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Top Games for Week 2

Top Games for Week 2

Canton McKinley (1-0) at Lakewood St. Edward (1-0) – Last week McKinley defeated Warren Harding 33-0 and St. Edward survived Olentangy Liberty 15-12.  This one will be a real test for the Bulldogs as they find out just how good they are going to be this year.

Cleveland Glenville (0-1) at Olentangy Liberty (0-1) – Glenville was handled by Massillon 31-18, while Liberty lost 15-13 to St. Eds.  Both are looking to right the ship.  A good game to compare scores.

NFL Academy-London (1-0) at Akron Hoban (0-1) – NFL is riding high after a 44-24 victory last week over Marietta, GA.  Meanwhile, Hoban lost a late lead at West Orange, FL, in a 28-24 loss.  Massillon faces NFL next week.

Cleveland St. Ignatius (0-1) at Pickerington North (1-0) – Ignatius lost 22-21 last week to Avon, the defending Division II state champion.  Avon successfully converted a 2-point conversion with 13 seconds left in the game to avoid overtime.  North defeated Troy 31-14.

Pickerington Central (0-1) at Columbus Watterson (1-0) – Central seems to have lost its luster after losing last week to Gahanna Lincoln 35-3.  Watterson started out as expected with a convincing 35-0 win over Anthony Wayne.

Cincinnati Princeton (1-0) at Middletown (0-1) – Princeton began the season by holding off state power Cincinnati Moeller by the score of 31-24.  Meanwhile, recently strong Middletown dropped a 35-3 decision to GMC favorite Cincinnati Elder.

Cincinnati Winton Woods (0-1) at Kings (1-0) – League play begins this week in the Greater Western Ohio Conference. This early matchup has two teams chasing Cincinnati Anderson for the title.  Last week Winton Woods lost to Springfield 14-13 in overtime.  Kings defeated Cincinnati Sycamore 34-6.

Cincinnati Elder (1-0) at Covington Catholic, KY (1-0) – Last week Elder defeated Middletown 35-3.  Covington beat Ryle Union,  KY, 50-6.  Should be a good one.

In Region  7

Massillon (1-0) at Canton GlenOak (0-1)

Pickerington Central (0-1) at Columbus Watterson (1-0)

Dubln Coffman (1-0) at Big Walnut (1-0)

Columbus Walnut Ridge (0-1) at Columbus DeSales (1-0)

North Canton (1-0) at Medina (0-1)

Boardman (0-1) at Lake (1-0)

Perry (1-0) at Akron St. Vincent (0-1)

Canal Winchester (0-1) at New Albany (1-0)

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2026 Booster Club Report – Week 2 – Post-Cleveland…

2026 Booster Club Report – Week 2 – Post-Cleveland Glenville; Preview of the Canton GlenOak Game

Massillon (1-0) defeated Cleveland Glenville (0-1), 31-18.  This week Massillon travels to Canton GlenOak (0-1).

Link to the Glenville Game Story

Link to the Glenville Game Statistics

Other scores:

  • 7th Grade (1-0): Defeated Akron (Litchfield), 30-0.  Plays at Oakwood (Canton GlenOak) on Tuesday, August 25, at 6:00 pm.
  • 8th Grade (0-1): Lost to Wadsworth, 26-23.  Plays at Oakwood (Canton GlenOak) on Tuesday, August 25, at 6:00 pm.
  • Freshmen (0-1): Lost to Cleveland Glenville, 46-0.  Plays at home against Canton GlenOak on Thursday, August 27, at 6:00 pm.
  • Junior Varsity (0-1): Lost to Cleveland Glenville, 21-14.  Plays at home against Canton GlenOak on Saturday, August 29, at 10:00 am.

Review of the Cleveland Glenville Game

Rasmus Haines

Massillon got its revenge against Cleveland Glenville with a hard-fought 31-18 victory.  The offense displayed a balanced attack with 183 yards rushing and 186 passing.  Rasmus Haines, in his first-ever varsity start, completed 11 of 23 passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns.  Deontay Malone caught one of 82 yards and Geo Jackson Jr. added another from 21 yards out.  In the rushing department, veteran back Savior Owens carried the ball 26 times for 180 yards and two touchdowns, of 47 and 40 yards.  The defense held the Tarblooders to 146  total yards.  Brydon Feister had 8 combined tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss.  Brayton Feister had 6 tackles and 2.0 TFLs.  Although, both assisted with many more tackles that didn’t show up on the stat sheet.

