Tag: <span>Aydrik Ford</span>

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

2018: Massillon 49, Montclair, NJ 7

Turnovers turn to touchdowns as Tigers torch Montclair

MASSILLON Turnovers are a football team’s worst enemy. They can also be a team’s best friend.

For Massillon, they were a little bit of both as it played host to New Jersey 2017 state champion Montclair on Friday night.

Game Action vs. Montclair

The Tigers found themselves in an early deficit thanks to an interception which was returned for a Mounties’ touchdown. However, they used Montclair fumbles on consecutive kickoffs to turn a tie game into an advantage, kick-starting Massillon to a 49-7 victory at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

“The special-team units ran fast, hit hard,” said Massillon coach Nate Moore after his team improved to 4-0 with a visit from Firestone coming next week. “The ball popped out and we were able to recover a couple of those. Our offense was able to take advantage of it.”

Those back-to-back Mountie fumbles were two of three first-half turnovers they had. They also muffed a punt – on fourth-and-38, no less – to set up the Tigers’ for one more score before half, giving them a 35-7 advantage at the break.

It would be 42-7 on the first play of the second half after a 65-yard Jamir Thomas run. Thomas finished with 131 yards on 18 carries and the one score, giving him a fourth consecutive 100-plus-yard rushing performance.

“We’ve been giving stuff away,” said Montclair coach John Fiore, whose team fell to 1-2. “Even the 35-0 win (over Nutley, N.J., last week) should’ve been 70-0. We just give it away, give it away, give it away. Three fumbles in a row; missing a first down by an inch.

Massillon would begin emptying the bench after that run, which instituted the running-clock rule or the third consecutive game. It was the second time in that span the Tigers have basically played the entire second half under the rule.

Game Action vs. Montclair

Quarterback Aidan Longwell once again showed he likes Week 4. He threw a career-high five touchdowns – all in the first half – matching the five he threw in Week 4 a year ago against Ursuline.

That was all part of Longwell’s 11-of-20, 216-yard performance. All coming in the first half.

“They were loading the box on us,” Moore said. “Our receiving corps and our quarterback executed what they’re supposed to execute.”

At one point, Longwell threw touchdowns on four consecutive pass attempts. The only issue was that the first of those accounted for Montclair’s only score.

On a first-and-21 play from the Montclair 37, a pass attempt was deflected by a defender and intercepted by Walter King, who brought it back 66 yards for a Mountie touchdown. The 7-0 deficit, with 8:17 remaining in the first quarter, marked he second time in as many games the Tigers trailed early in a game.

That was one of two first-half interceptions by the Tigers. They also had one at the Mounties’ 2.

The deficit, as was the case a week earlier in a win over Warren Harding, didn’t last long. On a third-and-14 play from their own 28, Longwell hit Aydrik Ford on a post pattern for a 72-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7-7 just 1:33 after the Montclair touchdown.

That’s when the Mounties began giving the ball up, and the Tigers were more than happy to turn those into points. The first fumbled kickoff return came at the Montclair 32.

Five plays after that, Longwell hit Tre’Von Morgan on a fade route down the left sideline for a 20-yard touchdown. Alex Bauer’s point-after kick gave the Tigers a 14-7 lead.

On the next kickoff, Montclair fumbled at its own 20. On the next play, Longwell and Ford hooked up to make it 21-7 Massillon with 3:52 left in the first quarter.

Morgan had three first-half catches for 51 yards, all of which went for touchdowns. Beyond the go-ahead 20-yard scoring catch, he added twoleaping grabs in the end zone in the second quartert to turn a 21-7 lead into a 35-7 cushion.

Not to be outdone was Ford, the Tigers’ statistical leader. He had a seven-catch, 162-yard first half, almost doubling his season output.

While the Tiger offense was putting up points, the defense was doing its part to keep the Mounties’ offense from finding a rhythm. The Mounties were held to just 45 net first-half yards, and only had two first-half first down, one of which came courtesy of a Massillon penalty.

