In only two weeks the Tigers will take the field at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium to face Glenville. Today they took the field in Avon for the first of two preseason scrimmages and the first step toward their quest for a 26th state title.
Scrimmage Summary
Both teams ran several 10-play drives with their first teams to begin the scrimmage. The Tigers gained a few first downs on short passes but relied more on their rushing attack. Massillon’s running backs repeatedly bulldozed defenders and eventually set up a touchdown pass (Rasmus Haines to Deontay Malone). A second touchdown pass (Eli Moore to Gio Jackson Jr.) was blown dead mid-play. The Tiger D was solid both in pass and run defense. They largely laid off blitzes but still picked up a few tackles-for-loss. Avon’s run game did little to harm the Tigers– they had more success with the pass but in general Massillon handled their game.
The next sequence in the scrimmage was red-zone plays. This segment was largely anticlimactic– Braylon Gamble picked off a pass over the middle for the Tigers’ highlight play.
The kickers and punters practiced for the finale of the starters’ scrimmage. The JV rounded out the day, finishing in a scoreless tie.
Game Notes:
The Tigers’ defense jumped offsides a couple of times to start the game due to hard counts– they quickly adjusted and did not jump for the remainder of the scrimmage.
The Tigers’ offensive line had to undergo major personnel changes this offseason as 5 starters graduated. The new, young line looked solid on both run blocking and pass protection today. They were also disciplined and committed very few penalties (if any).
Mateo Herrera is in his 3rd year as the Tigers’ FG/XP kicker… his range continues to grow and his kicks are increasingly stronger.
Both running backs (Savior Owens and Anthony McMullen) that the Tigers had run with their first team look dangerous and are not afraid to hit defenders hard.
The Tigers once again have a formidable defense– the first team played excellently despite only showing basic formations. The “special plays” and blitzes are still in the Tigers’ bag for the regular season.
Deontay Malone is a weapon both ways. He made several excellent plays in coverage (including stripping a pass in midair) as well as at wideout.
Rasmus Haines got off some good punts in his first run as a varsity punter.
Highlights
