Massillon, the 2018 Division 2 state runner-up, will play the same scrimmage foes this year as they did last year, only the sites have been reversed. The teams are Avon, Berea Midpark and Lakewood St. Edward.
Friday, August 9, 7:30 pm – at Avon. Last year the Eagles, a Division 2 school from Region 6, finished with a record of 12-2 and were tournament regional champs. They were eventually ousted by Akron Hoban in the state semifinals, 42-7. The Tigers hosted Avon in the first scrimmage of 2018 and had their way, outscoring the Eagles 4-1 in down-and-distance play and 4-0 in overtime simulation.
Friday, August 16, 7:30 pm – home to Berea Midpark. The Titans are a Division 1 team that finished 5-5 in 2018. In last year’s spirited scrimmage they were manhandled by Massillon, 6-2, in a contest that was shortened when the referees walked off the field following some brief skirmishes between the players. They ended the season in a high-scoring affair, losing 77-47 to Avon.
Thursday, August 22, 7:30 pm – home to Lakewood St. Edward. The Eagles were Division 1 state champions last year, defeating Cincinnati Colerain in the finals, 24-10, and finishing with an 11-3 season record. Nationally, they were rated 10th by Calpreps.com. Massillon and St. Eds faced each other in a final 2018 scrimmage, with play for the most part being fairly even. For those keeping score, the Tigers broke a 14-14 tie when Kyshad Mack intercepted a pass and returned it 25 yards for the deciding score.
In other news:
The Nike Football Program is scheduled for March 30 at the indoor facility. The event is open to all football players from 8th grade through senior high school.
The annual Lift-a-thon is scheduled for April 20 at WHS.
The Ohio North-South All-Star Football Game returns to Massillon’s Paul Brown Tiger Stadium this year on April 27 starting at noon. Two games are on tap, first for the lower division players and then for those from the upper divisions.
The Massillon Tiger players will participate in a clinic attended by various college coaches on May 1 at the indoor facility.
May 18 is the date for the Gold Card sale.
The Gareon Conley Youth Camp will be held on June 12 at indoor facility. Start time is 3:00 pm.
Look for the Massillon Tiger Football Booster Club booth on June 15 at the Cruise-On-In and Dance Party held in downtown Massillon.
The Tigers will participate in three 7-on-7 scrimmages: June 15 at University of Akron, June 17 at Ohio State University and June 22 at Pittsburgh University.
The Massillon Tiger Golf Outing is tentatively scheduled for August 11 at the Elms Country Club.
According to a recent article published in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Massillon will play Gateway High School from Monroeville, Pennsylvania, in Week No. 7. Gateway joins league rival Penn-Trafford on the Tiger schedule, with both games slated for Paul Brown Tiger Stadium and Penn-Trafford playing in Week No. 4. Barberton, which is also new to the schedule, will play Massillon in Week No. 8. The remaining opponents are holdovers from last year. The Tigers will have six home games and four road games.
Both PA teams fell into open dates after one of their Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League members opted to compete independently starting in 2019. Gateway is classified as a AAAAA school, which is equivalent to a Division 2 Ohio program. Last year they finished 12-1 and were ranked as the 12th best team in Pennsylvania according to CalPreps.com. Penn-Trafford is also AAAAA. They finished 9-3 last year and were ranked No. 53 by CalPreps.com. Gateway got the better of Penn-Trafford in last year’s match, 27-7.
In 2019 Paul Brown Tiger Stadium will celebrate its 80-year anniversary. Constructed in 1938-39 during the coaching tenure of the great Paul Brown, it has hosted hundreds of high school football games in front of over 3 million fans. It has also been used for state football playoff and all-star games, fireworks displays, high school graduations and band reviews. Below is an article that appeared in the game program for the Massillon vs. Cleveland Cathedral Latin contest, dated September 15, 1939, in conjunction with the opening of Tiger Stadium. The publication describes the thought process, funding and construction that made Tiger Stadium a reality.
