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Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

2019: Massillon 56, Akron Firestone 0

Longwell sets Massillon’s passing mark in rout of Firestone
Chris Easterling
Sep 27, 2019 11:15 PM

MASSILLON With one flick of his left wrist, Aidan Longwell removed any doubt that existed in Massillon’s game Friday night against winless Firestone.

On the Tigers’ first play from scrimmage, Longwell dropped back and hit Jayden Ballard for a 40-yard touchdown pass. That pass, just 1:59 into the game, gave the Massillon senior quarterback the school’s all-time record for passing yards.

“It’s special,” Longwell said after passing Kyle Kempt as the Tigers’ career passing leader in the 56-0 victory over the Falcons. “I can’t put it into words. Just everything that’s happened at Massillon, all the history behind this program, it’s special to be a part of that.”

Longwell came into the game needing just 31 yards to pass the 6,034 career yards Kempt had compiled from 2010-12. He needed just one throw to pass that mark, the second career record he set in as many weeks after breaking the passing touchdowns mark in Week 4.

That one record-setting throw would be half of Longwell’s output on the night, as he only threw the ball twice – completing both – for 53 yards. His career total now stands at 6,056 yards with still plenty of football to be potentially be played.

“I think it takes a little pressure off,” Longwell said. “Not really for me, I wasn’t really thinking about that stuff. Everybody talking about it, it can be over now.”

There wasn’t much football for Longwell, or any of Massillon’s first-unit players, to play on Friday night against a completely over-matched Firestone team. The Tigers ran just five plays and had the football for just 52 seconds in the first quarter, yet still took a 35-0 lead in that time.

Of Massillon’s five first-quarter plays, three went for touchdowns. Beyond the Longwell-to-Ballard scoring strike, Terrence Keyes and Zion Phifer would each run for scores.

The Tiger special teams would get into the act to help with that lead. Preston Hodges would block and punt and recover it in the end zone for a touchdown to make it 14-0.

Hodges also had an interception to set up the Tigers’ third touchdown, a 10-yard run by Keyes. It’s the team-high third pick for the senior outside linebacker.

“We want to come out and get better every week,” said Hodges, who was part of a defensive performance which limited Firestone to 45 net yards and three first downs on 28 plays. “We just come out and do our jobs. We play the way we were taught.”

Ballard would add a 87-yard punt return for a touchdown as well to make it 28-0 Tigers. It’s the second time this season Ballard returned a kick or punt for a score, having brought back a kickoff for a touchdown against St. Vincent-St. Mary.

The final two quarters were shortened to just eight minutes after the Tigers took a 49-0 halftime lead. The teams played the final three quarters under a running clock, with the coaches agreeing to start it a quarter earlier than it is required to be implemented.

“They did a good job” said Massillon coach Nate Moore, whose team will take a 5-0 record and a 16-game regular-season win streak into next Friday’s road game at Austintown Fitch. “They came out and took care of business. They played well, executed.”

Phifer and Raekwon Venson added first-half rushing touchdowns for Massillon, which had 158 of its 293 total yards in the first half. Tanner Pierce threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Daymiere Adams in the third quarter.

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

On Twitter: @ceasterlingINDE

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

Booster Club Report – Week 4

A good crowd turned out for the Booster Club meeting during which Head Coach Nate Moore reviewed last week’s victory over Penn-Trafford and previewed this week’s game against Akron Firestone.

Scores from last week:

  • The Varsity defeated Penn-Trafford, 42-21
  • The Junior Varsity lost to Lakewood St. Edward, 37-34, following a see-saw finish
  • The Freshmen lost to Lakewood St. Edward, 28-0
  • The 8th Grade lost to Medina Highland, 36-28
  • The 7th Grade defeated Medina Highland, 22-14

This week’s freshmen game against Akron Firestone has been moved from Thursday to Saturday at 2:30 pm.  The JV game has been canceled.

There will be a fan bus to Austintown Fitch next week for the cost of $25.00.  The bus will depart from the K-Mart parking lot at 4:30 pm.

Last Sunday, NBC aired a short clip during the third quarter of the Cleveland-Los Angeles football game, highlighting the Massillon Tigers and John McVay, the grandfather of Sean McVay, head coach of the Rams.  You can view the video here.

