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1994: Massillon 20, Canton McKinley 27

November 19, 1994September 20, 2017
by Eric Smith

Mistakes doom Tigers’ title run
Massillon ends with 10-2 slate

By JOE SHAHEEN
Independent Sports Editor

The one constant in the Massillon Tigers’ late‑season three game run of excellence was missing in their 27‑20 Division I regional championship loss to the McKinley Bulldogs before a throng of 34,208 at the Akron Rubber Bowl, Saturday night.

The Tigers simply did not play mistake‑free football against their arch‑rivals the way they did in averaging 36 points in defeating St. Vincent-St. Mary’s in Week 9, McKinley in Week 10 and Fremont Ross in the playoff opener.

Game action vs. Canton McKinley – Playoffs

Massillon’s mistakes weren’t all of the glaring variety, but the Pups ‑ who meet St. Ignatius this Saturday at the Rubber Bowl in the Division I state semifinals ‑ seemed to always capitalize. Among the more costly errors:

The Tigers fumbled away the football at midfield on their first possession and the Bulldogs drove 52 yards for the game’s first touchdown.

The Bulldogs’ second score came on Adrian Brown’s 71-yard burst and included several broken or missed tackles within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage.

McKinley’s third tally appeared to be on a blown coverage assignment in the secondary which resulted in a 47‑yard Josh McDaniels‑to-Mark Thewes TD strike.

Massillon’s second‑to‑last drive included a key illegal proceedure penalty. It ended in a punt with 7:47 to play.

The Tigers’ final ill‑fated series reached the McKinley side of the field when an illegal shift penalty, a delay of game penalty and a dropped pass doomed their comeback.

“You can’t have those kind of things, missed tackles and penalties, against a quality opponent like McKinley,” Tiger mentor Jack Ross said afterward.

“But I wish McKinley all the best. They are a very good football team and they played a great game out there tonight. They will represent the region well.”

Massillon certainly did not self destruct in the 12th week of the season. The Tigers had the Pups holding their collective breaths until the final seconds, ticked off the scoreboard.

The Bulldogs scored first 26‑yard wingback reverse, executed to perfection by Jaiyvonne Richards.

Massillon took the ensuing kickoff and drove 73 yards in just seven plays to knot the score at 7‑7. Willie Spencer Jr. was at his best on the drive, running the option with a magician’s sleight of hand, all the while frustrating the McKinley defense.

On the first snap of their next possession, the Bulldogs regained the lead. Brown got the ball on a draw play and dashed to paydirt, leaving several Tigers in his wake. The conversion kick was wide and the Pups led 13‑7.

It was the type of play, coming right after Massillon scored to even the game, that could’ve broken a lesser team’s spirit. But the Tigers came resolutely back, marching 80 yards in 17 plays. Spencer covered the final seven on an option keeper around his left end. Pribich’s boot gave the locals the lead 14-13 with 6:44 until halftime.

The Bulldogs took the second half kickoff and made a statement, driving 65 yards in nine plays. Kinta Mitchell’s 32‑yard gallop eventually led to his one-yard scoring burst at 7:10 of the third stanza. McKinley failed on a two‑point pass play and it was a 19‑14 game.

Spencer got the TD hat trick as the Tigers regained the lead with an 11‑play, 62‑yard drive. The senior signal caller completed clutch passes to Devon Williams (18 yards), Ryan Shanor (10 yards), and Leon Ashcraft (5 yards), before sweeping in from the 3‑yard line for his third tally of the evening.

After a pass fell incomplete on the try for a two‑point conversion, the Tigers owned a 20‑19 lead at 1:32 of the third period.

But the Bulldogs would land the final punch on this night. It was a roundhouse right in the form of the 47‑yard McDaniels to Thewes pass play. Julius Lancaster took a pitch from McDaniels, then hit the senior QB on a throwback for the two point conversion that made it McKinley 27‑20 with 11:11 to play.

Massillon drove to the McKinley 49, where an illegal procedure penalty changed a second-and‑five play call into second-and‑ten. Ace Gillens sacked Spencer two plays later to force a punt.

Spencer was injured on McKinley’s ensuing series when he brought down Brown on a pitch out around left end. The Bulldogs were forced to punt one play later and the Tigers last chance began at their 9‑yard line.

Ashcraft asserted his championship mettle by getting Massillon out of the hole on a 34‑yard first down burst behind Aric Simpson and Tim Mendenhall. The 5‑foot, 7‑inch, senior tailback finished the night with 131 yards on 21 carries.

With senior Mark Hiegl now at the controls, Jeremy Fraelich gained 11 yards up the middle to the McKinley 46. An illegal shift penalty followed, then a delay of game one play later set up second‑and‑20 at the Massillon 44. Hiegl rolled right and hit a receiver at the McKinley 33, but the ball fell incomplete.
Two plays later the Bulldog pass rush forced an incompletion and Massillon’s unlikely run had ended.

“That’s the problem in the playoffs,” Rose concluded, unless you go all the way, you end on a sour note.

“Unfortunately, it had to happen against (McKinley). That certainly doesn’t make it any easier.”

MCKINLEY 27
MASSILLON 20
M MCK
First downs rushing 12 9
First downs passing 6 5
First downs penalty 0 0
Total first downs 18 14
Net yards rushing 253 226
Net yards passing 92 120
Total yards gained 345 346
Passes attempted 13 12
Passes completed 7 9
Passes int. 0 0
Kickoff return yards 89 41
Punts 2 2
Punting average 36.5 44.0
Punt return yards 0 0
Fumbles 1 0
Fumbles lost 1 0
Penalties 6 4
Yards penalized 41 35
Number of plays 55 38
Time of possession 27.52 20.08
Attendance 34,208

MASSILLON 7 7 6 0 20
MCKINLEY 13 0 6 8 27

SCORING SUMMARY

MCK ‑ Richards 26 run (McDaniels kick)
M ‑ Spencer 21 run (Pribich kick)
MCK ‑ Brown 70 run (kick failed)
M ‑ Spencer 6 run (Pribich kick)
MCK ‑ Mitchell 1 run (pass failed)
M ‑ Spencer 4 run (pass failed)
MCK ‑ Thewes 46 pass from McDaniels
(McDaniels pass from Lancaster)

FINAL STATISTICS

Rushing:
Massillon
Ashcraft 21‑131;
Spencer 15‑96,3 TDs;
Fraelich 3‑17.
McKinley
Brown 13‑139, 1 TD;
Mitchell 7‑63, 1 TD;
Richards 1‑26 1 TD.

Passing:
Massillon
Spencer 7‑10 92
Hiegl 0‑30.
McKinley
McDaniels 9-12 120, 1 TD.

Receiving:
Massillon
Redrick 4‑58;
Williams 1‑19;
Shanor 1‑11;
Ashcraft 1‑5.
McKinley
Thewes 3‑63, 1 TD;
Brown 3-25;
Richards 2‑21;
Mitchell 1‑11.

Leon Ashcraft

History

1994: Massillon 35, Fremont Ross 28

November 12, 1994September 20, 2017
by Eric Smith

Here we go again
Tigers face Pups after edging Ross

By JOE SHAHEEN
Independent Sports Editor

The Massillon Tigers didn’t exactly stop Fremont Ross star tailback Charles Woodson at Byers Field in Parma, Saturday.

In the end, however, it was the defense’s motto of “Make ‘em take another snap” that best explains how the Tigers survived Woodson’s onslaught and secured a 35‑28 first round Division I playoff victory.

