The Ohio High School Athletic Association has released its regional assignments for the 2017 football playoffs and Massillon once again finds itself in Region 7, along with several Columbus-area schools. However, some modifications have been made to the list owing to the incorporation of “competitive balance,” with five schools from last year moving out and five new schools moving in.
Those vacating Region 7 and moving up to Division 1 include Groveport, Delaware and Perry, last year’s Division 2 state runner-up. Mansfield and Tri-Valley have been reassigned to Division 3. Newcomers to Region 7 from Division 1 include North Canton and Westerville South. Moving up from Division 3 are Ashland, Columbus Whetstone and Columbus Whitehall.
The new divisional assignments were the result of (1) basic changes to school enrollment for the coming year, and (2) adjustments to school enrollment as part of the new competitive balance strategy. The goal of competitive balance is to “level the playing field” by moving schools up a division when they enjoy a high number of transfer students that participate in the given sport. The method was particularly directed at parochial schools. However, none of last year’s Division 2 parochial schools moved up to Division 1, whereas several parochial schools shifted from Division 3 to Division 2, including Cleveland Benedictine, Mentor Lake Catholic and defending Division 3 state champion Akron Hoban, all of which are in a loaded Region 5.
Once again there are 27 teams in Region 7. Eight of these will qualify for the playoffs once the season has ended. So who should fans keep an eye on? If the current regional assignments had been in place for the last ten years, one can determine those teams from Region 7 that would be considered contenders. These include the following, based on the number of times (in brackets) they would have qualified over this time period:
(8) Massillon (6) Ashland, Canal Winchester (5) Lake, Wooster, Westerville South, New Albany, Licking Heights, Big Walnut (4) North Canton, Boardman, Dublin Scioto, Worthington Kilbourne, Logan
Of course, knowledgeable fans would look to Massillon, Westerville South, Dublin Scioto and Worthington Kilbourne as the favorites to advance, with Lake, North Canton and Boardman as the dark horses..
For a complete list of the teams in Region 7, click Here.
Throughout the year the Massillon Tiger Football Booster Club raises money through various means to help fund the club and provide benefits to worthy students. One of those activities involves the purchase of vehicle license plates that display the Obie mascot on the left side and the words “Massillon Tigers” at the bottom. Approved by the governor in 2013, WHS was the first high school in Ohio to have its own commemorative plate. The extra cost is $35 per year, with $25 going to the club to fund an annual scholarship. Plates can be purchased through any DMV in Ohio.
Eligible students must be associated with the football program and demonstrate excellence in both academics and citizenship. This year’s award winners are Dillon Delong, Kordell Ford, Nathan Gregg, Seth Blankenship and Samantha Smith.
In years past, Ohio’s traditional powers would open the season with lesser opponents in order to allow time to season upcoming players to the intensity of varsity-level football. But for this year’s Tiger opponents, the opposite seems to be true. More and more top teams are opting for challenging starts to the season. It could be that coaches feel the need to test their players early as they search for their starting elevens. Or maybe it’s just the price these teams pay for long-term success, with the difficulties found in scheduling non-league opponents, given the implications of playoff points.
Here’s a rundown of the openers for Massillon’s 2017 opponents:
Mentor (6-4) once again opens with Massillon, which finished 8-2 last year and qualified for a spot in the playoffs. But the Cardinals also have Cleveland St. Ignatius and Cleveland Glenville waiting in the wings, so a loss to the Tigers could contribute to a second consecutive playoff miss. Last year Mentor beat Massillon in a shootout, 57-31.
Canton GlenOak (6-4) played a weak Virginia team in 2016, winning 42-17, but has replaced them with Toledo Whitmer (8-2). Whitmer’s losses last year were to Detroit Central (10-0) and Toledo Central (10-0). This should be a great opener.
Warren Harding (9-1) has dropped Cleveland Shaw (4-6) in favor of Canton McKinley (6-4). The last time these two teams met was in 2002, when the Raiders prevailed 38-7, enroute to a state runner-up finish. Last year Warren lost in the Division 2 regional finals to Hudson, whereas Division 1 McKinley lost in Round 1 to Stow.
Youngstown Ursuline (2-8) once again faces Cleveland Benedictine (3-7), with last year’s game being decided in overtime in favor of the Bennies. Both teams are trying to return to previous dominance. But scheduling woes continue to get in the way.
Bedford (7-3) blasted a very weak Berea Midpark team in last year’s opener. But now the test will be a bit tougher when they face Nordonia (3-7), which has enjoyed some success in recent years. Although they stumbled last year, the Knights have qualified for the playoffs in each of the previous four years.
Austintown Fitch (5-5) repeats with Hudson (9-2). Last year the Falcons lost 17-7 and failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in three years. Meanwhile, Hudson advanced to the Division 2 state semifinals, where they lost to Perry 14-3. This should be another good one.