Tiger Stadium is one of ten units in an $860,000 school building program being carried out in Massillon this year with the assistance of the Public Works Administration (PWA).
Of that $860,000, Massillon citizens will pay $473,000 and the federal government will contribute the remaining $387,000.
Tiger Stadium is the first of these units to be dedicated. It is situated in a 57-acre tract of land the city park commission purchased in 1930 from the late City Board of Trade, and which was improved for park purposes by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) at a cost of $160,000.
When the Board of Education found it impractical to expand its athletic facilities at Massillon Field, it turned elsewhere for a stadium site, and finding the new park land suitable, offered to trade Massillon Field to the City Park Commission for five acres of land.
The commission agreed, the exchange was completed and today this section of South Sippo Park is being turned into a playground for Massillon school children. It will be known as Massillon School Field and will have facilities for football, baseball, football practice, a band drill field, tennis courts, archery courts and parking space for 5,000 autos.
Sellout Tiger Stadium Crowd for the 1940 Massillon-McKinley game.
Tiger Stadium, which stands at the northeast corner of Massillon School Field, is a monument to the glories attained by Massillon’s sons on the professional as well as the scholastic gridiron. For here, professional football was born, nurtured and made one of America’s leading sports; and when professional football outgrew Massillon, the city’s high school carried on the Tiger championship gridiron tradition.
Both the PWA and the WPA participated in the construction of Tiger Stadium. The spacious steel and brick tile stands on the west side of the field and the fence surrounding it was designed by Albrecht and Wilhelm, local architects, and built by the Warren Hoffman Co. of Canton at a cost of $118,000. The grading of the field, construction of tile drains and seeding was financed by the Board of Education. The stands on the east were taken down, moved from Massillon Field and erected by the WPA, which also set the curbing for the running track and constructed storm and sanitary sewers.
The WPA likewise is widening roads leading to Massillon School Field, as well as driveways in the athletic grounds, constructing gutters, tennis courts, a baseball diamond, a band drill field, a practice field for football, archery courts and parking grounds for autos.
When completed, Massillon School Field with its Tiger Stadium will represent a $225,000 project. Of this entire project, the Federal Government has contributed $136,000, Massillon citizens $89,000.
The actual cost to the taxpayer is twelve and one-half cents per year for each thousand dollars worth of real estate he owns. The cost of financing the stadium project is nine cents per $1,000, while that of the recreation field is three and one-half cents per $1,000.
Tiger Stadium has 12,000 permanent seats. The stands on the west side will comfortably seat 7,650 patrons and that on the east side 4,250. The seats at the south end of the field are portable and will accommodate 2,000. It is probable that at the close of the football season they will be taken down, stored and erected next spring on the baseball diamond.
The overall height of the steel and brick tile stands is 60 feet while the last of the 40 rows of seats is 42 feet above the playing field. Two hundred and seventy-seven tons of structural steel support the stands. Seven hundred and fifty cubic yards of concrete were used in the structure.
The stadium contains 10,000 square feet of floor space, with accommodations for home team, visiting team, officials, ticket and faculty managers, concessions, public and private lavatories, storage space and a band room. These rooms are heated with two complete units, one for the visiting team and one for the home team’s headquarters.
Topping the stands is a 72-foot press box, one of the finest in the state, enclosed with glass, with radio compartment and telephone connections. The electric scoreboard at the south end of the field is operated from the press box.
The playing field, used as a baseball diamond for South Sippo Park, was re-graded for football, requiring the moving of 2,500 cubic yards of soil. Six thousand feet of drain tile were placed beneath the surface. A ton of fertilizer and 600 pounds of grass seed made possible the fine sod. This field will be illuminated with 135,000 watts of light flowing from 80 reflectors mounted on eight 60-foot poles. The reflectors are of latest design, each equipped with a lens.
A running track encircles the playing field. Twenty-five car loads of ashes were required to fill it.