The win enables Massillon to play on, with a date Saturday against the McKinley Bulldogs in the Region 2 final at the Akron Rubber Bowl. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Woodson, 6‑foot, 1‑inch, and 190 pounds of dynamite, exploded for 231 yards rushing and four touchdowns. It looked as if he’d make it five TD’s after the Tigers took a seven‑point lead with just 3:02 to play in the game.

Ross drove from its 17 to the Massillon 2, but was out of timeouts with less than :10 to play. Little Giants quarterback Shane Moran rolled right and threw into a crowd, where Tigers outside linebacker Matt Robinson tipped and then intercepted the football to wrap up the victory.

“When they got down there close,” Robinson said afterward, “I kept thinking to myself, ‘Make ’em take another snap. Something good will happen if we just make ’em take another snap.’”

That something good turned out to be Robinson’s game saving pick.

A couple of stout defensive plays by fellow senior Steve Griffith helped set up Robinson’s drive killer. On the third snap of the Little Giants’ final possession of the 1994 season. Woodson set sail for the end zone through a seam in the defense. He would’ve made it if not for Griffith, who ran down the speedster at the Ross 23.

Three plays later, Griffith knifed through to nail Woodson for a three‑yard loss on a thirdand‑3 play.

Ross still got down to the shadow of the Tigers goal posts, but never did get that game‑tying touchdown.

The Tigers game‑winning drive was clutch football at its best. It began at the Massillon 21 with 10:53 to play after Ross had tied the game for the third time at 28‑28 on Woodson’s 13yard TD burst off the right side is line.

Massillon started in a hole when false start penalty set up a second‑and‑14 at the 17. But Willie Spencer found Devon Williams on a curl pattern to the 30 and Leon Ashcraft converted the first down on a run over left guard.

Spencer and Williams hooked up again on a rollout left and the sophomore reached the Ross 22 before he was dragged down.

The Tigers went into their ball control mode, eating up the clock by giving the ball to Ashcraft on four consecutive plays. Then, on third‑and‑six from the Ross 7, Spencer rolled right … and rolled… and rolled, waiting for a receiver to break open. Finally, junior Vaughn Mohler did just that and Spencer threw a strike for the touchdown.

Nick Pribich nailed the extra point to cap the 13‑play, 78‑yard season‑extending drive.

“That play was supposed to go to Leon, but he was covered,” Spencer explained. “So I looked for my secondary receiver and he was covered. I thought I was going to have to run out of bounds, but then I saw Vaughn and I threw it and he caught it.”

Massillon broke on top after Mark Lightfoot recovered a Ross fumble at the Little Giants 30 on the third snap of the game.

After an option pitch to Mohler moved the ball 26 yards to the Ross 3, Spencer got in on a quarterback sneak. Pribich’s kick made it 7‑0 at the 8:35 mark of the first quarter.

Ross, capitalizing on a muffed pooch kick, moved 46 yards in nine plays. Woodson went in over right tackle with 4:40 to go in the first to make it 7‑6 as the PAT was wide left.

Massillon took but six plays to move 86 yards on its next possession. Spencer, employing a textbook play fake, found Williams wide open for 51‑yard touchdown bomb. Pribich’s boot made it 14‑6 with 1:44 left in the opening stanza.

Ross matched the Tigers six-play, 86‑yard scoring drive with one of its own. Woodson covered the final 44 yards when his offensive line opened a hole on the left side and he raced through to the end zone with 7:06 until halftime.

The Tigers countered with an eight‑play, 76‑yard scoring series. Ashcraft rushed for 47 of his team‑high 136 yards on the drive. Spencer cashed it in on a six‑yard bootleg around right end. He tiptoed into the end zone at the 3:46 mark of the second quarter to make it 21‑14 Tigers.

But Ross displayed its mettle by going 65 yards in eight snaps. Woodson carried on the final four plays of the scoring drive, finding the end zone on a pitch around right end from three yards out. The PAT made it 21-21 at halftime.

Massillon came out and jammed the second half kickoff right down the Little Giants’ throats. The Tigers’ 83‑yard drive took 17 plays and used all but three minutes of the third period. Ryan Shanor’s 12‑yard leaping catch for a first down keyed the march. Ashcraft capped it from a yard out to make it a 28‑21 contest.

Woodson carried the ball on all four plays of Ross’ final scoring drive, knotting the game at 28‑28 with 10:53 to play.

MASSILLON 35
FREMONT 28
M F
First downs rushing 13 14
First downs passing 6 1
First downs penalty 2 2
Total first downs 21 17
Net yards rushing 236 272
Net yards passing 130 36
Total yards gained 366 308
Passes attempted 11 7
Passes completed 7 4
Passes int. 0 2
Times kicked off 6 5
Kickoff average 33.5 51.6
Kickoff return yards 51 19
Punts 1 2
Punting average 27.0 26.5
Punt return yards 0 ‑3
Fumbles 1 1
Fumbles lost 1 1
Penalties 7 4
Yards penalized 41 31
3rd‑down conver 7‑11 0‑5
Average 1st‑down yds. 7.5 8.0
Number of plays 59 43
Time of possession 30:23 17:37
Attendance 13,400

FREMONT 6 15 0 7 28
MASSILLON 14 7 7 7 35

FINAL STATISTICS

Rushing:
MASSILLON
Ashcraft 28‑136, 1 TD;
Spencer 16‑66,2 TDs.
FREMONT
Woodson 28‑231, 4 TDs.

Passing:
MASSILLON
Spencer 7‑11‑130,2 TDs.
FREMONT
Moran 4‑6‑36‑1,
Ross 0‑1‑0‑1.

Receiving:
MASSILLON
Williams 3‑89, 1 TD;
Shanor 2‑23;
Ashcraft 1 ‑11;
Mohler 1‑7, 1 TD.
FREMONT
Woodson 1‑16,
Kusmer 1‑11,
Lather 1‑9.

Leon Ashcraft

History

1994: Massillon 42, Canton McKinley 41

November 5, 1994September 21, 2017
by Eric Smith

Game of the century
MASSILLON WINS 42-41 SHOOTOUT

By J0E SHAHEEN
Independent Sports Editor

It was a fitting 100th game between the Massillon Tigers and McKinley Bulldogs at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium this afternoon.

The storied rivalry went into overtime before the Tigers nailed down a heart‑stopping 42‑41 victory.

Massillon finishes the regular season with a 9‑1 record, while McKinley falls to 8‑2.

Both teams will qualify for the Division I playoffs. Pairings will be announced Sunday and the two schools will probably not meet in the first round next weekend.

Today’s game was one in which neither team seemed capable of stopping the other’s offense. In fact, the 83 total points scored is an all‑time record in the series that began in 1894.

McKinley forced overtime when it scored on a seven‑yard Josh McDaniels to Shakeer Abdullah pass with less than two minutes to play. McDaniels’ extra‑point kick made it a 35‑35 contest.

After a low snap foiled McDaniels’ 50‑yard field goal attempt as time expired, the teams headed to overtime.

Massillon won the toss and deferred, giving the Bulldogs the first chance in overtime.

Adrian Brown secured a first down just inside the 10 on the first snap of OT. Four plays later, on fourth and goal from the one‑yard line, fullback Kinta Mitchell went in standing up to make it 41‑35. McDaniels quickly changed shoes for what was another in what had been a string of routine conversion kicks all afternoon. But he sliced the kick to the right, missing it.

