Big Play Massillon Upends Canada’s Football North

Big Play Massillon Upends Canada’s Football North

It was another hard-fought game for the Tigers.  That, after coming off a big win over Lakewood St. Edward the previous week.  This time it was against a very athletically talented Football North team, one that came into this one averaging 41 points a game had handily defeated Massillon last year.  But the Tigers had more in the tank this time around and pulled away with a convincing 31-8 victory, aided several big running and passing plays.

Throughout the game, each team’s running backs had little success on the ground, aside from a few big gainers by Savior Owens.  Massillon was just that good defensively with their front-7, particularly brothers Brayton and Brydon Feister.  Meanwhile, North stacked the box and pulled the safeties up to help their cause.  In the air, Tiger quarterback Rasmus Haines had enough completions to move the chains.  In contrast, North quarterback Brandon Bailey was very accurate early, but struggled in the second half when Massillon tightened up the coverage.  However, Baily was a very good scrambler and ended up accounting for most of his team’s rushing yards.

The biggest difference, then, was the Tigers’ ability to finish drives.  In fact, after failing to advance on their first two, they scored on each of the next five.

Massillon took the opening kickoff and immediately lined up in an empty backfield set.  But they failed to gain a yard after two incomplete passes and a run for no gain.  North responded and moved right down the field, advancing from their 25 to the Massillon 14.  But a Deontay Malone sack off a corner blitz on fourth down ended the threat.

After an exchange of punts, the Tigers finally found the end zone when Haines escaped a strong pass rush by sprinting to his right and found Da’Shun Williams wide open at the back of the end zone for a 16-yard score.  Mateo Herrera’s kick made it 7-0, midway through the second quarter.  The play that set it up was a 46-yard bomb from Haines to Gio Jackson Jr. that moved the ball to the North 13.

North again moved effectively down the field.  Then, on fourth down from the Tiger 45, they attempted an innovative play involving consecutive backward passes to a pair of running backs.  Only, the second back could not find an open receiver and had to eat the ball.

Two minutes before halftime, Massillon scored again on a 43-yard run by Owens.  In this one, he broke through a pile of defenders, juked out a lone defensive back and sprinted to the end zone.  Score 14-0.

North opened the third quarter with a bang.  On the first play, Bailey connected on a 42-yard pass to the Tiger 32.  He then used his legs to will his team into the end zone for a score, which came at the end of an 11-yard scramble.  Interestingly, North went for two and converted it with pass from Bailey.  Score: 14-8.

Only, the threat didn’t last long.  On third and nine from the 21, Owens took a dump-off pass in the backfield from Haines.  He appeared to be initially bottled up by four defenders, but he broke free to the right as Da’Shun Williams took out two defenders on the edge, turned the corner, picked up a block from George Rivera, and was gone on a 79-yard touchdown pass.  Score 21-8.

Following a North punt, Massillon drove to the opponent 14 and was good a Herrera 27-yard field goal, after just missing connection on a 3^rd down TD pass.  Score 24-8.

If there was ever a chance for North to get back in the game, it was squashed when on the first play Bailey fumbled the ball away at end of a quarterback draw.  A 28-yard pass to Jackson Jr., a 17-yard run by Owens and a 7-yard TD run by Owens was all it took to put the game away.  Final score: 31-8.

Massillon (6-0) is off next week since Farrell, PA, elected to forfeit the game.  The Tigers will return to action the following week against Cornerstone Christian, TX.  North (3-2), heads to Beacon Hill, VA, next week.  Later they will travel to both St. Edward and Cleveland St. Ignatius.

Photos by Marlene Kanipe

Gio Jackson Jr (21) catching the long bomb.

Chayce White (0)

Brayton Feister (18) with the sack; Brydon Feister (8)

Savior Owens (1) looking for running room; Marcus Garner (61)

Da’Shun Williams with the touchdown catch; Savior Owens (1)

Savior Owens (1), Landon Hose (22), Da’Shun Williams (84), Deontay Malone (6)

Mateo Herrera (7) kicking the field goal.

Savior Owens (1), Davionne Floyd (52), Gio Jackson Jr. (21), Rasmus Haines (13).