“We’re very happy with the overall effort and execution,” said Massillon head coach Nate Moore at the weekly Booster Club meeting.  “The defense was put in bad situations at times and bowed up.  Also, very impressed with the offense.  It exceeded my expectations.  They played very well.  Very happy with the punt team.”  But he also alluded to some “dumb” mistakes and stupid penalties, without which the score might have been more impressive.  “We had several self-inflicted wounds that are completely avoidable that led to touchdowns,” he added.  But on the positive side, he highlighted a multitude of good blocks from the linemen while  showing the game film.

Then, the was the massive crowd.  “Incredible atmosphere,” said Moore.  “You guys really showed up.”

The guest players were offensive lineman Marcus Garner, inside linebacker Brayton Feister and outside linebacker Isaac Maxheimer.

Garner – “A  big shoutout to (freshman lineman) James Gatsios, who played really good in the game.  Also, to (quarterback) Ras (Haines).  He played really good. ”

Feister – “I thought we did really well overall.  Really physical.  We need to continue to build and clean up our mistakes.”

Maxheimer – “It was a tough game.  We came out with high intensity and they couldn’t match it.”

Preview of the GlenOak game

GlenOak is a Division I program that competes in the Federal League.  Last year they finished 2-8 and failed to qualify for the playoffs.  Although they are one of the largest schools in Stark County, they continue to struggle on the football field.  Over the past five years they have compiled a record of 17-35 and only qualified twice for the playoffs, with a 1-2 record.  Last year Massillon got the better of the Eagles,  44-10, with all of the offensive points scored in the first half.  Quarterback Mandwell Patterson completed 16 of 21 passes for 200 yards and four touchdowns.  Malone and Jackson each caught seven passes and combined for three of the TDs.

GlenOak opened the season last week with a 36-21 loss to Dover.  They return six starters on offense and three defense, including wide receiver Caydren Saunders, who caught 5 passes 49 yards and a TD in last year’s game.  GlenOak has hired Matt Dennison (191-83) to be its new head coach, replacing Scott Garcia, who may remain as athletic director.

“GlenOak is not Glenville,” said Moore.  “We need to focus on ourselves, maintain the same level of play and preparation, regardless.  That has to be our approach.”

The Eagles line up on offense in the spread, while leaning toward buck sweeps, screen passes and deep passes.  Defensively, they are similar to Massillon’s old scheme.  They utilize a 3-4, with some 4-front.  A lot of cover-3.

The best players are junior wide receiver / cornerback  Timarien Patterson and Saunders, also a wide receiver / cornerback.  Both are very athletic.  The running back is senior Lelan Snell  Jr., who is fast and shifty.  The quarterback is a sophomore, Jamel Hall, who Moore said manages the offense well.

Garner – “We need to take a step forward.”

Feister – “Every week is the best team we play.  We need to continue to get better.  With max effort, we will be just fine.”

Maxheimer – “We need to show GlenOak what football is about.”

Go Tigers!

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Tigers Get Their Revenge with Win Over Cleveland Glenville

Tigers Get Their Revenge with Win Over Cleveland Glenville

Statistics

Massillon head coach Nate Moore prefers to schedule a high-level opponent for the first game of the season in order to find weaknesses early and make corrections.  Unfortunately, that strategy carries the risk in that the team could begin with a loss.  In fact, over the past six seasons that has happened to the Tigers four times, including in last year’s 27-33 overtime game with Cleveland Glenville.  This year’s opening opponent once again was Glenville, the 3-time Division IV state champion.  But this Tiger team would have none of that losing stuff, and came out on the right end of the score in a hard-fought 31-18 victory.

