'07 OH CB/RB Brian Gamble (Illinois signee)

[OSUBucks22]

"So are we looking at him as a CB"

haven't heard. he's one of those athlete type guys though. good enough size and speed to play several positions...

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

LINK

9/24/05

Tigers take Mentor’s shot, look forward to St. Ignatius

Saturday, September 24, 2005 <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>By Todd Porter Repository sports writer
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Repository / Bob Rossiter NIMBLE GAMBLE. Massillon’s Brian Gamble jumps over the attempted tackles of Mentor’s Brandon Mack (24) and Brady DeMell (55) during the first quarter Friday at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. Gamble had 120 yards on 20 carries with a touchdown.

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MASSILLON — Through four games, no one wanted to take Massillon’s second punch. The Tigers’ first four opponents never picked themselves off the field.

Massillon found out what it feels like to land a bare-knuckler on a team without a glass jaw. Not only did Mentor get back up, the Cardinals swung back.

Mentor dragged itself off the Paul Brown Tiger Stadium turf early and stood toe-to-toe with the state’s No. 4 high school football team for nearly three quarters.

Finally, Tiger defensive back Troy Ellis landed the knockout punch — an interception inside the Massillon 5 — that put Mentor away. The Tigers tuned up for a showdown against Cleveland St. Ignatius next week with a 31-10 win over Mentor.

“I feel we probably could’ve kept our focus more on Mentor a little better,” said defensive tackle Antonio James, who had two sacks. “It’s hard when you’re playing a team that’s 1-3 versus a team that’s 3-1 and you’ve never beaten. It was a wake-up call.”

Perhaps Massillon (5-0) thought winning Friday would be easier than it looked. Could you blame the Tigers? It took them three plays and 62 seconds to go 80 yards and lead 7-0.

“I don’t know if that was part of it or not,” Massillon coach Tom Stacy said. “I know we weren’t in sync offensively. ... that’s the best 1-4 team in the state.”

Quarterback Bobby Huth completed the first play of the game to Zack Vanryzin for 39 yards. Brian Gamble broke off a 7-yard run between tackles, then Huth threw a perfect pass to Vanryzin for 34 yards for a touchdown.
The Cardinals (1-4) settled down after that. They weren’t intimidated by a hostile environment. But the Tiger offense stalled. After the three-play drive to start the game, Massillon punted twice and missed a long field goal.
For the first time all season, Huth was off target. He completed 7-of-17 passes for 178 yards and three TDs.

“He’s going to be fine,” Stacy said. “I have all the confidence in the world in him. Some of it tonight was the coaching staff put him in bad situations. He’s a tough character.”

They don’t get much tougher than Gamble. When the Tigers needed a shot in the arm, the running back ran over defenders. He finished with 120 yards on 20 carries and a score.

Thanks to a defensive stand midway through the second quarter, Massillon’s offense took over at the Mentor 49. On second-and-7 from the 20, Huth faked a handoff and hit Trey Miller for a 14-0 lead.

Just before half, Gamble broke a 38-yard run on third-and-18 to the Mentor 27. With four seconds left in the half, Steve Schott hit a 34-yard field goal, giving Massillon a 17-0 lead.

“The field goal was big,” Stacy said. “I felt it lifted out kids up a little bit going into the locker room.”

In the third, Mentor was 9 yards from making it 17-10. That’s when Ellis stepped in front of a Cardinal pass at the Tiger 4. Nine plays later, Gamble scored, and Massillon led 24-3. The game was in hand.

Thoughts of Ignatius could be entertained.

“They’re as good as any of them (Glenville, Ignatius and Solon, who beat Mentor),” Mentor head coach Steve Trivisonno said. “... That’s a good football team, and that will be a great high school football game next week.”

Ignatius, 8-0 all-time against Massillon, can take a punch, too.

“These games against Ignatius,” Stacy said, “are the reason these kids play football at Massillon. They grow up to play in those games.” You can reach Repository sports writer Todd Porter at (330) 580-8340 or e-mail:
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

link

9/29/05

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7 p.m., Parma's Byers Field. Byers is located at the intersection of Ridge Road and Day Drive, adjacent to Parmatown Mall. Call 216-651-0222.