Savior Owens (1) scoring.

Pass reception by Gio Jackson Jr. (21); Landon Barnart (72).

Rasmus Haines (13) retrieving the high snap; James Gatsios (61), Marcus Garner (60).

Players with the formation boards.  Kadrian Alexander (91), Jeff Riley (14), Greg Corsale (16), unknown (?2)

 

Top Games for Week 6

Top Games for Week 6

Canada Football North (3-1) at Massillon (5-0) – Massillon defeated Lakewood St. Edward last week, 23-21 to remain undefeated.  They also own wins over Cleveland Glenville and NFL Academy-Europe.  North lost to Glenville in Week 3, 37-21.  Last year North defeated Massillon, 34-2.

St. John College, D.C. (4-0) at Lakewood St. Edward (4-1) – St. Edward is coming off a hard-fought 23-21 loss to Massillon.  This week they are right back into the fire against St. John, the No. 1 team in D.C.  St. John has victories Maryland No. 4 Archbishop Spalding (21-18) and Florida No. 6 West Boca Raton,(15-14).  St. John played Massillon in 2023, losing 28-7.  Next week they host future Massillon opponent Cornerstone Christian, TX.

Akron Hoban (1-4) at Walsh Jesuit (5-0) – Hoban finally got on the win track last week with a 19-14 victory over North Carolina No. 10 Cardinal Gibbons.  Have they turned the corner?  Walsh owns wins over Medina Highland (4-1), Toledo Central Catholic (4-1) and Cleveland St. Ignatius (3-2).

Berea Midpark (4-1) at Avon (3-2) – If high-scoring Midpark can solidify their defense this week they have a chance to upend Avon.  Midpark has a loss to Brunswick.  Avon lost to Cleveland St. Ignatius (3-2) by one and Upper Arlington (4-1) by 21.

Toledo Central Catholic (4-1) at Lumen Christi, MI (5-0) – Toledo is No. 1 in Region 6 and hopes to hold onto that ranking with a win over a team from up north.  They are favored by 17.

Detroit Catholic Central (4-0) at Toledo St. John’s (3-2) – Perhaps a tall order for St. John’s against the No. 1 team in Michigan.  Last Week Detroit defeated Toledo Central Catholic, 45-14.

Columbus DeSales (4-1) at Columbus Watterson (5-0) – This is a battle of two contenders in Region 7.  DeSales lost 20-17 to a good Cleveland St. Joseph team.  Watterson owns a 35-13 win over Cleveland Glenville.

Upper Arlington (4-1) at Hilliard Bradley (4-1) – The two best teams in this Ohio Capital Conference division will battle it out.  Upper Arlington defeated Avon 43-22, but lost to New Albany, 28-21.  Bradley looked terrible in a 32-7 loss to Big Walnut, but has since won four straight.

Big Walnut (5-0) at Ironton (5-0) – The first real test for Big Walnut.  But, don’t let records fool you.  Big Walnut could roll in this one.

Cincinnati St. Xavier (2-3) at Cincinnati Elder (5-0) – It’s GCL week with the 4-team conference in full action.  St. X lost 30-15 to Cincinnati Moeller last week.  Elder is a contender for the Division I state title and should win big.

Cincinnati Moeller (3-2) at Cincinnati LaSalle (3-2) – A Moeller win sets up a big Moe vs. Elder game next week.  However, LaSalle may be surging after last week’s 27-14 victory over Hamilton Badin (4-1).

Cincinnati Princeton (5-0) at Lakota East (4-1) – A good match against two top-level teams in the Greater Miami Conference.  Both have played Lakota West, with Princeton winning 27-24 and East losing, 48-18.

Lebanon (4-1) at Kings  (3-2) – Two upper echelon teams in the ECC.  Both have played Cincinnati Anderson.  Lebanon lost 52-13 in Week 4 and Kings lost 49-33 last week.  It remains to be seen how good Cincinnati Winton Woods (4-1) is.  They beat Kings, 35-0 and will play Anderson in Week 9.

