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Illinois High School Association Logo News

Football, Illinois Style

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:

  1. Champions of conferences with six or more teams.
  2. Most regular season victories.
  3. Combined wins of all opponents (strength of schedule)
  4. 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.

Massillon Tiger Football Golf Outing 2017 Booster Club

FUNDRAISER: Golf Outing – Massillon Tiger Football Alumni Association

Massillon Tiger Football Alumni Association GOLF SCRAMBLE

WHEN: Saturday, June 17th, 2017
WHERE: Elms Country Club
TIME: Shotgun Start: 9 a.m.
COST: $300 foursome or $75 per golfer

Price Includes:
Green fees & cart, lunch & dinner at the course, beverage truck, football challenges, & raffle prizes!

SPONSOR A HOLE

SPONSOR LEVELS
Individual Sponsorship: $100.00 (One hole sponsor sign included)
Corporate level sponsorship: $500 (Two hole Sponsor signs and foursome)

Make check payable to: MTFAA
Mail to: MTFAA
C/O Glen Weirich, 725 Woodview Dr. NE, Massillon, OH 44646.

The Massillon Tigers and Coach Moore thanks you for your support.

For more information you can contact Glen Weirich at 330-844-8462 or Jason Jarvis at 330-933-4814. Glen’s Email: uabulldog91@gmail.com.

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

Youth Football Camp

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

MCS Youth Football Camp
Night At the Races Fundraiser 2017 Booster Club

FUNDRAISER: A Night At the Races

The Massillon Tiger Football Booster Club in conjunction with St. George’s Serbian Men’s Club is excited to host “A Night at the Races Fundraiser” on May 20, 2017, at St. George’s Serbian Hall, located at 4667 Applegrove St. NW, North Canton, OH.

Doors open at 5:00 pm.  Food will be available 5:30 pm and racing with Monte Carlo Games begins at 6:30 pm.  The cost is $15.00, with beer and soft drinks included.

Own a horse for $10.00 and collect $50.00 for each race won.  Presold tickets will be entered into a drawing for an autographed football signed by the 2017 Tigers.

For tickets and other info, please contact Steve Berecek at (330) 704-7693 or inquire at Keller’s Office Furniture at (330) 832-7358.

Spring Kickoff

VIDEO: 2017 Massillon Tigers Spring Kick-Off

Spring Kickoff Hype Video created by Tony Martin (BigKat Films – TigerPaw Pictures)
The Spring Kickoff was held on May 3rd at the K of C in Massillon. Guest Speaker Nick Saban, Head Coach of University of Alabama. Coach Saban provided a spendid speech and was very complimentary of Massillon and Stark County.

I don’t do this, I don’t speak at high school banquets. The only reason why I’m here is because this is Massillon. ~ Nick Saban – Head Coach University of Alabama

Nate Moore addressed the crowd by setting the schedule for the 2017 and introducing the coaching staff including new coaches Craig McConnell (Defensive Coordinator), Spencer Leno (LB), Jarrett Troxler (Quarterbacks). Each Coach spoke briefly of their responsibilities and their player groups. All are excited for the upcoming 2017 season.

Go Tigers! #TIG

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

MassillonTigers.com – Updated 2017

The Massillon Tiger Football Booster Club is proud to unveil the new and updated MassillonTigers.com. We are working very hard to provide a website that is reflective of our support for the Massillon Tiger Football Program. This website is essentially a living document and is expected to be updated at minimum weekly, but most likely daily. While the website is now live, it is not yet in it’s full release form. We are working daily to upload the many, many game stories, photographs, videos, etc. that we have at our disposal in hopes that the site will meet the desires and expectations of the users. We encourage you to browse the site as we build it and hope you will take the time to offer your insight into how we can continue to make your experience better.

