Tag: <span>Mark Fair</span>

History

1993: Massillon 20, Walsh Jesuit 30

Walsh Jesuit holds on: Massillon finishes 10-2

By JOE SHAHEEN
Independent Sports Editor

Jack Rose knew 16 points would not be enough to beat the Massillon Tigers.

And he told his team that at halftime of Saturday’s Division I regional championship game against Walsh Jesuit at the Akron Rubber Bowl. The Tigers trailed the Warriors 16-0 at the time.

With 8:48 left in the contest, Rose looked like a prophet as Massillon had pulled to within 23‑20 on a 55‑yard touchdown bomb from Mike Danzy to Lonnie Simpson.

At that point, not only were the Tigers believers, so was Walsh Jesuit head coach Gerry Rardin.

“I was thinking, ‘We can’t let this happen again,”‘ confided Rardin after the game. “I was. I’ll admit it now.”

Rardin had seen Massillon come from behind to defeat his team in the 1989 playoffs and last year during the regular season. This time, however, Walsh Jesuit was able to hang on for a 30‑20 victory and a berth in the state semi-finals against Cleveland St. Ignatius on Dec. 4 at Fawcett Stadium.

The Warriors cemented the win with a clutch seven‑play, 48‑yard touchdown drive following Simpson’s TD catch. It was set up when Matt Lloyd gave his team superb field position with a hard‑driving 39‑yard kickoff return.

After quarterback Todd Riddle started things off with a 22‑yard strike to Brock Kreitzburg that moved the ball to the Massillon 26, Lloyd finished the Tigers off the way he does all of his rushes. The senior tailback carried on four of the next five plays, scoring on a two‑yard smash into the middle of the line with 4:38 to play.

“Matt Lloyd’s a great kid. Matt Lloyd’s an outstanding tailback,” Rardin said, “He just runs with a great deal of heart and determination.”

Those same remarks would apply to more than one Tiger on what turned out to be a disappointing evening. Danzy showed enormous heart in rallying his team in the second half with a 68-yard touchdown run on an option keeper and the lone bomb to Simpson. The 5‑7, 165‑pound senior was a heavyweight this day with 120 yards and 107 yards passing.

Ali Dixon and Courtney Herring played key roles also. Dixon breathed life into the running game in the second half while, Herring’s two‑way play at tailback and linebacker belied his lack of experience.

The Massillon defense, despite Walsh Jesuit’s 30 points, hung in against a well‑balanced Warrior attack. It forced and recovered two fumbles in the third quarter to get the comeback started. The second one, recovered by Chris Porrini, led to Jake Laughlin’s 3‑yard touchdown dive that made it 16‑7 with 3:39 to go in the third period.

Walsh Jesuit countered with an eight‑play, 78‑yard touchdown march. Lloyd personally accounted for 71 of those yards (54 rushing, 17 receiving) and put the points on the board with a 28‑yard scoring run on a counter gap play over the Warriors’ right side. The PAT made it 23‑7 with :07 to go in the third.

Massillon showed why if is appropriately dubbed the City of Champions by fighting right back. Danzy electrified the crowd of 11,765 with his 68‑yard TD scamper on the option keeper. His conversion pass failed but it was 23‑13 with just under 11 minutes still to play.

The Tiger defense made another stand on Walsh’s next possession, forcing the Warriors into a three‑and‑out sequence by sniffing out a screen pass to Lloyd on third down.

After the punt, Massillon had it first‑and‑10 at its own 45. Danzy rolled right found Simpson wide open along the right sideline at the ­Walsh 25 and put the pigskin on the money. Simpson did the rest, outrunning the secondary to the end zone to make it 23‑20 with just under 9:00 to go.

That’s when Lloyd and the Warriors put together their final scor­ing march, drawing the curtain down on a fine comeback season for the Tigers.

“It was a heck of a season,” a disconsolate Rose said softly in the empty Massillon locker room. “Going 10‑2 isn’t too shabby, coming back from a 5‑5 season.

“We’ve got a real nice junior class coming back and we should have another real fine season in 1994.”

Rose cited two factors contributing to the Walsh Jesuit victory; third‑down efficiency and pass protection.

“They did a real nice job on third down,” he noted. “They converted a lot of third down plays. They had to have a great percentage, (56 percent for the game) especially on that first drive when they got the field goal.

“Riddle is a strong kid. He can shake off a guy. They did a good job of protecting him and he really threw the ball (12‑for‑20, 173 yards). He was on. He can throw the ball well.”
Unlike the week before against McKinley, Walsh Jesuit was not able to be one‑dimensional on offense. The Warriors went to the air early and often – Riddle was 8 of 12 for 127 yards in the first half alone – to keep the Tigers defense off balance.

“We felt we would have to mix it up a lot more to keep them­ honest,” Rardin said: “The kids executed a lot‑of‑things well, even when it got tough and they were stuffing us. They kept their poise and they continued to execute. That was the difference.”

MASSILLON 20
WALSH JESUIT 30
M W
First downs rushing 10 10
First downs passing 3 3
First downs penalty 0 0
Total first downs 13 18
Net yards rushing 236 203
Net yards passing 108 173
Total yards gained 338 355
Passes attempted 13 20
Passes completed 3 12
Passes int. by 1 0
Times kicked off 4 6
Kickoff average 45.5 58.0
Kickoff return yards 54 83
Punts 3 1
Punting average 35.0 28.0
Punt return yards 2 3
Fumbles 2 3
Fumbles lost 2 2
Penalties 2 1
Number of plays 44 59
Time of possession 18:41 29:19
Attendance 11,765

WALSH JESUIT 3 13 7 7 30
MASSILLON 0 0 7 13 20

Mark Fair
History

1993: Massillon 46, Mansfield Senior 6

Tigers rebound: maul Mansfield

Walsh Jesuit next hurdle

By JOE SHAHEEN’
Independent Sports Editor

Yes, Virginia, those were the same Massillon Tigers thrashing Mansfield 46-6 Saturday in Parma as the squad that fell to Canton McKinley 21-13 seven days ago.

And, while Mansfield isn’t McKinley, neither is the artificial turf of Byers Field comparable to the muck and mire that is the Fawcett Stadium playing surface.

Now Massillon gets a Walsh Jesuit team that is peaking after an impressive 19-0 victory over McKinley. The Tigers and Warriors will do battle at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Akron Rubber Bowl.

One play underscored why the Tigers are among Ohio’s elite high school football teams when the playing surface isn’t a factor in the contest. It came in the second quarter, about 5½ minutes before halftime. Mike Danzy tried to execute the option around the right side of the Tiger offensive line on second-and-32 from the Massillon 27.

Mansfield got excellent penetration and had the play defensed. So Danzy reversed course in the backfield, looking for some daylight around left end. A wall of blockers formed and Danzy found a seam to the 51-yard line as the pursuit closed in on him.

But the Tigers’ 1993 Most Valuable Player wasn’t satisfied. He cut back against the grain at midfield, leaving a host of defenders grasping at air in his wake. Danzy turned on the afterburners and sprinted to the Mansfield 7-yard line before one of the Tygers’ track stars pushed him out of bounds.

It was the type of play that cannot be scripted, but one which Danzy and several of his teammates are capable of making at any time. Such plays are a big reason the Massillon offense is so explosive.

“You just cannot make that run on a muddy, sloppy field,” Jack Rose said of Danzy’s highlight file scamper.

The Massillon offense, paced by a line that gouged huge holes in the Mansfield defense front and the determined running of Leon Ashcraft (80 yards, three touchdowns), functioned like a well-oiled machine.

But it was the defense that limited Mansfield to a paltry 2.7 yards per rush and 144 yards of total offense that made a statement. The Tygers came into the game averaging more than 30 points per start. Yet Massillon shut the speedsters down, permitting just one meaningless score in the fourth quarter after the issue had long since been decided.

“The defense really was swarming to the football,” Rose said. “We looked quick tonight. That’s the way we looked all year. We were on the right surface. It was good to get on a good playing surface.”

There was more to the way the defense performed than just the playing surface. There seemed to be a higher than usual level of intensity.

“We were pretty disappointed with the way things went last week,” said Tiger tackle B.J. Payne, “and I think we turned that disappointment into anger. Mansfield just happened to be the opponent and they had to deal with it.”

Still, Payne loves playing on the fake grass.

“It helps a lot because we are more of a quick team,” he said. “On turf, we don’t have to worry about the mud making us look like we’re on a roller skates.”

Mansfield played the first half as if it was on roller skates, fumbling four time and losing three to the opportunistic Tiger defense. The first turnover came on a bad punt snap on Mansfield’s first possession. Geoff Osborn recovered at the Tyger eight, and after a penalty Ashcraft plowed into the end zone from four yards out on the first snap and Randy Endsley’s PAT made it 7-0 with just over two minutes elapsed in the game.

The Tygers marched from their 17 to Massillon’s 27, but Tim Menches recovered quarterback Effie James’ fumble to set up the Tigers’ best sustained march of the night. The locals drove 79 yards in 14 plays. A 15-yard Danzy to Greg Merchant pass and Mike Paul’s 22-yard burst highlighted the sequence, which was capped by Ashcraft’s 5-yard TD run behind the blocking of Trevor Paisley and Mark Fair on the left side. Endsley’s boot made it 14-0 at the :43 mark of the first period.

Christmas continued to come six weeks early for the Tigers. On Mansfield’s next play from scrimmage, James’ bad pitch was caught in mid-air by Massillon’s Matt Robinson at the Tyger 16. Three plays later, Paul went in untouched – some trick for a fullback in a goal line situation – and Endsley made it 21-0 at 11:18 of the second quarter.

Massillon scored twice more in the half, on a five play, 71-yard drive keyed by Danzy’s spectacular ad lib run, and on a 12-play, 63-yard march that featured Ali Dixon, who caught a 5-yarder for the TD to make it 34-0 at halftime.

