The Tiger defense dominated once again as Massillon came out firing after their first round playoff bye. The Massillon front 7 (and especially Brayton Feister) had a night as they stunted St. Francis DeSales’ run game and seemed to be in the backfield nearly every snap. At the half, the Stallions had -3 total yards, -11 rush yards, and no first downs. They would gain their first 1st down of the game with around 10 minutes left in the 3rd, but by then it was far too late. Massillon used a steady ground attack and mixed in the pass as well to jump out to a 35-0 halftime lead. They would end up with a 48-0 lead after taking a knee on the final extra point. DeSales would end up with only 5 yards of offense; -13 rushing, 18 passing, and only 2 first downs. Massillon chased Ohio State Head Coach Ryan Day’s son RJ (the Stallion’s quarterback) all night and brought him down in the backfield numerous times despite his attempts to escape. Massillon will now travel to Sunbury to take on Big Walnut in the regional semifinal.
The Tigers have posted back-to-back shutouts for the first time since 2020 (Bishop Sycamore and Warren Harding) and have held both opponents (McKinley -22 and DeSales -13) to negative rush yards.
Game Recap
The Tigers won the toss and elected to receive. They went pass-heavy on the opening drive, but a pair were batted down and the Tigers punted. Massillon’s defense once again began a game by setting the tone right away. Isaac Maxheimer and Ke’Aun Fowler immediately met the Stallions’ running back in the backfield on the first snap. Another run went nowhere, and a 3rd down pass was incomplete. DeSales punted it back to the Tigers, and Savior Owens burst through on the first play for a 41-yard touchdown. Geo Vinson and Anthony Hoover delivered a big hit on the ensuing kickoff (something that the Stallions would feel throughout the night on special teams) and DeSales was moved back on procedural penalties. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty pushed the ball back even further. The snap was taken from the 5; DeVaughn Williams and Brayton Feister met the runner at the 3. The Stallions punted from the back of their own end zone. An interference call would move the ball for the Tigers, and they would keep it on the ground with Savior Owens and Gary Yeager, and Owens eventually took it in again for a touchdown and 14-0 lead. Geo Vinson once again laid the wood on the kick return and set DeSales back. A Brayton Feister sack of RJ Day set them even further back– the Stallions would push slightly forward as a pass that bounced off the turf was ruled a catch. Following a DeSales punt, a few run plays as well as a few encroachment calls on the defense helped the Massillon offense push down the field as they went into the 2nd quarter. A deep ball from Rasmus Haines was hauled in on the sideline by Gio Jackson Jr. to set Massillon up in the red zone. A slant to Deontay Malone got the Tigers closer and Savior Owens ran behind blockers into the end zone for his 3rd touchdown of the day. Dey’Veair Adams delivered a big hit on the kickoff, and Brayton Feister brought Day down in the backfield once again as he tried to escape to the left. When Day tried to scramble to the right two plays later, Brydon Feister was there to meet him in the backfield. The Stallions gave it back to the Tigers after a punt, and Masssillon was quickly back in DeSales territory after a Haines deep ball to Deontay Malone was hauled in near the sideline. Haines found Dashun Williams in the middle of the end zone to increase the lead to 28-0 soon after. Johnny Adams tripped up the kick returner near the 13-yard line, and Noah Garner, Christian Culler, and Brydon Feister all met the running back in the backfield to push the Stallions even further back. Isaac Maxheimer and Christian Culler would stifle a 3rd down play on a sack to force another punt. Savior Owens found an opening for a 1st down, and Deontay Malone shot free in the end zone for a wide-open touchdown catch. With a 35-0 lead, Massillon’s defense shut down a few more run plays before heading into the half.
The Tigers gave up a 1st down for the first time in the game two minutes into the 3rd quarter. Brayton Feister threw Day down for yet another sack as a running clock quickly ran through the 2nd half. Gary Yeager exploded out of the hole for a house call touchdown to extend the lead to 42-0. Brayton Feister was on top of a run again as the Stallions came on offense; they punted soon after. Adrian Pascley burst out of a hole for a big gain as the game rolled into the final quarter. Freshman quarterback Donnie McMullen would find Aamir Jones for a 1st down; he then slung a 4th-and-long pass into the end zone where it was caught by Van Hawkins for a diving touchdown. Massillon took a knee on the extra point, and after picking up one more TFL for good measure, they took round 2 of the playoffs with a 48-0 victory.
