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2004: Massillon 13, Cleveland St. Ignatius 38

By JOE SHAHEEN
Joe.Shaheen@IndeOnline.com

The new season of network television programs has just begun but Rick Shepas had to feel like he was stuck watching reruns on Saturday night when Cleveland St. Ignatius turned a huge mistake on Massillon’s first possession of the ball game into a quick touchdown.

It was exactly the way last year’s Massillon-St. Ignatius game began and the end result was eerily similar, a 38-13 victory for the Wildcats. Now the question is, can the 3-3 Tigers somehow post three wins over their last four games – starting with this Saturday’s visit to Lakewood St. Edward – just to finish at 6-4 and have a shot at qualifying for the playoffs.

For that to happen, Massillon will have to either beat No. 2-rated St. Edward this week or No. 7-rated Warren Harding in Week Nine – both on the road no less – and still count on victories over Friendship Edison of Washington D.C. a week from this Saturday and archrival Canton McKinley in Week Ten.
It’s a tall order indeed, especially if the Tigers continue to shoot themselves in the foot before the crowd is even settled into their seats. Massillon was penalized for holding on the opening kickoff, then fumbled on
its first two plays from scrimmage, losing the second bobble to St. Ignatius on the Tiger 10-yard line. Three snaps later it was 6-0 Wildcats on a Rudy Kirbus to Collin Meador 3-yard touchdown toss. The point after made it 7-0 at 10:02 of the first quarter.

“It all came down to execution for us and we did not execute,” Shepas observed. “There’s no question that when you play in a football game like this you want to protect the football. Obviously in the first two snaps of the game we had the quarterback run into the running back on play number one. We had a fumble on play two. We put our defense against the wall. “Our problem tonight was execution as it has always been against Ignatius.”

Unlike last year’s Ignatius tilt, the Tigers bounced back after the initial touchdown, putting together a 10-play drive that finally stalled on the Wildcat 30-yard line. Then the visitors bore a gift for Massillon, fumbling the football to Tiger free safety Alex Dahlquist at the Ignatius 11.

Massillon pushed it to the 3-yard line, but a fourth-and-2 running play was snuffed out for no gain, giving the ball back to St. Ignatius on downs. “We got the fumble early and we took it in,” said St. Ignatius coach Chuck Kyle. “They got a fumble and they had to make a decision. Field goal or . what do you do?”

The Tigers opted to go for it and came away empty. “Obviously it did hurt,” said Shepas. “Our kids wanted to go for it in that situation. They were fired up but we just didn’t get it in.”

The Massillon defense stood tall the rest of the first half. St. Ignatius only other score came when Kirbus scrambled away from the Tiger pass rush, found a seam and sprinted 40 yards to the end zone late in the half. “It helps the offensive line so much when the quarterback can do that,” Kyle said. “If you have a seam go ahead. Go ahead. It does cool the jets of the pass rush. Maybe you didn’t call a quarterback draw but if it turns into that, that’s fine because now the defensive line has to keep an eye on you.”

The backbreaker, as far as the Tigers were concerned, came when Kirbus hooked up with Robby Parris for a 34-yard touchdown pass to cap off a nine-play, second-half opening drive. Massillon had St. Ignatius in a third-and-19 situation but couldn’t defuse the bomb and the Wildcats led 21-0 midway
through the third period.

Kirbus and Parris repeated their act from near mid-field just over two minutes later to make it 28-0 and the stands began to empty at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

“St. Ignatius came out and executed the game plan we practiced for all week,” Shepas said. “There was not one surprise that they came up with during the course of the game.

“When they have the lead at halftime, that opening drive of the second half is important. And in typical Ignatius fashion they take the ball and drive the football and burn a lot of clock and then score that touchdown. It does affect your momentum to a degree but we still had a lot to play for.”

Massillon did put together a couple of late scores with Shawn Weisend under center after Quentin Paulik was sidelined by a late helmet-to-helmet hit out of bounds. But Kyle said afterward he had his reserves in when the Tigers tallied.

“I thought we matched up well against Ignatius and I still believe that,” Shepas continued. “I think we match up well with a few of the next teams we play. Regardless of what people want to say, we play an exciting brand of football here. We have an attack defense. We have an exciting offense. We play the
top teams. This is a great place to watch a high school football game. Now we’ve just got to get ready to play. These are things people have to learn from. For me it’s not a problem. I was raised in this fashion. It’s another great week of football. A great opponent coming up and we’ll just get ready for them.”

GAME STATS


Kurt Jarvis

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

2004: Massillon 52, Calvin Coolidge (Washington D.C.) 8

By JOE SHAHEEN
Joe.Shaheen@IndeOnline.com

You could probably take Massillon’s last three opponents, roll them all into one, and you still wouldn’t have as good a team as the one the Tigers will face this Saturday when Cleveland St. Ignatius comes a calling at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. But the Tigers don’t look at it that way. Head coach Rick Shepas won’t let them. Shepas and his coaching staff want the 3-2 Tigers to prepare for a faceless opponent this week, not one that this proud football program has never defeated. They want the Tigers to get ready for St. Ignatius in much the same fashion as they got ready for Mansfield, Findlay or Calvin Coolidge High of Washington D.C, a 52-8 victim of a rejuvenated Massillon team last Saturday night in the house that Paul Brown built.

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“We’re not going to change anything,” said Tiger co-captain Jason Reinmann when asked about preparations for St. Ignatius. “We’re going to work hard. We have faceless opponents so nothing is going to change at all. “We’re going to work all week and at the end of the week we’re going to go out there and get our paycheck.”

