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Gareon Conley Inducted into Massillon Tiger Football Hall of…

Gareon Conley, a 2013 WHS graduate, was recently inducted into the Massillon Tiger Football Hall of Fame.  During his football career he enjoyed time at all three levels: high school, college and professional.

At Massillon, Conley played three years under Head Coach Jason Hall.  As a junior, he started at cornerback and recorded 25 tackle points and intercepted four passes, one of which was returned for a touchdown.  During his senior year he also played wide receiver, where he was a deep-ball specialist, leading the team with 50 pass receptions for 1,096 yards (21.9 ave.) and scored 16 touchdowns, all Top 10s in the record book.  He also played special teams, returning kickoffs (22.2 ave.).  The squad that year finished with a record of 11-2, while advancing in the state playoffs to the regional finals.  Significant wins were:

  • Steubenville (9-3) 24-7
  • Austintown Fitch (9-2) 34-14
  • Akron St. Vincent (13-2) 44-23
  • Canton McKinley (8-3) 37-29 and 28-19

Following the season, the 6′-2″, 175 lb. Conley was named 1st team All-Ohio at wide receiver.

Gareon Conley Ohio State Buckeyes
Gareon Conley – Ohio State Buckeyes

The 4-star athlete then left for Ohio State, after first committing to the University of Michigan.  Following a redshirt year, Conley became a 3-year starter at cornerback and was a member of OSU’s 2014 national championship team.  As a senior, he was team captain and was named 2nd Team All-Big Ten Conference.  He ended his career by playing in 41 games, where he is credited with 66 solo tackles, 25 assists, 91 total tackles and 6 pass interceptions.

Conley opted to forgo a fifth year at Ohio State and entered the draft early, where he was picked 24th overall in the first round by the Oakland Raiders in the 2017 event.  However, he was hampered by injuries throughout his time in Oakland and was eventually traded in 2019 to the Houston Texans.  The following year he became a free agent.  He finished his career with a 2023 season playing for the DC Defenders of the United Football League.

It’s a shame that Conley’s NFL career didn’t pan out the way that Ohio State football fans thought it would.  He was still a great Buckeye and his contributions to Ohio State won’t be forgotten.  He was part of some of the best secondaries that the Buckeyes have ever had.”…Scarlet and Game, 2024.

 

Congratulations to Gareon Conley.

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Scrimmage Preview: Massillon vs. Cincinnati Moeller

Scrimmage Preview: Massillon vs. Cincinnati Moeller

Massillon will entertain Cincinnati Moeller this Thursday at 2:00 pm for the second of two scrimmages as they continue preparation for the 2025 football season. The Crusaders come in fresh off a Division I state finals appearance in last year’s playoffs, in which they lost to Olentangy Liberty, 28-14.

Moeller, under Head Coach Gerry Faust, burst onto the Ohio high school football scene in 1975 with a 14-12 victory over Lakewood St. Edward in the state finals and enjoyed great success for several years thereafter (Eds at the time was led by Mike Currence, who incidentally left the following year for Massillon). The Crusaders went on to capture the state title six more times through 1985, up to when Cleveland St. Ignatius took over the limelight. However, Moeller did win two more titles since then, in 2012 and 2013.

But two years later the program slipped drastically, recording just one winning record in a span of six years, with a win-loss mark of just 22-36. Fortunately, they found two coaches that could right the ship in Mark Elder (2020-22) and Bert Bathiany, the current coach. Under this pair Moeller has resurged and won four consecutive regional championships through last season. Locally, Bathiany started his tenure there with a 49-31 road victory over Massillon.

The Crusaders are led by all-everything quarterback Matt Ponatoski. Last season he led his team to a 14-2 record, while losing in the state finals to Liberty. In that game he completed 16 of 30 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 34 yards. But for the season, he completed 281 of 405 passes (69%) for 4,217 yards (15.0 yds. ave.) and 57 touchdowns. He also rushed for another nine TDs. Following the season he was named both Ohio’s Division I Player of Year and Gatorade Ohio Player of the Year.