Indianapolis Cathedral (3-2) at Trotwood Madison (4-1) – An intriguing matchup for independent school Trotwood.  Cathedral’s losses were to two excellent teams in Ben Davis and Loyala.  They also beat Cincinnati St. Xavier, 30-21.  Trotwood lost 27-9 in the opener to Toledo Central Catholic, but beat a good Springfield team, 25-9.  Should be a good one.

 

 

 

 

2026 Booster Club Report – Week 6 – Post-Lakewood…

2026 Booster Club Report – Week 6 – Post-Lakewood St. Edward; Preview of the Football North Game

Massillon (5-0) defeated Lakewood St. Edward (4-1), 23-21.  This week Massillon plays at home against Canada Football North (3-1).

Link to the St. Edward Game Story

Link to the St. Edward Game Statistics

Other scores:

• 7th Grade (4-0): Defeated Warren, 36-0.  Plays at home against Chardon on Wednesday, September 23 at 6:00 pm.  Game moved to PBTS.
• 8th Grade (3-1): Defeated Warren, 27-8.  Plays at home against Youngstown United on Tuesday, September 22, at 5:00 pm.
• Freshmen (1-4): Lost to Lakewood St. Edward, 33-14.  Plays at home against Canada Football North on Saturday, September 26, at noon.
• Junior Varsity (2-2): Lost to Lakewood St. Edward, 47-20.  Plays at home against Canada Football North on Saturday, September 26, at 10:00 am.

Review of the St. Edward Game

In a game played at Baldwin Wallace’s Finney Stadium, Massillon held off a late charge by Lakewood St. Edward to come away with a hard-fought 23-21 victory.  Sophomore running back Gary Yeager led the offensive attack by rushing 16 times for 232 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Savior Owens also scored a touchdown, while Mateo Herrera added a 30-yard field goal.  On offense the Tigers stayed mostly to the ground for the entire game. For St. Edward, they had difficulty running the ball against the stout Massillon defense and relied on an aerial attack to move the ball.  The Tigers led throughout most of the game, but needed to defeat a Hail Mary pass from the Eagle quarterback to the goal line as time expired to secure the win, Massillon’s fifth straight in the series.  No other team in the last fifty years owns a winning streak this long against St. Edward.

“Eds is a great team,” said Massillon head coach Nate Moore.  “A good program.  I’m just really proud of our team.  They played really well.  They played really hard.  A lot of really good stuff.  Everybody was on the same page.”

Moore had a lot of praise for the backups that stepped up to fill spots vacated by players with injuries or other issues.  He particularly cited the play of Gary Yeager at running back, Wyatt Porter at nose tackle and Worth Hirning at center.

The coach also had good words for defensive lineman Joe Karder.  “Karder became a man,” he beamed.  “He had a great game.”  In fact, the entire offensive line was discussed in length.  “It was the best performance I’ve ever seen,” he said of the line.  In fact, Moore spent a lot of time showing film and discussing the solid techniques used by the linemen against the huge Eagle players, and the holes they were able to open up for the running backs, resulting in several long gains.

Then he talked about quarterback Rasmus Haines.  Although he didn’t throw a lot of passes, his check downs prior to the snaps played a huge part in the victory.  “He got us out of a lot of stuff,” Moore said.

The kicking game also received some kudos.  Good, accurate boots (except the last punt and the blocked PAT).  Great coverage.  Mateo  Herrera’s kickoffs were spot on and he converted a 30-yard field goal attempt, which proved to be the winning margin.

And he didn’t forget the remarkable performance of sophomore running back Gary Yeager.  Moore said that he didn’t know a lot about him when he came into camp.  But once he got into the games, his talent really showed up.  “Gary runs bigger than he is,” said Moore.  “He’s not afraid of contact.  A great player.  A great kid.”

Finally, he thanked the outstanding, boisterous Massillon crowd that attended the game.  “It provided us a lot of energy,” said the coach.

Preview of the Football North Game

North scores to date:

• Hewlett Sports Academy, MD (1-4): 65-0- W
• Propel / Imani co-op, PA (1-2): 44-20 W
• Cleveland Glenville (3-2): 21-37 L
• St. Francis Academy (Regional), MD (0-1): 33-6 W

Massillon hopes to reap revenge this Friday, after last season’s 34-2 disaster.

