Tarblooders versus Tigers is a game that has been in the making for a long time. For months it has been hyped up and promoted. Media from all over the state of Ohio and beyond were keeping an eye on the results. The clash of the two very talented teams lived up to the hype. From Massillon’s thrilling comeback and Glenville’s late rally, the two potential game-winning kicks that were attempted, and an the first overtime for the Tigers since a 23-20 win over GlenOak in 2013, this game had it all.
First Quarter
The first half was not too pretty for Massillon. On the first drive of the game the Tigers moved backwards. Savior Owens picked up a nice gain but a false start penalty and a loss on a run play forced Massillon to punt. Glenville began a long, meticulous drive down the field. They ran counter plays behind their huge offensive line and pushed the Tigers off the ball. Isaac Maxheimer almost picked off a pass on a screen, but the Tarblooders recovered quickly from their near mistake and picked up yet another first down. A significant pickup on a screen pass and a few more runs set Glenville up for the game’s first score as a short run put them up 7-0. On the Tigers’ end, Massillon quarterback Manny Patterson found Gio Jackson Jr for a 48-yard gain on a pass to the sideline. Gio broke a tackle and made his way into Glenville territory.
Second Quarter
A couple of plays into the second quarter, Patterson tossed a touchdown to Gio Jackson Jr, who leaped, turned in the air, and planted one foot in the black grass of the end zone for the score. Glenville pushed the Tigers around once again on their second drive. They opened it up with a long bomb and caught the Tigers off balance for the long score. The extra point was no good and the Tigers trailed 12-7. Massillon’s next drive started off in good field position after a nice kick return from Anthony McMullen. Two plays later a fumble recovery gave the Tarblooders great field position at Massillon’s 43. They beat the Tigers on a couple of perimeter runs before finishing the drive with a over-the-middle touchdown pass. The extra point was once again no good, but the score looked bad for the Tigers at 19-7. On their drive, an overthrown pass was picked off and returned deep into Massillon territory. Manny Patterson and Savior Owens cleaned up the returner to prevent a score and a late hit on top of a block in the back pushed the Tarblooders to the Tiger 48. Massillon got a much-needed 3rd-down stop before the half and got the ball back. Despite a good punt return by Deontay Malone, the Tigers were unable to move the ball. Time in the half ran out on a punt.
Third Quarter
Massillon made many adjustments at the half– adjustments that would help them get back in the game. Glenville was able to grind the ball down the field but made mistakes by committing multiple personal fouls. The Tigers held them down on 3rd-and-long to force a punt. Savior Owens got things started for the Tigers with a 43-yard run on a draw play. He added another 1st-down run to set Massillon up in the red zone. A holding penalty moved the Tigers back, but that was no trouble for Manny Patterson, who threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to the diving Deontay Malone. Mateo Herrera placed the ensuing kickoff in the “coffin corner” and Glenville fell on it at their own 14. Quarterback Chris Newell Jr slipped and fell for a big loss, and the Tigers forced a punt after a 3rd-down stop. Glenville’s punt went straight up and rolled backwards to the 14, resulting in a 6-yard kick.