Game action vs. Canton McKinley 100th Game

crowd, which numbered 19,125, seemed to sense this was the opening the Tigers needed.

On second down, quarterback Willie Spencer Jr. ran the option around his right end. He appeared to have made up his mind to keep the football and was being dragged down at the 15 when he pitched to split end Victor Redrick, who was trailing the play. Redrick took the ball in stride and sprinted down the sideline and into the end zone to knot the game at 41‑41.

Then, with all the pressure of the rivalry’s 99 previous games riding on his shoulders, Nick Pribich calmly split the uprights with his conversion kick and the Tigers went wild.

On the sidelines, McKinley’s Josh McDaniels kneeled with his head bowed in defeat, being consoled by his father, Pups head coach Thom McDaniels.

Spencer and Tigers assistant coach Steve Studer sprinted to the East stands and began ringing a victory bell.

The contest was highlighted by both teams’ refusal to quit – like two great heavyweights, exchanging knockdown punches and getting up for more.

McKinley opened the scoring with 11:30 to play in the second quarter. Mitchell capped a six play, 80‑yard drive with a seven‑yard TD run up the middle to make it 7‑0 Pups.

Massillon counter‑punched with a 12‑play, 80‑yard march. Spencer kept the football on the option and cut off his right tackle for a three‑yard touchdown to tie the game at 7‑7 with 6:20 until halftime.

The Tigers got a break when McKinley fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Steve Griffith recovered at the Bulldogs’ 25. It took seven plays, but Leon Ashcraft ran through a big hole over left guard and into the end zone to make it 14‑7 with 2:18 left in the first half.

The Bulldogs executed the two‑minute drill to perfection, moving 65 yards in 10 plays with Mitchell doing the honors from the one‑yard line with just 18 seconds remaining until the band show. McDaniels’ PAT made it 14‑14 at the half.

The quick‑strike Tiger offense untied the score less than 40 seconds into the third quarter. On the second snap of the half, Ashcraft took a handoff, pitched it back to Spencer, who lofted a bomb to Redrick, The senior sprinter ran under the pass at the 23, broke a diving tackle, then cruised in to the end zone to make it a 21‑14 Massillon advantage.

Once again the Bulldogs answered, moving 82 yards in just eight plays. Adrian Brown ran the ball on the final four snaps of the march, bucking into the end zone from the 2 to tie it 21‑21 with 8:08 left in the third.

But Massillon would not be discouraged.

The Tigers, with Spencer often changing plays at the line of scrimmage, moved 68 yards in seven plays to regain the lead. Spencer hit Vaughn Mohler, who scooped the ball off the turf in the end zone for a seven‑yard TD catch, making it 28‑21 Tigers.

McKinley then mounted the longest drive of the game, going 80 yards in 15 plays. Mitchell again found the end zone from a yard away and it was 28‑28 with 8:13 left in regulation.

Back came the Tigers with another 80‑yard drive.

Ashcraft, who rushed for 109 yards on the afternoon, scored on a draw play from 20 yards out with four minutes left to make it Massillon 35, McKinley 28.

By this time, everyone in Paul Brown Tiger Stadium realized they were witnessing a classic game. Nobody believed the Bulldogs were done, and they were not.

McDaniels marshalled another drive, this one covering 68 yards in seven plays. The senior signal‑caller hit Abdullah in the left side of the end zone after a brilliant play fake. The seven‑yard TD toss accounted for the end‑of-regulation score of 35‑35.

Then came overtime, a missed extra point and the Tigers pulse‑stopping victory.

MASSILLON 42
MCKINLEY 41
M McK
First downs rushing 14 15
First downs passing 3 8
First downs penalty 1 2
Total first downs 18 25
Net yards rushing 245 233
Net yards passing 103 148
Total yards gained 348 381
Passes attempted 13 20
Passes completed 6 14
Passes int. 0 1
Times kicked Off 6 6
Kickoff average 42.3 55.1
Kickoff return yards 65 52
Punts 2 1
Punting average 26.5 35.0
Punt return yards -4 0
Fumbles 0 4
Fumbles lost 0 1
Penalties 4 5
Yards penalized 47 25
umber of plays 51 65
Time Of Possession 23:23 24:37
Attendance 19,125

MCKINLEY 00 14 07 14 06 41
MASSILLON 00 14 14 07 07 42

Fleaflicker is big play for Tigers

By JOE SHAHEEN
Independent sports editor

In a football game like today’s contest between the Massillon Tigers and McKinley Bulldogs, selecting one big play is all but impossible.

But the most memorable for many was the Tigers’ flea flicker that went for a 62‑yard touchdown at the onset of the third quarter.

In addition to the significance on the scoreboard ‑ the bomb gave the Tigers a 21‑14 lead ‑ the play showed Jack Rose was going to attack the Bulldogs in the second half.

Rose sent a message to his players, to the fans and – most importantly – to the Bulldogs. He let them know Massillon was going to go out and get the victory the old-fashioned way – earn it.

With the game tied at 14, Massillon accepted the second half kickoff, and Nate Lewis returned the ball to the 29, for 19 yards.

On first down, Willie Spencer rolled left and hit Devon Williams for eight yards.

On second‑and‑two, Spencer handed the ball to Ashcraft on what appeared to be a simple dive play into the middle of the line. But Ashcraft took just one step, turned and pitched the ball back to Spencer. He looked long and there was Victor Redrick in full stride on a post pattern.

The pass was there, Redrick made the catch and 25 yards later, the Tigers had assumed a 21‑14 lead.

In doing so, they set the tone for the second half, one of the best shootouts in the history of high school football.

Leon Ashcraft

History

1994: Massillon 31, Akron St. Vincent St. Mary 15

October 28, 1994September 21, 2017
by Eric Smith

Bombs away!
Tigers go to the air to eliminate Irish
Big plays do in the Irish

By JOE SHAHEEN
Independent Sports Editor

The last time the Irish of Akron St. Vincent‑St. Mary’s visited Massillon for a Week 9 football game, it was more trick than treat for the Tigers as the Summit County entry took home a 28‑25 upset victory back in 1991.

The Tigers took the field Friday night determined to learn from history. Despite the distraction of the historic 100th meeting with the McKinley Bulldogs looming just a week away, the orange‑and‑black tended to the task at hand and secured a 31‑15 victory at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

Massillon, just a week removed from a lethargic first half performance at Alliance, came out with both guns blazing on this night. On their very first snap, the Tigers made a statement by going for a long bomb. Willie Spencer Jr.’s pass for Devon Williams barely missed connecting, but it drew an ovation from the partisans and put a smile on Spencer’s face.

Tigers coach Jack Rose noted the St. Vincent‑St. Mary’s defense almost dared the offense. to throw deep.

“We figured we were going to have to put it up because they put eight or nine guys up on the line,” Rose said. “We threw the deep ball early to try to get them off of us.”

“We were trying to open the game up because their corners were playing right up on the line,” explained Williams. “We showed them early we could beat them with our quickness.”

The first down misfire did not frustrate the Tigers. On second down, Leon Ashcraft picked up 14 yards on a draw play to the Tiger 27. Spencer ran the bootleg around left end for 17 more on the next play. Two plays later, Spencer found Vaughn Mohler along the right sidelines for 16 yards to the Irish 22 and the Tigers were cooking.

