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Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

2006: Massillon 65, Cincinnati Western Hills 6

One win and Tigers are in

Only thing standing between Massillon and postseason is nemesis McKinley

By CHRIS EASTERLING
Chris.Easterling@IndeOnline.com

Normally, conversation about the McKinley Bulldogs must wait until the Massillon Tigers have finished off their Week Nine opponent.

So, exactly when did the McKinley talk begin for the Tigers on Saturday night?

Program Cover

“Pretty much after I came out of the game after halftime,” said senior linebacker Antonio Scassa after Massillon dispatched of overmatched Cincinnati Western Hills 65‑6 in front of 6,641 at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium on Saturday. “Everybody was talking about getting the Bulldogs.”

If the Tigers can get the Bulldogs ‑ who are 9‑0 for the second straight year ‑ this Saturday afternoon at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, they can punch their ticket into the Division I playoffs for the second year in a row. Massillon, which improved to 5‑4 with the win over the Mustangs, is expected to jump back into the top eight in Region 2 when the computer rankings are released Tuesday.

A win over McKinley could not just secure the playoff spot, but just might be enough to catapult the Tigers all the way into the top four in the region. According to a popular web site which projects the rankings, Massillon was ranked No. 6 in the region as of Sunday morning.

“We have to have the best week of practice we’ve had all season,”

Tiger coach Tom Stacy said. “We’re playing obviously a great opponent, an undefeated team. We probably have to win to get into the playoffs. It’s on the line for us. This will be the first week of the playoffs for us. It’s started.

“We can accomplish every goal we set out for, except an undefeated season. All of our other goals which we have up on our board in the locker room are attainable. Our kids know that. It’s obviously going to take a great effort against a great team a week from (Saturday) to get a win.”

The Tigers didn’t need a great effort to dispatch of Western Hills last Saturday. Still, Massillon was more than efficient in dissecting the Mustangs, who fell to 3‑6.

Ten of the Tigers’ 17 first‑quarter plays either picked up first downs or touchdowns as Massillon opened up a 21‑0 lead after one quarter. Two came on Bobby Huth touchdown passes ‑ one to Brendon Baker and the other to Tommy Leonard ‑ while K.J. Herring also ran for a score.

Huth added two more touchdown passes, to Baker and Giorgio Jackson, to push Massillon’s lead to 35-0 at halftime. Huth finished 14‑of‑18 for 169 yards and four touchdowns.

“We just came in thinking we can’t lose any more,” said Jackson, who caught three passes for 51 yards, including a touchdown. “We just consider every game like it’s the state championship game. Every game is like the last game we’re playing. We just have to keep on doing that.”

By the midpoint of the third quarter, the Tigers were liberally substituting on both sides of the football. The only question was whether or not Massillon would get the shutout, which was broken up by a 68‑yard David Shavers run on the option with 6:08 left in the third, a score which cut the Tiger lead to 38‑6.

All of this was accomplished without the services of All‑Ohioan Brian Gamble, who sat out the game with an ankle injury. Stacy said Gamble could have played if needed, but will definitely return for McKinley.

“If he had to play, we could have played him,” Stacy said of Gamble.

In Gamble’s absence, Herring and J.T. Turner split the tailback duties, and did so with solid results, finishing with 146 yards on 19 carries, and a pair of second‑half touchdowns, while Herring ran for 84 on 11 carries with a score.

When it was over, Massillon had scored on nine of its 12 possessions in the game. The Tigers also came up with a defensive score when Jeff Combs returned an interception 85 yards for a touchdown with 5:55 left to make it 58‑6.

Combs finished with a pair of interceptions, which was half of the Tigers’ total as a team on the night. Corey Hildreth and Cody Colly also had picks.

About the only thing which really had Stacy upset afterward was two Tiger fumbles in the first half, which raises the team’s turnover total to 21 on the season. Both came on Western Hills’ side of the 50 and spoiled potential scoring chances.

“We can not turn the ball over next week or we will not win,” Stacy said. “We have no chance if we do that. Other than that, I thought our kids played well out there. We did some good things.”

GAME STATS

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

2006: Massillon 16, Warren Harding 21

Do or die time for Tigers

Massillon’s loss to Warren puts team in must‑win mode

By CHRIS EASTERLING
Chris.Easterling@lndeOnline.com

The math is pretty simple for the Massillon Tigers. If they have hopes of playing in the postseason for the second straight year, the Tigers have to put back‑to‑back wins together in their final two games.

No other options remain for Massillon, not after it suffered its fourth loss in the last five games, this one a 21‑16 setback to Warren Harding on Saturday night in front of about 10,000 at Mollenkopf Stadium.

The loss drops the Tigers back to the .500 mark at 4-4, with only Cincinnati Western Hills this Saturday and the Oct. 28 showdown with McKinley left on the 2006 regular‑season schedule. Not that Tiger coach Tom Stacy is looking any farther than this Saturday’s home game with Western Hills.

“We’ve got to win our last two games,” Stacy said outside a quiet Tiger locker room Saturday. “But our kids want to win every game. When you’re at Massillon, you strive to win every game.

“We didn’t go into this week (leading up to the Harding game) thinking we needed to win two out of three, or one out of three to make the playoffs or whatever. We don’t even talk about that. We’re out there to win every game. Unfortunately we didn’t get it done.”

Those looking for the Tigers’ season in a nutshell needed to look no farther than Saturday’s game. Especially on offense, where Massillon racked up 258 yards, but had three turnovers, two of which the Raiders returned for back‑breaking touchdowns.

The opportunity was there for the Tigers, despite falling down 21‑10 at halftime, to win the game. Massillon, which cut it to 21‑16 on a Trey Miller fourth‑quarter touchdown catch, had the ball on the Raider 24 with just over 3:00 remaining.

But a fourth‑down pass to the end zone sailed out of the reach of the intended receiver’s outstretched arms, sealing the Tigers’ fate.

“We’re making too many turnovers, obviously,” Stacy said. “We’re not making a key play and a key point in the game when we need it. That’s what’s hurting us right now. We went through all those turnovers in the first half; all that horsecrap, and still we have an opportunity to win the football game. We’re just not making the play at the end of the game to win the game.”

As valiant as the Tigers’ comeback try was, it wasn’t enough to erase the damage inflicted by the turnovers. More specifically, the two turnovers which Harding returned for scores.

The first, a 49‑yard interception return by Harding’s Sidney Glover, gave the Raiders the lead for good at 14‑10 with 6:08 left until halftime. The second, a 65‑yard fumble return by Lazarus McCrae, capped Harding’s 21‑point second quarter and gave the Raiders a 21‑10 edge with 3:37 remaining until the band show.

“I think it pretty much can be summed up by no turnovers for the Raiders and some turnovers for the Tigers,” said Harding coach Thom McDaniels, whose team is now 6‑2. “I’m certain that’s the difference in the ball game.”