St. Ignatius is 4-1 after suffering a 29-13 loss to Athol Springs (N.Y.) St. Francis on Saturday. Tiger co-captain D’angelo McClendon admits the team’s mindset going into the annual St. Ignatius tilt may have been a problem in past years. “Most definitely,” McClendon said. “Last year and all the way back I think so. This year, we keep it in our heads that we’re just going to come out and let it all hang out basically. That’s the influence our coaches give us as well. That’s what they’ve been telling us all year long.” We’re going to attack every game the same way. We don’t care if it’s St. Ignatius or a scrap team, we’re just going to come out and just go hard for four quarters.” That approach paid dividends against Coolidge as Massillon scored six of the first seven times it had the football on offense to race to a 49-0 halftime lead. With Ramon Kelly and Caleb White sharing the ball carrying chores, the Tigers capitalized on field position provided by Kelly’s 48-yard opening kickoff return and moved 46 yards in five plays to jump out 7-0 against the Colts. Kelly scored the first of his three touchdowns on a 2-yard burst over right tackle and Steve Schott tacked on the extra point at 10:23 of the first quarter. “I think we’re getting a little bit better,” Shepas said. “Our offensive line is starting to understand what we expect and we’re starting to communicate better. We can tell from the plays we were calling and the assignments that they are blocking that we’re getting better. We’re getting a better running game.”

The Tigers turned the ball over on an interception on their second possession. It was about the only thing they did wrong on Saturday. “In a lot of ways our quarterback play is improving and it has improved with the checks at the line of scrimmage,” Shepas said. “I like the way Quentin Paulik has been managing the game. But there’s still some things to work on. He’s still staring down some throws but we’re just going to continue to get better. I love to practice and you take care of a lot of that at practice.” Massillon got that interception right back when free safety Alex Dahlquist swooped in and picked off Coolidge’s Andre Glanville at the Tiger 30. Dahlquist, who led the team in tackles a week ago against Findlay, then raced 70 yards to pay dirt for Massillon’s second score of the evening at 6:43 of the first quarter. “Alex (Dahlquist) started out the year that way last year,” Shepas said. “He didn’t finish the year like that.” If he started out slow (this season), I’d rather him get to the point where he is now where he’s going to finish the season stronger.”

Paulik dropped a high arcing 40-yard bomb into Kurt Jarvis’ waiting hands on a well-executed fly pattern to give the Tigers a 21-0 lead at 3:33 of the first quarter and the rout was on.White would add a 16-yard touchdown run, cutting inside of Mike Morningstar’s fine block on the right side of the line, and Kelly tallied his second and third scores of the night on short runs about three minutes apart on the second quarter game clock.White closed the first-half scoring with a two-yard burst into the end zone after Brian Gamble gave the Tigers the short field by tackling the Coolidge punter before he could get off the kick. The third and fourth quarters were shortened from 12 to eight minutes and a running clock was employed at times to keep things from getting out of hand. “Confidence was a factor for this team early on and I think we’re gaining in that,” Shepas said. “We’re starting to take care of the ball a little bit better. We’re starting to develop some balance with a better running game.

All those things are factors. “We’re going after this thing all the way. All of our goals are still on the board. We didn’t start the way we wanted to but maybe we wouldn’t be where we are if we hadn’t started the way we did.”

GAME STATS


Kurt Jarvis

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

2004: Massillon 36, Findlay 16

By William R. Sanderson
William.Sanderson@IndeOnline.com

Massillon wanted to establish a ground game at Findlay. It’s safe to say they did just that after Ramon Kelly ran all over the Trojans for a 36-16 Tiger victory at Donnell Stadium on Friday night.Kelly, a 5-foot-8, 175-pound senior, ran for 288 yards and two touchdowns on only 24 carries. Caleb White added 82 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries to help the Tigers improve to 2-2 on the season. Findlay drops to 0-4.

The success the Tigers had running the ball came in an odd-looking package – a tight, I-formation set. “In this case we were trying to build off the running game we had last week,” Massillon coach Rick Shepas said. “We are a similar offense to Findlay. We both line up in the spread. I know we like playing against other spread teams because we see it so much in practice. So, I wanted to see how the guys would respond when we packed it in.”The Tigers responded pretty well. They established a 9-0 lead in the first
half and then maintained the advantage in the second half.Kelly showcased tremendous speed on several carries. He would appear destined to be stopped behind the line but would simply outrun the defenders to the corner. “There is no question about it,” Shepas said, “Ramon has a great burst.” While he didn’t get the same gaudy numbers as Kelly, Shepas praised his other running back – Caleb White, a 5-11, 178-pound senior. “Both our backs really ran the ball hard,” Shepas said. “Ramon ran the ball hard and Caleb did too. He broke some tackles.”

On the other side of the ball the Tiger defense had Findlay under control for the majority of the contest.Findlay struggled to muster 53 yards in the first half and 120 yards for the game. Wide reciever Zach Kraus started at quarterback for Findlay after one quarterback had been benched and another was injured last week. That forced Findlay into a largely ground-oriented attack.Massillon’s ground game kicked into high gear from the very start of the game, but a couple of mistakes kept the halftime score from being any larger than 9-0 Tigers.On the opening possesion, Kelly and White took turns gouging yards. Massillon got as far as the Findlay 2 before a fumbled snap forced the Tigers to settle for a 24-yard Steve Schott field goal to make it 3-0 with 8:21 on the clock.Schott had another chance in the opening minute of the second quarter, but just missed a 47-yard opportunity wide right. The defense would share credit for Massillon’s next score when Alex Dahlquist intercepted a Findlay pass and gave the Tigers the ball on the Findlay 22. A few plays later White ran in for a two-yard touchdown. A bad snap cost Massillon the extra point and the score was 9-0 with 7:08 to go in the second quarter.Massillon came five yards away from adding to its lead at the end of the first half. With under a minute to go, Massillon advanced to the Findlay 5 when Findlay’s Andrew Leddy and Jason Inbody brought down Tiger quarterback Quentin Paulik for a big loss. A screen pass from Paulick to Kelly brought the ball back to the five and the Tigers spiked to ball to stop the clock with :14 left. On
fourth-and-four, the Trojan defenders held fast.

