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Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo News

Booster Club Report – Week 9 (Plus McKinley Game…

Massillon remains undefeated at 9-0 following a convincing 24-0 victory over Louisville.  Next up is 8-1 Canton McKinley.

Scores from last week:

  • Varsity defeated Louisville 24-0
  • Junior varsity lost to Louisville 31-30
  • Freshmen lost to Louisville 28-18

Massillon is once again participating in the Stark County Hunger Task Force Food Drive in competition with Canton.  Canned food is accepted and every dollar donated is equated to seven pounds of food.  Donations can be brought to the Monday Booster Club meeting or the Tuesday Touchdown Club.  Or you can contact Nick Pribich at pribich@att.net or Mary Lou Wilton at marylouanddon24@gmailcom.  Last year the Tiger Nation bested the Bulldogs in this great event for the first time.

In last week’s Goodwill Industries clothing collection contest against Louisville, Massillon came out on top.

This year’s Beat McKinley Parade will start at 8th St. E and proceed through LIncoln Way to 1st St W where it will turn north toward the Rec Center for the bonfire rally.  Although the Lincoln Way improvement project will not have been completed by Friday, it will be far enough along to accommodate the parade.  The event begins at 7:00 pm.

The Booster Club meeting, chaired by President Bruce Gallagher, was held in front of a large crowd in the WHS auditorium and began with a rousing performance by the Tiger Swing Band, majorettes and cheerleaders.  All of the senior players were also in attendance and each one had an opportunity to speak about future aspirations and best memories of being a Tiger player.  Academically, this group boasts a high first-quarter GPA of 3.65 and it’s no wonder that most of the players have placed college in their future.  As an overall team, the GPA is 3.37, surpassing the program goal of 3.30, an achievement of which Coach Nate Moore is extremely proud.  According to the coach, smart, hard-working students also play smart on the football field.

This week Massillon and Canton McKinley renew their ancient rivalry, this being the 130th game.  In a series that began in 1894, the Tigers own the edge, 71-53-5.  In addition, the Tigers have won 7 of the last 8 and 12 of the last 16, including the first-ever played at Canton’s Benson Stadium in 2017.

The Bulldogs are currently ranked 3rd in Division 1, Region 1 and 265th in the country (Ref. calpreps.com).  They enter the contest with an 8-1 record, having defeated 6-3 Warren Harding (32-27), 7-2 Massillon Jackson (20-6) and 7-2 Massillon Perry (28-17).  With the Perry win, the Pups also clinched sole possession of first place in the Federal League.  The lone loss came in Week 3 to 7-2 Euclid (49-48), when McKinley failed to convert a 2-point conversion after closing to within one point of the win.

Massillon is ranked 1st in Division 2, Region 5 and 40th in the country (Ref. calpreps.com).  They have beaten 7-2 Akron St. Vincent (44-14), Warren (49-7), 8-1 Penn-Trafford, PA (42-21), 7-2 Gateway, PA (48-12) and 6-3 Barberton (49-24).  Against Gateway, Massillon faced a running back that has been offered by nearly every Power-5 Conference team east of the Mississippi, holding him to to a mere 17 yards in 12 carries, up until a 98-yard run against the backups.

McKinley averages 38 points and 391 yards per game (9.2 yds. per play) and gives up 20 points and 333 yards per game (4.8 yards per rushing att.).  They run the ball 85 percent of the time, with most of the yards coming from 6′-0″, 200 lb. senior running back Lameir Garrett (1,401 yds., 7.5 yds. per att., 17 TDs) and 6′-2″, 180 lb. junior quarterback Elijah Wesley (696 yds., 9.4 yds. per att.).  Wesley has also connected on 50% of his passes for 1,016 yards and 12 touchdowns.  The leading receiver is 6′-3″, 185 lb. junior Xavier Black (19 catches, 431 yds., 4 TDs).

Massillon averages 47 points and 399 yards per game (7.7 yds. per play) and gives up 11 points and 208 yards per game (2.6 yards per rushing att.)  They run the ball 65 percent of the time, with most of the yards coming from 5′-9″, 190 lb. senior running back Terrance Keyes (1,136 yds., 7.1 yds. per att., 19 TDs).  The passing leader is 6′-0″, 190 lb. senior Aidan Longwell, the Tigers’ all-time leading quarterback for passing yardage and touchdowns.  He has connected on 68 percent of his tosses for 1,535 yards and 18 touchdowns.  The leading receivers are 6′-2″, 180 lb. junior Jayden Ballard (39 catches, 732 yards, 12 TDs) and 6′-2″, 180 lb. junior Andrew Wilson-Lamp (34 catches, 633 yds, 6 TDs).

McKinley’s offensive line averages 6′-3″, 274 lbs.and will face a Tiger front-3 that averages 5′-11″, 262 lbs.  Massillon’s offensive line averages 6′-2″, 286 lbs and will face a Bulldog front-4 that averages 6′-1″, 206 lbs.

McKInley will start 6 seniors on offense and 6 on defense.  Massillon will start 6 seniors on offense and 10 on defense.

Both teams have qualified for the playoffs, so this matchup is strictly for bragging right, although the Tigers hope to stretch their regular season winning streak to 21-games.

McKinley Coach Marcus Wattley last coached against Massillon in 2017, when he was at Akron St. Vincent.  The Irish won that game 13-10, behind the rushing of now-Tiger player Terrance Keyes, who gained 202 yards.

Notes on the game from Coach Moore:

  • McKinley’s offensive line is the best we’ve seen.
  • The offense centers around the quarterback and the running back.
  • They run power and counter, plus some spread (3 X 1, 2 X 2) and some tight end.
  • Run-first offense.
  • The running back (Garrett) does a good job following his blockers.
  • They will stay with the base offense, but occasionally throw deep.
  • Defensively, McKinley utilizes a 4-3 with cover-4, similar to Akron St. Vincent.
  • The defensive line is the best we’ve seen, although it does not possess great size.
  • Middle linebacker Joseph Saipaia (6′-1″, 225 lb. senior) is their best defensive player.
  • Both safeties are good.
  • They do not blitz a lot, but sometimes the safeties play tight to the formation.
  • The defense is well-coached.
  • McKinley has shown great improvement from the beginning of the season.