Once again, the Tigers will be facing a team with huge lines.  The North offense averages 6′-2″, 286 lbs., while the defense averages 6′-2″, 266 lbs. or 6′-2″, 250 lbs., depending on which group of four is in the game.  Incidentally, Massillon averages 6′-3″, 282 lbs. on offense and 6′-2″, 252 lbs. on defense.

The offense is run-first.  But they will also throw the ball around at times off of play action and RPO.

Best players:

• Senior quarterback Brandon Bailey (6′-1″, 195).  Good player.  39 of 52 (79%) for 860 yards and 11 TDs.
• Senior running back Peyton Mansfield (5′-11″, 205).  Good player.  Good speed.  81 attempts for 674 yards (8.3 ave.) and 6 TDs.
• Junior wide receiver Stefan Ptascek (6′-2″, 200).  16 receptions for 310 yards (19.3 ave.)and 3 TDs.
• Junior wide receiver Gabriel Tabora (6′-3″, 190).  10 receptions for 250 yards 25.0 ave.) and 2 TDs.
• Senior right guard Matteo Capilongo (6′-2″, 275).  Returning 2-year starter.

North has used as many as twenty different starters on defense throughout the season.  However, the strength of the unit is the front group in their 4-2-5 alignment.  There is a lot of size there and the players are very active.  It is a good group.  They will mix in some odd front on the line, and cover-3, cover-1 and cover-0 in the secondary.

Best players:

• Senior linebacker Ben O’Hara (6′-2″, 190).  35 tackles.
• Junior linebacker Zade Eliason (6′-3″, 225).  33 tackles.
• Senior defensive lineman Khalil Felix (6′-3″, 230).  Returning 2-year starter.
• Senior defensive back Bryan Davaies (6′-2, 205).  22 tackles, 3 interceptions.
• Junior safety Asher Abrams (6′-1″, 195).  Good player.
• Senior cornerback Sean Shook-Falomi (6′-3″, 190).  Best defensive back on the team.

The kicking game is also solid.

Go Tigers!

 

 

 

Massillon holds off Lakewood St. Edward in a Battle…

Massillon holds off Lakewood St. Edward in a Battle of Unbeatens

Massillon and St. Edward fans are fully aware that no lead is safe when these two nationally-ranked teams get together.  And Friday’s encounter at Baldwin Wallace’s Finney Stadium was no exception, with the Tigers taking home a hard-fought 23-21 victory.  As expected, this one came right down to the wire.

Massillon led throughout most of the game, but the Eagles had one last chance on a Hail Mary pass as time expired.  Quarterback Langston Lucas took the snap at midfield, rolled to his right to buy time and then lofted it deep to the end zone.  It appeared for a moment that wide receiver Caleb Hall had broken loose from the coverage and was in position to catch the winning TD at the goal line.  Only, speedy Tiger corner Deontay Malone closed quickly and swatted the ball away at the last second to secure the win.  Malone on that play alone showed why he is headed to Ohio State.

The other big story of the night was Massillon sophomore running back Gary Yeager.  With Michigan State-bound running back Savior Owens hampered by a nagging ankle issue, Yeager was thrust into the game with a more prominent role.  And did he ever deliver, rushing the ball 16 times for 232 yards and two touchdowns, while average a whopping 14.4 yards per carry against a very stout St. Ed front group.  But that is not unusual for Yeager.  Through five games he is now averaging an incredible 12.6 yards per carry.  He surely reminds older Tiger fans of OSU’s great Archie Griffin, with his great speed and running ability.

Massillon’s offense stayed mostly to the ground using the 2-headed monster of Owens and Yeager.  But why not.  It was working.  It was also the game plan.  St. Eds was obviously concerned about the three talented Tiger receivers and defended that part of the field using all four secondary defenders plus an outside linebacker.  That left just six in the box to defend the run.  This set up the anticipated matchup: the Tigers’ speed versus the Eagles’ size.  While Owens struggled to break loose throughout the game, it was Yeager that had the better success, in that with his quickness off the ball, he didn’t need much of a crease to explode into the secondary for long gains.