“We had some opportunities we didn’t take advantage of,” Shepas said of the first half. “Still our defense played fantastic and we had the advantage going in the second half.” That Massillon defense came up big again in the third quarter when Lorenzo Grizzard jumped on a fumbled pitch. A little while later Paulik threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Brett Huffman. The extra point was blocked to make the score 15-0 at the 7:57 mark of the third quarter.For a brief moment, Findlay looked like it might make the finish an exciting one when Greg Mills broke a return 95 yards for a score on the ensuing kickoff, but Massillon answered promptly with touchdown runs by White and Kelly to make the score 29-10 before the end of the third quarter.The Findlay offense finally had some measure of success in the fourth quarter with the matter essentially decided. Mills and Kraus both ran the ball to set up a 10-yard Andre Strzempka touchdown catch from Jeff Foltz. The kick made it 29-16 with 4:53 remaining.Kelly had one final score for good measure when he broke a 38-yard jaunt for a touchdown at the 2:38 mark. Schott’s kick made it 35-16.Massillon will go into next Saturday’s game with Washington D.C. Coolidge with a 2-2 record, not that Shepas places a whole lot of importance on the .500 mark. “It doesn’t matter,” he said. “We take it one game at a time.”

GAME STATS


Kurt Jarvis

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

2004: Massillon 58, Mansfield Senior 20

By JOE SHAHEEN
Joe.Shaheen@IndeOnline.com

The seven-game losing streak that dated back to last year and the 0-2 start to the 2004 season are distant memories for the Massillon Tigers, who devastated the winless Mansfield Tygers 58-20 to right the ship in front of an estimated 7,500 fans at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, Friday night. The Tigers did it with a two-pronged running game that featured Caleb White and Ramon Kelly, and a passing game triggered by quarterback Quentin Paulik that accounted for 208 yards and two touchdowns in the first half alone.

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The Massillon defense did its part as well, limiting the Mansfield offense to one first down and minus-6 yards rushing in the first half. The swarming Tiger defense caused six first-half fumbles and recovered four, repeatedly giving the offense a short field with which to work.”These are great kids and we’ve been struggling with injuries,” said Tiger coach Rick Shepas. “I think a lot of guys came out tonight and played motivated football. We got that from Caleb White and Ramon Kelly.

They bothran very hard and our offensive line got a little bit better.” Quentin Paulik really showed his toughness today. He made some great throws. He managed the team really well.”While Shepas sang the praises of an offense that racked up 372 total yards, he acknowledged the tone of the game was established by the Tiger defense, which limited Mansfield’s offense to 2.5 yards per snap.”We came out tonight and really hit people,” Shepas said. “It’s a good shot in the arm for our confidence. We’re going to get one week better and just go one week at a time.” No Tiger team had ever began the season at 0-3, but that’s what Massillon faced had it not tamed the Tygers.”The way we played against Buchtel and Benedictine was uncharacteristic for the type of kids that we have,” Shepas said. “You saw that when they came out tonight and played so aggressively.”

Can they build on the win with their first road trip of the season set for next Friday at Findlay? “We’ll see,” Shepas responded. “We have a long way to go but it’s up to them.” Massillon’s first two touchdowns of the night were set up by the defense. Junior middle linebacker Robert Morris recovered a Tyger bobble on Mansfield’s second possession of the game at the Mansfield 9. Two plays later, Kelly went over right tackle for a one-yard touchdown at 6:02 of the first quarter. Steve Schott’s point after made it 7-0 Massillon. Not to be outdone, Tiger sophomore Andrew Dailey recovered another fumble at the Mansfield 33 on the visitors’ very next possession. Five plays later, on third-and-two from the 10, Kelly went over right tackle, bowled over a Tyger defensive back at the 5, and rolled into the end zone for Massillon’s second score of the night. Schott’s kick made it 14-0 at 2:47 of the first quarter.The Tigers got excellent field position to begin the second quarter following a Mansfield punt and Troy Ellis’ nifty return. On second-and-three from the Tyger 31, Paulik threaded a pass between two defensive backs and into the waiting arms of Dustin Jarvis, who needed just one stride to reach paydirt. Schott’s kick made it 21-0 Massillon at 11:04 of the second quarter. On Mansfield’s next possession, Tiger linebacker Paul Pribich stripped away the football from a Tyger ball carrier and Massillon was in business at the visitors’ 29.

On third-and-10 from there, Paulik rolled left and hooked up with Dailey inside the 5-yard line and the sophomore turned and carried it into the end zone. Schott’s kick made it 28-0 Massillon.A 40-yard Paulik to Wayne Gates pass and run set up the Tigers’ fifth first half touchdown, a two-yard Kelly run at 6:53 of the second quarter. Schott’s boot made it 35-0.An 11-play Massillon drive, extended by a fake punt that turned into a 21-yard Gates to Ellis pass play, was capped by Schott’s 29-yard field goal to close the first half scoring at 38-0 with less than a minute remaining until the band show.It only took the Tigers two plays to open the second half scoring after Massillon defensive tackle Ladrekus Burford recovered yet another Mansfield fumble. Kelly’s 11-yard run set up White’s first touchdown of the game on a pitch play around left end that covered two yards. Schott’s PAT made it 45-0 at 10:32 of the third quarter.Alex Dahlquist blocked a Mansfield punt on the Tygers subsequent possession and Dirk Dickerhoof fell on the loose ball in the end zone for the touchdown. Schott made it 52-0 at 8:25 of the third quarter.It was mop-up time after that as most Massillon starters went to the bench in favor of their backups.

GAME STATS


Kurt Jarvis

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

2004: Massillon 7, Cleveland Benedictine 34

By JOE SHAHEEN – The Independent
Joe.Shaheen@IndeOnline.com

It’s back to the drawing board for the Massillon Tigers, who dropped their seventh game in a row dating back to last year and fell to 0-2 on the season with a 34-7 shellacking at the hands of defending Division III state champs Cleveland Benedictine at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, Friday.

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Massillon was in the game at halftime, trailing just 14-7, and it was a 17-7 game after three quarters. But the wheels fell off the Tiger wagon when Benedictine scored two touchdowns in a 15-second span in the fourth quarter, one on the Bengals’ second interception return for a touchdown of the game. Massillon came into the season with the idea of running the football but injuries to running backs Jermaine Moncrief and Lanale Robinson forced the Tigers to rely more on the passing game and the result against Benedictine was five interceptions and five other potential pickoffs that the Bengal defense dropped.