Records: Massillon 5-0; St. Ignatius 4-1.

What to watch: It is a matchup of two of the most tradition-rich programs in the country. The Tigers, ranked among the top five teams in the state in Division I, have not defeated the Wildcats in eight meetings. However, this Massillon team brings a new attitude instilled by new coach Tom Stacy, the former offensive coordinator at Ashland University. Tigers tailback Brian Gamble has rushed for 635 yards and seven touchdowns on 70 carries, and quarterback Bobby Huth has completed 49 of 78 passes for 750 yards, nine TDs and no interceptions. Massillon is confident it can contain St. Ignatius' passing game, which is keyed by senior quarterback Rudy Kirbus (1,124 yards, 15 TDs, five interceptions).

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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

link

10/2/05

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Tigers tbeat Ignatius in final seconds

Sunday, October 2, 2005 <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>By Todd Porter Repository sports writer
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Click here to see more
. Massillon defender Robert Morris (at right, 42) fights off a block by St. Ignatius’ Scott Biehl (32) to tackle quarterback Rudy Kirbus on Saturday.

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PARMA — At precisely 9:52 Saturday night, Shawn Weisend was ready to give away everything he owned. Everything except the feeling inside his chest, the one he will remember for the rest of his life.

Ditto that for the entire city of Massillon.
The 1,000-pound gorilla is off the Tigers’ back. Weisend’s 5-yard touchdown run with 10 seconds left at Byers Field gave the Tigers their first lead over St. Ignatius. Weisend’s 2-point conversion run made it 29-26, while Brian Gamble’s interception sealed it with three ticks left.

“Thanks, Coach, for the opportunity,” the senior quarterback said as he hugged first-year Tiger head coach Tom Stacy. “This is the best feeling in my life.”

Stacy nodded.

Weisend tried to blink away tears. There’s no crying in a high school football locker room, except when you were the 4-6 team that got trounced by Ignatius last year. The Wildcats came in having beaten Massillon in all eight games between the two schools.

“This is a great win for the new regime here, the program, the community,” Stacy said. “It’s a great feeling. ... What a fourth quarter.”

Massillon shut out Ignatius, 15-0, during the final quarter.

The win wasn’t how Stacy drew it up, but the emotion was exactly what he imagined.

Starting quarterback Bobby Huth took a pounding, eventually leaving in the middle of the game-winning drive. What would you do with 10 seconds left and a backup quarterback?

“We had confidence in Shawn,” Stacy said. “No doubt. I’m not surprised we won this game. Right now, our kids are playing with such confidence and resolve. They think they could beat anybody in the state. Without their belief, there is no way we come back from a 12-point halftime deficit, but we did.”

A Wildcat first-quarter punt pinned the Tigers inside their 5. Massillon’s offense sputtered, and the Tigers punted from their own end zone
That set up Ignatius at the Tigers 31. It took the Wildcats three plays to score from there as running back Scott Biehl went 13 yards for a 7-0 lead.
The ensuing kickoff was dropped, and Massillon started at its 4. A holding penalty negated Huth’s third-down conversion. On the next play, Huth was sacked in the end zone by Brian Neff. The Wildcats led, 9-0, and Massillon was reeling with 3:20 left in the first quarter.

But they never gave up. They never lost faith.

Weisend’s free kick after the safety put the ball at Ignatius’ 27. On third-and-21, Rudy Kirbus hit Nick Secure for a 26-yard gain to the Ignatius 45. Antonio James sacked Kirbus to force a third-and-20. This time it wasn’t converted. Still, Massillon started its own 11 with 8:53 left in the second quarter.

Then, the Tigers caught a break. As Weisend lined up to punt, the ball skipped back to him. Weisend picked up the football and hit the left corner for a 12-yard gain and a first down.

Huth completed his first pass on the next play, a 13-yarder to Zack Vanryzin. On third-and-8, Gamble took an option pitch for 10 yards to the Ignatius 47. The Tigers converted another third down when fullback Robert Morris broke a tackle at the line of scrimmage for 7 yards to the Wildcat 36.
Four plays later, with Gamble lined up in the right slot, Huth rolled left and hit Gamble on the right sideline for a 28-yard score. Steve Schott’s PAT made it 9-7, and Massillon was in the game.