Canisius (10-2), the defending New York Catholic state champion (9th overall), opens a week later with Pittsford (8-2). The Panthers started the 2016 season No. 1 in New York and finish 9th.
Akron Firestone (4-6) has dropped Akron St. Vincent (6-4) in favor of Wadsworth (5-5). The Irish defeated Firestone last year 46-6. This is a slightly easier opponent, but the results will probably be the same.
Akron St. Vincent (6-4) has replaced Akron Firestone (4-6) with Tri-Valley (9-1). Although not the same caliber as the Irish, Tri-Valley has previously qualified for the playoffs in seven of the last eight years, just missing out last year. In addition, Tri-Valley has dropped to Division 3, the same division as St. V.
Canton McKinley (6-4) opens with Warren Harding (9-1), following a 2-year series with Akron Hoban (9-1). The Bulldogs lost to Akron Hoban by scores of 49-0 in 2015 and 42-14 in 2016.
So the 2017 season should be off to a roaring start, with many of these openers having significant implications on playoff qualification. It should be a great year.
The Massillon Tiger Football team will be selling community Discount Cards on June 3, 2017 at 10:00 AM. Players will be in Massillon neighborhoods offering these great discount cards. If you see our Tigers out and about please consider buying one or more of the discount cards from them. These discount cards are a player fundraiser to help with camp and off-season preparation costs for the upcoming season. Below you can see the discounts and locations being offered. Thank you in advance for your support of the 2017 Massillon Tigers.
BOOSTER CLUB MEMBERS:
We need drivers to help escort the players around town. Please consider coming by Paul Brown Stadium at 9:00 AM to assist with transportation. Please contact Bruce Gallagher at 330.837.0579 or Steve Berecek at 330.704.7693.
With the goal of developing a new website header to help modernize the Massillon Tiger Football Booster Club Website, the members turned to the students of Washington High School. The task was presented as a contest and it fell immediately to the Media Arts & Communication Department, which eagerly accepted the challenge of solving this real-world problem. The students’ talents were readily applied, multiple entries were submitted and some auspicious Booster Club judges reviewed each one. But in the end, it was a combination of artistic design ideas from the various entries that was used to create the final website header shown above.
It was in 1967 that WHS made its first venture into world of audio-video broadcasting when a group of students recorded the Tiger football games for later airing on Massillon Cable TV. The undertaking was accomplished as a club project under the guidance of Dick Gessner, who trained the students over the summer and prepared them for the task at hand.
Later, at the request of Superintendent Al Paris, the club approach was converted into a classroom elective. Now, some fifty years later, it has evolved into a formal curriculum of instruction, called Media Arts & Communication. A part of Career Technical Education, it accepts around 24 junior students each year for the 2-year program.
Standing, Left to right: Matt Ferrell, Dave Scheetz
The current instructors are Dave Scheetz and newcomer Matt Ferrell, a 1993 WHS graduate of the Media Arts program. Mr. Scheetz has been with the program now for 28 years, after previous broadcast work for ESPN990. He couples his current employment with support work for both WHBC (pre-production and play-by-play for the Game of the Week) and Massillon Cable TV.
First-year teacher Mr. Ferrell worked as a DJ, nightclub owner and video store owner during high school, and then later as a show producer, technology trainer and theater designer. He has also delved into other media-related activities, such as software training, all while continuing his broadcast education.
“Both of us have had success in various aspects of the industry and we both feel like we have a lot of experience that we can share with the kids,” said Mr. Scheetz.
The coursework is titled Media Arts & Production and consists of four classes: Media Arts Primer, Audio Broadcast, Video Broadcast and Video Production. The first two courses are offered to juniors and the others are offered to seniors. However, juniors must demonstrate success before moving on.
“We have a situation where we have 24 reserved seats for juniors,” said Mr. Scheetz. “That number will vary from year to year. If we have 25 or more sophomores interested in the class then we go through an interview process. We want to find what the likes and dislikes of these candidates are, do they have a history of doing anything as a hobby prior to this class, TV-related, film- related, music recording-related, anything that ties into what we do. We also look at attendance. We also look at grades. And we also look at teacher recommendations.”
The coursework touches base on all aspects of what goes into making a video, with each course covering pre-production (setup), production (recording), post-production (software editing) and distribution (release to various media). All skill levels are addressed in each class, but are presented in more detail as the student progresses through the program, from simply operating a camera to developing a final edited format. “Those same stages of production have been there forever,” said Mr. Ferrell. “But the way we’re getting there, the tools we are using to get there, that’s what’s changing.”
