Massillon came out of the Tiger-mouth tunnel to the tune of the Massillon Tiger Swing Band and the boom of fireworks as orange and black balloons filled the air. The heavily-favored Tigers beat Canton in a game that was closer than many expected, but they came out with a 16-7 victory, their ninth win in a row in the series and the 77th all-time versus Canton.
1st Quarter
The first quarter started off well for the Tigers. Tens of thousands at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium roared as Massillon punched out the ball, and Vito McConnell fell on the it at the Bulldogs’ 24-yard line. Tigers’ quarterback Jalen Slaughter rolled left and tossed a touchdown to the wide-open Braylyn Toles for a touchdown. Mateo Herrera nailed the extra point, and the Tigers jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead. Mylen Lenix was all over the Canton offense on the next drive, getting a tackle-for-loss and a sack to force a McKinley punt. Mike Wright blew through the protection and blocked the punt, and the Tigers were in business as Logan Allman fell on the loose ball at the Canton 23-yard line. The McKinley defense stood strong, and Massillon turned the ball over on downs. Mylen Lenix and the Tigers defense drove Canton backwards again and forced another punt.
2nd Quarter
Jalen Slaughter tossed a 24-yard touchdown pass to Jacques Carter to open the second quarter, putting the Tigers up 13-0 (the extra point was missed after a 15-yard penalty moved the ball back). McKinley moved the ball into Massillon territory again but failed to convert a 4th-and-11 as Mike Wright chased down a screen pass. The Tigers’ drive was stunted by the Bulldog defense, and they were forced to punt. Canton put together a good drive and put the ball in the end zone to make it a one-score game. A couple of screens and checkdowns to Ja’Meir Gamble set the Tigers up in field goal range, and Mateo Herrera drilled a 36-yard field goal to put Massillon up 16-7 as the first half clock hit zero.
3rd Quarter
Braylyn Toles had a big catch for the Tigers, but they were forced to punt. Punter Tyler Hackenbracht pinned the Bulldogs at their own 10; and the Massillon defense capitalized, driving McKinley back to their own goal line. McKinley quarterback Kam Montgomery was chased into his own end zone and threw the ball into the ground (it was ruled a fumble), and the Bulldogs grabbed the ball at the 1-yard line where Mike Wright stopped the play. McKinley punted out of the back of their own end zone, setting Massillon up with good field position. The Tigers missed a field goal, and McKinley put together a long drive on their ensuing possession. After a running-into-the-kicker penalty, the Bulldogs drove the ball down into Tiger territory.
4th Quarter
Mike Wright and Issac Maxheimer combined for a sack, but the Bulldogs moved the ball further into Massillon territory. Facing 4th-and-9 from the Massillon 24, McKinley quarterback Kam Montgomery tossed the ball downfield; and Daylan Pringle picked it off for the Tigers. The Tigers punted, and McKinley had one last chance to score. An incompletion on fourth down turned the ball over on downs, and the Tigers only had to gain a couple of first downs to put the game away. Facing fourth down, Massillon was given a gift as McKinley committed a personal foul to move the ball across the marker. The Tigers took a knee and celebrated their ninth straight victory, a 16-7 win over the Bulldogs.
Postgame
The Tigers drove the Bell onto the field; and celebrated by ringing it for the ninth year in a row. The Tigers were also presented with the Great American Rivalry Series trophy. Quarterback Jalen Slaughter was named game MVP by the organization.
Coach’s Comments
Coach Moore: “That was a real battle. I tip my hat to Canton McKinley; Coach Hall and his guys played really well and really hard. It was a great rivalry game; I think everybody got their money’s worth, and we’re going to celebrate this victory. They had one drive where they really ran the ball well on us, but other than that we did a really good job. They’re a good football team; they had a setback last week and responded well this week. Early on it looked like we had a lot of momentum– kudos to them, they stood tall and kept playing. Their defensive line made life tough on us; we had trouble moving them and sustaining blocks, but that’s the game of football. We made some plays through the air– Jalen did a good job and our receivers made some nice plays.”
“Just look around this place; I don’t know how you couldn’t be fired up. It was a great performance by our fans; they sure showed up and were loud. This game’s so important to so many people– it’s really important to the city of Massillon, so it’s never not going to mean everything to us.”
“The defense on both ends played physical ball. That’s square one for playing defense.”
Up Next…
The Tigers will take on Pataskala Licking Heights (4-6) on Friday at home. Kickoff at 7:00PM.
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