GAME NOTES

  • The atmosphere was electric: Paul Brown Tiger Stadium at near capacity and rocking; the massive new scoreboard with enhanced graphics; a new announcer geared toward getting the fans more involved in the game; and dozens of photographers lining the sidelines.
  • The game lasted well over three hours on account of the numerous stoppages to treat players that went down with cramps. However, it appeared that both teams were in great physical shape and exerted maximum effort right until the finish.
  • By game’s end Massillon had displayed a balanced attack, with 183 yards rushing and 186 yards passing. Most of the passing yards came in the first half, while the run was more effective after the break, in response to Glenville’s ever-changing defensive scheme.  Quarterback Rasmus Haines was supurb, until Glenville eventually adjusted to take away the pass by inserting additional defensive backs.  But early on he threaded the Glenville secondary with around 180 first-half yards. Only, that opened up the run, with Glenville particularly vulnerable around the edges due to fewer linebackers in the game.  Haines finished with 186 yards passing, with 149 going to Deontay Malone on five receptions and a touchdown.  The longest completion was an 82-yard score.  Giorgio Jackson also caught a touchdown pass.  Savior Owens got the bulk of the carries and finished with 180 yards at 6.9 yards per attempt and two touchdowns.
  • Glenville is perhaps the fastest team the Tigers will face this year and that attribute was on display throughout the game. They were led by quarterback LaMarques Greenwood, who accounted for most of their offense.  He rushed for 65 yards and passed for 42 (6 of 20), gaining 107 of their 124 total yards.
  • The score may not show how dominant the Tigers were, since a few errors led to opportunities on the other side. Glenville’s first touchdown was off a 44-yard drive, initiated following a pair of 15-yard penalties.  Take away a third penalty and the Tarblooders earned just 20 yards.  The second score was a 68 kickoff return.  And the third was an 18-yard drive following a muffed punt, with a run off a broken play on fourth down.
  • The Tigers responded to every threat posed by the Tarblooders. After Glenville scored following Massillon’s initial touchdowns, the Tigers came right back to take a 14-6 lead.  After the Tarblooders ran back the kickoff, Massillon put the next points on the board to go up 24-12.  And following the final Glenville TD, the Tigers sealed it on their next drive with a 40-yard Owens TD run.
  • Massillon’s defense had a few issues, but was simply overwhelming for most of the night. Led by the tackling of Brydon Feister (8 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss) and Brayton Feister (6 tackles and 2.0 TFLs), the Glenville rushing attack was held to just 71 yards (2.5 ave.), including 53 lost yards.
  • The 2026 hall of fame inductees were recognized at halftime. The Wall of Champions honoree is David Reese (first MAC commissioner).  The Tiger Football Hall of Fame inductees are former players Fred Heyman, R.C. Arrington B.J. Payne and Charles Calhoun.  Sadly, after driving up from North Carolina and speaking to the team on Thursday evening, Calhoun passed away in his hotel room that night.  A moment of silence was observed in his passing.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Massillon received the opening kickoff and proceeded to drive 74 yards in ten plays for a touchdown.  The big play was a 31-yard pass over the top from Haines to a leaping Malone, who secured the ball at the Glenville nine.  Three plays later Haines hit Jackson for a 4-yard TD.

Following the extra point by Mateo Herrera, the Tigers were assessed a 15-yard penalty.  Then on the return, another 15-yarder, giving Glenville great starting position at the Massillon 30.  It took seven plays for the Tarblooders to cover the distance, aided by yet another penalty, of ten yards.  On third and one, Valonte McCord powered in from the one.  Just twenty yards were gained by the offense.  Following a missed PAT, the score was 7-6.

But the Tigers came right back when Haines went long to Malone, who gathered in the ball and finished off an 82-yard touchdown pass.  Score: 14-6 in the first quarter.

Following a Glenville punt, the Tigers were on the march again.  This time they covered 64 yards in 16 plays, only to lose the ball on a bumble at the Glenville seven.  Sideline observers said that the runner’s knee touched the ground first, but of course the referee has the final say.

Following a Tarblooders punt, Massillon managed to drive 58 yards for a field goal and a 2-posession advantage at the half.  Score 17-6.  At that point the Tigers owned a 255-30 yardage edge.

Only, Glenville got back into the game when Eniere Lemon returned a pooch kickoff 68 yards for a touchdown.  That’s when the Glenville speed really showed itself.  Again, they missed the PAT.  Score: 17-12.

Following an exchange of punts, Massillon took over at the Tarblooder 47 yard line.  From there, it took just one play to stretch the margin back out when the shifty Owens raced around end and worked his way through the opponent secondary and to the end zone.  Score: 24-12.