Fourth Quarter
Massillon was in prime position to take the lead. Savior Owens stood in at wildcat and faked a sweep to Anthony McMullen, plunging straight ahead into the end zone for the go-ahead score. A 2-point conversion attempt was snuffed out. Glenville answered quickly on their end with an 81-yard screen pass for a touchdown (although a blatant missed false start gave the back an advantage on the play). A leaping grab by Joseph Saffold on a 2-point conversion gave the Tarblooders a 27-20 lead with 10:46 left in the quarter. Massillon’s Savior Owens tossed a pass to George Rivera for a 21-yard gain on the Tigers’ next drive. Owens picked up another first down on the ground. Manny Patterson found Deontay Malone wide open in the middle for the score. Mateo Herrera’s extra point was good, and the game was tied at 27. With 8:37 remaining, Glenville took over. Ja’Dyn Williams blew up a run play after the exchange was bobbled. A holding penalty on the next play set Glenville back even further. After a medium gain on 2nd down, the Tarblooders faced 3rd-and-18. The roar of the Massillon crowd drowned out the Glenville snap calls and they were forced to call a timeout. On the next attempt the Tiger faithful once again roared, causing an early jump by Glenville which moved them back 5 more yards. Isaac Maxheimer swept around the edge and forced an early throw by QB Chase Youngblood– the ball fell to the turf and the Tigers got ready to take over with a chance to win. Savior Owens leapt over a defender to pick up a 1st down. Anthony McMullen converted on a 3rd-and-short and Savior Owens got just enough (after measurement) on a 4th-and-1 to keep the drive alive. Deontay Malone stutter stepped his way to a 19-yard gain on a pass play to set Massillon up at the 19. The Tigers moved the ball down to the 11-yard line and got ready to attempt the game-winning field goal with 17 seconds remaining in the game. Massillon fans held their breath as the Tigers got ready to cap off their furious comeback with a victory. Alas, it was not to be. Herrera’s kick was blocked as a Glenville player flew off the edge unblocked and knocked down the kick. Arvell Nelson scooped up the ball for the Tarblooders and took it down the far sideline. Savior Owens made a game-saving chase down tackle at the Massillon 25 to stop a kick-6. Glenville then had the chance to kick the game-winner. The Tiger crowd got loud once again, making the jittery Tarblooders jump. The 47-yard attempt was far too wide and the Tigers kneeled out the clock to take the game to overtime.
Overtime
The Tigers had the ball first in overtime. They were unable to pick up a 1st down and attempted another field goal kick. A trio of Tarblooders flew through the Tiger line and once again blocked the kick. It was up to the defense to force a second overtime. The Tarblooders picked up a 1st down at the 10. DeVaughn and Ja’Dyn Williams stopped a run play in the backfield to bring up a 2nd-and-11. The next play was a slant pass over the middle; receiver Joseph Saffold walked in untouched for the game-winning score. The final in a game that fans will not soon forget– Glenville 33 – Massillon 27.
Postgame Comments
Head Coach Nate Moore:
“We fought our way back in. I’m really proud of this football team– we’ve got tons of football left to play. I’m proud of our guys, our effort, and the way we fought our way back in and gave ourselves a chance to win although it did not end the way we wanted it to. My takeaway is that we’ve got a great football team. A lot of our guys played their tails off tonight. We didn’t get it done in the end but we did not fold… a lot of teams would have folded. The Tigers stood tall in a whale of a ballgame against a very good team.”
“We chose this game on purpose, not because it would be easy, but because it would be a challenge. We rose to a lot of challenges out there tonight and we found that we have a football team. I’m more excited now for the rest of the season than I was before this game.”
Statistics
The Tigers caught up statwise after a rough first half. Glenville outgained the Tigers 365-311 overall. Manny Patterson went 8-11 on the night in his first varsity start, tossing 3 touchdowns while throwing 1 interception. Savior Owens was the leading rusher for Massillon with 131 yards on 25 attempts. He scored 1 touchdown. He was also 2-2 passing with 26 yards. Deontay Malone was the Tigers’ leading receiver with 79 yards and 2 touchdowns. Gio Jackson Jr had 2 catches for 60 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively Ja’Dyn Williams racked up a wild 17 tackles (tied for 2nd most in a single game in Massillon history). Among those tackles were 1.5 tackles-for-loss. Sophomore DeVaughn “Veech” Williams was impressive in his varsity debut with 7 tackles and 1.5 TFLs.
Up Next…
The Tigers will take on GlenOak next week. The Golden Eagles fell 18-7 to Dover last night.
Highlights
Since we don’t have a local newspaper anymore (USA Today version of one), it is great to have a detailed description of last night’s game in a timely manner, including videos! Chris Easterling would be proud of your work. Thank you!
You’re doing excellent coverage of our Tigers. Thank you for bringing fans highlights of the games. Your coverage really brings the game to life, especially for those that couldn’t attend .
BTW… did you happen to catch GLENVILLE offside on our 4th Q field goal attempt? I’ve seen footage from another source. If it’s true we would have been 1st and goal from the 6 with 17 seconds left. Just curious from your perspective .
Yes the far side of the line was definitely offsides… they were also off on the overtime field goal. If called correctly we may have adjusted and made the second attempt.