This Friday the Tigers are traveling to Mollenkopf Stadium to take on the Warren G. Harding Raiders (6-2). Warren is the Tigers’ second-longest played rival, with the Tigers holding a 60-25-3 record against them. The Raiders are much improved this season and are on the way up from a few down years (they finished 5-7 last season). I discussed this upcoming game, Warren’s season, where to eat before the game, and more with WGH Football.com writer and “loud Warren fan” David “Worm” Baugh.
Mr. Baugh has a lot of respect for the Massillon program and Coach Nate Moore. “Massillon is never a program that needs to be built”, he told me. “Nate embraces everything Massillon represents; he dives right in to Massillon’s traditions. He adds fuel to the fire… Nate and Massillon are a match made in heaven.”
We discussed the tough schedules that gritty Ohio teams often play and how community affects the performance of our teams. “Competing with the best starts at home… Massillonians are raised not just in a football aspect but to take care of business on and off the field. Whatever you are doing in your community is going to reflect on the football field. If we’re not developing our kids right off the field they’re not going to excel on it.”
His Story as a WGH fan and writer
“I grew up in a football community in Warren… my cousin would walk to the game with me when I was in grade school… when I missed games I told myself ‘I’m going to attend every game when I get older’… last game I missed was when I was 13 or 14. I cheer like I’m still that 16 or 17 year old.”
His fandom and support grew, and he worked with Warren in many aspects to further their program and help the kids that were moving through it. An opportunity came up a few years ago to take his talents up another notch.
“In 2019 a friend of mine built the site for Warren Harding, and they asked me to be a writer for the game previews. I recorded some of the plays, and that grew into filming every scoring play and eventually the whole game so I could post everyone’s highlights. I even post both sides’ scoring highlights today.”
Another great thing that he does for the program is help get their players recruited by colleges. He is constantly tagging college coaches and emailing them stats and film. This has helped many of Warren’s stars such as Chaz Coleman get noticed by scouts and receive scholarship offers.
Warren’s Stars
Warren has a solid program this year. Airiz Coleman Bey (Brown University) is a great corner. Chaz Coleman (offers from Mizzou, Florida State, Penn State, Virginia Tech, Michigan State, etc.) is Warren’s all-around star… he has thrown for 411 yards and rushed for another 500. On the defensive side, he leads the team in sacks and tackles-for-loss and is tied for team lead in interceptions. Kenneth Byrd (Allegheny College) is solid at DE and Center. Steve Sims (Youngstown State commit) is a solid receiver and safety. “You’re going to get maximum effort from the entire team”, says Baugh, “our coaching staff is instilling a mentality in our boys. We have coaches with a lot of experience… the effort from the team is a tribute to the coaching staff.”
The Eats
“Everyone that comes to Warren has to go the the Buena Vista café.. it’s right by the stadium. The best fried chicken (Nick’s Greek Fried Chicken) you’ve ever tasted in your life is inside. If you eat before the game, you have to go to the café.
If you want something inside the stadium, get some of Fred Moore’s “No-Sauce Ribs” (sold in the gridiron concession stand on the home side). They’ll be sold out by halftime, so get ‘em quick. The “Raider Fries” are pretty good as well.”
Thanks to David Baugh for sharing his thoughts on this week’s matchup. You can find his work at https://www.wghfootball.com or on X @Worm02.
Thanks to Rocky Dorsey for the cover/header photo. You can check out his work on Instagram @rocdz10, on Facebook under Rocky Dorsey, or on X @RocDzYaBoy.