Those turnovers and the Tigers’ inability to get that big play to turn the momentum have marred their four losses. Against Harding, Massillon had more yards’ more first downs and a better third‑down conversion percentage than the Raiders. The Tigers reached at least the Harding 38 on seven different occasions, only to get 16 points out of it.

“It’s not any one thing,” Stacy said. “We’ll make some plays and get a couple of key first downs, and then somebody will break down, and then another part of our game breaks down. We just take turns. That’s what’s frustrating about it. … We just have to make more plays on offense. That’s all there is to it.”

Adding to the frustration was the defensive effort which the Tigers turned in was good enough to win the game. Harding only mustered 126 yards of offense and just eight first downs for the game.

Massillon knew coming in the threat posed by Harding’s Ohio State‑bound tailback Danny Herron, and adjusted their defensive look accordingly. The Tigers rolled outside linebacker Dorie Irvin up to the line of scrimmage to provide a fourman front to aid in stopping Herron.

It worked, as Herron was held to just 75 yards on 30 carries, In fact, the 5‑foot‑11, 193‑pound senior’s longest run of the night was a 9‑yard scamper in the third quarter.

“We gave them a different defense, a little bit different look than what they have seen,” Stacy said. “Like I said, our defensive coaches just did an outstanding job of game‑planning. I thought our kids defensively just played great.

“It’s a great defensive effort. Herron has to be one of the top running backs in the state, a great back. Their offensive line does a great job. I thought our kids just did a great job on defense.”

Warren Harding 21

Massillon 16

Massillon 7 3 0 6 16

Warren Harding 0 21 0 0 21

SCORING SUMMARY

M ‑ Brian Gamble 2 pass from Bobby Huth (Steve Schott kick)

M ‑ Steve Schott 24 field goal

WH ‑ Dan Herron 3 run (James Teagarden kick)

WH ‑ Sidney Glover 49 interception return (Teagarden kick)

WH ‑ Lazarus McCrae 65 fumble return (Teagarden kick)

M ‑ Trey Miller 27 pass from Huth (run failed)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Massillon rushing: K.J. Herring 4‑73; Gamble 17‑50; Tommy Leonard 4‑14; J.T. Turner 4‑9.

Warren Harding rushing: Herron 30‑75 TD; Glover 6‑41.

Massillon passing: Huth 13‑20‑152 2 TDs, INT, Gamble 0‑1‑0

Warren Harding passing: Matt Straniak 4‑8‑21

Massillon receiving: Gamble 3‑62 TD; Miller 3‑50 TD; Giorgio Jackson 3‑20; Bryan Sheegog 2‑12; Leonard 1‑6; Andrew Dailey 1‑2.

Warren Harding receiving: Chris Rucker 2‑11; Trevis Owens 1‑8; Glover 1‑2.

GAME STATS

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

2006: Massillon 27, Akron Buchtel 12

Tigers shake off Buchtel

Massillon overcomes four turnovers to end two‑game losing skid

By CHRIS EASTERLING
Chris.Easterling@lndeOnline.com

It was anything but an Instant Classic, but when you’re trying to fight your way into the playoffs, anything will work.

Certainly, the Massillon Tigers aren’t about to give back the 27‑12 victory they secured over the Buchtel Griffins on Friday night in front of 7,728 at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

Proram Cover

“I’ll tell you what, when you’re playing our schedule, you’ll take them anyway you can get them,” Tiger coach Tom Stacy said. “I thought our kids really played hard. Obviously, the turnovers kept it from being a lopsided game, and our inability to score in the red zone again. We have to continue to work on that. But I thought our kids played hard.”

The win snaps a two‑game-losing streak for Massillon, which is now 4‑3 heading into next Satur day’s road test at Warren Harding. It is also the Tigers’ first win against an Ohio team this season.

But it didn’t come easy, as Massillon turned the ball over four times ‑ three on fumbles. The Tigers also were just 2‑of‑5 in red‑zone scoring chances.

“It feels good, but we’re looking to next week now,” said Tiger senior Brian Gamble, who rushed for a game high 135 yards while also catching a touchdown pass and intercepting a pass. “It’s over with.”

The first half set the tone for the whole game, as both teams struggled with .turnovers ‑ the Tigers had ,.three while Buchtel turned it over once ‑ and missed chances.

Still, the Tigers were able to muster the biggest offensive play of the half when Bobby Huth hit Giorgio Jackson for 62‑yard touchdown with 3:42 left in the first quarter to put Massillon ahead 10‑6 after Steve Schott’s extra point. Jackson caught the pass at about the Buchtel 40, side‑stepped a defender or two, then outran the rest into the end zone for the score only offensive touchdown of the half.

Jackson had 135 yards on eight catches. Many of those were simple out patterns in which he was able to turn it up field and get yards after the catch.

“I love getting the ball to Giorgio,” said Huth, who threw for a season‑high 261 yards. “I can throw that five‑yard out, and he can turn it up for 20 yards. He’ll break a couple of tackles.”

The only other touchdown before the intermission gave Buchtel a 6‑0 lead just 2:17 into the game. On the first play of the Tigers’ second possession, the ball squirted free and was picked up by the Griffins’ Johnny Adams, who simply outran everybody to the end zone for the score. The extra point was missed, keeping it at 6‑0 Buchtel.

The Tigers would hold onto the football on their next drive, which consumed 4:07 off the clock and moved them from their own 33 to inside the Griffin 1. However, while Massillon was lining up to try to punch it in on fourth down, it was flagged for a false start, moving it back past the Buchtel 5. Schott was called to boot the 23‑yard field goal, which he did to cut it to 6‑3 Buchtel with 5:23 left in the first quarter.

With the Tigers up 10‑6, Massillon’s Mike Sampson would force a Buchtel fumble with less than eight minutes remaining in the half, and his teammate Steve Yoder would fall on it at the Griffin 38. The Tigers would pickup 13 yards on the drive to the Griffin 25, but stalled again. Schott padded the Massillon lead by hitting a 42‑yard field goal for a 13‑6 edge with 6:02 left until the band show.

The Tigers would get two more possessions in the half, both of them reaching Griffin territory. But both would result in turnovers, once on a fumble at the Buchtel 40 and the other an interception at the Griffin 5.

“I think it’s a matter of some of them, we were forcing the play,” Stacy said. “Instead of throwing it away and going to the next down, we’re trying to force the ball in there and trying to make something out of nothing. You can’t do that, especially in the red zone. You can’t take points off the board.”

Buchtel would reach Massillon’s 30 on its next‑to‑last possession of the half ‑ the only time in the first half it ran more than one offensive play in Tiger territory ‑ but turned the ball over on downs.

“I think our defense just played hard,” said Tiger linebacker Cody Colly. “I think that’s what it was. We just knew we had to get the job done because there was a lot on the line. We just played our hearts out and that’s what got it done.”

Things would change on Massillon’s first drive of ‑the second half , which started at the Buchtel 40 following a punt. On the fourth play, Huth hit a wide‑open Gamble down the right sidelines, and Gamble ran into the end zone for the touchdown. Schott’s PAT made it 20‑6 Tigers with 9:29 left in the third quarter.