The Tigers drove 52 yards with the second-half kickoff, capped by Courtney Herring’s 2-yard touchdown run at 5:08 of the third period.

Herring’s 53-yard burst over left tackle highlighted Massillon’s final scoring drive. The junior tailback scored from the 2 to make it 46-0 after three periods.

Mansfield head coach Stan Jefferson attributed the outcome more to his team’s errors than anything the Tigers did in the playoff opener.

“we did the damage to ourselves,” Jefferson said. “We had the bad snap. Then we fumbled. Then we had another fumble. I mean, that’s 21 points we gave right now. It was nothing Massillon did to us. It was self-inflicted wounds.

“When we came out there and saw (Massillon) today, they didn’t look as big as the first time we saw them. We felt coming in anything could happen.

MASSILLON 46
MANSFIELD 6
M O
First downs rushing 17 5
First downs passing 1 1­
First downs penalty 2 1
Total first downs 20 7­
Net yards rushing 379 131
Net yards passing 25 70­
Total yards gained 395 14
Passes attempted 6 13
Passes completed 3 3
Passes int. by 0 0
Times kicked off 8 2
Kickoff average 39.6 18.5
Kickoff return yards 0 31
Punts 1 3
Punting average 5.0 44.7
Punt return yards 58 0
Fumbles 2 5
Fumbles lost 2 3
Penalties 5 11
Yards penalized 57 71
Number of plays 70 40
Time of possession 30:03 17:57
Attendance 10,312

MANSFIELD 0 0 6 0 6­
MASSILLON 14 20 12 0 46

SCORING SUMMARY

First Quarter
MASS ‑ Ashcraft 4 run (Endsley kick)
MASS ‑ Ashcraft 5 run (Endslay kick)

Second Quarter
MASS ‑ Paul_2 run.(Endsley kick)
MASS ‑ Ashcraft 2 run (Endsfoy kick)
MASS – Dixon 5 pass from Danzy (kick failed)

Third Quarter
MASS ‑ Herring 1 run (kick failed)
MASS ‑ Herring 2 run (kick failed)

Fourth Quarter
MANS ‑ Lawrence 50 pass from Jones(run failed)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING
Massillon
Danzy 8‑86;
Ashcraft 16-80, 3 TDs;
Herring 8‑77, 2 TDs;
Dixon 11-44;
Paul 6-38, 1 TD;
Turner 7-21;
Laughlin 4-16;
Fraelich 2-8;
Hiegl 1-3.
Man­sfield
James 6‑50,
Fountain 8‑39,
Barber 5‑6,
Jackson 4‑9.

Mark Fair
Massillon vs. McK - Throwback (Large) History

1993: Massillon 13, Canton McKinley 21

Clutch plays decided this one

By JOE SHAHEEN
Independent Sports Editor

For the first nine weeks of the 1993 high school football season, the Massillon Tigers made the big plays, evidenced by a 47 points per game average, a 9‑0 record and a number four statewide ranking.

But things went the other way at Fawcett Stadium Saturday afternoon, as the McKinley Bulldogs parlayed big plays into a 21‑13 upset of the Tigers.

Program Cover

Making many of the big plays for McKinley was one of their smaller players, 5‑9, 140‑pound senior quarterback Josh McDaniels.

With the game at tied at 7‑7, and less than three minutes left in the first half, the Bulldogs took over at their 34 yard line. On third‑and‑5, McDaniels kept the ball on an option, picking his way for 15 yards and a key first down.

On the very next snap McDa­niels rolled right and hit Jaivon­ne Richards along the right sideline for 18 yards to the Tiger 28, and the Pups were in range.

McDaniels found Tom Hast­ings for seven more to the 21. But it appeared the Tigers Chris Porrini had come up with the stopper, when he smelled out a middle screen to Kinta Mitchell for a three‑yard loss.

McDaniels barely overthrew Hastings along the left side on a perfectly run fade pattern, setting up fourth-and‑6 at the Tiger 24. It also set up what may have been the play of the game.

On the next snap, McDaniels and Hastings connected on a short curl in the left flats, and Hastings pitched the ball back to Denell Harris, who scooted to the Tiger five where Lonnie Simpson made a touchdown ­saving stop.

With a minute to go until the half, McDaniels rolled right but couldn’t find an open receiver. So the coach’s son tucked the ball and took off, finding paydirt, and giving the Pups a 14‑7 lead at half.

McKinley opened the after­noon scoring on its first posses­sion. Tailback Che Bryant car­ried the ball on the first three plays ‑ including a 27‑yard burst ‑ as the Bulldogs moved from their own 20 to Massil­lon’s 47. The Pups kept the foot­ball on the ground with Mitchell and Harris on the next two plays, moving it to the Tiger 27. Then Bryant found a gaping hole over left tackle. Defensive back Tim Menches made one of many fine stops at the 19.

Bryant then gained 10 more yards over right tackle on the next snap, making it first‑and-­goal at the eight. Three plays later, McKinley faced a deci­sion. It was fourth‑and‑goal at the three.

In came McDaniels, who didn’t start at quarterback. He lined up in field goal formation, but shifted to a conventional set at the last moment. He handed the ball to Harris, who went over left tackle for a TD. McDa­niels’ PAT made it 7‑0 with 6:50 to play in the first quarter.

The drive covered 80 yards in 11 plays.

Massillon came right back on its initial possession of the con­test. It looked like three downs and out, but a roughing‑the-­kicker call on McKinley, giving the Tigers new life on their 46. On the next play, a late‑hit‑penalty moved the ball to the 39.

Tiger fullback Mike Paul car­ried twice for 14 yards to the 25, then Mike Danzy ran around right end for 10 more. On third‑and‑6 from the 11, Paul carried on a draw play, cut off a fine block by Brock Her­ring, and picked up a first down at the four. Three plays later, Paul scored from the one to make it 7‑7 with 11:57 left in the first half.

The Tigers came out for the third quarter, and looked like they were ready to erase a 14‑7 lead, driving from their 36 to McKinley’s 16, as Dixon and Danzy took turns making plays.

Dixon picked up 13 on a coun­ter around left end to give the locals a first down near midfield, then ran another counter over right guard to the 33. Two plays later, he hit Merchant to the 21.

Danzy then found tight end Isaiah Jackson to set up first‑and‑goal at the six. But the Bull­dog defense stiffened and Mas­sillon turned the ball over on an in­terception by Richards in the end zone.

The Massillon defense stop­ped McKinley on the next pos­session. But the Tigers fum­bled, giving the Bulldogs back the ball at the Tiger 35. Eight plays later, Mitchell found the end zone from three yards out to make it 21‑7, 37 seconds into the fourth quarter.

But the Tigers came, back, getting a big play of its own on the next possession, as Danzy hit Jackson on the right sideline for 44‑yeard gainer to the McKinley 28. Two plays later, Danzy hit Merchant for a short pass on the left side. Merchant slipped two tackles, and sprinted down the sideline into the end zone, making it 21‑13.

Harris tipped away a conver­sion pass, intended for Jackson.

McKinley was forced to punt on its next possession. But the Tigers couldn’t do anything, giving it back to the hosts with 3:59 to play. McKinley ran out the clock without giving the Ti­gers the ball back.

The Bulldogs averaged 6.7 yards on first down plays, com­pared to under three yards for the Tigers.

MASSILLON 13
MCKINLEY 21
M Mc
First downs rushing 8 10
First downs passing 4 2
First downs penalty 2 1
Total first downs 14 13
Net yards rushing 108 240
Net yards passing 101 44
Total yards gained 209 284
Passes attempted 15 10
Passes completed 5 6
Passes int. by 2 0
Times kicked off 3 4
Kickoff average 54 31.3
Kickoff return yards 10 28
Punts 2 3
Punting average 34 31
Punt return yards 6 0
Fumbles 2 1
Fumbles lost 1 1
Penalties 4 7
Yards penalized 40 55
Number of plays 48 50
Time of possession 24:43 23:17

MCKINLEY 7 7 0 7‑21
MASSILLON 0 7 0 6‑13

McK. ‑ Harris 3 yard run (McDanielS kick)
Mass. ‑ Paul 1 yard run (Endsley kick)
McK. ‑ McDaniels 5 yard run (McDaniels kick)
McK. ‑ Mitchell 3 yard run (McDaniels kick)
Mass. ‑ Merchant 28 yard pass from Danzy (pass failed)

Individual statistics

RUSHING:
Massillon
Dixon 10‑38,
Paul 11­-28,
Danzy 5‑24,
Herring 2‑7,
Laughin 2‑5,
Spencer 2‑4,
Ashcraft 1‑2;
McKinley
Harris 15‑101,
Bryant 8‑77,
Mitchell 8‑26,
Burns 4‑18,
McDaniels 4‑15,
Pukansky 1‑3.

PASSING:
Massillon
Danzy 5‑15‑101‑2, 1 TD;
McKinley
McDaniels 5‑8‑38‑0 0 TDs,
Pukansky 1‑2‑6‑0, 0 TDS.

RECEIVING:
Massillon
Jackson 3‑65,
Mer­chant 2‑36;
McKinley
Alkire 2‑3,
Richards 1­-18,
Harris 1‑16,
Hasting 1‑10,
Mitchell 1‑3.

This one is more than
just a game

By TODD PORTER
Independent Sports Writer

For many of the Massillon fans at Fawcett Stadium Saturday afternoon, the McKinley game is the culmination of an entire season.

For others, it’s the one game they live for while growing up in Tigertown.

Some are former players or booster club members. Some are only part‑time fans. Others are just your everyday Massillon Tiger fanatics.

They all had something in common. They were pulling for the Tigers to come out on top.

The game is the pinnacle of the season for both teams.

The Bulldogs did their best to take the Tiger faithful out of the game early, surging to a 14‑7 halftime lead.

“I said I was worried about this game,” one fan decked out in orange and black said on his way to take his seat after a visit to the concession stand.

“McKinley’s better than most people give them credit for.”

Many fans spent part of the afternoon reliving the excitement leading up to “The Game.”

