Tag: <span>Adrian Brown</span>

History

1994: Massillon 20, Canton McKinley 27

Mistakes doom Tigers’ title run
Massillon ends with 10-2 slate

By JOE SHAHEEN
Independent Sports Editor

The one constant in the Mas­sillon Tigers’ late‑season three ­game run of excellence was missing in their 27‑20 Division I regional championship loss to the McKinley Bulldogs before a throng of 34,208 at the Akron Rubber Bowl, Saturday night.

The Tigers simply did not play mistake‑free football against their arch‑rivals the way they did in averaging 36 points in defeating St. Vincent-­St. Mary’s in Week 9, McKinley in Week 10 and Fremont Ross in the playoff opener.

Game action vs. Canton McKinley – Playoffs

Massillon’s mistakes weren’t all of the glaring variety, but the Pups ‑ who meet St. Igna­tius this Saturday at the Rubber Bowl in the Division I state semifinals ‑ seemed to always capitalize. Among the more costly errors:

The Tigers fumbled away the football at midfield on their first possession and the Bull­dogs drove 52 yards for the game’s first touchdown.

The Bulldogs’ second score came on Adrian Brown’s 71­-yard burst and included several broken or missed tackles within 10 yards of the line of scrim­mage.

McKinley’s third tally appeared to be on a blown coverage assignment in the secondary which resulted in a 47‑yard Josh McDaniels‑to-­Mark Thewes TD strike.

Massillon’s second‑to‑last drive included a key illegal pro­ceedure penalty. It ended in a punt with 7:47 to play.

The Tigers’ final ill‑fated series reached the McKinley side of the field when an illegal shift penalty, a delay of game penalty and a dropped pass doomed their comeback.

“You can’t have those kind of things, missed tackles and penalties, against a quality opponent like McKinley,” Tiger mentor Jack Ross said after­ward.

“But I wish McKinley all the best. They are a very good foot­ball team and they played a great game out there tonight. They will represent the region well.”

Massillon certainly did not self destruct in the 12th week of the season. The Tigers had the Pups holding their collective breaths until the final seconds, ticked off the scoreboard.

The Bulldogs scored first 26‑yard wingback reverse, ex­ecuted to perfection by Jaiyvon­ne Richards.

Massillon took the ensuing kickoff and drove 73 yards in just seven plays to knot the score at 7‑7. Willie Spencer Jr. was at his best on the drive, run­ning the option with a magi­cian’s sleight of hand, all the while frustrating the McKinley defense.

On the first snap of their next possession, the Bulldogs re­gained the lead. Brown got the ball on a draw play and dashed to paydirt, leaving several Ti­gers in his wake. The conver­sion kick was wide and the Pups led 13‑7.

It was the type of play, com­ing right after Massillon scored to even the game, that could’ve broken a lesser team’s spirit. But the Tigers came resolutely back, marching 80 yards in 17 plays. Spencer covered the final seven on an option keeper around his left end. Pribich’s boot gave the locals the lead 14­-13 with 6:44 until halftime.

The Bulldogs took the second half kickoff and made a state­ment, driving 65 yards in nine plays. Kinta Mitchell’s 32‑yard gallop eventually led to his one­-yard scoring burst at 7:10 of the third stanza. McKinley failed on a two‑point pass play and it was a 19‑14 game.

Spencer got the TD hat trick as the Tigers regained the lead with an 11‑play, 62‑yard drive. The senior signal caller com­pleted clutch passes to Devon Williams (18 yards), Ryan Sha­nor (10 yards), and Leon Ashcraft (5 yards), before sweeping in from the 3‑yard line for his third tally of the evening.

After a pass fell incomplete on the try for a two‑point conversion, the Tigers owned a 20‑19 lead at 1:32 of the third period.

But the Bulldogs would land the final punch on this night. It was a roundhouse right in the form of the 47‑yard McDaniels to Thewes pass play. Julius Lancaster took a pitch from McDaniels, then hit the senior QB on a throwback for the two ­point conversion that made it McKinley 27‑20 with 11:11 to play.

Massillon drove to the McKin­ley 49, where an illegal procedure penalty changed a second-­and‑five play call into second­-and‑ten. Ace Gillens sacked Spencer two plays later to force a punt.

Spencer was injured on McKinley’s ensuing series when he brought down Brown on a pitch out around left end. The Bulldogs were forced to punt one play later and the Ti­gers last chance began at their 9‑yard line.

Ashcraft asserted his cham­pionship mettle by getting Mas­sillon out of the hole on a 34‑yard first down burst behind Aric Simpson and Tim Mendenhall. The 5‑foot, 7‑inch, senior tail­back finished the night with 131 yards on 21 carries.