Spencer executed the option to perfection on the next play, pitching the ball to Ashcraft at the last moment as the pair went around left end. Ashcraft, who finished the night with 138 yards on 17 carries, sailed down the left sideline and into the St. Vincent‑St. Mary’s end zone. Nick Pribich added the conversion kick and Massillon led 7‑0 at 6:25 of the first period.

The opening drive was in stark contrast to the way things began for the locals a week ago at Alliance.

“We weren’t very good last week,” noted Rose. “We were flat. Every team hits that. That was our (flat) game last week. But that fiasco helped us focus this week‑”

The Tigers struck like lightning early in the second quarter after an Irish punt to the Massillon 45. On second‑and‑10, Spencer found Ashcraft running free along the left sideline and dropped a perfectly thrown pass in his lap. Ashcraft caught the ball near the Irish 30, cut back to the middle of the field at the 15 and was taken down on a shoestring tackle at the 2‑yard line.

On third‑and‑goal, from the one‑yard line, Spencer followed Eddie Evans and Tim Mendenhall into the end zone for a 13‑0 Tigers advantage.

St. Vincent‑St. Mary’s brought a little lightning of its own and pulled it out on its next possession. On first‑and‑10 from their own 33, quarterback Bob Butash executed the play fake and found Joe Gilbride open on a deep post pattern. Butash hit Gilbride at the Massillon 30 and he was off to the races for a 67‑yard touchdown strike to make it a 13‑7 contest at 8:19 of the second quarter.

The Tigers added a field goal late in the first half, marching from their 10 to the Irish 7. Ashcraft’s 23‑yard run on the first play of the drive and Spencer’s 29‑yard scamper on an option keeper one play later keyed the drive. Pribich drilled a 24‑yard field goal with :19 to play in the half to give Massillon a 16‑7 lead at the break.

The third quarter was uneventful with the exception of a 49‑yard burst by Ashcraft that moved the ball from the Massillon 13 to the Irish 38. That drive stalled on downs at the St, V‑St. M 19.

Early in the fourth quarter, Irish defensive back Tony Pierce intercepted the Tigers near midfield but fumbled the ball back to Massillon.

Two plays later, Spencer found Williams on a deep post pattern and the sophomore would not be caught, notching a 48‑yard touchdown catch and run with 11:05 to play.

Tigers holder Mark Hiegl kept the ball on a fake conversion kick, sweeping around right end for the two‑point conversion and a 24‑7 lead.

“That was the big one,” sighed Irish coach John Cistone of the double turnover. “It turned it around. You’re still in the game and you think you’re going to have good field position, then boom. Then they get the big touchdown. That knocks you down, especially when you’re young. It makes it tough to come back.”

“I was just trying to get a good fake so they would bite on the run,” said Spencer of the touchdown bomb. “I watched Devon all the way. I just threw it up there and I got hit hard. But, the line gave me great protection tonight.”

“Willie took a big hit on that touchdown pass,” observed Rose. “I was really proud of the way he stood in there. He took a hit on his blind side on that play. But he stood in there and stood in there and delivered a beautiful ball, You can’t make a much better pass than that. Devon kept running and caught up with it and made the great catch.”

The Tigers, 8‑1 going into next week’s showdown with the Bulldogs, wrapped it up with a 10‑play, 62-yard drive, capped by Jeremy Fraelich’s six‑yard burst up the middle and into the end zone. Pribich’s boot made it 31‑7.

The Irish scored on an 18‑yard touchdown pass with eight seconds to play, as both teams had their reserves on the field.

MASSILLON 31
ST. VINCENT 15
M V
First downs rushing 11 9
First downs passing 5 4
First downs penalty 0 0
Total first downs 16 13
Net yards rushing 255 126
Net yards passing 169 116
Total yards gained 424 242
Passes attempted 18 15
Passes completed 7 6
Passes int. 1 0
Times kicked off 6 3
Kickoff average 47.0 37.0
Kickoff return yards 89 100
Punts 2 7
Punting average 33.5 33.0
Punt return yards 1 0
Fumbles 0 2
Fumbles lost 0 1
Penalties 0 3
Yards penalized 0 16
Number of plays 60 47
Time of possession 24:17 23:43

ST. VINCENT 0 7 0 8 15
MASSILLON 7 9 0 15 31

SCORING SUMMARY

First Quarter.
M ‑ Ashcraft 26 run (Pribich kick)

Second Quarter
M ‑ Spencer 1 run (kick failed)
St. V ‑ Gilbride 67 pass from Butash (Hlivko kick)
M ‑ Pribich 24 FG

Fourth Quarter
M ‑ Williams 58 pass from Spencer (Hiegl run)
M ‑ Fraelich 6 run (Pribich kick)
St. V ‑ Hlivko 18 pass from Whitney (Knott pass from Whitney)

FINAL STATISTICS

Rushing:
Massillon
Ashcraft 17‑138;
Spencer 11‑61, 2 TDs;
Lewis 7‑32;
Fraelich 4-22, 1 TD;
Turner 1‑4;
Hiegl 1 ‑(minus‑2).
St. Vincent ‑ Knott 16‑82, Lazar 4‑36, Whitney 3‑21, LaCause 6‑9, Butash 3‑(minus‑22).

Passing:
Masillon
Spencer 7‑18‑169‑1, 1 TD.
St. Vincent
Butash 5‑10‑98, 1 TD;
Whitney 1‑5, 18, 1 TD.

Receiving:
Massillon
Ashcraft 3‑78;
Mohler 3‑33;
Williams 1‑58, 1 TD.
St. Vincent
Shenigo 1‑25;
Gilbride 1‑67, 1 TD;
Hlivko 1‑18, 1 TD;
Knott 1‑3;
LaCause 1‑3.

Leon Ashcraft

History

1994: Massillon 20, Alliance 0

October 21, 1994September 21, 2017
by Eric Smith

Aviators Grounded!
Tigers have too much for Alliance

By MARK LAUTZENHEISER
Independent Sports Writer

For 24 minutes, the Alliance Aviators were living up to the nickname “Black Swarm.” But the “Swarm” went south in the second half and Massillon turned a 7‑0 halftime lead into a lackluster 20‑0 win in front of a near capacity crowd at Mount Union Stadium, Friday.

After a sluggish first half, the Tigers got a shot in the arm on the second‑half kickoff. Massillon’s Nick Pribich lofted the kick down the left sidelines. Alliance Louis Banks rushed over, but his momentum carried him out of bounds leaving the ball on the ground at the 22. Massillon’s Matt Helm fell on the loose pigskin and the Tigers were in business.

Three plays later, Leon Ashcraft followed the overpowering blocking of the left side of the line and scooted into the end zone from 10 yards out to give Massillon a 14‑0 lead with 10:57 left in the third. It was academic from there on out.

“We had a lot of mental errors tonight. We just weren’t sharp,” Tiger head coach Jack Rose said. “Last week we played real well, but this week we took a step back. We were playing a team that was 1‑6 and could have been 4‑3. They don’t play like a 1‑7 team.”

Aside from the Alliance miscue on the second half kick, things didn’t come easy for the Tigers.

Out of the gate, Nate Lewis returned the opening kickoff 39 yards to the Aviator 46. From there, Ashcraft powered over a couple Aviator tacklers for 14 yards. Quarterback Willie Spencer Jr., followed with a 12 yard gain on the option around left end to give the Tigers a first down at the 20.

But, Massillon pulled out the gun and instead of shooting down the Flyers, shot themselves in the foot. A fumble in the backfield, a sack and a four yard gain on fourth‑and‑20 gave the ball to Alliance at its own 26.

