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Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

2018: Massillon 42, Akron Firestone 0

Methodical Massillon moves to 5-0 with rout of Firestone

Sep 21, 2018 10:18 PM
MASSILLON There was a lot of words Massillon coach Nate Moore could’ve conjured up to describe his team’s 42-0 win over Firestone on Friday night at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

So, how about the word “methodical” to describe the performance?

“I think that’s a fair way to put it,” Moore said after his team improved to 5-0 on the season.

Game Action vs. Firestone

Methodical would fit perfectly with the approach the Tigers used to take care of a winless Falcon team which had come into the game having scored only 12 points in the first four games combined. Massillon, save for a pair of fumbles, came out and scored on four of its five first-half possessions, then added a fifth score to open the second half.

The Tigers would lead 35-0 16 seconds into the third quarter. That gave Massillon its fourth consecutive running-clock game, and the third time in that span in which the rule was put into effect within one play of the second half starting.

“I thought we did a good job during the week,” Moore said. “I liked out preparation. We were OK today, sloppy in a couple of places. We’ve got to get them cleaned up because we’ve got a big one coming up next week (against visiting Austintown Fitch).”

Both teams seemed content to not rush into things throughout the game, even as Massillon was opening up a 28-0 halftime lead. Firestone, in particular, was methodical when it had the football.

Despite the fact the Falcons only had four first-half first downs, and only two true drives in that span, they still owned a 15:51-8:09 edge in time of possession at the intermission. Even when Firestone set itself up with a first-and-goal from the Tiger 10 after a 63-yard quarterback keeper by George Rozier, its deliberate approach – and lack of timeouts – let the clock run out after a third-down run.

Rozier’s run accounted for 55 percent of the 114 first-half yards Firestone gained. The Falcons finished with 130 yards for the game.

“We kind of knew before the game started that it was going to be a very difficult task,” Firestone coach Eric Mitchell said. “(Massillon’s) a very good football team. They’re a disciplined football team. They’ve got players at every level: Skill, line, quarterback. Our game plan was to come in and try to shorten the game and run the ball a little bit and try to have some success with the short passing game and hopefully keep their offense off the field.”

Game action vs. Akron Firestone

The methodical approach by Firestone was countered by a Massillon offensive attack which was more than happy to play ground-and-pound. That was especially true with the Tigers short-handed due to a handful of players sidelined for a variety of reasons, including some team-discipline related.

“We had guys out because of injury and we had guys out tonight because of program expectations,” Moore said.

Massillon ran the ball 23 times – one of which was a quarterback scramble – out of its 32 first-half plays. Those 23, however, still accounted for 172 net yards and all four first-half scores.

The Tigers would finish with 282 rushing yards on 37 attempts. They had 365 total yards on 48 plays for the game.

Jamir Thomas was the primary beneficiary of the run-first approach, as he topped the 100-yard plateau for the fifth game in a row by halftime. Thomas, who had 107 yards and two touchdowns on 10 first-half carries, finished with 110 yards and three scores for the game.

That total gives him 2,900 yards and 43 rushing touchdowns for his career. That leaves him 190 yards behind Art Hasting’s school-record 3,090 yards, and four scores behind Bob Glass’ record 47 rushing touchdowns.

Thomas’s scoring runs of 11 and 21 yards on the first two Tiger drives staked Massillon to a 14-0 lead with 3:42 remaining in the first quarter. His third scoring run, a 3-yarder on the first play of the third quarter, made it 35-0 Massillon.

Marcellus Blake and Zion Phifer also had first-half scores for Massillon. Blake’s 1-yard run made it 21-0 Tigers with :51 left in the first quarter, while Phifer added a 3-yard scoring burst with 3:29 left in the half for a 28-0 lead.

Jean-Luc Beasley added a fourth-quarter touchdown for Massillon.

GAME STATS

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

On Twitter: @ceasterlingINDE

Chris Spielman Ohio State History

Let’s Put Chris Spielman In the Pro Football Hall…

From the Pro Football Hall of Fame website:

The Modern-Era nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2019 is comprised of 102 players and coaches. Among the group announced are four first-year eligible players including tight end Tony Gonzalez, linebacker London Fletcher, cornerback Champ Bailey and safety Ed Reed.

