Canton McKinley Bulldogs

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11/20/05


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UPDATE: Massillon’s on its way to Final Four
4:28 AM, Sunday, November 20, 2005 By DON DETORE Repository sports editor

Repository Scott Heckel Massillon quarterback Bobby Huth leads players and fans in singing the alma mater after the Tigers defeated McKinley, 21-3, in the Division I, Region 2 championship Saturday night at the Rubber Bowl. SEE STORY ON PAGE C-1.

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AKRON - Believe it, Massillon. Your Tigers are headed to the state semifinals.
The Washington High School football team slayed another giant in its improbable season, beating McKinley, 21-3, Saturday night in the Division I, Region 2 finals before a crowd of 16,111 at the Rubber Bowl.
Running back Brian Gamble ran for one touchdown and passed for another, while quarterback Bobby Huth threw for 121 yards and another score as the Tigers avenged a 38-8 loss to the Bulldogs three weeks ago in the regular-season finale.
“The Final Four, baby!” shouted first-year Massillon head coach Tom Stacy, who inherited a team coming off back-to-back 4-6 seasons. “That’s what it’s all about in Massillon.”
The Tigers will meet Lakewood St. Edward on Saturday in a state semifinal. Kickoff will be at 1 p.m. at the Rubber Bowl. The winner of that game will play for a state title the following Saturday in Fawcett Stadium.
McKinley, last year’s Ohio Division I runner-up, finishes 12-1.
“Maybe someday, we’ll sit back and enjoy what we accomplished this season,” McKinley head coach Brian Cross said, “but right now, it hurts. We have no excuses.” This marked the fourth playoff meeting between the Stark County rivals and the first time they have met in the Division I playoffs since 2001. Massillon leads the all-time series, 60-49-5. “The fans, the community, the school, the players ... they deserve this,” Stacy said. “This is for them.”

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Canton

3/28/06

Ex-Tiger Wells joins McKinley

Tuesday, March 28, 2006


By Todd Porter REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER

Bob Rossiter Former Massillon Washington High School two-sport athlete Ricardo Wells, here catching a touchdown pass in the Tigers’ 2005 season opener against Dover, has enrolled at McKinley. The transfer came after a change in Wells’ guardianship.

CANTON - Two days after McKinley High School’s basketball team won a state title, the football team went to work.
Head coach Brian Cross was greeted by a new face. Massillon Washington two-sport standout Ricardo Wells has enrolled at McKinley and attended his first winter conditioning workout as a Bulldog. Six months ago, Wells played for the Bulldogs’ rival, and he wore orange and black against McKinley less than a month ago in a Division I basketball district title game.
Wells’ transfer is nothing more than circumstances. His guardianship changed residences from Massillon to Canton.
“We’ll miss him as a player and a person,” Massillon basketball coach Matt Creamer said. “We also understand because of his living arrangement, this is probably more conducive for him to be a student-athlete at McKinley than here. I spoke with him at the state tournament and made sure this was something he was OK with. It’s just an easier situation for him to be a student-athlete at McKinley. We hugged and went on our way.”
Wells’ guardianship changed in the middle of the basketball season. During the district tournament at Memorial Civic Center, there were games in which Wells didn’t ride the team bus back to Washington High School. His new home wasn’t far away.
“This is a totally different situation than most transfers,” Creamer said. “Without getting into his personal situation, this is his third change in a year and a half.”
Last fall, Wells played in eight games for the Massillon football team. The 6-foot-2, 192-pound receiver caught 10 passes for 104 yards and two touchdowns.
His best sport may be basketball. Wells was a third-team All Northeast-Inland District player, averaging 13.5 points, six rebounds a game and was a two-year starter.
“He will be a good addition to the McKinley basketball program,” Creamer said. “I want what’s best for him and I want to see him be successful.
“We wish the best for him, except that January night when we play.”
Cross said he hasn’t had the chance to get to know Wells other than an initial meeting. But making friends on his new team shouldn’t be difficult. Wells played junior high basketball at Hartford Middle School along with current Bulldog players Morgan Williams and D.C. Alexander.
Wells likely will play wide receiver for McKinley in the fall.
“He seems like a real positive kid with a great work ethic,” Cross said. “It seems like he definitely has plans to play at the next level in the future.
“... With some of what our kids have to go through on a daily basis, it’s remarkable they have the outlook they do on life. Sometimes it’s pretty tough.” Wells could not be reached for comment. A case worker familiar with Wells’ situation at 12 Inc. in Massillon declined to comment. He was to relay a message to Wells’ guardian, but The Repository was unable to reach the family. Reach Repository sports writer Todd Porter at (330) 580-8340 or e-mail: todd.porter@cantonrep.com

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Playoff loss lingers for McK
By CHRIS EASTERLING

Chris.Easterling@IndeOnline.com


EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the final installment in a 10-part series profiling the Massillon Tigers’ 2006 football opponents.