Some key features you will notice which will enhance your experience within our media guide are:

  1. Search function. – located at the right of the page directly under Obie is a search box. Type in key words of what you are looking for and click the magnifying glass or Enter. The search will be able to scour the entire site to return results of your key words. This will aid in finding information quickly rather than pouring through many documents. Our goal is to make every document on this site searchable so you can find what you are looking for.
  2. Daily Booster Club happenings. Follow the front page of MassillonTigers.com for updates on booster club events, Massillon Tiger Football events, historical stories, etc.
  3. Integrated video. We will soon be linking video to game stories along with photos and anything else we find pertinent to each story. What is integrated video? see Below

    We continue to work daily to update this site in hopes of having everything updated by August 1st. We welcome you commentary.

Nick Sagan Head Coach Alabama Crimson Tide Booster Club

2017 Football Spring Kickoff – Guest: Nick Saban

Nick Saban – Head Football Coach, University of Alabama

When: May 3
Where: Massillon Knights of Columbus
988 Cherry Rd. NW, Massillon, OH 44647

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Doors Open – 6:30 PM
Dinner – 7:00 PM
Nick Saban Speaks – 7:30 PM
Massillon Coaches Speak – 8:00 PM

Tickets are $40 and can be purchased at the Massillon Ticket Office and Keller’s Office Furniture.

DISCLAIMER
We do have NCAA and UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA regulations to adhere to.
There will be no autographs. Also, football players entering 7-12th grade this fall CAN NOT ATTEND.

Gareon Conley Ohio State Buckeyes NFL Players

Gareon Conley drafted by Oakland Raiders #24 Overall

Ex-Massillon Tiger and Ohio State Buckeye standout Gareon Conley was drafted on Thursday April 27th, 2017 by the Oakland Raiders. The Oakland Raiders used the 24th overall pick in the draft to select Conley making him the second highest drafted Ex-Massillon Tiger. Bob Vogel was drafted #5 overall by the Baltimore Colts in 1963.

Gareon Conley – Oakland Raiders

 

Below is the introductory press conference held for Gareon Conley by the Oakland Raiders.

Jarrett Troxler 2017 Coaches

Massillon finds new QB coach in Troxler

Chris Easterling
Chris.Easterling@IndeOnline.com
Updated: Wednesday, March 22, 2017

New Massillon assistant coach Jarrett Troxler has spent the last decade coaching in Georgia. (Augusta Chronicle photo)<br /><div id=”dfp-300×250″ style=”float:right;”><script type=”text/javascript”>googletag.display(“dfp-300×250”);</script></div>
New Massillon assistant coach Jarrett Troxler has spent the last decade coaching in Georgia. (Augusta Chronicle photo)

MASSILLON
The Massillon Board of Education during its Wednesday meeting hired Jarrett Troxler as a health and physical education teacher. Troxler is also expected to eventually receive a supplemental contract as well as the Tigers’ new quarterbacks coach.
Troxler will replace the departing Brett Cooper, who is taking a head-coaching job in Indiana, coming to Massillon after a successful two-year stint as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Thomson High School in eastern Georgia. During those two years, the Bulldogs went a combined 25-3 with a Class-AAAA state runner-up finish in 2016 and a state quarterfinal appearance in 2015.
Troxler’s offense was explosive in both of those seasons. In 2015, Thomson averaged 42 points and more than 5,500 yards in 13 games, then increased both to 43 points and more than 6,500 yards over 2016’s 15-game season.
Jon Mazur, who has been the Tigers’ offensive line coach the last two seasons, is adding the offensive-coordinator’s title to his job responsibilities this fall. However, Troxler’s philosophy meshes well with Mazur, as he has spoken or is scheduled to speak at multiple clinics this offseason on utilizing the power-run game out of the shotgun/spread.
Troxler’s coaching career also includes a pair of head-coaching stops in Georgia: Lakeside High School in 2010-13 and Greenbrier in 2014. He was a combined 23-30 in those tenures.
His assistant-coaching resume also features a stint as assistant head coach/offensive coordinator at Lakeside from 2007-09 and a stretch as defensive backs coach at Anson High School in North Carolina from 2002-06.
Troxler graduated from Chowan University in North Carolina in 2002. He added a masters in education from Grand Canyon University in 2010.