Gamble would give the Tigers good field possession for their second drive when he came up with an interception at the Griffin 49. Four plays later, Huth hit tight end Josh Cross just inside the front right pylon for a 15‑yard touchdown and 27‑6 Tiger lead after the PAT with 7:28 left in the third.

Adams tacked on an offensive touchdown when he caught a 15‑yard scoring pass from Glen Campbell on a fourth‑and‑5 play. The score cut it to 27‑12 with 2:55 left in the third after the PAT kick failed.

Buchtel would get the ball right back at the Tiger 48 after a fumble following a reception. But the Griffins fumbled it right back five plays later at the Tiger 36, a drive which would end in a missed field goal.

“We fought hard,” said Buchtel coach Claude Brown, whose team falls to 3‑4. “We made a couple of mistakes there. We’ve got to catch the ball, we have to hold our blocks and we have to make plays.”

Massillon 27

Buchtel 12

Buchtel 6 0 6 0 12

Massillon 10 3 14 0 27

SCORING SUMMARY

B ‑ Johnny Adams 28 fumble return (Kick failed)

M ‑ Steve Schott 23 FG

M ‑ Giorgio Jackson 62 pass from Bobby Huth (Schott kick)

M ‑ Schott 42 FG

M ‑ Brian Gamble 30 pass from Huth (Schott kick)

M ‑ Josh Cross 15 pass from Huth (Schott kick)

B ‑ Adams 15 pass from Glen Campbell (Kick failed)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Massillon rushing: Gamble 27‑135; Tommy Leonard 5‑31; Andrew Dailey 1‑0.

Buchtel rushing: Kameron Alexander 12‑58; Ernest Pitts 15‑43; Norman Wolfe 1‑10; Adams 2‑6.

Massillon passing: Huth 16‑25‑261 3 TDs, INT.

Buchtel passing: Campbell 6‑21‑46 TD, INT.; Pitts 1‑1‑25.

Massillon receiving: Jackson 8‑135 TD; Cross 2‑43 TD; Gamble 2‑37 TD; Bryan Sheegog 2‑23.

Buchtel receiving: Adams 2‑25; Ronald Peake 2‑12; Pitts 2‑9; Ken Henderson 1‑25.

GAME STATS

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

2006: Massillon 16, Cleveland St. Ignatius 30

Ignatius extends Tiger skid

By CHRIS EASTERLING
Chris.Easterling@IndeOnline.com

Thanks to the one-man show that was St. Ignatius senior Matthew Merletti, the Massillon Tigers find themselves at a crossroads in their season. One way leads back to the playoffs, the other to an end of the road after the week 10 game with McKinley.

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“We need to probably win out, or come close, to make the playoffs,” Tiger coach Tom Stacy said after his team fell to 3-3 following a 30-16 loss to St. Ignatius on Friday night in front of 12,458 at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. “Any time you lose a couple of games in a row, you worry about people jumping ship on you. We told our guys, we can’t have any of that happen and win out. We have to have everybody with us – coaches, players, everybody from the third-stringer to the first-stringer. They’re going to have to rally around.”

Merletti single-handedly put the 6-0 Wildcats on his back on this evening, rushing for a game-high 221 yards on 31 carries, while adding a back-breaking 79-yard interception return for a score in the fourth quarter. He finished with 398 yards total between his rushing, receiving and return yards.

“Tony Gonzalez had a pretty big game here a few years ago,” said St. Ignatius coach Chuck Kyle, whose team is now 6-0. “It was one of those types of things. Tom and I even talked about Matt before the game. He said, ‘That 22 (Merletti) is just a tremendous player.’ And I said, ‘We need him to be.'”

Afterwards, the senior talked about how he and his Wildcat teammates were inspired all week by memories of Massillon’s 29-26 win over Ignatius a year ago. That broke an 0-8 skid against Ignatius by the Tigers.

“We definitely thought about that, no question about it,” Merletti said. “That was a big motivator.”

Now Massillon needs a similar kind of motivation as it heads into the final four games of the season. It starts next Friday night when Buchtel visits Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

“We have to coach better and we have to play better,” Stacy said. “If you want to win games, that’s what you have to do.

“It’s going to be our job to pull them together. That’s why you coach. I’m really confident will bounce back next week. I really am.”

The Tigers went back to good, old-fashioned smash-mouth football on their second series of the game, one which ended with Steve Schott kicking a 33-yard field goal to give Massillon a 3-0 lead with 4:32 left in the first quarter. The drive took 15 plays, with 10 of those being running plays, including a 3-yard run by Brian Gamble on fourth-and-1 from the Ignatius 23 to keep it alive.

But the Wildcats answered, thanks in a large part by a 56-yard run by Merletti, who was untouched until Gamble tackled him at the Tiger 6. Two plays later, Merletti gave Ignatius the lead with a 3-yard run with 3:00 left in the quarter, making it 7-3 Wildcats after Nick Yako’s PAT kick.

Gamble again needed to save the Tiger defense on Ignatius’ next possession – but only momentarily. Merletti ripped off a 61-yard run through a gaping hole up the middle to the Massillon 12, where Gamble finally brought him down.

Once again, it took Ignatius two more plays after Merletti’s big run to find the end zone, this time on a 2-yard run by Merletti. Yako’s PAT made it 14-3 Ignatius just 38 seconds into the second quarter.

Massillon’s offense mixed it up on its subsequent possession, balancing a Gamble run with big pass plays in the flats to Trey Miller, Andrew Dailey and Bryan Sheegog to move to the Ignatius 6. However, a big sack on third-and-5 pushed the ball back to the Wildcat 15, and Schott was called on to hit a 32-yard field goal to cut it to 14-6 with 6:04 left in the half.

The Tigers would again move the ball on their next drive, boosted by a big 29-yard pass from Bobby Huth – who was 11-of-14 for 139 yards in the second quarter alone – to Miller to the Wildcat 31. But a fumbled pitch short-circuited the drive, which ended with an incomplete pass on fourth down from the Ignatius 26.

Massillon would get a final shot at points in the half when an Ignatius punt was downed at the 50. Two quick passes moved it to the 29, where Schott hit his third field goal of the half – a 46-yarder – to cut it to 14-9 Ignatius at halftime.

Merletti again prevented the Tiger defense from getting off the field on the Wildcats’ first drive of the second half. This time, it was a 43-yard catch-and-run on a simple swing pass that turned a third-and-7 from the Ignatius 41 into a first-and-10 at the Tiger 16.

As was the case the first two times Merletti ripped off a big play, it took the Wildcats just two more plays to find the end zone. This time, it was a 16-yard run off right end for a touchdown with 8:22 left in the third quarter to lift St. Ignatius to a 21-9 lead after the extra point.

The Tigers’ evening may have been defined by their two third-quarter possessions. The first, which reached the Ignatius 32, ended with a fumble.

