Tag: <span>Berea-Midpark</span>

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Tigers Explosive in Berea Midpark Scrimmage

The wealth of skill-level talent on this year’s Massillon football squad was on full display in Berea as the Tigers put on an impressive offensive display in their second of three scrimmages.  Both the running and passing games were uncorked, helping Massillon to move the ball almost entirely at will.  Defensively, the players were aggressive and brought a high degree of physicality to the game, completely shutting down the Titan running attack.

Midpark is a D1 team that one would probably rate as average, except for having a very good quarterback in Trevor Bycznski, a 6’-5”, 230 lb. senior.  He makes the Midpark eleven something special offensively.

The scrimmage was staged in two phases, the first involving two 10-play series for each team and the second one half of football.  Here is a rundown of each drive:

10-Play Series

Massillon – Advanced from their own 35 to the MIdpark 2 using a mix of running and passing plays.

Midpark – Advanced from their own 35 to the Massillon 10 using exclusively pass plays designed for short receptions.

Massillon – Scored on a 35-yard pass from Aidan Longwell to Jayden Ballard.  With five plays remaining in the series, advanced from the Massillon 35 to the Midpark 1.

Midpark – Advanced from the MIdpark 35 to the Massillon 45.

One Half of Football

Massillon – Scored on a 58-yard Jamir Thomas run, with a fine block thrown by Jayden Ballard at the ten springing Thomas free for the score.  Jamir seemed to kick it into a second gear once he passed the line of scrimmage.  Score: 7-0.

Midpark – Scored on a 63-yard pass from Bycznski.  Massillon missed an open-field tackle at the 50.  Score: 7-7.

Massillon – Scored on a 3-yard run by Preston Hodges.  Score: 14-7.

Midpark – Scored on a 55-yard pass from Bycznski.  Massillon was in a blitz and missed an open-field tackle at the Tiger 40.  Score: 14-14.

Massillon – Scored on a 57-yard pass from Aidan Longwell to Aydrik Ford.  The score came on the second play of the drive, which was set up by an 18-yard bubble screen to Ford.  Score: 21-14.

Midpark – Moved the ball 13 yards and punted.  End of the first quarter.

Massillon – Scored on a 1-yard run by Zion Phifer.  Score: 28-14.

Midpark – Scored on a 33-yard pass from Bycznski.  Score: 28-21.

Massillon – Game stopped with the ball at the Midpark 21.

Toward the end of the first quarter, play between the two teams started to get chippy and then some cheap shots and retaliations were seen after the whistle well into the fourth quarter.  This is something that the referees should have gotten control over immediately.  But with their failings, the chippiness just escalated.  Following the final recorded play, a Massillon player removed of the action appeared to be targeted and was unceremoniously punched to the ground.  The Midpark offender was immediately ejected, but the referees elected at that time to vacate the field with just over two minutes remaining, marking the end of the scrimmage.  Unfortunately, the JV teams did not get their opportunities.

Regarding statistics for one half of football, Massillon led in total yardage, 319 to 238.

Observations

Offense – run: Many running backs stood out, but particularly Zion Phifer, who ran with both power and speed while bursting time and again through a bevy of would-be tacklers to pick up chunks of yardage.  The new split backfield was also effective in producing good results.

Offense – pass: Aidan Longwell was much improved from the last scrimmage and connected on most of his passes.  It didn’t matter if they were short, medium or long.  The passes were where and when they needed to be.  The receivers also showcased the athletic talent this group possesses.

Defense – run: Midpark never got untracked, many times being caught in the backfield.  On a few occasions, the outside linebacker would blitz, which allowed the back to spring for some yardage.  But this did not appear to be the result of any errant play.

Defense – pass: It appeared that the Tigers were willing to give up the short pass and concentrate on making the sure tackle.  This worked all day, except for the two touchdowns noted above.  All of the deep passes were well-covered.  It’s just a matter of making the play.

Kicking game: All of the extra points were made.  Kickoffs landed around the 10-15 yard line.