Another touchdown and a school-record 50-yard field goal as the half expired, though, gave Ignatius a 19-7 lead.

“We talked about winning at halftime,” Stacy said. “The kids said we’d get it done. It was like that the entire game. When Shawn went in the game, he said, ‘Coach, don’t worry about ... I can do it.’ ”

Massillon started the second half with a 14-play, 77-yard drive in which the Tigers converted four third downs. The drive ended when fullback Quentin Nicholson scored from the 1, cutting it to 19-14.

Back and forth it went.

Ignatius scored on a 2-yard Jim Castrigano run.

Massillon answered on its first possession of the fourth quarter, a 16-play, 90-yard drive that ended with Gamble scoring from the 1. Huth connected on key passes, and Weisend threw a 10-yard pass on a fake punt for a first down.

“We gave them some new formations in the fourth quarter that we hadn’t shown before,” Stacy said.

It was 26-21, and Massillon needed a stop. Gamble broke up a huge third-down pass from Kirbus to Robby Parris. The hit jarred the ball loose, and Parris right knee bent awkwardly. He was taken off the field on a stretcher. Massillon had momentum.

With 2:38 left and the entire Tiger nation raising the roof, Massillon began a drive that will go down as one of the biggest in the program’s history.

Gamble ran for 19 yards on first down. On fourth-and-4, Lanale Robinson broke a tackle and gained 10 yards to convert. On fourth-and-15 at the Ignatius 42, Weisend hit Zack Vanryzin for 24 yards to the Wildcat 18.
Eventually, the Tigers worked inside the 5.

Weisend had the game in his hands. He saw Gamble open in the flat as he rolled right.

“I thought Brian had a 50-50 chance to get in, because the defender was trailing him,” Weisend said. “Then I thought I could get in. I had to do it for my teammates, for myself and for Massillon. It was like an out-of-body experience.”

That’s a feeling that won’t go away for a while for anyone, especially a backup, senior quarterback.

“Shawn,” Stacy said, “you made the most of your opportunity.”
You can reach Repository sports writer Todd Porter at (330) 580-8340 or e-mail: todd.porter@cantonrep.com4
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[bucknut11]

Massillon vs. Iggy...



















From BN and MassillonProud and Canton Repository

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

link

10/6/05

Wilson at Massillon

SITE: Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, 7:30 p.m.

RECORDS: Youngstown Wilson 1-5, Massillon 6-0.

LAST WEEK: Indian Creek 36, Woodrow Wilson 19; Massillon 29, St. Ignatius 26.

LAST MEETING: Massillon won 74-0 in 2002.
WHAT TO WATCH: Massillon is hoping there is no hangover after beating Ignatius for the first time in nine meetings. It was an important win, but head coach Tom Stacy wants his team to continue to focus on each week’s opponent. That won’t be easy this week because Wilson is struggling but showing signs of improvement. The Tigers are in a tough position on the schedule, coming off the Ignatius win and before Warren Harding. A perfect evening for Massillon would be to get out to a big lead early, then rest starters. Last week’s game took a toll on Massillon’s health a bit. Starting QB Bobby Huth may not play because of a concussion. That means senior QB Shawn Weisend will get another chance to impress Stacy, not that he needs it. Weisend scored the game-winning TD last week on a bootleg run. If Huth can play, Stacy would like to get him on the field because there are certain aspects of the offense that need correcting. RB Brian Gamble, who played most of the game going both ways and on special teams, could use a three-quarter break. Wilson will run out of the I-formation and spread offense. QB Gary Scott is the team’s best player, and Massillon’s defense will be in for a challenge keeping him bottled up. Wilson’s only win came two weeks ago against Campbell Memorial. Wilson’s 50 defense is suspect. Three teams have scored at least 30 points, and the leading tacklers are defensive backs.

[jwinslow]

Originally Posted by OSUBucks22

BN$

good article from Bill Greene about JR's that were at the Texas game. Gamble was there and just raved about his time. says we are now in the driver's seat. sounds like Devin Jordan is really recruiting the Massillon kids hard.

that's awesome. Jordan never really had a shot here with his injuries, its great to see him hitting the recruiting path hard for us anyway.