“Everything else ‑ the nine games before this, the practice before the sea­son ‑ is superficial, ” said Al Rogers Jr., who played for the Tigers in 1976.

“This is what playing Massillon Tiger football is all about. You throw all the records out. I remember when I was a junior we played McKinley and we were 5‑3‑1 coming in and they were 9‑0. We beat them and knocked them out of the playoffs.

“That’s what makes this game so spe­cial. The tradition is what sets this game apart from any other game in the country.”

Tiger Booster Club president Rollie Layfield will always remember the 1993­-94 season. Win or lose, the Tigers, according to Layfield, had a great team.

“If we get into the playoffs, I think we’ll be respectable,” said Layfield who is only allowed to serve one term a president. “This has been a great season. This group of young men have come together as a team, and that’s what this game is all about.”

Rob Maylor, who played offensive line for the Tigers in 1981 and ’82, is a staunch Tiger fan. Maylor was one of the booster members forming the man‑made tunnel before the Tigers took the field.

He hasn’t lost any intensity since his playing days.

Maylor was slapping helmets am screaming encouragement to the Massillon players.

“As a player, this game is something you live for,” Maylor said. “When I see the players come out of the locker room and head for that hoop, I get goose bumps every week.

“This game is special, It’s the pinnacle of the season.

Mark Fair
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

1993: Massillon 63, Youngstown East 6

Massillon runs roughshod over East

Tigers tune up for McKinley with 63‑6 win

By MIKE KEATING
Independent Sports Writer

Maybe seven years ago it would have been an inviting matchup between the Massillon and Youngstown East Golden Bears.

But Friday night in Paul Brown Tiger Stadium before 8,975 fans, it was no contest.

The Tigers scored early and often and crushed East by a 63‑6 count, their final regular season game before next Saturday’s battle against arch‑rival McKinley.

Massillon has won its first nine regular season games for the first time since 1982, the last time the Tigers played in the state championship game.

That Massillon team featured junior two‑way starter Chris Spielman, now a starting line­backer for the Detroit.

“It’s great to be part of a Mas­sillon team that has the same record as one that had Chris Spielman on it,” said defensive tackle B.J. Payne.

“There’s no greater feeling than being 9‑0 heading into the McKinley game,” added quar­terback Mike Danzy.

Danzy downplayed skeptics who said the Massillon schedule is not as rugged as in past years, especially with the absence of Cincinnati Moeller.

“People might say we don’t play anybody because we’ve beaten teams by a lot of points,” he shrugged. “But you have to understand we’ve beaten some teams that were supposed to have success this year.

“Look at (Youngstown) Rayen. They were supposed to be a playoff team. Then the (teacher’s strike) happened and they had a hard time re­covering. They also lost their good runner (Herman Benson).

“We’ve also beaten teams that have had success against us in the past.”

East, however, has not been one of those teams. The Golden Bears, whose strike­ abbreviated record reads 1‑4, were tamed handily by the Ti­gers in the five meetings since the series resumed in 1988.

The closest score was 24‑0 in 1989, followed by 45‑7 in 1990, 76-­26 in 1991 and 55‑20 last fall.

Selling the Tigers on East wasn’t the easiest task for the Massillon coaching staff. But Jack Rose was pleased with how the team concentrated on taking it one game at a time.

“The seniors also knew it was their last game on their home field,” said the second‑year Massillon mentor. “They came out and played hard. So did the other kids.”

Despite the final margin of victory, the Tigers were tested by East.

“They have great team speed,” said Rose. “They had a good option scheme. They were more disciplined.”

“Their linebackers blitzed us from the backside and gave us some problems,” Danzy added.

Whatever problems East pre­sented, the Tigers were able to answer with smash‑mouth foot­ball.

Massillon kept the ball on the ground most of the game, as the line fired out and controlled the line of scrimmage. The Tigers finished with 434 rushing yards.

“You don’t put the ball in the air too much, when you average 13 yards a carry,” Rose noted.

Massillon scored on its first nine possessions, with max­imum efficiency.

When fullback Jeremy Fraelich plowed off tackle into the end zone from five yards out with 3:44 left, it was only the 44th play the Tigers had run from scrimmage.

“We just came out and fine tuned everything,” said run­ning back Ali Dixon. “We wanted to be sure we’re ready for the next game.”

Dixon was ready for East and gave the partisan Tiger fans an indication of what would trans­pire on Massillon’s first play from scrimmage.

He ran an isolation play up the middle, turned outside and raced to the end zone for a 49­-yard score as Massillon led 7‑0 at the 9:51 mark of the first quarter.

Danzy faked a dive play into the line and optioned left for a six‑yard touchdown run at the 6:07 mark of the first quarter and it was 14‑0.

Maybe seven years ago, the Golden Bears would have been able to slug it out with the Tigers. The 1986 East team fashioned a 9‑1 regular season record, defeating Youngstown Ursuline, Boardman and a Youngstown South team that paddled McKinley 27‑10.

While the 1993 edition strug­gled most of the contest, East managed a sustained drive in the opening quarter. Quarter­back Leartis Day, similar in size to Danzy, completed a 12-­play, 65‑yard march with a 7-­yard touchdown strike to tight end Michael Claytor and it was 14‑6 at the 1:18 mark.

Massillon, however, was un­daunted and tacked on another score on its next series to stifle any East comeback hopes. Dix­on raced 48 yards for the touch­down and the Tigers moved ahead 21‑6 with 10:51 left until halftime.

Junior Leon Ashcraft, who has shared the halfback spot with Dixon this season, burned East with a 51‑yard touchdown run on a trap play at the 7:54 mark and it was 28‑6.

Kevin Buckland’s 17‑yard punt return to the East 30 set up the fifth and final Massillon first‑half touchdown. It was Ashcraft who did the honors on a six‑yard scamper with 2:41 to go as the Tigers lead swelled to 35‑6.

Fullback Jake Laughlin, run­ning back Courtney Herring, and Fraelich scored in the second half.

Herring, a 5‑10, 169‑pound junior, led the Tigers in with 154 rushing yards and was a workhorse on the team’s 84‑yard scoring drive. His 2‑yard burst off left tackle at the 9:33 mark of the fourth quarter was his 11th carry of the drive.

“This was a big win,” said Danzy. “The 1991 team kind of looked ahead in the ninth game and (Akron) St. V got them.”

The Tigers now have scored 425 points this season. The school record is 483 by the 1935 team. Danzy thinks the key to the McKinley game is offense.

“We have put points on the board (against McKinley) like we did against other good teams we played like Mansfield, (Akron) Garfield and (Austin­town Fitch),” he said.

“Now,” smiled Rose, “we can turn our thoughts to McKinley.”

MASSILLON 63
EAST 6
M E
First downs rushing 17 4
First downs passing 1 3
First downs penalty 1 0
Total first downs 19 7
Net yards rushing 434 73
Net yards passing 26 77
Total yards gained 460 150
Passes attempted 4 17
Passes completed 3 5
Passes int. by 2 0
Times kicked off 10 2
Kickoff average 40.8 49.0
Kickoff return yards 58 119
Punts 0 5
Punting average 0.0 23.0
Punt return yards 69 0
Fumbles 1 1
Fumbles lost 0 0
Penalties 4 6
Yards penalized 52 40
Number of plays 46 50
Time of possession 24:41 23:19
Attendance 8,975

EAST 6 0 0 0 6
MASSILLON 14 21 14 14 63

SCORING SUMMARY

FIRST QUARTER
M ‑ Dixon 49 run (Endsley kick)
M ‑ Danzy 6 run (Endsley kick)
E ‑ Claytor 7 pass from Day (kick failed)

SECOND QUARTER
M ‑ Dixon 48 run (Endsley kick)
M ‑ Ashcraft 51 run (Endsley kick)
M ‑ Ashcraft 6 run (Endsley kick)

THIRD QUARTER
M ‑ Laughlin 1 run (Pribich kick)
M ‑ Herring 18 run (Pribich kick)

FOURTH QUARTER
M ‑ Herring 2 run (Pribich kick)
M ‑ Fraelich 5 run (Weirich kick)

FINAL STATISTICS

Rushing:
(Massillon)
Herring 12‑154,
Dixon 6‑118,
Ashcraft 8‑85.
(East)
Fitzgerald 14‑55.

Passing:
(Massillon)
Danzy 3‑4‑0 26.
(East)
Day 4‑15‑1 72.

Receiving:
(Massillon)
Merchant 1‑16,
Dixon 1‑5,
Simpson 1‑5.
(East)
Claytor 3‑62.

Mark Fair
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

1993: Massillon 42, Akron St. Vincent St. Mary 7

Massillon staves off the Fighting Irish

Tigers are 8‑0 with East next

By JOE SHAHEEN
Independent Sports Editor

Each of us has had a moment in our lives when a little voice inside tells us it is time to step up and take charge.

Massillon Tigers senior Paul Schroeder heard that little voice Friday night and heeded the call.

Schroeder’s clutch 33‑yard reception midway through the third quarter turned momen­tum back in the Tigers’ favor and helped them secure a clos­er‑than‑it‑sounds 42‑7 victory over scrappy Akron St. Vincent-­St. Mary in front of 10,412 at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

Program Cover

Massillon led 14‑0 at halftime but began the second half as if it didn’t want to remain unbeaten. On the Tigers first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, missed connections on a basic handoff left the football on the sand turf. The Fighting Irish re­covered at the hosts’ 39 and seemed to get a burst of confi­dence.

One third‑and‑five from the 34, sophomore quarterback Bob Butash rolled left and found sophomore running back Andre Knott along the left sideline. By the time Knott had been pulled down, the ball was at the Tigers’ 5‑yard line. Three plays later, Gary James found a seam over his right tackle and scored. The extra point, which was ex­ecuted three times due to a pair of penalties, made it a 14‑7 con­test.