 

 

Massillon Tigers Letter Logo Booster Club

BEAT MCKINLEY PARADE Information

******Beat McKinley Parade Information******

We are very happy to announce that this year’s Beat McKinley Parade WILL go down Lincoln Way!

As opposed to previous years the parade will stage on 8th St NE between State St and Lincoln Way. The map of the parade route along with maps of the staging area is included in this post. We’ll continue to use this post for any questions throughout the week.

The staging area will be blocked off by the city at 5:30pm on Friday night and the parade will kickoff at 7:00. We’ll go down Lincoln Way to 1st St NW and end at the Rec Center for the traditional Pep Rally and Bonfire.

It will be important for everyone to understand WHERE they’ll line up if they are in the parade, and maps are attached to this post.

The Color Guard, Tiger Swing Band, and the parents of the Tiger Swing Band will line up on 8th St between Lincoln Way and Federal.

The Mayor, Homecoming Court, Cheerleaders, and Corvette Club will line up on 8th St between Federal and North St.

The flat bed trucks carrying Tiger Moms, Reserve/Freshman Cheerleaders, Boys and Girls Club teams and Cheerleaders, and 4th Grade thru 9th Grade Football will line up on 8th St between North St and Andrew Ave. Flat beds will also offload on Tommy Henrich Blvd after they’ve passed Eagles 190 to help ensure a constant traffic flow. PLEASE DO NOT jump off your flat bed while it’s still moving.

The general public who would like to enter the parade will enter the staging area at State St and 8th and will line up at Andrew Ave and 8th St.

As a reminder, please register for the parade by emailing us at parade@massillontigers.com with your name and vehicle type.

NO POLITICAL SIGNS ALLOWED.

The parade is for our kids and to celebrate this great rivalry we get to be a part of. Have fun, be safe, and BEAT MCKINLEY!

History

Relive the Rivalry: 1974 Massillon 20, Canton McKinley 15

This is the second part of a 7 part series that relives some of the greatest Massillon Tiger victories in the Massillon vs. Canton McKinley rivalry. These games were chosen by the writers as critical games throughout Massillon’s football history.

McKinley came into the game ranked #1 in the State while the Tigers had 4 losses in Chuck Shuff’s first year. An unexpected ending occurred and became one of the greatest finishes in the Massillon vs. McKinley rivalry.

TIGERS STUN BULLDOGS 20-15
Final-Seconds Aerial Blasts Rally by Pups
By BOB STEWART
Repository Sports Editor

MASSILLON – At a few moments past the hour of four o’clock Saturday afternoon, an inflated brown leather ellipsoid floated downward from the sky.

It nestled in the arms of a young man by the name of Edward Bell, an 18-year old who is enrolled at Washington High School here and who just happened to be jogging about in an area of real estate known as Tiger Stadium.

His specific location was a plot known as “The End zone” – an appropriate name, for his simple act of catching the ball “ended” many things.

79th IN CLASSIC SERIES
It was the end of the scoring in this 79th scholastic football classic which has pitted the young warriors of Canton McKinley and Massillon Washington high schools since 1894 (flu scratched a game during World War I), put the 79th episode into the books reading Massillon 20, McKinley 15.

It ended the Canton McKinley undefeated record this season at nine, blasting hopes for the first 10-0 season since 1956.

It ended the McKinley Bulldogs’ dreams of a berth in the Ohio High School Athletic Association championship playoffs. New Philadelphia High will represent Region 3.

COMEBACK FAILS
It ended the dramatic and brilliant McKinley comeback, which saw the Pups’ Roch Hontas kick a 25-yard field goal for a 15-14 lead only 73 seconds before the game clock was due to run out.

It also will mean the end, no doubt, of McKinley’s No. 1 ranking in the wire service polls. The Pups were attempting to win the mythical wire service title for the first time since 1955 and 1956, when they won back-to-back championships with 20 straight wins over two seasons.

Bell was catching the beautiful, crisp, clear, sunny afternoon’s second TD pass thrown by teammate and quarterback Greg Wood, a youngster much maligned but now vindicated.

TIGERS SMELL UPSET
Wood hit halfback Mark Streeter with a 24-yard scoring strike when the game was but nine-and-one-half minutes old, and the Tigertowners smelled an upset.

Massillon’s first score was no fluke, as the Tigers drove the ball 71 yards in 12 plays after stopping McKinley on fourth down and a foot.

The Bulldogs’ Mike Kolbs pounced on a Massillon fumble on the third play of the game, but McKinley couldn’t cash in.

Trailing 7-0 McKinley got on three yards on three plays after the kickoff and Hontas punted to the Tigers’ 36, from where Wood engineered his second scoring drive.

WHIPPING BOY NO MORE
Wood, who was one of the whipping boys for the boo-birds and boosters when Massillon lost three of its first four games this season, again whipped his team down the field and in a dozen plays had used up three minutes, 50 seconds of playing time, covered 63 yards and put another seven points on the board.

Wood himself did the honors, diving the final two yards over the right side.

Hontas got the Pups moving, finally, as he began hitting his aerials.

PUPS SCORE ON PASS
The Pups scored on a 36-yard pass from Hontas to end Ruben Floyd. But when Jonathan Moore, McKinley’s leading rusher and scorer, failed to make the three yards for the
two-point conversion, the Pups were a long eight points behind.

The drive was 77 yards in 13 plays, but was kept alive by a major Massillon mistake, a roughing-the-kicker penalty on a fourth-and-14 Hontas punt at the Bulldogs 19.

Massillon with 237-pound fullback Bill Harmon and slippery scatback Tom Grizzard (both juniors) roaring through massive holes opened by a rejuvenated Tiger offensive forward wall, mounted yet another threat.

