The Tigers rolled another early round opponent on Friday, beating the Canal Winchester Indians 37-7. There were numerous excellent performances by Massillon players in the game. It was certainly the definition of a “team game” as everyone got a piece of the Indians. I selected seven of those players for the spotlight this week.
Before we get to this week’s performances, let’s look at the All-County list. Quarterback Jalen Slaughter, Running Back Ja’Meir Gamble, Wide Receiver Braylyn Toles, Offensive Tackle Nolan Davenport, Defensive Lineman Mike Wright, Linebacker Vito McConnell, Safety Tyler Hackenbracht, and Corner Daylan Pringle all made the list. Jacques Carter was named team MVP. There are some notable snubs (Mylen Lenix, Tra’Yon Williams, and others) but as Coach Moore said at the Booster Club meeting, “You can’t put our whole roster up there although they may deserve it.”
The Tigers rolled offensively on Friday. They racked up 413 yards… 185 rushing and 228 passing.
Jalen Slaughter completed 10 of 19 passes for 228 yards and 3 touchdowns. He mainly targeted the receiving duo of Braylyn Toles (93 yards, 1 touchdown of 81 yards) and Jacques Carter (97 yards, 1 touchdown of 72 yards). For their excellent performances, these three Tigers are in the offensive spotlight this week.
Massillon’s run game also came up big. Ja’Meir Gamble was the leading back with 154 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Ja’Meir made the Indians miss and weaved his way downfield all night for big gains. For this performance, Ja’Meir Gamble is also in this week’s offensive spotlight.
The Tigers’ defense yet again showed that they are among the best in the state. Overall they held the Indians to 138 yards, but the starters held them to 20 yards in the first half. The Tigers also racked up 4 sacks and 10 tackles-for-loss.
A big part of the defensive effort was Mike Wright. He shut down Canal Winchester’s run game, recording 2.5 tackles-for-loss. He was also in the backfield going after the Indians’ quarterback– Mike had two sacks to go along with his TFLs. For his performance, he earns a place in the spotlight this week.
Logan Allman was also instrumental in stuffing the Indians’ run game on Friday. He had two tackles-for-loss as well as a sack on his stat sheet. For his efforts Friday night, Logan Allman is a defensive spotlight player this week.
Vito McConnell had quite the game Friday night. He led the team in tackles with 6; he also had a tackle-for-loss. On the offensive side he caught a touchdown pass– his first of the year. For succeeding both ways for the Tigers, Vito McConnell is the two-way spotlight player this week.
