News Directions to Mansfield’s Arlin Field
Address: 933 W Fourth St., Mansfield, OH 44906
Directions: 30 West (for 53.02 miles), take the Trimble Rd. exit, turn left onto N Trimble Rd, turn left onto W Fourth St.
History A select panel of sportswriters for the Associated Press has announced its 2017 Division 2 All-Star Football Team for the Northeast Inland District. The Massillon Tigers, who are playing this Friday in the regional finals against New Albany, landed just a single player on the first team: Jamir Thomas. Here are all the award winners, along with their current statistics and records:
Jamir Thomas – 1st Team. Running back. 6′-1″, 212 lb., junior. 298 rushing attempts (1st all-time) for 1,283 yards (10th all-time) and 20 touchdowns (8th all-time). Had 42 carries against McKinley (2nd all-time), 37 against Ashland (5th all-time) and 36 against Canisius, NY (8th all-time). Rushed for 196 yards against Ashland, 163 against Austintown Fitch and 160 against Canisius, NY. Scored five touchdowns against Canisius, NY (1st all-time) and four against Ashland (2nd all-time). Also caught four passes for 43 yards.
Austin Kutscher – 2nd Team. Wide receiver. 6′-1″, 180 lb. senior. 72 receptions (2nd all-time) for 1,056 yards (5th all-time) and 12 touchdowns (5th all-time). Caught 17 passes against Canisius, NY (1st all-time). Recorded 208 receiving yards against Canisius, NY (2nd all-time) and 198 against Youngstown Ursuline (6th all-time). Scored four touchdowns against Youngstown Ursuline (2nd all-time). Certainly deserving of First Team All-District.
Ty Keirns – 2nd Team. Defensive lineman. 6′-5″, 231 lb. senior. 21 solo tackles and 17 assists. 2.5 sacks. 10 solo and 4 assisted tackles for loss.
Kameron Simpson – 2nd Team. Linebacker. 5′-10″, 195 lb. junior. 39 solo tackles (team high) and 46 assists (team high). One solo sack. Four solo and one assisted tackles for loss.
Dean Clark – 2nd Team. Defensive back. 6′-1″. 189 lb. junior. 37 solo tackles (2nd on team) and 28 assists (3rd on team).
Aiden Longwell – Honorable Mention. Quarterback. 5′-11″, 161 lb. sophomore. 133 completions on 220 attempts for 1,987 yards (8th all-time) and 19 touchdowns (9th all-time). Just three interceptions. 60% completion (4th all-time). 9.0 yards per pass (7th all-time). Efficiency rating of 162 (4th all-time). Against Youngstown Ursuline, completed 11 of 17 passes for 324 yards (4th all-time) and 5 touchdowns (2nd all-time). Against Canisius, completed 22 of 30 passes for 297 yards.
Tre-von Morgan – Honorable Mention. Wide receiver. 6′-6″, 199 lb. junior. 30 receptions for 415 yards and two touchdowns.
Max Turner – Honorable Mention. Defensive back. 6′-0″, 159 lb. junior. 12 solo tackles and 4 assists. Three pass interceptions.
History Thomas, defense carry Massillon past Ashland
Chris Easterling – The Independent
Video courtesy of Brian Skowronski – An Ashland point of view
WOOSTER It was cold. The field had a thin layer of snow on it at the start.
In other words, it was perfect conditions for Jamir Thomas and Massillon’s defense to do what they do best in a 28-7 Division II Region 7 semifinal win over Ashland at Wooster’s Follis Field.
“The weather conditions were great,” a happy Massillon coach Nate Moore said after his 9-3 team advanced to next week’s regional final against New Albany at a site to be determined. “This is playoff football. I don’t know what else you want; move to Florida if you don’t like this.”
Thomas and the Tigers defense certainly felt right at home in the conditions, with a 27-degree temperature at kickoff. The former carried the Massillon offense on his back, while the latter never let the explosive Ashland offense get off the ground.
The 6-foot-1, 212-pound Thomas bulldozed his way to a career-high 196 rushing yards on 37 carries. He also scored all four of the Tigers’ touchdowns on runs of nine, three, 27 and three yards.
“He did a great job,” Moore said of Thomas, who accounted for almost half of Massillon’s 409 total yards.
Thomas provided the only first-half score, a 9-yard run just 22 seconds into the second quarter for a 7-0 Massillon lead. He would blow the game open with a pair of third-quarter runs within 114 seconds of each other – a 3-yarder with 2:24 left and a 27-yarder with 30 seconds left – to make it 21-0 Tigers going into the final quarter.