But Massillon’s generosity had not been tapped out. Fol­lowing the ensuing kickoff, the Tigers took over at their 30. On first down, sloppy execution of the triple option left the football on the ground again and once again the visitors from Akron recovered.

Sensing a real threat, the Ti­ger defense stiffened. Josh McElhaney sacked Butash on first down and B.J. Payne blasted James for a loss on third down. Then Geoff Osborn bat­ted down a fourth‑and‑seven pass to give the offense an opportunity at redemption.

After gaining four yards in two plays, Massillon needed something to happen on third-and‑six from the 20. Schroeder obliged, hauling in Danzy’s 33-­yard strike along the right side­line to breathe life into the attack.

“That was a real big play down there,” said head coach Jack Rose. “It gave us the momentum back.”

The Tigers seemed renewed by Schroeder’s catch. Three plays later, Danzy executed the quarterback draw to perfection, cut off a superb block by Jake Laughlin and scampered 17 yards to the Irish 29.

On second down, Danzy rolled right, eluded the rush and hit Lonnie Simpson along the right sideline at the 5. Simpson cruised into the end zone to give the Tigers a 21‑7 lead and con­trol of the ball game.

But it was Schroeder’s play that seemed to light Massillon’s fire.

“It was a play action for the off tackle play,” Schroeder re­called. “I show blocking and I cut out and go towards the cor­ner and break it toward the sideline. Mike threw a perfect ball. You couldn’t ask for a more perfect ball. My job is easy, catching it.”

It was the second time Rose had sent in the play. The first time, Schroeder passed up the assignment.

“The first time they called it, I told the other tight end Isaiah (Jackson) to take it,” Schroed­er said. “So we switched sides and he went out. When they cal­led it the second time, it was like, let me have this one. I could just feel it. So I just did my job.

“I’m supposed to go to that side on that play. But for some odd reason, the first time I just told him to take it and the second time something in me told me, ‘Let me have this one.’”

The Irish weren’t able to do much after Simpson’s touch­down catch. They went three-­and‑out on their next possession and Massillon took over at its 45. Two snaps later, Danzy hit Simpson with a short pass and the senior wideout broke it for a 22‑yard gain to the 19. After St. Vincent‑St. Mary dropped two sure interceptions, Ali Dixon took a pitch out around left end and outran the pursuit for a seven‑yard touchdown and a 28-­7 advantage.

The scoreboard didn’t stay the same for long, as Willie Spencer Jr. picked off his sixth interception of the year and raced down the right sideline for a 36‑yard touchdown return and a 35‑7 lead.

It was three‑and‑out for the Irish once again and the Tigers set up shop at the 45. After a couple of quarterback draws, Danzy rolled left and hit Simp­son along the left sideline at the 5. Again No. 21 stepped into the end zone to close the scoring at 42‑7.

Longtime St. Vincent‑St. Mary head coach John Cistone was not all that unhappy with his team’s performance.

“We were in it,” Cistone said. “When we couldn’t score down there fourth‑and‑seven … what are you going to do? We had to put it in.

”We had the momentum going and we ran out of gas. Most of our kids go both ways. The kids gave a hell of an effort.”

Rose was not quite as upbeat as his counterpart.

“Well, we turned the damn ball over,” Rose observed. “You turn the ball over against a team like that and you’re just asking for trouble. We turned it over twice down there in the third quarter.

“They never really stopped us. We were stopping ourselves.”

Rose found a lot to be desired in his squad’s play along the offensive line.

“I was really disappointed in our line play tonight,” he said. “We just didn’t play very well. We have a lot to work on. We took a step backwards in that area tonight. We’ve got to get that straightened out in the last two weeks or we’re not going to go where we want to go.”

Simpson, who had four catch­es for 77 yards and those two touchdowns, acknowledged the Tigers didn’t get going until midway through the third quarter.

“Yeah, we started a little slow,” he said. “But we got on the move. Look what we done.

“I feel real good about this team. We had a great week of practice; a good week of con­ditioning and it showed in the second half. The coach got us going.”

Schroeder confirmed that the Tiger staff did a little motiva­tional speaking.

“Coach jumped on us and said we’re not playing up to our potential,” Schroeder reported. “We just showed a little of our potential out there in the second half. There’s always room for improvement, so we’re going to improve this week and take on Youngstown East.”

Danzy finished with 219 yards of total offense and made another fan along the way in Cistone, who has seen a few quarterbacks in his time.

“We wanted to keep him from getting outside,” Cistone said. “No one has been able to keep him inside and I thought we did a good job there. But still, his athleticism … . He still makes the plays. I don’t know what else we could’ve have done.

MASSILLON 42
St. V‑St. M 7
M V
First downs rushing 10 4
First downs passing 8 2
First downs penalty 0 0
Total first downs 18 6
Net yards rushing 172 50
Net yards passing 158 56
Total yards gained 330 106
Passes attempted 21 14
Passes completed 10 4
Passes int. by 1 1
Times kicked off 7 2
Kickoff average 43.6 44.5
Kickoff return yards 27 68
Punts 1 6
Punting average 44.0 31.2
Punt return yards 25 0
Fumbles 3 1
Fumbles lost 3 1
Penalties 3 7
Yards penalized 25 32
Number of plays 58 44
Time of possession 23:07 24:53
Attendance 10,412

ST. VINCENT 0 0 7 0 0
MASSILLON 7 7 7 21 42

FIRST QUARTER
MASS ‑ Ashcraft 1 run (Endsley kick)

SECOND QUARTER
MASS ‑ Dixon 4 pass from Danzy (Endsley kick)

THIRD QUARTER
ST. V ‑ James 2 run (Schapel kick)
MASS ‑ Simpson 26 pass from Danzy (En­dsley kick)

FOURTH QUARTER
MASS ‑ Dixon 7 run (Endsley kick)
MASS ‑ Spencer 36 pass int. return (Endsley kick)
MASS ‑ Simpson 25 pass from Danzy (Pri­bich kick)

FINAL STATISITICS

RUSHING
(Massillon)
Dixon 18‑94. 1 TD;
Danzy 13‑61;
Arney 2‑10;
Paul 2‑4;
Ashcraft 2‑3, 1 TD.
(St. Vincent)
James 15‑29,
Knott 5‑19,
LaCause 4‑15.

PASSING
(Massillon)
Danzy 10‑21‑158‑1, 3 TDs.
(St. Vincent)
Butash 4‑14‑56‑1.

RECEIVING
(Massillon)
Simpson 4‑77, 2 TDs;
Dixon 5‑47, 1 TD;
Schroeder 1‑34.
(St. Vincent)
Knott 3‑41,
Shenigo 1‑15.

Mark Fair
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

1993: Massillon 62, Youngstown Rayen 0

Tigers roar past Outmanned Rayen

By TODD PORTER
Independent Sports Writer

No, the stork hasn’t landed at the Jack Rose house, but the Massillon Tigers are still flying high ‑ above the ozone.

Rose, whose wife is expecting to deliver their third child any day, watched the Tigers roll to a 62‑0 win against Youngstown Rayen Friday night. In front of 10,021 fans on Homecoming night at Paul Brown Tiger Sta­dium, the Tigers ran their re­cord to 7‑0, for the first time since 1982.

In ’82, Massillon finished 12‑1, with the only blemish coming against Cincinnati Moeller in the state championship game.

Program Cover

“Everyone keeps talking about the computer points and how the strike in Youngstown is going to affect us,” Rose said. “But I told the kids not to worry about things you can’t control and we have no control over that. All we can do is go out there and win each week. Some­one said we’d have to beat McKinley to get into the play­offs. Heck, I plan on beating McKinley regardless of the cir­cumstances. That’s one of our goals.”

As for the wife?

“She’s at home,” Rose said of his wife Diane. “If she would’ve went into labor tonight, I would have been there and Joe Studer would’ve taken over. But I think she’s in a holding pattern. Be­sides, all I am out there is traffic cop, directing everybody where to go.”

Maybe he could’ve pointed the Tigers from Youngstown in the right direction. The Tigers from Massillon were too much for Rayen to handle. Young­stown played in just its third game after a teachers’ strike forced weeks two through five to be canceled. Rayen played its second game in less than a week after Woodrow Wilson blanked the Tigers 26‑0 Sunday.

“It’s really too bad what happened to them,” said Rose, who led Massillon to its 665th win in school history. “They lost a lot of guys due to the strike and their tailback (Herman Ben­son) went down Tuesday. He’s a good back, an All‑State player and runs a 4.2 in the 40.”

Even with Benson the score may not have been much diffe­rent. Massillon’s swarming defense held Rayen to just 74 total yards, most of those coming against the second and third un­its in the second half.

The defense set up three scores and the special teams ran a punt back for a score.

“We want to go out there and play at our potential every week. Regardless of who the opponent is,” said senior tackle B.J. Payne. “If you go out there and take your opponent lightly, you end up playing to their level. You have to be up every week.

“It doesn’t matter who’s run­ning the ball in there. You put someone better in there and we’ll hit ’em. It doesn’t matter who we play.”

Senior Kevin Buckland re­turned his third punt for a touchdown this season when he went 71 yards in the third quar­ter as Massillon pushed the score to 49‑0 after Randy En­dsley’s PAT.

”We looked real good at times. Buckland did a good job returning the punt and I thought (quarterback Mike) Danzy ran the offense well,” Rose said. “But in order for us to win next week, we’ll have to play much better.”

It may be difficult for the Ti­ger defense to play any better. Regardless of the opponents, Massillon hasn’t allowed a team to hit the end zone since Austintown Fitch.

“I think it’s a combination of a lot of things,” explained Payne. “I think the line is get­ting in there and we’re swarm­ing on defense. Everybody is getting to the ball and it doesn’t matter who gets there, because we’re all strong. Anyone of us will hit you. And I think coach (Tim) Wolf is doing a good job calling the plays.”

Payne helped set up one of Massillon’s scores in the third quarter. With a stunt on, Payne hit Rayen quarterback Hilles Jefferies just after the snap.

