21-14 may have been the final, but it did not reflect the dominance in which Massillon handled the Eagles. The 28-point underdogs were able to stifle the Eagles’ offense and were a couple of mistakes away from blowing out the top dogs in the state.
1st Quarter
Things did not look good for Massillon after one play. St. Ed’s running back Brandon White took off around the end on a counter play and ran 66 yards untouched for a score. The Tigers were quick to respond. Savior Owens was a name that was called all night for the Tigers– the do-it-all running back picked up a 1st down on the ground, on a screen pass reception, and a on wildcat run. Quarterback Manny Patterson scrambled for 15 yards on 4th down to put Massillon at the Eagles’ 5-yard line and Savior Owens went around the end for a touchdown to tie it up (following the extra point). The Tigers jumped on the kick return– Tre’Yon Williams knocked the ball loose and Ja’Dyn Williams recovered at the St. Ed’s 40-yard line. Deontay Malone trucked a defender for a 1st down, but a pair of incomplete passes on the following series led to a turnover on downs. Ed’s picked up a nice gain on a keeper play to start their drive. A 3rd-down conversion moved the ball a bit further, but an incomplete pass intended for Zach Hackleman and an overthrown ball on 3rd down led to a pooch punt. The Tigers took over at their own 25. Anthony McMullen Jr. pushed forward for a 1st down but once again the Tigers were forced to punt.
2nd Quarter
Brandon White converted a 4th-down for Ed’s to open the 2nd quarter. On the second 4th-down conversion attempt, Ed’s quarterback Jonny Evanchick’s pass was dropped and Massillon took over on downs. The Tigers converted on their end– Savior Owens picked up 3 on 4th-and-1. Owens took a run to the house soon after and put the Tigers up 14-7. The Eagles went 3-and-out on their end as Ja’Dyn Williams snuffed out a 4th-down scramble. Massillon started from their own 8 and put together a 92-yard drive that proved to be the game-decider. Gio Jackson Jr. picked up a 1st down on a crossing route and Savior Owens picked up a pair of big gains to move the ball out of the hole. A few plays later, Manny Patterson found a wide-open Deontay Malone for a 1st down (and almost a touchdown). Patterson found tight end Logan Allman in the right corner of the end zone for a touchdown on the next play and the Tigers took a two score lead at 21-7. Samuel Dossous sacked Evanchick to end the half on a great note for the Tigers.
Halftime
The Marching Eagles of St. Ed’s entertained in their black and green uniforms first. The Massillon Tiger Swing Band continued the mood of the Tiger crowd with a show emphasizing the word “Happy”. Playing songs such as “Happy” and “Happy Together”, the Swing Band kept up the happy feelings that the Tigers had felt and would continue to feel throughout the game.
3rd Quarter
The first play of the half was almost disastrous for the Tigers. The opening kickoff was muffed, but Anthony McMullen saved the day by falling on the loose ball. A dump-off pass led to a 17-yard pickup for Savior Owens. The Tigers were forced to punt following an incomplete pass on 3rd down. Massillon’s defense stood as tall as they had in the first half– Samuel Dossous and Ja’Dyn Williams combined for a TFL and Dossous shut down a 4th down scramble to force a turnover on downs. Savior Owens helped the Tigers run the ball down the field and deep into St. Ed’s territory. An interception stopped the Tigers from punching the ball in yet again. St. Ed’s was getting desperate–the Massillon defense made sure that they were as uncomfortable as possible. Christian Culler broke up a pass and St. Ed’s committed a personal foul to move them back 15 more as the 3rd quarter clock ran out.
4th Quarter
An incomplete pass on 3rd down led to a punt for St. Ed’s. The Tigers ran almost 5 minutes off the clock as they picked up 1st downs on a Savior Owens run and a Manny Patterson scramble. Massillon punted the ball back to Ed’s, who made several big plays before being stifled yet again by Ja’Dyn Williams, who jumped the route and picked off a pass. Massillon began another slow drive, attempting to run out the clock while picking a 1st down. They were forced to punt with 2:38 remaining. St. Ed’s finally broke through on a desperate drive, converting on 4th down and scoring a 43-yard touchdown. It all came down to the onside kick, but the Tigers recovered and took a knee to take down #1 for the 4th year in a row.
Postgame Comments
Coach Moore: “We prepare for this game the same as every game. If you’re not preparing, in a way, to take on the best opponent in the state every week than what are you doing?”