The Tigers tidal wave trundled down the turf to the McKinley 28 before ebbing. From there, Dave Dowd, who kicked the two PATs, missed a field goal try from the 35.

But the short chip shot hit like a nine iron on the five yard line and McKinley was 95 yards away from the equalizer and the fourth quarter was two plays old.

Hontas retreated into his own end zone and flipped a screen pass to wingback Bob Armstrong, who got out to the 13, and the McKinley march was on.

Massillon linebacker Dennis Bricker made what looked like a drive-stopping tackle on a screen to Floyd at the Bulldogs own 21, setting up a fourth-and-two situation.

BULLDOGS MARCH 95
But faint heart never won a football game and Moore got eight on a sweep and the march continued for 95 yards in 18 plays, capped by fullback Bob Lombardi’s three-foot blast to pay dirt with 3:37 left in the game.

Hontas’ pass to Lombardi was incomplete and the Tigers still prevailed by a pair, 14-12.

The ensuing on-side kickoff bounced into a mass of Massillon and Canton players and McKinley’s Eric Llewellyn came up with the football and the Pups were born again.

Hontas quickly completed a pair of passes to Tom Grafton and Ray Ellis and Lombardi got nine yards in three tries to set the state for what the Canton backers would love to have settled for.

With Bill Poulos holding, Hontas kicked a 25-yarder right through the middle of the uprights, putting three points on the McKinley side and joy in the hearts of Canton fans.

The clock read 1:13.

Then came the dirge, tolled by the “Bell”.

Wood threw the ball three times and Bell caught all three on down-and-out patterns for 12, 9 and 12-yard gains.

He missed one and then got sacked and the ball was at the McKinley 34 with 13 seconds remaining.

Bell lined up on the right side, blew downfield and started another cut to the outside, but then suddenly flew for the goal.

He was all alone past the goal line when Wood’s toss settled into his arms. The clock showed there were six seconds remaining.

It was Massillon’s 43rd win in the long series against 31 losses. There have been five ties.

It put Warren and McKinley in a tie for the All-American Conference title for the second year in a row. Last year, the two shared it with Massillon also.

The victory gave Massillon a 6-4 season record and today in Tigertown nobody even remembers those four losses that happened such a “long time ago sometime this season.”

Massillon 7 7 0 6 20
McKinley 0 0 6 9 15

SCORING SUMMARY
Mass. – tb Mark Streeter, 24 pass from qb Greg Wood (g Dave Dowd kick).
Mass. – Wood, 2 run (Dowd kick).
Mck. – e Ruben Flloyd 36 pass from qb Roch Hontas (run failed).
Mck. – fb Bob Lombardi, 1 run (pass failed).
Mck. – Hontas, 25 FG.
Mass. – se Eddie Bell, 34 pass from Wood (pass failed).

History

Relive The Rivalry: 1964: Massillon 20, Canton McKinley 14

This is the first part of a 7 part series that relives some of the greatest Massillon Tiger victories in the Massillon vs. Canton McKinley rivalry. These games were chosen by the writers as critical games throughout Massillon’s football history.

The 1964 game pitted two of the rivalry’s greatest coaches against each other. Massillon’s Earle Bruce and Canton McKinley’s Don Nehlan. Both would go on to have great college football coaching experiences.

The Tigers’ come back victory at the time was one of their greatest and ultimately lifted them to an undefeated season and a State Championship.

TIGER CHAMPS AWAIT CROWNING

State Title Assured By Comeback Victory Over McKinley, 20-14
By STEVE HAPANOWICZ

There’s no truth to the rumor the ABC Television Network has offered the 1964 Massillon Tigers mass employment as scriptwriters.
The network well might hire the Tigers because the Ohio State high school football champions came up with as great a finish to a perfect season as any scriptwriter could dream up in his wildest imagination.

Dave Sheegog scores the winning touchdown in the 1964 Massillon-McKinley game.

Trailing 14-0 going into the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game against Canton McKinley, a game that had the state championship at stake, an undefeated season hanging in the balance, 22,685 emotionally charged fans watching in Tiger stadium and un-numbered thousands viewing on television, the Tigers staged one of the greatest come-from-behind victories any Massillon team has put together to win 20-14.

The Tigers, who led the Associated Press poll voting as the No. 1 team in the state most of the season, should be officially crowned state champs when the final poll comes out Tuesday.

Outplayed by the hard hitting McKinley squad, stopped at the 1-yard line by the McKinley defense in the second quarter, stopped again at the 14 and at the 3-yard line in the 3rd quarter, Massillon for better than 2½ quarters of the game was a toothless Tiger held at bay by a pack of angry Bulldogs.

BUT THEN the unwritten script began to unfold, putting junior quarterback Dave Sheegog in the starring role. Sheegog, 5’ 10”, 170-pounds, came into the contest on offense when regular quarterback Steve Kanner went out with cramps in his leg. The Tigers started to move with Sheegog at the controls and by the time the gun went off signaling one of the greatest mob scenes ever seen in the stadium, the Tigers were on top, with a brand new set of teeth that look like they will last another year.

There were other hero’s in the Tiger comeback that will rate as one of the greatest in Massillon football. Gene Biddle replaced the injured John Muhlbach at center in the second half when Muhlbach sustained a severely bruised hip; Jim Lawrence, who was the most consistent runner for the Tigers beside Sheegog, and Walt Lemon who took some of the pressure off Sheegog in the late stages of the drive with his running.

Determination and persistence paid off for the Tigers who kept the pressure on McKinley despite the 14-point deficit and wore down the Bulldogs. McKinley played almost the entire game without Ed Jones, the roving cornerback, in the “monster” defense and Larry Haines who broke a finger in the second quarter, but managed to come back and almost bring the Bulldogs into the lead with a drive in the wining second of the ball game. In the final analysis, Massillon’s depth told the story. The Tigers had Sheegog, Biddle and Lemon.