He was also a standout shortstop in baseball, batting .462, while helping his team to a 25-4 record and a spot in the regional finals. Ponatoski was named 1st Team All-Ohio and once again honored by Gatorade as the POY.

Coming into his senior year, the 6’-2”, 190 lb. Ponatoski is rated as the No. 18 quarterback in America (also the No. 16 shortstop in America). He also committed to Kentucky over Oregon, Alabama, Arkansas and Cincinnati to further his career, with opportunities to participate in both football and baseball. Of course, Moeller this year is the pre-season pick to win the Division I state title.

Also for the Crusaders, keep an eye on the following players, all of whom were named 1st Team All Greater Catholic League (GCL) last season:

• Senior running back Tyler Josleyn (5’-9”, 185)
• Senior tight end Cooper McCutchan (6’-4”, 230), a North Carolina recruit
• Senior linebacker Conner Cuozzo (6’-1”, 220)
• Senior defensive lineman Christian Harris (6’-1”, 270)
• Senior defensive back Ricky Thomas (6’-1”, 185)

Coach Bethiany was named GCL Coach of the Year.

Massillon and Moeller have met each other in scrimmage action the past two years in very competitive matches, with both played in Cincinnati. In 2023 the Tigers, during their championship run, came out on top 21-7. And last year they bested the Crusaders in a close one, 10-7. This should be another interesting matchup and maybe a pretty good show as well.

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Scrimmage Report: Massillon vs. Avon

Scrimmage Report: Massillon vs. Avon

Scrimmage No. 1 is in the books.  Over the past several years Massillon and Avon have met in the first scrimmage to gauge the progress of the teams following just a few days of contact practice.  While the Eagles have the distinction of being the defending Division II champions, with the Tigers having captured the crown the previous year, both are shells of themselves at this point.  But it certainly won’t stay that way as each is expected to challenge for the state title this year.

Throughout the contest the two teams had success with what they do best.  For Massillon this year it is the ground game, behind two stellar running backs in junior returnee Savior Owens and senior newcomer Anthony McMullen Jr.  Owens runs like his older brother Da’One and McMullen appears to emulate the skills of Dorian Pringle, both of whom were major contributors on the 2023 championship team.

The passing game, however, is a far cry at this point from what will be needed against formidable opponents, while Coach Nate Moore searches for his starting quarterback from the group of senior Eli Moore, junior Mandwel Patterson and sophomore Rasmus Haines.  But it wasn’t necessarily a good venue for the competition in that Avon blitzed on nearly every play, while the Tigers never game plan for a scrimmage.  With the blitz the QBs just didn’t have a lot of time to set up and throw.  On a positive note, each QB showed that they can run effectively with the ball.

But all of that should be tempered with the facts that Massillon didn’t run any RPOs, didn’t throw any deep balls, ran a basic defense and substituted liberally.  It was more about finding the right player fits and evaluating the individual play execution than finding the right score.

Meanwhile, Avon, of course, throws the ball.  And they do it fairly well.  In fact, it’s the bread and butter of their offense.  But the orange and black held their own for the most part.

The first session of the scrimmage involved 10-play series, with no extra plays inside the red zone.  In essence, run ten plays and then get off the field.  Each team had two tries.

Avon went first and advanced the ball from their own 35 to the Massillon 20, aided by at least thirty yards in penalties.  It appeared that the Tigers were just a bit overanxious to get to it early on;. it was much better as the event went on.  From there the Eagles converted 37-yard field goal.

The Massillon offense then took its turn, with Patterson at quarterback, but gained just three yards and punted.  On the start-over they advanced to the Avon 47 before running out of plays.  Quarterbacking was shared by Haines and Moore.

Avon scored on their second try on a 22-yard run, only it was against the Tiger backups.  With a few plays remaining, they moved to the Massillon 33 and missed on a 50-yard field goal attempt.