(On dominating time of possession) “A lot of time in the weight room and a lot of time on the field to get in condition contributed to our durability in those situations. Lacking conditioning gives more power to your opponent. Conditioning and time in the weight room lets you hang in for 4 quarters”.
“We’ve got so much respect for Coach Lombardo and the St. Edward Eagles. We make each other better– we just had the scale tilted enough tonight”.
“Giving up the long run early was not good– giving up that long run, right off rip, is not good. I think it says a lot about our kids–independent of the final score– to say they didn’t blink and they weren’t rattled. They got right back over to the tent, got their corrections, and got it finished. Went right back out there, and played for 44 more minutes”.
“Ja’Dyn Williams is a tremendous kid. He’s captain for us, a two time captain. A lot of guys committing to Indiana and whatnot, they take their foot off the gas their senior year and they’ve kind of got their stuff locked up, not so worried about the team, but that’s not who he is. He loves his teammates. He’s a great teammate and he practices like that. It’s hard to just turn on on Friday nights and to play like that all the time– that’s what he looks like on Tuesdays after school”.
“I’m really proud of our kids, and our coaching staff, those guys prepared, our kids were out there and fought. In a game like that you’ve just got to go out there and you’ve got to swing as hard as you can. The things that you’ve been doing up to that point have to be good enough, and that’s not enough. You’ve got to get out there and make some plays. There are so many variables that go into something like that. I’m proud of our our kids for going out there swinging hard and making plays and win”.
(On alumni around the program and on the sidelines) “Kyshad Mack, who was a great player for us in the ’17-’18 season era is a sideliner for us now; he’s out there in the locker helping with the hot dogs, post game. Big Mike Wright was on the sidelines. Tonight, I saw DaOne Owens was on the sidelines. There were probably a couple of other guys that there that I didn’t see, but to see how much pride those guys have in the program, to see the guys that are filling their shoes, and wearing the jersey they once wore–it’s important to them”.
(On Savior Owens) “I mean, he’s an incredible kid. He’s a captain for us. First class kid, he’s a straight A student. Nice as could be, kind as could be. Great teammate, not afraid to say the things that need to be said. He’s 511, 210 pounds and runs 4.5 40 and does it smooth. The perfect kid probably is not out there, but if he was I think Savior would be in the running. We’ve got a couple guys like that. I couldn’t be more proud of Savior and the work he’s put and the performance he’s put into the season”.
(On the team record) “We’re 3-2. Records are a funny thing because it doesn’t necessarily show how good you are. And every season’s different– this team’s been very challenging in a lot of ways, but they’ve also been a lot of fun to work with. And, obviously, being able to get to win tonight, if we handle that right, it should really propel us up a couple stairs. How we played tonight is the most important thing, and we’re playing really well. And we’re starting some things, we’re starting to click. We’re going to enjoy this tonight and then get back to work and get ready for Canada North”.
(On Samuel Dossous) “A lot of guys are getting better in a lot of places. We want to have our thumbs on every part of our team and make sure that everyone is taking the right steps to improve to the best of their ability. Sometimes that creates some stressful situations, but that’s part of the growth process–pressure makes diamonds. Our growth has been across the board really. Sam’s another guy that’s improved by leaps and bounds– technique wise, in overall football knowledge, in knowledge of the schemes– he’s improved all over. Guys are starting to prove themselves to the point where they can start being effective and making plays– making the play. It’s not like you go out and just tackle a quarterback– you’ve got a lot of different things in that you have to do. Pre snap, post snap, do I know the call to put in on the offensive formation, am I seeing the play they’re running? There’s so much that goes into it. You have to have a knowledge of your assignment, your alignment, your reaction, all those things, so that you can make the play. You’re starting to see guys start to see the plays that are there for them to make”.
Stats
Massillon outgained St. Ed’s 384-275. The Tigers picked up 227 yards on the ground and 157 in the air. Savior Owens had 162 yards rushing; Manny Patterson had 157 yards passing. Savior Owens also led the Tigers in receiving with 60 yards. Ja’Dyn Williams led Massillon with 9 tackles. He had 1/2 TFL, a fumble recovery, and an interception. Samuel Dossous had a career day with 6 tackles, a sack, and 1.5 TFLs.
Up Next
The Tigers will take on Football North (ONT). North is coming off a high scoring 76-42 loss to The St. James Performance Academy.
Highlights