With senior Mark Hiegl now at the controls, Jeremy Fraelich gained 11 yards up the middle to the McKinley 46. An illegal shift penalty followed, then a delay of game one play later set up second‑and‑20 at the Massillon 44. Hiegl rolled right and hit a receiver at the McKin­ley 33, but the ball fell incom­plete.
Two plays later the Bulldog pass rush forced an incomple­tion and Massillon’s unlikely run had ended.

“That’s the problem in the playoffs,” Rose concluded, unless you go all the way, you end on a sour note.

“Unfortunately, it had to hap­pen against (McKinley). That certainly doesn’t make it any easier.”

MCKINLEY 27
MASSILLON 20
M MCK
First downs rushing 12 9
First downs passing 6 5
First downs penalty 0 0
Total first downs 18 14
Net yards rushing 253 226
Net yards passing 92 120
Total yards gained 345 346
Passes attempted 13 12
Passes completed 7 9
Passes int. 0 0
Kickoff return yards 89 41
Punts 2 2
Punting average 36.5 44.0
Punt return yards 0 0
Fumbles 1 0
Fumbles lost 1 0
Penalties 6 4
Yards penalized 41 35
Number of plays 55 38
Time of possession 27.52 20.08
Attendance 34,208

MASSILLON 7 7 6 0 20
MCKINLEY 13 0 6 8 27

SCORING SUMMARY

MCK ‑ Richards 26 run (McDaniels kick)
M ‑ Spencer 21 run (Pribich kick)
MCK ‑ Brown 70 run (kick failed)
M ‑ Spencer 6 run (Pribich kick)
MCK ‑ Mitchell 1 run (pass failed)
M ‑ Spencer 4 run (pass failed)
MCK ‑ Thewes 46 pass from McDaniels
(McDaniels pass from Lancaster)

FINAL STATISTICS

Rushing:
Massillon
Ashcraft 21‑131;
Spencer 15‑96,3 TDs;
Fraelich 3‑17.
McKin­ley
Brown 13‑139, 1 TD;
Mitchell 7‑63, 1 TD;
Richards 1‑26 1 TD.

Passing:
Massillon
Spencer 7‑10 92
Hiegl 0‑30.
McKinley
McDaniels 9-12 120, 1 TD.

Receiving:
Massillon
Redrick 4‑58;
Wil­liams 1‑19;
Shanor 1‑11;
Ashcraft 1‑5.
McKinley
Thewes 3‑63, 1 TD;
Brown 3­-25;
Richards 2‑21;
Mitchell 1‑11.


Leon Ashcraft

History

1994: Massillon 42, Canton McKinley 41

Game of the century
MASSILLON WINS 42-41 SHOOTOUT

By J0E SHAHEEN
Independent Sports Editor

It was a fitting 100th game be­tween the Massillon Tigers and McKinley Bulldogs at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium this after­noon.

The storied rivalry went into overtime before the Tigers nailed down a heart‑stopping 42‑41 victory.

Massillon finishes the regular season with a 9‑1 record, while McKinley falls to 8‑2.

Both teams will qualify for the Division I playoffs. Pairings will be announced Sunday and the two schools will probably not meet in the first round next weekend.

Today’s game was one in which neither team seemed capable of stopping the other’s offense. In fact, the 83 total points scored is an all‑time re­cord in the series that began in 1894.

McKinley forced overtime when it scored on a seven‑yard Josh McDaniels to Shakeer Abdullah pass with less than two minutes to play. McDa­niels’ extra‑point kick made it a 35‑35 contest.

Pre-game vs. Canton McKinley 100th game

After a low snap foiled McDa­niels’ 50‑yard field goal attempt as time expired, the teams headed to overtime.

Massillon won the toss and de­ferred, giving the Bulldogs the first chance in overtime.

Adrian Brown secured a first down just inside the 10 on the first snap of OT. Four plays la­ter, on fourth and goal from the one‑yard line, fullback Kinta Mitchell went in standing up to make it 41‑35. McDaniels quick­ly changed shoes for what was another in what had been a string of routine conversion kicks all afternoon. But he sliced the kick to the right, mis­sing it.

Game action vs. Canton McKinley 100th Game

crowd, which numbered 19,125, seemed to sense this was the opening the Tigers needed.

On second down, quarterback Willie Spencer Jr. ran the op­tion around his right end. He appeared to have made up his mind to keep the football and was being dragged down at the 15 when he pitched to split end Victor Redrick, who was trail­ing the play. Redrick took the ball in stride and sprinted down the sideline and into the end zone to knot the game at 41‑41.

Then, with all the pressure of the rivalry’s 99 previous games riding on his shoulders, Nick Pribich calmly split the uprights with his conversion kick and the Tigers went wild.

Game action vs. Canton McKinley 100th Game

On the sidelines, McKinley’s Josh McDaniels kneeled with his head bowed in defeat, being consoled by his father, Pups head coach Thom McDaniels.

Spencer and Tigers assistant coach Steve Studer sprinted to the East stands and began ring­ing a victory bell.

