The Tigers took a tough loss on Friday as Cornerstone Christian, one of the top teams in Texas, rolled into town. The game was neck-and-neck for most of the contest, as it was tied up at 14 at the half and tied at 21 with under 6 minutes to go in the game. The Warriors were able to break off a long catch-and-run to take the lead with around 5 minutes left in the 4th, and after getting key defensive stops, put one more on the board with around 2 minutes remaining. The Warriors were able to limit Massillon’s run game and used multiple penalties and missed opportunities to their advantage in their 35-21 victory. Cornerstone used running back Jaylen McKane (who holds offers from Miami (FL), UTEP, and others) in the air and on the ground, keying on missed tackles and blocks by their gigantic offense line (6’10 365, 6’9 340, 6’5 330, 6’2 290, 6’1 270) to move the ball and score.
Game Recap
Massillon’s defense stood up the Warriors on the first drive of the game as Braylon Gamble broke up a pass and the Tigers played good coverage downfield, forcing a punt. The Tigers drove quickly down the field on a pass to Dashun Williams and personal foul, but the penalty bug caught on and pushed them back. A missed field goal gave Cornerstone the ball, and they moved down the field with speed. A run around the end picked up a 1st down, and a short pass turned into a house call as the Warriors found the sideline and took the ball in for a score. Massillon was once again pushed back by penalties and punted after a sack set them even further back. The Tigers shut down the Warriors and were gifted great field position on a shanked punt. Rasmus Haines found Gio Jackson Jr. on a slant and Savior Owens broke tackles and picked up a 1st down. At the beginning of the 2nd quarter, Owens was able to gain another 1st before diving into the end zone to tie the game at 7. The Warriors moved the ball on their end after picking up a 1st on 3rd-and-short, but Sabastian Harper broke up a pass and a holding penalty moved the ball back, forcing a punt. Gary Yeager picked up a huge Massillon 1st down, but the Tigers once again left points on the board as they turned the ball over on downs at the Warriors’ 24-yard line. The Warriors moved the ball downfield as the clock wound down, finding success once again on short passes and moving the ball deep into Tiger territory. A crucial holding call and a personal foul moved the ball out of field goal range, and the Warriors ended up turning the ball over on downs. Massillon looked as if they would move the ball as Haines found Van Hawkins for a huge gain, but the Tigers could advance the ball no further and punted as time ran out in the half.
Massillon started out with the ball but quickly handed it over to the Warriors one of their defensive tackles picked off an attempted checkdown. Cornerstone found a man in the flat and scored soon after to take a 14-7 lead. Deontay Malone set the Tiger offense up with a huge return to the 47-yard line, and after a pair of slants to him (including a 4th-and-long play) set Massillon up deep in Cornerstone territory. Haines tossed one to the corner, where it was grabbed by Gio Jackson Jr. for a game-tying touchdown. Massillon’s defense stepped up as Dashun Williams picked up a TFL and Geovonni Vinson broke up a 3rd down pass to force a punt. The Tigers were only able to gain one 1st down before punting it back. Going into the 4th quarter, the Warriors started to move the ball again. A huge breakaway run looked as if it would go for the score, but the ball was knocked loose. The Tigers could not recover the ball, however, as they knocked it out of bounds. The Warriors went to 4th down near the goal line but punched it in to take the lead back. On the Massillon end, the Tigers faced 3rd-and-long, but a heave downfield found a leaping Deontay Malone, who broke away and scored to tie it up once again. Cornerstone punched right back as a screen found the sideline once again and went all the way for 6. Massillon moved the ball on a downfield pass to George Rivera, but several penalties set them back and forced a 4th down play. A 4th down screen was dropped and the Warriors took over with just over 2 minutes left in the game. They shot through and scored once again, taking a 35-21 lead. Massillon tried a last-second drive but turned it over on downs once again. Cornerstone took a knee and took home a victory over the Tigers.