Patterson started at QB on the second series and was replaced by Haines midway through the drive.  The run game really kicked into gear in this one, displaying good speed and physicality.  With a pass or two sprinkled in, the Tigers moved the ball from their own 35 to the Avon 20, before Haines rifled a pass to Deontay Malone at the seven.  Malone snagged the ball and then scored after first eluding a potential tackler with a nifty fake.

In the second session, each team started at the opponent’s 25 and had just five plays to see what they could do.  Two series apiece.

Avon in series one scored on a 14-yard touchdown pass to a well-covered receiver, who simply made a great catch.  With a play remaining, a 15-yard pass was intercepted by a diving Braylon Gamble.

Massillon in series one, with Patterson at QB, went immediately to the air.  Only, the pass was just over the hands Gio Jackson, who had beaten his cover guy and was sprinting across the middle of the end zone.  Subsequently, a 22-yard field goal attempt was wide.

Avon scored in series two on a 3-yard run against several Massillon defensive backups.  With a play remaining, they missed on a 42-yard field goal attempt.

Moore was in at quarterback for series two.  He did complete a 25-yard touchdown pass while sprinting to the sideline, but the referee blew the whistle to stop the play while the ball was in the air, since he judged that the QB had timed out.  And, although the Tigers then moved the ball inside the ten, a 15-yard penalty took away the favorable field position.  At the end, a 32-yard field goal was missed.

The best takeaway from the scrimmage was the speed and power of the Tiger run game.  But as far as a starting quarterback goes, we will need to wait for the coach to make the call.  None really stood out on this day.  Defensively, the talent is certainly there.  And don’t expect the Tigers to use a “basic defense” once the regular season begins.  Special teams will need some work.  Short snaps were inconsistent, which affected the kickers greatly.  Punt snaps were a bit slow.  And punts were variable.  Kickoffs were OK.

The JV teams ran three 10-play series each, but neither scored, although they each moved the ball fairly well at times.

Massillon will take the field next against Cincinnati Moeller in a home scrimmage scheduled for next Thursday at 2:00 pm.

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Antonio James Inducted into Massillon Tiger Football Hall of…

Antonio James Inducted into Massillon Tiger Football Hall of Fame

Antonio James, from the Class of 2006, played on the defensive line for three years under Head Coaches Rick Shepas and Tom Stacy.  As a team captain during his senior year the team finished with a record of 13-2, with James recording 43.5 tackle points, 11 tackles-for-loss, 6.5 quarterback sacks, 5 pass breakups and forced 3 fumbles, all good enough to be named 1st Team All-Ohio.  In the playoffs the Tigers defeated Canton McKinley in the regional finals and Lakewood St. Edward in the state semifinals, only to lose to Cincinnati St. Xavier in the finals the following week.

Following Massillon James played four years at the University of Illinois, seeing action in 46 games as a defensive lineman, where he posted 20 solos, 20 assists, 40 total tackles and 2.5 sacks.  Then it was off to the coaching ranks, with the following stops:

  • Urbana High School (2011-13): defensive line and outside linebackers
  • University of Michigan, graduate assistant (2014-16): defensive line
  • Morgan State (2018-21): defensive coordinator and co-special teams coordinator
  • Southern Illinois (2022): defensive line coach, 2022
  • Southern Illinois (2023-24): assistant head coach and defensive coordinator
  • University of Illinois (current): assistant defensive line coach

In 2017 James was named to the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Under 30 Coaches’ Leadership Institute.

Congratulations to Antonio James.

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Don and Mary Lou Wilton Inducted into Massillon Tiger…

Don and Mary Lou Wilton Inducted into Massillon Tiger Football Hall of Fame

Don and Mary Lou Wilton, who both graduated from high school in 1962, were honored in celebration of their many years of service to the Massillon Football Booster Club.  Many examples exist where their contributions have made significant impacts on both the Club and the lives of the Tiger players.