But, Glenville did not quit, closing the margin after a muffed punt return with a 4th-down run from the Massillon 18.  Score 24-18.

Making it a habit, the Tigers came right back, driving 50 in four plays, with Owens scoring from the 40.  It was the final points of the night and a 31-18 victory.

Photos by Marlene Kanipe

Deontay Malone (6)

Sabastian Harper (3) and Christian Culler (2)

Deontay Malone (6)

Savior Owens (1) and Geo Jackson Jr. (21)

Noah Garner (66), Brydon Feister (8)

Marcus Garner (60) and Savior Owens (1)

Savior Owens (1)

Brayton Feister (18)

Savior Owens (1)

 

Deontay Malone (6)

Savior Owens (1)

 

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Several Great Games On Tap For Week 1

Several Great Games On Tap For Week 1

The opening few games of the regular season are typically the most intriguing.  That’s because the better teams are stepping out of their comfort zones to challenge the perennial powers in order to both find and correct problems early and to see where their programs stand across the entire state.  This year is no exception.  There are at least ten games that draw interest state-wide, beginning with Massillon vs. Cleveland Glenville.  Here are the big ones, along with last season’s records:

Cleveland Glenville (12-3) at Massillon (9-4) – Glenville is the defending Division IV state champion and will move this year to either DII or DIII depending on September’s enrollment count.  Massillon won the Division II state championship three years ago and, with a loaded lineup this year, is expected to challenge for the state title once again.  Glenville survived last year’s match, 22-17 in overtime.

Olentangy Liberty (8-5) at Lakewood St. Edward (11-3) – Liberty captured the Division I state title in 2024, but seems to have returned to normal.  Last year they lost 21-17 to Olentangy Orange in the regional semifinals.  Last season St. Edward lost to Orange 21-0 in the state semifinals.  But they are a favorite to win the crown this year.

Avon (14-1) at Cleveland St. Ignatius (1-10) – Avon is the 2-time defending state champion in Division II.  In last year’s title game, they defeated Cincinnati Anderson, 37-10.  This year they are searching for a new quarterback and struggled against Massillon in the first scrimmage.  Meanwhile, Ignatius is still trying to right the ship after mediocre results in recent years.  Avon won last year’s encounter, 40-14.

Walsh Jesuit (11-2) at Medina Highland (12-1) – Walsh is the early favorite over Akron Hoban to capture Region 5 in Division II.  Last year they advanced to the state semifinal game, only to lose 38-7 to Avon.  Highland has been very good of late.  After running the table last year, they stumbled against Avon in the Region 6 finals, losing 36-19.

Hudson (10-3) at Austintown Fitch (9-2) – Hudson is the annual favorite in the big-school division of the Suburban League.  In 2025 they lost 35-3 to Hoban in the regional semifinals.  Fitch, which has opted up to Division I this year, also fell in the regional semifinals, 42-21 to Walsh.  Hudson won last year’s match, 28-14.

Youngstown Ursuline (2-0) at Columbus DeSales (9-3) – Ursuline will try to pick up the pieces after last year’s fiasco that resulted in the cancellation of most games.  Last year DeSales, led by quarterback RJ Day, son of Ohio State Coach Ryan Day, lost in the regional semifinals to Massillon, 48-14.  Day returns for his senior year.

Trotwood Madison (8-4) at Toledo Central Catholic (11-5) – Madison is a traditionally strong team in Division II.  Although, last season they dropped a 38-7 decision to Cincinnati Anderson in the regional finals.  Toledo Central, which plays most of their games against Detroit parochial schools, has returned to DII, where they won the state title in 2022.  Last season they lost in the DIII state finals to Columbus Watterson, 30-0.

Cincinnati Moeller (8-4) at Cincinnati Princeton (9-3) – In last year’s playoffs Moeller lost 17-13 to Cincinnati St. Xavier, a team that they beat in the regular season, 30-13.  Predicted to be a Division I contender this year, they hope not to repeat that performance.  But they apparently have some issues to fix after being manhandled by Massillon in scrimmage action.  Princeton fell 32-30 to Cincinnati Elder in the second round.  In last year’s game Moeller defeated Princeton, 41-20.

