Tag: <span>Jaiden Wise</span>

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Jaiden Wise Receives Top Honor on All-District Team

The All-Northeast Inland District football team was recently announced by the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association and Massillon’s Jaiden Wise was named Co-Defensive Player of the Year.  He shares the honor with Akron Hoban’s Kharion Davis.  An outside linebacker for the Tigers, the 6′-1″, 200 lbs. Wise showcased his talents in the preseason and earned a starting position covering the wide side of the field.  He recorded 54.0 tackle points (2nd on the team), 11.0 tackles-for-loss (1st on the team) and two pass interceptions.  This was a tremendous comeback story for Jaiden in that he was unable to play during his sophomore and junior years due to injuries.

Sixteen Massillon players were honored, including:

1st Team

  • Jayden Ballard – wide receiver
  • Andrew Wilson-Lamp – wide receiver
  • Terrence Rankl – offensive lineman
  • Willtrell Hartson – running back
  • Mike Miller – defensive lineman
  • Caiden Woullard – defensive lineman
  • Jaiden Wise – linebacker
  • Martavien Johnson – defensive back
  • Magnus Haines – Punter

2nd Team

  • John Kouth – offensive lineman
  • Alex Bauer – kicker
  • Xavier Andrews – linebacker
  • Isaiah Clark – defensive back

Honorable Mention

  • Zach Catrone – quarterback
  • Michael Billman – fullback / defensive lineman
  • Jumacius Portis – linebacker

History

2020: Massillon 56, Columbus Walnut Ridge 0

No rust as Massillon has no problem with Walnut Ridge
Chris Easterling, The Independent

GAME STATS

MASSILLON There was a certain amount of uncertainty surrounding Massillon as it came off of a first-round bye on Friday night. There was a question of rust after having a week off while Columbus Walnut Ridge had played a game.

Turns out, it was unfounded uncertainty.

The Tigers scored early and often, rolling to a 56-0 win over the Scots in a Division II Region 7 second-round game at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. Massillon (6-1) advances to next week’s home regional quarterfinal against Hoover (5-2), which defeated Lake on Friday.

“They did everything we asked them to do,” Massillon coach Nate Moore said. “Good performance. Pretty clean game. Very efficient. Did a good job.”

Massillon had already topped its season high in points at halftime, at which time it led 42-0. The previous high for the Tigers this season was 35 points against Columbus Bishop Sycamore in Week 2 and McKinley in Week 6.

It also was Massillon’s third shutout in seven games. It blanked Bishop Sycamore and Warren Harding in back-to-back games in Weeks 2 and 3.

“How about our backups and JVs holding the shutout?,” Moore said. “That doesn’t happen all the time. I’m really proud of those guys. The starters did their job in the first half, went into the locker room at halftime 42-0, and our younger guys or backups or whoever was playing in the second half, the non-starters, put two scores on their No. 1 defense.”

The question of rust was put to bed in just over a minute of play. On the Tigers’ third play, Zach Catrone hit Jayden Ballard for a 63-yard touchdown pass, putting them in front 7-0 only 1:09 into the game.

Just 1:44 later, it was 14-0 Massillon after Catrone’s second touchdown pass in as many attempts, this one a 32-yarder to Andrew Wilson-Lamp. The score was set up by Jaidan Wise’s interception at the Walnut Ridge 37.

Catrone was 5-of-8 for 121 yards with two TDs and an interception in a quarter-and-a-half of work. Sophomore Jay Crable played the final two-and-a-half quarters.

The Tigers made it 21-0 with 3:43 left in the first quarter on Cam Beasley’s 5-yard scoring run to cap their third possession. Beasley finished with 108 yards on 15 carries.

“Cam did a nice,” Moore said. “Really happy for him. The offensive line and fullbacks blocked it up well for him.”

Massillon added another 21 points in the second quarter. Two scores came on runs by Jumacius Portis (3-yarder) and Willtrell Hartson (47-yarder).

Hartson finished with 65 yards on six carries, while Portis added a fourth-quarter scoring run to make it 49-0. The Tigers rushed for 199 yards for the game.

The other score, sandwiched between the two runs, came when T.J. Williams picked up a fumbled pitch at the Scot 21 and raced untouched to the end zone. The fumble recovery was one of five turnovers the Tiger defense came up with in the game.

“Happy for T.J.,” Moore said. “He deserved that. He’s doing a great job for us. He’s a senior. I’m really proud of him.”