Defensively, Massillon played well against the run, in spite of the Eagles’ tendency to run toward the opposite side of the field than stellar linebacker Brayton Feister.  But the Tigers had difficulty defending the passing combination of Lucas to 6’-4”, 230 lb. tight end Joe Moore.  He was the recipient of several tosses over the middle in front of the Tiger 2-deep zone.  Massillon just didn’t have an answer for that.  And that scheme greatly contributed to keeping St. Eds in the game.

The Eagles received the opening kickoff and drove to midfield before punting.  On the Tigers’ first possession they advanced the ball into St. Ed territory, but lost it on a 3rd down pass interception, while covering the distance of a punt.

The next time Massillon had the ball they were more effective, moving 53 yards for a second quarter score, with Owens blasting in from the 16 yardline.  Owens headed toward the middle of the line and, realizing that the path was closed, cut it to the right edge and worked his way across the goal line for the TD.  All of the plays in the drive were on the ground.

St. Edward tied the score with 15 seconds remaining in the half on a 10-yard pass from Lucas to Moore.

The Tigers began the second half with the ball their own 30.  After moving to midfield, they caught a huge break.  The snap to quarterback Rasmus Haines was high and bounced off his hands into the air.  But right into the grasp of Yeager.  He immediately headed to his left and was able to turn the corner.  In spite of several defenders poised for the stop, he managed to elude each one and didn’t stop running into he had earned a 50-yard touchdown.  Unfortunately, the extra point was blocked, giving the Tigers a 13-7 lead.

Malone intercepted a pass on the ensuing Eagle possession, but the drive stalled at midfield after a bomb to an open Braylon Gamble was just overthrown.  Nevertheless, the Tigers did move the ball the length of the field on their next possession, which ended in a 30-yard field goal by Mateo Herrera.  The key plays were two long runs by Yeager, of 56 and 26 yards.  Ironically, prior to the field goal, Owens was dragged down by the facemask.  Had a penalty been assessed, the Tigers would have had a first and goal situation.  It was one of many infractions on the night that were not called, a situation that seemed to affect both teams.

The Eagles responded with a long drive and a 5-yard TD run by Colin Tedesco, closing the margin to 16-14, with just over five minutes remaining.  After failing to recover the subsequent onside kick, Massillon was right back in business.  Yeager kickstarted it with a 29-yard run to the 14 yardline with 1:24 left in the game.  He then finished the drive with a 10-yard run, upping the score to 23-14.

But St. Eds refused to quit, returning the favor with a 12-yard touchdown pass.  Score: 23-21.  Again, an onside kick and a Massillon recovery, by Malone.  Only, the Tigers failed to move the ball sufficiently to run out the clock.  Following a failed attempt to punt the ball deep and out of bounds, St. Edward had their final opportunity to score on the Hail Mary pass from midfield.  So, the Tigers escaped with the win, their fifth straight over St. Edward, and now lead the overall series, 8-4.

Next week Massillon hosts Football North, the all-star team from Ontario, Canada.  St. Edward hosts St. John’s College from D.C., the team that the Tigers had issues with between plays a couple of years ago, with the game being called in the fourth quarter.

Go Tigers!

Photos by Marlene Kanipe

The Tigers prepare for the opening kickoff.

Marcus Garner (60), Savior Owens (1).

Savior Owens (1) scores the first touchdown.

Davionne Floyd (52) snapping the ball to Rasmus Haines (13).  Gary Yeager (20), James Gatsios (61).

Gary Yeager (20).

Gary Yeager (20), James Gatsios (61), Marcus Garner (60).

Gary Yeager (20)

Head Coach Nate Moore with Da’Shun Williams.

Deontay Malone (6), Gary Yeager (20).

George Rivera (12), Van Hawkins (4), Joe Pierce (19), Geovanni Vinson (24).

 

 

Massillon Crushes New York’s Canisius to Remain Unbeaten

Massillon Crushes New York’s Canisius to Remain Unbeaten

A smothering Tiger defense set the tone and the offense took advantage in a 42-0 victory over the No. 8 ranked team in New York, the Canisius Crusaders, who hail from Buffalo.  It was the fourth time in head coach Nate Moore’s twelve years at Massillon that his team won its first four games of the season.  In the previous ones, the Tigers went on to win the remainder of their regular season games and advance in the playoffs to the Division II state championship game, while winning the title in 2023.  Could this be another of those outstanding seasons?

