2018: Massillon 49, Canton Glenoak 0

August 31, 2018October 19, 2020
by Eric Smith

Tigers run wild, run past GlenOak23 hours ago

Chris Easterling – The Independent
PLAIN TWP. It was one of those nights at Bob Commings Field on Friday night.

It was a night where almost everything went right for Massillon, and everything went wrong for GlenOak. When it was all said and done, it was a night where the Tigers posted their biggest margin of victory since Week 5 of the 2016 season in rolling to a 49-0 win over the Golden Eagles.

“(Massillon’s) a good football team,” said GlenOak coach Scott Garcia, whose team lost starting quarterback Kindel Richardson to a first-quarter injury. “They took it to us. They have it all. They’ve got an offensive line, the back – (Jamir) Thomas — is as good as they come, and they can spread you out at the same time. They present you a lot of problems.”

Massillon, 2-0 for the first time since 2014, had all of it on display in its biggest win since a 75-7 beating of Toledo Bowsher. The Tigers ran it, they threw it and they stifled GlenOak at every turn.

And that was just in opening up a 35-0 halftime lead.

“They showed that they’re focused,” Massillon coach Nate Moore said. “They showed they’re disciplined. They showed they play hard and really care about this season.”

The Tigers’ big night started with their big running back Thomas powering his way to 170 yards on 11 rushing attempts. All of those were in the first half, as he also ran for three touchdowns of 35, 53 and 49 yards.

The first two came on Massillon’s second and third possessions, giving it a 14-0 lead. The third came on the first play of the Tigers’ fifth drive, making it 21-0 less than two minutes into the second quarter.

“A really great night tonight,” Moore said of Thomas, who has 278 rushing yards in two games. “He really showed some flashes of some breakaway speed, which didn’t happen much last year. Glad to see that out of him.”

Thomas was just part of the Tigers’ rushing tandem that gained 254 yards in the first half and finished with 343 yards for the game. Zion Phifer, while he wasn’t able to get into the end zone, added 106 yards on eight carries.

Meanwhile, Aidan Longwell added four more touchdown passes, giving him seven on the season. He hit Aydrik Ford on scoring strikes of 35 and 46 yards, while tossing 18- and 17-yard scores to Jayden Ballard.

The final one to Ballard came on Longwell’s last pass of the night, giving the Tigers a 42-0 third-quarter lead. Longwell finished 8-of-13 for 151 yards with the four scores, but two other interceptions in the end zone.

Listen to Longwell’s TD pass to Ballard

“He’s our field general,” Moore said of Longwell. “He’s our quarterback. He’s the one who makes everything work. A couple picks tonight that we certainly don’t want but, he’ll bounce back.”

Longwell’s TD pass to Murphy

GlenOak, which suffered its worst loss since a similar 49-0 setback at McKinley in Week 4 of the 2005 season, is hoping to bounce back from consecutive tough Friday nights against potentially two of the best teams in the state. The Golden Eagles are 0-2 for the second consecutive season after setbacks to first Toledo Whitmer and now to Massillon.

It was a bit of injury thrown on top of insult, however, on this night with the loss of Richardson. The dynamic junior quarterback suffered what appeared to be a leg injury on GlenOak’s third series of the game after being sacked.

After Richardson was taken off the field on a stretcher, J.T. Cooke came in to play quarterback the rest of the way. Regardless of who the quarterback was, GlenOak finished the night with 76 total yards, 65 of those on the ground,

“We’ve to learn from it and move on,” said Garcia, whose team plays host to Royal Imperial Collegiate (Ont.) next Friday. “We have a lot of season left. Obviously, it’s going to be tough without our quarterback. I thought J.T. stepped up and did some decent things. We just have to get better. Right now, we’re playing with a JV football team.”

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

On Twitter: @ceasterlingINDE

History

2017: Massillon 24, Canton Glenoak 10

September 1, 2017March 27, 2018
by Eric Smith

Massillon Keeps Ball, Win Away From GlenOak

Chris Easterling – The Independent
Sep 01, 2017 10:45 PM

Massillon played a game of keep-away on Friday night at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

The Tigers spent much of the game keeping the ball away from GlenOak. That led directly to Massillon keeping the win away from the Golden Eagles as well, as it emerged with a 24-10 victory to even its record at 1-1.

Aided by a 33-carry, 107-yard effort from Jamir Thomas, Massillon was able to run 80 plays in the game to just 43 for GlenOak, which is 0-2 for the first time since 1998. The Tigers finished with 356 total yards, while the Golden Eagles’ 188.

“There’s no doubt about it he was a part of it,” Massillon coach Nate Moore said of Thomas, who had missed the season-opening loss to Mentor due to disciplinary reasons. “But great performance by our offense and a great performance by our defense, especially in the first half. I’m proud of those guys.”

The tone of the game was set in the first half. Massillon’s first two drives took 19 and 21 plays, respectively.