Massillon’s defense limited Walnut Ridge to just 43 first-half yards on 33 plays, including minus-11 rushing yards on 15 attempts. For the game, the Scots had 56 total yards, including just 2 net rushing yards.

Reach Chris at chris.easterling@indeonline.com.

On Twitter: @ceasterlingINDE

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo News

2020: Massillon 35, Canton McKinley 7

Massillon roars past McKinley in 131st meeting between rival

GAME STATS

Chris Easterling

MASSILLON In a game that felt a little like a golden oldie, it was one of the youngest players on the field in a starring role.

Sophomore running back Willtrell Hartson ran for 188 yards, Massillon’s defense dominated and the Tigers cruised past McKinley 35-7 Saturday at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium in the 131st meeting between the rivals.

With a COVID-limited crowd of 1,700 watching on a beautiful fall day, Massillon and McKinley pounded away at each other with their ground games and only attempted 17 combined passes, completing eight.

The Tigers’ power running and typically stout defense controlled the action as Massillon improved to 5-1.

“Really proud of our guys,” Massillon head coach Nate Moore said. “Came out and played a really good football game against a really good team. The difference in the game was our offensive and defensive lines.”

It is the Tigers’ fifth straight win against McKinley and ninth in the last 10 meetings. Massillon last won five straight against McKinley from 1999-2002 — a stretch that included a Tigers’ playoff win.

“We’re excited to get this one, there’s no doubt about that,” Moore said. “We took the field against a great opponent in the greatest rivalry in high school sports, and we’re just happy we came out, played hard and got the win.”

The 35-7 win Saturday matched Massillon largest margin of victory in the series since a 35-7 win in 1999.

Senior Raekwon Venson missed the game with a leg injury, so the Tigers leaned on Hartson and senior Nick Liebler in the running game. Hartson, who entered with 17 carries on the season, carried 22 times Saturday as the focal point of the offense and scored two touchdowns. Liebler, who hadn’t carried the ball all season, added 11 carries for 69 yards and one TD as Massillon piled up 286 yards on the ground.

“We think he’s going to be a really good running back,” Moore said about the 5-foot-10, 200-pound Hartson. “He came out and proved that today. He ran really hard. He has really good vision. … Really proud of him, (and) really proud of Nick Liebler. He came in and gave us some big carries also for the first time this year.”

Meanwhile, McKinley’s offense gained a net of 103 yards after the game’s opening play, including only 16 through the air. Defensive ends Caiden Woullard and Mike Miller, cornerbacks Martavien Johnson and Andrew Wilson-Lamp, and linebacker Jaidan Wise led the effort for the Tigers, who have a bye next week to open the Division II playoffs.

Counting Saturday, Massillon has allowed a combined 31 points the last five weeks.

“I think when you have corners like they do, that frees you up to do a lot of things inside,” McKinley head coach Marcus Wattley said. “… They play hard and they don’t make mistakes. They don’t miss tackles.”

McKinley (4-2), which missed junior safety Harold Fannin for the second straight week because of injury, hosts Berea-Midpark to open the Division I playoffs next week.

Saturday started with major fireworks.

Wilson-Lamp chased down McKinley quarterback Elijah Wesley and pushed him out of bounds at the 1 after an 81-yard run on the first play from scrimmage. It was a good thing for Massillon, because Brandon Foster fumbled the ball away on the next play, with Massillon’s CJ Harris recovering at the 5.

“That could be in the running for play of the game,” Moore said of Wilson-Lamp. “If he scores off the rip, we could be looking at a whole different ballgame, especially in the first half.”

The third play of the game saw Hartson break off the longest play from scrimmage of Massillon’s season — 61 yards. That eventually led to quarterback Zach Catrone scoring on a 4-yard run to put the Tigers up 7-0.

“We just didn’t capitalize,” Wattley said. “We break one on the first play of the game, then give it up. … You can’t beat good teams when you’re not taking advantage of opportunities.”

Massillon’s next possession went 12 clock-eating plays, none of them longer than 11 yards. Senior Jamacius Portis got his first three carries of the game to start the second quarter and powered in from the 1 to put Massillon up 14-0 with 11:00 left.

Massillon’s Magnus Haines should be credited with some kind of save. With the Tigers punting from their own 39 midway through the second quarter, the snap sailed over Haines’ head. He tracked it down on the run near the 15 and got off a booming punt under pressure.

Instead of field position flipping, McKinley had to start on its own 24.