The strength of the Canisius offense is Elijah Kimble, a speedy 4-star running back that is headed to Syracuse next year. But you would never know it as he tried to push himself through a stifling Tiger front-7.  His final numbers were not available at the time this story was written, but his team was limited on the ground to just 63 yards, hurt by several tackles behind the line of scrimmage.  It helped that the Tiger secondary was pushed up to within seven yards of the ball, taking advantage of the talent in that part of the field.  It only added to the running problems the Crusaders faced.

The impact of the outstanding defensive play was great field position for the offense.  In fact, by late in the first half when Massillon was ahead 24-0, Canisius had managed to produce just two first downs, while punting five times.  Thus, the average Tiger starting field position following those punts was the Massillon 49 yardline.  That contributed to three offensive touchdowns and a field goal, plus a 50-yard punt return for a fourth TD.  Unfortunately, the fifth possession resulted in a pass interception in the endzone.

Here’s how the scoring went:

First quarter

• Following a Canisius punt on their first possession, Massillon took over at the Crusader 40. The Tigers went immediately to the air, with quarterback Rasmus Haines completing three straight passes to cover the distance.  The scoring toss went to Gio Jackson Jr. on a look-in from the 13 yard line.  Mateo Herrera then kicked the first of five successful PATs.  Score: 7-0.
• Canisius was forced to punt again, giving the Tigers the ball at the Crusader 46. Two more completions by Haines (five straight now).   Only, the drive stalled at the 13, allowing Herrera to connect on a 30-yard field goal.  Score: 10-0.

Second quarter

• Following a punt, Massillon started the drive at their own 47 with two explosive runs by Gary Yeager (Savior Owens sat out this one). Then, Brayton Feister skirted the right side of the line, behind some great edge-sealing zone blocking, and outraced the Crusader secondary 18 yards to the end zone.  Score 17-0.
• The fourth drive started at the Tiger 35 yardline, but ended in a 28-yard pass that was intercepted in the end zone by Xavier Gates-Franklin.
• With time running out, Canisius was forced to punt once again. It was then that Braylon Gamble fielded the kick, broke several tackles and didn’t stop running until he had finished off a 50-yard punt return for a touchdown.  It came with 1:45 left in the first half.  Score: 24-0.
• Massillon led in total yards, 182-89, and first downs, 9-4.

Third quarter

• Massillon received the kickoff and drove 77 yards for a score. The big play came when Haines went deep on the first play to Jackson, who almost made it to the end zone, only to be caught at the nine at the end of a 65-yard advance.  Then from the five, once again on a zone-right play, Gary Yeager took the ball into the end zone.  Score 31-0.  A running clock was now in effect.
• At the end of Canisius’ next possession, the ball was snapped over the punter’s head. He then retreated to the goal line and promptly soccer-kicked the ball out of the end zone for a safety to avoid giving the Tigers an easy TD.  Score 33-0.
• The subsequent punt was fielded by Deontay Malone at the Tiger 30. He sped to the right, turned the corner and nearly scored, while being stopped at the nine.  On third down from the five, Feister went around the right end for the TD.  Score 40-0.
• The final points came via a safety when the Crusader quarterback was penalized for intentional grounding while throwing a desperation pass from the end zone. Final score: 42-0.

Fourth quarter

• Massillon did not score with the backup offensive players in the game. It was also the only time the Tigers punted on the night, as they used only rushing plays throughout the quarter.
• The Tigers finished with a balanced attack, rushing for 146 and passing for 148, for a total of 294 yards. Canisius was held to a mere 12 yards in the second half and finished with 101 total yards: 63 on the ground and 38 in the air.

Next week Massillon (4-0) travels to Baldwin-Wallace University’s Finney Stadium to face undefeated Lakewood St. Edward, the No. 1 ranked team in Division I.  Canisius (1-1) is on the road to Martinsburg (1-0), the No. 1 team in West Virginia.

