A shutout game in front of 17,000+ spectators filled with defensive stands, wild plays, and sunny weather in late October—there was not much more Massillon could ask for on Saturday afternoon. The Massillon Tigers once again took down the McKinley Bulldogs in the nation’s greatest high school rivalry series, which extends back to 1894. The 31-0 win for Massillon was their 11th in a row in the series versus McKinley. That win extends Massillon’s longest win streak in the history of the rivalry, gives Head Coach Nate Moore an 11-1 record against the Pups, and is now tied for the longest winning streak in series history (McKinley won 11 in a row between 1894 and 1906; they would not lose until 1908 but tied a game in 1907). It is the second shutout for Massillon in “the streak” and is only the 4th shutout of the Bulldogs since 1982. The Tigers have gone 25-7 in the series since 2000.
Massillon’s defense set the tone early, making the Bulldogs punt after a 3-and-out. The Tigers muffed the punt and had their backs to the wall with the Bulldogs at the 1-yard line, but Massillon’s Black Swarm would hold fast and force a turnover on downs in a scene that looked to be from Tiger teams of old. The only success the Bulldogs had on the offensive side was a few plays in the air, as they would end up with 173 yards passing. Massillon stonewalled the McKinley run game as the front 7 for the Tigers would bear down and often end runs in the backfield. Brayton and Brydon Feister, Christian Culler, Isaac Maxheimer, Noah Garner, Joe Karder, and others all made big plays to force McKinley into a game with -21 rush yards. 2023 was the last time that the Tigers were able to do something similar as they held McKinley to -15 yards rushing. Offensively, Massillon was able to move it on the run, which is where they would primarily stay, picking up over 230 on the ground.
Massillon won the toss and elected to defer to start the game. McKinley started out with the ground game and was immediately met by Brayton Feister, who flung the running back down in the backfield. An attempted handoff on a sweep was dropped and recovered by the Bulldogs way back in the backfield, forcing a 3rd-and-long play. They would gain a few on a short pass, but would be forced to punt. The Tigers gave McKinley a gift with a muffed punt, handing the Pups great field position. McKinley would face a 3rd-and-long again, but a tipped pass was caught on a dive at the 2-yard line, setting the Bulldogs up in a goal-to-go situation. Christian Culler and Sabastian Harper picked up and physically carried the Bulldogs’ running back to stuff them at the 2 on 1st-and-goal. On the second play (following a penalty that moved the ball to the 1), Brydon Feister and the Massillon front line smashed the Bulldogs upfront once again. On 3rd down, Braylon Gamble and Isaac Maxheimer got penetration, slowing the run down before it was finished off by Brayton Feister and Christian Culler. The Bulldogs faced 4th-and-goal, and their quarterback shot up the middle on a scramble, seeming to get near the end zone. DeVaughn Williams wrapped him up down low and Geovonni Vinson hit him high to turn the ball away just before it broke the goal line. Massillon took over at the one-inch line. They would drive quickly down the field as they went to the ground game early. Savior Owens went to the sideline to get the Tigers out of the hole. Penalties on both teams moved the ball back-and-forth, but Rasmus Haines caught Gio Jackson Jr. across the middle for a 1st to keep the drive going. Runs by Gary Yeager and Savior Owens set Massillon up near the goal line, and Rasmus Haines punched it through from under center to put Massillon on the board with a 7-0 lead. The Bulldogs still found very little on the ground and went into the second quarter with the ball.
McKinley punted from their own end zone early in the quarter. They set Massillon up with a short punt and a penalty, and the Tigers would settle for a Mateo Herrera field goal and a 10-0 lead. A personal foul pushed McKinley back on their drive, but they beat the Tigers up top on a floater downfield for a big gain. A penalty on the Tigers moved the ball again, and another lob pass picked up a 1st for McKinley. A questionable foul call moved the ball closer to the end zone, but Braylon Gamble tripped up a runner in the backfield and Noah Garner ate up a run before it could develop to set McKinley back. Brayton Feister flung down the McKinley quarterback for a sack, forcing a 4th and very long play. A heave to the end zone was picked off by Braylon Gamble and Massillon took the ball at the Bulldog 8. Savior Owens raced down the sideline for a big gain but the Tigers were held back and would punt. A good punt by Haines set McKinley inside their own 15, and a false start pushed them back. Brydon Feister shot through for a huge TFL near the goal line and almost forced a safety on the following play. McKinley would punt from the back of their own end zone. Rasmus Haines rolled out on the final play of the half and scrambled to the right as time expired; he dove into the end zone with the clock at 0 to put Massillon on the board again. Herrera knocked through a long extra point after a penalty on the Tigers, and Massillon led 17-0 at the half.
Massillon started off the second half with the ball and raced downfield in no time. Savior Owens shot down the left sideline on the first play, and he soon found the end zone to put Massillon up 24-0. McKinley once again found themselves near their own goal line after a penalty on the kickoff. They got out of the hole on a downfield lob for a big gain. A bad snap a few plays later ended up on the ground and was scooped up by Brydon Feister, who outran everyone on his way to a touchdown. That monumental play capped off the scoring at 31-0, and the Massillon crowd celebrated as their Tigers got closer to claiming the bell for the 11th consecutive season. With a running clock in place, the time flew by. The Bulldogs lost the ball again as Anthony Hoover would knock the ball out and Christian Culler fell on it. Massillon moved the ball on a long drive that took up most of the final quarter. They turned it over on downs and McKinley ran one more play as time ran out. Massillon once again was champions of the War of 1894– their 79th win in 137 meetings.