“I thought we got a little bit better,” said Tiger head coach Rick Shepas. “We couldn’t establish the run game like we wanted to.” We’ve just got to get better. The interceptions hurt. We had five today. We’ve just got to continue to work hard and get better. We’ve got a lot of young kids and we’re just going to go from here.”Benedictine, which improves to 1-1, rushed for 222 yards to the Tigers’ 23.” I think we had found our identity but we have to stay healthy at the running back position,” Shepas said. “We’re not the same without Moncrief and Paris (McCall) running at full strength. It makes a difference.” I even asked (Benedictine) coach (Art) Bortnick ‘What do you think we need to work on?’ He said, ‘Moncrief makes a difference.'”

Benedictine built on its seven-point halftime lead when Alex Steigerwald nailed a 26-yard field goal midway through the third period to make it 17-7.Massillon appeared in position to negate that score with a field goal of its own, but the kick was blocked and momentum seemed to leave and never return to the host’s sideline.Steigerwald added another three-pointer a minute into the fourth quarter for a 20-7 Benedictine lead but the Tigers again looked poised to respond when junior quarterback Shawn Weisend hooked up with Troy Ellis for a 56-yard pass and run to the Bengal 28. But four straight incompletions ensued and the Tigers would never threaten again. Benedictine junior tailback Jahmal Brown, who finished with 167 yards in 24 carries, broke the game open with a 58-yard scoring scamper with 7:21 to play.

The icing on the cake came on Massillon’s next play from scrimmage when Bengal senior Rashad King returned an interception eight yards to paydirt with 7:09 to play to close the scoring. “We make three out of five plays,” Shepas said. “Then we make a mistake on the fourth play and then that critical mistake on the fifth play.” That’s the way things go when you’re trying to work some thigns out.”

The Tigers were dogged by the big play in the first half, just as they were a week ago in the season-opening loss to Buchtel. Benedictine began the game with superb field position when King fielded the opening kickoff at the 4 and didn’t stop running until Massillon’s Neil James tracked him down from behind 79 yards later at the Tiger 17.On third-and-nine from the 16, Bengal tailback Chris Austin went over his left tackle virtually untouched into the end zone. Steigerwald tacked on the extra point and Benedictine led 7-0 at 9:32 of the first quarter. Midway through the first quarter, Ellis gave Massillon field position with a 54-yard punt return to the Benedictine 45.Tiger signal caller Quentin Paulik found tight end Wayne Gates open over the middle for an 11 yard gain that gave Massillon a first down at the 26. After a near interception – Benedictine’s second dropped pickoff of the first quarter – Paulik drilled Kurt Jarvis with a laser at the 1 and the diminutive senior turned into the end zone for Massillon’s first and only score of the game. Steve Schott’s conversion kick was true and the Tigers had tied the game at 7-7 at 4:52 of the first quarter. Benedictine took the lead for good early in the second quarter when its play. Bengal junior linebacker John Dunn stepped in front of a Massillon pass at the Tiger 20 and went unimpeded into the end zone for the go-ahead score. Steigerwald’s kick was good and Benedictine was up 14-7 with 10:32 remaining until halftime. It appeared Massillon was going to tie the game late in the first half as two Paulik completions, one for 16 yards to Jarvis and the second for 12 yards to Ellis, moved the ball inside the Benedictine 10. But on first and goal, Bengals’ junior linebacker Nick Valentino snared an overthrown pass at the 1-yard line for a drive-killing interception.

GAME STATS


Kurt Jarvis

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

2004: Massillon 20, Akron Buchtel 33

By JOE SHAHEEN
Joe.Shaheen@IndeOnline.com

The Massillon Tigers could only muster a field goal from a couple of early turnovers, then was unable to deal with Akron Buchtel’s athleticism and trailed the Griffins 25-10 at halftime when lightening forced postponement of Friday’s opening game of the 2004 high school football season.The game will be resumed at 10 a.m. today at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. Gates will open at 9 a.m.

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The Tigers actually drew first blood, moving 67 yards in six plays to take a 7-0 lead. The payoff came when senior running back Jermaine Moncrief hit into the middle of the line then bounced outside and swept around his left end for a 13-yard touchdown run. Steve Schott added the point after at 6:41 of the first quarter.Buchtel came back on its ensuing possession and moved 65 yards in just five plays, the final 45 yards on Bryan Williams’ burst over left tackle to the end zone.

Rayshon Dent added the extra point to knot the score at 7-7 at 4:06 of the first quarter.Williams run would have never taken place if not for Buchtel’s fake punt on fourth-and-four that gave the Griffins a first down.Massillon got a huge break when Buchtel failed to execute a punt snap on its next possession and the Tigers recovered at the Griffin 9-yard line.

But two running plays and an incomplete pass forced Massillon to call on Schott who was true with a 28-yard field goal to give the hosts a 10-7 lead at 11:52 of the second quarter.Buchtel received the ensuing kickoff and got superb field position when a Tiger was flagged for grabbing the facemask, giving the Griffins the football at the Massillon 42.On first down, Williams – whom Buchtel coach Claude Brown said would not play on offense due to a shoulder injury – found a gaping hole around the left side of his offensive line and went the distance for a touchdown.

The point after was botched but the Griffins owned a 13-10 lead at 11:34 until halftime.Massillon was forced to punt but Buchtel fumbled on its third play from scrimmage and Tiger linebacker Robert Morris fell on the pigskin at the Griffin 40.Tiger running back Paris McCall picked up nine yards and a first down to move the ball to the 28.Two plays later, on third-and-8, Quentin Paulik hit Zack Vanryzin for what appeared to be a 26-yard touchdown pass. However, the Massillon tally was nullified by an illegal procedure penalty against the Tigers and a subsequent 48-yard field goal attempt was wide left.After the game’s initial lightning delay held the contest up for about 45 minutes, Buchtel came out with a little lightning of its own.

Senior quarterback Dorrell Knight connected with Teon Stallworth on a 62-yard bomb over the outstretched hand of the Tiger safety. The conversion pass failed and Buchtel led 19-10 at 6:36 of the second quarter.It went from bad to worse for Massillon as the Tigers fumbled a handoff on first down on its very next possession. Buchtel’s Kristopher King picked up the loose ball and went 36 yards for a touchdown. Once again the Griffins’ conversion pass fell incomplete but the visitors had built a a 25-10 lead.The Tigers had two more possessions before the game’s second and final lightning delay but could not generate a first down.