The entire stadium is encircled by 2,200 feet of fence, 10 feet in height with an additional foot of barbed wire strands.
Though Tiger Stadium, and particularly Massillon School Field, are not entirely completed, the progress has been amazing, considering that ground was not broken until the first week of April.
The PWA share of the project has given 33,000 hours of work to men in Massillon and vicinity, while the WPA portion of the program will provide jobs for 250 men for six months.
The Massillontigers.com website continues to grow in size and attract football fans from around the country. In fact, its popularity has swelled so much that the page view count, i.e., the total number of pages that are opened by viewers over a specified period of time, has recently eclipsed the 1 million mark in just 18 months of operation. So, for anyone interested in high school football and Massillon in particular, this is the place to go.
As of the first of the year, the user data shows the following:
205,000 sessions
112,000 unique users
1,008,000 page views
Activity exploded during the past football season with a large number of users visiting the site, while peaking on game days. In fact, on the day of the Massillon-Akron Hoban playoff game, the site drew over 19,000 page views, which was an all-time single-day record for the site. It didn’t hurt that Massillon was making a serious bid for a state championship at the time.
A product of the Massillon Tiger Football Booster Club, the website was rolled out with a new design platform in July 2017. This new format is a step ahead of the old one in that it presents information in a cleaner way and features a triple combination of sports magazine, seasonal data and media guide. High school football fans would be hard pressed to find a high school football site as all-inclusive as this one.
On at least a weekly basis a new story goes up on the main page covering anything from Booster Club announcements to the current football season and looks back into Tiger football history. Currently, there is a series on the Massillon Wall of Champions, recently featuring Ben Bradley, John McVay, Harry Stuhldreher, Art Hastings, Bob Glass, Homer Floyd and Dennis Franklin.
Seasonal data is active throughout the football season and focuses on the players and coaches, and anything related game performance. In the players and coaches section there is a complete set of photos for coaches, players and staff, and rosters of the varsity and freshmen teams. The schedule section covers varsity, JV, freshmen and middle school. There is also information related to the playoffs and the future Massillon schedule.
The most comprehensive section on the website is that of history, with over 3,000 pages of information, divided into four major categories as follows:
Past Seasons: The largest of the four categories, this one features an informational page for each year, going back to 1891 when the football program got its start. Next to each game score there is a link to the respective newspaper story. And starting in 1938, statistics are included for each game and rolled up into season totals. There are also team and player records throughout the 123 years of Massillon Tiger football history. It’s all topped off with opponent series records, playoff history and championships.
Past Players: This category focuses on the individuals, with the main topic that of documenting each player that achieved All-Ohio status, collegiate All-American, a hall of fame or other important award. There are also timelines of head coaches and team captains.
Historical Accounts: This category includes narratives on Massillon football history and the All-American Conference that existed in the 1960s and 1970s.
Massillon vs. McKinley: Everything a fan wants to know about the Tigers and Bulldogs is contained in this category, from a comprehensive history of the storied rivalry to the score of each game to the Victory Bell.
Just to be complete, there are sections on the outstanding football facilities and the many support organizations.
At the end of each season, the Touchdown Club honors one of the players with the “Bob Commings Memorial Hardnose Award.” That player would have received the most votes from among weekly tallies taken by the club members. Past players honored include John Mulbach (Ohio State), David Whitfield (Ohio State), Chris Spielman (Ohio State), Shawn Crable (Michigan) and Brian Gamble (Illinois/Ashland).
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.
This year’s hardnose award winner was Jamir Thomas, the record-setting running back that led his team to a 14-1 record and runner-up finish in the state tournament. A repeat winner from last year, Jamir received the award from Bob Commings, Jr., son of the coach for which the accolade is named. Thomas holds several Massillon career records, including rushing attempts, rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, all-purpose yards, points scored and total touchdowns. This year he rushed 261 times for 1,918 yards (7.3 yards per carry) and scored 24 touchdowns. He also played a little defense! Congratulations to Jamir Thomas. Enjoy the photos of the event.
