2026 Season Outlook

Head Coach Nate Moore begins his 12^th season as head coach of the Tigers, having compiled an overall record of 119-29. As Massillon’s longest serving head coach, he also has more wins than any previous Tiger mentor. Included in that mark are six Division II regional playoff championships and a 2023 state championship, which was the 25^th in Massillon’s long history. Last year the Tigers finished with a record of 9-4, while losing 27-21 to Big Walnut in the regional finals. During the regular season Massillon defeated Division I state power Lakewood St. Edward for the fourth consecutive time, 21-14. The Tigers also posted a 21-14 win over rival Canton McKinley, which was the tenth win in a row in that series. The goals for the 2026 season, of course, are to extend the winning streak against McKinley and return to the state championship game.

Just as in last year’s season, Massillon has five out-of-state opponents on the schedule, including NFL Academy-London, which the Tigers played in 2024 as part of the Nike Classic. That event was held at the Nike Complex, which is located in Beaverton, Oregon. Here is the schedule, along with the opponents’ 2025 season records, Massillon game scores and special notes:

Cleveland Glenville (12-3), L 27-33 O.T. – Won the the Division IV state title last year.
at Canton GlenOak (2-8) W 44-10 – 17th consecutive game.
NFL Academy-London (3-3) – Football academy sponsored by the NFL that invites players from Europe and Africa.
Canisius, Buffalo, NY (6-5) – Last played in 2024. Massillon leads the series 3-1.
at Lakewood St. Edward (11-3) W 21-14 – The Eagles won the Division I state title in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Football North, ONT (5-4) L 2-34 – Canadian football academy that plays exclusively American-style football against American opponents.
Farrell, PA (12-3) – First-time opponent. Pennsylvania Division AA state runner-up in 2025.
Cornerstone Christian Academy, San Antonio, TX (6-4) W 45-20 – Enjoyed last year’s experience enough that they wanted to return for another game.
at Warren Harding (3-6) W 42-10 – Second-longest running series. Massillon leads 62-25-3.
Canton McKinley (9-3) W 21-14 – Longest running series. Massillon leads 78-53-5.

Massillon returns eight players that started on offense plus a transfer and seven players that started on defense plus two transfers. Four players are listed as 3-star or better on the college recruiting sites.

The offense features two nationally ranked running backs and a talented corps of receivers. Tiger fans will see a change in the blocking scheme to one that works in favor of the running backs in maximizing yardage. They should also expect a more wide-open passing attack, given two strong-armed quarterbacks, a bevy of speedy receivers and a versatile tight end. Fans also anticipate improved pass protection.

Quarterback – Senior Mandwell Patterson, last year’s starting QB, completed 112 of 174 passes (64%) for 1,415 yards and 19 touchdowns. He will be challenged by 6′-4″ junior Rasmus Haines, who saw limited action last year. Both appear equally adept in the passing game, with long arms and good mid-range accuracy, while also possessing the ability to escape from the pocket. Promising freshman Adonnes McMullen will also compete for the starting role.
Running back – The strong, shifty Savior Owens (5′-11″, 210) (3.5-star) returns for a third year at the position. Last season he rushed 222 times for 1,572 yards (7.1 ave.) and scored 21 touchdowns. Subsequently, he was named Division II 1st Team All-Ohio. He has verbally committed to play for Michigan State University. Owen’s older brother quarterbacked the 2023 Tiger team to the state title. He will be spelled frequently by big, powerful senior Brayton Feister (6′-3″, 245), who transferred from Akron Hoban. Feister, who gained over 1,000 yards last year, is currently courting Division 1 Power 4 schools. In the running for the fullback position are senior returning starter Will Hymes and 6′-3″ promising junior Landon Hose.
Wide receivers – Talented seniors Deontay Malone and 6′-4″ Giorgio Jackson return at the position. Last year Malone caught 34 passes for 498 yards and 7 touchdowns. He was also a qualifier for the 2025 state track meet. Jackson grabbed 43 passes for 533 yards and 8 TDs, and was named 2nd Team All-District. He played center on the 2024-25 basketball team that captured the Division II state title. Both are headed to Division 1 programs. Others expected to make an impact include senior wide receiver Van Hawkins, 6′-5″ junior tight end Joe Pierce and 6′-5″ junior tight end Dashun Williams, a transfer from Euclid.
Offensive linemen – Three good-sized interior linemen return, including seniors Marcus Garner (6′-3″, 285), Kevin Elliott (6′-0″, 270) and Dayvionne Floyd (6′-2″, 280). Last year Floyd was named 2nd Team All-District and Garner was named Honorable Mention All-District. Garner also played on the state title basketball team. All three have college offers. The line will also be bolster by highly-recruited junior Micah Walker (6′-7″, 315), who transferred from Nordonia. Competing for the 5th spot is junior Worth Hirning, the strongest player on the team.