The final Thomas touchdown run came with 53 seconds remaining, a 3-yarder plunge.
“We got to go over and see them play McKinley (in Week 10), so I got to see them there,” said Ashland coach Scott Valentine, whose team bows out at 9-3. “We knew he was good. As time went on, he broke some runs, but I was proud of our defense the way they played, especially the first half and even in the second half as far as containing some of that stuff.”
While Ashland’s defense was able to contain Massillon some of the time, the Tiger defense was able to contain the Arrows almost all of the time. The only Ashland touchdown was a 27-yard pass from Keagan Armitage to Bryke Williams with 7:33 remaining to pull it within 21-7.
A week after the Arrows put up 48 points in a come-from-behind win at Columbus Mifflin, it could never consistently get going against Massillon as they were held to 223 total yards. At least, they weren’t able to get going enough to find the end zone.
Armitage, Ashland’s Mr. Football candidate, was limited to just 17-of-32 passing for 129 yards and the score. He did run for 87 yards on 17 carries, but fumbled twice.
“We played well,” Moore said. “We forced some turnovers, which was huge for us, especially in the first half. I’m really proud of our guys.”
Of course, Ashland proved to be its own worst enemy in many regards. The Arrows turned the ball over three times, compared to just one Tiger giveaway.
All three of the Arrow fumbles came in Massillon territory. A second-possession fumble at the Tiger 24; a fumble on a second-quarter run as Ashland was about to score a touchdown that went out of the end zone; and a third-quarter fumble at midfield.
“That’s the thing,” Valentine said. “When you’re playing good people in these situations, you can’t turn the ball over. You can’t have some of the penalties we had. Our kids laid it on the line; I’m proud of their effort. It’s just those things hurt us.”
Those turnovers also helped Massillon reach its first regional championship game since 2012
Editorial Each week during the football season the staff of massillontigers.com will provide input of their choice related to the recent games or Massillon football in genera
Many area football fans believe that Massillon and Boardman are the best teams in Region 7. As luck would have it, they were paired against each other in the opening round of the playoffs. The Tigers came out on top in a come-from-behind effort, 28-23, but it wasn’t without some nail biting. The game plan for Massillon was to pound the ball up the middle with the power running attack and wear down the defense, something that has worked in most games this year. But against Boardman, it was a different story. Aside from an opening drive that netted a touchdown, the running attack was almost completely shutdown. The reason for this, according to Coach Moore, was the different method that the Spartan defensive line used to attack, something that was different from the scouting films. And the Tiger offensive line was never able to adjust. Fortunately, Massillon pulled it out in the fourth quarter using an overwhelming passing attack, this aspect being particularly effective on first down. Also, the defense did its part when it mattered the most. Let’s hope the rest of region does not measure up to Boardman. – DE
On Saturday “Principal Sal” tweeted. “Our kids deserve to see a packed house in Wooster Friday! Forecast looks great for November football. No excuses . . . get your tickets this week! TIG!”
As Paul Salvino’s tweet confirms, we fans do make a difference. That was never more evident than last Friday evening as our Tigers came from behind to earn a victory over Youngstown Boardman. You could see our young men feeding off the energy from the crowd. This was the loudest PBTS has been all year. Great job Tiger Players! Great job Tiger fans!
We will need a like effort this week against Ashland. We need the Tiger Nation to get your tickets and make the trip Wooster. We need to take over the Wooster stadium. A total Massillon effort will be needed to bring home another Tiger Victory. – GV
Round 2 for the Tigers is a match against Ashland this Friday at 7:30 pm. The game will be played at Wooster High School. The Arrows come into the game with a 9-2 record, having dropped contests to 9-2 Clyde 22-19 and 5-5 Wooster 34-31. Their signature win came against Mansfield in Week 7 by the score of 41-20. Massillon Coach Nate Moore said at the Booster Club Meeting that Ashland is a well-coached team. They are a good team and play very disciplined ball. Only three players go both ways full-time.
Offensively, the game revolves around quarterback and Mr. Ohio Football candidate Keagan Armitage. A 6′-2″, 208 lb. senior, Armitage has passed this year for around 3,000 yards, including 300 in the 48-47 overtime win over Columbus Mifflin in Round 1. He has completed 65% of his passes and converted 31 touchdowns. At the other end of these passes is a fine group of receivers, including 6′-6″ Manny Langston and 6′-5″ Kamrin Knowlton Golings, who have caught 80 passes between them for 1,541 yards and 17 touchdowns. But don’t forget Bryke Williams. Although small in stature, he has grabbed 61 passes for 724 yards and 6 touchdowns. But don’t think Ashland is all about the pass. They also have two very capable runners including the quarterback Armitage (974 yards and 18 touchdowns) and Owen Reef (853 yards). Moore stated that all of the skill players have good speed and the running back “runs hard.” The offensive line averages 6′-0″, 253 lbs.