But it was the second which may have left the mortal wound. After Kevin Massey returned an interception for Massillon to the Wildcat 10, the Tigers were able to move to the 3, where they faced fourth-and-goal. But the pass into the end zone was high and broken up, leaving the score at 21-9.

“I had some really bad calls in the red zone I wish I had back,” Stacy said. “I blame myself for that. I really believe that was a turning point in the game.”

Ignatius would tack on a 28-yard Yako field goal seven plays after it recovered a muffed punt on the Tiger 32 midway through the fourth quarter to make it 24-9. Merletti would then cap the night with a 79-yard interception return for a score with 5:09 remaining that made it 30-9 Wildcats after the extra point was blocked.

Huth would provide the final margin with a 2-yard run with 2:47 remaining.

GAME STATS

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

2006: Massillon 7, Mentor 19

Mentor stymies Massillon

By CHRIS EASTERLING
Chris.Easterling@IndeOnline.com

Six plays into the second half, the Massillon Tigers had grabbed control of the momentum and the lead in its game Friday night at Mentor. By the time the third quarter ended, the lead – if not the momentum – had shifted to the Cardinals.

Five plays into the fourth quarter, a Tiger fumble left little question who held the momentum. That momentum eventually carried itself over into a 19-7 Mentor win over Massillon in front of approximately 9,500 at Jerome T. Osbourne Sr. Stadium.

Program Cover

“We score a touchdown, and we think the game’s over,” said Tiger coach Tom Stacy, whose team falls to 3-2. “It’s like we stopped playing. I don’t know what the problem is. We have to look at the tape, see what the problem is and get them corrected.”

After both teams failed to mount any sort of scoring threat in the first half, the third quarter turned into a shoot-out. It started when the Tigers’ Chris Thornton recovered a pooch kick at the Mentor 35.

Six straight carries by Brian Gamble put Massillon into the end zone, the last of which covered three yards. Steve Schott’s extra point with 9:24 left in the third quarter gave the Tigers a 7-0 lead.

Gamble – who finished with 115 yards on the night – looked like he was venting some of the pent-up anger he had from the first half. He was screaming into the air as he walked off the field at halftime, part of it due to an official’s negation of an apparent Tiger touchdown.

“I thought he played well,” Stacy said of Gamble. “I can’t fault the kids’ effort. I thought we played hard. They just made more plays than we did.”

Bobby Huth appeared to hit Giorgio Jackson on a 50-yard “Hail Mary” pass on the final play of the half. However, the official behind the play came in and ruled the pass incomplete.

Television replays appeared to back up Massillon’s contention. Still, the ruling stood, and it was 0-0 at the intermission.

“They said he rolled over and didn’t have the ball,” Stacy said.

After Gamble’s touchdown, the Tigers didn’t have the ball much more in the third quarter. That’s because Mentor would chew up 79 yards on 15 plays on its subsequent possession, taking off over five minutes of clock time before Bart Tanski hit Brandon James on a 7-yard touchdown strike with 3:54 left.

The extra point kick was wide right, and Massillon kept the lead at 7-6. But not for too long.

“After nearly shutting them down in the first half … obviously they just executed better than we did,” Stacy said. “We scored, and it’s like it lit a fire under them.”

Massillon would go three-and-out on its next possession, and punt it to the Cardinals at their own 49. It would take only six plays for Mentor to march over that distance, thanks to a 30-yard quarterback keeper by Tanski to the Tiger 12.

Bill Deitman would give Mentor the lead for good, bull-rushing his way in from two yards out with 1:40 left in the quarter. The PAT pass was no good, keeping the Cardinal lead at 12-7.

“I think after that (Tiger touchdown) drive, we challenged our team on the bench,” said Mentor coach Steve Trivisonno, whose team is 4-1. “We felt we were a little soft on that series. After that, I thought we controlled the game real well.”

The Tigers would put together one final legitimate scoring threat in the game, starting after Deitman’s run. From its own 35, Massillon moved down to the Mentor 15 – with help from a big 31-yard Huth-to-Gamble strike on the final play of the third quarter.

However, the drive – and most likely the Tigers’ hopes – would end when the Cardinals’ Shane Molder popped the ball loose from the Massillon ballcarrier and Nate Wilson fell on the ball for Mentor at its own 5.

“We shot ourselves in the foot,” Tiger coach Tom Stacy said. “We killed ourselves with penalties. We put the ball on the ground. We shot ourselves in the foot. Supposedly we didn’t catch the ball in the end zone at the end of the half, I don’t know. We just didn’t make any plays. They made more plays than we did.”

The final nail would be driven in the Tiger coffin with 1:58 remaining as Tanski capped a short four-play, 19-yard scoring drive with a 3-yard run. Kevin Harper’s PAT provided the final margin.

Not that the Tigers have long to dwell on the setback.

“We better get back to work, because we’re playing a better football team next week,” Stacy said, referring to next Friday’s home game with St. Ignatius. “It doesn’t get any easier.”

Mentor 19

Massillon 7

Massillon 0 0 7 0 7

Mentor 0 0 12 7 19

SCORING SUMMARY

Mas – Brian Gamble 3 run (Steve Schott kick)

Men – Brandon James 7 pass from Bart Tanski (Kick failed)

Men – Bill Deitman 2 run (Pass failed)

Men – Tanski 3 run (Kevin Harper kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Massillon rushing: Gamble 26–115, K.J. Herring 4-29, Tom Leonard 1-1.

Mentor rushing: Deitman 19-78 TD, Tanski 19-75 TD

Massillon passing: Bobby Huth 13-30-108

Mentor passing: Tanski 11-18-102 TD

Massillon receiving: Bryan Sheegog 4-27, Andrew Dailey 3-21, Gamble 2-36.

Mentor receiving: James 4-33 TD, Mike Popelas 3-51.

GAME STATS

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

2006: Massillon 35, Hamilton (Chandler), AZ

Massillon bounces back

By CHRIS EASTERLING
Chris.Easterling@IndeOnline.com

A year ago, the Massillon Tigers often turned to their seniors to lead the way when the going got tough. That approach worked well enough to help the Tigers reach the state championship game.

Coming off of a disappointing loss to Moeller, the Tigers once again turned to their seniors to right the ship as they navigated their way through the treacherous seas created by a rugged stretch of the schedule. And those seniors – specifically, but not exclusively, Brian Gamble and Andrew Dailey – served as a rudder for the ship as Massillon returned to the even keel of victory on Saturday night, coming from behind to knock off nationally-ranked Arizona power Hamilton 35-26 in front of a boisterous Paul Brown Tiger Stadium crowd of approximately 10,500 in the final game of the Herbstreit Challenge.

Program Cover

“When you have seniors who show that kind of leadership and take charge on the field and make plays,” said Tiger coach Tom Stacy, whose team is 3-1, “and these two guys (Gamble and Dailey) just made plays all over the field, that’s a big key. We had seniors do it last year, and these guys are just taking over. That was a big win.

