering 1965-69. His final home was the Milwaukee Brewers in 1970. But before retiring, he returned to the White Sox for one final year.
In 2007, the 
Most Valuable Player Willtrell Hartson. A commemorative football was also presented which displays the rushing and scoring records he set.
Offensive Player of the Year Ardell Banks and Defensive Player of the year Dorian Pringle.
John Pizzino Sr. Academic Football $1,000 Scholarship Award winner Christian Kring. Also shown are Mark Fair and Anthony Repp.
Coach of the Year Spencer Leno and Academic Award winner Yanii Berry.
Nate Moore receiving a commemorative photo display for breaking Paul Brown’s win record. Also shown are Rob Maylor and Ed Starcher.
Special Teams Player of the Year Angelo Salvino and Lineman of the Year Marcus Moore.
Through the Roof Award Winners Willtrell Hartson (Offensive Player of the Year), Marcus Moore (Leader of the Year) and Dorian Pringle (Defensive Player of the Year) presented by Ray Jeske (WTIG) (left) and and Fred Horner (Advanced Industrial Roofing) (right).
All-Ohio Players from Tiger opponents:
First Team
Bob Commings was a very successful coach for the Tigers from 1969 to 1973, compiling a record of 43-6-2, including Massillon’s last state championship (1970) and qualification for Ohio’s first ever state playoff games (1972). Commings departed following the 1973 season to become head coach of the University of Iowa and later coached at GlenOak High School, for which their field was later named.
Left to right: Hardnose Award winner Willtrell Hartson, Touchdown Club President George Mizer, Head Coach Nate Moore, Assistant Coach and previous Hardnose Award winner Bo Grunder, defensive lineman Marcus Moore and long snapper Angelo Salvino.
Willtrell Hartson receiving the Hardnose Award from Bo Grunder.
Willtrell Hartson and family