The defensive stand seemed to ignite the Aviators and especially senior fullback George Cameron. The 6‑foot-1, 220-pounder rushed six times for 37 yards in carrying his team to the Tiger 13.

From there, the Tigers’ defense did exactly as its opponents’ had, and stuffed the Aviators. Defensive tackle Donnie Young nailed Cameron for a yard loss on first down and Courtney Herring forced an Alliance back out of bounds three yards behind the line of scrimmage. Following an incomplete pass, Alliance’s Marious Rasinar missed a 33‑yard field goal wide right.

The Tigers, taking over at the 15, started slow. However, on third‑and‑12, Ashcraft skated around right end on a misdirection play for 38 yards to the Alliance 47. After two short gains, Spencer executed a picture‑perfect option play to the left sideline and 46 yards later the Tigers led 7‑0.

Spencer sprinted left, drew the defender, faked the pitch, cut it up and rest was sheer speed to the goal line.

“It was very important to score first,” Rose said. “They were playing with a lot of intensity and we weren’t.

“Willie is so strong. He just shook a tackle … then he’s got the speed. He can be devastating on the perimeter.”

Alliance did make some noise on its final possession of the first half. After moving the ball 48 yards to the Massillon 19, Rasinar saw his 35‑yard field goal try fail. This time he was well short.

In the first half alone, Massillon tallied 118 yards rushing, but 84 of those came on two plays. Alliance ate up 14:19 and managed to out gain their visitors 144‑132 in total yards. Cameron was the main man with 74 yards on 13 carries.

From this point, it was all Massillon. The Aviators’ first turnover led to Ashcraft’s 10 yard score. Following the ensuing kick, the Tiger defense held the Aviators on three plays and forced a punt. The snap sailed over the punter’s head and he was barely able to get the kick away. Massillon took over on the Alliance 43.

Two Aviator penalties ignited this Tiger drive. Massillon was faced with a third‑and‑11 at the 33. Spencer rolled left and threw incomplete, but he was hit out of bounds and Alliance was hit with a 15‑yard penalty.

On a later third down, Ashcraft appeared to be stuffed just inside the 10, but an Alliance defender grabbed Ashcraft’s facemask and the Tigers had a first down at the five.

Spencer took the next snap, faked the off‑tackle play to Ashcraft and beat an Alliance defensive back to the corner of the end zone for the score. The point‑after was no good and the Tigers were in control of their seventh win of the season.

“If you would have told me after the first scrimmage we were going to be 7‑1 at this point. I would have laughed,” Rose said. “This is the most improved football team I have been around. It is the opposite of last year. This team is going in the right direction and is getting better as we go along.”

MASSILLON 20
ALLIANCE 0
M A
First downs rushing 10 12
First downs passing 1 2
First downs penalty 2 1
Total first downs 13 15
Net yards rushing 197 144
Net yards passing 14 42
Total yards gained 211 186
Passes attempted 4 115
Passes completed 2 7
Passes int. 0 2
Times kicked off 4 1
Kickoff average 48.0 51.0
Kickoff return yards 45 63
Punts 3 3
Punting average 25.7 30.0
Punt return yards 4 0
Fumbles 3 3
Fumbles lost 1 1
Penalties x x
Yards penalized 61 32
Number of plays 44 50
Time of possession 23.22 24.38

ALLIANCE 0 0 0 0 0
MASSILLON 0 7 13 0 20

SCORING SUMMARY

Second quarter
M ‑ Spencer 46 run (Pribich kick)

Third quarter
M ‑ Ashcraft 10 run (Pribich kick)
M ‑ Spencer 5 run (kick failed)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING:
Massillon
Ashcraft 19‑98,
Spencer 7-509,
Lewis 8‑35,
Fraelich 2‑3,
Hiegl 2‑1,
Monler 1‑7,
Turner 1‑3;
Alliance
Cameron 20‑96;
D. Jones 7‑32.

PASSING:
Massillon
Spencer 2‑4‑0 14;
Alliance
Jones 7‑14‑2 42

RECEIVING:
Massillon
Williams 1‑10,
Ashcraft 1‑4;
Alliance
D. Jones, 2‑11,
Banks 1‑7,
R. Jones 1‑6,
Hovanec 1‑5.

Leon Ashcraft

History

1994: Massillon 21, Cuyahoga Falls 11

October 14, 1994September 21, 2017
by Eric Smith

Falls felled! Tigers deal Cuyahoga squad first loss
Spencer sparks Tigers past Falls

By JOE SNAHEEN
Independent Sports Editor

If anyone wondered about Willie Spencer’s attitude coming off last week’s one-game suspension for practice violations, their questions were answered early and often in the Massillon Tigers’ 21‑11 defeat of the previously unbeaten Cuyahoga Falls Black Tigers, Friday at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

Spencer had a hand in all three of Massillon’s touchdowns as the Tigers had the game salted away before the band show with a 21‑3 halftime advantage.

“Willie was terrific,” gushed Tigers coach Jack Rose. “I made him unterrific in the second half. We threw the interception and I got too conservative. That’s my fault.

“But Willie was focused all week. When he is in tune, he is hard to beat. Really, the whole team was well‑focused. They were ready.”

The senior signal caller, forced to sit out last week’s victory over Barberton, asserted himself on the Tigers’ first drive of the evening. He earned Massillon’s first first down of the night on an option keeper around left end, then hit Brennan Rohr with a 25‑yard pass for another first down at the Falls’ 45.

After a holding call against the Black Tigers, Spencer followed guard Kevin Bouder on an option‑keeper around left end, cut back at the 30 and sprinted untouched into the end zone. Nick Pribich’s kick made it 7‑3 Massillon with 2:16 left in the first period.

The Tiger defense got the ball back when linebacker Courtney Herring shot a gap in the Falls line on third‑and‑eight, dumping Black Tigers’ tailback Kevin Hyatt for a three‑yard loss, forcing a punt.

Again Spencer showed the 13,796 in attendance that he’d put the past behind him and had come to play. He hit Steve Griffith with a 13‑yard dart for a first down at the Massillon 44. Jeremy Fraelich picked up 11 yards off left guard to the Falls’ 45, then Leon Ashcraft got it rolling with a 10‑yard spurt on the draw play to the 37.

Two plays later Vinny Turner gained 16 yards off left tackle and the Tigers were driving at the Falls 15. Once again Spencer called his own number, keeping the ball on the option around left end. The Massillon line executed to perfection and Spencer’s quickness enabled him to dance into the end zone. Pribich converted and it was 143 Tigers with 5:13 until halftime.

“If we’d have played the option in the first half the way we did the second half, maybe we’d have shut Spenser down,” said Falls coach Don Ross.” He’s too good of an athlete to have breakdowns. He is just a great athlete. He cracks a seam where we were supposed to have someone and the result was a touchdown.”

‘The Massillon defense forced and recovered a Falls fumble near midfield to give Spencer and company one more shot with about a minute until the break.

Spencer, sensing the kill, went up top on first down. Sophomore speedster Devon Williams got a step on the secondary but the ball was under thrown. Both Falls defenders appeared to tip the football, but Williams kept his concentration and came down with it for a 52 yard touchdown bomb. Pribich’s boot made it 21‑3 at half.

“Every coach teaches their kids to bat that ball down,” Ross observed. “Maybe they mistimed their jumps. We had two kids there.