Guest players for the meeting were quarterback Aidan Longwell and linebacker Ben Krichbaum.  Against Penn-Trafford, Longwell had a stellar night, completing 14 of 15 passes for 225 yards and four touchdowns.  His career TD mark of 65, eclipsed the record of 63 set by Justin Zwick in 2001.  Aidan was also named Fox 8 Player of the Week.  Krichbaum led the Tigers in tackles last week with four solos and five assists.  “He is the heart and soul of our defense,” remarked Moore.

Addressing the win, Krichbaum said that “it was nice to see a good disciplined team last week.  It will make us better.”  “It proved we can do it,” added Longwell, when asked about playing four quarters of football with the varsity on the field, something that was not needed in the first three blowout wins.

Penn-Trafford is classified as AAAAA in Pennsylvania, equivalent to Division 2 in Ohio.  Currently they are ranked first in Western PA and second in the entire state.  Future Tiger opponent Gateway is fourth.

“They were very aggressive,” Coach Moore said about Penn-Trafford.  “These guys were pulling out all the stops.  There was some hitting going on.  Their quarterback was a heck of a player.  Tough.  Fought through tackles and moved well after contact.”

Moore singled out the play of defensive linemen Ethan Toban and Manny McElroy, who “did such a nice job.”  In fact, the entire front seven received praised after holding the Warriors to just 110 yards rushing on 31 carries.

Penn-Trafford wasn’t shy about giving the Tigers multiple looks, hoping to take advantage of misalignments.  “Some of the formations put a lot of stress on you,” said Moore.  But Massillon did a good job of handling the pressure for the most of the night.

On offense, the Tigers displayed good balance, rushing for 171 and passing for 225.  The 35 points scored in the second quarter was the most put up in any frame since last year’s Sun Valley game.  Leading the ground attack was Terrence Keyes, who toted the ball 31 times for 150 yards and a touchdown.  Jayden Ballard and Andrew Wilson-Lamp combined for 10 pass receptions for 178 yards and three touchdowns.  And Zion Phifer contributed in many ways via rushing, receiving and blocking.

Akron Firestone enters the contest this week with a 0-4 record, having lost to Green, Copley, Cortland Lakeview and Akron Buchtel by a combined score of 25-165.  It’s no secret that the Falcons are struggling big time this year and in fact may be the worst Firestone team to ever visit Massillon.  However, expect Moore’s charges to focus on Massillon only as they aim to get better in anticipation of some very good competition down the road.

Moore said that their quarterback is very young and small, with not much of a throwing arm.  They do, however, have a couple good receivers and the running back has some talent.  The offensive line is large, but is not well skilled in fundamental football.  Same goes for the defensive, except at linebacker.  The defense aligns exclusively in a 4-2.  It will most likely be a pretty tough day for the Falcons and the Tiger backups should see plenty of action.

Go Tigers!

Obie Logo (Large) News

Tigers Gain National Exposure

During the third quarter of the Cleveland-Los Angeles football game, NBC aired a short clip highlighting the Massillon Tigers and John McVay, the grandfather of Sean McVay, head coach of the Rams.  You can view the video here.

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

2019: Massillon 42, Penn-Trafford, PA 21

Record-setting night by Aidan Longwell helps Massillon top Penn-Trafford
Chris Easterling
Sep 20, 2019 11:00 PM

MASSILLON There was only record Aidan Longwell cared about as he walked off the Paul Brown Tiger Stadium turf on Friday night. That would be Massillon’s 4-0 record.

The Tigers, though, earned that record in part because of Longwell’s ability to set a new school career passing touchdown mark in their 42-21 victory over previously-undefeated Pennsylvania visitor Penn-Trafford.

“I think a lot of people are trying to pressure us into things this year,” the Massillon senior quarterback said. “We’re overcoming it. We’re just taking it one game at a time and we’re doing a great job of it right now.”

Longwell threw four touchdown passes in the victory, giving him 65 for his career. He broke the old mark of 63 set by Justin Zwick in 2000-01.

His record-tying 63rd career scoring pass, a 54-yard strike to Andrew Wilson-Lamp, gave Massillon a 28-14 lead with 4:10 remaining in the first half. His record-setting strike, an 8-yarder to Jayden Ballard in the front left corner of the end zone as time expired in the half, gave the Tigers a 35-21 halftime lead.

For the game, Longwell was 14-of-15 for 225 yards. He goes into next Friday’s home game against Firestone needing just 31 yards to break Kyle Kempt’s career passing record of 6,034 yards set from 2010-12.