The Bulldogs broke on top with 5:32 left in the first quarter. Massillon took the opening kickoff and on the third play from scrimmage lost the ball on a fumble by Ed Herring on the McKinley 49. With Kalogeras banging into the line for consistent yardage and Fred Mathews picking up a 12-yard gain, the Bulldogs took 11 plays to get to the 9 from where Haines hit Emanuel Bradley all alone in the end zone for the first score. Guard Henry Vafides kicked the extra point to make it 7-0.

Sheegog fumbled the ensuing kickoff with the Bulldog’s guard Tom Bradbury recovering on the Massillon 19. Kalogeras picked up 15 yards on 4 carries. With a third and 9, Haines hit end Nick Roman with a pass but Roman was stopped inches short of the goal. With fourth and inches, Kalogeras plowed over for the score. Vafides kicked what was to be the Bulldog’s final point.

THE TIGERS MOUNTED one offensive more in the second quarter moving from their own 46 to the McKinley 1. A penalty against McKinley for grabbing a facemask gave the Tigers the ball at the Bulldog 10 with first down. Lawrence picked up a yard up the middle, Kanner sneaked out for 3 and Hewitt went 5 to the one. With fourth and 1 Lawrence went high into the middle of the line but McKinley replused him short of the goal.

The third quarter looked no better for the Tigers despite the recovery of 2 McKinley fumbles. On the second play from scrimmage following the kickoff for the second half, Willie Hall fumbled and end Wes Goodnough recovered at the Bulldog 23. Lawrence gained 6 yards in 2 carries and Herring 3. With the ball at the 14 the Bulldogs held Lawrence on a fourth and 1 to no gain.

McKinley moved the ball to the 21 when Will Hall fumbled and Massillon’s Tom Whitifield recovered on the 19. Lawrence picked up 6 to the 13 and another 5 to the 9. After a 2-yard loss, Bobby Hewitt carried to the 4. Lawrence gained a yard and on fourth and 3 Herring was stopped at the 2 by Mathews the last man with a chance to get him.

After moving to the 11, the Bulldogs punted, Romans’ kick coming to rest at McKinley 40. There were 3 minutes and 54 seconds left in the third quarter when the Tigers started their greatest comeback in many a year.

Hewitt picked up 2 and Kanner 3. Kanner left the game and Sheegog came in. Giving a sign of things to come, Sheegog picked up 10 yards on a roll out. Hewitt picked up 4 on a second down and with third and 6 Sheegog hit end Ken Gillmore with an 8-yard pass putting the ball on the 13 with a first down coming up. Lemon squirted off for 6 yards as the quarter ended. With second and 4, Herring went to the 4 and then to the one from where Lawrence scored the first touchdown at 10:11. The extra point run by Lawrence failed and the score stood at 14-6.

McKinley couldn’t move the ball and punted to the Tiger 39 where the Tigers started a 9 play 61-yard drive. Sheegog picked up 6 yards and then hit Herring with a pass up the middle to the Bulldog 35. Lawrence gained 4 and Lemon 9 before Sheegog hit Lawrence with a pass at the 10. Lemon picked up 7 to the 3 and Lawrence 3 more.

Sheegog gained a yard to the 2 and with fourth and 1 Hewitt just made it over the goal line for the score. Sheegog tied the score at 14-all by scoring the extra points over the left side with 3:32 left in the game.

McKINLEY TOOK Paul Marks’ kick to the 12 and gained 6 yards in 3 carries. Roman punted to the Massillon 45 where Sheegog fielded the ball and returned it 33 yards to the Tiger 17.

Massillon missed connections on a pass and Sheegog gained 3 yards to the 14. With third and 7 Sheegog faked to Lawrence going into the line, kept the ball and went over right tackle. He broke into the clear only to be met by McKinley’s Ray Kinnard at the 3 and Mark Mathieu at the 1, but he just strained forward for the touchdown that put the Tigers ahead 20-14 with 54 seconds remaining.

But the ball game wasn’t over. With 48 second left on their own 24 the Bulldogs moved to the 42 on an 18-yard gain picked up by Haines. A halfback pass from Mathews to Hall picked up 8 yards and another pass from Haines to Mathews, the Bulldogs most dangerous runner, put the ball on the Tiger 24. On first down, Haines tried to hit Mathews with a pass inside the 5-yard line but Dave Whitfield deflected it and Mathews never had a chance for it with 11 seconds left. Mathews got another pass to move it to the 17. Thinking time had run out Massillon fans swarmed on the field, but with 1 second left to play, officials and 15 Massillon policemen cleared the field and McKinley tried one more play, Haines throwing the ball to center Jim Roman after being rushed by the Massillon defense.

Bedlam reigned for a long time on the field and in the Tiger locker room.

Coach Earle Bruce being congratulated in a packed office said, “I still can’t believe it.” Asked if he made any adjustments in the second half, Bruce replied, “No. Sheegog came through with flying colors. He’s a calm, cool and collected quarterback. We went with the quarterback keep off the inside belly series. Our game plan was to run the ball. We fumbled in the first half and didn’t in the second. Physically we came on in the second half.”

Asked if he thought the Tiger could come back while trailing 14-0, Bruce said. “You know, once you’ve come back, you always think about coming back,” Bruce said referring to the Niles game. “They just made mistakes in the second half. We made ours in the first half.”

FOR DON NEHLEN, who brought the Bulldogs up to contention for the state title after taking over a team that was 6-4 last year, it was a bitter defeat.

“Massillon didn’t beat us. We beat ourselves. Our mistakes beat us,” he said after the game.
“Sheegog was great for them, but Kalogeras was by far the best football player on the field. We just didn’t have quite the depth.”

Asked if his team tired late in the game, Nehlen said, “No, I don’t think so. You’d look that way too if you had your back to the wall like that. Let’s just say our daubers were down a bit.”

Nehlen was unhappy with the officiating.