[RB07OSU]

Is Jordan no longer on the team because of injuries?

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

LINK

10/8/05

Massillon catches its breath during 54-0 rout of Wilson

Saturday, October 8, 2005 <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>By TODD PORTER

MASSILLON
This wasn’t a tune-up. That requires grease, grime and sweat. This was spa and a facial compared to what Massillon went through a week ago.
The Tigers barely broke a sweat in Friday night’s 54-0 high school football beating of Youngstown Woodrow Wilson, which dressed 28 players. They did fix a few offensive blemishes, worked in a couple of new wrinkles and continued to build on last week’s win over St. Ignatius.
A week later, though, there was more drama during the Homecoming queen selection at halftime. For those keeping score at home, Caroline Fisher was crowned.
“I’m just glad this one is over,” Massillon head coach Tom Stacy said. “You’re always concerned coming off a week like last week, but we were able to rest some guys, work on things and get some things corrected.”
Massillon wasted no time getting started. Brian Gamble returned the opening kickoff 43 yards to the Redmen 40. Senior Shawn Weisend, starting in place of Bobby Huth (concussion) hit Trey Miller for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. Steve Schott’s PAT made it 7-0.
Fullback Quentin Nicholson scored from the 1, and Gamble added two more touchdowns on the ground. The 6-foot, 190-pounder had 113 yards rushing on 12 carries at halftime. Gamble, a junior, has 851 yards this season. Reserve running back K.J. Herring finished with 72 yards on just eight carries and a touchdown.
“I wasn’t real happy with the way we came out. I thought we were a little flat,” Stacy said. “I thought we missed some easy completions, but Shawn did a nice job considering the weather.”
Weisend hit fullback Robert Morris for a 15-yard touchdown before halftime to make it 35-0.
The night wasn’t a total loss for Wilson. Against Massillon’s starters, the Redmen stopped the Tigers on fourth-and-1 from the Wilson 17. It was the only first-half drive in which Massillon didn’t score.
The Tigers’ run-and-shoot offense unveiled a little more. There was a nifty triple reverse run by Andrew Dailey that went for 17 yards and gave future opponents something to think about. This game may have been more about setting up games down the road.
“We threw in some things to get a look at it on video,” Stacy said. “And we put in some things we’ve been working on to make some people we play down the road prepare for it.”
Stacy used his second team and junior varsity players most of the second half. This may be Massillon’s last chance to catch its breath before finishing with Warren Harding, Eastlake North and McKinley.
“The schedule set up nice to get a little breather, but we all know Warren Harding is going to be a much better opponent next week,” tight end Brett Huffman said. “We’ve got to get back to the focus we had because we can’t make the mistakes we did tonight against Harding.”
Mistakes? A shutout, with 478 yards of offense to 65? “It’s hard to complain after a win like that,” Stacy said, “but we want to get better, so there are things to complain about.” Reach Repository sports writer Todd Porter at (330) 580-8340 or e-mail: todd.porter@cantonrep.com.
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

LINK

10/13/05

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Warren Harding at Massillon

SITE Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, 7:30 p.m.

RECORDS Warren Harding 2-5, Massillon 7-0.

LAST WEEK St. Ignatius 24, Harding 6; Massillon 54, Woodrow Wilson 0.

LAST MEETING Harding won 15-12 last year.
WHAT TO WATCH This Harding team is not a typical 2-5 team. Warren has lost to teams with a combined 27-8 record, and all of them are playoff contenders. Head coach Thom McDaniels is hoping his players begin to mature. Warren was in a position to compete better in four of those five losses, but failed to finish strong the second half. Raider TB Dan Herron (5-10, 188) is their best offensive player. “To this point in the season, he’s the best back we will have faced,” Massillon head coach Tom Stacy said. The Tigers have not tackled particularly well, and if that continues, this will be a concern. Massillon will rely on its front seven, specifically LBs Robert Morris and Paris McCall to bring Herron down. The Tiger interior defensive line will be in for a tough match against C Levi George (6-1, 288). McDaniels believes George is a Division I recruit. Massillon needs to mix its defenses, because QB Sidney Glover is good, but he can be confused. Containment is important. The Tiger offense will get starting QB Bobby Huth back. He has attempted 99 passes and not thrown an interception yet in his first season as the starter. Huth sat out last week because of a concussion. The key for the Tigers is RB-DB Brian Gamble. McDaniels said Gamble reminds him of former McKinley standout Mike Doss. Gamble is a two-way player, a big hitter on both sides, and he knows how to finish runs. Massillon has to protect Huth, because Harding can be beaten deep. Massillon moved slightly ahead of McKinley in the Associated Press poll to No. 3. A win should lock Massillon into a playoff spot and possibly a home game.
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[bucknut11]