The roster of nominees consists of 47 offensive players, 39 defensive players, five special teams players and 11 coaches. The Modern-Era nominees will be reduced to 25 semifinalists in November and, from there, to 15 finalists in January.

MODERN-ERA NOMINEES FOR THE PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2019

*Finalist in 2018; Underline indicates first year of eligibility (Players and coaches must have last played or coached at least five full seasons to be eligible for nomination. Therefore, any individual who last played or coached in 2013 are eligible for the first time in 2019).

QUARTERBACKS

(5) – Randall Cunningham, Dave Krieg, Jeff Garcia, Donovan McNabb, Steve McNair

RUNNING BACKS

(14) — Shaun Alexander, Tiki Barber, Earnest Byner, Larry Centers, Corey Dillon, Eddie George, *Edgerrin James, Darryl Johnston, Eric Metcalf (WR/KR/PR), Clinton Portis, Fred Taylor, Herschel Walker (also KR), Chris Warren, Ricky Watters

WIDE RECEIVERS

(9) — *Isaac Bruce, Gary Clark, Henry Ellard (also PR), Torry Holt, Chad Johnson, Derrick Mason, Sterling Sharpe, Rod Smith, Hines Ward

TIGHT ENDS

(4) — Mark Bavaro, Tony Gonzalez, Brent Jones, Jay Novacek

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN

(15) — Willie Anderson (T), *Tony Boselli (T), Lomas Brown (T), Ray Donaldson (C), *Alan Faneca (G), Chris Hinton (G/T), Kent Hull (C), *Steve Hutchinson (G), Mike Kenn (T), Olin Kreutz (C), *Kevin Mawae (C/G), Tom Nalen (C), Chris Samuels (T), Richmond Webb (T), Steve Wisniewski (G)

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN

(7) — La’Roi Glover (DT/NT), Russell Maryland (DT), Leslie O’Neal (DE), Simeon Rice (DE), Richard Seymour (DT), Neil Smith (DE), Bryant Young (DT)

LINEBACKERS

(14) — Carl Banks, Cornelius Bennett, Tedy Bruschi, London Fletcher, Seth Joyner, Wilber Marshall, Clay Matthews, Willie McGinest (also DE), Karl Mecklenburg, Sam Mills, Chris Spielman, Takeo Spikes, Darryl Talley, Zach Thomas

DEFENSIVE BACKS

(18) — Eric Allen (CB), Steve Atwater (S), Champ Bailey (CB), Ronde Barber (CB/S), Bill Bates (S), LeRoy Butler (S), Nick Collins (S), Thomas Everett (S), Rodney Harrison (S), *Ty Law (CB), Albert Lewis (CB), *John Lynch (S), Tim McDonald (S), Ed Reed (FS), Dennis Smith (S), Troy Vincent (CB), Adrian Wilson (S), Darren Woodson (S)

PUNTERS/KICKER

(3) — Jason Elam (K), Jeff Feagles (P), Sean Landeta (P)

SPECIAL TEAMS

(2) — Brian Mitchell (KR/PR also RB), Steve Tasker (ST also WR)

COACHES

(11) — Don Coryell, Bill Cowher, Tom Flores, Jim Hanifan, Mike Holmgren, Jimmy Johnson, Richie Petitbon, Dan Reeves, Marty Schottenheimer, Clark Shaughnessy, Dick Vermeil

 

Eighteen finalists will be presented to the full 48-member Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee during its annual meeting on “Selection Saturday,” the day before Super Bowl LIII. The finalists will consist of 15 Modern-Era finalists, the recently named Senior Finalist, Johnny Robinson, and the Contributor Finalists, Pat Bowlen andGil Brandt.

The Selection Committee will meet on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019 in Atlanta, Ga. to elect the Class of 2019. While there is no set number for any class of enshrinees, the selection process by-laws provide that between four and eight new members will be selected.

The Senior Finalist and Contributor Finalists are voted “yes” or “no” for election at the annual selection meeting and must receive at least 80 percent support from the Committee to be elected. The Modern-Era Finalists will be trimmed during the meeting from 15 to 10 and then from 10 to 5. The remaining five finalists will be voted on individually, “yes” or “no” and must receive the same 80 percent positive vote as the Senior and Contributors Finalists to earn election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Class of 2019 will be announced during the “NFL Honors” nationally broadcast award show that evening.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2019 will be formally enshrined on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019 in Canton. The enshrinement is one of three marquee events, along with the Hall of Fame Game and the Concert for Legends, that are held in the spectacular Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium during Enshrinement Week Powered by Johnson Controls.