“We recovered 3 of their fumbles, but we didn’t get the ball. None of the officials even looked at it,” he said.

Statistically, Massillon had the slight edge getting 215 yards to 214 for the Bulldogs and 10 first downs to McKinley’s 7. The Tigers got 158 yards rushing while McKinley had 156. In passing it was 58 for McKinley to 57 for Massillon. Massillon held the ball for 57 plays while McKinley had it for 51.

Statistics
Mass. McKin.
First downs—rushing 10 7
First downs—passing 4 2
First downs—penalties 1 0
Total first downs 15 9
Yards gained rushing 173 170
Yards lost rushing 15 14
Net yards gained rushing 158 156
Net yards gained passing 57 58
Total yards gained 215 214
Passes attempted 10 7
Passes completed 5 5
Passes intercepted by 1 0
Yardage on passes intercepted 22 0
Times kicked off 4 3
Kickoff average (yards) 46.5 53.3
Kickoff returns (yards) 62 27
Times punted 1 5
Punt average (yards) 34.0 30.6
Punt returns (yards) 52 0
Had punts blocked 0 0
Fumbles 4 3
Lost fumbled ball 2 2
Penalties 0 5
Yards penalized 0 40
Touchdowns rushing 3 1
Touchdowns passing 0 1
Touchdowns by interception 0 0
Miscellaneous 0 0
Total number of plays 57 51

McKINLEY – 14
Ends – N. Roman, E. Bradley, Ring, Chaney.
Tackles – Scott, Miller, Carpenelli, R. Kinnard, Dodd,
Frazier, Shaheen.
Guards – Spencer, Bradbury, Vafides, Ra. Spencer.
Center – J. Roman.
Backs – Haines, Mathieu, Mathews, Hall, Rippey. E. Bradley,
Kalogeras, Dunnerstick.

MASSILLON – 20
Ends – Gilmore, Franklin, Paige, Goodnough, Garcia,
D. Whitfield.
Tackles – Binge, Morgan, Rambaud.
Guards – T. Whitifield, Laursel, Zorger.
Centers – Muhlbach, Biddle.
Backs – Kanner, Sheegog, Herring, Hewitt, Lawrence, Frieg,
Pribich, Manson, Lemmon, Conti, Marks, Schenkenberger.

Massillon…………. 0 0 0 20 – 20
McKinley………… 14 0 0 14 — 14

Touchdowns – McKinley: Bradley (9-yard pass from Haines); Kalogeras (1-yard run).
Massillon: Lawrence (1-yard); Hewitt (1-yard run); Sheegog (14-yard run).

Extra points – Vafides 2 (kicks); Sheegog 2 (run).

Officials:
Referee – Tony Pianowski (Cleveland).
Umpire – Harold Rolf (Ironton).
Head Linesman – Joe Romano (Mansfield).
Field Judge – Russ Kemper (Cincinnati).

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

2019: Massillon 24, Louisville 0

Injuries, Louisville not enough to slow down Massillon
Oct 25, 2019 10:43 PM

MASSILLON Massillon’s undefeated season remains intact. The Tigers, though, head into their biggest game of the year with a couple of big injury concerns.

Massillon emerged Friday night with a 24-0 win over visiting Louisville. However, in the process, both Tiger quarterback Aidan Longwell and center Cole Jones departed the game in the third quarter with injuries.

After the game, Massillon head coach Nate Moore declined to comment on the nature of either injury. Instead, he focused on the performance his team put forth in improving to 9-0 for the second consecutive season entering the annual rivalry game at McKinley.

“It’s a good ballgame against a good team,” said Moore, whose team has won 20 consecutive regular-season games. “We just kept playing ball.”

The injuries came in the midst of a penalty- and injury-filled third quarter that saw the Tigers pick up seven flags for 57 yards and the Leopards draw four for 30 yards. Louisville also saw running back Nathan Guiley leave the game with a leg injury as well in the quarter.

Massillon had fought its way to a 14-0 lead after it took the second-half kickoff and marched 48 yards to the end zone, with Terrance Keyes Jr. rushing the final 11 yards for the touchdown with 9:44 remaining in the third. The Tigers got the ball on the Louisville side of the 50 after it had unsuccessfully tried an onside kick.

It was on Massillon’s second third-quarter possession in which Longwell was injured as was hit while delivering an incomplete third-down pass. He left the game, with Zach Catrone coming in to play the final quarter and a half.

Catrone would throw a fourth-quarter touchdown to Andrew Wilson-Lamp, a 22-yarder, to give Massillon a 24-0 lead with 2:41 remaining. He was 2-of-4 passing with 33 yards in relief of Longwell.

Longwell was 11-of-19 for 114 yards with an interception in his time.

“I’m proud of him,” Moore said of Catrone, who had also come in for Longwell in last season’s regional-semifinal win over Columbus Whitehall-Yearling. “He did a great job.”

Louisville’s defense, while it would give up 17 second-half points, was stout for much of the game in not giving Massillon too many big plays. While the Tigers finished with 377 yards in the game, the Leopards were able to force a pair of missed field goals – one of which was blocked – while also limiting Massillon to just 5-of-11 on third-down conversions.

The biggest area where Louisville was able to succeed was at the line of scrimmage. Defensive ends Jason Goard and Tony Brahler combined for nine solo and six assisted stops, with Goard recording the Leopards’ lone sack.

“Our kids played hard,” said Louisville coach Jeff Twiddy, whose team falls to 5-4. “They’re really fast. I thought we were physical. I thought we played a good ballgame.”

The problem for Louisville was it was unable to take advantage of any opportunities it had to put points on the board. The Leopards had three drives inside the Tiger 40, two of which ended on downs and the third squelched by an interception by Massillon’s Preston Hodges.

Massillon’s defense limited Louisville to 192 total yards on 62 attempts. The Tigers held the Leopards to just 43 rushing yards on 30 carries.

“We played really well defensively,” Moore said. “I would’ve liked to get off the field a little sooner on a couple of drives. Other than that, it was a great ballgame by our defense.”

