Massillon traveled up to Warren to take on the Raiders, an old All-American Conference foe and the second longest played rival in Tigers history. Massillon handled business as usual (they hold a 61-25-3 record against the Raiders) and took home a 45-14 win.
1st Quarter
The Tigers scored quickly and never looked back. Quarterback Jalen Slaughter threw a 55-yard bomb to Braylyn Toles for a touchdown to put the Tigers up 7-0. Daylan Pringle blew up a pitch play in the backfield, and Lennox Lemon recovered a fumble (forced by Sabastian Harper) two plays later to give the ball back to the Tigers. They were unable to put the ball in the end zone, but Mateo Herrera connected on a field goal to make the score 10-0. Warren was forced to punt after Dayvionne Floyd threw down running back BJ Coleman for a loss. Massillon moved the ball again after a Jacques Carter grab but turned it over on downs as a fourth down pass into the end zone sailed just over the fingertips of Ricardo Wells. Tra’Yon Williams blew up a screen, and Warren was again forced to punt. Massillon moved the ball but again turned it over, this time on a fumble. R’Celle Hill had a tackle-for-loss, and the Tiger defense pushed Warren to attempt a 29-yard field goal; it missed low and to the left.
2nd Quarter
Jalen Slaughter tossed a screen to Ja’Meir Gamble, who zipped down the sideline for a 31-yard score. Warren once again could not move the ball; R’Celle Hill’s second TFL sent them backwards, and De’mari Clemons and the Tigers’ D swarmed Warren quarterback Chaz Coleman on third down to force a punt. Ja’Meir Gamble wrestled away from a defender to score a touchdown, putting the Tigers up 24-0. The Raiders were blown up again in the backfield; this time it was an Issac Maxheimer sack. Vito McConnell destroyed a Warren screen pass and forced the Raiders to punt. Massillon was unable to move the ball after back-to-back sacks, and the Tigers punted. Warren got on the board with a touchdown pass despite a sack by Dayvionne Floyd and Vito McConnell, and the Tigers ran the clock out to take the game into the half with a 24-7 lead.
3rd Quarter
The Tigers’ Black Swarm defense was all over Warren again on the opening drive. Isaac Maxheimer had a tackle-for-loss, Dayvionne Floyd and R’Celle Hill had a sack, and the Raiders punted. Massillon got on the board again with a 22-yard Ja’Meir Gamble touchdown run, making the score 31-7. Warren moved the ball down the field but turned the ball over on downs. The Tigers punted, and the Raiders moved the ball again; but a 37-yard field goal attempt banged off the left upright, and Warren came up with no points. Ja’Meir Gamble took a rush 80 yards to the house to put the Tigers up 38-7.
4th Quarter
The Tiger backups came into the game and shut the Raiders down. Coby Martin threw quarterback Chaz Coleman down for a sack, and Warren punted. The Tigers muffed the punt at the 3-yard line and set up a Warren score (although they held them to a 4th-and-goal play). Savior Owens rumbled 55 yards to the house for a Massillon score, and Warren ran out of time in the ballgame. The final: Massillon 45 – Warren 14.
Interesting Stats
Ja’Meir Gamble had another great game, rushing for 152 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also had a 31-yard receiving touchdown. Jalen Slaughter went 11 for 19 with 172 yards and 2 touchdowns. Braylyn Toles led in receiving yards with 79 and had a touchdown catch. The Tiger defense had 5 sacks and 14 tackles-for-loss. Dayvionne Floyd had a great breakout game with a sack and 2 TFLs. Isaac Maxheimer was all over the field with a sack and 3 TFLs.
Postgame Comments
Ja’Meir Gamble: “We definitely executed well. I owe my offensive line a steak dinner.” On scoring 9 touchdowns in the last two weeks: “It’s definitely humbling”.
Dayvionne Floyd: “It’s a team effort. Our offense gives us a great look in practice every week. Our defensive coordinator is very hard on us, but it’s so we can come out here on these Friday nights and perform. It’s not one of us, we’re all there flying around out there making plays. Against a big player like Chaz Coleman, we need to make plays; and we have eight or nine guys back there on him.”
On next week vs. McKinley: “We are ready to go against McKinley. Defense is going to be better than ever, offense has been making strides all year, and they’re going to be better than ever; coaches are going to be on point, and we’re all going to be locked in.”
Coach Moore: “The name of the game defensively is team play. Everybody does their job; you win your one man battles, you win your gaps, be physical… good defenses are team defenses.”
Up Next…
The Tigers will take on McKinley (6-3). This will be the 135th meeting between the rivals— the Tigers have dominated the series (76-53-5) and have 8 consecutive wins against the Bulldogs. Kickoff will be at 2:00 this upcoming Saturday.
Video Highlights
Ja’Meir Gamble spins out of tackles for a touchdown