Even more importantly, they both resulted in points. Klay Moll ended the first one with a 23-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead; Thomas ended the second one with a 1-yard plunge to give the Tigers a 10-3 lead.

By halftime, Massillon had already run 45 plays for 166 yards to just 16 plays for GlenOak for 61 yards. Of those, nine plays and 30 yards came on the Golden Eagles’ first drive, which ended in a Dean Sarris 20-yard field goal to tie the game at 3-3.

“The first half, obviously, we just couldn’t get off the field defensively,” GlenOak coach Scott Garcia said. “They ran the ball right down our throats. I think it was 45 plays for them in the first half to 16 for us. You’re not going to win games like that.”

The running game certainly was the backbone of the Tiger win. Massillon ran for 157 net yards on 55 carries – including 28 yards on 12 carries on a 15-play, game-sealing fourth-quarter scoring drive that ended on an Aidan Longwell 1-yard run with 2:33 remaining.

However, two pass plays may have been the ultimate difference. The first was a 33-yard Longwell-to-Austin Kutscher touchdown pass immediately after a Dyson Berry interception in the third quarter to put the Tigers in front 17-3.

The second, maybe bigger, one came on the final scoring drive. Facing a second-and-21 from the GlenOak 38, Longwell hit Dean Clark on a wheel route for 36 yards to the Eagle 2.

Three plays later, Longwell powered in from the 1 for a 24-10 Tiger lead. GlenOak would go four-and-out on its next possession to squelch any further threat.

“It was a great throw,” Moore said of the Longwell-to-Clark pass. “It was sort of a back-shoulder throw. Great call by our offensive coaching staff. The kids executed, and that’s what it takes to win big games.”

Longwell, in his second start, was 15-of-25 for 209 yards with the one touchdown pass.

Meanwhile, GlenOak quarterback Tate Rhoads was never able to get the one part of his game that had Tiger defensive coaches most concerned in the week leading to the game. That would be his rushing ability.

Rhoads, who had 78 yards on six first-half carries before leaving with a broken collarbone in the teams’ 2016 meeting, was held to just six rushing yards on four carries.

“He missed a couple of reads that he should’ve given the ball,” Garcia said. “He just didn’t do it. He didn’t play very well and he knows it, and we’re going to move on.”

Rhoads was 16-of-24 for 145 yards with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Chris Armstead with 8:01 remaining to cut Massillon’s lead to 17-10. He also had the interception, which Berry made on a diving catch after the ball deflected off of the receiver.
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History

2016: Massillon 24, Canton Glenoak 21

September 1, 2016March 27, 2018
by Eric Smith

TOOTH & CLAW

Massillon powers past GlenOak with big rally

By Chris Easterling
Massillon Sports Editor

PLAIN TWP. The year was 2010. Massillon traveled to GlenOak trying to avoid its first 0-2 start since 2004.

The Tigers fell into a two-touchdown hole in the first quarter. However, they would dig deep and rally to win a hard-fought game over the Golden Eagles.

Fast forward to Thursday night. Massillon once again traveled to Bob Commings Field trying to avoid that 0-2 start.

Once again, the Tigers fell in a two-touchdown first-quarter deficit. Yet, once again, they avoided staying winless by rallying for a 24-21 win over the Golden Eagles.

“It’s what we do,” said quarterback Seth Blankenship, whose 31-yard touchdown pass to Austin Jasinski with 7:57 left in the third quarter gave Massillon the lead for good at 24-21. “A Massillon Tiger never folds, no matter what. That’s what it’s been like since Massillon football started. We weren’t going to put our heads down; we were going to fight until the clock hit zeroes.”

The go-ahead touchdown to Jasinski was set up by his own 55-yard punt return to the Golden Eagle 14. A personal foul penalty on Massillon moved to ball back to the 31, where it was 3rd and-27 before the go-ahead touchdown.

Jasinski also helped set up a pair of first-half touchdowns with runs to the GlenOak 2. Both of those scores, however, came on the subsequent plays by Jamir Thomas.

The first 2-yard run made it 14-6 after the point-after kick was missed on the final play of the first quarter. The second pulled Massillon within 21-13 with 6:18 remaining in the first half.

That Thomas had both scores shouldn’t have been surprising. The sophomore was the power running threat Massillon was looking for, gaining 105 yards on 27 carries, including 47 on seven carries on the game-sealing drive to end the game.

“I feel like we did a really good job tonight (blocking) instead of other nights,” said left guard Chris Anthony, who helped the Tigers rush for 151 yards as a team. “Coach (Jon) Mazur, our offensive line coach, really puts an emphasis on, dn’t be perfect, but be physical. Out-physical them. Even if you make a mistake, make sure you do it 100 percent rather than being perfect and getting blown off the ball.”

The first half, at least the first quarter-plus of it, that was GlenOak who was getting that accomplished. Particularly on third down with quarterback Tate Rhoads.