“But that score puts us in a hell of a position because you take seven off the board, they’re playing a little tighter and who knows what happens in the second half.”

Spencer never saw Williams catch the ball.

“I saw it get tipped and thought it was incomplete,” he said. “Then I saw the ref put his hands up to signal a touchdown.”

Spencer’s first half statistics: 57 yards rushing and two touchdowns in five carries; 86 yards and one touchdown on 3‑for‑4 passing.

So much for any pregame concerns.

“I was trying to prove to everybody what I was about,”, Spencer said. “I haven’t done much this year passing wise, so I wanted to come out and establish that part of my game.”

The second half was rather rough from the Massillon standpoint, although the final score smoothed things over. The Tigers threw an interception on their first possession, then got conservative on offense and went three‑and‑out on their next two series of downs.

“I told them we were going to go out and get after it in the second half,” Rose lamented. “I said you have to be greedy and take it from them, when you play football. Then I don’t listen to myself. I learned a lesson tonight. We all learned one.”

The Tigers defense did its job however, stopping the Black Tigers’ first two drives of the second half. Cuyahoga Falls finally made things interesting by marching 53 yards in nine plays. Hyatt covered the final 18 on a simple dive play up the middle. The point‑after made it a 21‑11 game with the entire fourth quarter left to play.

The Tigers kept the ball for six plays to start the fourth, but turned it over on an interception at the Falls’ 25‑yard line with 9:50 to go. The Black Tigers got a heady performance from quarterback Bill Brandt, who completed four passes for first downs to march the offense to the Massillon 14.

Lavell Weaver helped stem the tide by sacking Brandt for a six‑yard loss, then an intentional grounding penalty wiped out any chance for the Black Tigers to put up a final touchdown.

“We made some big plays offensively and that’s what it takes,” Rose said. “The defense bent a little bit, but they made a good adjustment and played much better after that first drive.

MASSILLON 21
FALLS 11
M F
First downs rushing 10 9
First downs passing 4 10
First downs penalty 1 0
Total first downs 15 19
Net yards rushing 190 123
Net yards passing 96 169
Total yards gained 286 292
Passes attempted 9 32
Passes completed 4 13
Passes int. 2 0
Times kicked off 4 3
Kickoff average 42 40
Kickoff return yards 14 35
Punts 2 2
Punting average 36.5 39.5
Punt return yards 0 ‑2
Fumbles 0 3
Fumbles lost 0 1
Penalties 2 3
Yards penalized 15 38
Number of plays 42 68
Time of possession 19.55 28.05
Attendance 13,796

FALLS 3 0 8 0 11
MASSILLON 7 14 0 0 21

SCORING SUMMARY

First quarter
F ‑ Worthington 37 yard kick
M ‑ Spencer 35 yard run (Pribich kick)

Second quarter
M ‑ Spencer 13 yard run (Pribich kick)
M ‑ Williams 49 yard pass from Spencer (Pribich kick)

Third quarter
F ‑ Hyatt 18 yard run (Brandt conversion)

FINAL STATISTICS

Rushing:
Massillon
Ashcraft 21‑105,
Spencer 8‑58, 2 TDs.
Falls
Hyatt 21‑94, 1 TD.
Passing:
Massillon
Spencer 4‑9‑96, 1 TD.
Falls
Brandt 13‑32‑169.

Receiving:
Massillon
Williams 2‑59, 1 TD,
Rohr 1‑25.
Falls
Steiner 5‑64,
Hyatt 2‑39,
Marino 2‑39.

Leon Ashcraft

History

1994: Massillon 15, Barberton 0

October 7, 1994September 21, 2017
by Eric Smith

Tigers ‘D’eny Magics’ upset bid
Defense key to 15-0 win

By JOE SHAHEEN
Independent Sports Editor

When the offense isn’t clicking, good teams rely on their defense to pull them through.

So it was for the Massillon Tigers, 15-0 winners over the Barberton Magics Friday night in front of 10,034 at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

With starting quarterback Willie Spencer Jr., and starting right tackle Aric Simpson suspended for practice violations, the Tiger offense sputtered and stalled for most of the first half. But the defense refused to budge, yielding just 43 net yards to the Barberton offense.

They did it by blitzing Barberton quarterback Matt Jenson mercilessly all night, pounding the 6‑2, 185‑pound senior on virtually every pass play.

In the first half alone, Steve Griffith recorded three sacks from his CAT safety position. The last of the three forced Jenson to fumble, effectively stalling Barberton’s two‑minute offense, which appeared to be on a roll near midfield with :54 until intermission.

Senior defensive tackle Mark Wells had a pair of quarterback sacks in the first half, including one on the first play of the game, sending a message to Jenson that he would not be able to sit in the pocket and count the house all night long.

Wells also made a huge play on Barberton’s first possession of the second half. The Magics had driven from their 46 to the Massillon 25, but were facing a third‑and‑six situation. Jenson tried to execute the triple option, but Wells shot a gap and pulled him down before he could get started, for a three‑yard loss.

Barberton missed a 45‑yard field goal attempt on the very next snap.

That’s when the Tigers offense finally got untracked. Mark Hiegl, who stepped in at quarterback, marshalled a drive that began on the Massillon 20. Leon Ashcraft picked up 16 yards and a first down on a pitch around left end. Hiegl snuck for three yards to earn another first down near midfield. Ashcraft found a seam over left tackle to record the third first down of the drive at the 37.

Then, on second‑and‑long, Hiegl rolled right to pass under intense pressure from the Magics. He managed to get the ball off just before he was dragged down, avoiding a huge loss.

On the next snap, Hiegl again rolled right, then turned and found tight end Ryan Shanor with a throwback screen pass on the left. Shanor avoided one tackler and raced down the sideline for a 41‑yard touchdown. Nick Pribich’s kick made it Massillon 7, Barberton 0 as time expired in the third quarter.

“The way they were coming so hard off the back side, we felt if we could get (the screen pass) in there at the right time, it would work,” said Tigers head coach Jack Rose. “We were just going for the first down. They were in a man‑to‑man. We got a good block out there and Ryan was able to go down the sideline for a touchdown.

“Mark made a heady play by avoiding the sack on second down. He is the kind of kid who can beat you from the head up.”

Barberton head coach Ed Robinson praised Rose’s play call.

“We were bringing the house and we had man (coverage) on and the guy who was in man coverage missed the tackle,” Robinson said. “When you do that you’re in trouble. They got a nice block out of their tackle and it was a nice play call for the situation. What are you going to do? That’s the one breakdown defensively we had all night long.”

On Barberton’s first play after the ensuing kickoff, Griffith came up with another monster play. The 5‑8, 150-pound senior plastered Jenson on the safety blitz, forcing him to fumble the football. Matt Robinson scooped up the pigskin in the end zone for a touchdown to put the Tigers up 13‑0 with 10:52 to play.

“I had a lot of clean shots at the quarterback,” Griffith confirmer. “I was just waiting for this game because I knew I could get him in that shotgun. Coach had the calls perfect. Our line did a good job getting upfield and I just went in there and took it to him.”

Griffith indicated the defensive game plan was simple.

“We were running our regular coverage,” he explained, “but when they went to the shotgun, we checked to the blitz and it caused a lot of disruption.”

“We got after (Jenson) pretty good,” Rose said. “He hung in there pretty well. He has a lot of courage. But you can only take so much of that. Sooner or later you get a turnover.”