Middletown (11-3) at Cincinnati Elder (12-1) – This will be a great opener for both teams.  Last season Middletown lost 22-6 to Cincinnati St. Xavier in the state semifinals.  Elder, one of the favorites this year in Division I, lost to St. X in the regional finals, 42-34.

Cincinnati St. Xavier (11-3) at Lakota West (7-5) – Always strong St. Xavier opens once again with Lakota West.  Last year St. X advanced all the way to the state finals, where they lost to Olentangy Orange, 28-14.  Lakota West, after several outstanding seasons, seems to have yielded the GMC torch to Princeton and Middletown.  But that may change this year.  Last season West lost to Moeller in the second round of the playoffs, 33-14.  In the regular season, St. Xavier beat West in a close one, 14-7.

 

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Glenville Preview

Glenville Preview

Cleveland Glenville, coached by long-time mentor Ted Ginn, has been one of Northeast Ohio’s power-house football teams for a number of years.  And for the second consecutive year they are opening the season on the road against the Massillon Tigers, a team that they defeated last year, 33-27 in overtime.

Recently, they have been competing in Division IV, a classification that is based on student enrollment.  But that will change following this year’s merger with Collinwood.  Only, they will not know their new division until a student count is made in September.  It could be Division III or it could be Division II.  Regardless, it will be a welcome change for all the other DIV schools, with the Tarblooders having won state championships there in 2022, 2023 and 2025.  In fact, last year they defeated Shelby in the final game, 45-7.

In the regular season, Glenville competes in the Senate Athletic League, within which they have won 175 straight games.  But they are not shy about scheduling top competition outside of the league.  This year they are facing Massillon (2023 DII champion), Olentangy Liberty (2024 DI champion), Football North (Canadian all-star team), Columbus Watterson (2024 and 2025 DIII champion) and Akron Hoban (DII annual contender).  And the Tarblooders usually hold their own in these games.  They also own a 61-13 overall record over the past five years, with a 24-2 mark in the playoffs.

But of course, they are also the beneficiary of a host of outstanding athletes that attend school at the Ginn Academy.  These players are added to the Glenville roster without the disadvantage of a competitive advantage adjustment to enrollment, which is totally within the OHSAA rules.  In this regard, a student that attends a school that does not have sports is permitted to play for any other school within the school district that he resides.  Thus, Glenville has been able to assemble a team stocked many of the best players from the City of Cleveland.

“It’s a great challenge ahead of us,” said Massillon head coach Nate Moore at the weekly Touchdown Club meeting.  “They beat us last year.  But we just want to take care of our business.  We’re the team everyone is talking about.  But we have to prove that every day.  All of our guys are working hard.  We’ve had a great off-season.  We really felt good about our camp.   We made a lot of progress.  But there’s a lot of work to be done yet.  We have 78 guys that all have the same mindset, to have us in a good position on Friday night.”

The Tarblooders return six starters on offense and four on defense.  But don’t let that fool you.  They have plenty of athletes waiting their turns.  In fact, ten players have committed to play for various teams at the Division 1 college level.  Here’s a position-by-position breakdown:

  • Quarterback – The starter is senior LaMarques Greenwood (6’-0”, 185) (Army), who returned to Glenville after a year at Cleveland Heights. Last year for Heights he threw for 1,118 yards and 15 touchdowns.  He also has good speed and is a threat as a runner.  Last year he rushed for 547 yards and six touchdowns.
  • Running backs – It’s running back by committee, but all are good. The best player is senior Da’Von McDougle (6’-0”, 200), will attend James Madison next year.
  • Wide receivers – This is a strength in that three of the starters are committed to Power-4 colleges: Junior Emiere Lemons (6’-3”, 205) (Penn State), junior Jaylen Edwards (5’-9”, 170) (Ohio State) and senior De’Anthony Crittenden (5’-9”, 170) (Indiana). Moore said that the Tigers will need to put pressure on the quarterback to control them.
  • Tight end / fullback – Watch for senior Elijah Harden (6’-3”, 220) (Pittsburgh) at tight end and senior Lorenzo Smith (6’-3”, 235) (South Florida) at fullback.
  • Offensive line – They are big up front and very physical, averaging 6’-2”, 280 lbs. Senior Eason Hankins (6’-4”, 235) is committed to Kent State.  Moore said that it will be a four quarter battle to see who can run the ball.  Someone is going to tap out.
  • Defensive line – The 4-3 front seven is good. The best players on the line are senior Kaylon Bailey (6’-3”, 220) (Colorado) and Smith.
  • Linebackers – McDougle is a 2-way player in the middle.
  • Safeties – This group is the strength of the defense. They are very athletic, according to Moore.  They play both cover-1 and cover-0, with mostly man-to-man coverage.  The group includes junior Jaquan Gibson (Indiana), Edwards (2-way player, best in position), senior Garry Pritchett (Syracuse) and junior Cordale Scott (Miami of Ohio).