FAN VOTE

For the eighth consecutive year, fans can vote for their favorite Pro Football Hall of Fame nominees. Fans should visit www.nfl.com/hofvote to make their picks. The Class of 2019 fan vote is presented by Ford, the Official Automobile of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Massillon Tigers Letter Logo History

Booster Club Report – Week 4

Scores from last week:

  • Varsity defeated Montclair, New Jersey, 49-7.
  • Junior Varsity defeated Walsh Jesuit, 56-0.
  • Freshmen defeated Walsh Jesuit, 25-13.
  • 8th Grade lost to Akron East, 14-0.
  • 7th Grade game vs. Tuscarawas Central Catholic was canceled.

This week’s schedule:

  • Tuesday – 7th Grade vs. Wooster at Massillon Middle School, 5:00 pm
  • Wednesday – 8th Grade vs. Akron Buchtel at Massillon Middle School, 5:00 pm
  • Thursday – Freshmen vs. Akron Firestone at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, 6:00 pm
  • Friday – Varsity vs. Akron Firestone at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, 7:30 pm
  • Saturday – Junior Varsity vs. Akron Firestone at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, 1:00 pm

Dean Clark (defensive back and wide receiver) and Justin Gaddis (center) were the guest co-captains.

Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterback Coach Jarrett Troxler was the guest coach. “I didn’t expect it (Montclair victory) to go that way,” he said.  “They had some great players.”  A point of emphasis was that each week the coaches prepare the team offensively for what they believe the opponent’s defense will throw at them.  And each week there are surprises.  “We prepared for what they did on defense (previously),” said Troxler.  “But we get different fronts every week.”

Coach Troxler also addressed the play of junior quarterback Aidan Longwell.  “I thought he did a tremendous job with his maturity after the interception,” he stated.  “The 72-yard bomb after the sack.  That was a big moment for Aidan.”  In the Montclair game, Longwell completed 11 of 20 pass for 216 yards and five touchdowns.  The five TDs is second in the Massillon record book for touchdown passes thrown in a single game.  The record is currently held by Justin Zwick, who threw six TDs against Fremont Ross in 2001.  For the season, Aidan has completed 44 of 73 passes (60%) for 652 yards and 14 touchdowns.

“I thought Tre’von (Morgan) stepped up big time,” said the coach.  “This is what we expected (prior to the season).”  Morgan caught three passes, all going for touchdowns. For the season, Tre’von has 7 receptions for 108 yards and 5 touchdowns.  The 6′-6″, 215 lb. wide receiver has also put forth great effort in throwing downfield blocks to spring his teammates for large gains.

“I like where we are,” summed up Troxler.  “We’re right where we need to be.  But we need to get better.  We haven’t shown a lot on film.  But we continue to work on these in practice.”

Head Coach Nate Moore then reviewed the film from last Friday’s win and a few clips of this week’s opponent, Akron Firestone.  “I’m proud of our defensive performance, giving up just 43 yards.”

Turnovers also played a big role in the victory.  Twice the Tigers caused fumbles on kickoff returns.  Moore believes that Montclair was not prepared for the physical nature of the Massillon kickoff team.

Regarding his own team, he said that the Tigers continue to make some mistakes, but play really hard to minimize the impacts of the mistakes.

Massillon is 4-0 and is gearing to be 5-0 after this week’s game.  Firestone has struggled this year, which will make the task that much easier.  The Falcons are winless, with losses to Wadsworth (63-0), Copley (28-0), Revere (51-12) and Akron Buchtel (28-0).  But don’t expect the Tigers to take the game lightly.  All focus this week is only on Firestone.

Firestone offense:

  • Line averages 6’1″, 238
  • Best players are the two 6′-4″ wide receivers

Firestone defense:

  • LIne (4-front) averages 6’1″, 214
  • Best players are one linebacker and two linemen
  • Senior dominated

Four players go both ways.  Expect the Tigers to have both a size and physicality advantage.

Obie Logo (Large) News

JV Squad Continues to Roll

There can’t be a lot of difference in execution between the varsity and JV teams if both can continue to put up the big numbers they have so far this season.  On Saturday, the JV Tigers defeated Walsh Jesuit 56-0, with a running clock throughout the entire second half.  Now three games into the season, they have outscored their competition 123-13 in posting a 3-0 record.  And it wasn’t against chopped liver either, with games against Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, Warren Harding and Walsh.

