The Tigers’ Freshmen traveled to Canton’s Don Scott Field to take on arch-rival McKinley on Wednesday evening for both teams’ final game of the season. The game was a back-and-forth, hard fought battle, and Massillon fought to the very end and won in a thriller.
The Tigers started off with the ball. DeVaughn Williams was able to gain a first down on the ground, but the Tigers could not get another first and were forced to punt. The snap on the punt was high, and punter Drew Holland was forced to fall on the snap deep in Tiger territory. Holland brought down the Bulldogs’ quarterback for a sack, but Canton put the ball in the end zone a few plays later. The extra point was wide, and McKinley led 6-0. Massillon punted on a drive that ran into the second quarter. The Tiger defense stood strong and forced a punt, and their offense capitalized on their possession. Quarterback Rasmus Haines threw a 69-yard bomb for a touchdown to Logan Thornsberry, tying the game at 6 (the two-point attempt failed). The Tiger defense once again got a stop, and Derrick Gordon took the punt back 88 yards for a touchdown, weaving his way through the Bulldogs with only 21 seconds left in the half. This gave Massillon a 12-6 lead (the two-point try once again failed). McKinley took a knee and went into the half.
Early in the third quarter McKinley mishandled an exchange, and Koletin Hodges fell on the ball for the Tigers. The next play Canton pulled the ball away from a Tiger and ran the ball back deep into Tigers’ territory. Rasmus Haines chased the Canton lineman down to save a touchdown in a play that ended up being of great importance. Facing 4th and long, McKinley’s quarterback dropped back to pass and threw over the middle where it was tipped and picked off by Iziaha Johnson for the Tigers. Massillon was able to move the ball close to a first down but did not quite get close enough and were forced to punt. James Smith pulled down McKinley’s running back for a loss, and Greg McHenry took down their quarterback for a sack. Facing another fourth and long, the Bulldogs decided to go for it yet again. This time they completed a pass; but it was well short of the line to gain, and the ball was turned over on downs. As the fourth quarter began, Massillon threw an interception. Joe Pierce took down McKinley’s running back for a huge loss after a bad snap, but the Bulldogs threw and completed a bomb for a touchdown. The two-point try was stopped, and the game remained tied at 12. The Tigers had a long drive down the field on their possession. Rasmus Haines sneaked the ball over the line on 4th down to keep the drive alive. Drew Holland and Logan Thornsberry both had big grabs for first downs, and DeVaughn Williams fought his way into the end zone for a go-ahead score. The two-point conversion was once again stopped, and the Tigers led 18-12. Joe Pierce had a great pass breakup that was almost an interception, but McKinley moved down the field and into Tiger territory. They crept down to the Massillon 4-yard line with under 40 seconds remaining, but a few procedural penalties and blown up plays backed them up to the 12-yard line. Facing 4th and goal with 4 seconds left, McKinley’s quarterback tossed the ball into the right corner of the end zone. The ball was overthrown; and with the clock showing all zeros, the Tigers celebrated a nail-biting, hard fought 18-12 victory.
Coach’s Comment
Coach Greg Corsale: “The defense had an amazing game. They gave us chances to win the game— the stand at the end was our best all season.”
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