The program covers:
Videography
Video for the Web
Computer-based Editing
Show Production
Digital Audio Recording
News/Sports Broadcaster
Script Writing/Storyboarding
Computer Animation
Naturally, there is a heavy emphasis on sports broadcasting. “Here in Massillon we are sports strong, whether it’s football or basketball or any of the internal stuff that we do from choir or band or drama club standpoint,” said Mr. Ferrell. “The town is sports-rich, so WHS-TV is sports-rich.”
Students that elect to pursue a career in broadcast are highly encouraged to take additional coursework after leaving the program. But Mr. Scheetz emphasized that students need the drive and passion to succeed in this business. “We’re constantly teaching them about life skills that have nothing to do with the nuts and bolts of video production, but have everything to do with life; separating yourself from the other individuals that want to do the same things that you do.” About 50-75% of the students go on to make a career in the field, but in different ways.
Steve Willing at the White House
Steve Willing was one of those students. A 1979 graduate of the Telecommunications Program (as it was called then), Steve has made a career of handling the video camera. “I took advantage of every opportunity available to me during the following three years,” he said. “I learned everything from running studio and portable television cameras, as well as editing, floor directing and running audio for a variety of projects. In addition to working behind the camera, I gained experience in front of the camera. I hosted the Mike Currence Show, as well as other talk and sports shows during my senior year. I spent every Friday night at Tiger Stadium rotating through a variety of positions including Announcer, Cameraman and Director. I also won a $200 scholarship from Massillon Cable TV for “Best Director” in 1979.”
Steve looks back on his education at WHS-TV with immense pride. “I used those skills in conjunction with a four-year degree in Mass Media Communications at the University of Akron to pursue my dreams in the television industry,” he said. “From public television to sports production to commercial production and news, my travels have taken me to many interesting places, both near and far. I hold Massillon close to my heart and I am forever grateful for the solid foundation the telecommunications program provided me at Washington High School.” Steve currently works for KDKA-Pittsburgh as a Television News Photojournalist.
Regarding the contest to develop the website header, the students readily took to this challenge. “Overall it was different enough and it was real,” said Mr. Scheetz. “Matt and I are constantly coming up with projects and looking for things that are real situations. That project is a real organization, it’s a real website. It’s a real opportunity. Here’s a situation where’s there is a need, here are your guidelines; you’re limited with your guidelines, but you can be as creative as you want. And we loved it. The kids enjoyed it.”
During the judging, the entries were eventually whittled down to the contributions of three students: Brandon Bennett, Nicole Maxhimer and Nate Soley. One designed the orange/striping background, one designed the sports font for the URL address and one designed the cropped version of the Obie. It’s clean and it’s modern.
The MTFBC thanks Dave and Matt for their time in helping to share WHS’s Media Arts & Production program with our readers and Steve Willing for also providing input. A special thank you to all of the students that participated in the website header contest. The MTFBC wishes you good luck with your future endeavors.
In what is one of the most unlikely chain of events, the Massillon Tigers qualified for the playoffs in 2008. After week nine there were four teams vying for the eighth and final spot in Division One, Region Two. Massillon finished in eighth place, and qualified with 21.4912 points, ninth was Fremont Ross with 21.4187, Toledo St. Johns with 21.1429 and Akron Garfield with 21.0500. These four were vying for the eighth spot and there could have been another spot available had Nordonia lost to Garfield Heights. Nordonia won 32-12 and thus locked up the sixth seed.
The following series of events had to occur in order for the Tigers to make the playoffs that year.
Massillon had to defeat Canton McKinley, which they did 17-0.
Parma Normandy (5-5), which the Tigers defeated earlier in the season, had to beat North Royalton (5-5) which they did 35–21.
Brantford Ontario Collegiate defeated highly favored Pauline Johnson 20–17 by completing an eighty-yard hook and lateral pass on the last play of the game, giving the Tigers the essential computer points.
Holland Springfield (6-4) defeated Perrysburg (6-4) 40-24. If Perrysburg wins, Fremont Ross would have qualified with 21.9742 points. Had any of the above three events not occurred, Fremont Ross would have qualified for the playoffs.
Toledo Bowsher defeated Toledo Rogers in overtime, 23-16. If Rogers wins, Toledo St. Johns would have made the playoffs with 21.7551 points.
Beaver Local (4-6) defeated Akron North (6-4) 15-14. Akron North was ahead 14-0 at the end of three quarters. Beaver scored a TD minutes into the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 14-7. With less than two minutes left in the game, Beaver scored again and was successful on their two-point conversion to win by a point. Had Akron North won, Akron Garfield would have made the playoffs with 21.5500 points.
This unlikely series of events led Massillon to qualify for the playoffs in 2008. Unfortunately, the Tigers lost the next week to North Canton Hoover 14-7 and bowed out of playoff contention.