Don was a Booster Club vice president in 1988 and ‘89, and then president in 1990.  And Mary Lou was named president just this year, after serving as vice president during the previous three terms.  She also holds the distinction of being the first woman president of the club as well as the first woman member of the Club’s Junior Board.

The two were instrumental in raising funds for construction of the stadium east press box and then for many years managing that facility on game nights.  Mary Lou also served as Booster Club Membership Chairman and hospitality chairman for the state playoff games.

 

 

 

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Ben Mast Inducted into Massillon Tiger Football Hall of…

Ben Mast Inducted into Massillon Tiger Football Hall of Fame

Ben Mast played for the Massillon varsity in 1995 and ‘96 as an offensive lineman, under Head Coach Jack Rose.  He was an imposing figure, standing 6’-4” and weighing 275 lbs.

In his junior season the Tigers went 7-3.   However, they did record a 21-18 win over Cincinnati Moeller, which was Massillon’s first ever win over the national power.

Program Cover

During his senior year, as a co-captain, his team defeated 7-2 Walsh Jesuit, 7-2 Naperville, Illinois, and 9-3 Cincinnati Moeller.  In addition, the team downed eventual state champion Lima Senior during the regular season, 28-14.  The Tigers finished the year with a 9-2 record, while losing 7-6 to Brunwick in a 2nd round playoff game, during which seven inches of snow was deposited on the Akron Rubber Bowl turf.  Post-season, our inductee was named 1st Team All-Ohio.

Next up was a 5-year career at the University of Michigan, which he selected over Ohio State, not being a big fan of current head coach John Cooper.  Playing at 6′-4″, 297 lbs., he saw action on the offensive line in 29 games, while experiencing four bowl games, two Big Ten titles and one national championship.  He also had an opportunity to block for quarterback Tom Brady.

  • 1997 – Redshirted; 12-0 record; National Champions; AP No. 1; won 21-16 over No. 1 Washington State in the Rose Bowl
  • 1998 – Played in 5 games; 10-3 record; tied for the Big Ten Championship; AP No. 12; won 45-31 over No. 11 Arkansas in the Florida Citris Bowl
  • 1999 – Played in 12 games; 10-2 record; tied for 2nd in the Big Ten; AP No. 5; won 35-34 o.t. over No. 5 Alabama in the Orange Bowl
  • 2000 – Played in 5 games; 9-3 record; tied for the Big Ten Championship; AP No. 11; won 31-28 over No. 20 Auburn in the Florida Citris Bowl
  • 2001 – Played in 7 games; 8-4 record; 2nd in the Big Ten; AP No. 20; lost 45-17 to No. 8 Tennessee in the Florida Citris Bowl

During his final year Mast suffered a knee injury in the Week 2 game against Washington when he was clipped while running down a Washington player after a blocked punt.  Unfortunately, that hampered his playing time for the remainder of the season.  Otherwise, he was looking at potentially being selected in the 2nd or 3rd round of the NFL draft.  At the advice of NFL scouts, he played for the Detroit Fury of arena football in order to test the knee.  However,  he was hurt again and elected then to retire from football.

Ben is currently a plant supervisor for Alro Steel in Wooster.

 

 

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“Beat” Signs Are Available for Your Home Use

“Beat” Signs Are Available for Your Home Use

Each year the Massillon Tiger Football Booster Club prints colorful signs that are displayed in local store windows urging the Tigers to beat the opponent for that particular week.  Those signs are now available to Tiger fans free of charge.  Stop by Liberty Printing and pick up a complete set of signs covering all the games for the season and show your support.  Go Tigers!

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Don Snavely Inducted into Massillon Tiger Football Hall of…

Don Snavely Inducted into Massillon Tiger Football Hall of Fame

Don Snavely, a 1938 graduate, was recently inducted into the Massillon Tiger Football Hall of Fame.  Snavely was an offensive center and middle linebacker for Coach Paul Brown from 1935 to 1937.  During his sophomore year Massillon set a scoring record with 48.3 points per game, while recording eight shutouts enroute to both state and national championships.  It was also the first year that Brown defeated Canton McKinley.