“I shot the B‑gap and when I hit him the ball was out there,” Payne said. “I knocked it loose with my left hand and I tried to recover it.”

Senior linebacker Ian McClaskey did the honors for Payne. McClaskey pounced on the pigskin at the Rayen 6. Dan­zy went in untouched the follow­ing play giving Massillon a 42‑0 lead after Nick Pribich’s PAT.

Massillon’s high‑powered offense has outscored its oppo­nents 123‑3 in the last two games. Against Rayen, the Tigers chalked up 383 total yards. Danzy and junior tailback Leon Ashcraft led the ground game with 72 yards rushing each. Danzy completed 3‑of‑8 passes for 70 yards as well.

”I’m starting to feel more comfortable back there,” said Danzy, who checked off twice at the line of scrimmage with both leading to touchdowns. “When they slid up in a Bear (defense), I checked off to the option. That gives us the outside and we can attack the perimeter.”

Just before halftime, the 5­foot‑8, 164‑pound Danzy worked the Tigers out of a jam. With 16 seconds left in the half and Mas­sillon facing a fourth‑and‑12 from the Rayen 18, Danzy checked off to the option. He carried the ball to the 10‑yard line before pitching the pigskin to senior Ali Dixon. Dixon went in from the 10 untouched.

“That play is designed to ­work like that,” Danzy said. “I’m supposed to carry the ball to the pitch key (Rayen’s out­side linebacker) and pitch it. That was there tonight when they went to the Bear look.”

While Rayen was forced to punt every possession that didn’t end in a turnover, Massil­lon had little trouble scoring. The Tigers fine‑tuned engine roared early and often.
On the first possession, Mas­sillon traveled 48 yards in eight plays with Ashcraft doing most of the work. He carried six times for 37 yards including the first TD of the game, a 2‑yard plunge. The score was set up on a 19‑yard run by Ashcraft on a trap play to get Massillon inside the 10. Tackle Mike Miller and center Mitch Colly opened a hole large enough to drive a truck through.

Less than three minutes latter, Massillon struck again. Danzy hit Lonnie Simpson on an out‑and‑up route for a 53‑yard scoring strike. Simpson bent down to catch the ball, kept his balance and still outran the Rayen defense the last 40 yards to the end zone.

“It was an out and up, and I kind of under threw the ball to Lonnie a little,” Danzy said. “He made a nice catch and flew down the sideline.”

After Rayen put together its longest drive of the night (nine plays before punting), Massil­lon hit paydirt again. Danzy capped a 9‑play, 51‑yard drive when he took a play‑action boot­leg into the left corner of the end zone.

“Mike, I thought, made some real nice reads out there tonight,” Rose said. “The line did a good job opening holes and we got a lot of people in there.”

Already up 28‑0, Tigers put the game out of reach on the first drive of the second half. Danzy converted an option keeper into a 34‑yard scamper setting Massillon up on Rayen’s 21. Two plays later, Danzy went in from 13 yards out, making three Youngstown defenders miss along the way.

“The thing with our offense is, everybody contributes,” Danzy said. “On that play, Isaiah Jackson had a nice’ block.

Surprisingly, Rayen head coach John Protopapa wasn’t upset with his team’s play
.
“This is one good football team we played tonight,” Pro­topapa said. “I think Massillon will match up well with whoev­er it plays. They have a very talented team and Danzy is a great one. They can do a lot this year. ”

Akron St.‑Vincent St. Mary is next for the Tigers.

MASSILLON 62
RAYEN 0
M R
First downs rushing 14 4
First downs passing 1 0
First downs penalty 0 0
Total first downs 15 4
Net yards rushing 313 63
Net yards passing 70 11
Total yards gained 383 74
Passes attempted 8 5
Passes completed 3 2
Passes int. by 1 0
Times kicked off 10 1
Kickoff average 45.0 49.0
Kickoff return yards 30 94
Punts 0 7
Punting average 29.6
Punt return yards 115 0
Fumbles 1 2
Fumbles lost 1 1
Penalties 3 5
Yards penalized 45 49
Number of plays 52 37
Time of possession 23:35 24:25
Attendance 10,021

RAYEN 0 0 0 0 0
MASSILLON 14 14 28 6 62

FIRST QUARTER
M ‑ Ashcraft 2 run (kick failed)
M ‑ Simpson 53 pass from Danzy (Danzy run)

SECOND QUARTER
M ‑ Danzy 10 run (Pribich kick)
M ‑ Dixon 10 run (Pribich kick)

THIRD QUARTER
M ‑ Danzy 13 run (Pribich kick)
M ‑ Danzy 5 run (Pribich kick)
M ‑ Buckland 71 punt return (Endsley kick)
M ‑ Herring 6 run (Endsley kick)

FOURTH QUARTER
M ‑ Spencer 11 run (kick failed)

RUSHING
Massillon
Danzy 7‑72, 3 TDs;
Ashcraft 10‑72, 1 TD;
Dixon 5‑47, 1 TD;
Herring 5‑36, 1 TD;
Paul 6‑31;
Lewis 6‑18;
Spencer 1‑11, 1 TD;
Simpson 1‑7;
Arney 1‑5;
Fenton 1‑1.
Rayen
Jennings 10‑52,
Johnson 8‑12.

PASSING
Massillon
Danzy 3‑8‑70, 1 TD.
Rayen
Jefferies 2‑4‑11‑1,
Jones 0‑1‑0.

RECEIVING
Massillon
Simpson 2‑55, 1 TD,
Griffith 1‑15.
Rayen
Donaldson 1‑3,
Wilson 1‑8.

It’s not easy for Tigers

In the wake of Friday’s 62‑0 trouncing of Youngstown Rayen, Massillon Tiger head coach Jack Rose isn’t about to let his team let up or give up.

It wouldn’t be hard for the Tigers to get that non-chalant attitude about winning. Considering, the last two weeks, Massillon has scored more points on the football field than some high school basket­ball teams score on the hard­woods, it would be easy to start taking teams lightly.

”Akron St. Vincent‑St. Mary is a much‑improved football team since the start of the season,” Rose said. “They al­ways play us tough and this is a good rivalry.”

After John Cistone’s Irish invade Paul Brown Tiger Sta­dium next week, Massillon hosts yet another Young­stown team hampered by the teachers’ strike in Young­stown East, a 21‑15 winner over LaBrae.

The Tigers then play McKinley in what is always a ‑ pardon the pun ‑ dogfight. Both Massillon and McKinley could have a great deal at stake in the final week.

“It’s definitely not easy,” Rose said.

Mark Fair
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

1993: Massillon 61, North Park, ON Canada 3

Rayen next for Tigers

By JOE SHAHEEN
Independent Sports Editor

While most northeast Ohio football fans were parked on front of their television sets Sunday to watch the develop­ing soap opera that is the, Cleveland Browns 1993 sea­son. Jack Rose was taking in some high school football.

On Sunday?

Program Cover

That’s right. Instead of en­joying the cozy confines of their front rooms, Rose and several members of the Massillon Tiger football staff were in Youngstown to scout the Rayen Tigers’ first post‑teachers strike game of the season. (The work stoppage was the reason the game was delayed until Sunday.)

Rayen, which invades Paul Brown Tiger Stadium Friday fell victim to Woodrow Wilson High 26‑0.

It wasn’t the kind of shel­lacking the Tigers laid on the North Park (Ontario) Tro­jans on Saturday, but Rose re­ported it was thorough.

“You can tell they haven’t played for a while,” Rose said of Rayen. “I think Wilson had practiced. That’s the way it looked to me.”

Many people who witnessed Massillon’s 61‑3 victory over the visitors from the Great White North, might guess the Trojans hadn’t practiced. No­thing is further from the truth.

Fact is, North Park was over matched and it showed. Still, the Trojans ‑ to the player ‑ are probably happy they had the opportunity to test what is fast becoming recognized as one of the best high school football teams in Ohio.

As for Rose’s assessment of Saturday’s proceedings, it was succinct.

“We came out it injury free and that was what concerned us,” Rose revealed. ”I thought we did some good things.

“But we were honest with the kids all week. We told them we should win and we should win big if we did the right things. We were just concerned about shooting ourselves in the foot and with injuries and with just playing hard.”

The Tigers appeared to be intent on digging themselves a hole early against North Park. Their first three plays from scrimmage included a dropped pass and a lost fum­ble. The visitors took advan­tage of the gift to drive to the Tigers’ 5‑yard line, where a botched hold doomed a 22‑yard field goal attempt.

But, as if to get a jump on he post‑game exchange of gifts with the Canadians, the Tigers again coughed up the ball deep in their own terri­tory after a pair of 10‑yard running plays.

North Park used a first down pop pass from quarterback Jeff Dix to wide receiver Enes Medanhodzic to move it to the 17. Three plays later, Trevor Jones nailed a 38‑yard field goal and the Trojans led 3‑0.

The visitors’ advantage lasted just over two minutes as the Tigers moved from their 35 ‑ following an out‑of-­bounds kick‑off ‑ to the North Park 40 on three straight run­ning plays. On first down at that point, Danzy rolled left and hooked up with Lonnie Simpson for 31 yards . On the next play, Danzy rolled the same way but kept the foot­ball for a nine‑yard touch­down run. The PAT made it a 7‑3 game at 4:02 of the first quarter.

Willie Spencer Jr. nabbed an interception three plays into North Park’s ensuing possession to set the Tigers up at their own 40. On first down, Leon Ashcraft bolted 44 yards to the 16. Mike Paul picked up 14 more on the next snap. Then Danzy bootlegged around right end for the Touchdown. A muffed kick made it 13‑3 Massillon with 1:15 to go in the opening period.

Paul Schroeder picked off Dix on North Park’s next series and rumbled 35 yards before being dragged down at the Trojans’ 4‑yard line. On second down, Jake Laughlin ‑ a lineman inserted in the backfield for extra blocking – got the handoff and blasted into the end zone. Ashcraft’s conversion run made it 21‑3 with just under 11 minutes to play in the first half.