Ashland will line up in an empty backfield; that is, a quarterback in the shotgun with five wide receivers. The “running back” is one of the receivers, aligned in a slot position. Most passing plays are directly from this formation. When the Arrows want to run they motion the slot receiver/running back to quarterback for a jet-sweep handoff or a quarterback read option. Occasionally, the quarterback will run the ball on his own without prior motion. They will run the ball about 50% of the time. Massillon hopes to put pressure on the quarterback to force him into quick throws and bad decisions.
Defensively, Ashland is very similar to Austintown Fitch, who Massillon defeated 38-28 earlier in the season. The alignment is 3-3 with a cover-3. The defensive line averages 6′-0″, 243 lbs. Personnel-wise, Moore said that they have some good players at safety and defensive line. But the best player is Mason Harpster, a 5′-8″, 185 lb. linebacker. He is a tough kid that makes most of the tackles.
The Arrows punt the ball out of the same formation that they use for offensive plays. The quarterback just steps back a bit prior to the kick. — DE
Click here for the Division 2 playoff bracket
News Report by Rick Dalsky, Booster Club Secretary
The Massillon Tiger Football Booster Club held its latest General meeting in the WHS media center on Monday 11/6/17 at 7:00pm. Booster Club President Steve Berecek welcomed everyone and said “let’s keep it going.” He encouraged everyone to consider supporting the Massillon Museum levy (Issue 18) and the School renewal levy (Issue 43).
President Berecek then introduced Tiger Head Coach Nate Moore who brought Defensive Line Coach JP Simon to the meeting. They showed film from the Boardman game and answered many questions from the audience.
Coach Moore then introduced two football players: Senior Captain WR/S #3 Austin Kutscher and Junior S/WR #19 Dean Clark who addressed the club on the Boardman game and the upcoming tournament game vs. Ashland. They also answered several questions from the audience.
Coach Moore and Coach Simon then reviewed Ashland game film and discussed their potential lineup. They also answered questions from the audience.
Final Announcements:
There is one bus going to Wooster for the Ashland game. Tickets are $20 each and are available from Matt Keller at Keller’s Office Furniture store in downtown Massillon. The bus leaves the Towne Plaza Shopping Center at 5:30pm this Friday (11/17). No food will be provided. Door prizes were announced.
Go Tigers!! BEAT Ashland!!
History It was back in the summer of 2012 that I unexpectedly shared a ride on a plane to Chicago with Massillon quarterback Kyle Kempt. Of course, we talked some Tiger football, but he was mostly excited about spending time with former Tiger player George Whitfield, Jr. at his Quarterback Academy in San Diego. George must have done some good because Kyle is now one of the most recognizable college football players in the country.
Kyle Kempt, Massillon’s record-setting quarterback, has found a home at Iowa State. Since taking over the starting quarterback position for the Cyclones, Kempt has led his team to upsets over Oklahoma and Texas Christian, both ranked in the Top 5 at the time, and won four games in five starts. Following the Oklahoma game, his cinderella story exploded across the national sports networks. Perhaps Kyle’s next stop may just be mayor of Ames.
Kempt played for the Tigers in 2010 through 2012 and holds several passing records, including the following:
In 2012, Kyle’s senior year, his team finished 11-2 and advanced to the regional finals. During the season, he recorded two victories over Canton McKinley and a win over eventual Division 3 state champion Akron St. Vincent. He also completed 194 of 292 passes for 3,056 yards and 32 touchdowns and on five occasions he eclipsed 300 yards, while passing for over 200 on four others. And his team averaged over 41 points a game. For his effort Kempt was named 2nd Team All-Ohio.
Following Massillon, Kyle made made his way to Oregon State and then to Hutchinson Community trying to find a home. But neither worked out. Eventually he was accepted at Iowa State as a non-scholarship walk-on. ISU head coach Matt Campbell, a former Massillon resident and Perry High School player, had recruited Kempt unsuccessfully while at Toledo, but now the two were finally united. After a year with the scout team, circumstances thrust Kempt into the starting role against Oklahoma in Game 5 and we all know how that went. Here are his stats for the five starts:
With three games remaining, the Iowa State Cyclones are already bowl eligible and on the way to their best season in many years. Much of this has to do with Kyle Kempt’s steady and outstanding performance. Of course, let’s not forget Head Coach Matt Campbell. Best of luck to Massillon’s own, Kyle Kempt and Matt Campbell.