In his junior year the Tigers repeated those feats: 10-0 record, state championship and national championship.  The team outscored the opposition, 443-14, with eight shutouts, and defeated McKinley, 21-0.  They also handed News Castle, PA, their first home loss in three years.  Playing at 151 lbs., Snavely was named 1st Team All-Ohio.

As a senior, now at 160 lbs., he was moved to offensive end, in addition to being team captain, while on defense he remained at middle linebacker in a 7-1-2-1 formation.  Snavely also excelled on special teams, blocking a punt out of the end zone, returning a blocked punt for a touchdown and recovering a blocked punt in the end zone for another score.

It was against McKinley following a 19-6 victory that one sportswriter wrote: “Snavely’s defensive work was superb.  In the face of severe and almost constant roughing, he made tackle after tackle to stop the charges of the Canton backs.  Once he had to take time out because of an injured knee, but he shook out the kink and continued in the game as did every other Massillon player from the opening whistle to the finish.  It was the second straight time that the Tigers had played through an entire game without a single substitution.”

The team finished 8-1-1 that year, with a 6-6 tie against Mansfield and a 7-0 loss to New Castle, during which Snavely played sparingly due to knee injury he suffered in a practice leading up to the game.  However, he was again named 1st Team All-Ohio.

Following high school, he played four years at center for Columbia University.

 

 

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Massillon’s History with a Theoretical 12-Team Playoff

Massillon’s History with a Theoretical 12-Team Playoff

“There’s no place like home,” Dorothy exclaimed near the end of the legendary movie, “The Wizard of Oz.”  And Massillon Tiger football fans can say the same following the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s (OHSAA) decision to revamp the state football playoffs.  With the change, in spite of fewer teams now qualifying, there are better opportunities to host post-season games.

The OHSAA’s playoff system used to determine football state championships was introduced in 1972 at the request of the association coaches.  But inspite of the great intentions the OHSAA had at the time, it was not an optimal system at the start and a host of changes have occurred since that time.  Initially, just one team qualified from each of four regions across three divisions.  In 1980 two more divisions were added and the number of qualifiers per region doubled.  In 1985 it became four teams per region, followed in 1994 by the addition of a sixth division.  Four per region became eight in 1999 and a seventh division was added in 2013.  Whew!  That’s a lot of changes.

But it might have remained that way, except that the Covid year of 2020 messed it all up.  On account of several canceled games due to the impact of the ailment and the resulting difficulty in selecting qualifiers, the OHSAA opened the door to every team in the state.  The following year, with the OHSAA believing that it was beneficial for many schools to enhance the number of participants, the number of regional qualifiers was increased to sixteen.  Not discussed was the additional revenue afforded to the OHSAA from the additional 112 games across the seven divisions, considering that the OHSAA also at that time took over control of sales and collection of money from the purchase of playoff game tickets.

Regardless of the OHSAA’s beliefs, the coaches apparently were never in favor of a 16-team region, preferring twelve instead, with the top four qualifiers receiving byes in the first round.  It should be noted that a 12-team format was the format going into the 2020 season until it was derailed by Covid.  Now finally, the coaches have gotten their way.

Per this author, the right number is probably eight teams per region.  However, the method used to select the teams, i.e., the Harbin System, has several flaws and is considered incapable of selecting these eight teams, let alone seeding them properly, as compared to algorithm-based methods that utilize true strength-of-schedule components, not just a simple summation of opponent wins.  For, all teams are just not created equal.  The author’s study shows that, in order to assure that the best eight teams are included, at least twelve teams from the Harbin System must be selected.  Thus, a 12-team format is therefore considered optimal, although it doesn’t solve the seeding problem and corresponding earned rights to home games.