GAME STATS

Kurt Jarvis
Massillon vs. McK - Throwback (Large) History

2003: Massillon 8, Canton McKinley 40

Bulldogs bottle up Tigers at Fawcett
Brinson’s four touchdowns key McKinley’s 40-8 victory

By JOE SHAHEEN
Joe, Shaheen@ I ndeOnline.com

You had the feeling the Massillon Tigers were in for a long day when they fumbled the first offensive snap of the game, then took a safety on the very next play.

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It all pretty much went downhill from there as Massillon absorbed a 40‑8 thumping at the hands of their arch rivals the McKinley Bulldogs in the 111th meeting between the two storied high school football programs on Saturday at Fawcett Stadium in Canton.

The loss marked the first time in the history of Massillon Tiger football the team has dropped five games in a row.

“Well, you know, that would have been a touchdown pass,” Shepas said of the game’s opening play from scrimmage which backed the Tigers to the 1-yard line. “Then we missed another touchdown pass. And we missed a couple of other open receivers. Then we had some interceptions, but that’s the way it goes.

“One way or the other it’s about making plays. They made more than we did today.”

in a tearful post‑game huddle, Shepas apologized to his players, saying he and the coaching staff may not have done as good a job of preparing them for McKinley as they could have.

“I thought our kids fought hard all season,” Shepas said. “We dealt with some different types of adversity and a lot of injuries.

“I’d like to apologize to the Tiger fans. We did not give them a good showing today and I feel responsible for that. One way or the other, I’m the leader of this program. Massillon is a great community. Our community came out and supported us in that parade. It was fantastic. It was just a disappointing day.”

McKinley’s 2‑0 lead held up through the first quarter. But even at that point, McKinley running back Ryan Brinson felt the game belonged to the Bulldogs.

“That first drive, when we got that safety, I knew it was over,” Brinson said. “When we got that safety, I knew we had their hearts.

“We were ready to play. They were scared. They had that sophomore quarterback and he wasn’t ready for this type of game. So we took it to them.”

Massillon penetrated to the Bulldog 22 late in the opening period but gave the ball up on downs following a delay of game penalty.

The Bulldogs began their first scoring drive at midfield after a 15‑yard punt return by Christian Smith. The Pups ran the ball effectively on their first three plays of the march, then junior quarterback Mike Shaffer used play action to freeze the Tiger linebackers and hit tight end Alex Rehfus for 20 yards to the Massillon 14.

On third down, the Tigers dropped a potential interception on a screen pass, and on fourth down Shaffer found Antwon Hight for 16 yards for a first down at the Tiger 2.

Brinson went over left guard and tackle for six on the next play. Zach Campbell tacked on the extra point and McKinley led 9‑0 at 7:11 of the second quarter.

Brinson picked off the Tigers near midfield on Massillon’s ensuing possession, then opened the game up by bursting up the middle for a 49‑yard touchdown at 5:19 of the second quarter. Campbell’s kick made it 16‑0 McKinley.

The Tigers’ second interception of the day ‑ they had four picked off ‑ set up McKinley’s final tally of the first half, a 22‑yard Campbell field goal that made it 19‑0.

“I didn’t think at any one point that we felt that we were going to be out of this football game,” Shepas said. “Even down 19 points I didn’t think so.”

But the Tigers never did get untracked offensively, finishing with 214 total yards, much of it coming after the game was decided. Massillon quarterbacks completed just 10 of 30 aerials for 130 yards.

“The plan that I had was to mix both Steve (Hymes) and Quentin (Paulik) into the game plan,” Shepas said of his quarterbacks. “It just didn’t work out. The idea was to mix up the shotgun run with the pass.”

They were confused on offense,” observed McKinley coach Brian Cross.

“Our defensive coaches did a great job with the game plan. Massillon just couldn’t get into a rhythm. Once they fell behind, we knew they had to throw the ball just about every down.”

Shepas admitted his charges didn’t seem to be at the top of their game mentally.

“I think we could have been more focused,” he said. “But it’s a great lesson.

“Hey, we’ve been on top in most. Sometimes you have to go through this to respect it and work hard to get back on top. We’ve been there before. This team has a lot of young guys. This football team is going to be good down the road.”

McKinley finished with a little more than 300 yards of total offense, but were presented with the short field on several occasions as Massillon’s spate of turnovers continued for the fourth straight week.

Brinson finished with 155 yards in 13 carries, including a 43‑yard touchdown scamper around the right side of the McKinley line. On that play, the 5‑10, 168‑pound junior was virtually untouched and he sprinted down the right boundary.

“I was running and Billy (Relford) was looking inside and I ran right by him so I just kept going,” Brinson said. “It was an excellent call by Coach Cross. I just ran as hard as I could.”

Massillon avoided the shutout on a 16‑yard Paulik‑to-Relford pass play, set up by three fine runs by sophomore Lanale Robinson late in the fourth quarter.

“We’ll be back,” Shepas said. “We’ll be back. We have a lot of young kids who have played.

“We’ll get rid of the distractions that have plagued us and get ready for the future.”

Asked if the brutal schedule his Tigers played this season may have sapped the team, Shepas refused to use that as an excuse.

“You’ve got to deal with it,” he said. “Bottom line, we played a playoff schedule. Our guys are not going to the playoffs. We’ve got to rise above it and that will be taking the next step. It’s all part of the journey.”