Rhoads picked up 50 yards on three third-down runs on the first possession of the game. That included a 12-yard touchdown run that gave GlenOak a 7-0 lead with 8:45 left in the first quarter.

On the Golden Eagles’ first drive of the second quarter, Rhoads kept a drive alive with a 16-yard run on third-and-12. Two plays later, Elijah Ladson’s 26-yard touchdown run made it 21-7 GlenOak 1:34 into the quarter.

Rhoads left the game at halftime after suffering a shoulder injury. He rushed for a team-high 79 yards on six carries. The Golden Eagles finished with 171 rushing yards and 220 total yards.

That Golden Eagle offense would only have five second-half first downs, four on their final drive. That drive ended on downs at the Massillon 26 with 2:52 left.

“We just all had to do what we’re coaching to do,” said Tiger linebacker Jacob Risher, whose interception set up a 31-yard Nate Gregg field goal to pull Massillon with 21-17 with 2:56 left in the first half. “We just have to do the keys we’re taught to play. … I’ll do anything for these guys next to me, and they’ll do anything for.”

GlenOak’s longest scoring play in building a 21-16 halftime lead actually came from its defense.

Tay Pryor stepped in front of a pass on Massillon’s second offensive play and returned it 39 yards for a score and a 14-0 Golden Eagle lead with 8:02 left in the first quarter.

That was one of three interceptions by the GlenOak defense, two of which came on Massillon’s first two drives.

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History

2015: Massillon 21, Canton Glenoak 37

September 3, 2015January 1, 2018
by Eric Smith

HARSH LESSON
Tiger errors add up to Game 2 loss to Eagles

MASSILLON Nate Moore hoped his team had learned its lesson in Massillon’s season-opening win over Perry. He hoped his team had managed to figure out it couldn’t just show up and expect to win without having to suffer a loss to hammer the point home.

Unfortunately for Moore and the Tigers, they couldn’t dodge lightning twice. This time, the errors that Massillon had gotten away with in Week 1 came back to hurt in Week 2, as it suffered a 37-21 loss to GlenOak on Thursday night at Paul Brown “Obviously, we weren’t prepared today,” Moore said after his team fell to 1-1. “Our kids weren’t ready to play. You have to give credit to (GlenOak coach Scott) Garcia and his staff and their kids, because they played a great game. This is 100 percent on me; I have to get our kids better prepared. Tonight’s unacceptable.”

For the second week in a row, Massillon gave up more than 430 yards, and surrendered 37 points in consecutive games. Last week, it was a 432-yard performance by Perry; on Thursday, it was a 494 yard effort by GlenOak.

As was the case against Perry also, the Tigers surrendered a pair of 100-plus-yard rushers.

Golden Eagle quarterback Brennon Tibbs rushed for 154 yards and two scores, including a 70-yard run with 13 seconds left in the third quarter that made it 30-21.

“That was big,” Garcia said of the 70-yard run. “Brennon made a big play. That’s what a senior leader is supposed to do.”

C.C. Cubilla added 131 yards and a game-clinching 11-yard run with 1:09 left. Beyond that, the Tigers also killed themselves with ill-timed turnovers despite accumulating 409 total yards.

They gave the ball up four times, two times on fumbles and twice on interceptions.

Massillon turned the ball over twice on its final two drives of the first half. Both came inside the GlenOak 30, including a fumble as the running back appeared to have a clear path to the end zone.

“We’ve got to find the weaknesses and mistakes we have in the game and we have to find a way to get those applied in practice and get those fixed,” said Moore, whose team travels to Warren Harding next week ‘We can’t continue to do this.”

Adding injury to insult was another injury to senior quarterback Lee Hurst, who left the game with an arm injury just as he was establishing a rhythm running the football. Hurst, who was injured on a 13-yard run that gave Massillon a first down at the GlenOak 17 early in the fourth quarter, rushed for 202 yards on 20 carries in the game. The senior quarterback had two touchdowns also: an 11yard run that tied the game at 7-7 midway through the first quarter and a 13-yard run that pulled Massillon to within 20-14 with 6:21 left in the third quarter.

“I’m worried about Lee; we’ve got to find out what’s going on,” Moore said. “I heard he was on his way to the hospital, but other than that, I don’t know. He was making plays for us with his legs. It’s a huge loss.”

GlenOak stunned Massillon from the start by being the team that established the fast pace on offense. It took the Golden Eagles just 3:22 to travel 65 yards in nine plays to take a 7-0 lead on the opening drive thanks got a Tibbs’ run.

After the Tigers tied the game at 7-7 on their first drive, GlenOak came right back with a sixplay, 65-yard drive that took just 2:02 of clock time to take a 13-7 lead on the first of two Robert Peterson touchdown runs. Peterson would add a second scoring run for a 20-7 Golden Eagle lead with 10:54 remaining in the half.