North Park got a first down on its next possession, but was forced to punt from its 31. Mas­sillon’s Kevin Buckland took the ball at the 33, followed his blockers to the right sideline and sprinted 67 yards for a touchdown. The kick made it 28-­3 and the Trojans were con­vinced.

But the beat went on. Two mi­nutes later, Ashcraft took a short pass and danced 38 yards for a touchdown. North Park threw an interception on the first snap following the TD, and Eddie Griffith picked his way for a spectacular 65‑yard re­turn, setting up a 5‑yard.scor­ing run by Courtney Herring.

Herring broke a run for 49 yards on Massillon’s next pos­session, then found the end zone from five yards out on the next snap to make it 48‑3 at halftime.

Spencer was inserted at quar­terback to start the second half and marched the Tigers 66 yards in seven plays. The drive was capped by a perfectly thrown 24‑yard touchdown pass from Spencer to Victor Rede­rick.

Junior speedster Nate Lewis changed the scoreboard for the final time on a simple dive play that turned into a 96‑yard touch­down run with :19 left in the third quarter. The kick closed the scoring.

“We saw some good things from our young players,” Rose said. “Courtney Herring ran real hard. I thought Willie (Spencer Jr.) did a nice job. He threw a beautiful pass for the touchdown. He’s got great touch on the ball. Nate Lewis had that big run. He’s got real good speed and a great work ethic.”

Rose wouldn’t mind getting some more playing time for his younger players this week against Rayen. But he wasn’t convinced the Youngstown en­try is the same team that showed up Sunday.

“They have one of the best running backs in the country in Herman Benson, but he only ran it about five times,” Rose observed. “I can’t figure it out. Their starting quarterback and one of their wide receivers didn’t play because of discipline problems. I’m sure they’ll be back for us though.”

In Benson (6‑foot‑2, 210), defensive end Andre Gibbs (6‑5, 235) and quarterback/corner back Damon Irby (5‑11, 175) Rayen has a trio of Division I prospects.

“Rayen has great team speed and it could be a problem,’ Rose said. “Plus, with three legitimate Division I players, you don’t want to let them hang around.”

MASSILLON 61
NORTH PARK 3
M N
First downs rushing 5 3
First downs passing 5 5
First downs penalty 1 1
Total first downs 11 9
Net yards rushing 272 70
Net yards passing 135 68
Total yards gained 407 138
Passes attempted 6 25
Passes completed 5 10
Passes int. by 5 0
Times kicked off 10 2
Kickoff average 42.0 39.0
Kickoff return yards 24 71
Punts 0 5
Punting average 00.0 25.4
Punt return yards 82 0
Fumbles 4 2
Fumbles lost 2 0
Penalties 3 5
Yards penalized 25 35
Number of plays 41 54
Time of possession 22.05 25.55

NORTH PARK 3 0 0 0 3
MASSILLON 13 35 13 0 61

N ‑ FG Jones 38
M ‑ Danzy 8 run (Pribich kick)
M ‑ Danzy 1 run (Kick failed)
M ‑ Laughlin 1 run (Ashcraft run)
M ‑ Buckland 67 punt return (Endsley kick)
M ‑ Ashcraft 38 pass from Danzy (Pribich kick)
M ‑ Herring 4 run (Kick failed)
M ‑ Herring 5 run (Pribich kick)
M ‑ Redrick 24 pass from Spencer (Kick failed)
M ‑ Lewis 96 run (Szasz kick)

Individual Statistics

RUSHING:
Massillon
Lewis 4‑106,
Ashcraft 8‑83,
Herring 5‑56,
Paul 2‑15,
Fenton 3‑8,
Heck 3‑7,
Danzy 3‑3.
North Park
Catalano 16‑41.

PASSING:
Massillon
Danzy 2‑3‑0 70,
Spencer 2‑2‑0 38,
Heck 1‑1‑0 27.
North Park
Dix 10‑24‑5 68,
Medanhodzik 0‑1‑0.

RECEIVING:
Massillon
Ashcraft 1‑38,
Simpson 1‑32,
Manson 1‑27,
Redrick 1‑24,
Griffith 1‑14.
North Park
Medanhodzik 3‑29.

Mark Fair
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

1993: Massillon 34, Austintown Fitch 15

Danzy is dandy as Tigers top Fitch

By JOE SHAHEEN
Independent Sports Editor

It’s beginning to look like the Massillon Tigers might be headed into a Week 10 show­down against the McKinley Bulldogs with an undefeated re­cord.

The Tigers cleared a major roadblock to a perfect regular season by handing the previous­ly undefeated Austintown Fitch Falcons a 34‑15 setback in front of 14,792 wind‑swept fans at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium Fri­day night.

Program Cover

Massillon, 5‑0, did it with what is fast becoming its trademark … a big‑time second half comeback.

Fitch, using its misdirection running attack to perfection, built a 15‑7 first half advantage. The visitors did it by averaging 4.4 yards per rush and hitting on 3‑of‑4 first half aerials in the first two quarters. The Falcon defense was a big part of their success in the first 24 minutes, holding Massillon to just three first downs and 59 net yards offense.

But the second half was the Mike Danzy Show. The Tigers’ 5‑foot‑8 jitterbug of a quarter­back rushed for 116 yards after intermission, decimating the Fitch defense by attacking its perimeters with option runs. When the Falcons did draw a bead on No. 17, he used a lethal combination of quickness and strength to make the big play.

Austintown head coach David Hartman left town a believer.

”Danzy’s their man and rightfully so,” Hartman said. “His speed and quickness is ex­ceptional. Our perimeter folks did not do a very good job tech­nique wise. But give Massillon credit. They blocked our flanks … our perimeter very well in the second half.”

Tigers head coach Jack Rose revealed his quarterback was a big part of the Tigers’ second half game plan.

“We wanted Mike to carry it,” Rose said. “We had our tight end lock on their outside backer. We told Mike to get the corner and then pitch off the secondary support. But the secondary was so deep that Mike just ran at the guy and he didn’t know who to take.”

Danzy indicated play action fakes were fooling the Fitch de­fense.

“They were getting sucked up inside and we’d just bounce it outside and run a little bit,” he explained. “The coaches said I could get around the defensive end, and with the help of the tail­back and fullback I was able to get outside.”

Massillon jumped out 7‑0, scoring on its second possession of the evening. Taking over at the Fitch 39 after a punt, Danzy hit Greg Merchant on a deep curl for 24 yards to the Falcon 13. Four plays later, Leon Ashcraft found a gaping hole over his right tackle and went in for the touchdown at the :33 mark of the first period.

Fitch came right back and marched 76 yards in 12 plays. Quarterback Jason Senvisky, using some deft play faking to slow the Tiger pass rush, hit Mike Polder with a nine‑yard touchdown strike with just under seven minutes to play in the half. The Falcons’ extra point attempt faded right and it was a 7‑6 contest.

The Tigers could not get a first down on their next posses­sion and a bad snap from center rolled out of the end zone for a Fitch safety to make it 8‑7 with 3:45 until halftime.

The Falcons weren’t through. They took the ensuing free kick and set up shop at their 49. On third‑and‑14, Senvisky pulled a rabbit out of the hat. He drop­ped back to pass, nearly slipped down, then found Jayson Hill on the left sideline for a 21‑yard gain and a first down.

Five plays later, fullback Wally Hurdley bucked in from just inches away. The PAT made it Fitch 15, Massillon 7 at the half. And while the margin was just a touchdown, there was concern in the Tiger locker room. The defense had been un­able to stop the Falcons in the first two quarters.

The Tiger offense took the field to start the second half, moving from their 38 to near midfield. A motion penalty set up first‑and‑15 at the 44. Danzy ran the option around his right end and slashed for 19 yards to the Falcon 37. One play later, Danzy rolled right, found a gap and tight-roped down the side­line to the 4.

On the next play, Danzy again rolled right. When the defense came up to meet him, the senior co‑captain left fly a bullet to tight end Isaiah Jackson for the score. Nick Pribich’s extra point made it a 15‑15 game with just under nine minutes left in the third period.

“The key was the second half drive,” Rose related. “We felt we could get it down the field on them. We got the dive option going with Mike going out around the corner. Mike did a great job. He’s an awfully quick kid.”

“As an offense we felt like we had to go down and score to start the second half,” Danzy said, “and we did.”

The score remained dead­locked for the balance of the quarter as both offenses had trouble getting untracked. But the Tigers caught a break at the 9:43 mark of the fourth when Fitch’s punter shanked one from his own 27 to give Massil­lon a first down at the Austin­town 46.

Danzy appeared to bobble the first down snap, but righted himself and found a huge cavity over his right guard for 27 yards to the Falcon 20. Mike Paul then bucked up the gut for 14 more to set up first‑and‑goal at the five. Two plays later, Ashcraft had his second TD of the evening. The conversion was botched and it was a 21‑15 Massillon lead with just over eight minutes to play.

At that point, Hartman and the Falcons were still confident.

“All we needed was one of our patented eight minute drives,” he remarked. “We score a touchdown and get the extra point and they have something like nine seconds left.”

Even Rose admitted there was some concern on the hosts’ sideline after the extra point went awry.

“We missed the extra point and everybody’s getting these negative thoughts,” Rose said.
“’Oh, no, A 22‑21 game.”‘

Fitch took over at its 31. On first down Senvisky hit Shawn Davis for a 24‑yard pick‑up to the Tiger 45. Four plays later, Hurdley picked up another first on a fourth‑and‑inches dive play. On the next snap, Senvis­ky dropped back to throw a short hook. The pass was tipped into the air and Massillon safety Tim Menches grabbed the ball and began running. He spun. He stiff armed and he didn’t stop running until he was in the end zone, some 67‑yards later.

Ironically, the Tiger coaching staff nearly yanked Menches out of the game just prior to the pick.