Photos by Marlene Kanipe

Celebrating Military Appreciation Night

Geo Jackson Jr. (21), Da’Shaun Williams (84)

Geo Jackson Jr. (21)

Sabastian Harper (3)

Geo Jackson Jr. (21), Deontay Malone (6)

Rasmus Haines (13), Worth Hirning (62), Jaames Gatsios (61), Gary Yeager (20)

Gary Yeager (20), Rasmus Haines (13), James Gatsios (61)

Brayton Feister (18), Marcus Garner (60), Rasmus Haines (13)

Gary Yeager (20), Braylon Gamble (5)

Brayton Feister (18), George Rivera (12), Da’Shaun Williams (84), Worth Hirning (62)

Brayton Feister (left), Joe Karder (right)

 

Top Games for Week 4

Top Games for Week 4

Cleveland Glenville (2-1) at Columbus Watterson (3-0) – Is Glenville for real?  Is Watterson for real?  Both teams are coming off state championships from a year ago, in Division IV and Division III, respectively.  Area football fans will be watching for the score on this one, since Glenville played Massillon in Game 1 and Watterson has been moved to Region 7, within which also resides Massillon and Big Walnut.

North Royalton (3-0) at Hudson  (3-0) – There are five unbeaten teams in the Suburban League.  There may be only four after this week.  Hudson should be a slight favorite based on a 24-19 victory over Austintown Fitch.

Akron Hoban (0-3) at Lakewood St. Edward (3-0) – This is a chance for Hoban to right the ship, after losing three straight.  But it will be a tall order against an Eagle team that is ranked No. 1 in Division 1 and hopes to carry that into next week’s game against Massillon.

Cleveland St. Ignatius (2-1) at Walsh Jesuit (3-0) – Ignatius is looking better now two weeks after losing by a point to Avon.  Is it enough to derail an unbeaten Walsh team?  A great game for comparing scores.

Steubenville (3-0) at Youngstown Cardinal Mooney (2-1) – The Big Red, a favorite to win Division III, have their first real test of the year against Mooney.  The Cardinals have one setback, by two points, to unbeaten Garfield Heights.

Cincinnati Elder (3-0) at Cincinnati LaSalle (2-1) – The opening game in the Greater Catholic League.  Elder is the league favorite, while LaSalle is hoping to make some noise.

 

Massillon Handles NFL Academy in International Game

Massillon Handles NFL Academy in International Game

STATS

In one of the more physical games ever played at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, Massillon held off NFL Academy Europe-Africa by the score of 21-16.  Tiger running back Savior Owens scored three touchdowns, while the defense held NFL at bay sufficiently to secure the win.

NFL Academy Europe-Africa is a traditional boarding high school, located in the UK.  Over a thousand high students try out for the Academy each year, with the goal of earning football-related scholarships to American universities and eventually finding their ways to the NFL.  Eighty will secure spots on the team.  There, they receive a heavy education in American football, along with taking a full load of high school-level academics.  The school also adheres to the age limits that American schools use for playing eligibility. Coaches are American-bred and selected by the NFL.  Although their website says that the players are from Europe and Africa, several hail from Canada, Mexico and Japan.

Prior to the game, Tiger safety Braylon remarked that NFL was the best team that Massillon will play this year.  He may be right.  Much improved from the 2024 edition that the Tigers defeated 35-20 in Oregon, they were big and tall throughout the lineup, averaged 300 lbs. on both sides of the line, had very good speed and most importantly played the game with great fundamentals and physicality.

Quarterback Viktor Lachambre, who hails from Canada, had great pocket presence throughout and could both zip the ball to his receivers.  He was also an excellent runner, several times exiting the pocket and racing for first downs when unable to find targets.  The running backs were strong enough to push the pile forward.  The defense was formidable against the run.  And most importantly, the Academy played the game right, being well-taught by their NFL coaches.  However, they did give respect to the Tigers’ talented receivers by playing their cornerbacks and safety well back.  That opened up the Tiger passing attack early.