Wells put the final points on the scoreboard for the Tigers, tackling tailback Bryan Watkins in the end zone for a safety with 3:29 to play. The score was set up, appropriately enough, by Robinson’s sack of Jenson on the seven‑yard line on the preceeding play.

“Coach Wells told me to try to put some pressure on (Jenson) so we could take him out of the game early,” Wells said.

“We had rhythm going after beating Fitch. But with everything that happened this week, we felt we had to unite on defense to pull us through.”

Massillon held Barberton to just 71 net yards of total offense for the evening. The Magics managed just .5 yards per rush on 31 running plays. They fumbled three times and lost two.

Ashcraft, appearing to run even harder than usual, rushed for 111 yards in 17 carries. Vinny Turner and Nate Lewis combined for 104 yards rushing to keep the Magics from keying solely on Ashcraft.

“We had a lot of adversity this week coming off the big win last week,” summarized Rose. “A lot of things happened to keep the guys from being focused. I think we did a good job. We knew we had to do a great job on defense so Mark (Hiegl) had a chance to get his feet wet. I thought he got better as the game went on.”

The Tigers will host Cuyahoga Falls next Friday. Falls remained undefeated with a 37‑7 Metro League victory over Ravenna.

MASSILLON 15
BARBERTON 0
M B
First downs rushing 10 4
First downs passing 1 3
First downs penalty 0 1
Total first downs 11 8
Net yards rushing 194 16
Net yards passing 50 55
Total yards gained 244 71
Passes attempted 8 11
Passes completed 3 6
Passes int. 1 0
Times kicked off 3 1
Kickoff average 55.7 56.0
Kickoff return yards 3 68
Punts 3 4
Punting average 30.0 36.8
Punt return yards 23 0
Fumbles 1 3
Fumbles lost 0 2
Penalties 4 5
Yards penalized 38 31
Number of plays 47 43
Time of possession 25.19 22.41
Attendance 10,034

MASSILLON 0 0 7 8 15
BARBERTON 0 0 0 0 0

THIRD QUARTER
M ‑ Shanor 41 pass from Hiegl (Pribich kick)

FOURTH QUARTER
M ‑ Robinson fumble recovery (kick failed)
M ‑ Wells safety tackle of Watkins

FINAL STATISTICS

Rushing:
Massillon
Ashcraft 7‑60,
Turner 4‑55;
Barberton
Hanlin 6‑30,
Lamb 3‑17.

Passing:
Massillon
Hiegl 2‑6‑9;
Barberton
Jenson 1‑6‑10.

Leon Ashcraft

History

1994: Massillon 10, Austintown Fitch 7

September 30, 1994September 21, 2017
by Eric Smith

Pribich boots the Fitch ‘jinx’
Spencer’s long TD is key to win

By MARK LAUTZENHEISER
Independent Sportswriter

It’s amazing what one play and a little momentum can do for a football team.

The play?

Massillon quarterback Willie Spencer’s 86‑yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Thus, the momentum.

The result?

A Nick Pribich 40‑yard field goal with 2:58 remaining in the game to give the Tigers a 10‑7 win over Austintown Fitch at Falcon Stadium on Friday.

“This is a great win. This puts us over the hump,” a tearful Spencer said as he made his way toward the locker room. “We beat a great team. It is exactly what we needed.”

The win ends the Tigers’ losing streak at Falcon Stadium ‑ Massillon had been dealt four losses in four tries ‑ but it didn’t come without some anxious moments in the game’s final three minutes.

Pribich’s go‑ahead kick appeared to take the wind out of Fitch’s sails. The Falcons were down … but they weren’t out.

Starting from its own 11 after a mishandled kickoff, Fitch struck quickly.

On the first play from scrimmage, Falcon quarterback, Rich Marinelli found Jeff Hawkins down the middle for 53 yards, and a face mask, against Massillon put the ball on the Tiger 21.

The threat died two plays later when Marinelli fumbled a snap and Massillon’s Brad Lambrou recovered, giving the Tigers the ball and ‑ it appeared ‑ the win.

Not so.

As the Tigers worked to run out the clock, Spencer swept left end and lost the handle, with Fitch recovering at the Massillon 11.

Fullback Mike Stanec bulled six yards to the five; Marinelli dove ahead to the 4; and, with no timeouts left, threw out of bounds on third down to stop the clock.

That left Falcon kicker Chris Calcagni facing a 21‑yard field goal to send the game into overtime.

Calcagni, who gave Fitch a 10‑7 win over Lakewood St. Edward a week ago, couldn’t repeat his heroics.

His kick sailed wide right, giving Massillon the win, an end to the Falcon Stadium jinx and a 4‑1 mark on the year.

“We called the keeper and we told Willie to just fall down instead of taking the hit,” Tiger coach Jack Rose said of the late miscue. “We were going to run one more play, then take a safety. We figured there would be six or seven seconds left and we would win the darn thing 10‑9.

“Our defense made the big plays when it had to. It seemed like neither team wanted to win this one.”

“It was the greatest feeling ever. I just went numb,” Pribich said of his game‑winning boot. “When we got the ball back, coach told me to start loosening up and said that a field goal was going to win the game.”

Massillon’s clinching drive started on its own 43‑yard line after a Fitch punt.

On first down, Spencer handed off to tailback Leon Ashcraft on a routine off‑tackle play. Ashcraft was stopped for no gain, but managed to pitch the ball back to Spencer, who gained 18 yards to the Fitch 39.

From there, Massillon moved to a first down at the 26, but the drive stalled three plays later at the 23.

On came Pribich, drilling his 40‑yarder to put the Tigers ahead to stay.

“Nick had been hitting consistent 30‑yarders in pregame, so we knew that if we could get it down around the 30 we had a shot,” Rose said. “We were trying to keep the ball on the left hash because he kicks better from there. That’s why we were running to the sideline.”

“Nobody stopped us, we stopped ourselves,” Fitch Head Coach Jack Kenney said. “We kept finding ways to win, but we kept stopping ourselves.”

In the days leading up to the contest, Rose stressed the strength of the Fitch defense. First‑half action proved him right, as the Tigers could manage only 76 yards of total offense.

In that same span, the Falcons rolled up 224 yards and dominated on both sides of the ball, but managed only a 7‑0 halftime lead.

That score came on a 43‑yard touchdown strike from Marinelli to Mark Cruz.

Fitch continued to dominate in the third quarter, but failed to hit paydirt.

The fourth quarter was a different story, as the Tigers began to roar. On the strength of play in the final period, Massillon wound up out gaining Fitch 176 yards to 157 yards over the final 24 minutes.

For the game, Spencer led the Tigers with 122 yards on the ground in 22 carries, while Ashcraft finished with 90 yards in 18 carries.

MASSILLON 10
FITCH 7
M F
First downs rushing 7 15
First downs passing 2 3
First downs penalty 0 1
Total first downs 9 19
Net yards rushing 218 260
Net yards passing 32 119
Total yards gained 250 379
Passes attempted 12 17
Passes completed 4 4
Passes int. 0 0
Times kicked off 3 2
Kickoff average 53.7 57.0
Kickoff return yards 27 39
Punts 6 5
Punting average 31.7 31.2
Punt return yards 8 22
Fumbles 2 2
Fumbles lost 1 1
Penalties 4 10
Yards penalized 39 96
Number of plays 49 66
Time of possession 20:40 27:20

FITCH 0 7 0 0 7
MASSILLON 0 0 0 10 10

SCORING SUMMARY

Second Quarter
F ‑ Cruz 43 pass from Marinelli (Calcagni kick)

Fourth Quarter
M ‑ Spencer 86 run (Pribich kick)
M ‑ Pribich 40 FG

FINAL STATISTICS

Rushing:
Massillon
Spencer 15‑121, 1 TD;
Ashcraft 18‑90.
Fitch
Stanec 24‑147,
Evans 11‑51.