Moore introduced his co-captains at the meeting.  They include Braylon Gamble, Isaac Maxheimer, Ke’Aun Fowler.

Go Tigers!

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B.J. Payne Inducted into Massillon Tiger Football Hall of…

B.J. Payne Inducted into Massillon Tiger Football Hall of Fame

B.J. Payne was a 2-year varsity starter for Massillon in 1992 and ‘93, excelling as a defensive lineman.

As a junior, under first-year head coach Jack Rose, the team went 5-5 against a very formidable schedule, including Cincinnati Moeller and Indianapolis North Central.  In fact, seven of the ten opponents finished with seven wins or more.  But the Tigers did manage to defeat 8-2 Alliance, 7-2 Walsh Jesuit and 9-1 Bloomington South, Illinois.

His senior year, as co-captain, went much better with a 10-2 record, outscoring the opposition by an average of 42-11.  Along the way they bested 8-2 Akron Garfield, 7-3 Austintown Fitch and 8-2 Mansfield Senior, once in the regular season and then again in the playoffs, before falling to Walsh Jesuit 30-20 in the second round of the Division I playoffs.

Following the season, Payne was named 1st Team All-Ohio.  In addition, he played in the Ohio North-South All-Star Game and the Big 33 All-Star Game, the latter of which pits the best of Ohio against the best of Pennsylvania.

From 1995 through 1998 Payne suited up on the defensive line for Mount Union College.  During that time the Raiders compiled an unprecedented 54-1 record and captured three Division 3 national championships.

Then he spent a couple of years participating in World Wrestling Entertainment, before trying his hand at high school coaching.

The first stop was Lexington, Ohio, where coached from 2006 to 2011, compiling a record of 37-26.

In 2012 he left Lexington and assumed the head coaching position of Hilton Head Island and has been there as of this writing through fourteen seasons.  During that time Payne compiled a record of 83-65.  His best seasons were:

  • 2015: 10-2 record; South Carolina Class AAAA Coach of the Year; Carolina Panthers Coach of the Year; finalist for National High School Coach of the Year
  • 2024: 9-3 record
  • 2025: 11-2 record; lost in Round 3 of the five round state playoffs; South Carolina Class AAAA Coach of the Year

Congratulations to B.J. Payne.

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Brayton Feister Commits to Oregon

Brayton Feister Commits to Oregon

Massillon 4-star inside linebacker Brayton Feister had his big day on Friday when he verbally committed to play football next year for the University of Oregon.  It was a major splash, covered exclusively by ESPN, and as exciting as that of quarterback Justin Zwick’s big press release when he signed with Ohio State back in 2002.

Feister joins four other Tiger players who have previously committed verbally to Division 1 college programs, including Savior Owens (Michigan State), Deontay Malone (Ohio State), Braylon Gamble (Boston College) and Georgio Jackson (Miami of Ohio).

Feister’s commitment was covered live by the ESPN sports network during airing of the Pat McAfee Show.  The hosts covered the event for over ten minutes, providing video highlights of Feister’s previous performances, displaying statistics, interviewing Brayton and family members, discussing the impact on the Oregon program and filming the actual commitment from the Washington High School auditorium.

Congratulations to Brayton Feister.

 

History

Massillon Dominates Cincinnati Moeller in Scrimmage Action

Massillon Dominates Cincinnati Moeller in Scrimmage Action

The Tigers traveled four hours to Cincinnati to play Moeller and came away with a one-sided 24-3 victory in two and a half quarters of action.  Per Maxpreps.com, the Crusaders are the No. 5 team in Division 1, whereas Division II Massillon is ranked No. 1 among all Ohio teams.  The win comes on the heels of last week’s 28-7 victory over Avon, the No. 5 team in Division II.  Based on these results, the Tigers are certainly deserving of their high ranking.  But still, these are just scrimmages and it gets real next week with the start of the regular season.