“Our offensive line came off the ball,” said Garcia after his team improved to 1-1. “They dominated the line of scrimmage. That’s what we asked them to do and they got it done.”

That scoring drive took just 56 seconds to go 90 yards. It was one of four sub-three minute scoring drives for GlenOak on the night.

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History

2014: Massillon 17, Canton Glenoak 14

September 4, 2014December 30, 2017
by Eric Smith

Crabtree’s running keys Massillon in victory over GlenOak

Chris Easterling
Chris.Easterling@IndeOnline.com

PLAIN TWP. One moment, J.D. Crabtree looked like he was going down to the ground. The next, he was on his way to the end zone.

And that Houdini act by the Massillon senior running back was the latest crazy play to decide a Tigers-GlenOak showdown.

Crabtree’s 45-yard run with 5:45 remaining lifted Massillon to a 17-14 come-from-behind high school football win over the Golden Eagles in front of a capacity crowd at Bob Commings Field.

“I hit the hole and I was like, ‘Oh, I’m in trouble,’ ” said Crabtree, who maintained his balance with one hand while in the pile. “I was able to push some guys off me. My receiver, Dylan Henderson, caught a great block for me on the end, I was able to make a cut and take it right end.”

That run was the next-to-last carry in a 24-carry, 174-yard performance for the Tiger senior.

But it would be his 24th and final run that would ultimately seal the game.

With 1:18 remaining, Massillon had the ball in a fourth-and-inches situation at the GlenOak 42.

The Tigers elected to call timeout, and head coach Jason Hall wanted to punt the ball away.

Crabtree, though, had other ideas.

“We were getting ready to punt and he looked at me and he said, ‘I will get that yard,’ ” Hall said. “So we said, ‘Let’s do it.’ ”

With the offense back on the field, the ball went to Crabtree one final time. He powered his way for a 3-yard gain, picking up the first down and sealing the win.

It marked the second week in a row Crabtree had a huge second half to carry Massillon to a 2-0 start. A week ago, he rushed for 161 yards after intermission to rally the Tigers from 17 points down to beat Perry.

This time, it was a 124-yard performance that helped the Tigers turn a scoreless halftime total into a winning margin.

“I think the guys need to realize that we need to throw the first punch and the last punch,”

Crabtree said. “It said on our offensive scouting report, ‘Start to finish.’ I think that hit me big. I know we came out kind of slow and went into the half 0-0, but I knew coming out, the look in the guys’ eyes told me how it was going to come out.”

Those teams went into the locker room scoreless after both teams ended what was essentially their only second-quarter possessions without capitalizing. Massillon reached the GlenOak 7, but missed a 25-yard field goal.

GlenOak reached the Tiger 9, where it ran a fake field goal to the 5 for a first down. But after a running play, the clock ran out without the Golden Eagles being able to get another play off.

The third quarter, though, was an offensive onslaught for both teams. The Tigers scored on their first possession, with Danny Robinson’s 1-yard run capping a 76-yard, eight-play drive fora 7-0 lead.

Seven plays later, GlenOak tied it up when Brennon Tibbs ran it in from 3 yards out with 6:32 left in the third. Tibbs, the Golden Eagle quarterback, ran for 81 yards on the night.

After a Tiger three-and-out, GlenOak marched down for a 14-7 lead. This time, it was Cameron Cabilla doing the honors, running it in from 13 yards out with 3:18 remaining in the third.

“They got good at running that power read,” Hall said.

Massillon would draw closer on its final third-quarter drive. Andrew David did the honors with a career-high 50-yard field goal with 1:18 remaining.

Neither team would score again after that. At least, not until Crabtree went full Houdini to help Massillon escape from GlenOak with a win.

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History

2013: Massillon 23, Canton Glenoak 20

September 5, 2013December 29, 2017
by Eric Smith

Triple OT
Massillon outlasts GlenOak for second victory

“Take your hat off to GlenOak; they had a great defensive game plan. They just brought the house at us all night.” MASSILLON COACH JASON HALL

BY CHRIS EASTERLING
Independent sports editor,

MASSILLON Massillon’s season opener against Perry last week had its share of miscues, penalties and turnovers. But the Tigers were able to overcome those to still run away with the win.

The second time Massillon took the field this season was filled with more of the same as it welcomed nemesis GlenOak to Paul Brown Tiger Stadium on Thursday night. And once again, the Tigers were able to overcome all of that to get the win.

This time, though, it was no rout. Instead, it was a nail-biting, breath-taking rally that gave Massillon a 23-20 triple-overtime win over the Golden Eagles.

“I happy with it, but at the same time, I’m really disappointed with the way we played,” Massillon coach Jason Hall said after his team moved to 2-0 thanks to a 20-yard Andrew David field goal in the third overtime, followed by a fourth-down stop from his team’s own 1. “Take your hat off to GlenOak; they had a great defensive game plan. They just brought the house at us all night. We didn’t do a great job. We have to get back to fundamentals.”