News Massillon has advanced to the second round of the playoffs on the heels of a 28-23 victory over Boardman. The Tigers will now face Ashland (9-2), which defeated Columbus Mifflin in overtime, 48-47. The game will be held at Wooster High School’s football stadium next Friday at 7:30 pm. The stadium is billed as an 8,000 seat venue.
The Booster Club is offering bus transportation to the Ashland game at Wooster this Friday November 10. The bus tickets are $20 and do not include a game ticket. The bus will leave Towne Plaza at 5:30 PM. Tickets can be purchased at Keller’s Office Furniture or contact Bill Brown at (330) 704-2548 for further information.
History Massillon rallies to knock out Boardman
Chris Easterling – The Independent
MASSILLON Massillon threw the first punch. The Tigers threw the last one as well.
In between, they endured more than their share of body blows from a Boardman team that had no intention of letting its No. 7 seed define what kind of football team it really was. However, the final blow thrown by Massillon was enough to help it keep on playing, as it rallied for a 28-23 win in Friday’s Division II Region 7 quarterfinal at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.
“You just keep swinging,” said Massillon coach Nate Moore, who picked up his first playoff win at the school, while ending the program’s three-game postseason losing streak.
With just over nine minutes remaining, that streak looked like it may well be on its way to continuing. Boardman went in front 23-14 on quarterback Mike O’Horo’s 5-yard touchdown run with 9:19 left.
Then the Tiger offense, which had mustered just 50 total yards over its previous seven combined possessions, came alive. A passing game that had just 74 yards through three quarters exploded for 118 in the final 12 minutes.
On Massillon’s next two possessions after the Spartans opened up the two-score lead, it came up with touchdown passes from Aidan Longwell to Austin Kutcher, a 36-yarder with 8:40 remaining, and to Dean Clark, a 19-yarder with 5:46 left.
Kutscher’s catch, part of a seven-catch, 104-yard night, pulled the Tigers within 23-21. Clark’s catch — one play after he nearly pulled in a pass in the end zone — put Massillon ahead to stay.
“We had great practices all week,” said Moore, whose team will play Ashland in a regional semifinal next Friday at a site to be announced. “For some reason tonight, the shots weren’t falling. They just weren’t. But if you play hard and keep swinging, hopefully you have a chance to win the game in the fourth quarter. That’s what happens.”
Longwell, who was 6-of-9 for 118 yards with the two scores in the fourth, finished the game 13-of-25 for 192 yards with the two touchdowns and one interception.
It took all of 16 seconds for Massillon to throw the first punch of the game. Tyree Broyles took the opening kickoff virtually untouched to the end zone for a 91-yard touchdown return and a 7-0 Tigers lead.
“We actually thought that if they kicked it to Tyree, that we would take it to the house,” Moore admitted.
It was a lead that lasted less than two-and-a-half minutes. After Jujuan Forte brought back the subsequent kickoff 55 yards to the Massillon 35, Boardman took a quick six plays to traverse that distance for the game-tying score.
Maurice Pickard did the honors for the Spartans, scoring on a 7-yard run with 9:22 left in the first quarter. Tommy Fryda’s point-after kick squared it at 7-7.
Massillon’s response was almost as fast as Boardman’s. The Tigers took all of 2:19 to go 57 yards in eight plays, with Jamir Thomas running it in from the Spartan 6 for a 14-7 lead after Klay Moll’s PAT kick with 6:56 remaining in the first quarter.
With three touchdowns in the first 5:04 of the game, it seemed like a shootout was on the way. Except that it would take just over 14 minutes of clock time — and six combined possessions between the two teams — before another score.
Boardman would end the scoring moratorium with an 8-yard touchdown run by O’Horo with 4:47 remaining in the first half. The Spartans, though, missed the PAT kick to keep the Tigers in front at 14-13.
Massillon, after scoring the first two times it touched the ball, was limited to just 60 yards on its final five first-half possessions. Boardman, meanwhile, was held to 50 yards on its four non-scoring drives in the first half.
Boardman would take the lead on the opening drive of the second half. Fryda’s 36-yard field goal just sneaked over the crossbar to cap a 14-play, 52-yard drive to make it 16-14 Spartans.
O’Horo’s 5-yard touchdown run with 9:19 remaining made it 23-14 Boardman. O’Horo finished with 48 rushing yards on 17 carries, while throwing for 89 yards while completing 12-of-21 passing.
Editorial Each week during the football season the staff of massillontigers.com will provide input of their choice related to the recent games or Massillon football in general.