“We needed that win. That was a very good football team. They were better than Moeller. They were faster, they were very well coached. It’s a really good win for us.”

Gamble, who garnered game Most Valuable Player honors, did it on both sides of the ball. On offense, he rushed for 159 yards on a season-high 35 carries with a 1-yard touchdown plunge in the first quarter, as well as a 10-yard touchdown reception which pulled the Tigers to within 17-14 just before halftime. He later added a 21-yard touchdown reception midway through the fourth quarter to give Massillon a 35-20 lead.

Just as big was Gamble’s defense, most notably a key interception which set up the late second-quarter touchdown. The senior safety grabbed the overthrown pigskin and returned it to the Husky 20, and three plays later, quarterback Bobby Huth found Gamble, who found the end zone for the score with eight seconds left before halftime.

“I think the quarterback and the receiver weren’t on the same page, because it wasn’t thrown anywhere near him,” Gamble said. “It came right to me, I didn’t really have to make the play. That was real big, and then punching it in on offense helped a lot.”

What also helped the Tigers prevail was Dailey’s biggest contribution of the night late in the third quarter, when he stepped in front of a Hamilton pass and returned it 20 yards for the score. The touchdown and subsequent extra point gave Massillon a 28-20 edge with 1:25 left in the third quarter.

“I just read my keys real tightly,” Dailey said. “I just broke down. The guy was actually going to try to get outside of me, so I just turn and ran and saw the ball thrown and I just grabbed it.”

And helped the Tigers grab a stranglehold on the momentum.

“I thought two plays in the game were big,” Stacy said. “Our score (by Gamble) right before halftime was big and then Andrew’s interception. I think those were the two big keys in the game.

“These guys (Dailey and Gamble) both were instrumental in one each. Again, big-time players make big plays, and these guys are what did it for us last year, and they’re doing it for us this year.”

They needed to, because Hamilton came out ready to give Massillon all it could handle. After the Tigers – set to a 66-yard halfback pass from Gamble to Sheegog on the first play of the game – jumped on top 7-0 just under two minutes into the game, the Huskies came right back and scored on their first play as Kerry Taylor – who had 11 catches for 181 yards in the game – caught a 66-yard pass of his own for a touchdown to tie it at 7-7.

“All it was was an assignment mistake and something that can be corrected,” Gamble said of the Hamilton score. “That was all it was. We knew that if we just read our keys, it won’t happen again. They made some other big plays, but not enough.”

Hamilton would push the lead to 17-7 thanks to a pair of second-quarter scores. One was a 27-yard field goal by Brent Blaylock, and the other was an 80-yard run by Nathan Jeffery.

But Massillon, refusing to see a repeat of the loss to Moeller, kept fighting. The Tigers cut the deficit to 17-14 prior to halftime, then took the lead for good with 8:43 left in the third quarter when Sheegog hauled in a 29-yard touchdown pass from Huth.

Huth showed no effects of the helmet-to-helmet hit which knocked him out of the Moeller game. The senior completed 15-of-24 passes for 175 yards and three touchdowns.

“It was Midwest football,” said Hamilton coach Steve Belles, whose team dropped to 2-1. “It was pound it and make the throws that you had to. I thought the quarterback did an extremely good job of just hitting the quick out routes tonight. I thought that was real key. He let his receivers do some damage out there after they caught it, and we didn’t play quite tight enough in some of our coverages.”

Now, Massillon turns its attention to another rugged test, this one coming at Mentor Friday night. The Cardinals suffered their first loss of the season Saturday, falling to St. Ignatius – the Tigers’ Week Six foe – 27-14.

“I think Massillon is going to have a very good season,” Belles said. “I don’t think what you saw against Moeller is indicative of how good this team could be.”

Massillon 35

Hamilton 26

Massillon 7 7 14 7 35

Hamilton 7 10 3 6 26

SCORING SUMMARY

M – Brian Gamble 1 run (Steve Schott kick)

H – Kerry Taylor 66 pass from Brad Gruner (Brent Blaylock kick)

H – Blaylock 27 field goal

H – Nathan Jeffery 80 run (Blaylock kick)

M – Gamble 10 pass from Bobby Huth (Schott kick)

M – Bryan Sheegog 29 pass from Huth (Schott kick)

H – Blaylock 27 field goal

M – Andrew Dailey 20 interception return (Schott kick)

M – Gamble 21 pass from Huth (Schott kick)

H – J.T. Dixon 4 pass from Gruner (run failed)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Massillon rushing:

Gamble 35-159 TD; K.J. Herring 5-33; Tommy Leonard 4-12.

Hamilton rushing:

Jeffery 3-82 TD; Justin Salum 1-49; Covaughn Deboskie 4-14; Taylor 1-11; Tony Sims 5-10.

Massillon passing:

Huth 15-24-175; 3 TDs, Int; Gamble 1-1-66.

Hamilton passing:

Gruner 18-31-250 2TDs, 2 Int.

Massillon receiving:

Sheegog 5-116 TD; Gamble 4-43; Trey Miller 2-27; Brendon Baker 1-11.

Hamilton receiving:

Taylor 11-181 TD; Dixon 3-28 TD, Sims 1-30; Deboskie 1-4.

GAME STATS

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

2006: Massillon 14, Cincinnati Moeller 48

Massillon QB Huth knocked out as Moeller rolls to 48‑14 victory

By CHRIS EASTERLING

Chris.Easterling@IndeOnline.com

The Massillon Tigers hoped Saturday’s late afternoon game with Moeller inside Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati would answer some questions about themselves. Instead, the 48‑14 loss at the hands of the Crusaders simply opened up many more queries in search of answers.

“I thought we were better than that.” Tiger coach Tom Stacy said. “We didn’t get tested the first two weeks. But we’re going to have to find out where our weaknesses are, maybe make some personnel changes and go from there.”

Program Cover

It was a potentially costly game for the Tigers, as quarterback Bobby Huth was knocked out of the game on the next‑to‑last play of the third quarter on a passing play. He spent the remainder of the game in an apparent daze on the bench.

Stacy would not speculate on the nature of the injury. The Tiger coach didn’t expect a diagnosis until today at the earliest.

“I don’t know to what extent he’s hurt without the doctors looking at him first,” Stacy said.

No one questioned the fact the Tigers were going to face their first legitimate test of the season when they teed it up against Moeller. Massillon outscored its first two foes ‑ North Park (Ont.) and H.D. Woodson (D.C.) ‑ by a 127‑13 margin, but neither boasted a rugged, tough, hard‑hitting defense like the Crusaders.

But what transpired on Saturday afternoon was a splash of cold water in the face for the Tigers, who felt they had an offense which could still score points against Moeller’s 3‑3‑5 defense.

Outside of the Tigers’ second‑quarter scoring drive and a last‑ditch possession at the end of the game, Massillon snapped the ball just once on the Moeller side of midfield in accumulating just 198 yards off offense.