“That’s as good of an individual play on a punt that I think I’ve ever seen,” Moore said.

McKinley found some life with its ground game in the third quarter. The Bulldogs ran 13 straight times to eat up 87 yards. Mani Powell’s 7-yard TD run capped it and cut McKinley’s deficit in half.

But Massillon answered with a dose of the same medicine.

Ten straight runs — none to the outside — ended with a 1-yard Liebler TD run.

“We felt like we were kind of back on track,” Wattley said about Powell’s TD run. “And then we just couldn’t get off the field. We’re down seven, then we’re down 14 again just like that. And with all the running, the game was kind of quick. Possessions were at a premium.”

After a quick three-and-out by McKinley, Massillon was on the move again. A rare pass on this day — 32 yards to Wilson-Lamp — set up Hartson’s 14-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter. He added a 37-yard TD run a few minutes later, and the rout was on.

Wesley finished with 83 net yards (he was dropped for 36 yards in losses) on 17 carries for McKinley. Rob Jones added 57 yards on 18 carries.

Wesley, who missed last week’s game at GlenOak, stayed down for a few moments after a late hit by Wise in the fourth quarter before exiting the game for good with a leg bruise, according to Wattley.

Asked if he was OK, Wattley said, “I hope so. Hopefully we can get him healthy for next week.”

Reach Josh at josh.weir@cantonrep.com

 

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

2020: Massillon 21, Cleveland St. Ignatius 14

Fourth-quarter rally carries Massillon football past St. Ignatius

GAME STATS

Chris Easterling

MASSILLON A little more than fifteen seconds. That, in real time, is barely more than a couple of blinks of the eyes.

On Friday night, it was enough time for Massillon to turn a potential loss into a 21-14 win over St. Ignatius.

“Those guys play hard,” Tigers coach Nate Moore said after his team improved to 4-1 heading into next Saturday’s home showdown with rival McKinley. “I’ve said that from the start. Led by the senior class. These guys just play hard, man. You just let everything play out.”

With 7:17 remaining in the fourth quarter, Raekwon Venson’s 1-yard touchdown, plus Jayden Ballard’s two-point conversion pass to Zach Catrone, allowed the Tigers to tie the game at 14-14. That, however, was just the start.

On the first play of the Wildcats’ next possession, Jaidan Wise fell on a lateral at the Ignatius 15. The next play, Venson tore up the middle of the defense into the end zone for a TD, giving Massillon the 21-14 lead with 7:02 remaining.

“I mean, I think that’s effort,” Moore said of Wise’s recovery. “Why wouldn’t you? I think that’s the right question. It’s not, ‘Why did he?,’ it’s ‘Why wouldn’t he?’ I think that’s effort.”

Venson finished with 96 rushing yards on 29 carries.

The two fourth-quarter TDs contrasted with what the Tigers had been able to generate through the first three quarters. Despite a 209-147 yardage advantage over the initial 36 minutes, their only two scores were a pair of Alex Bauer field goals which gave the Tigers a 6-0 lead with 26 seconds into the second quarter.

St. Ignatius, meanwhile, was able to make sure its two scores were touchdowns. The first came on a 20-yard Marty Lenehan TD run with 3:45 remaining in the first half.

The second TD, even bigger for both, was Emmett Hanna’s 80-yard interception return with 2:56 remaining in the third. That gave the Wildcats a 14-6 lead.

“The defense did a nice job,” said St. Ignatius coach Chuck Kyle, whose team fell to 1-2. “They were out there really too long. Let’s face it, that’s what we started seeing.”

As good as the Wildcats’ defense was, the Massillon defense was just as good. If not better. The Tigers limited St. Ignatius to 152 net yards.

Wise’s recovery was one of three turnovers the Tigers were able to get their hands on. The senior linebacker also came up with an interception in the first quarter which helped to set up Bauer’s second field goal.

Austin Brawley also made an interception in the fourth quarter to set Massillon up at the St. Ignatius 26 with just under six minutes remaining.

“Discipline and effort,” Moore said of his defense.

The Tigers, though, would give the Wildcats a bit more life when they reciprocated with their own interception on a fourth-and-14 play that Chris Snyder returned to midfield with just over four minutes left. Massillon’s defense did not let St. Ignatius get any closer than the Tiger 41 before taking over on downs.

Venson and Jumacius Portis, who added 58 yards on 12 carries, then ran out the rest of the clock.

Reach Chris at chris.easterling@indeonline.com.

On Twitter: @ceasterlingINDE