Once again, the defense was simply overwhelming, holding Moeller to just three first downs, with one coming via the penalty route.  The D also forced three turnovers, one of which was returned for a touchdown.  Meanwhile, the offense did what offenses are supposed to do; i.e., score points.

Scoring:

  • Mass – 15 yd. return of an intercepted pass by Christian Culler; Mateo Herrera kick; score: 7-0.
  • Mass – Short field goal by Herrera; score: 10-0.
  • Mass – 75 yd. touchdown pass from Rasmus Haines to Braylon Gamble; Herrera kick; score: 17-0.
  • Mass – 20 yd. touchdown pass from Haines to Gio Jackson; Herrera kick; score 24-0; drive set up by a Culler pass interception.
  • Moel – Field goal; score: 24-7.

Moeller bested Massillon in JV play, 10-0.

The regular season begins next Friday with Massillon hosting Ohio No.  9 Cleveland Glenville (division TBD).  Moeller travels to Division I No. 3 Cincinnati Princeton.

The freshmen defeated Moeller, 18-12.

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Massillon Travels to Cincinnati for Final Season Tune-Up

Massillon Travels to Cincinnati for Final Season Tune-Up

Massillon head coach Nate Moore believes that facing top competition early is a major key to overall success, in that it gives the coaches opportunities to find the shortcomings and make the necessary adjustments before the team gets too deep into the season.  For the two scrimmages this year, the Tigers face is Avon, winner of the last two Division II state titles, and Cincinnati Moeller, which is always a contender for the Division I title.  Then it gets real, with the season opener against Cleveland Glenville, winner of the 2025 Division IV championship.

After dominating Avon last Friday, the Tigers hit the road this Thursday for the second of two scrimmages, this time against Moeller.  Fans should expect this one to be played in more game-like conditions.

The Crusaders suffered through a number of paltry seasons before righting the ship in 2021 after finding the right coach in Mark Elder in 2020.  Elder resigned following the 2022 season, opening the door for current head coach Bert Bathiany, who has continued that success.  Here is how the Crusaders have performed over the past five years:

  • 2021 – Record: 11-4. Won regional title.  Lost 22-21 to Springfield in the state semifinals.
  • 2022 – Record: 13-2. Won regional title.  Lost 28-24 to Springfield in the state semifinals.  Defeated Massillon 49-31 in the 2022 season opener.
  • 2023 – Record: 10-5. Won regional title.  Lost 29-19 in overtime to Springfield in the state semifinals.
  • 2024 – Record: 14-2. Won regional title.  Lost 28-14 to Olentangy Liberty in the state finals.
  • 2025 – Record: 8-4. Lost to 17-13 to Cincinnati St. Xavier in the second round.

Moeller was relatively young last year, particularly on offense, where they return eight starters.  Of particular interest is quarterback, where they are working on finding a new signal caller, having lost all-everything Matt Panatoski, now at the University of Kentucky.  Panatoski previously won Ohio’s 2024 Mr. Football and was a finalist last year.  A pair of juniors are vying for the starting spot, in Nick Monserez and Trey Noble.  The defense returns five starters, including three in the defensive backfield.

The strength of the team may be the offensive line, which is anchored by three exceptional players:

  • Senior Patrick O’Brien (6’-5”, 292), who was 1st Team All-Ohio last year and is verbally committed to Purdue.
  • Junior Jace Mongomery (6’-3”, 250), who was Honorable Mention All-Ohio last year.
  • Senior Kal-El Johnson (6’-8”, 320), a 4-star transfer from Cincinnati Taft, who has verbally committed to Georgia Tech.

This should pose a challenging task for the Tiger front-7.

Another player to watch is senior wide receiver Reggie Watson, who was 2nd Team All-Ohio last year.  He is committed to Louisville for baseball.

For the Tigers, they hope to match up well with the Crusaders and gain some momentum heading into next week’s season opener against always strong Cleveland Glenville.  The Tarblooders won last year’s encounter, 33-27 in overtime.