“It’s special, especially at Massillon,” Longwell said of the record. “The quarterbacks and great players who have played here. I just have to give a great shout-out to my offensive line, present and past, and my receivers. Everybody’s kind of balled for me as part of this.”

Penn-Trafford was impressive in turning the game’s first drive into a methodical 17-play, 82-yard scoring drive that took the initial 9:38 off the clock. The Warriors converted all five third downs on the possession, including a 6-yard run by quarterback Gabe Dunlap to give them a 7-0 lead.

Dunlap would prove to be a handful all evening, gaining 90 of the Warriors’ 110 rushing yards, while throwing for 257 yards and two scores. He ran for two touchdowns and threw for another.

“He’s a field general,” said Penn-Trafford coach John Ruane, whose team falls to 4-1. “He’s an underrated football player. He continually makes plays for us in the passing game, and more importantly, in the run game sometimes. There’s a lot of times where it’s tough to get him down on the sack with one guy, and he kind of showed that tonight.”

The Warriors’ opening possession would be, by far, the longest scoring drive by either team over the duration of the first half. That is, until Massillon put together its half-ending 13-play, 74-yard drive to go up 35-21 at the break.

In between, the Tigers’ other four scoring drives went for a combined 15 plays. Penn-Trafford, meanwhile, scored its other two first-half scores on a combined seven plays.

In the second half, the only scoring drive was Massillon’s 13-play, 49-yard fourth-quarter march which ended with Longwell hitting Anthony Pedro on a 5-yard touchdown pass.

Massillon, which went scoreless in the first quarter for the first time this season, would score the game-tying touchdown on the first play off the second quarter on Zion Phifer’s 3-yard run. Then, one play after stopping the Warriors on a fourth-down play, Longwell and Ballard hooked up for a 30-yard touchdown pass to go in front 14-7 with 9:54 remaining in the first half.

The Tigers would lead 21-7 on Terrence Keyes’ 8-yard touchdown run with 7:32 remaining in the half. They would also open up 14-point first-half leads on Longwell’s record-tying and record-setting scoring passes at 28-14 and 35-21.

Penn-Trafford used a pair of big pass plays to stay within reach. A 64-yard catch-and-run by Ethan Carr on a fourth-down pass from Dunlap cut it to 21-14, while Mason Frye’s 77-yard catch set up Dunlap’s 3-yard run to make it 28-21 Tiger lead with 3:55 remaining in the half.

The Warriors, who had 253 yards at halftime, had just 114 yards in the final two quarters.

“We really did a good job, in a lot of ways, in the first half,” Massillon coach Nate Moore said of his defense. “We just had to make the plays that are there.”

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

On Twitter: @ceasterlingINDE

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo News

Booster Club Report – Week 3

It was great weekend for the Tigers and another clean sweep over their opponents.  Here are the scores from those games:

  • The Varsity defeated Warren Harding on the road, 49-7
  • The Junior Varsity defeated Warren Harding at home, 27-20
  • The Freshmen team defeated Warren, 24-0
  • The 8th Grade game was halted three minutes in on account of weather, with the Tigers up 8-0
  • The 7th Grade defeated Warren Middle School, 27-6

Head Coach Nate Moore’s assessment of last week’s performance was that the Tigers played “really well” in all phases of the game.  The defense surrendered just one TD, that following a turnover, and the offense, once it got past an early funk on its first two possessions, scored seven touchdowns in the next nine, with a running clock in effect for most of the second half.

Defensively, Massillon held the Warren rushing attack in check for nearly the entire night.  After using a spread offense throughout the first half and finding minimal success, the Raiders switched to a power-I, but did not fare any better.  Moore said that the Tigers have really good interior defensive linemen, something that was missing during the last few years, singling out the play of Manny McElroy and CJ Harris.

Linebacker play was also very good, especially on the edge by Caiden Woullard, who led the group with six tackles and one assist, including three tackles for a loss.  Then there was the big interception return by Preston Hodges.  Robbie Paige also played very well at safety, and has been improving his performance in leaps and bounds.  He makes great breaks on the ball, according to the coach.

Through three games, the defense has allowed just 3.5 yards per play (2.5 on the ground) as compared to last year’s numbers of 4.7 and 3.9 (I know, it’s early).  But the more that things stay the same within the program, the better it gets.