I got to watch Massillon beat Warren G Harding tonight, 13-0. Gamble scored all of Massillon's points. He recovered a blocked punt (by Andrew Dailey) and returned it a few yards for a score. He also scored on a rushing TD late in the game.

I don't think Gamble ever came off the field... he's one of those players - RB, CB, S, PR, wherever. Very fast kid. He looked OK as a running back, although he didn't go for a ton of yards. Had some good cutbacks and did break a few big ones. He also had a key 30 yard catch and run on a screen pass late in the game. He played well on defense, and was in on a lot of tackles (including several for loss). Due to WGH's lack of a passing game, he didn't have a chance to display any coverage skills.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

LINK

10/15/05

Hard-fought victory pushes Tigers to 8-0

Saturday, October 15, 2005 <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>By TODD PORTER
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Scott Heckel Massillon running back Brian Gamble catches a screen pass from quarterback Bobby Huth in the fourth quarter of a key third-down play. Gamble took the pass 31 yards for a first down at the Warren 17. He went on to score from the 8 and give Massillon a 13-0 win over Harding. It was the Tigers’ first win over Warren since 1989.

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MASSILLON - Expectations are sometimes a dangerous thing in Massillon.
Until this year.

Having endured back-to-back 4-6 football seasons, the Tigers weren’t about to settle for more mediocrity. Massillon raised its record to 8-0 with a 13-0 win over Warren Harding in front of more than 9,000 fans Friday.

The Tigers hadn’t beaten Harding since 1989. Friday’s win wasn’t easy, despite the Raiders’ 2-6 record.

“Our (coaches) expectations and the kids’ were different,” Massillon’s first-year head coach Tom Stacy said. “These kids expected a lot. The kids’ expectations were higher than the community’s was before this season.”

That’s quite a statement.

After Massillon was finished grinding out the win, the Tigers’ expectations matched that of Harding head coach Thom McDaniels. The veteran head coach told Stacy after the game he believed Massillon could win 15 games and the school’s first state title since the playoffs began in 1972.
Whoa, big fella.

“That team plays with heart, and with passion,” said McDaniels, whose six losses this year will ensure him of his first losing season in more than 30 years of coaching. “They play with effort. They have their share of talent, too. I just love the way that Massillon Tiger football team plays.”

Harding might have been the best team Massillon has played. Certainly, defensively that argument could be made.

The Tiger offense struggled much of the night and finished with a season-low 197 yards.

“This was like a basketball game where you’re expected to win by 12 or 15 points,” Stacy said. “Then all of a sudden, you have to grind out a 4-point win. That’s what it felt like. I don’t think we were flat. We expected a grudge match, and we got exactly what we thought.”

Massillon’s offense didn’t score a touchdown until the fourth quarter. The Tigers took a 7-0 lead when Andrew Dailey blocked a Harding punt inside the Warren 5. Brian Gamble plucked the ball from the air and returned it 3 yards for a touchdown.

“We thought we could get it with a scheme and Scott Garcia, our special teams coach, did a great job with the call,” Stacy said.

The Tigers offense, which put up 54 last week and 29 against St. Ignatius, went dormant much of the night.

But a defense that has nine straight quarters of shutout football and four shutouts this season, came through. Senior outside linebacker Quenten Paulik epitomized what this season has been like.

The 6-foot-4, 230-pounder switched from quarterback to linebacker in the offseason. Paulik had three tackles for a loss Friday night.