On a night when history was being made with Danny Clark becoming the first freshman to ever start at quarterback for Massillon, a different kind of history was seemed possible as well. Outside of McKinley, no other Stork County team ever had beaten the Tigers in three consecutive meetings, but such an opportunity was there for GlenOak after taking the 2011 and 2012 contests.

It was nearly there, but GlenOak – which led 10-6 in the fourth quarter, as well as 20-13 in the second OT – couldn’t convert a fourth-and-goal from the Tiger 1 in the third overtime. Mike Smith came up to stop Jason Simon for a loss to preserve the win. The stop capped a night in which Massillon, despite a 288-152 edge in yards and an 18-8 first-down edge, shot itself in the foot over and over again. The Tigers turned the ball over five times, missed an extra point and three field goals, allowed GlenOak to pick up six recorded sacks in the game and missed onmultiple opportunities in Golden Eagles territory in the first half.

“We just kept battling and battling,” Hall said. “We didn’t play our best game.” as for Clark, there were times where he looked like exactly what he was, which is a freshman. Yet he gave Massillon a 13-10 fourth-quarter lead when he hit Marcus Whitfield on a 10-yard touchdown strike with 4:46 remaining, then helped send the game into a third OT with a 21 yard TD pass to Reggie Rogers.

Clark finished the game 14 of 24 for 170 yards with three touchdowns, two of which went to Rogers. The two also hooked up for an 18-yard score with 9:31 remaining in the first quarter to give Massillon a 6-0 lead.

“Danny’s a tough kid,” Hall said. “He’s going to learn from this. We’re going to learn from this.” GlenOak would rally twice. Simon’s 2-yard touchdown with 3:44 left in the first half gave the Eagles a 7-6 lead. They would then march down for a game-tying 31-yard field goal with 17 seconds left in regulation to send it to overtime tied at 13-13.

Both teams missed field goals in the first overtime session. Massillon’s was pushed wide left, while GlenOak’s was blocked.

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History

2012: Massillon 24, Canton Glenoak 26

August 30, 2012December 29, 2017
by Eric Smith

Massillon turnovers halt rally against GlenOak

Chris Easterling
Updated: Friday, August 31, 2012

PLAIN TWP. The scoreboard said the Massillon Tigers lost to the GlenOak Golden Eagles 26-24 on Thursday night at a soldout Bob Commings Field. And they did.

But what ultimately cost them the game wasn’t just the points on the scoreboard. It was also the five turnovers the Tigers had that ultimately prevented them from emerging with the win.

“You can’t have that many turnovers; you can’t play that sloppy and expect to win big football games,” Massillon coach Jason Hall said after his team fell to 1-1. “We did not play good enough to win that football game. It might have been (26-24), but the game wasn’t that. We just played so sloppy.”

All five of the Tigers’ turnovers came inside Golden Eagle territory. Twice, they came within two plays after GlenOak – which had four turnovers itself – had turned the ball over itself.

Those turnovers often negated any momentum Massillon was building as it spent all night playing from behind. The Tigers fell behind 7-0 after GlenOak turned the first of their five turnovers – a fumble five plays into the game – into a 13-play, 63-yard scoring drive capped by Justin Smith’s 2-yard plunge.

Massillon, which trailed 7-3 at halftime thanks to an Andrew David 45-yard field goal, quickly fell behind 20-3 after GlenOak scored on its first two possessions of the second half. Tyler Lancaster’s 80-yard run on the half’s first play, and Reid Worstell’s 1-yard plunge to cap a 12-play, 66-yard scoring drive put the Tigers in a 17-point hole with 4:36 left in the third.

The key to GlenOak opening up the lead – outside of the Tigers’ turnovers – was its ability to control the line of scrimmage. The Golden Eagles had 227 rushing yards on 48 carries.

“Both teams have great athletes, but we told our kids that up front’s where it’s going to be won,” GlenOak coach Scott Garcia said after his team improved to 2-0.

The Tigers, meanwhile, found their offense – when it wasn’t turning the ball over – struggling to keep quarterback Kyle Kempt clean. GlenOak brought constant pressure during the game, especially in the first three quarters.

The result was five sacks by the Golden Eagles and several other hurried throws by Kempt, who still completed 29 of 41 passes for 327 yards.

“They blitzed their inside linebackers all night,” said Hall, whose team netted minus-4 yards rushing thanks to those sacks and a 20-yard loss on a bad snap. “They were able to push that line of scrimmage back into Kyle, and at times, he just couldn’t make good plays.”

That passing helped Massillon climb back into the game. But it started with a 4-yard rushing touchdown by Ernie Baez with 7:29 left in the game, a score that cut it to 20-10.

After a GlenOak fumble, the Tigers made it 20-17 when Baez capped a quick three play drive with a 2-yard run with 6:11 remaining. The big play, however, was a 40-yard Kempt-to-Gareon Conley pass to the GlenOak 2.