Given the amount of experience returning from last year, look for a defense that will be much more aggressive. The secondary is sufficiently talented this year to cover receivers man-to-man, which frees up the linebackers to blitz the quarterback. Also, expect this group to be very stingy against the run, given its size and speed across the board. In fact, nearly every player in this group will play in Division 1at the next level.

Defensive line – The lone returning starter is senior Joseph Russ-Karder (6′-4″, 240). However, this area will not expected to be a weakness, given the insertion of junior Noah Garner (6′-0″, 250), Marcus’ younger brother, and junior Brydon Feister (6′-4″, 240), who started at outside linebacker for Akron Hoban. Last year Feister was named Division II 1st Team All-Ohio at linebacker. Russ-Karder and Feister own college offers.
Linebackers – Returning at the outside linebacker positions are seniors Isaac Maxheimer and Christian Culler. Maxheimer was tagged 2nd Team All-District. The inside backers are seniors Ke’Aun Fowler and Brayton Feister (4.5-star). Last year Feister was named Division II Co-Defensive Player of the Year.
Defensive backs – This group will also be a defensive strength, as it returns three talented starters from last year, including senior cornerbacks Deontay Malone (4-star) and Chayce White, and senior safety Braylon Gamble (3-star). All three competed at the 2026 state track meet. Malone was 2nd Team All-Ohio last year and has verbally committed to Ohio State. Gamble was 2nd Team All-District and is headed to Boston College. Competing for the remaining spot is junior Geovanni Vincent.

Massillon fans will look for improved special teams performance. Watch for return specialist Deontay Malone, who ran back a punt last year at the end of the game to defeat McKinley, 21-14. Expect great improvements in both kicking and punting.

Kicker – Senior Mateo Herrera returns for a fourth campaign. Possessing great accuracy, he last year converted 56 of 57 extra points and 1 of 3 field goals. During his career he has been true on 133 of 137 PATs and 7 of 11 field goals.
Punter – Rasmus Haines returns as the punter. Last season he averaged 34.2 yards per kick, but has shown to be greatly improved on that mark this year with longer hang time and distance.
Kick returners – Deontay Malone heads this group. Last year he returned nine punts and scored one TD, with a 15.7 average. He also returned 15 kickoffs and scored a TD, with an average of 26.2. Malone has been clocked at 4.3 in the 40 yard dash.

The Tigers have high expectations with the talent pool and depth they possess, perhaps similar to that of the 2023 team that captured the Division II state title. In the playoffs they are expected once again to challenge for the Region 7 title. Standing in the way is Big Walnut, which defeated the Tigers the last two years in the regional finals, and Columbus Bishop Watterson, which has been moved into he region after capturing the Division III state title the last two years. Statewide, watch for Region 5’s Akron Hoban and Walsh Jesuit, Region 6’s Avon (2-time defending state champion) and Toledo Central Catholic, which moved up from Division III, and Region 8’s Cincinnati Anderson and Cincinnati LaSalle.