McKinley 40
Massillon 8

GAME STATS

Massillon 0 0 0 8 8
McKinley 2 17 21 0 40

SCORING
McK ‑ Safety McK ‑ Ryan Brinson 2 run (Campbell kick)
McK ‑ Brinson 49 run (Campbell kick)
McK ‑ Campbell 22 FG
McK ‑ Brinson 21 run (Campbell kick)
McK ‑ Goodright 1 run (Campbell kick)
McK ‑ Brinson 43 run (Campbell kick)
M ‑ Billy Relford 16 pass from Quentin Paulik (Kurt Jarvis pass from Relford)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Massillon rushing: Lanale Robinson 4‑35, Ramon Kelly 3‑21, Tuffy Woods 12‑20
McKinley rushing: Ryan Brinson 13‑147, 4 TDs, Theo Goodright 13‑64, 1 TD

Massillon passing: Quentin Paulik 8­-21‑108, 1 TD, 1 INT, Steve Hymes 2‑9‑22, 3 INT
McKinley passing: Mike Shaffer 3‑9‑55

Massillon receiving: Eric Copeland 3­-54, Wayne Gates 2‑26, Billy Relford 2‑23
McKinley receiving: Alex Rehfus 1‑20, Tyrone Gillespie 1‑20

Brock Hymes

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

2003: Massillon 15, Warren Harding 31

Shepas still sees progress and promise in Massillon Tigers’ ferocity in defeat to Warren Harding has coach proud, excited

By JOE SHAHEEN
Joe.Shaheen @ IndeOnline.Com

You don’t want to be in the midst of a four-game losing streak as you prepare to play your biggest rival, but that’s the scenario facing the Massillon Tigers this week with five days until they face off with Canton McKinley for the 111th time this Saturday at Fawcett Stadium in Canton.

Program Cover

The scoreboard at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium on Saturday night past displayed the bottom line: Warren Harding 31, Massillon 15.

What it didn’t reflect was how hard the Tigers battled against the No. 3 team in the nation, sending the Raiders back to Warren with injuries to quarterback Alex Engram (Left shoulder), running back Delbert Ferguson (broken right leg), running back Richard David (ankle) and starting split end Peter Sparks.

The Tigers, meanwhile, come into McKinley Week with more to play for than pride and a win over their longtime rivals.

“Believe it or not there is still an outside shot to make the playoff,” Tiger head coach Rick Shepas revealed. “Believe it or not, there is (a chance to get in.) Mathematically some things have to happen but they happened for us last year and we made a run.”

The Tigers are also much more confident about their quarterback position than a week ago. Sophomore Quentin Paulik connected on 23 of 42 passes for 310 yards and two touchdowns against one of Ohio’s elite high school football teams.

“Quentin Paulik showed a lot of poise in the pocket,” observed Shepas. “Early on he had a couple of balls get tipped but I think he will learn from it. He’s one week better from last week.

“I thought it was a nice changeup with what we did with Steve Hymes, not to knock him up too much, get him an extra week of rest but still have him on the field.”

Warren Harding head coach Thom McDaniels, a high school and college quarterback himself who takes a great deal of pride in coaching that position, thinks the Tigers may have another rgood one in Paulik.

“We’re going to try to pressure a guy like Paulik who is inexperienced to find out whether or not he can handle that kind of pressure,” McDaniels said. “He more than met the test because he did some good things, his receivers did some good things, and they generated some offense. We just were able to get some turnovers.”

Ah, yes. The turnovers. Massillon gave up six, including five interceptions, continuing a troubling trend that began with St. Edward and continued with Dayton Chaminade-Julienne and was evident against Warren Harding. In that three-game span, the Tigers have turned the ball over 20 times.

Shepas pointed out not all of the turnovers against Warren are on his quarterback.

“We’ve got to catch the ball too,” he said. “some of the turnovers we had were from tipped passes. I thought (Paulik) came out and played well.”

“We started getting back into our style of offense a little bit with Quentin. You see, you need to throw the ball to keep people off balance.”

That’s exactly what the Tigers did on their first possession of the night against Warren. Trailing 7-0 following a nine play, 72-yard opening march by the Raiders, Massillon went back to the ‘pass first, ask questions later’ attack that has been so successful during the Shepas era.

On the Tigers first play from scrimmage beginning at their own 20, Paulik meshed with junior tight end Wayne Gates on short slant over the middle that became a 45-yard gain. Then the sophomore found Ryan Schindler for eight yards, and one play later hit Gates in full stride for an 18-yard touchdown.

Zach Smith’s extra point made it a 7-7 game with 6:16 to play in the first quarter.

“We had them reeling a little bit,“ Shepas said. “We put together one of our best drives of the season early on in the game. It made it exciting for awhile. We’re going to be better from this schedule.”

Warren retaliated with a 35-yard field goal to make it 10-7.

But what sent Massillon sliding down that slippery slope was an interception just three plays into its ensuing possession, giving Warren the ball at the Tiger 46.

Three plays later, Engram hit Sparks on a 10-yard slant and the senior wideout turned on the jets for a 36-yard touchdown. The PAT made it a 17-7 game with most of the second quarter still to be played.

The Massillon defense forced Warren to punt on its next two possession but a Tiger fumble inside their own 20-yard line at the outset of the second half gave Engram and Sparks an opportunity to reprise their touchdown connection and the Raiders were up 24-7.

Warren’s next four possessions ended with a punt, a blocked field goal, and two Engram fumbles as the Tiger defense scrapped and clawed.

“I’m really proud of the way our kids played,” Shepas said. “I’m proud of the way they practiced after the three losses we had coming into this game and playing the No.2 team in the state and No 3 in the country. Plenty of teams could have turned tail and run from that but I don’t think our kids did.”

“We tried to utilize our guys to the best of their ability. I’m excited about it. I’ve always been excited about our kids. I’m happy with the way we played. We’re playing this schedule for a reason and it’s going to pay off for us.”

An Engram to Jonte Stroud touchdown pass made it 31-7 Warren with six minutes to play.

Massillon answered with a 40-yard Paulik to Billy Relford scoring aerial and Relford’s two-point conversion run to cut the Tigers deficit to two touchdowns and two two-point conversations. The ensuing onside kick, though was recovered by Warren, sealing Massillon’s fate.