GlenOak appeared to regain control, methodically marching 80 yards in eight plays – with Worstell rushing three times for 44 yards – to take a 26-17 lead with 3:00 left.

Fullback Vince Cuenot gashed the Tigers for an 18-yard run on a trap play for the score.

Massillon’s final answer came courtesy of a 30-yard Kempt-to-Conley touchdown pass with 2:11 remaining to make it 26-24. However, the Golden Eagles secured the win when Worstell hit Cuenot on a play-action pass into the flat for 15 yards.

“They did well on third down, even on the last drive,” Hall said. “They did well on third down. You have to tip your cap to them.”

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History

2011: Massillon 21, Canton Glenoak 22

September 1, 2011December 28, 2017
by Eric Smith

Inadvertent whistle costs Massillon chance at late, go-ahead score

Chris Easterling
The Independent

For the better part of three quarters Thursday night, it was the opposite story from a year ago for the Massillon Tigers with regard to handling GlenOak star tailback Bri’onte Dunn. Instead of letting the Golden Eagle back run wild, the Tiger defense was able to keep Dunn relatively in check.

However, when the fourth quarter came around, Dunn began to run wild, scoring two touchdowns in the final 7:10 of the game to lift the Golden Eagles to a 22-21 win over Massillon inside Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

While Dunn’s fourth-quarter outburst may have ultimately cost Massillon, many may look at an apparent fumble by the Golden Eagles at midfield that was nullified by an inadvertent whistle with 1:33 remaining. The ball was given back to GlenOak, which ran out the rest of the clock.

“Ultimately, what they did was take the game out of letting the kids decide,” said Tiger coach Jason Hall after his team fell to 1-1 on the season, “whether we win or GlenOak wins.”

Dunn, who had 297 yards in three quarters a year ago on his way to 320 yards in a 28-27 Tiger win, had 115 rushing yards on 23 carries through three quarters. In the fourth quarter, he exploded for 134 yards on 16 carries with a pair of scores to help GlenOak erase a 21-10 Tiger lead.

“Coach (Scott Garcia) said we had to work hard,” Dunn said. “We were down two touchdowns. We worked hard and we weren’t quitting for this one.”

The GlenOak senior finished with 249 yards on 39 carries. He also threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Lunden Butler on a halfback pass to give the Golden Eagles a 7-0 lead with 49 seconds left in the first quarter.

For Massillon, though, Thursday night was as much about missed opportunities as it was about Dunn’s fourth-quarter heroics. Massillon basically spent the entire first half in GlenOak territory. In fact, the only play out of their five first-half drives that was snapped on the Tiger side of the 50 was the first play of the game — a 48-yard strike from Kyle Kempt to Justin Blake to the GlenOak 27.

However, for all of that great field position, the Tigers only mustered one score on a 28-yard game-tying touchdown from Kempt to Montel Harrison with 11:15 left until halftime.

Two sacks and a penalty self-destructed the first drive at the GlenOak 15-yard line. Another drive, which started after Massillon recovered an onside kick, ended when it was stopped on downs at the GlenOak 4.

Still another, which reached the GlenOak 6, was thwarted when a pass off a field-goal try was picked off in the end zone.

“We missed opportunities,” Hall said. “We missed a field goal. We bobbled the snap; it happens. We got stopped on fourth down. … As hard knocks as we thought the end of the game was, we missed on opportunities where that situation could’ve been avoided.”

That missed chance cost the Tigers a chance for the halftime lead. GlenOak, given the opening, didn’t miss on its chance to take the edge into the intermission.

The Golden Eagles drained the final 4:15 off the first-half clock and took a 10-7 when Stephen Semple wrapped up the half with a 23-yard field goal.

GlenOak’s final first-half drive featured the two longest runs of the first half for Dunn, who was bottled up for much of the half to the tune of 75 yards on 16 carries. Thirty-one of those yards came on consecutive runs of 13 and 18 runs to take the ball down to the Tiger 7.

The Tigers’ fortune with regards to field position didn’t change with the change in halves. However, they found their luck in finishing drives did, as they took their first third-quarter possession from the GlenOak 43 into the end zone on Ryne Moore’s 17-yard scoring run for a 14-10 lead with 7:20 left in the third quarter.

They recovered a GlenOak fumble on the Eagles 47. Three plays later, Kempt hit Tre Hendricks for a 46-yard scoring pass to take a 21-10 lead with 5:24 left in the third.

A second GlenOak turnover — this one an interception by Brody Tonn — forced the Tigers to take just their second snap of the game in their own territory, this time at their own 27.

Massillon would not run another play in GlenOak territory the rest of the game.