It is amazing that all six of these events had to occur for the Tigers to qualify. This is certainly one of the most unlikely scenarios that led to a team making it in. Think about it: a win in a rivalry game, two wins by teams whose opponents had like records, a win by successfully going for a two point conversion, an overtime win and an eighty-yard touchdown on the last play of a game, played outside the Unite States. In the history of the playoffs in Ohio, there probably have been other remarkable scenarios whereby a team qualified, but very, very few more astounding than the 2008 Massillon Tigers.
This begins a new series called TIG (Tigers Impacting the Game). TIG will focus historical contributions to the game of football by former Massillon Tigers and Massillonians.
On this date May 24, 1967 in NFL History the AFL approved the Cincinnati Bengals franchise for expansion. The Cincinnati Bengals became the 10th team in the AFL and competed in the western division beginning with the 1968 season. Paul Brown was the owner and head coach of the newly formed Cincinnati Bengals.
In 1970 the AFL (10 teams) and the NFL (16 teams) merged and formed what is now known as the National Football League. The Cincinnati Bengals were placed in the AFC Central Division with Cleveland, Houston and Pittsburgh.
Brown would coach the Cincinnati Bengals from 1968-1975 compiling a record of 55-60-1 with an 0-3 record in the NFL playoffs.
Later the same year in 1967 Paul Brown would become part of the 5th official class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
2017 marks the 50 year anniversary of the Cincinnati Bengals franchise. All thanks to Massillon’s own, Paul Brown
Pictured above Paul Brown is shown choosing the inaugural helmet.
Ever wonder how other states conduct their high school football playoffs? One worth looking at is Illinois. There are no divisions in the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) system, yet they end up with eight state champions at the end of the day. Here’s how they do it.
Approximately 580 schools play football in Illinois. Take away the 42 teams that compete in the Chicago Public League (they don’t participate in the playoffs) and that leaves around 538 that are eligible for the playoffs. Of that, a whopping 256 qualify, or 48% of the total. Contrast that with Ohio, which has 749 teams playing football. Of that group, 224 or just 30% participate in the playoffs.
Unlike Ohio, Illinois does not select their qualifiers using a computer. Instead, they follow this hierarchy:
Champions of conferences with six or more teams.
Most regular season victories.
Combined wins of all opponents (strength of schedule)
Combined wins of all defeated opponents.
In most years, all teams with at least six wins will qualify and most of those with five will also (after tie-breakers are used). It should be noted, however, that Illinois teams play 9-game schedules.
Once the 256 teams are selected, they are ordered from the largest enrollment to the smallest regardless of record. Then eight brackets of 32 teams each are created, starting with the largest 32 and working toward the bottom. Each bracket is divided into two halves of 16 teams each, based on location. Finally, the teams within each half are seeded using the same qualification hierarchy as shown above.
In a curious twist, the total school enrollment is used, so the number of girls is factored in as well. In rare cases, the enrollment is increased by 1.65. The IHSA calls this the “Success Adjustment.” Only two teams were affected last year.
What if the Illinois method was used in the Buckeye state? Staying with seven brackets and based on 224 teams qualifying, a team would need an 8-2 record to guarantee a spot. Around 80% of those finishing 7-3 would qualify. But 14 teams that were in the playoffs last year with records of 6-4 and below would be booted, including ironically Cincinnati St. Xavier, Ohio’s playoff state champion. Others left behind include Canton McKinley, GlenOak, Lancaster, Cincinnati Elder, Lake and Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary. Also, 20% of the teams with 7-3 records would fail to qualify, depending on the “strength of schedule” tie breaker.
Interestingly, Divisions 1 and 2 would qualify just 10% and 13% of their teams, respectively, while the majority of the playoff teams would come from Divisions 5 through 7. While Division 1 would advance around 23 teams, the remaining seven for the top bracket would come from Division 2, pulling in Perry and Warren Harding. Although Massillon would be an automatic qualifier based on its 8-2 record, the enrollment level would place it in the second division.
Could the Illinois playoff system work in Ohio? Probably, to an extent. The winners of conferences receive automatic bids regardless of record, so that is probably a good thing. The remaining conference teams would need to finish well and take care of those early non-conference games, not dissimilar to the current system. However, for the independent schools, there is no extra credit for playing tough schedules (except for 7-3 record tie breakers). These teams would need to select opponents wisely and mostly avoid playing the tougher schools for fear that an 8-2 record might not so easily be achieved. Case in point: Cincinnati St. Xavier and its 5-5 mark. And then there is the new OHSAA Competitive Advantage format. It’s possible that this experiment might meet with greater success using the Illinois system, provided an effective multiplier is applied to the schools affected the most. At least it might be accepted better by the masses. As expected, there would be pros and cons.
FREE Youth camp open to students first through eighth grade Date: Saturday, May 20 Registration: 8:15 a.m. – Camp: 9 – 11 a.m. Location: Paul David Indoor Facility
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