“We need to try to get better and do what we do‑best.” Stacy said. “Maybe there are some things we’re doing that we shouldn’t doing. Maybe we got some false information from playing two opponents in those first two games who weren’t very good’. We’ll have to regroup and look at the tape and try to get better.”

Things don’t exactly get easier for Massillon, with or without Huth. The Tigers return to the friendly confines of Paul Brown Tiger Stadium this Saturday, but the opponent is nationally ranked Arizona power Hamilton.

The Tigers will hope the return home can bring with it a better start than the one they had against Moeller. The Crusaders scored four times – three touchdowns and a field goal ‑ in a span of 5:30 late in the first quarter to jump on top 24‑0 after a Ryan Sunderland 37‑yard field goal with six seconds left in the stanza.

That fast start by the Crusaders was as much a result of Massillon miscues as it was Moeller plays. The Tigers surrendered a punt return for a score by Chedrick Cherry, an interception return for a touchdown by Dean Gaier and then set up the Crusaders’ third touchdown with a fumble at their own 21.

For the game, Moeller had more return yards ‑ punt and interception – than ‑ it had offensive yardage. The Crusaders had 245 return yards ‑ 146 of those punt return yards by Cherry – compared to 205 offensive yards.

“We’ve been working our tails off on special teams,” Moeller coach Bob Crable said. “Our special teams came through.”

A year ago, Massillon had to hold off a furious Elder rally after jumping on top 35‑7 before eventually prevailing 35‑31.

The Tigers tried to pull off one of their own, cutting the deficit to 24‑7 on a 3‑yard Brian Gamble run with 6:29 left in the second quarter.

Massillon cut it to 24‑14 when Corey Hildreth blocked a punt off the foot of the punter, and without breaking stride, grabbed the ball and raced 24 ‑ yards for a touchdown just 1:39 into the second half.

“There’s no question,” Stacy said of his faith in a comeback. “I always believe our kids and their ability to comeback. We have enough guys who played last year who believe the same things. We just didn’t execute.”

Nor did they have much of a chance to in the third quarter. Massillon ran all of eight plays in the third stanza, compared to 20 for Moeller, which led 27‑14 after three.

Any Massillon comeback attempt was negated by three Crusader scores on fourth‑quarter possessions. Two of those touchdowns were set up by turnovers by the Tigers, who gave the ball up five times on the day.

“I thought defensively we played well,” Stacy said. “We just gave them short field after short field. You have to give them credit.”

Moeller 48

Massillon 14

4

Massillon 0 7 7 0 14

Moeller 24 0 3 2 48

SCORING SUMMARY

Moe ‑ Chedrick Cherry 49 punt return (Ryan Sunderman kick)

Moe ‑ Dean Gaier 50 interception return (Sunderman kick)

Moe ‑ Cherry 11 pass from Ross Oltorik (Sunderman kick)

Moe ‑ Sunderman 37 field goal

Mas ‑ Brian Gamble 3 run. (Steve Schott kick)

Mas ‑ Corey Hildreth 21 blocked punt return (Schott kick)

Moe ‑ Sunderman 45 field goal

Moe ‑ Oltorik 9 run (Sunderman kick)

Moe – Oltorik 11 run (Sunderman kick)

Moe – Bemary 4 run (Sunderman kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Massillon rushing:

Gamble 11‑55 TD; J.T. Turner 6‑34; K.J. Herring 4‑21; Tommy Leonard 1‑7.

Moeller rushing:

Patrick Blanks 17‑54.

Massillon passing:

Huth 10‑19‑69 2 INTs; Steve Ryder 1‑3‑6

Moeller passing:

Oltorik 12‑20‑142 TD 2 INTs.

Massillon receiving:

Bryan Sheegog 4‑70; Andrew Dailey 3‑17; Giorgio Jackson 2‑8; Trey Miller 1‑8.

Moeller receiving:

Brian Albrink 3‑53; Patrick Curtin 3‑28; Cherry 2‑26 TD; Blanks 2‑2.

GAME STATS

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

2006: Massillon 59, H.D. Woodson, Washington D.C. 7

Tigers onto the main course

By CHRIS EASTERLING
Chris.Easterling@IndeOnline.com

Perception is oftentimes reality, and such is the case with the Massillon Tigers’ schedule.

The perception is, the first two games on the Tigers’ slate – the opener against North Park (Ont.) two weeks ago and last Saturday’s tilt against H.D. Woodson of Washington, D.C. – were mere warm-ups for the main event, which begins this Saturday at Cincinnati’s Paul Brown Tiger Stadium against Moeller.

Program Cover

The reality of the situation is, the final scores of those two games reinforced that perception, including last Saturday night’s 59-7 win over Woodson in front of nearly 9,000 at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

The problem is, Tiger coach Tom Stacy and his players can’t deal in perception. And Stacy – ever the perfectionist at heart – knows his team may have out-talented their first two foes, and that Massillon still has room to grow as it moves from the appetizers into the meat-and-potatoes portion of the slate.

Still, he was more than pleased with the way the Tigers performed against the Warriors.

“I think we made some improvement,” Stacy said. “I told the kids I thought we got better. Of course, (Woodson) was a better football team. … We had a good week of practice.

“We still have some things we need to shore up. Defensively, we missed some tackles and some pass defense. We made some steady improvement from our Fremont scrimmage to last week’s game to this week’s game.”

Certainly, there was more than enough for the Tigers to like on Saturday night. And one needed to look to no farther than the offense, which continues to score at an eye-popping rate.

After the Tigers’ offense scored on eight of 11 possessions against North Park, they were even more proficient against the athletic Warriors last Saturday. Massillon scored on all six first-half possessions in building up a 38-7 advantage at the intermission.

The Tiger attack would not finish a drive without putting points on the scoreboard until the fourth and final drive of the second half – at which time the score was 59-7. And even that drive reached the Woodson 1 before Massillon let the clock run out.

“They played a solid football game, everything worked for them,” said Woodson coach Greg Fuller, whose team was coming off of an upset of West Virginia Class AAA state champion Morgantown a week prior.

Once again, it was a balanced offensive attack which led the way, as the Tigers racked up 549 yards of offense, with 368 coming on the ground and 181 through the air. In the first half alone, Massillon had 317 yards offensively – 158 passing and 156 rushing.

“I’m starting to get amazed by what this offense can do,” said Tiger quarterback Bobby Huth, who completed 14 of 21 passes for 181 yards and a pair of touchdowns. “

We’re starting to rack up the yards and score some points. But we’ll see what happens against better competition.”

Brian Gamble – who had 104 rushing yards in the first half on his way to 164 yards for a game – and K.J. Herring (one rushing and one receiving) each scored a pair of first-half touchdowns, while Trey Miller broke the scoreless deadlock with 8:21 left in the first quarter with a touchdown catch. Gamble would add two more rushing touchdowns and 60 more yards on four third-quarter carries, while Herring tacked on 71 more yards onto his total of 97 along with another score of his own in the third quarter.

“We still made some mistakes, but nothing major,” Gamble said. “I think we took a big step forward.”