“That was a terrific intercep­tion,” Rose said. “Tony got dinged up the play before and we were trying to figure out a way to get him off the field and he makes that interception. He got a couple of good blocks and he broke a couple of tackles.”

Menches admitted he didn’t recall all that much about the play.

“I saw their slot hook out,” he explained. “Then I looked back to see if someone was coming out behind him. There was no one there, so I jumped the slot man. He got a hand on it and I saw the ball tipped in the air. I just caught it and ran.

“I just kept running hard, stiff arming their guys was just looking for that goal line. I was just thinking about touch­down.”

“We were cooking there,” Hartman said. “But we made a bad throw and their kid made a great play. He made a great play. That’s what its all about. You’ve got to make the plays.”

Willie Spencer Jr., iced the cake three plays later, stepping in front of another Senvisky ae­rial and racing 54 yards to pay dirt and a 34‑15 final.

“Massillon played a great football game,” Hartman con­cluded. “We didn’t play very well. What did we turn it over? Four times. You can’t beat a good football team turning the ball over.”

“I’m disappointed. Our kids played hard but they didn’t play well. We played stupid some times. We turned the ball over and that’s not us. it cost us the game.

“Offensively we made the mistakes in the second half. Their defense stopped us and we didn’t sustain anything in the second half.”

“I think we sent a message to Fitch that they’re going to have to play well to beat us from now on,” he said.

MASSILLON 34
AUST. FITCH 15
M FI
First downs rushing 9 10
First downs passing 2 4
First downs penalty 0 0
Total first downs 11 14
Net yards rushing 193 168
Net yards passing 37 87
Total yards gained 230 255
Passes attempted 9 11
Passes completed 5 6
Passes int. by 2 0
Times kicked off 6 3
Kickoff average 47.8 43.3
Kickoff return yards 41 49
Punts 1 3
Punting average 51.0 29.0
Punt return yards 8 0
Fumbles 0 2
Fumbles lost 0 2
Penalties 4 3
Yards penalized 59 20
Number of plays 44 52
Time of possession 23.04 24.56
Attendance 14,792

AUST. FITCH 00 15 00 00 15
MASSILLON 07 00 08 19 34

FIRST QUARTER
M ‑ Ashcraft 2 run (Pribich kick good)

SECOND QUARTER
A ‑ Polder 7 pass from Senvisky (kick failed)
A ‑ Safety
A ‑ Hurdley I run (Lawrence kick)

THIRD QUARTER
M ‑ Jackson 4 pass from Danzy (Danzy run)

FOURTH QUARTER
M ‑ Ashcraft 4 run (kick failed)
M ‑ Menches 67 pass interception return (pass failed)
M ‑ Spencer 54 pass interception return (Pri­bich kick good)

FINAL STATISTICS

RUSHING
Massillon
Danzy 11‑136,
Paul 8­-34,
Dixon 7‑25.
Ashcraft 6‑15 (2 TDs),
Herring 1‑3,
Heck 1‑5;
Fitch
Hurdley 15‑74,
Lawrence 2‑33,
Senvisky 5‑21,
Turner 12‑15,
Polder 2‑12.

PASSING
Massillon
Danzy 5‑9‑0, 1 TD;
Fitch
Senvisky 6‑10‑2, 1 TD;
Lawrence 0‑1‑0.

RECEIVING
Massillon
Merchant 1‑24,
Simp­son 1‑8,
Dixon 1‑5,
Jackson 1‑4 (1 TD);
Fitch
Hill 2‑37,
Davis 1‑24,
Airato 1‑15.
Polder 1‑7,
Minter 1-4.

Mark Fair
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

1993: Massillon 53, Mansfield Senior 22

Tigers move to 4-0 with lopsided win

By MIKE KEATING
Independent Sports Writer

It had been nearly two years since the Massillon Tigers last won a football game away from Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

Last fall, the Tigers lost at Austintown Fitch and at North Central Indianapolis (Ind.).

That is one reason why Jack Rose felt relieved after Massil­lon defeated Mansfield Senior on its home grass 53-22 before 8,000 fans at Arlin Field Friday night.

Program Cover

“I kept bearing it around town how long it had been since we last won a game on the road,” sighed Rose, the second­ year Massillon head coach. “So, yes, winning on the road was a big concern coming into the game.”

The last time the Tigers won a regular season road game was 42‑13 over McKinley in the 1991 finale.

“The coaches told us the dimensions on their (Man­sfield’s) field were the same as ours,” added linebacker Joel Smith. “We just had to go out and play football.”

The fourth quarter has be­longed to Massillon all season. The Tigers had outscored Alliance 20‑0, Grove City and Akron Garfield by a combined 56‑7 in the final period.

It was more of the same against the Tygers. Massillon scored 26 unanswered points in the fourth quarter ‑ 20 within the first 4:30.

Conditioning has been a fac­tor for the Tigers in those final eight minutes.

“We work hard on condition­ing in practice,” said tight end Isaiah Jackson. “That’s to our advantage.”

“We don’t practice long,” added Smith. “But we have very intense practices. It has helped pay off in the games.”

It appeared Mansfield was going to send the game to the wire after its second touchdown in the third quarter, a 66‑yard run by tailback Charles Foun­tain down the left sideline.

That score and subsequent extra point brought the Tygers to within 27‑22 at the 5:32 mark.

“I was nervous then,” admit­ted Smith, a 5‑11, 181‑pound senior. “But our offense just came back and pounded it right at them, like it had the whole game.”

The Tigers had the ball for nine series. The offense scored six touchdowns and had two other drives stopped after reaching the Mansfield nine.

Fullback Mike Paul helped prolong drive after drive with hard running between the tack­les. Paul, a 6‑0, 217‑pound senior, wound up with a game­ high 132 rushing yards in 18 car­ries.

After Fountain excited the home folks with the big play, the Tigers just methodically drove the ball upfield. Nine running plays moved it to the Mansfield 29.

Paul carried the ball five times for 30 yards in that drive.

Then quarterback Mike Danzy rifled a strike to Jackson, a 6-3 226-pound senior, who made a one‑hand grab on the slant play and turned the play into a 21‑yard gain.

“If you ask me,” Rose said, “that was the key point of the game.”

“It was just an instinctive catch,” grinned Jackson.

Three plays later, halfback Ali Dixon bulled into the end zone from two yards out. Danzy optioned right for the two points and the Tigers led 35‑22 with 10:32 to play.

Mansfield had responded af­ter Massillon built leads of 21‑7 and 27‑15, but the Tigers dug in defensively and forced a punt.

It was time for the special teams to deliver, as Kevin Buckland snared the punt at the Massillon 30, broke to the out­side and raced to the Mansfield 40, where it appeared he would be stopped. Buckland kept his legs moving and used every ounce of his 150-pound frame to shake off the would‑be tacklers and race to the end zone that made the score 41‑22.

The back breaker for Man­sfield occurred on its next series, when quarterback Effie James, who fired several pas­ses on the mark only to be bet­rayed by some slippery‑handed receiver, tried a hitch to wideout David Lawrence.

Massillon cornerback Lonnie Simpson, who was playing the receiver, immediately turned when the pass was released, caught it at the Tygers 35, stop­ped on a dime and returned the interception untouched into the end zone. That score with 7:40 remaining made it 47-22 and the Mansfield fans started heading for the exits.

Simpson had given the Tigers their first lead when he got be­hind the Mansfield secondary, hauled in a Danzy pass in full stride and turned it into a 33­-yard touchdown play with 4:20 left in the first quarter.

Fountain scored on a one-­yard plunge at the 2:21 mark of the first quarter and Mansfield had caught the Tigers at 7‑7.

But Danzy and Jackson teamed up to give Massillon the lead for good in the second quarter.

The senior quarterback rol­led left and hit an unguarded Jackson in the back of the end zone for a four‑yard touchdown strike. Randy Endsley kicked the P.A.T. and Massillon led 14-­7 with 11:06 left in the half.

Mansfield never caught the Tigers again, but they provided a scare, until the fourth quarter.

“They were the best team that we played,” said Smith. “They were so fast.”

“They came well‑prepared and were well‑coached for us,” Rose added. “They threw deep early (an incompletion) and stretched us out.

“We didn’t play a real good first half. We had two drives stopped when we got inside the scoring zone. Our goal is to score everytime we get inside the scoring zone.”

The Tigers have not opened with four consecutive wins since 1988, when Lee Owens’ first team accomplished that feat.

The streak was stopped at four by Austintown Fitch ‑ the Tigers’ next opponent.

Fitch will travel to Massillon with a 4‑0 record.

Fitch has played plenty of football inside Paul Brown Ti­ger Stadium within the last year. The Falcons defeated Perry and Pickerington in post­season tournament games be­fore losing to Cleveland St. Ignatius.

MASSILLON 53
MANSFIELD 22
M 0
First downs rushing 20 5
First downs passing 4 1
First downs penalty 1 0
Total first downs 25 6
Net yards rushing 381 170
Net yards passing 94 26
Total yards gained 475 196
Passes attempted 9 9
Passes completed 6 1
Passes int. by 1 0
Times kicked off 9 4
Kickoff average 42.6 49.8
Kickoff return yards 83 174
Punts 1 5
Punting average 33.0 38.2
Punt return yards 74 -3
Fumbles 2 1
Fumbles lost 1 1
Penalties 3 4
Yards penalized 15 25
Number of plays 64 36
Time of possession 30:31 17:29
Attendance 8,000

MANSFIELD 7 0 15 00 22
MASSILLON 7 7 13 26 53
MASS ‑ Simpson 33 pass from Danzy (En­dsley kick)
MANS ‑ Fountain I run (kick good)
MASS ‑ Jackson 4 pass from Danzy (Endsley kick)
MASS ‑ Paul 8 run (Endsley kick)
MANS ‑ Fountain 25 run (Lawrence pass from James)
MASS ‑ Paul 9 run (pass failed)
MANS ‑ Fountin 66 run (kick good)
MASS ‑ Dixon 2 run (Danzy run)
MASS ‑ Suckland 70 punt return (run failed)
MASS ‑ Simpson 34 pass interception (kick failed)
MASS ‑ Ashcraft 13 run (kick failed)

RUSHING
Massillon
Paul 18‑132,
Ashcraft 13‑96,
Dixon 13‑71,
Danzy 8‑39;
Mansfield
Foun­tain 10‑121.