On offensive, Moore liked the play of Rager Els and Cole Jones.  However, as a group, the line struggled at times with pass protection due to Warren’s quickness.  Nevertheless, they surrendered just one quarterback sack, that being Massillon’s first of the year.  But it was in the run game that they really excelled and seemed to get better as the game wore on.  For the night, that phase netted 174 yards at 6.7 yards a clip.  It was a virtual clinic on how to execute inside zone blocking, with really good double teams according to the coach.  That’s the reason they were able to free Hodges and Terrence Keyes for big runs in the second half.

One scheme that really worked well was the run/pass option.  On one particular play, the line blocked like it was a run, sucking in the free safety, while Aidan Longwell (15 of 25 for 200 yards and two TDs) fired the ball to a crossing Jaden Ballard for a wide-open touchdown.  Ballard led the Tigers with seven catches for 94 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

This week’s opponent is Penn-Trafford from Harrison City, Pennsylvania.  The game was scheduled after a team in their league opted out this year, creating an open date.  Later this season, Gateway from Monroeville, PA, also from the same league, will face the Tigers.

Last year the Warriors finished with a record of 9-3 and come into this one on the heels of a 4-0 record, having outscored the opposition by an average of 35-8.  Moore compared them to a good Avon team with skill players.

Senior Quarterback Gabe Dunlap (6’-1”, 170 lbs.) engineers a wide-open attack that features athletes both at running back and wide receiver. At times, Dunlap will also run the ball off designed plays and has racked up 397 yards and six touchdowns.  In the passing game, he has completed 53 passes for 440 yards and four touchdowns.  His favorite target is junior Ethan Carr (6’-3”, 165 lbs.), who has caught nine passes for 211 yards and four touchdowns.

The running attack has been split between two outstanding players, Caleb Lisbon and Sam Fanelli.  But it appears that both may miss this one due to injury.  However, Moore has good respect for the backup, junior Brad Ford (5’-11” 175 lbs.).

The offensive line is good, according to the coach, and returns all five starters from last year.  They average 6’-1”, 262 lbs. from tackle-to-tackle.  Moore says that they are pretty physical and really good at outside zone blocking.

Defensively, Penn-Trafford utilizes a 3-4 alignment.  The strength of this unit is the line, especially at nose tackle in senior Josh Cheplick (6’-1”, 275 lbs.), who he compared to the Tigers’ Manny McElroy.  The secondary is the next best group.

Last week’s injury to Massillon center Dylan Garretson will result in a reshuffling of the offensive line.  Manny McElroy will return to his traditional defensive position.  Cole Jones will move to center and Terrence Rankl will take over his tackle position.  The line now averages 6’-2”, 286 lbs., and is one of the largest lines Massillon has had in recent history.

Quarterback Aidan Longwell is closing in on a couple of career records.  He needs 256 yards to tie the mark of 6,034, set by Kyle Kempt in 2012.  And he needs two touchdown passes to tie the mark of 63, set by Justin Zwick in 2001.  But I’m sure Aidan is just focused on just getting a win this Friday.  The records will come on their own.

News

Brawley Spectacular in 27-20 JV Win Against Warren Harding

The following story was written by David Lee Morgan, Jr. WHS English/Journalism Teacher and Varsity/JV Running Backs Coach  

MASSILLON: There is a reason sophomore Austin Brawley has moved up the Massillon depth chart and is now a backup on the varsity roster.  The kid can flat-out play.

Brawley put on a show Saturday morning (Sept. 14) against Warren Harding at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium in a 27-20 junior varsity win.  Brawley caught six passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns.  He added another touchdown (57 yards) that was called back because of a penalty.

“Austin is one of the hardest workers and most coachable kids I have ever coached,” said veteran Massillon wide receiver coach Cale Miller.  “He works hard in the weight room and in the classroom.  He is a major asset to our program.”

Brawley (5-foot-8, 135 pounds) scored on a 70-yard reception on the first play of the game.  He also scored on passes of 68 yards and on a 59-yard TD, in which he had to tip the ball to himself and juggle it several times between two defenders before racing in to the endzone.

Sophomore quarterback Tanner Pierce was 6-of-13 for 271 yards, three TDs and an interception.  Sophomore running back Camden Beasley rushed for a 5-yard touchdown.

Defensively, the Tigers (3-0) gave up two touchdowns on long runs, but made stops in the closing minutes.

