The Massillon Tiger Football Booster Club held its latest General meeting in the WHS media center on Monday 11/20/17 at 7:00pm. Booster Club President Steve Berecek welcomed everyone and stated he is enjoying the ride. He then introduced Bill Brown who made the following announcement:
There are three busses going to this week’s game in Columbus vs. Winton Woods. The busses will leave the Towne Plaza Shopping Center at 4:00 pm. Cost is $25 per ticket, subs and water will be provided; tickets are on sale at Keller’s Office Furniture (see Matt Keller).
President Berecek then introduced Tiger Head Coach Nate Moore who brought Quarterbacks Coach Jarrett Troxler to the meeting. They showed film from the New Albany game and answered questions from the audience.
Coach Moore then introduced two football players: Junior S/WR #19 Dean Clark and Junior DB/WR #8 Tyree Broyles who addressed the club on the New Albany game and the upcoming tournament game vs. Winton Woods. They also answered questions from the audience.
Coach Moore and Coach Troxler then reviewed Winton Woods game film and discussed their potential lineup. They also answered questions from the audience.
30 West to 71 South (for 62 miles). Take Exit 115 for Cooke Rd. Turn left onto East Cooke Rd. Use the right lane to turn left toward East Cooke Rd. Turn right onto East Cooke Rd. Turn left onto Karl Rd.
Defensive dominance set tone for Tigers’ regional title
Chris Easterling – The Independent
MANSFIELD Massillon put together another four-quarter defensive performance. Because of that fact, the Tigers find themselves as one of the final four teams remaining in the Division II state football playoffs.
From start to finish, Massillon controled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, and its defense never allowed New Albany to get its wing-T offense going in as it rolled to a 24-6 win in Friday night’s Division II Region 7 championship game at Mansfield’s Arlin Field.
Game action vs. New Albany 2017
“Our defense played lights out,” Massillon coach Nate Moore said after the Tigers won their first regional title since 2009. “We gave up a touchdown on a blocked punt, but our defense pitched a shutout tonight against a really good offense. Flipping from a five-wide (offense) a week ago to a wing-T this week, I’m just really proud of those guys.”
New Albany’s offense, which was predicated on running the football, never really got up and running against Massillon, which will face Cincinnati Winton Woods in next Friday’s state semifinal at Columbus St. Francis DeSales High School. The Warriors rallied to beat three-time reigning Division II state champion Cincinnati La Salle 16-14 on a last-second field goal in another regional final Friday.
To get to that game, though, Moore’s team kept the Eagles grounded. New Albany was limited to just 145 total yards, including just 101 rushing yards on 37 attempts.
New Albany’s only points came on a 16-yard blocked-punt return by Jack Scharfe with 9:29 remaining. By that point, however, Massillon had run up a 24-6 lead.
Game action vs. New Albany 2017 (8)
“You just have to tip your hat,” New Albany coach Pat Samanrich said. “Tonight, Massillon was just a better team and, you know what, I hope they go win the whole thing for Region 7. I was very impressed with their defensive scheme. It was just guys running down-hill playing together.”
Massillon, meanwhile, was running down-hill all night on offense. That is, when the Tigers weren’t throwing it down-field as well.
The tone was set from the very start of the game, as Massillon pounded out a 14-play, 72-yard drive to take a 3-0 lead on a 25-yard Klay Moll field goal. While the Tigers ran on 10 of the 14 plays on the drive, they moved to the Eagle 7 thanks to a 41-yard pass from Aidan Longwell to Jayden Ballard.
Longwell finished 20-of-30 for 258 yards passing for Massillon, including a 22-yard touchdown pass to Austin Kutscher with 1:20 left in the third quarter for a 24-0 Tiger lead.
Game action vs. New Albany 2017
The Tigers, meanwhile, ran the ball 49 times for 231 yards on the night. Jamir Thomas rushed for 130 yards on 33 carries, including a 2-yard scoring run for a 10-0 lead 1:33 into the second quarter.
“We were really balanced,” Moore said. “We hurt ourselves with the penalties tonight. I’m disappointed with that. But you have to play through that and keep swinging.”
Those Tiger penalties, 12 for 120 yards, were what prevented the game from really turning into an even-bigger rout. Massillon had a touchdown run called back for an illegal shift on its first drive, then had a a litany of flags on one fourth-quarter possession which left it looking at a first-and-41 situation from its own 40.
Those flags, as well as a missed field goal on the Tigers’ third possession of the game, were really the only blemishes on the night. Massillon only punted once, although it was blocked and returned for the lone Eagle touchdown.
2017 Region 7 Championship Trophy
Even those, however, couldn’t keep Massillon from its date with a football game on Thanksgiving weekend for the first time in eight years. That, Moore believes, is a credit to the players.