Massillon favored the run in this one overall, with Owens receiving most of the carries, while also being relieved at times by both Gary Yeager and Brayton Feister.  Each runner contributed immensely throughout the game.  Quarterback Rasmus Haines also had a fine night, particularly in the first half when the game was on the line.

Lest we forget the crowd.  It was simply deafening.  And this time it did not need prompting by the announcer.  It certainly must have an effect on the NFL offense.

The Tigers received the opening kickoff and drove 71 yards in 15 plays for their initial score.  It came when Owens bulled his way into the end zone from two yards out.  But most of the yardage was from air, as NFL was intent on stopping the run.  It helped that Massillon converted two 4^th conversions along the way.

Mateo Herrera’s ensuing kickoff was returned to midfield, resulting in a massive loss of field position.  Subsequently, all of the following kickoffs were dropped into the end zone.

The next time Massillon had the ball they were faced with a 4^th and one from their own 33.  The call was for a fake punt.  Only, NFL would have none of that and immediately assumed possession of the football.  From there the Academy drove the needed distance to the end zone and scored early in the second quarter when running Nathan Morris slipped past the right side of the line and went in from the five.  Much of the yardage in the drive was picked up via runs by the quarterback, who also finished the game as the team’s leading rusher.

Maintaining field position, NFL scored again when Paul Krause booted a 32-yard field goal after driving 45 yards to give his team a 10-7 lead.  Again, Lachambre’s running was a major factor.

But the Tigers came right back, driving 69 yards in five plays.  From the 26 yard line, Owens wormed his way through the defense, refusing to be tackled.  The last defender did manage to trip him up, but only as he was diving into the end zone for the score.  The big playwas a 40-yard pass completion from Haines to Geo Jackson Jr.  that advanced the ball to the NFL 21.  Massillon would thus take a 14-10 lead into the locker room.

Late in the third quarter Massillon boosted its lead on a 24-yard touchdown run by Owens, his third score of the night.  The drive covered 80 yards and consumed 12 plays, taking significant time off the clock.  At this point in the game the running attack was finally finding its way.  Perhaps the apparent difference in conditioning between the two teams was finally taking effect.

The Tigers did have one more scoring opportunity midway through the fourth when Herrera attempted a 51-yard field goal.  But the ball fell just a bit short.

With a 21-10 lead and less than two minutes remaining, the Tigers changed to a “prevent” defense on NFL’s final drive.  The Academy did manage to score, but it came on the last play of the game.  In that one Lachambre completed a 4-yard pass to Silas Floche, who just managed to get the ball over the goal line as he was tackled.  No PAT was run.

Massillon led in first downs 18-13, rushing yards 229-112, passing yards 112-84 and total yards 341-194 (72 of the 194 came in the final drive).  Owens rushed 19 times for 115 yards (6.1 ave.) and 3 TDs.  Haines completed 10 of 16 passes for 112 yards.  Geo Jackson Jr. caught 3 passes for 51 yards.  Owens caught 3 passes for 39 yards.  Brayton Feister recorded 5 solo tackles, 7 assists, 1.5 sacks and 2.0 TFLs.  Sabastian Harper had 1 solo tackle and 9 assists.

For NFL Academy, all-purpose quarterback Viktor Lachambre completed 13 of 24 passes for 114 yards and 1 TD.  He also rushed 13 timees for 75 yards.  Leon Donato caught 5 passes for 53 yards.  Terho Vainio recorded 3 solo tackles and 6 assists.

Next week the Tigers host Canisius, New York.  NFL returns to London after a successful 2-1 campaign in the United States, with convincing victories over Marietta, Georgia, and Akron Hoban.  Next week they host GB Football Development.  They will return to the U.S. later in the year to play Florida’s IMG Academy, a team they defeated last season in London.

(Stats and more details later)

Photos by Marlene Kanipe

The Tigers sporting the new jerseys that were provided by Nike.

Ready for play.

Defense.  Brayton Feister (18), Noah Garner, (66), Braylon Gamble (5), Brydon Feister (8).

Savior Owens (1).

Brayton Feister (18).

Marcus Garner (66), Savior Owens (1), James Gatsios (61).

Mateo Herrera (7)

Davionne Floyd (52), Rasmus Haines (13)