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History

2010: Massillon 28, Canton Glenoak 27

September 2, 2010December 28, 2017
by Eric Smith

Tigers withstand GlenOak’s Dunn, rally for key win

By CHRIS EASTERLING
The Independent

CANTON, OH On a night when GlenOak’s Bri’onte Dunn appeared to be on his way to a magical kind of night, the Massillon Tigers stole the show and put together the kind of win that can jump-start a season.

Despite giving up 320 yards rushing to the Golden Eagles’ talented running back, Massillon rallied in the second half to pull out a 28-27 win at sold-out Bob Commings Field on Thursday night.

We handled adversity, Tiger coach Jason Hall said after his team pulled to 1-1 on the season. They fought and they fought. GlenOak came out of the gates and just smacked us and made some big plays early. … We just kept hanging in there.

Nobody may have better epitomized that hang-in-there attitude than Brody Tonn, the Tigers sophomore quarterback.

After a miserable night in his first varsity start last week against Buchtel, Tonn came back to put up the kind of game that Hall expected from his young quarterback when he gave him the reins of the offense in two-a-days. The sophomore completed 17-of-30 passes for 330 yards and four touchdowns and two interceptions.

I had so much support after that game, Tonn said. Everybody calling me and telling me to keep my head high. It was my first game and I got it under my belt. I just took that all in mind.

Two of his biggest supporters during the week were his two biggest targets Devin Smith and Justin Olack. And those two were there again on Thursday night to give him a lift on the field as well.

It was Smith’s 45-yard touchdown catch on a ball he had to come back to get that gave Massillon its first lead of the night – at 28-27 after Anthony McCarthy’s critical point-after kick – with 11:50 remaining. Smith finished with five catches for 116 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

“All week we’ve been working with him,” Smith said. “We’ve been talking to him and keeping his head up. … The most important thing for him being so young, us seniors have to step up and make sure his head is in the game.”

Olack added 150 yards receiving on eight catches, with six of those grabs and 122 of those yards in the first half. His 81-yard touchdown catch late in the first half cut GlenOak’s lead to 21-14 at halftime.

Tyler Allman also caught a 31-yard touchdown pass from Tonn that made it 27-21 GlenOak in the third quarter.

The problem for much of the night for Massillon wasn’t its offense. It was GlenOak’s offense – or, more specifically, Dunn.

The Golden Eagle junior showcased his immense talents for the better part of the night. He had 119 yards on eight carries in the first quarter, including a 78-yard run that gave GlenOak a 14-0 lead.

He put GlenOak up 21-7 early in the second quarter with a 57-yard burst to the end zone. At the half, he had already reached 234 yards on 22 carries.

Dunn’s final scoring run was a 31-yard effort in which he bounced off at least three Tiger defenders to give GlenOak a 27-14 edge with 9:39 remaining in the third quarter. The PAT bounced off the upright to keep the lead at 13.

Through three quarters, Dunn had 295 yards rushing on 31 carries. But the Tigers were able to hold him to just 25 yards on eight fourth-quarter carries, although he did have a big 20-yard reception to convert a third down late.

“We stopped wrong-arming,” Hall said. “The concern was he was bouncing in space and we weren’t tackling. We were trying to keep him inside, and our secondary had to come up and start tackling.”

GlenOak would threaten seriously once in the fourth quarter, getting down to the Tiger 3 after Massillon had pulled in front. But a fumble by the Golden Eagles was recovered by Massillon’s Seth Nalbach, snuffing out the potential threat.

After stopping the Golden Eagles on downs at the Tiger 43 with 2:21 left, Massillon would run out the clock – thanks to a GlenOak offsides penalty with 10 seconds left on a fourth-and-2 situation.

“This brought us together,” Olack said. “Our confidence is up now. We just have to play good every week now. We gained our respect back, too, from the fans.”

GAME STATS

Massillon 28
GlenOak 27

at Bob Commings Field

Massillon 7 7 7 7 28
GlenOak 14 7 6 0 27

SCORING SUMMARY

GO – Butler 45 pass from Meredith (Hayes kick)
GO – Dunn 78 run (Hayes kick)
M – Smith 43 pass from Tonn (McCarthy kick)
GO- Dunn 57 run (Hayes kick)
M – Olack 81 pass from Tonn (McCarthy kick)
GO – Dunn 32 run (Kick failed)
M – Allman 31 pass from Tonn (McCarthy kick)
M – Smith 45 pass from Tonn (McCarthy kick)

Mas GO
First downs 13 15
Rushes-yards 23-46 41-318
Comp-Att-Int 17-30-2 4-15-1
Passing yards 330 103
Fumbles-lost 1-0 1-1
Penalties-yards 4-30 4-20
Records 1-1 1-1

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing: Massillon – Reiman 7-23.
GlenOak – Dunn 39-320 3 TDs.

Passing: Massillon – Tonn 17-30-330 4 TDs, 2 INTs.
GlenOak – Meredith 4-15-103 TD, INT.