With the recent modification, the top four seeded teams receive a bye in the first round.  The remaining teams face off, with 5 vs. 12, 6 vs. 11, 7 vs. 10 and 8 vs. 9.  In Round 2, No. 1 faces the winner of 5 vs. 12, No. 2 faces the winner of 6 vs. 11, etc.  The next two weeks are then used to determine the regional champion.  In Weeks 1-3 the higher-seeded team hosts the game.  The Week 4 championship game is then played at a neutral site.

With this format, the ideal seeded positions are Nos. 1 and 2.  Not only do these teams receive a bye week, they are also guaranteed the potential of two home games.  The next favorable positions are Nos. 3 and 4.  These teams receive a bye week plus one guaranteed home game.  After that comes Nos. 5-8, with one guaranteed home game.

Now for the fun part.  Had the new playoff format been in place since the start of the playoffs in 1972, a span of some 53 years, how would Massillon have faired year-to-year?  The chart below presents the raw numbers.

The Tigers were in Division I from the start through 2012.  The data shows that they would have qualified for the playoffs 36 times out of 41 attempts, or 88% of the time.  Of the five years in which they failed to qualify, twice (1998 and 2004) they had four wins and twice (1974 and 2007) they had six wins, so that’s understandable.  Ironically, they would have qualified in every year under a 16-team format.

The outlier came in 1978 when Massillon finished in the 14th position with a record of 9-0-1 and would have failed to qualify.  Again, the flaws of the Harbin System are cited.  The problem that year was with the opponents, most of which failed to win many games.  In fact, outside of Canton McKinley (7-2) and Warren Harding (7-2-1), the remaining teams won just a third of their games, something the Tigers had no control over.  Of course, there were only three divisions at that time.  In a 7-division format they would most likely have qualified.

About a third of the time they would have been seeded first or second.  They would have finished in the top four and received a first-round bye 20 times, or about half.  And they would have finished in the top eight and hosted at least one game 30 times, or about three-quarters.

In 2013 the divisions were restructured, with the Tigers assigned to Division II, since the number of teams placed in Division I was lowered.  Over the next twelve years Massillon would have qualified in every year.  Seven times, or 58%, they would have been seeded first or second.  They would have received a first-round bye ten times, or 83%.  And they would have hosted at least one game eleven times or 92%.  The only year in which they would not have hosted a game was in Coach Nate Moore’s first year, when the team finished in 11th place with a record of 4-6.  However, the playoffs would have been interesting that year, given that Massillon defeated eventual regional champion Perry during the regular season.

Thus, if Massillon’s success over the past several years continues, there is a high probably of having a bye in the first round of the playoffs, something that is beneficial for three reasons.  The first is that it provides the program a chance to regroup both physically and mentally following an intense rivalry game.  Second, they could reach the finals while playing one less game than previously.  And third, they could continue to have a high probability of hosting two playoff games.  Because, let’s face it; there’s no place like home!

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Register Now For the 2025 MASSILLON TIGER FOOTBALL Golf…

Date: Saturday, August 16, 2025
Time: 1 pm shotgun start time
Location: The Massillon Elms Country Club
Cost: $100 per golfer; $400 per foursome
Participants: Lunch, dinner, performance awards, 50-50, raffle baskets

The Massillon Tiger Football Booster Club would like to invite you to our annual golf outing being held on August 16th at the Elms Country Club, with a shotgun start at 1:00 pm.  This year’s scramble format is open to all levels with awards to lowest team score as well as course challenges for both guys and ladies.  Lunch and dinner will be provided.  50-50 raffle, hole in 1 contest and raffle baskets.  Coach Moore plans to attend and once again show his skills on Hole #9.  Registration: $100 per golfer or $400 per foursome is online (see below).

Let’s celebrate the kickoff to the 2025 Massillon Tiger Football season.  If you would consider sponsoring a golf hole, an award, lunch or dinner, please email Glen Weirich at UAbulldogs1@gmail.com.

This golf outing continues to be an important fundraiser for your Massillon Tiger Football Booster Club.  THANK YOU for your support.

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