Steve Schott added a 35-yard field goal in the first half, which made it a 24-0 Tiger lead with 8:16 remaining until intermission. That was the only Tiger scoring drive which didn’t end with Massillon reaching the end zone.

On defense, may have been where the Tigers made the biggest improvement from Week One to Week Two. Massillon permitted a Woodson team which featured Division 1-A recruits in tailback D’Andre Johnson, wide receiver Tony Coleman and offensive lineman Carl Russell to accumulate just 158 net yards, which was just five more yards than what North Park accumulated in the first half alone.

Of those 158 yards, 66 came on Woodson’s lone scoring drive of the game, which came with less than three minutes remaining in the first half. The Warrior touchdown – a 9-yard Gabriel Prophet-to-Coleman pass – made it a 31-7 Tiger lead with 2:28 showing until the band show.

“It’s been a slow improvement, but I think we’re almost there,” Gamble said. “We had a great week of practice last week and a very physical practice, and it carried out onto the field. We tackled a lot better.”

And now it must carry over into the meat of the Tigers’ schedule.

GAME STATS

 

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

2006: Massillon 68, North Park, ON Canada 6

Tiger skill shines through

Massillon has too much of just about everything for overmatched visitors

By CHRIS EASTERLING

Chris.Easterling@lndeOnline.com

The gifts were exchanged by the two teams prior to the Massillon Tigers’ 2006 opener against North Park Collegiate out of Ontario. Once the game began, the Tigers weren’t nearly as giving, rolling to 68‑6 victory over the Trojans in front of approximately 9,000 fans at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

Program Cover

As little as the Tigers gave North Park, many gave even less credit to themselves for the lopsided rout. Massillon senior Brian Gamble shouted to no one in particular, “We got to get better,” as he walked across the field for the postgame handshake.

“It was like a morgue in here at halftime,” said Tiger coach Tom Stacy, whose coaching staff received hockey sticks from the North Park coaches during a pregame ceremony. “I told them after the game that’s good. That means your expectations are high. We have enough veteran guys who know if they’re playing well or not.”

And to think the Tigers led 35‑6 at the intermission.

“The thing is, when you look at the score, how can you complain,” Stacy asked rhetorically. “A young football team, and we knew going in that it was going to take some time to develop. I think this was a good building block for us.”

The Tigers weren’t a finished product entering the game, and head into next Saturday’s home tilt against Washington, D.C., Woodson still searching for some of those answers. Most of the questions remain on defense, which despite scoring twice on interception returns in the first half, gave up its share of yardage as well to a North Park team which suited up only 29 players for its third appearance in Tigertown.

The Trojans accumulated 153 yards in the first half alone, including a 56‑yard run by bowling ball like running back Matt Socholotiuk which set up the Trojans’ first score of the game with less than two minutes left in the first half. Socholotiuk finished with a game‑high 147 yards rushing.

“Our defense, we feel we can do better every game,” said outside linebacker Michael Porrini. “So we feel like we could have done better. We could have wrapped up a little better. It was pretty good overall.”

However, Massillon held North Park to just 64 yards in the second half.

“Are we happy with how we tackled at times? No,” Stacy said. “But it’s a start.”

The Massillon offense, meanwhile, left little question in anyone’s mind that it has a chance to live up to the high hopes expressed by Stacy.

The Tigers scored on seven of their first nine possessions, and the first time they couldn’t change the number in the scoring column was due to a field goal which just slipped wide right from 26‑yards out on their second possession. The other time was the final play of the first half.

By the time the Tigers went to their backups with 5:17 left in the third quarter, it was 49‑6 Massillon. The first‑unit offense racked up 319 yards in just over a half of football, with 194 yards of that coming through the air on Bobby Huth’s arm and another 85 yards rushing on the legs of Gamble.

“I thought it went pretty good,” said Huth, who connected on 12‑of‑18 aerials. “I thought the offensive line played pretty well. I didn’t play the way I should have played. The first play should have been a touchdown, but I underthrew it. I felt like I didn’t throw the ball very well tonight.”

The Tiger offense was explosive, but also methodical. Of the first six scoring drives, none were completed in fewer than six plays, even though they had three drives of 54 yards or less.

“I thought the second half, we had some bigger plays, and that’s what we’re kind of looking for,” Stacy said. “We had some good drives, and we didn’t rip off as many big ones in the first half as we would have liked. But you know what? Give them credit, too. Their kids were playing hard.”

Stacy said before the season he wanted to showcase Gamble and Andrew Dailey, and the Tigers did just that. Gamble put Massillon in the lead for good with 8:15 left in the first quarter when he took a handoff to the right, skirted off tackle and outran the defense to the end zone for a 12yard touchdown.

Dailey, meanwhile, hauled in a pair of touchdown passes as part of a three‑catch, 80‑yard evening. The first was a 20‑yard strike in the end zone with 7:40 left in the second quarter, which gave Massillon a 21‑0 lead.

He then added a 51‑yard catch and run on a post pattern to make it 42‑6 with 9:58 remaining in the third quarter.

K.J. Herring wrapped up the Tigers’ stretch of scoring with a pair of touchdown runs, the last a two‑yarder which gave the Tigers a 56‑6 lead with 2:00 left in the third quarter. Justin Turner and Cody Nickels added fourth-quarter touchdown runs.

“It’s a start,” Stacy said. “I’m never going to complain when you win like that.”

Massillon 68

North Park 6

North Park 0 6 0 0 0

Massillon 14 21 21 12 68

SCORING SUMMARY

M ‑ Gamble 12 run (Schott kick) 8:15,1st

M ‑ Massey 26 int. return (Schott kick) 8:03, 1st

M ‑ Dailey 20 pass from Huth (Schott kick) 7:40, 2nd

M ‑ Leonard 9 pass from Huth (Schott kick) 4:14, 2nd

M ‑ Gamble 36 int. return (Schott kick) 2:22, 2nd

NP ‑ Dandle 9 pass from Maddock (McDonell kick blocked) :15, 2nd

M ‑ Dailey 51 pass from Huth (Schott kick) 9:58, 3rd

M ‑ Herring 10 run (Schott kick) 6:33, 3rd

M ‑ Herring 2 run (Maylor kick) 2:00, 3rd

M ‑Turner 29 run (Nickels kick failed) :41, 4th

M ‑ Nickels 43 run (Nickels kick failed) 1:50, 4th

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Massillon rushing:

Gamble 12‑85, 1 TD, Herring 9‑64, 2 TDs.

North Park rushing:

Socholotiuk ing:

Massillon passing:

Huth 12‑18‑194, TDs, Ryder 3‑6‑27.

North Park passing:

Maddock 7‑15, 1 TD, 2 INTs.

Massillon receiving:

Dailey 3‑80, 2 TDs, Gamble 3‑28, Miller 3‑23.

North Park receiving:

Padmore 4‑32.

GAME STATS

History

2005: Massillon 17, Cincinnati St. Xavier 24

Tigers’ incredible season falls just one short of title

By JOE SHAHEEN

Right now, it hurts.