Warren Harding 31
Massillon 15

GAME STATS

Warren Harding 10 7 7 7 31
Massillon 7 0 0 8 15

SCORING
W – David 1 run (Spain kick)
M – Wayne Gates 18 pass from Quentin Paulik (Zach Smith kick)
W – Spain 35 FG
W – Sparks 36 pass from Engram (Spain kick)
W – Sparks 7 pass from Engram (Spain kick)
W – Stroud 30 pass from Engram (Spain kick)
M – Billy Relford 40 pass from Quentin Paulik (Relford run)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Massillon rushing: Tuffy Woods 6-22.
Warren Harding rushing: Engram 10-89

Massillon passing: Paulik 23-42-310, 2 TD, 5 INT.
Warren Harding passing: Engram 8-12-107, 3 TD.

Massillon receiving: Wayne Gates 7-122, TD; Billy Relford 2-72, TD.
Warren Harding receiving: Sparks 3-50, 2 TD.

Brock Hymes

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

2003: Massillon 24, Dayton Chaminade-Julienne 45

Role reversal
C-J’s Ringer devastates Tiger defense

By JOE SHAHEEN
Joe.Shaheen @ IndeOnline.Com

The shoe was on the other foot and the Massillon Tigers didn’t much like the fit.

A veteran Dayton Chaminade‑Julienne team coming off a state title and ranked No. 7 among Ohio’s, Division III football teams, came into Paul Brown Tiger Stadium and put a 45‑24 thumping on the Tigers in front of 7,748 on an idyllic autumn Friday evening.

Program Cover

Two years ago, it was a sophomore‑laden C‑J squad that came to Massillon and left on the short end of a 48‑27 score to a Tiger team featuring Justin Zwick and Shawn Crable.

On Friday, C‑J had the Division I prospects in running back Javon Ringer ‑ who rushed for 259 yards and three touchdowns ‑ and quarterback Anthony Turner, who completed 8 of 8 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown.

Chaminade‑Julienne coach Jim Place admitted he had mixed emotions as he looked up at the scoreboard and saw his team’s margin of victory, which was the same 21 points that his team lost by in 2001.

“It’s a great win for me and my kids but at the same time I’m looking around and where was No. 33?” Place said. “Where was No. 16? Where was this guy? Where was that guy? Where was No. 5?

“It’s a wonderful feeling. I’m thrilled but it’s tempered with feeling for the other guy. No one from Massillon wants our pity. But I have some empathy for the other side. Massillon is just a young team that is beat up.”

Tiger coach Rick Shepas emerged from an emotional post‑game address to his team and put the 21‑point setback in perspective.

“Jim Place came up here two years ago to get a young team ready to play for a state championship down the road,” Shepas recalled. “They were a sophomore group and the situation was reversed. Now they’re seniors and a talented group of guys.

“Ringer, what can you say? I love Turner and No. 1 the wideout (Ryan Patrick), he’s special.”

Shepas explained the Tigers are trying to prepare their youngsters the same way Place did in 2001.

“We’re in the same situation this year,” Shepas said. “We’re playing a lot of young people. We’re playing the same kind of schedule. We want to play people so that hopefully things will work out the same way. We don’t want to lower the bar just so we can win football games, so we’ve raised the bar and we’re finding out how we respond and that’s the way it goes.”

C‑J jumped out to an early 14‑point lead on Patrick’s 82‑yard punt return at 7:10 of the first quarter and a 47‑yard Turner‑to‑Patrick pass play that began as a 10‑yard slant and ended up in the end zone.

But the Tigers clawed their way back in the game. Tuffy Woods capped off a five‑play, 59‑yard march with a one‑yard touchdown plunge at 11:11 of the second quarter. It was set up by a 25‑yard sweep by Lanale Robinson and a grinding 21‑yard run by Woods.

Billy Relford ran under the ensuing pooch kickoff and the Tigers regained possession at the 31. After a 12‑yard run by Woods, the drive stalled and Zach Smith drilled a 28‑yard field goal to pull Massillon back to within four points at 14-10.
Relford came up with another huge play on C-J’s next possession, stripping Patrick after a pass completion and falling on the pigskin to give the Tigers the ball at the visitors’ 43.

Again Woods ran effectively gaining 12 yards on first down. Three snaps later, though, on third‑and‑seven, the Tigers fumbled the ball back to the Eagles, who took just four plays to cover the 67 yards to the end zone.

“That’s something that happened to us when we first came here.” Shepas said of the key turnover. “Our resilience after a turnover. We survive one, we survive another. But when stupid things start to happen like the miscues with the bad snaps and stuff like that, those are things our guy have to learn from and get better from.”

C‑J’s lead was 21‑10 at 4:33 of the first half. The Eagles then forced Massillon into a three‑and‑out series, and followed with a seven‑play, 80‑yard scoring march capped by Ringer’s never‑say‑die 24‑yard touchdown run that made it 28‑10 at halftime.

“The one time (Ringer) ran for a touchdown, we missed six tackles,” Shepas said. “There were times when we didn’t line up correctly. We had them in some third‑and‑long situations. Our guys have to line up. That’s the bottom line.”

Massillon finished with six fumbles, losing five. That comes on the heels of a nine turnover game a week ago against St. Edward.

In his first varsity start after being idled for more than a month with a broken wrist, sophomore quarterback Quentin Paulik struggled but passed for 119 yards and a touchdown without being intercepted.

“Here he comes in his first start after those injuries and he has to play against the fastest team we will face all year,” Shepas pointed out. “That’s a tough thing to do.”

Massillon falls to 4‑4 and will host No. 2 ranked Warren Harding next Saturday.

Chaminade‑Julienne improves to 7‑1, locks up a playoff berth, and now has two games to secure home field advantage. But the way the Eagles played on the road Friday, being at home may not matter much.