While Louisville couldn’t sustain its running game, Massillon’s running game thrived to a tune of 230 yards on 44 carries. Keyes finished with 157 yards on 26 carries for his fourth consecutive 100-plus-yard game.

Zion Phifer added 78 yards on 14 carries. He gave the Tigers a 7-0 lead with a 1-yard run with 9:41 remaining in the second quarter.

“Both of those guys grounded out a lot of really tough yards,” Moore said. “Zion is a great back and did a heck of a job.”

Reach Chris at 330-775-1128 or chris.easterling@indeonline.com.

On Twitter: @ceasterlingINDE

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo News

Booster Club Report – Week 8

Massillon extended its regular season winning streak last Friday to 19 with a 49-24 victory over Barberton.  It was all-time win No. 893.

Scores from last week:

  • Varsity defeated Barberton, 49-24
  • Junior Varsity lost to Barberton, 34-7
  • Freshmen lost to Barterton, 22-16
  • 8th Grade defeated Jennings Middle School (Akron), 41-8, finishing the season with a record of 5-1-1
  • 7th Grade defeated Perry Middle School, 44-24, finishing the season with a record of 7-1

Massillon is once again participating in the Stark County Hunger Task Force Food Drive in competition with Canton.  Canned food is accepted and every dollar donated is equated to seven pounds of food.  Donations can be brought to the Monday Booster Club meeting or the Tuesday Touchdown Club.  Or you can contact Nick Pribich at pribich@att.net or Mary Lou Wilton at marylouanddon24@gmailcom.  Last year the Tiger Nation bested the Bulldogs in this great event for the first time.

Massillon and Louisville are holding a contest in conjunction Goodwill Industries to see which community can collect the most donated clothing.  Massillon’s bin is located in the upper west parking lot of the stadium.  The most weight collected wins the contest.

The Massillon-McKinley Blood Drive will be held at the Massillon Rec Center on Monday from 12:00 noon to 7:00 pm.

A good crowd was again in attendance at the Booster Club meeting to hear head Coach Nate Moore review last week’s victory over Barberton and discuss this week’s opponent, Louisville.  In spite of giving up 24 points to the Magics, the highest of the season, the coaches still felt that it was a very good performance by the defense.  Barberton did drive the ball early for a field goal and then scored a passing touchdown off a missed tackle at midfield.  But second offensive TD came late in the game against the backups.  In between, the Magics returned a pass interception for a score.  Meanwhile, folllowing a punt in the first series, the Tigers scored touchdowns on six of their next seven possessions to essentially salt the game away by early in the fourth quarter.  Leading the offense was running back Terrance Keyes, wno carried the ball 30 times for 255 yards and scored five touchdowns.  The 255 yards ranks sixth all-time for a single game performance and the five touchdowns also ranks 6th.  Quarterback Aidan Longwell tossed a pair of TD passes to Jayden Ballard, who eclipsed 100 yards in receiving.  Defensively, Luke Murphy and Robby Page each had five solo tackles and one assist.  Page, Caiden Woullard and TJ Williams had pass interceptions.  The defense gave up just 1.3 yards per carry to the Magics.

Offensive lineman Cole Jones and inside linebacker Ben Krichbaum were the guest players at the Booster Club meeting.  “Defensively, we’re going to keep rolling to get wins,” said Krichbaum when looking back at the Barberton win.  His defensive group has surrendered just 2.7 yards per rush through eight games, the best mark since the 1979 season.  Jones,however, was more reserved when it came to discussing the offense.  “I don’t think we played to our standards,” he said.  “So we’re coming into this week trying to be an elite team.”

The guest coach was  co-offensive coordinator / offensive line coach John Mazur.  Mazur remarked that Massillon is a “handful” offensively, attacking the whole field.  He discussed the different defense the Tigers have faced over the last two weeks from Gateway and Barberton .  Since balanced alignments have simply not worked against the explosive offense, teams are now playing the wide receivers man-to-man with a single safety over the top.  The remaining defenders are committed to the run and they blitz on every play, except for one linebacker who stays back to cover the running back.  The strategy is to plug the lanes on running plays and on pass plays get to the quarterback before he can set up.  But in spite of Barberton’s best effort, Keyes still managed to have a career day and Longwell was not far off his normal pace.  According to Mazur, the Tigers have readily accepted the challenge.  it’s simply a matter of adjusting the play set, using more deep throws and underneath routes.  Nevertheless, with an offense that averages 50 points a game, the Tigers are spending a lot of practice time working against this scheme in anticipation of more teams utilizing the same.

Louisville enters the game this week with a 5-3 record, with victories over North Canton (43-36), Green (49-35), Warren Howland (34-7), Youngstown Cardinal Mooney (20-14 o.t.) and Point Pleasant, WV (40-21).  Losses have come to 5-3 Canfield (24-21), 4-4 Lake (37-27) and 7-1 Perry (30-28).  Last year Massillon defeated Louisville 41-0 in a game that was over by halftime.  But the Leopards appear to be better this year by at least a touchdown according to calpreps.com, in spite of having a new coaching staff.

“This is a good football team,” said Coach Moore.  “They could easily be 7-1.”  Moore summed up the Louisville personnel as follows:

  • The best player is 6′-5″, 252 lb. senior Jason Goard, who plays tight end, fullback and defensive end.  “He is a D1 kid and he plays like it,” said Moore.  “He’s a very good player.”  He’s also the most physical fullback the Tigers have faced this year.
  • The next best player is 6′-3″, 202 lb. Davis Burick, who plays both side receiver and linebacker.  This the best skill player on the team.
  • The defensive line is the best position group and has good size, averaging 6′-3″, 234 lbs.
  • The defense aligns in a 4-3, which Massillon rarely sees now against their spread offense.
  • The offensive line personnel are all new this year.  The best lineman is 6′-2″, 241 lb. senior BlakeRobbins,
  • The offensive line is on the smaller side, averaging 6′-2″, 229 lbs.
  • The running back is not featured and is considered as an average high school player.
  • Quarterback Colton Jones returns from last year and is an above average high school quarterback according to Moore..  The 6′-1″, 192 lb. senior has completed 149 of 224 (67%) of his passes for 1,837 yards (12.3 yard per catch).  Against Massillon last year Jones completed 17 of 39 passes for 149  yards.  He also had three interceptions.
  • Jones’ favorite target is 5′-11″, 161 lb. senior wide receiver Ryan Pukys, a returning starter.  He has caught 37 passes for 427 yards.