Jamir Thomas receives the 2018 Hardnose Award from Bob Commings, Jr.Dean Clark, 2018 Hardnose Award winner Jamir Thomas and Tre’von Morgan.Massillon Head Coach Nate Moore speaks to the Touchdown Club.Bob Commings, Jr.., speaks to the Touchdown ClubBob Commings, Jr., and Coach Nate Moore with 2018 Hardnose Award winner Jamir ThomasJamir Thomas delivers his Hardnose Award acceptance speech.
The final Booster Club meeting of the year was held at the WHS library in front of a large supporting audience. Head Coach Nate Moore and several players were in attendance and received a standing ovation for their effort this year in fashioning a 14-1 record and runner-up finish in the state playoffs. Booster Club President Ben Lieberman opened the meeting by reading a list of some 35 records set by the Tigers this year. Some of the more prominent ones are:
Most wins in a season (14)
Most points scored (670)
Most touchdowns scored (93)
Most offensive yards (6,244)
There were also several new season and career records set by various players, including by Jamir Thomas, who set new benchmarks for career yards and points scored. “It was a wonderfuj season for a lot of reasons and not just a 14-1 record.” said Moore. The coach then thanked the Booster Club for their support throughout the year.
Last Thursday’s game against Akron Hoban was the fourth time that Massillon had advanced in the state playoffs to the final game, only to lose each time. But that didn’t diminish the praise Coach Moore heaped upon the program. “We have an unbelievable coaching staff that really works hard,” he said. “They’re experts in what they do. It’s the best coaching staff around. Our kids were unbelievable. (When out in public) people couldn’t believe how polite our guys are. It’s been a great year because of the people we get to be around.”
The guest players were Aiden Longwell (quarterback), Justin Gaddis (center), Dean Clark (defensive back / wide receiver) and Jory Mattox (lineman). “It’s a season I’ll never forget,” said Longwell. “I want to thank you guys.” “You guys have a big impact on whatever we do,” added Clark. “We wanted to win the football game to make you happy.”
The coach then showed clips of the 42-28 loss to Hoban and responded to questions as they arose. “It (the loss) was hard to swallow because we put so much effort into it,” he said. “There were a lot of plays where we did a really good job. We just didn’t have enough of them. I couldn’t be prouder of our kids. We dug quite a hole. But the way we came out and won the second half, we played like Tigers.”
Massillon opened the game by marching down the field and putting themselves into position to post the first points of the game. But a couple of miscues stalled the drive. “We came out and really ran the ball down the field, said Moore. “We couldn’t quite get the last 20 yards. It really could have changed the complexion of the first half.”
A critical moment in the game came late In the fourth quarter with Hoban clinging to a 34-28 lead. The Knights were facing a fourth down and three at midfield and converted the first down off a fake punt with a run up the middle. “It was the biggest regret I had,” said the coach. “We should have left our defense on the field.”
The Tigers will now take the month of December off and resume activities in the weight room in January in preparation for the 2019 season opener against Akron St. Vincent. But those five extra weeks of practice throughout the playoff series was incredibly invaluable according to Moore. “It was like having spring practice.” Moore is excited about next year, beaming that Massillon has a really good group coming up. It will be built around several returning starters from this year’s varsity team and stocked with players from a junior varsity squad that finished 9-0 with wins over Cleveland St. Ignatius and Lakewood St. Edward.
Massillon’s comeback attempt falls short in Division II state title game
Nov 30, 2018 12:39 AM
Independent staff report
CANTON The deficit didn’t matter to Massillon. The only thing that did was that time remained on the clock.
That is, until even that ran out on the Tigers.
Despite a 27-point first-half deficit, Massillon pulled within a touchdown of Hoban in the fourth quarter of Thursday’s Division II state championship game. The Tigers’ comeback, however, would come up short as the Knights held on for a 42-28 victory to claim their fourth consecutive state title.