Passing:
Massillon
Spencer 4‑12‑32.
Fitch
Marinelli 4‑17‑119, 1 TD.

Receiving:
Massillon
Mohler 1‑20.
Fitch
Yargo 2‑23.

Leon Ashcraft

History

1971: Massillon 20, Cleveland Benedictine 0

September 24, 1971July 29, 2017
by Eric Smith

Determination prevails in Tiger win

By CHUCK HESS, JR.
Independent Sports Editor

There were several reasons why Massillon’s undefeated Tigers got their third victory Friday night, but two showed brighter than a lighthouse beacon on the rocky shore of Maine.

Foremost was the determination of the Orange and Black not to be defeated by a strong Cleveland Benedictine team.
* * *
SECOND WAS a master stroke by Bob Commings in making up a key play on the sidelines.

The result was a 20-0 victory – the third whitewash and the first time a Tiger team had turned the trick since Chuck Mather’s charges did it in 1950. One of the victims was Cleveland Cathedral Latin. Since Mather’s charges went onto a state championship, this may be a good omen.

It was the 13th straight victory for the Tigers, dating to 1970 and the eighth shutout in the last nine games.

Tiger determination could be broken down into three sub-categories. There was a defense which dug in after a devastating third period blocked punt, a fired up offense which powered its way to the fourth quarter touchdown which helped everybody breath easier and a tremendous tailback, Willie Spencer, who scored two touchdowns to up his season’s total to eight and picked up 111 net yards – losing only one in 22 tries – and got a standing cheer with 1:28 left in the game.

Tony Petruziello blocked Rick Weise’s punt and then recovered it on the Tigers’ 28. Duane Petrovich’s fourth-and-six pass from the 24 to end Bob Szabo made it first down on the 12.

Tackles Glen Weirich and Steve Studer and middle guard Larry McLenndon threw halfback Mike Woods to the 13, end Bob Stephan drove Petrovich to the 31 and halfback Tom Hannon and end Mike McGuire knocked down a fourth-and-24 pass from the 26 to end Dave Kniola to end the threat.
* * *
THE TIGERS TOOK over and worked their way 74 yards in 16 plays with Spencer, fullback Don Perry and wingback Art Thompson doing the bulk of the running. Spencer scored on fourth-and-three from the six with 11:37 left in the contest.

This was where the always-cool Commings sent in tailback Hank Nussbaumer as a split end set to the same side the formation was pointed towards instead of the normal opposite end.

“We wanted to go outside so we put Nussbaumer out there for extra blocking from a wide set,” Commings explained. “We hadn’t run from this formation before.”

Spencer scored the conversion, but the Tigers were guilty of holding and quarterback Scott Dingler tried a kick from the 24 which fell inches short.

Thompson started the Orange and Black on the way to their final score with an interception on his 46 and a runback to the Benedictine 49. Thompson, Hannon, McLenndon and Spencer ran the pigskin with Spencer picking up key yardage in the
13-play drive.

McLenndon skirted the end on fourth down from the three – losing his shirt in the process – but getting the score with 33 seconds left.
* * *
THE TIGERS’ other score came after Stephan had recovered a fumble on the first play of the game to give Massillon possession on the Benedictine 30. Spencer went off tackle on the sixth play on second down from the three with 9:20 left.

Dingler’s favorite “cute boot” netted the conversion.

The Tigers had three first half drives stopped as Petruziello intercepted passes at the Benedictine 45 and 10 – the former also featuring a runback to the Massillon 30 which was nullified by a clip – and an offside call mired the Orange and Black at the Bennies’ 30.

“Dingler’s two passes which were intercepted were classic examples of what could have been two great plays,” Commings explained. “He did everything right. We’re going to keep running them and get them open.”

Then Commings praised Spencer for keeping the Tigers in the game offensively and Perry, Thompson, Weirich, Studer and Stephan for playing all the way both ways. Six Bennies did the same.

“The two biggest things which happened were the offense charging down field on that 74-yard drive and the magnificent defense after the blocked punt,” Commings stated, “and we dispelled one rumor – that we couldn’t handle Benedictine in the second half. The Tigers had it when they needed it. Another word for that is character.”
* * *
AUGIE BOSSU, veteran Benedictine boss, was highly pleased with his teams’ gang-tackling, kick coverage and pursuit and felt good that the Bennies worked the Tigers back to basics.

“They couldn’t blow us out of there,” he said. “They had to finesse us. They got some movement on us – enough for the backs to come driving through. Spencer is a heckuva back with good size to go along with speed and balance.”

“There were two things which hurt us,” Bossu said. “There was that first quarter fumble which gave them good field position and that long second half kickoff which we lost on an offside penalty. Both of these things were unfortunate. They set the tempo for both halves.”

BENEDICTINE – 0
Ends – Szabo, Vavro, Koeth, D. Kniola, Zamaria.
Tackles – Switalski, Rochford, Melson.
Guards – Lanigan, DeFranco, Glowik.
Center – Pisching.
Quarterbacks – Petrovich, Seres, Keller.
Halfbacks – Holpuch, Woods, Favorite, Petruziello, Hodavievic, T. Moriarty, P. Moriarty.
Fullbacks – Teresczuk, Modzelewski.

MASSILLON – 20
Ends – Stephan, McGuire, Matie, D. Edwards, Rowe.
Tackles – Weirich, Andre Heath, Geiser.
Guards – Christoff, Heck, Graber, Bash, Mayles.
Centers – Studer, Cocklin.
Quarterbacks – Dingler, Muhlbach.
Halfbacks – Spencer, McLenndon, Nussbaumer, Thompson, Wonsick, Weise, T. Edwards, Jackson.
Fullbacks – Perry, Hannon.

MASSILLON 8 0 0 12 20
BENEDICTINE 0 0 0 0 0

SCORING SUMMARY
M – Spencer, 3 run (Dingler run);
M – Spencer 6 run (penalty on successful run, Dingler kick failed);
M – McLenndon 3 run (run failed).

GRID STICK
M B
First downs, rushing 18 4
First downs, passing 0 2
First down penalties 0 0
Total first downs 18 6
Yards gained rushing 259 100
Yards lost rushing 16 28
Net yards gained, rushing 243 72
Net yards gained, passing 16 40
Total yards gained 259 112
Passes completed 2-7 3-11
Passes intercepted by 2 2
Yardage on passes intercepted 20 12
Kickoff average (yards) 4-43.3 1-30.0
Kickoff returns (yards) 0 77
Punt average (yds.) 4-28.8 5-37.4
Punt returns (yds.) 5 0
Had punts blocked 1 0
Fumbles(lost) 1(0) 1(1)
Yards penalized 5-47 3-35
Touchdowns rushing 3 0
Total number of plays 73 42

OFFICIALS
Referee – Hugh Davis.
Umpire – Joe Yanity.
Head Linesman – Don Miller.
Field Judge – Ed Steinkerchner.
Back Judge – Dr. Henley Freeman.

ATTENDANCE – 12,726

Tag: <span>Willie Spencer</span>