Reach Chris at 330-775-1128 or chris.easterling@indeonline.com.
On Twitter: @ceasterlingINDE

History

2016: Massillon 21, Dublin Scioto 31

OUT OF REACH
Tigers’ mistakes, lack of consistency spell early exit from playoffs vs. Scioto

By Chris Easterling
Independent sports editor

MASSILLON One step forward, two steps back. Where that left Massillon by the end of Friday night was on the wrong end of the scoreboard and looking at an early playoff exit. The Tigers couldn’t maintain a consistent offense, and couldn’t consistently slow down Dublin Scioto in a season-ending 31-21 loss in a Division II Region 7 quarterfinal at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

“We would something good and make a good play – and this was both sides of the ball – and then we would turn the ball over or make an uncharacteristic mistake,” said Jon Mazur, who was serving as Massillon’s acting head coach as Nate Moore served a playoff suspension.

“We’d have a missed block or a missed tackle or a guy jumping offsides. We just did a lot of things, and when you’re playing this level of football in the playoffs, everybody’s good and you can’t beat good teams making those mistakes.”

As Moore watched from the east press box, his team struggled to maintain many of the things which had epitomized its success during a seven-game win streak to end the regular season. Instead of advancing to a regional-semifinal matchup with New Albany, the Tigers bow out at 8-3.

The Massillon run game, which was the bread-and-butter of the offense, had forgettable bookends to the season. The Tigers ran for just 142 yards on 40 total carries, the lowest total since only gaining 90 yards in the season-opening loss to Mentor.

“Our defense, I don’t know what to call it, but it’s been a very strong unit all year,” Scioto coach Karl Johnson said after his team improved to 8-3. “We’ve been very good against the run most of the year. We needed to put the offense with it, and we were able to do that.”

The centerpiece of that offense was a running game that gashed Massillon for big yards when it needed it most. The Irish ran for 253 yards on 39 attempts, the most rushing yards gained against the Tigers since Warren Harding ran for 359 yards in what was their last loss of the season.

Scioto finished with 400 yards of offense, while only turning the ball over once. The Irish, meanwhile, turned three Massillon turnovers into a touchdown and a field goal.

“The game, any game, is going to come down to explosive plays, third-down conversions and turnover margins,” Johnson said. “We probably won all of those tonight”.

That’s why we were able to win this game. Scioto didn’t lead at any point until one of those explosive plays – a 65-yard Jared Nolan run gave it a 21-14 lead 36 seconds into the second quarter. The Irish took the lead for good on a 25-yard Noah Densel pass to Weston Talentino with 11:04 remaining to make it 28-21.
Massillon’s offense came down to the passing game primarily. The Tigers scored on their first play – a school-record 89-yard Austin Jasinski catch-and-run from Seth Blankenship – for a 7-0 lead.

The Tigers also took a 14-7 lead on a Blankenship-to-Austin Kutscher 14-yard pass with 2:43 left in the first quarter. They would tie the game at 21-21 when Jasinski caught his second touchdown of the game, a 55-yarder with 8:58 remaining. Blankenship finished 7-of-15 for 203 yards with the three touchdowns and one interception. Jasinski had four of those catches and 168 of the yards.

Massillon wouldn’t score again. The Tigers had a pair of field goals blocked: a 25-yarder in the third quarter which would have given them the lead, and a 21-yarder in the fourth which would have pulled them within seven with 4:41 left.

“They did a good job of stopping the run or slowing the run down,” said Mazur, who also saw the Tigers flagged a season-high 14 times for 120 yards. “We were able to lean on the pass early and hit some big plays. In the second half, when we moved the ball and moved it down the field, we got stopped. We weren’t able to come up with the big play, whether it was in the pass or the run. We didn’t make the big play when we needed to in the second half.”

GAME STATS