One could point to any number of attributes that led to a Tiger victory over our arch rival Saturday. When you win by one point there are usually a number of areas that decides why one team wins and the other does not.
Our opponent was undisciplined and numerous penalties hurt their ability to compete. The Tigers had a distinct advantage in the passing game. The Tigers did not turn the ball over. Our Tigers possessed the ball. Jamir Thomas had forty-two carries. The Tigers were able to pass with some success while McKinley was held to just 25 yards. Klay Moll’s field goal provided just enough points to outscore McKinley.
All these items are currently in the past and our focus is now turned toward Youngstown Boardman. So, what can we bring forward from our win, to use as we take on this week’s opponent. The biggest attribute that we displayed last week that can be brought forward to this week’s game is the physicality with which our Tigers played. Being physical and playing with great energy will help bring home another win this Friday.
We as fans need to bring that energy in supporting our team. Massillon kids have always been able to feed off of the energy of our crowd. Bring your “A” game and help our Tigers play with that physicality that they displayed last week. Go Tigers beat Boardman. — GV
Massillon finished No. 2 in Region 7 and will host No. 7 Boardman this Friday at 7:30 pm in the first round of the playoffs. Boardman brings a 6-4 record into the fray with a signature win over Jackson (8-2) 39-36 coming in Week 3. The four losses followed a 3-0 start when their star running back was lost to an injury. Two losses were to undefeated Steubenville (41-21) and undefeated Canfield (17-7). The others were to 6-4 Youngstown Cardinal Mooney (21-7) and 6-4 Austintown Fitch (28-7). While the Tigers bested Fitch 31-21, both teams own wins over Warren Harding by similar margins.
Offensively, the Spartans will aim to establish the run, something they have favored this year on 80% of the plays. They typically operate out of the spread formation, with a tight end and three receivers. The offense flows through quarterback Mike O’Horo, a 6′-1″, 200 lb. senior. Massilllon Coach Nate Moore calls him a “really good football player.” Expect O’Horo to carry the ball a majority of the time, occasionally using the read-option to set up his runs, something that gave that Tigers problems earlier in the season.. The featured running back is 5′-11″, 202 lb. senior Domonhic Jennings. He’s a strong runner, but not particularly fast, as compared to previous Tiger opponents. The offensive line averages 6′-1″ and all are between 240 and 250 lbs. Although this group comprises only two seniors, it’s the two juniors that have impressed Moore the most. The passing game is OK at best.
The line is the strength of the defense, which averages out at 6′-2″, 234 lbs. Although the linebacking corp is on the smaller side, the middle linebackers appear to play well. Expect a 4-4, cover-3 alignment, with 2-high in passing situations. Boardman will occasionally blitz, usually from the edge. Once again, it will be a chess match to see if the Tigers try to pound it out or take advantage of several mismatches in the passing game. – DE
Here are some interesting facts on the eight teams in Region 7:
Additional notes:
News Report by Rick Dalsky, Booster Club Secretary
The Massillon Tiger Football Booster Club held its latest General meeting in the WHS media center on Monday 10/30/2017. Booster Club President Steve Berecek welcomed everyone and said it was a great week to be a Tiger. He informed everyone that at this week’s game vs. Boardman parking passes will be honored. Also there will be no fireworks or the Tiger balloon, but the tunnel can be used. He reported that the Freshman football team beat McKinley 21-6 this past Thursday.
Senior Board member Bill Dorman encouraged everyone to consider supporting the Massillon Museum levy (Issue 18). Also, President Berecek encouraged those in attendance to consider supporting the school renewal levy (Issue 43).
President Berecek then introduced Tiger Head Coach Nate Moore who was given a standing ovation. He enjoyed the past week’s festivities especially the parade and the post-game downtown victory celebration. He mentioned the great execution by the defense against McKinley.
Coach Moore brought Safeties Coach Dan Hackenbracht to the meeting. He commented on the McKinley game and said our defense tackled well. He also discussed the upcoming game vs. Boardman and answered questions from the audience.
Coach Moore then introduced two Senior football players: Captain WR/S #3 Austin Kutscher and Captain LB #1 Logan Anania who addressed the club on the McKinley game and the upcoming tournament game vs. Youngstown Boardman. They also answered several questions from the audience.
Coach Moore reviewed and commented on film clips from the McKinley game and then he reviewed Boardman game film and discussed their potential lineup. He also answered questions from the audience.
Final Announcements:
President Berecek informed those in attendance to embrace the moment, but we must look forward and stay focused.
Door prizes were announced.
Go Tigers!! BEAT Boardman!!