Behind a relentless passing attack, Massillon picked up yardage in huge chunks and scored touchdown after touchdown throughout the onslaught.  The trigger man was sophomore Zach Catrone, who connected on more than half of his passes, with four going for scores.  The ground game was also very effective.

Meanwhile, the defense was simply stifling.  Walsh only threatened to score once when they moved the ball to the Tiger 5 yard line.  But the defense stiffened and stopped the Warriors on four consecutive plays.

Scoring was as follows:

  • Eric Thurman – 22 yd. run
  • TJ Williams – 40 yd. run
  • Xavier McElroy – 3 yd. run
  • Raekwan Venson – 5 yd. run
  • Jerron Hodges – 65 yd. pass reception
  • TJ Williams 40 yd. pass reception
  • Darien Williams 45 yd. pass reception
  • Daymiere Adams – 10 yd. pass reception

Report from Coach Dave Weber

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

2018: Massillon 49, Montclair, NJ 7

Turnovers turn to touchdowns as Tigers torch Montclair

MASSILLON Turnovers are a football team’s worst enemy. They can also be a team’s best friend.

For Massillon, they were a little bit of both as it played host to New Jersey 2017 state champion Montclair on Friday night.

Game Action vs. Montclair

The Tigers found themselves in an early deficit thanks to an interception which was returned for a Mounties’ touchdown. However, they used Montclair fumbles on consecutive kickoffs to turn a tie game into an advantage, kick-starting Massillon to a 49-7 victory at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

“The special-team units ran fast, hit hard,” said Massillon coach Nate Moore after his team improved to 4-0 with a visit from Firestone coming next week. “The ball popped out and we were able to recover a couple of those. Our offense was able to take advantage of it.”

Those back-to-back Mountie fumbles were two of three first-half turnovers they had. They also muffed a punt – on fourth-and-38, no less – to set up the Tigers’ for one more score before half, giving them a 35-7 advantage at the break.

It would be 42-7 on the first play of the second half after a 65-yard Jamir Thomas run. Thomas finished with 131 yards on 18 carries and the one score, giving him a fourth consecutive 100-plus-yard rushing performance.

“We’ve been giving stuff away,” said Montclair coach John Fiore, whose team fell to 1-2. “Even the 35-0 win (over Nutley, N.J., last week) should’ve been 70-0. We just give it away, give it away, give it away. Three fumbles in a row; missing a first down by an inch.

Massillon would begin emptying the bench after that run, which instituted the running-clock rule or the third consecutive game. It was the second time in that span the Tigers have basically played the entire second half under the rule.

Game Action vs. Montclair

Quarterback Aidan Longwell once again showed he likes Week 4. He threw a career-high five touchdowns – all in the first half – matching the five he threw in Week 4 a year ago against Ursuline.

That was all part of Longwell’s 11-of-20, 216-yard performance. All coming in the first half.

“They were loading the box on us,” Moore said. “Our receiving corps and our quarterback executed what they’re supposed to execute.”

At one point, Longwell threw touchdowns on four consecutive pass attempts. The only issue was that the first of those accounted for Montclair’s only score.

On a first-and-21 play from the Montclair 37, a pass attempt was deflected by a defender and intercepted by Walter King, who brought it back 66 yards for a Mountie touchdown. The 7-0 deficit, with 8:17 remaining in the first quarter, marked he second time in as many games the Tigers trailed early in a game.

That was one of two first-half interceptions by the Tigers. They also had one at the Mounties’ 2.

The deficit, as was the case a week earlier in a win over Warren Harding, didn’t last long. On a third-and-14 play from their own 28, Longwell hit Aydrik Ford on a post pattern for a 72-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7-7 just 1:33 after the Montclair touchdown.

That’s when the Mounties began giving the ball up, and the Tigers were more than happy to turn those into points. The first fumbled kickoff return came at the Montclair 32.

Five plays after that, Longwell hit Tre’Von Morgan on a fade route down the left sideline for a 20-yard touchdown. Alex Bauer’s point-after kick gave the Tigers a 14-7 lead.