Massillon, playing in its fourth state title game and first since 2005, saw its season come to an end with a 14-1 record. However, the Tigers didn’t go down without a fight.
“I’m really proud of our guys,” Massillon coach Nate Moore said. “As bad as we played in the first half, a lot of teams wouldn’t have what it takes to come out and play the type of second half that we did. We came out and played like Tigers. We came up short in the end, but we had a chance to win in the fourth quarter, which was the goal coming out of the locker room at halftime. They made that happen.”
With 9:12 remaining in the first half, it didn’t look like it was going to happen. At that point, Hoban – 15-0 for the first time in school history – looked to be heading to yet another runaway win.
The Knights had taken a 27-0 lead thanks to four touchdowns on four possessions. Even a Zion Phifer touchdown run just over a minute after that fourth Hoban score did little to slow it down, as Shane Hamm’s 28-yard touchdown pass to Caden Clark made it a 34-7 lead heading into halftime.
“We knew Massillon was a very good football team,” Hoban coach Tim Tyyrell said. “We started off very, very well. We had a couple of mistakes in the first half, but overall, I thought we played very well in the first half.”
The second half, though, saw the story change from Hoban’s dominance to Massillon’s never-say-die approach. That approach started from the second-half kickoff, a pooch kick Andrew Wilson-Lamp recovered for the Tigers at the Knight 35.
Four plays later, Phifer – who started in place of the injured Jamir Thomas – ran for a 6-yard touchdown to pull Massillon within 34-14. Phifer finished with 82 yards on 21 carries.
“To start off the second half, we were just cleaning up the mistakes we were making in the first half,” Massillon center Justin Gaddis said. “The first half, we just weren’t playing well. The second half, we just had to step it up, and we did.”
On both sides of the football, the Tigers were able to do so. Thanks to a offensive pass interference penalty, Hoban’s subsequent drive stalled out, giving the ball right back to Massillon.
This time, it would be a 13-play, 95-yard march to the end zone for the Tigers. The last yard was covered by Kyshad Mack, pulling Massillon to within 34-21 with 56 seconds left in the third quarter.
Mack was shifted into a running back role during the week of practice. That drive would be the first time the Tigers showed it in the game, and he gave them 48 yards on five carries over the march.
“I think he was explosive in the second half,” Tiger quarterback Aidan Longwell said of Mack. “It gave them a change of pace. They weren’t expecting him to run the ball very much.”
Longwell, who was 9-of-21 for 190 yards in the game, would give Massillon its biggest jolt yet after the Tigers regained possession following another defensive stop. The junior hit Aydrik Ford on a 67-yard touchdown pass with 9:13 remaining in regulation to pull the Tigers within 34-28.
All Massillon needed was potentially one more stop in order to gain the lead. Hoban, though, would come up with arguably the biggest play of the game on its next drive.
Facing fourth-and-3 from their own 48, the Knights ran a fake punt, with Marcus Saahir carrying it five yards to the Massillon 47. Deamonte Trayanum would cap the drive off with a 2-yard touchdown run, followed by a two-point run by Mason Tipton, to make it 42-28 Hoban with 4:45 remaining.
“We closed,” said Tyrrell, whose team sealed the game with a Matt Salopek interception at the Hoban 8 with 3:22 left. “The kids kept saying, ‘We’re up, we’re up. We need one drive; we need one drive.’ That’s what we got.”
Which was enough to stave off the never-say-die Tigers one last time.
The Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association has released its Division II All-Ohio Team, with Jamir Thomas as the lone Massillon 1st Team selection off a team that will play on Thursday for the state championship. Five other Tigers were also honored. The Massillon players include:
Jamir Thomas (running back) – 1st Team
Tre’von Morgan (wide receiver) – 3rd Team
Deon Williams (offensive lineman) – 3rd Team
Max Turner (defensive back) – 3rd Team
Kyshad Mack (linebacker) – Special Mention
Dean Clark (defensive back) – Special Mention
Editor’s comment: Notably absent from the All-State group were eight other Massillon players who were either 2nd or 3rd Team All-Inland District that had outstanding seasons worthy of state recognition. The same holds true for Akron Hoban’s players. It appears that the OPSWA didn’t spend a lot of time on this and only placed 1st Team All-District honorees on their All-State team. Kind of taints the whole process, with a questionable loss of credibility.