The final scrimmage is scheduled for Friday, August 17 against Lakewood St. Edward.  Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 pm at St. Edward High School at 13500 Detroit Ave. in Lakewood.

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Massillon, Midpark Wage Spirited Scrimmage

The intensity was high for Saturday’s scrimmage No. 2 at Massillon’s Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.  Massillon was coming off of what Coach Nate Moore described as a disappointing performance against Avon last Tuesday and looked to ramp up both the execution and the effort.  Meanwhile, Berea Midpark was trying to erase the memory last year’s complete domination by the Tigers in a similar venue.

The much-improved Titans were led by strong-armed quarterback Trevor Bycznski, a 6’-5”, 225 lb. junior.  Massillon, meanwhile, countered with a bevy of skilled athletes.  While the scrimmage started off fairly even, in the end it was clear that the Tigers had shown the improvement they were looking for enroute to another dominating performance versus the Titans.

Tre’von Morgan with the TD Reception.
Preston Hodges pushes toward the endzone. Marcellous Blake looks for a block.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part 1 of the scrimmage called for each team to run two 10-play series, starting at their own 40 yardline.  Massillon tallied three times and Midpark twice.

Midpark: TD on a 3-yard run.  TD on a 45-yard pass.  The second score was a sideline throw to the wide receiver, who slipped a potential tackle by the cornerback and raced 40 yards to the end zone.  The Tigers’ Preston Hodges recorded an interception

Massillon: TD on a 25-yard run by Tyree Broyles.  TD on a 60-yard bomb from Anthony Pedro to Dean Clark.  TD on a 50-yard bomb from Pedro to Tre-von Morgan.

Part 2 of the scrimmage called for each team to run a series of plays starting at the opponents 20 yardline.  Massillon tallied four times and Midpark twice.

Midpark: TD on a 20-yard pass.  TD on a 10-yard pass.  Kameron Simpson recorded an interception.

Massillon: TD on a 20-yard pass from Aidan Longwell to Aydrik Ford.  TD on a 5-yard pass from Longwell to Hunter Anthony.  TD on a 1-yard run by Marcellous Blake.  TD on a 10-yard pass from Pedro to Morgan.

The JV team then got into the action, with Robbie Page intercepting a pass.  Jayden Ballard scored from 60 yards out and again from 40 yards out on passes from Jacob Catrone.

Part 3 of the scrimmage was one half of game condition football.  At this point the Tigers appeared to kick it up a notch and were clearly the better team, scoring four times in their first five possessions.  Midpark never threatened.

Midpark had the ball first, starting on its own 20 yardline.  On the first play from scrimmage Cameron Simpson stepped in front of the intended Titan receiver and intercepted a Bycznski pass at the 26.  From there, it took just one play for Jamir Thomas to take a handoff from Longwell and race to the end zone.  Clay Moll’s kick was good and the Tigers were out to a quick 7-0 lead.

The other three scores came on long drives.  Moll connected on a 28-yard field goal, Dean Clark caught a 16-yard pass from Longwell, aided by a terrific block from Morgan, and Thomas ran 53 yards, making the final score 24-0.

Observations:

  • Play was much improved from the Avon scrimmage, particularly when the teams went to game condition football.
  • This is not a “one-man” team. Several players are capable of making the big play.
  • Lots of athleticism and depth at the skill positions. Decent size, but not so much depth along the lines.
  • Overall team speed is much improved from last year.
  • All three quarterbacks (Longwell, Pedro and Catrone) executed the offense well and were fairly accurate on their throws. All showed the potential to go deep.
  • Three good running backs (Thomas, Louis Partridge and Blake) providing both power and speed where called for.
  • Open field tackling needs a bit of work.
  • Still need to improve the pass rush, but this may be due to using a base 3-4 alignment.
  • The kicking game is in good hands with Moll converting all of his PATs plus the field goal try.  His kickoffs were high and deep, with one reaching the end zone on the fly.

The final scrimmage is against Lakewood St. Edward, scheduled for 7:00 pm on Friday, August 18.

Dyson Berry with the pass breakup.
Aidan Longwell throws under pressure.