In fact, two of the three Montclair first downs came thanks to Tiger flags. The Mounties finished with just 43 yards on 30 total plays.

The passing game which was a concern to Massillon’s defensive coaches never materialized. Montclair was just 2-of-12 throwing the ball for three yards.

“Listen, you can’t have 40 yards of offense,” Fiore said. “We just imploded.”

GAME STATS

Reach Chris at 330-775-1128 or chris.easterling@indeonline.com.

On Twitter: @ceasterlingINDE

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

2018: Massillon 51, Warren Harding 21

Tigers contain Adams, roll over Warren Harding

MASSILLON Kay’Ron Adams slipped through the line of scrimmage, out into the open and into the end zone for a Warren Harding touchdown.

Four plays into Friday night’s game at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, Massillon was looking at two things it didn’t want to see. Adams getting free and a deficit on the scoreboard.

Those two things, however, wouldn’t endure for long.

Game action vs. Warren Harding

The Tigers would score on seven of their nine possessions, while the Raider running back could never really find the running lanes available he found on his scoring jaunt. All of those added up to a 51-21 win and Massillon’s first 3-0 start since 2014.

“We did well offensively all night,” Massillon coach Nate Moore said afterwards. “I’m proud of the way we executed for most of the night. … We’ll take 51 points.”

Adams, the physical and fast Warren senior running back, was the focal point of the Tiger defensive game plan throughout the week. As a junior, he had rushed for 202 yards and three scores in a 31-21 Massillon.

Two carries into Friday’s game, Adams looked to be on his way to another such night. He had 66 yards, 55 of those on his touchdown run which gave the Raiders a 7-0 lead 1:13 into the game.

Adams would add a 31-yard run on Warren’s second possession, which ended with an incomplete pass on fourth-and-23 from the Tiger 30. However, he wouldn’t have another run from scrimmage for more than 10 yards, as he finished with 123 yards on 20 carries.

Adams’ two longest plays in the final three quarters were receptions of 11 and 32 yards. The latter was a screen pass which went for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Game Action vs. Warren Harding

“It’s just playing hard, being disciplined, being in the right place, getting off blocks,” said Moore, whose team also recorded a safety when Nakoa Keefer picked up a second-quarter sack. “We tackled, wrapped up. You just go out and try to play really good defense.”

While Adams had Massillon’s full attention, the Tigers had their own runner worthy of a defense’s focus. And Jamir Thomas also wasted little time reminding the Raiders of that fact.

Thomas ripped off a 53-yard run to the Warren 3 on his first carry of the game, and tied the game with a 1-yard plunge two plays later. By the time Massillon hit the locked room with a 30-13 halftime lead, the senior running back had already topped the 100-yard plateau for the third time in as many games this season, with 149 yards on 17 first-half carries.

Thomas would finish with a career-high 262 yards on 29 carries and two touchdowns. Massillon ran for 380 net yards as a team and finished with 550 total yards.

“They have weapons,” Warren coach Steve Arnold said. “(Thomas is) fast, strong and plays a demanding, physical style of football. He’s been here for a long time. I have a loss for words what they did offensively to our defense.”

Thomas may have had Warren’s attention, but it found itself distracted by Massillon’s aerial attack as well. Aidan Longwell threw three first-half touchdown – two of which went to Aydrik Ford, plus one to Tre’Von Morgan – as part of a 145-yard first-half effort.

Longwell finished 12-of-20 passing for 170 yards. He also ran for a 1-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

If there was an issue, though, for Massillon, it was its own miscues. The Tigers threw two interceptions – two of the three times their drives wouldn’t end in scores – as well as had a roughing-the-punter penalty.

The first pick set up an Elijah Taylor 1-yard run to pull Warren to within 23-13. The roughing call kept a drive alive which resulted in Adams’ second score, pulling the Raiders to within 37-21.

“We have plenty to work on,” said Moore, whose team finished the game with the ball on the Warren 1. “Plenty to work on.”

GAME STATS

Reach Chris at 330-775-1128 or chris.easterling@indeonline.com.

On Twitter: @ceasterlingINDE