Several players from 2018 Tiger opponents were also honored as 1st Team selections, including:
Thursday – Varsity vs. Akron Hoban (14-0) at Canton’s Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, 7:30 pm (gates open at 6:00 pm)
Massillon, now 14-0, set a new record for wins in a season with the victory over Cincinnati Winton Woods. The old mark was held by the 2005 team, which finished 13-2 after losing 24- 17 to Cincinnati St. Xavier in the state finals. With their sites now set on their first state championship in the playoff era, the Tigers are currently ranked 26th in the country by Calpreps.com and 6th in the Midwest Region by USA Today. Hoban is ranked 17th and 3rd, respectively. Regardless of the outcome Thursday, there will be a downtown celebration of the season’s success following the game .
The guest player was junior co-captain Aidan Longwell, who in the playoffs has completed of 54 of 87 passes (62%) for 822 yards and 7 touchdowns, with just one interception. “Last week we beat a great football team,” he said while addressing a large Booster Club audience. “This week we play another great football team. If we play with heart, we will win.”
After receiving a standing ovation for the team’s effort in reaching the state finals, head coach Nate Moore provided a look back at the Winton Woods game and a preview of this week’s opponent, Akron Hoban. “I’m really proud of our kids,” he said. “They played Massillon Tiger football. It was a well-called game by our assistant coaches. We only have one more week together and we know that. There’s an urgency to get it (win the state championship) done.” Then it was off to films.
Akron Hoban is 14-0 and is competing for a fourth consecutive state championship, having previously won twice in Division 3 and last year in Division 2, when the OHSAA reassigned them using their competitive balance formula. The Knights opened the season with a 21-14 victory over playoff qualifier Cleveland St. Ignatius (8-3). Since then, there were no other significant wins. But they did beat Huber Heights Wayne (7-4), 47-28, and Massillon opponent Akron St. Vincent (7-3), 35-3. In the playoffs, Hoban downed Mayfield (5-6), Garfield Heights (11-1), Maple Heights (12-1) and Avon (13-1) by significant margins. During the regular season they averaged 44 points a game and gave up 12. The last time they surrendered more than one score in a game was September 28.
Moore called Hoban a very balanced team, noting that there are no apparent weaknesses. Offensively, they run a pro-style scheme, utilizing multiple formations with the quarterback mostly under center. With a preference toward running the football, they are led by No. 25, senior running back Tyris Dickerson (5′-10″, 210 lbs.), who according to Moore is an excellent player and holds an offer from the University Akron. Also, keep an eye on No. 1, junior backup Deamonte Trayanum (5′-10″, 210 lbs.), a 4-star recruit destined for Ohio State.
The quarterback is sophomore Shane Hamm (5′-11″, 187 lbs.). When he throws, it is usually to senior Mason Tipton (6′-0″, 180 lbs.), although former Massillon player junior Caden Clark (6′-5″, 260 lbs.) will occasionally receive a pass from his tight end position. Clark is rated as a 3-star recruit and has an offer from Alabama. Watch for some screen passes throughout the game.
Moore is impressed with the offensive line. The leader of this group is senior Nolan Rumier (6′-4″, 305 lbs.), who has an offer from the University of Michigan. Next to him is junior Walter Ganous (6′-5″, 340 lbs.). This makes the left side of the line extremely potent in the running game. Overall, the line averages 6′-2″, 279 lbs.