The contest was highlighted by both teams’ refusal to quit – like two great heavyweights, exchanging knockdown pun­ches and getting up for more.

McKinley opened the scoring with 11:30 to play in the second quarter. Mitchell capped a six­ play, 80‑yard drive with a seven‑yard TD run up the mid­dle to make it 7‑0 Pups.

Massillon counter‑punched with a 12‑play, 80‑yard march. Spencer kept the football on the option and cut off his right tack­le for a three‑yard touchdown to tie the game at 7‑7 with 6:20 un­til halftime.

Game action vs. Canton McKinley 100th Game

The Tigers got a break when McKinley fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Steve Griffith reco­vered at the Bulldogs’ 25. It took seven plays, but Leon Ashcraft ran through a big hole over left guard and into the end zone to make it 14‑7 with 2:18 left in the first half.

The Bulldogs executed the two‑minute drill to perfection, moving 65 yards in 10 plays with Mitchell doing the honors from the one‑yard line with just 18 seconds remaining until the band show. McDaniels’ PAT made it 14‑14 at the half.

The quick‑strike Tiger offense untied the score less than 40 seconds into the third quarter. On the second snap of the half, Ashcraft took a hand­off, pitched it back to Spencer, who lofted a bomb to Redrick, The senior sprinter ran under the pass at the 23, broke a diving tackle, then cruised in to the end zone to make it a 21‑14 Massillon advantage.

Once again the Bulldogs answered, moving 82 yards in just eight plays. Adrian Brown ran the ball on the final four snaps of the march, bucking into the end zone from the 2 to tie it 21‑21 with 8:08 left in the third.

But Massillon would not be discouraged.

The Tigers, with Spencer often changing plays at the line of scrimmage, moved 68 yards in seven plays to regain the lead. Spencer hit Vaughn Mohler, who scooped the ball off the turf in the end zone for a seven‑yard TD catch, making it 28‑21 Tigers.

McKinley then mounted the longest drive of the game, going 80 yards in 15 plays. Mitchell again found the end zone from a yard away and it was 28‑28 with 8:13 left in regulation.

Back came the Tigers with another 80‑yard drive.

Ashcraft, who rushed for 109 yards on the afternoon, scored on a draw play from 20 yards out with four minutes left to make it Massillon 35, McKinley 28.

By this time, everyone in Paul Brown Tiger Stadium realized they were witnessing a classic game. Nobody believed the Bulldogs were done, and they were not.

McDaniels marshalled another drive, this one covering 68 yards in seven plays. The senior signal‑caller hit Abdul­lah in the left side of the end zone after a brilliant play fake. The seven‑yard TD toss accounted for the end‑of-­regulation score of 35‑35.

Then came overtime, a mis­sed extra point and the Tigers pulse‑stopping victory.

MASSILLON 42
MCKINLEY 41
M McK
First downs rushing 14 15
First downs passing 3 8
First downs penalty 1 2
Total first downs 18 25
Net yards rushing 245 233
Net yards passing 103 148
Total yards gained 348 381
Passes attempted 13 20
Passes completed 6 14
Passes int. 0 1
Times kicked Off 6 6
Kickoff average 42.3 55.1
Kickoff return yards 65 52
Punts 2 1
Punting average 26.5 35.0
Punt return yards -4 0
Fumbles 0 4
Fumbles lost 0 1
Penalties 4 5
Yards penalized 47 25
umber of plays 51 65
Time Of Possession 23:23 24:37
Attendance 19,125

MCKINLEY 00 14 07 14 06 41
MASSILLON 00 14 14 07 07 42

Fleaflicker is big play for Tigers

By JOE SHAHEEN
Independent sports editor

In a football game like to­day’s contest between the Mas­sillon Tigers and McKinley Bulldogs, selecting one big play is all but impossible.

But the most memorable for many was the Tigers’ flea flick­er that went for a 62‑yard touch­down at the onset of the third quarter.

In addition to the significance on the scoreboard ‑ the bomb gave the Tigers a 21‑14 lead ‑ the play showed Jack Rose was going to attack the Bulldogs in the second half.

Rose sent a message to his players, to the fans and – most importantly – to the Bulldogs. He let them know Massillon was going to go out and get the victory the old-fashioned way – earn it.

With the game tied at 14, Massillon accepted the second half kickoff, and Nate Lewis returned the ball to the 29, for 19 yards.

On first down, Willie Spencer rolled left and hit Devon Wil­liams for eight yards.

On second‑and‑two, Spencer handed the ball to Ashcraft on what appeared to be a simple dive play into the middle of the line. But Ashcraft took just one step, turned and pitched the ball back to Spencer. He looked long and there was Victor Redrick in full stride on a post pattern.

The pass was there, Redrick made the catch and 25 yards la­ter, the Tigers had assumed a 21‑14 lead.

In doing so, they set the tone for the second half, one of the best shootouts in the history of high school football.


Leon Ashcraft