It was a miserable night both weather wise and game wise for Massillon at Mansfield’s Arlin Field. The Tigers scored only 7 points despite gaining 378 yards on offense. The Tigers were plagued by mistakes, racking up 175 yards on 26 penalties and committing numerous false starts. A Big Walnut kick return touchdown to open the second half was the game-deciding score as the Eagles won 14-7.
1st Quarter
The Tigers opened the first half with the ball. They gained one first down but were forced to punt after a false start pushed them back. Big Walnut started in Massillon territory, but the Tigers’ defense shut down the Eagles’ offense and forced a punt after a 3-and-out. Massillon was once again plagued by penalties and forced to punt. Big Walnut picked their way down the field and had the ball first-and-goal going into the second quarter.
2nd Quarter
Big Walnut tossed a 5-yard touchdown pass, and the Eagles led 7-0. The Tigers answered quickly with a 75-yard touchdown on a Jalen Slaughter pass to Braylyn Toles. Big Walnut was unable to move after one first down and punted the ball back to the Tigers. Massillon drove the ball down the field on a couple of big runs from Ja’Meir Gamble and Mylen Lenix and a pass to DJ Zimmerman. Facing 4th-and-1 from the Big Walnut 18, the Tigers jumped four straight times for false starts, making it 4th-and-21. A toss to the end zone was broken up, and the Tigers turned it over on downs. Big Walnut put together a drive just prior to the end of the half, but the Massillon defense stepped up again as Vito McConnell and Tyler Hackenbracht stuffed a 4th-and-1 run to force a turnover on downs. The Tigers went into the half with the game tied at 7.
3rd Quarter
Big Walnut took the kickoff back 96 yards for a touchdown in what turned out to be the deciding score of the game. Tyler Hackenbracht had a good kick return of his own and set Massillon up at the Big Walnut 47. The Tigers moved down to the 24-yard line, but a false start and a sack pushed them out of field goal range and forced a punt. Mike Wright and the Tigers’ defense stood strong as Big Mike sacked Big Walnut’s quarterback twice. The Tigers were called for a roughing the kicker penalty but still stopped the Eagles. The punt pinned Massillon at their own 1-yard line. The Tigers were able to move the ball out of the hole, but three more false starts stalled the drive. Big Walnut was called for a roughing the kicker penalty, and the Tigers moved the ball into Big Walnut territory as the third quarter came to an end.
4th Quarter
The Tigers once again jumped and committed a false start penalty to push them back. A run on 4th down came up short and Massillon turned the ball over on downs. Massillon’s defense stood up and stopped Big Walnut rather quickly. The Tigers were hit with another false start penalty and punted. Yet again, Massillon’s defense forced a short possession and a punt. With three minutes remaining in the game Massillon moved the ball to their 44-yard line but an underthrown pass was picked off. The Tiger defense forced a three-and-out to give the offense one more chance. The Tigers started at their own 3-yard line, and more penalties held them back; a last-second pass play was shut down and Big Walnut claimed a 14-7 victory.
Interesting Stats
On paper the stats look as if the Tigers won big. Massillon outgained Big Walnut 378-170. They rushed for 215 yards, and Jalen Slaughter passed for 163 yards. Ja’Meir Gamble had 186 yards rushing. Braylyn Toles led receivers with 76 yards and a score; Deontay Malone had 66 yards. The biggest stat on the day, however, was the penalty yardage. Massillon had 26 penalties called on them for 175 yards— 17 were procedural penalties.
Defensively, the Tigers played well. Ja’Dyn Williams led the team with 11 tackles and had 1.5 tackles-for-loss. Tyler Hackenbracht had 8 tackles; Vito McConnell and Logan Allman had 6. Mike Wright racked up a sack and 2.5 tackles-for-loss to cap off his legendary career.
Postgame Comments
Coach Moore: “I love this senior class. We’ve been through so much together; I’m proud of them and their careers. Sad it had to end today; I don’t think any of us expected that. You have to tip the hat to Big Walnut; they played a great game and were the better team on the field today.”
Video Highlights