The Massillon-Louisville series will end with just two games played as the Leopards have opted not to renew the contract.

 

Massillon v. McKinley

IMPORTANT: 2019 Beat McKinley Parade Information

McKinley Week is just two short weeks away. The culminating event prior to Saturday’s game is the annual Beat McKinley parade. The parade is scheduled to begin at 7pm, but the route of the parade has not been fully determined. The city is expected to make a decision on the route a few days prior to the parade. Stay tuned to this story and our social media channel on Facebook – Massillon Tiger Football Booster Club

Below you will find an interactive map showing the planned route and the alternate route along with staging area and drop off area. The staging area will be on 8th street and the drop off area will be determined by the route chosen by the city.

Beat McKinley Parade Route and Alternate Parade Route

CLICK ON THE LINK ABOVE TO VIEW INTERACTIVE MAP

If you would like to participate in the Beat McKinley parade, please send an email to register for your participation to parade@massillontigers.com

Please include your name, address and email address in the body of the email.

All parade registrants must positively promote the Massillon Tiger Football Program, Massillon City Schools, Massillon Athletics and the City of Massillon.

POLITICAL SIGNS AND PROMOTION OF ANY KIND ARE STRICTLY PROHIBITED.

GO TIGERS!!

 

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

2019: Massillon 49, Barberton 24

Keyes continues to roll as Massillon pulls away from Barberton
Oct 18, 2019 10:41 PM

BARBERTON Barberton was lying in wait for Massillon. Getting their first true home game against the Tigers since 1957, the Magics came ready to try and spoil their visitors’ undefeated season.

The problem for Barberton was that Massillon brought Terrance Keyes Jr. with it to the Magic City. And Keyes made certain the Tigers didn’t allow the purple-clad home fans a chance to end the night in celebration.

In a game which saw both teams struggle at times with composure, as they combined for 22 penalties and 230 penalty yards, Keyes provided a certain calming influence on the Massillon offense. His 255 yards and five touchdowns rushing helped the Tigers pull away for a 49-24 victory in front of a capacity crowd at Rudy Sharkey Stadium.

“I don’t think there’s anything really calm tonight, but he’s the guy who’s carrying the ball,” Massillon coach Nate Moore said after his team improved to 8-0 while winning their 19th consecutive regular-season game. “The offensive line starts it and does a nice job blocking. You have to give those guys credit first, but Terrance made some nice plays tonight.”

The last three games have seen Keyes take control of the Massillon running game. Since Week 6, the senior has gained 582 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground, with his latest performance the best of his career.

His previous high was 198 yards as a sophomore at St. Vincent-St. Mary against, ironically enough, Massillon. He cleared that with his final scoring run, a 62-yarder which put the Tigers in front 42-16 early in the fourth quarter.

“It’s a definite plus when you running back is a plus-one,” Moore said. “A lot of times, he can account for somebody himself. Terrance is that kind of back, and he did a good job tonight.”

It was Keyes’ five scoring runs which helped the Tigers first rally from behind before pulling well ahead. He gave Massillon the lead for good with his first score, a 7-yarder with 6:46 left in the second quarter to make ti 14-9.

His second, an 8-yarder, made it 21-9 Tigers with 3:34 left in the half. Barberton, though, would come up with its own big play to stay within striking distance.

After giving the ball up to Massillon on an interception, the very next play Charlie Hornacek stepped in front of a Tiger pass and picked it off at his own 48. He would race 52 yards for the touchdown to pull Barberton within 21-16 with 2:03 remaining.

“As a sophomore, Charlie led us in interception,” said Barberton coach Tony Gotto, who 5-3 team led 9-7 on Ryan Watkins’ 60-yard touchdown catch from Chase Haywood with 9:21 left in the first half. “He’s a playmaker. That was huge. I don’t know what the score was at the time, but it put us right back there.”

The problem for Barberton was that it left Massillon plenty of time to regain control before the half. That’s exactly what the Tigers did, as Keyes capped a seven-play, 66-yard possession with a 1-yard run to make it 28-16 with 46 seconds left in the half.

Keyes would make it 35-16 when he capped Massillon’s first possession of the second half with another 1-yard run at the 7:24 mark of the third quarter. Barberton would take virtually the remainder of the quarter to reach the Tiger 2, but Caiden Woullard came up with an interception in the end zone on fourth down to turn away the threat.

Four plays after that pick, Keyes would get free on the fifth and final scoring run of the night to turn it into a 36-point Tiger advantage. It marked the seventh time in eight games Massillon has had a running clock at some point in the game.

“That’s a freaking good football team,” said Gotto, whose team was outgained 409-309 by Massillon. “They have athletes everywhere. They have size.”

Reach Chris at 330-775-1128 or chris.easterling@indeonline.com.

On Twitter: @ceasterlingINDE

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo News

Booster Club Report – Week 7

Massillon extended its regular season winning streak last Friday to 18 with a 48-12 victory over Gateway, of Monroeville, Pennsylvania.  It was also the Tigers’ 892nd all-time victory, which is the 5th best in the nation.