On the next kickoff, Montclair fumbled at its own 20. On the next play, Longwell and Ford hooked up to make it 21-7 Massillon with 3:52 left in the first quarter.

Morgan had three first-half catches for 51 yards, all of which went for touchdowns. Beyond the go-ahead 20-yard scoring catch, he added twoleaping grabs in the end zone in the second quartert to turn a 21-7 lead into a 35-7 cushion.

Not to be outdone was Ford, the Tigers’ statistical leader. He had a seven-catch, 162-yard first half, almost doubling his season output.

While the Tiger offense was putting up points, the defense was doing its part to keep the Mounties’ offense from finding a rhythm. The Mounties were held to just 45 net first-half yards, and only had two first-half first down, one of which came courtesy of a Massillon penalty.

In fact, two of the three Montclair first downs came thanks to Tiger flags. The Mounties finished with just 43 yards on 30 total plays.

The passing game which was a concern to Massillon’s defensive coaches never materialized. Montclair was just 2-of-12 throwing the ball for three yards.

“Listen, you can’t have 40 yards of offense,” Fiore said. “We just imploded.”

GAME STATS

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

On Twitter: @ceasterlingINDE

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo News

Dan Seimetz – Wall of Champions

Dan Seimetz – Wall of Champions

Dan Seimetz

At halftime of this Friday’s football game, former Tiger football / baseball player Dan Seimetz will be inducted into the Massillon Wall of Champions.  Seimetz was a member of the football team from 1991-93, lettering two years.  Primarily a blocking back, he rushed 56 times for 296 yards, caught three passes for 38 yards and scored four touchdowns.

But it was in baseball where Seimetz really made his mark, lettering three times.  During his 1994 senior season, Dan batted .500 and helped lead the 21-10 Tigers to the state championship game, where they lost a heartbreaker to unbeaten 30-0 Toledo Start.  For his effort, he was named All-Diamond Conference.  He also received the Mike Hershberger Award In both his junior year (when he batted .580) and his senior year. And he excelled in the classroom, being named one of the valedictorians.

Seimetz’s next stop was Ohio State, where he started for four years and broke nearly every batting record at OSU.  His list of accomplishments is remarkable:

  • Career batting average of .370, second all time
  • Career hits leader with 287 (2nd has 271)
  • Career doubles leader with 71 (2nd has 56)
  • Career home run leader with 52 (2nd has 39)
  • Career RBI leader with 236 (2nd has 180)
  • Third in career runs scored with 193
  • Single season record for doubles with 25
  • Single season record for home runs with 19
  • Single season record for RBIs with 80
  • National Player of the Week Award winner
  • 3-time First Team All-Big Ten (one of only two in school history)
  • 1995 Big Ten Freshman of the Year
  • 2-time All-American
  • 3-time Academic All-Big Ten
  • Ohio State Baseball All-Century Team (voted by the Athletic Department)
  • Ohio State Varsity “O” Hall of Fame  Inductee, 2015
  • Elected baseball captain by his teammates in 1998.
  • Drafted by the New York Yankees

Congratulations to Dan Seimetz.

Also to be announced on Friday are five inductees to the Tiger Hall of Fame.  They are:

  • Homer Floyd (football player 1953-54; Stark County HS Football Hall of Fame; All-Ohio running back; WHS Distinguished Citizen)
  • Art Hastings (football player 1958-60; Stark County MVP; All-Ohio running back; Scholastic Magazine All-American; Stark County HS Football Hall of Fame)
  • Elwood Kammer (football player 1923-25; All-Stark County; All-Ohio center; Lorin Andrews Head Coach 1935-41; Massillon Head Coach 1942-44; State Champion 1943; teacher in Massillon for 40 years)
  • Joe Studer (football player 1972-74; All-Stark County; All-Ohio center; Massillon Assistant Coach 1991-94)
  • Paul & Carol David (Generous and continued service to Massillon through the Paul and Carol David Foundation)
Massillon Tigers Letter Logo News

Booster Club Report – Week 3

Another good week for the Tiger football program:

  • Varsity defeated Warren Harding, 51-21.
  • Junior Varsity defeated Warren Harding, 32-0.
  • Freshmen defeated Warren Harding, 18-12..
  • 8th Grade defeated Warren, 8-0.
  • 7th Grade lost to the Mogadore 8th Grade team, 30-6.