Junior linebacker Andrew Edwards (six tackles), junior defensive back Ezra Strickland (four tackles) and Shane Rue and Niles Cleveland (three tackles) led the unit, which forced six turnovers.

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

2019: Massillon 49, Warren Harding 7

Start doesn’t slow down Massillon dominance at Warren
Chris Easterling
Sep 13, 2019 9:49 PM

WARREN It’s never about the start. It’s always about the finish.

Or, more importantly, it’s about the final score.

Massillon found itself in its first deficit of the season after Warren Harding turned a literal bad bounce on a punt eventually into a first-quarter touchdown on Friday night at Mollenkopf Stadium. However, by the time the Tigers went into the locker room for halftime, they had once again established control of things.

By the time Massillon got on the buses to head back to Stark County, it had put together its third consecutive win to open the season, this time a 49-7 victory over Warren Harding at Mollenkopf Stadium.

“We’ve been preparing ourselves for adversity since December, since January,” said senior Preston Hodges, whose 48-yard interception return with 39 seconds left in the half gave Massillon a 28-7 lead. “Since when we were in the offseason working out, grinding. We’re prepared for the adversity to hit us at any point. We just knew we had to bounce back.”

The game was called with 3:12 remaining as lightning began to flash around the stadium. At that point, it was all academic for the Tigers, who take a 3-0 record into next Friday’s home game against Penn-Trafford out of Monroeville, Pa.

All three of Massillon’s wins have been running-clock situations in the fourth quarter. Although it took the Tigers a moment to get up and running that way on Friday night.

“We faced some adversity and came through it,” said Massillon coach Nate Moore, whose team faced a 7-0 deficit after Warren turned a punt recovery into a 35-yard touchdown pass from Eliah Taylor to Ty Artis with 10:10 left in the first quarter. “So, I’m proud of the guys staying true to what got us here and to keep working. I thought we played well.”

Even after the quick Warren score, Massillon still needed to get its footing. However, it would turn to the defense first to get a stop to get the ball rolling.

Warren’s defense then forced a three-and-out on the Tigers’ first offensive possession. The Raiders would take the ball on a 14-play, 38-yard journey to the Massillon 33, but turned the ball over on down there.

That’s when the Tigers would catch fire. They would turn their next three possessions into touchdowns – two Zion Phifer runs and a 9-yard Aidan Longwell-to-Jayden Ballard pass – and a 21-7 lead, while their fourth would reach the Warren 20 before a sack and an incomplete pass on fourth down halted the march.

That proved to be no real problem for Massillon, as Hodges stepped in front of a Warren pass at the Raider 48 and raced all the way to the end zone for a Tiger touchdowns. The point-after kick made it 28-7 Massillon with 39 seconds remaining in the half.

Hodges was part of a Tiger defense which limited Warren to just 27 yards on its final 15 first-half plays. The Raiders would finish the game with 160 yards on 49 plays.

“I’m really proud of the guys,” Moore said of the defense. “I thought all three levels played well. Obviously, we’ll get in there and watch the film and all that stuff, but we feel really proud of the guys and their effort.”

The Tiger offense, meanwhile, found its groove both through the air and on the ground after the initial three-and-out. By the half, Longwell had completed 11-of-18 passes for 162 yards and the one score.

Longwell would finish the game 15-of-20 for 200 yards and two touchdowns, moving him within two scoring passes of the career record. He hit Ballard for a 19-yard touchdown strike to make it 35-7 with 3:31 left in the third quarter.

Ballard had seven catches for 94 yards and two scores.

Meanwhile, after netting one yard on its first two runs, Massillon gained 46 yards on its final 12 carries of the half. Both Phifer, who scored on two of his five first-half carries, and Terrence Keyes shared the duties.

Keyes would gain 63 of his 96 yards on his third-quarter touchdown run which gave Massillon a 42-7 lead. Hodges added 50 yards on just five carries, while Phifer finished with 32 yards on six totes.

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

On Twitter: @ceasterlingINDE

News

Booster Club Meeting Time Change for September 16

The Massillon Tiger Football Booster Club normally meets on the Monday following each game at 7:00 pm in the WHS Communication Center.  On September 16 the meeting will begin at 8:00 pm instead.  The reason for the change is that there will be a Massillon City School District Community Update in the WHS auditorium at 7:00 pm, which should last about an hour.  Booster Club members are encouraged to attend the Update and support the Massillon City Schools.