The pain of the Massillon Tigers 24‑17 state championship game defeat at the hands of No. 1‑ranked Cincinnati St. Xavier in front of 20,227 at Fawcett Stadium on Saturday will linger for days … maybe weeks.

But when the emotions of being so close to the big prize die down and thoughtful reason takes over, everyone will reflect on how these Tigers restored the pride, tradition and excellence to this storied football program.

“It’s tough to think about it now after a tough loss,” first‑year Tiger coach Tom Stacy said. “We’ve got a great group of kids. We have a bunch of seniors we are really going to miss. It’s a special group. We’re going to have a hard time replacing those guys.”

Massillon pushed Ohio’s top rated football team to the brink, rallying from a 24‑3 chasm to pull to within seven points. After battling back to 24‑17 on a Bobby Huth to Trey Miller touchdown pass and Andrew Dailey’s 75‑yard strip and return, the Tigers had three possessions in the final six minutes of play. One ended on an interception, the second was a three‑and‑out series and the third, which began with 1:22 remaining, was doomed by a couple of quarterback sacks by the unrelenting St. Xavier defense.

“The fact we were playing some younger guys on our offensive line in the playoffs caught up with us,” Stacy said. “We tried to buy some time with some of those younger guys and bring them around. We took Antonio James and played him just on defense. I think taking him away from our offense caught up with us a little bit tonight.”

So did the Tigers’ kickoff and punt coverage. St. Xavier returned the game’s opening kickoff to midfield, leading to a 37‑yard field goal and a quick 3‑0 lead, But the killer was a 71‑yard punt return for a touchdown by Bomber senior Brad Brookbank as time expired in the first half.

Tigers fight back, down 21

“That was big,” Stacy said. “That’s something we haven’t done all year in the kicking game. We’ve done a great job of covering kicks so it was a little bit disappointing, but give their kid credit. Brookbank made a great play.”

“(St. Xavier is) the best football team we’ve played. I don’t think they’re the most talented team we’ve played but I think they’re the overall best team as far as coaching and play.”

St. Xavier won because its defense shut down the Massillon ground game, limiting the Tigers to 46 net yards rushing, and forced two key turnovers, a third‑quarter fumble inside the Bomber 30‑yard line and a fourth‑quarter interception after the Massillon defense had forced the St. X to punt with 6:17 to play.

St. Xavier, the fourth straight Cincinnati team to garner the big‑school state title, generated 303 yards of offense. Sophomore tailback Darius Ashley had 153 yards rushing, including a 50‑yard touchdown run at 5:48 of the third quarter that made it a 24‑3 game, and senior quarterback Brad Scherer rushed for 97 yards in just 15 totes to keep the Massillon defense off balance.

“We didn’t tackle as well as we have,” Stacy said. “We’ve tackled better in previous games.

“(Ashley) runs very hard. He’s very quick. They do a good job of blocking up front. For whatever reason we didn’t tackle as well as we have in recent weeks.”

Massillon and St. Xavier exchanged punts after the Bombers took their early 3‑0 lead, with the Tigers taking over at their 24.

Massillon’s first big play of the evening was a 28‑yard Huth to Ricardo Wells aerial to the St. X 43‑yard line. The Tigers worked the ball to the 25 but the first of four Bomber sacks in the game stalled the drive.

Sophomore place kicker Steve Schott came to the rescue, drilling a season best 44‑yard field goal, to knot the game at 3‑3 on the opening snap of the second quarter.

The teams again exchanged punts with St. X getting the better of the field position at its 42‑yard line. Scherer picked up 13 yards on a quarterback draw and a reverse netted 18 more to the Tiger 27.

The Bombers dropped a pass in the end zone but were undeterred, reaching the 16‑yard line on three running plays. On first down, Scherer completed his first pass of the evening, threading the needle on a 16‑yard scoring toss to wideout Matthew McFarland in the back of the end zone. Danny Milligan added the point after for a 10‑3 St. Xavier lead at 6:56 of the second quarter.

Massillon drove from its 20 to the St. X 36 on the ensuing possession but three plays from that spot yielded zero yards and the drive died.

The Bombers would then miss a 43‑yard field goal and the Tigers, after gaining one first down, were forced to punt when St. Xavier called time out with :08 remaining in the first half.

A punt block was set up but the Tigers gave Shawn Weisend time to get the kick away. Brookbank fielded it at the St. X 29, worked his way to the left sideline and then all the way to the Massillon end zone for a 17‑3 halftime lead.

“It was not like us to give up a punt return especially in that type of a situation,” Stacy said. “But give Brad Brookbank a lot of credit. He had a great return.

“That was a big momentum swing on their part to get that. It was a big play in the game.”

Massillon took the second half kickoff and advanced from its 20 to the St. Xavier 28 on nine plays, the biggest of which was a 28‑yard Huth to Gamble pass. On that play, Huth scrambled away from intense pressure from the St. X defensive front and lofted the ball down the right sideline toward the junior tailback. Gamble soared above the Bomber coverage and snatched the ball in spectacular fashion.

Two plays later, a Tiger fumble was recovered by St. Xavier’s Joe Ries, and the Massillon scoring threat went for naught.

After an exchange of punts, Ashley broke a tackle at the line of scrimmage on a first‑down running play, and dashed 50 yards to pay dirt to give St. Xavier a 24‑3 lead at 5:48 of the third quarter.

Lanale Robinson’s 36‑yard kickoff return gave Massillon solid field position at the 41 on the Tigers next possession. Huth then connected with Trey Miler for eight yards and a first down to the St. X 46.

Two snaps later, Huth once again deftly avoiding the pass rush ‑ gunned the ball to the end zone, where Miller out‑jumped two Bombers for the ball and a 32‑yard touchdown.

Schott’s point after was good and the St. Xavier lead was down to 24‑10 at 3:49 of the third quarter.

The Bombers mounted a drive after the Tiger kickoff, converting two third-and‑longs and marching to the Massillon 19.

Just as it appeared St. Xavier was going to put the game away for good, Andrew Dailey donned his Superman outfit and made a play. Ashley tried to skirt his left end on a running play but Dailey pulled the ball away near the sideline and headed in the opposite direction. He didn’t stop until he reached the end zone and suddenly Massillon was back in business, trailing by seven points with most of the fourth quarter to be played.

“We were stuck in a hole there for a little bit, ” Dailey said. “We had to start going after the ball defensively. So I did.”

The Tiger defense forced St. Xavier to punt three more times after Dailey’s heroics, but the Bomber defense was equal to the task each time, finally knocking Huth out of the game before coming up with an interception with less than a minute to play.

“It would have been easy for them when they went down 24‑3 to buckle,” said St. Xavier coach Steve Specht. “They didn’t. They fought back hard and they made it a game. My hat’s off to them.”

“We wanted to win our 23rd state championship’ Stacy said. “We weren’t quite able to do that. We came up a little bit short.”

GAME STATS

Antonio James