Receiving: Massillon – Olack 8-150 TD, Smith 5-116 2 TDs; Roberson 2-29; Allman
1-31 TD; Winters 1-4.
GlenOak – Butler 1-45 TD, Merrell 1-27, Dunn 1-20, Hall 1-11.

History

2009: Massillon 35, Canton Glenoak 10

September 3, 2009December 28, 2017
by Eric Smith

Fast start helps Massillon blitz GlenOak

CHRIS EASTERLING
The Independent

There were few truly surprised when the Massillon Tigers got out to a three-touchdown lead in the first half of their season opener against Buchtel a week ago. However, the same couldn’t be said during Thursday night’s showdown with GlenOak at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

But much to the delight of the orange-clad faithful among the 11,080 in attendance, there the Tigers sat with a 21-0 lead just 12 seconds into the second quarter.

Buoyed by the start, Massillon made it two straight lopsided wins to open the season, this one a 35-10 victory over the Golden Eagles.

“I don’t think you anticipate something like that,” Tiger coach Jason Hall said. “We anticipated a physical football game. … I was just pleased with the way our kids came out and they played.”

The Tigers only punted twice in the first three quarters, as they built up a 35-3 lead. Robert Partridge hit Devin Smith for a pair of touchdown passes, while Alex Winters added two scoring runs to help build up that edge.

“This was a lot of fun,” said Smith, who had five catches for 143 yards. “Getting a win against a big school like this and all the talk that’s been going on saying we couldn’t handle it against these guys, it was good to come back with a win.”

The Tigers forced GlenOak to punt from the Massillon 41 on the first drive of the game, and took over at their own 13. From there, Massillon methodically marched down the field to the end zone. Three times on the drive, the Tigers had to convert third downs of at least five yards, and all three times they did so.

Massillon picked up a 12-yard catch from Justin Olack on a third-and-6. Facing a third-and-9 six plays later, Partridge scrambled for 10 and another first down. Partridge would again use his legs to move the chains when he gained eight on a third and-5 to put the ball on the GlenOak 24.

The next play would bring an end to the 15-play drive, as Partridge hooked up with Smith on a 24-yard touchdown pass with 1:57 left in the first quarter. Jeremy Geier’s kick made it 7-0 Tigers.

Massillon’s lead would grow to two touchdowns the next time the Tigers literally touched the ball. Bo Grunder stepped in front of a Golden Eagle pass attempt at the Tiger 23 and outran everybody into the end zone for the score just 12 seconds into the second quarter.

Grunder’s pick-six was the second one in as many weeks for the Massillon defense. It was one of two takeaways for the Tigers on Thursday, giving them eight for the season.

“That really set a lot of the tempo for the rest of the half,” Hall said. “They were starting to move the ball a bit and had got a couple of big plays. … Bo just read it perfectly and took it to the house.”

Geier’s point after kick was good, making it 14-0 Massillon.

After a three-and-out by GlenOak, the Tigers went right back to work on offense. A 36-yard pass to Smith put the ball at the Golden Eagle 25, and two plays later, Alex Winters tore through the GlenOak defense for a 14-yard touchdown run.

Geier once again was true on the PAT, and Massillon had its second 21-0 lead in as many weeks. This one came with 6:54 left in the half.

And for the second straight week, the Tigers saw an opponent try to steal some momentum right before the half. GlenOak marched from its own 26 to the Massillon 4 with under 40 seconds left.

But the Tigers bowed their backs on defense and limited the Golden Eagles to a 21-yard field goal with 27 seconds left in the half to make it 21-3 Massillon.

The Tigers led 28-3 with 8:51 in the third after Winters’ second scoring run of the game, a 3-yarder. That capped an eight-play drive which started with Smith hitting Olack for a 29-yard gain on a receiver pass to the GlenOak 29.

Three plays after the Tigers held on fourth down at their own 24, Partridge and Smith hooked up again, this one a 75-yard catch-and-run down the left sideline. The PAT made it 35-3 with 3:49 in the third.

GAME STATS

Massillon 35
GlenOak 10

GlenOak 00 03 00 07 10
Massillon 07 14 14 00 35

SCORING SUMMARY
M – Smith 24 pass from Partridge (Geier kick)
M – Grunder 77 interception return (Geier kick)
M – Winters 14 run (Geier kick)
GO – FG P. Julian 21
M – Winters 3 run (Geier kick)
M – Smith 75 pass from Partridge (Geier kick)
GO – Martin 3 run (P. Julian kick)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing:
Massillon – Winters 12-45 2 TDs.
GlenOak – Lemon 14-57.
Passing:
Massillon – Partridge 11-18-189 2 TDs; Smith 1-1-29.
GlenOak – .
Receiving:
Massillon – Smith 5-143 2 TDs; Grunder 3-32; Olack 2-41.
GlenOak – Gavin 2-1; Hearn 1-39; Osborne 1-28; Campbell 1-10.

Tag: <span>Scott Garcia</span>