This week’s schedule:

  • Wednesday – 8th Grade vs. Akron Buchtel at Massillon Middle School, 5:00 pm
  • Thursday – 7th Grade vs. Tuscarawas Central Catholic at Massillon Middle School, 6:00 pm
  • Thursday – Freshmen vs. Walsh Jesuit at Walsh, 6:00 pm
  • Friday – Varsity vs. Montclair, NJ at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, 7:30 pm
  • Saturday – Junior Varsity vs. Walsh Jesuit at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, 10:00 am

Dean Clark was the guest co-captain.  He is the third leading tackler on the team and also has also has three pass receptions for 45 yards and a touchdown.  Clark recently gave a verbal commitment to Kent State University to continue his academic and sports career.

Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach John Mazur was the guest coach.  Mazur provided a scouting report on Montclair’s defense.  He said that the Mounties line up in a 4-man front, but expects them to pack the box.  Not much blitzing and the defensive backs play back.

Mazur stated that the Tiger offensive line has two primary goals each week.  The first was to keep the quarterback clean.  The second was to force the other team’s defensive line to give up.  This was very apparent not only by the middle of the third quarter of last Friday’s game, but also in the first two contests against Akron St. Vincent and Canton GlenOak.   “You can practice for how we play,” Mazur said, “but not our physicality.  I like our matchup.”  He said his lineman are smart kids and they have good feet.

Head Coach Nate Moore reviewed the film from last week’s victory over Warren Harding.  He also addressed Montclair’s offense.  They operate out of the spread with twin wide receivers.  Some tight end.  Some empty sets.  They are very athletic and very skilled.  Moore billed it as “Ohio vs. New Jersey,” noting that Montclair is the defending New Jersey state champs.  But he also emphasized that the Massillon players are focused on the task at hand.  “Our kids take a lot of pride in what they do,” he said.  “They’re pretty confident.”

Montclair offense:

  • Line averages 6’3″, 270
  • Best players are the running back (5’11”, 195) and two wide receivers (5’7″ and 6’2″)
  • Senior dominated
  • Should be a good test for the Massillon secondary

Montclair defense:

  • LIne averages 6’1″, 230
  • Best players are two lineman, two linebackers and two safeties; keep an eye on Gary Robinson, No. 53
  • Senior dominated

 

Obie Logo (Large) News

Tiger JV Team Defeats Warren Harding 32-0

Game Highlights: Touchdown runs by Zion Phifer, Xavier McElroy and Jean-Luc Beasley.  TJ Williams returned a kick for a touchdown.  Massillon recorded two safeties, one caused by Caiden Woullard and the other a snap over the punter’s head that went through the endzone.  Running clock in the 4th quarter.

JV record is 2-0

Coach: Dave Weber

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

2018: Massillon 51, Warren Harding 21

Tigers contain Adams, roll over Warren Harding

MASSILLON Kay’Ron Adams slipped through the line of scrimmage, out into the open and into the end zone for a Warren Harding touchdown.

Four plays into Friday night’s game at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, Massillon was looking at two things it didn’t want to see. Adams getting free and a deficit on the scoreboard.

Those two things, however, wouldn’t endure for long.

Game action vs. Warren Harding

The Tigers would score on seven of their nine possessions, while the Raider running back could never really find the running lanes available he found on his scoring jaunt. All of those added up to a 51-21 win and Massillon’s first 3-0 start since 2014.

“We did well offensively all night,” Massillon coach Nate Moore said afterwards. “I’m proud of the way we executed for most of the night. … We’ll take 51 points.”

Adams, the physical and fast Warren senior running back, was the focal point of the Tiger defensive game plan throughout the week. As a junior, he had rushed for 202 yards and three scores in a 31-21 Massillon.

Two carries into Friday’s game, Adams looked to be on his way to another such night. He had 66 yards, 55 of those on his touchdown run which gave the Raiders a 7-0 lead 1:13 into the game.

Adams would add a 31-yard run on Warren’s second possession, which ended with an incomplete pass on fourth-and-23 from the Tiger 30. However, he wouldn’t have another run from scrimmage for more than 10 yards, as he finished with 123 yards on 20 carries.

Adams’ two longest plays in the final three quarters were receptions of 11 and 32 yards. The latter was a screen pass which went for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Game Action vs. Warren Harding

“It’s just playing hard, being disciplined, being in the right place, getting off blocks,” said Moore, whose team also recorded a safety when Nakoa Keefer picked up a second-quarter sack. “We tackled, wrapped up. You just go out and try to play really good defense.”