None were bigger than his corral in the fourth quarter.

With plenty of time left, Harding’s offense drove from its 32 to the Massillon 8. On second-and-5, the Raiders tried a wide receiver reverse with Jay Provitt, the state’s sixth-fastest 100-meter runner last year.

“I read it, I saw the fake handoff to the running back, and I saw him coming around,” Paulik said. “I knew he was fast. We scouted that.”

Paulik threw Provitt for an 11-yard loss. Harding, facing third-and-16 from the 19, never recovered.

“We gave (Provitt) the ball going into the wide side of the field and asked a kid to make a play,” McDaniels said. “Their kid made a better one.”
Before that, the Tigers took a 13-0 lead. Running back Brian Gamble, who finished with 119 of Massillon’s 121 rushing yards, appeared to have scored on fourth-and-goal from the 1. He was 2 yards deep in the end zone, but officials ruled his knee down at the 1-foot line. Gamble accounted for 94 of Massillon’s 124 yards on its final two drives.

He gave the Tigers a 13-0 lead when he went off tackle behind Cory Shane and Kyle Arnold for an 8-yard score.

Perhaps Gamble’s biggest play, aside from his block punt return, came on third-and-9 for the Warren 48. He took a jailbreak screen 31 yards to the 17.

“Big players make big plays in big games,” Stacy said. “He’s a great football player. But this was a team win. Our defense ... I can’t say enough about them.”

The offense did enough to win. The defense, however, is raising expectations.

At least outside the locker room and across the sideline.
Reach Repository sports writer Todd Porter at (330) 580-8340 or e-mail: todd.porter@cantonrep.com.
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[bucknut11]

Gamble (#26) in action against WGH...





returns blocked punt for TD

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

A pic of Gamble in action from last night's game....

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width=100 align=center><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=middle></TD></TR><TR><TD align=right>
</TD></TR><TR><TD align=left>Massillon defensive back Brian Gamble (right) knocks the ball loose from Eastlake North receiver Demetrius Wright during first half action in their game at Paul Brown Stadium on Friday, October 21, 2005 in Massillon, Ohio. (Akron Beacon Journal/ Ed Suba Jr.)
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

link

10/26/05

Football


Just call Massillon's Gamble a playmaker


By Stephanie Storm

Beacon Journal sports writer

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MASSILLON - They used to call him ``Foot.''

Brian Gamble earned that nickname as a kid because of his ability to kick a football farther than his friends.

Now, he could just as easily carry the moniker ``Legs.'' The Massillon tailback has rushed for 1,054 yards and 11 touchdowns in nine games.

Last week, Gamble made a play that might have labeled him ``Hands,'' making a diving catch of an overthrown pass.

The reception from Tigers quarterback Bobby Huth was good for an 18-yard gain and led to a touchdown in the Tigers' 49-14 win over Eastlake North.

``It was a heck of a catch,'' Massillon coach Tom Stacy said. ``I didn't think he'd get to it.''

Stacy believes Gamble's 16 catches for 362 yards and two touchdowns include other material suited for a highlight reel.

``He does so many things like that, you get to the point where you kind of take it for granted,'' Stacy said. ``He's a great athlete with a lot of natural instincts and a knack for making plays. He's one of the more gifted athletes I've ever coached.''

Those characteristics will come in handy for the Tigers on Saturday, when Massillon meets rival Canton McKinley -- with both teams coming into the big game undefeated for the first time since 1964.

``I don't know if there's ever been a game bigger than this one for any of us,'' Gamble said. ``With the way we've turned things around so quickly after back-to-back 4-6 seasons, and McKinley also being undefeated, I think we all just wish we could play right now. We're all that excited, just filled with determination and pride.''

Gamble believes versatile players like himself are part of the reason for the renewed excitement surrounding the tradition-rich program.

``There's five or six of us that can go both ways and are being given that opportunity,'' he said. ``This coaching staff has put the best players where they fit best, even if they already have a position on offense.''

For Gamble, that's meant lining up at both tailback and defensive back in addition to duties on the kick return team and as a long snapper on punts.

``It's great,'' Gamble said of his multiple duties. ``I'm just having fun, playing the game.''
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