Massillon’s stellar inaugural season came to an end on Sunday afternoon. The Tigers fell to Cincinnati regional champion Mount Notre Dame in the first round. Badin High School from Hamilton took the state title over Willoughby South in the third and final round of the Ohio Flag Football State Championship.
The Game
The Tigers started off the game with a defensive spark. After a short gain and a flag pull by Haidyn Stephen followed by an incomplete pass, a long shot was batted around and intercepted by Emerson Smith. The Tigers struggled to advance the ball on their end. After a couple of completions to Neela Dahlquist, the Tigers could not put the ball in the end zone and turned the ball over on downs. Mount Notre Dame marched down the field and scored on a pass to jump on top 6-0. The PAT failed but the Cougars made up for the points on defense as a turnover and a Massillon safety made the score 8-0. Mount Notre Dame drove the ball quickly and added another score. The PAT went out the back of the end zone and the score remained 14-0. Emerson Smith made a catch on Massillon’s end but the Tigers could not convert a 4th-down and turned the ball over. A long first down catch by the Cougars set up yet another touchdown. This time the PAT was good– a juggling catch made the score 21-0 Cougars. The Tigers were able to answer with a score of their own as quarterback Izzi McVay roped a ball down the sideline and Neela Dahlquist took it into the end zone. A falling catch by Dahlquist on the PAT made the score 21-7. Mount Notre Dame ran out of time in the half on their drive. Massillon had a chance to cut the deficit to one possession on the opening drive of the second half, but despite catches from Dahlquist and Mariah Zimmerman, they were unable to convert on 4th down. A first down catch and a touchdown for the Cougars put the game out of reach for the Tigers. Although the PAT was no good, the score stood at 27-7. A Massillon pass was intercepted; Madison Burton made a diving pull to prevent a pick-6. The Cougars punched the ball in soon after; Haidyn Stephen broke up the PAT to keep the score at 33-7. Another Massillon pass was picked off; this led to a touchdown to put the score at 39-7. The PAT was not attempted as the mercy rule came into effect to end the game.
Highlights
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