Scores from last week:

  • Varsity defeated Gateway, PA, 48-12
  • Junior varsity lost to Cleveland St. Ignatius, 17-14
  • Freshmen lost to Cleveland St. Ignatius, 42-14
  • 8th Grade defeated Akron East, 32-6
  • 7th Grade lost to the Western Crusaders, 22-18

The Booster Club is sponsoring one or two buses to the October 18 Barberton game for the cost of $25.00, not including the game ticket.  A sub sandwich and drink will be provided.  The buses will depart from the old K-Mart parking lot at 5:00 pm.  Tickets can be purchased at Keller’s Office Supply.

Massillon is once again participating in the Stark County Hunger Task Force Food Drive in competition with Canton.  Canned food is accepted and every dollar donated is equated to seven pounds of food.  Donations can be brought to the Monday Booster Club meeting or the Tuesday Touchdown Club.  Or you can contact Nick Pribich at pribich@att.net or Mary Lou Wilton at marylouanddon24@gmailcom.  Last year the Tiger Nation bested the Bulldogs in this great event for the first time.

The guest players this week were defensive lineman Manny McElroy and outside linebacker / running back Preston Hodges, their team coming off a big win over previously once-beaten Gateway.  “We played a really good game,” said Hodges.  “They were very fast.  We tackled very well.  We’re playing really well right now and that’s very dangerous.  A lot of teams come in here thinking we’re just another high school team.  But there are not a lot of teams that play like we do.  No one outworks us.”  Next up is Barberton.  “They’re a pretty good team,” remarked McElroy.  They have some big linemen.  But I know what we can do.”

Gateway came into Tigertown last week as one of the better teams on Massillon’s schedule, sporting a 6-1 record and having outscored their previous five opponents, 217-7.  Granted the opposition wasn’t great, but you have to be doing something right to dominate the way they did.  The Gator defense was the strength of the team on this particular night since they had the ability to nearly match the speed of the Tiger receivers.  This permitted them to play man-to-man press coverage with a single safety over the top.  That meant all of the remaining defenders were committed to the run.  As a result, Massillon was forced to build a 20-7 halftime lead off the running ability of Terrence Keyes, since the passing game netted just four completions in 11 attempts.

With the Tiger offense limited early on, it became a night for the defense to shine.  “It took awhile to really get going,” said head coach Nate Moore.  So the defensive stepped it up and really put pressure on the Gator front-7.  With five blockers against three Tiger linemen, the Gateway scheme was for two double-teams and a single-team.  Only, the single-teamed Tiger constantly broke through to pressure the quarterback.  “Guys are just doing their jobs,” said Moore.

Gateway featured stellar running back Derrick Davis, who has been recruited by dozens of power-5 Division 1 schools.  But on this night he struggled, gaining just 17 yards in 12 carries against the Massillon first team.  So the Gators went to the air.  Except that it was mostly unproductive against the strong pass rush.  In fact, nearly every completed pass was a screen and the quarterback’s 18 completions went for just 7.3 yards per catch and 3.9 yards per play.

Offensively, Massillon finally got it in gear in the second half by outscoring Gateway 28-6 to break the game open and ended up with 387 yards of total offense.  Keyes led the way with 142 yards and 3 scores.  Quarterback Aidan Longwell did his best against mostly-covered receivers and ended up completing 10 of 21 for 223 yards and pair of TDs.  But one of those completions combined with Jayden Ballard to set a new Massillon record.  Backed up at the five, Ballard ran a hitch, which allowed him to shed the defender and Longwell hit him in stride for a 95-yard touchdown.  The tally broke the previous longest pass completion mark of 89 yards set by Seth Blankenship and Austin Jasiinski in 2016 against Dublin Scioto.  Moore said that being backed up toward the end zone greatly lowers the odds of completing a pass like this.  But the players got it done in all phases (blocking, route running, passing, receiving and sprinting to the end zone).

“The battle the Tigers fought all night was our running back vs. their unblocked player.”  Gateway committed the minimum number of players to the pass and the remaining defenders to the run, sending all but one on each play.  That one player’s responsibility was to key on running back.  Per Moore, they had one more guy than we did in the box and it was important that right play be called in order to defeat that unblocked player and achieve success in this area.

Massillon travels to Barberton on Friday for a 7:00 pm kickoff.  It will be the 46th meeting between these two on-and-off rivals, the first game being in 1904 and the last one in 1995.  The Tigers own a 37-7-1 record in the series.  This will be the first visit to Magic Stadium since the 1950s.

While the Tigers sit on a perfect 7-0 mark, Barberton’s hope for a similar record at this point in the season were dashed by 4-3 Stow (21-34) and 7-0 Aurora last week (7-31).  Although some of the luster has been taken off of the contest with the two losses, it’s still a road game and is a relatively new opponent for this current group of players.  And with a big crowd expected, it will still be a good show.

Here is a quick rundown on Barberton, as provided by Coach Moore:

  • The strength of the offense is the skill positions.
  • Quarterback – Senior Chase Haywood (5′-11″, 160 lb.). Good player.  Makes some good throws.
  • Wide receivers – Best players are senior Kaeleb Vega (6′-200 lb.) and senior Ryan Watkins (6′-0″, 185 lb.).  All of the receivers are pretty good.
  • Running back – No. 34 (name unknown) – Pretty good.  Good size and speed.
  • Offensive line – Averages 5′-11″, 220 lbs.  A couple of undersized players.  Best players are senior left tackle Kyle Hutchison (6′-2″, 180 lb.) and senior right guard Logan Kaisk (5′-11″, 290 lb.).  They play great technique and come off the ball hard.  But size may be an issue with this group.
  • Formations similar to Massillon, with 3 and 4 wide receiver sets.
  • Defensive line – Also undersized, averaging 6′-0″, 215 lbs.  Sophomore nose tackle John Jackson (6′-2″, 255 lbs.) is the best player.
  • Linebackers – Good position group.  All seniors.  Not big, but good players.
  • Defensive backs – Corners better than safeties.  Best player is senior cornerback Maliq Spragling (6′-0″, 175 lbs.).
  • Defense consistently aligns in an odd front with two high safeties in cover-4, similar to Massillon.

See you in Barberton.  Go Tigers!