PASSING
Massillon
Danzy 6‑9‑94, 2 TDs;
Mansfield
James 1‑9‑26‑1.

RECEIVING
Massillon
Jackson 3‑36,
Simp­son 1‑33,
Dixon 1‑17,
Merchant 1‑8;
Mansfield
Barber 1‑26.

Mark Fair
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

1993: Massillon 28, Akron Garfield 7

Tigers 3-0 after repulsing the Rams

B.J. ‘Paynes’ Garfield ‘11’
‘
By JOE SHAHEEN
Independent Sports Editor

The Massillon Tigers didn’t, wait until after the band show to get going this time, putting up 14 first‑half points on their way to a convincing 28‑7 victory over always‑rugged Akron Garfield before 13,245 at Paul Brown Ti­ger Stadium Friday night’

Program Cover

While the Tigers’ offense roared to life in the first half, the game’s turning point did in­deed come after halftime, when the Massillon defense forced I he Rams to go three‑and‑out on their first possession of the third quarter.

In fact, Tiger defensive tack­le B.J. Payne was a one‑man gang, making three consecu­tive tackles as Garfield netted zero yards in the key sequence.

After the Rams punted, Mas­sillon drove 53 yards in eight plays Danzy capping the march on a nine‑yard touch­down pass to Ali Dixon in the right corner of the end zone. The score gave the Tigers a 20‑7 lead and Garfield ‑ with its ground based attack ‑ was pretty much out of the game.

“We needed that series right there,” recalled Tigers coach Jack Rose. “They had a chance to go back down and tie it up and that could’ve been a big drive for them. B.J. did a great job. The whole defense did on that we got the ball back and we scored.”

Payne admitted he felt the momentum might be slipping away from the Tigers at that point of the game. They had just received a good kickoff return and a fortunate bounce on a fumble but failed to capitalize with a score.

“Offensively when we got stopped, I knew we had to hurry up and get three plays and out,” [ Payne said. “I just tried to do my job and make some plays to get us out of it.”

On first down, Payne smelled out a draw play and tackled Rams halfback Antoine Win­field for a yard loss. On second clown, Winfield again got the football and Payne took him down for a four‑yard loss. Gar­field gave the ball to fullback Frank Idley on third down, and Payne tripped him up just as it appeared he might find some daylight.

“There are certain times in the game when you have to step it up,” Payne. explained. “We have a lot of seniors on defense and we all know we have to step it up at certain times and that was my time right there.”

Garfield head coach Bill McGee couldn’t agree more.

B.J. is an outstanding play­er,” McGee said. “He’s the ideal size for a defensive tackle. He’s a guy where your offensive linemen have to stay down on him. He was outstanding. They had a lot of outstanding people on defense tonight.

“The turning point in the game was the first touchdown of the second half. Massillon kind of established control with that score. We felt at that point we had to do some things diffe­rent and they just didn’t allow it. They played outstanding de­fense. They swarmed us and we couldn’t block them.”

Things didn’t look quite so bright for the locals in the first quarter. Garfield took the open­ing kickoff and marched 54 yards in 13 plays before a touch­down saving deflection by Lon­nie Simpson in the end zone kil­led the drive. A 29‑yard field goal attempt hit the crossbar ­and bounced back.

But the Rams got another chance moments later, re­covering a Massillon fumble at the Tiger 43. Four plays later, Idley found a hole over his left guard and tackle and rumbled 23 yards to pay dirt. Mark Glockner hit the extra point and it was 7‑0 Garfield with 1:40 to go in the opening period.

The Tigers came right back. On second‑and‑12 from the Mas­sillon 43, Danzy rolled right and hit Eddie Griffith for a first down at the Garfield 44. On the very next snap, Danzy rolled the opposite direction and found Simpson alone in the end zone for a 44‑yard touchdown bomb. Randy Endsley’s conversion kick made it 7‑7 with less than a half minute gone in the second quarter.

More than any other, that score drew McGee’s ire:”

“They made the big play,” he said. “We allowed a guy (Simp­son) to get behind us. We play zone coverage and that’s some­thing you simply cannot have happen.”

“It’s a bootleg and there’s a lot of play action,” Danzy ex­plained. “I saw the free safety bite on the play fake. Then Lon­nie got behind him and it was just a matter of getting the ball to him. Lonnie was wide open and I hit him.”

“Mike has a good feel for that play,” praised Rose. “We want him to run it sometimes, too. If it’s open deep, throw it. Mike did a good job reading that and putting the ball down there.

“That really turned the momentum our way, especially after fumbling away the ball. The passing game was much better this week and it’s only going to get better.”

Rose admitted this week he’s heard from the fans about the aerial attack. So has Danzy.

“Sure, it becomes a challenge,” Danzy said. “I love challenges. People might criti­cize but I can take criticism and move on.”

With the game knotted at 7, Garfield retaliated. The Rams drove from their 20 to the Mas­sillon 3S, with Winfield account­ing for 42 yards on two slashing carries over the right side of his offensive line.

The Tiger defense stiffened at that point and quarterback Shane Legg dropped back to pass on third‑and‑11. Legg fired a short slant pass but Tim Men­ches timed it perfectly and step­ped in front of the intended re­ceiver for a drive‑killing in­terception at the 29.

Then Massillon mounted a drive that Garfield fans could appreciate, taking 12 plays to cover 75 yards and eating up over five minutes of game clock in the process. Danzy sustained the march with two key 17‑yard passes, the first to Dixon and the second to tight end Isaiah Jackson.

On second‑and‑goal from the 5, Danzy rolled right and ex­ecuted the pitch option to perfection, getting the ball to Dixon at the last possible mo­ment. The senior tailback hand­led the toss and sprinted un­touched into the right corner of the end zone for a 14‑7 Massillon lead at 2:31 of the second period.

McGee thinks Danzy’s play is the spark in the Tiger attack.

“Danzy throws the ball well and he’s an outstanding run­ner,” McGee observed. “He really puts pressure on the de­fense. When you have to worry about containing him, it puts pressure elsewhere on the de­fense.”

After the Danzy‑to‑Dixon TD connection in the third quarter put Garfield in a hole, the Ti­gers threw dirt on top of the visi­tors with their final scoring drive of the evening. Massillon moved 77 yards in 10 plays as Leon Ashcraft and Dixon took turns running through holes created by the right side of the offensive line.

On third down from the 10 Danzy rolled left after a play fake, took a hit at the 2 but dove into the end zone for the final touchdown of the evening. The senior signal caller hit Ashcraft with a two‑point conversion pass to make it 28‑7 with 6:30 to play.

A late Garfield drive died when Willie Spencer Jr. picked off a pass on the game’s final play.

“The second half of the ball game they were more physic­al,” McGee said. “I was dis­appointed with that. We held our own physically in the first half. The second half they were more physical. They came out and went at us harder. They ran right at us and took it to us.”

Payne indicated the Rams may have stirred the Tigers’ emotions with some comments made following last season’s 14-­13 Garfield victory.

“They said last year we we­ren’t physical enough and I think this year we showed them how physical we are,” Payne said.

“This is the kind of game I love. Somebody who’ll bring it right at me. Bring it on. Let’s see what you’ve got. I don’t think there’s anybody who can drop me. That’s my feeling.”

MASSILLON 28
GARFIELD 07
M G
First downs rushing 11 8
First downs passing 7 1
First downs penalty 0 3
Total first downs 18 12
Net yards rushing 171 135
Net yards passing 119 16
Total yards gained 290 151
Passes attempted 11 8
Passes completed 7 1
Passes int. by 2 0
Times kicked off 5 2
Kickoff average 45.8 48.5
Kickoff return yards 70 94
Punts 0 3
Punting average 0.0 32.0
Punt return yards 26 0
Fumbles 1 2
Fumbles lost 1 0
Penalties 7 3
Yards penalized 45 15
Number of plays 47 47
Time of possession 20:44 27:16
Attendance 13,245

GARFIELD 07 00 00 00 7
MASSILLON 00 14 06 08 28

G ‑ Idley 23 run (Glockner kick)
M ‑ Simpson 44 pass from Danzy (Endsley 1kick)
M ‑ Dixon 4 run (Endsiey kick)
M ‑ Dixon 8 pass from Danzy (kick failed)
M ‑ Danzy 10 run (Ashcraft pass from Danzy)

RUSHING:
Massillon
Ashcraft 14‑70,
Dixon 9‑62,
Danzy 10‑33,
Fraelich 2‑2,
Paul 1‑4;
Garfield
Winfield 17‑76,
Idley 12‑64,
Bell 5‑8.

PASSING:
Massillon
Danzy 7‑11‑119‑0, 2 TDs.
Garfield
Legg 1‑8‑13‑2.

RECEIVING:
Massillon
Simpson 1‑44,
Dixon 2‑29,
Jackson 2‑25,
Griffith 1‑13,
Merchant 1‑8;
Garfield
Cook 1‑16.

McGee rates
Tigers over the Bulldogs

Akron Garfield head coach Bill McGee knows a good opponent when he plays one.

Garfield has played a cou­ple of them in the first three weeks of the season, arch riv­als Massillon and McKinley. The Rams lost to the Pups 7‑0 in Week 1, and 28‑7 to the Ti­gers Friday.

So, Bill, which is better? Massillon or McKinley?

“At this point in the season, I’d have to rate Massillon an advantage,” McGee said. “They are quicker on defense and there’s the quarterback, situation.

“(Mike Danzy) made some big plays for them tonight. He makes their offense go be­cause he opens things for other people.

“So I’d have to rate them a little bit ahead. But there’s a long way to go until Week 10

Mark Fair