Defensively, the Knights operate out of a 4-3. The line is very aggressive and they use their hands well, according to Moore. Like Massillon, multiple backup players keep the starters fresh. But unlike Massillon, their capability seems to drop off some when they sub. The starters average 6′-2″, 231 lbs. No. 44, senior Joseph Michalowicz (6′-3″, 220 lbs.) is the stud of this group. If not blocked well, he will make a living chasing down the quarterback.
Two linebackers play over the middle, while the third will align on the edge. Coach Moore likes these inside guys. The safeties are excellent, especially junior corner Alvin Stallworth (6′-0″, 190 lbs.). But the quarterback of this group is strong safety Deamonte Trayanum.
Coach Moore then provided his final thoughts. “Akron Hoban? They have to play us,” he said. They have to play Massillon. They have to play four quarters and we’ve been a really good second half team.”
Friday – Varsity vs. Cincinnati Winton Woods (12-1) at Gahanna Lincoln Stadium, 7:00 pm
Massillon is 13-0 for the first time in their long history, owing to a convincing 41-19 playoff victory over previously undefeated Wadsworth. The total also ties the all-time record held by the 2005 team, which lost in the Division I state finals that year and finished 13-2. This week the Tigers have a chance to set a new total wins record when they face Cincinnati Winton Woods, a team they lost to a year ago in the Division II state semifinals. Massillon is currently ranked No. 41 in the country by calpreps.com and No. 8 in the Midwest by USA Today.
Aidan Longwell (quarterback) and Dean Clark (defensive back / wide receiver) were the guest players. Longwell addressed the Booster Club attendees and remarked that Wadsworth loaded the box defensively to stop the Massillon run. “Last week they gave us good passing looks. So we took what they gave.” The result for Longwell was his best game passing of the year and second best during his two years as a starting quarterback. Against Wadsworth Aidan completed 17 of 25 passes for 305 yards and four touchdowns.
Then it was Clark’s turn. “It was a good team win,” he said, turning his attention then to this week’s opponent and their stellar running back. “If we want to win we need to wrap him up and tackle better,” he said. “On the offensive side, we need to make plays.”
Jason Jarvis (cornerbacks / special teams) was the guest coach. “They (Wadsworth) tried to play ball control and keep it away from our offense,” he said. “We didn’t tackle well. This has to change.” Wadsworth was mostly effective in doing this, rushing 56 times for 244 yards, the second most by an opponent this year behind East St. Louis. Coupled with 150 yards of passing (3rd most), the Grizzlies racked up 394 yards (2nd most). Welcome to playoff football.
Head Coach Nate Moore showed films of both Wadsworth and Winton Woods and said the Cincinnati team is very skilled, very fast and athletic.
The Warriorss operate almost entirely out of the spread offense, with an occasional tight, Perry-like wing-T look, often referred to as “flex bone.” But it all revolves around junior running back Miyan Williams (5′-10″, 210 lbs.), who this year has rushed 238 times for 2,742 yards, averages of 11.5 yards per carry and 211 yards per game. Although he will not be the fastest player on the field, he is big and hard to tackle once he gets going, and his speed is actually pretty good. Sophomore quarterback Mi’chale Wingfield (5′-9″, 178 lbs.) runs the zone read option and gives the ball to Williams about 70% of the time . But when he keeps, Wingfield is pretty effective. To date he has 95 carries for 683 yards, 7.2 yards per carry. Considered a fair passer, he has completed 52% of his tosses for 871 yards. Wingfield did not play in the season-opening 13-3 loss to Trotwood Madison. The offensive line (ave. 5′-11″, 262 lbs.) has suffered through some injuries and has used some new players late in the season. But they are a good group and very physical. The kicker most often sends his boots into the end zone.
Defensively Winton Woods will utilize a base 3-4 box (similar to Massillon) with a single high safety and receivers in man-to-man coverage. They don’t blitz a lot, but probably don’t need to since the strength of the defense is the line (ave. 6′-2″, 280 lbs.). According to Moore, they are very active and pretty good at getting to the quarterback. All of the secondary defenders return from last year.