While Adams had Massillon’s full attention, the Tigers had their own runner worthy of a defense’s focus. And Jamir Thomas also wasted little time reminding the Raiders of that fact.

Thomas ripped off a 53-yard run to the Warren 3 on his first carry of the game, and tied the game with a 1-yard plunge two plays later. By the time Massillon hit the locked room with a 30-13 halftime lead, the senior running back had already topped the 100-yard plateau for the third time in as many games this season, with 149 yards on 17 first-half carries.

Thomas would finish with a career-high 262 yards on 29 carries and two touchdowns. Massillon ran for 380 net yards as a team and finished with 550 total yards.

“They have weapons,” Warren coach Steve Arnold said. “(Thomas is) fast, strong and plays a demanding, physical style of football. He’s been here for a long time. I have a loss for words what they did offensively to our defense.”

Thomas may have had Warren’s attention, but it found itself distracted by Massillon’s aerial attack as well. Aidan Longwell threw three first-half touchdown – two of which went to Aydrik Ford, plus one to Tre’Von Morgan – as part of a 145-yard first-half effort.

Longwell finished 12-of-20 passing for 170 yards. He also ran for a 1-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

If there was an issue, though, for Massillon, it was its own miscues. The Tigers threw two interceptions – two of the three times their drives wouldn’t end in scores – as well as had a roughing-the-punter penalty.

The first pick set up an Elijah Taylor 1-yard run to pull Warren to within 23-13. The roughing call kept a drive alive which resulted in Adams’ second score, pulling the Raiders to within 37-21.

“We have plenty to work on,” said Moore, whose team finished the game with the ball on the Warren 1. “Plenty to work on.”

GAME STATS

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

On Twitter: @ceasterlingINDE

Massillon Tigers Letter Logo News

Booster Club Report – Week 2

It was a good week of football for the Massillon program.

  • Varsity defeated GlenOak, 49-0.
  • GlenOak canceled the Junior Varsity game.
  • Freshmen defeated GlenOak, 21-0.
  • 8th Grade defeated GlenOak’s Oakwood Middle School, 44-14.
  • 7th Grade lost to the Fairless 8th Grade team, 28-0.

This week’s schedule:

  • Wednesday – 8th Grade vs. Warren Middle School at Massillon Middle School, 5:00 pm
  • Wednesday – 7th Grade vs. Mogadore at Mogadore Wildcat Stadium, 5:30 pm
  • Thursday – Freshmen vs. Warren Harding at Warren, 5:30 pm
  • Friday – Varsity vs. Warren Harding at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, 7:30 pm
  • Saturday – Junior Varsity vs. Warren Harding at Warren, 11:00 am

Bus tickets are available for the October 19 Louisville game for $20.00 each (game ticket not included).  The game starts at 7:30 pm.

Head Coach Nate Moore commented on last week’s 49-0 victory over Canton GlenOak.  “It was a fine ballgame played by our kids,” he said.  “When you score 49 points, something went right.  GlenOak couldn’t handle the physicality of our offensive line.  The defense continues to play really well.  They are disciplined and really focused and tackling well.  It was a good overall effort.  We need to keep working on the kicking game.”

Tiger co-captains Jamir Thomas, Keyshad Mack and Justin Gaddis addressed the GlenOak game and the upcoming contest with Warren Harding.

The guest assistant coach was Cale MIller.

Offensively, Warren is led by running Kayron Adams, a 5′-11″, 195 lb. senior, who has committed to play in college at Rutgers.  He is very quick and physical.  The quarterback is just a sophomore, but better than the two QBs used last year. The 5-man line is huge, averaging 6′-1″, 297 lbs.

Defensively, the coaches expect Warren to show something different than in the first two games, which seems to be norm now for teams facing the Tigers.  The defensive backs have been using press coverage with a single safety, but they may play off this week and use a pair of safeties to guard against the deep pass.  Also, look for an even front from the line, averaging 6′-0″, 234 lbs.  Their best player on this side of the ball is middle linebacker Kayron Adams.  Yes, the same guy.

Six players go both ways, with a mix of seniors and juniors.

The key to victory, of course, is stopping Kayron Adams.