The Tigers started off a bit slow but won 41-6 over Pataskala Licking Heights in a game marred by questionable officiating. Massillon was unable to establish the run game early but successfully passed and wore down the Hornets’ defense to eventually implement the run more. The Tigers’ defense played strong all night, only allowing a score after a turnover set the Hornets up in Tiger territory.
1st Quarter
The Tigers received the opening kick and picked their way down the field with a mixed pass and run game. Jalen Slaughter tossed a 33-yard pass to Jacques Carter who pulled it in for a touchdown. A very questionable celebration penalty resulted in good field position for the Hornets. That was no problem for the Massillon defense as they swarmed the Hornets; Mylen Lenix and Lucas Shertzer both sacked Licking Heights’ quarterback, and Logan Allman stuffed a 3rd down run to force a punt. Massillon was unable to move the ball and punted. The Tiger defense stood tall once again, and the Hornets punted after a R’Celle Hill tackle-for-loss set them back.
2nd Quarter
The Tigers threw a pick on a screen pass that was disrupted by a defensive lineman dropping back into coverage. The Hornets responded with a touchdown; and after a questionable encroachment call on the Tigers, they went for two. Massillon stuffed the ensuing two-point conversion to keep the score 7-6. The Tigers picked their way down the field once again, and Peytton Mitchell punched the ball in for a 7-yard touchdown. The Hornets were stifled yet again by Massillon’s defense as Mylen Lenix stripped the ball away from the ball carrier, and Lucas Shertzer recovered. A false start was called on Massillon tight end Logan Allman, but Coach Moore protested that he was allowed to reset on the line. After a very long conference in which the referees brought out the OHSAA football rule books onto the field to read, they decided that it was not a false start and waived the flag. Mylen Lenix rumbled 16 yards into the end zone for a score on the next play. The Hornets took a knee and went into the half trailing the Tigers 21-6.
Confused OHSAA referees go to the rulebook in Friday night’s playoff game. Photo Courtesy Bennett’s Photography
3rd Quarter
Licking Heights completed a long pass to get into Massillon territory on the first drive of the second half. They could not move the ball any further, and Lucas Shertzer finished them off with a 4th down sack. Massillon punted the ball back to the Hornets, and Shertzer laid the wood on a screen to force a punt. Ja’Meir Gamble carried the ball down the field and put the ball in the end zone on an 8-yard run for the Tigers. Licking Heights threw a ball short of the marker on 4th down and turned the ball over on downs. Massillon added another score as Braylyn Toles went high to pull in a touchdown pass from Jalen Slaughter. The Tigers attempted a two-point conversion to force a running clock, but the attempt failed.
4th Quarter
Lucas Shertzer and Logan Allman sacked the Hornets’ quarterback and Tra’Yon Williams broke up a 4th down pass to force a turnover on downs. Ja’Meir Gamble took a rush to the house for a 64-yard touchdown to give the Tigers a 41-6 lead and implement a running clock. The Hornets were shut down again as Coby Martin had a tackle-for-loss; Licking Heights punted. Savior Owens put Massillon close to the goal line, and a 4th down pass from Manny Patterson was seemingly caught in the end zone by Gio Jackson Jr. but ruled incomplete. The Hornets ran out of time on their end, and the Tigers went to the locker room with a 41-6 victory.
Postgame Comments
Coach Moore: “Defense was dialed in. Overall we played really well although we gave up a couple pass plays. Pass game was rolling. Our receivers have played great all year and continued today.”
Jalen Slaughter: “We started off slow, but we came together and put together a good game; defense had a great game as well. We had to get out of our heads to put together the offense; and once we did that, we started rolling. We started out slow, but Coach Moore got us in a big huddle and told us to just play the game, stay calm, get out of our heads, and play Massillon Tiger football. You can’t play down to your opponent’s level.”
Jacques Carter: “Good team win; the pass game stepped up. We have great playmakers at receiver; we share the ball around and we all make plays.”
Braylyn Toles: “We started slow and finished fast. We had to get things right and lock in. We just started playing Massillon Tiger football, and things went well.”
Interesting Stats
Once the Tigers were able to establish the run game, they ran all over the Hornets. Ja’Meir Gamble had 164 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns. Mylen Lenix and Peytton Mitchell both added a score on the ground. Overall the Tigers rushed for over 200 yards. The pass game was on-point and well spread out. Jalen Slaughter went 17-23 with 159 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. He targeted 6 receivers, with Braylyn Toles leading the pack once again with 50 yards and a score. Jacques Carter had a touchdown on his one catch of the game.
Defensively the Tigers were solid once again. They racked up 8 tackles-for-loss and 4 sacks. Mylen Lenix had a sack and 2 TFLs, as did Tra’Yon Williams. Lucas Shertzer has 1.5 sacks and 1.5 tackles-for-loss.
Up Next
The Tigers will play at home one more time as they face Canal Winchester (8-3), who defeated Westerville South 17-7 in their first round playoff game. The Tigers have taken on the Indians once previously in the 2022 playoffs— that game resulted in a 34-0 Massillon victory.
Video Highlights
Nice job covering the game, love the videos 👍