Dayton C‑J 45
Massillon 24

GAME STATS

Dayton C‑J 14 14 14 3 45
Massillon 0 10 0 14 24

SCORING
CJ ‑ Ryan Patrick 82 punt return (kick failed)
CJ ‑ Ryan Patrick 47 pass from Anthony Turner (Patrick run)
M ‑ Tuffy Woods 1 run (Smith kick)
M ‑ Smith 28 FG
CJ ‑ Javon Ringer 25 run (Grant kick)
CJ ‑ Javon Ringer 24 run (Grant kick)
CJ ‑ Javon Ringer 86 run (Grant kick)
CJ ‑ Turner 5 run (Grant kick)
CJ ‑ Grant 24 FG
M ‑ Billy Relford 57 pass from Quentin Paulik (Smith kick)
M ‑ Hendricks 35 pass from Weisand (Smith kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Massillon rushing: Woods 13‑72, 1 TD
Chaminade‑Julienne rushing: Ringer 24‑261, 3 TDs, Turner 11‑47, 1 TD

Massillon passing: Paulik 7‑22‑119, 1 TD
Chaminade‑Julienne passing: Turner 8‑8‑172, 1 TD

Massillon receiving: Relford 3‑72, 1 TD
Chaminade‑Julienne receiving: Patrick 5‑109, 1 TD

Brock Hymes

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

2003: Massillon 6, Lakewood St. Edward 27

Melt Down
Too many turnovers, too little offense

By Joe Shaheen
Joe.Shaheen@IndeOnline.Com

The Massillon Tigers turned the ball over nine times and the offense failed to dent the end zone in a 27-6 defeat at the hands of No.10-ranked Lakewood St. Edward in front of 8,306 fans at rainy Paul Brown Tiger Stadium Friday night.

Program Cover

Massillon trailed 10-6 at halftime and was down just 13-6 late in the third quarter when disaster struck. The tigers muffled a punt to give St. Edward possession at the Massillon 20. On the first snap, the Eagles scored when Ryan Adkins came free on a counter play and waltzed into the
end zone to make it 19-6.

Things went downhill from there for the Tigers, who fall to 4-3 with a visit on tap next week by defending Division II state champion Dayton Chaminade-Julienne.

“We play good defense in the third quarter and then we give ourselves a chance in the fourth quarter and we muffed the punt,” said tiger coach Rick Shepas. “That was it right there. We’re at 13-6 and we fumble the punt and then its over. That’ the bottom line.”

Actually, Massillon had a chance to draw first blood in the third quarter when its kickoff landed at the St. Edward 30, backed up and hit a Tiger coverage team member before it was finally covered by the Eagles.

“I really thought at halftime that they had outplayed us in the first half and we go in down just 10-6,” Shepas said. “That’s a situation that’s pretty good. Then we come out, kick the ball against the wind and we have a chance to recover the ball and we don’t.”

It was one of several missed opportunities for the Tigers. Another came in the first half when- after a shanked St. Edward punt – Massillon took over on the visitors’ 29-yard line. The tigers moved the ball inside the one-yard line and had two cracks from there but failed to reach pay dirt.

“That was very critical,” Shepas concurred. “We’ve got the ball on the six-inch line. We have two attempts from six inches and we don’t get in. I think that pretty much sums up the evening from the offensive standpoint. I mean, we really didn’t get an offensive touchdown.”
Was it a hangover from last Saturday’s drubbing by St. Ignatius? Shepas didn’t think so.

“I felt like the guys came out ready to play,” he said. “Our defense did an outstanding job, no question.”

Then Shepas got to the crux of the Tigers problems, and offensive line that has had different personnel in different positions in each game this year.

“We continue to juggle offensive linemen and you get some injuries here or there but it’s the juggling of the offensive line that’s giving us a lack of consistency,” said Shepas.

“We moved the football a little bit but never consistently at all. Never consistently.”

And there were those nine turnovers, not to take anything away from St. Edward, which moves to 7-1 with St. Ignatius up next.

“I called them a feisty group,” St. Edward head coach John Gibbons said of his Eagles. “They’ve been on the road all year and sometimes a team can be fazed by that. But these guys just go out and play football from the moment they get off the bus. That’s just the personality of this team.

St. Edward broke on top when Joe Kleinsmith, with the aid of a strong tail wind, drilled a 48-yard field goal at 6:24 of the first quarter.

It was set up by a 26-yard Kyle Skoczen to Haruki Nakamura completion after Massillon utilized the quick kick on third-and-15 from the Tiger 30.

Paris McCall then gave Massillon the short field when he fell in a fumbled center snap at the St. Edward 33. Five plays later, a 36-yard field goal attempt was blocked by St. Edward and returned for an apparent Eagle touchdown. However, a late flag for blocking in the back too the points off the scoreboard, enraging Gibbons.

St. Edward fumbled the ball away on its second play following the change of possession, only to get it right back as the Tigers fumbled on their first snap.

St. Edward took over at the Massillon 42 and the teams exchanged 15-yard penalties before Skoczen displayed his speed on a keeper play around left end. The 6-foot-3, 193 pound junior got to the corner and sprinted untouched 31 yards for the touchdown.

Kleinsmith nailed the point after and St. Edward was up 10-0 at 11:52 of the second quarter.

Taking over at their own 13 following the ensuing kickoff, Massillon embarked on its best drive on the game. With Steve Hymes mixing short passes to Billy Relford and Wayne Gates with keeper plays, the Tigers moved to the St. Edward 24, where they faced a fourth-and-two play call.

Hymes took the shotgun snap, rolled left, then attempted what appeared to be a push pass. St. Ed junior Nate Smith made a fine interception, then inexplicably ran toward and into the tiger end zone, where Relford stripped away the ball and recovered for a Massillon touchdown.

A two-point conversion run was stopped cold but the Tigers were back in the game, trailing 10-6 at 7:12 of the second quarter.

The Massillon defense responded by holding St. Edward to a three-and-out series and a wind blown shanked punt gave the Tigers the short field once again at the Eagle 29.

Three plays later, Tuffy Woods broke free on a quick hitter up the middle for 11 yards to the St. Ed 5.

The Tigers got it to the 1-yard line but failed to penetrate the end zone in two plays and the Eagles had dodged a bullet.

St. Ed scored on a 35-yard Kleinsmith field goal midway through the third period as the tiger defense continued to play inspired football in the second half.

The muffed punt followed and it all went south from there for the Tigers.

“We’re 13-6 with these guys and they’ve gone overtime against Warren and we’re right there with them until we make the mistake,” Shepas concluded.

St. Edward 27
Massillon 6

GAME STATS

St Edward 3 7 9 8 27
Massillon 0 6 0 0 6

Brock Hymes