“They just play hard,” Moore said. “That’s the biggest key. When you get to this level of high-school football, that’s what you notice. The teams that get here aren’t necessarily the most talented; they’re the most disciplined and they just play hard.”
A little-known program record continues with Massillon’s win over Ashland last Friday. The record is for consecutive games in which the Tigers have scored points, a streak that began in 2007 and currently stands at 119. The previous mark of 106 games was set between 1998 and 2007. Combined, the Tigers have now scored points in 225 of their last 226 games. The lone shutout came at the hands of Cleveland St. Ignatius in 2007 by the score of 27-0.
Click here for a complete list of winning streaks, offensive scoring streaks and defensive shutout streaks.
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.
There are eight teams left fighting for the Division II state championship. When you get to this point there is one common thread that stands out and that is defense.
When you look at the regional semi-final results the theme of defense becomes quite clear. One might argue that yielding 20 and 21 points is not great defense, but in today’s era of spread offenses that will win you a lot of games. The results were Cincinnati Winton Woods 52 Cincinnati Anderson 21 and Olmstead Falls 21 Wadsworth 20.
The results from the other Division II games were as follows.
The theme of defense rings very true and it continues as we go forward. We will need a stellar defensive effort again this week. With New Albany’s offense we will need to stop their run game. If we can do that we stand a very good chance of moving on. Go Tigers! — GV
Last week Massillon defeated Ashland in a hard fought game, 28-7. It was the first Round 2 Playoff victory for the Tigers in five years. “The guys played hard,” said head coach Nate Moore. “The defense played really well against a high-powered offense.” They created turnovers (stripping the ball twice) and forced many incomplete passes. Receivers coach Caleb Miller said the players really like coming to practice now, unlike earlier in the season, owing to the youth of the team. He believes in practicing well to play well, something they did prior to the Ashland game. Miller emphasized that the players have been doing that now for the last several weeks. “The kids have taken a leadership role and really gotten after it,” he said.
The Round 3 opponent is New Albany, winner over a pair of inner-city Columbus teams in Whitehall-Yearling (42-35) and Walnut Ridge (30-6). The Eagles finished the regular season with a 6-4 record, losing a pair of games to two superior Ohio Capital Conference opponents and LIcking Heights (35-30). Their signature win came in Week 1 against Reynoldsburg (7-3) by the score of 15-13. They average 24 points a game and give up 25.
Offensively, New Albany runs the Wing-T. It’s different from Perry’s scheme in that they put two running backs in the backfield and split one of the wings wide. But some of the plays are similar. Look for outside sweeps, inside traps and quarterback keepers around end. Moore said that the junior quarterback is a good athlete and throws a good ball, although they prefer to run 80% of the time. The junior running backs are smallish at 5′-8″ each, but they possess very good speed. Defensively, the Eagles utilize a 3-3 with cover-4. Occasionally, they will switch to a 4-man front. The linebackers are good and there are several athletes in the secondary. The offensive line has a 255 lb. center, but the rest of the line averages 215 lbs. Defensively, they average 238 lbs. They have two full-time 2-way players. They also start eight juniors on the defensive side of the ball. Moore stated that they are well-coached and play very disciplined ball. At this stage everyone is good and the Tigers will need to be at the top of their game to win this one.
The OHSAA announced this week that the winner of the Massillon-New Albany game will face the winner of the Cincinnati LaSalle-Cincinnati Winton Woods game next week, presumably in Columbus. — DE
The Massillon Tiger Football Booster Club held its latest General meeting in the WHS media center on Monday 11/13/17 at 7:00pm. Booster Club President Steve Berecek welcomed everyone and asked for a moment of silence for the recent death of a marching band grandfather at last week’s game and today’s deaths at Affinity Hospital.
There is one bus going to this week’s game in Mansfield vs. New Albany. The bus leaves the Towne Plaza Shopping Center at 4:30 pm. Cost is $25 per ticket, subs and water will be provided; tickets are on sale at Keller’s Office Furniture (see Matt Keller).
Be sure to check out the Tiger flags displayed at local businesses during our playoff run. Thank them for their support if you stop in.
President Berecek then introduced Tiger Head Coach Nate Moore who brought Receivers Coach Cale Miller to the meeting. They showed film from the Ashland game and answered questions from the audience.
Coach Moore then introduced two football players: Junior game Captains LB #18 Kameron Simpson Junior DB/WR #8 Tyree Broyles who addressed the club on the Ashland game and the upcoming tournament game vs. New Albany. They also answered questions from the audience.
Coach Moore and Coach Miller then reviewed New Albany game film and discussed their potential lineup. They also answered questions from the audience.
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.
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.
Game action vs. Ashland 2017
“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.
Game action vs. Ashland 2017
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.
Game action vs. Ashland 2017
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.
Game action vs. Ashland 2017
“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
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
Booster Club 
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.
