As several hundred fans gathered at Ronaldo Stadium in Beaverton, Oregon, for the Tigers opener against NFL Academy UK, several thousand Massillon fans watched a broadcast on the Paul Brown Tiger Stadium scoreboard. NFL Academy, a program that has players from across Europe, entered the game at 0-1, with a loss to Edgewater, FL. The game was a part of Nike’s Kickoff Classic, hosted by Nike at their World Headquarters since 2022.
Massillon jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead in the 1st, but feisty NFL Academy tied the game with 2:51 left in the 2nd quarter. The Tigers put together a defensive stand a minute later, and scored with just seconds remaining in the half to go ahead 21-14. Massillon pulled away in the second half, led by the excellent play of senior quarterback Jalen Slaughter, who threw for 387 yards and 3 touchdowns. Wide receivers Jacques Carter (2 TDs), Braylyn Toles (1 TD), and Ricardo Wells all had a stellar game. Lennox Lemon was a big playmaker on defense; some of his highlights included a touchdown-saving tackle– chasing down Academy star running back Justus Seelig– and an interception in the red zone the very next play. When the clock hit 0:00, the score stood Tigers 35- NFL Academy 20.
Some Interesting Statistics
The game was win number 100 with the Tigers for head coach Nate Moore, who holds the all-time win record for a Massillon head coach. Jalen Slaughter’s 387 pass yards stand as third all-time in a single game for a Tigers QB, behind Justin Zwick (402 and 407 yards).
Coming Up Next
The Tigers will be at GlenOak next Friday, where they will attempt to extend their winning streak against the Golden Eagles to eight. Kickoff will be at 7:00.
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Nice article, Seth. The site looks great!