The sting still lingers to a certain extent for the McKinley Bulldogs.

Three weeks after delivering a 38-8 beating to the Massillon Tigers to cap an undefeated regular season in Week 10 at Fawcett Stadium, the Bulldogs had the tables turned on them in the regional championship game at the Akron Rubber Bowl. The 21-3 Tiger win sent McKinley into the offseason, and left a bitter taste in the mouths of most Bulldog players and coaches.

“I think it’s something that’s always on your mind when you lose to your archrival anytime,” McKinley coach Brian Cross said on Tuesday afternoon. “To have beaten then in game 10 and then lose to them in Week 13, that’s something we have to live with. We know why we didn’t play well in that game. The 10th game, we played so well, maybe we were overconfident. That’s something we can’t let happen again.”

The two teams will renew their annual grudge match for the 115th time on Saturday, Oct. 28 at 2 p.m. at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. The McKinley team which will venture into Massillon on that day will be different in some ways to the one which walked off the Rubber Bowl turf, but not at two of the most important positions on offense – running back and quarterback.

A year ago as a junior, Morgan Williams seamlessly stepped into the tailback spot vacated by the graduated Ryan Brinson. All Williams did was rush for 2,417 yards and 29 touchdowns, while adding another 372 yards and two touchdowns in returns.

In the regular-season finale against Massillon, Williams rushed for 234 yards and four touchdowns on 40 carries.

“I think as the season went on, he realized he needed to run the ball harder,” Cross said of Williams. “It seems like he got stronger. He’s picked up where he left off. He’s starting to run the ball very hard.”

Meanwhile, the guy getting the ball to Williams – quarterback Dan Grimsley – is also returning with a year’s experience under his belt. In his first year under center for the Bulldog varsity, Grimsley completed 55-of-133 passes for 1,300 yards, with 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

“I think at any level it’s a tremendous asset to have a quarterback with experience,” Cross said. “He’s your leader on the field. He’s comfortable running the offense and can make good decisions.

“He’s gotten bigger and stronger. He’s starting to read the coverages better because of his experience.”

What Williams and Grimsley won’t have is the massive and experienced offensive line blocking in front of them as was the case last year. Center Drew McIntyre is the lone returning starter on the offensive line.

Transfer Sean Whited is slated to take over at left tackle, while Max Rehfus is penciled in at the right tackle spot. Isaac Gatlin is expected to start at left guard, while Isaiah Gatlin and Alex Lyon are competing for the right guard position.

“We lost a lot of size from last year,” Cross said of the offensive line. “We had two 300-pounders, a kid at 280 pounds and another at 240. This year, our biggest kid is going to be 240. So we’re going to be considerably smaller.

“The positive side of that is that we’re going to be more athletic. When we do get out on the perimeter, we should be able to get to the linebacker. We don’t have the same push up front, though, because of the size.”

Also gone is Grimsley’s favorite target, wide receiver Joe Morgan. Now, instead of one receiver catching 39 passes for 1,018 yards as was the case a year ago with Morgan, Cross is hoping to spread the ball around to several different receivers.

“It’s going to be a committee thing,” Cross said. “We want to spread it around more. We didn’t do a good job of that last year.”

Defensively, McKinley is going to be nearly as green as it is on offense. The Bulldogs will have but three returning starters – cornerback Will Sheeler, defensive end D.C. Alexander and nose guard Darius Williams – on that side of the ball, but do add former Central Catholic standout George Tabron to anchor the linebacking corps and have letterwinner Brandon Mingo back at cornerback.

“Your defense always has to be what wins championships,” Cross said. “If you have a decent offense, your defense should help put you over the top. We only have three returning starters back from a year ago, but with Tabron and Mingo, we feel like we actually have five returning starters.”

The Bulldogs also return Zack Campbell, who has been the team’s placekicker for the last three seasons. A year ago, Campbell hit on 63-of-66 extra points, as well as 7-of-10 field goals.

[osugrad21]

Canton

H.S. football: McKinley lines using other ways to stop foes
Wednesday, September 27, 2006 By Chris Beaven REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER

CANTON Questions up front abounded for the McKinley High School football team when the season began.
Halfway through the season, with the Bulldogs unbeaten, McKinley?s rebuilt offensive and defensive lines are holding up well.
?They?re getting better up front, both offensively and defensively,? GlenOak head coach Jack Rose said Saturday after his team lost 28-3 to McKinley.
Improvements up front have the Bulldogs off to a 5-0 start heading into a Friday?s Federal League home game against Austintown Fitch.
The Bulldogs entered the season with one full-time starter back on each line ? center Drew McIntyre on offense and nose guard Darius Williams on defense. McKinley head coach Brian Cross knew he could count on those two as leaders, but what pleases him is how others are stepping in around the two veterans.
McKinley?s offensive line is coming off a game in which it paved the way for tailbacks Morgan Williams and Will Sheeler to rush for 100 yards each.
?Our offensive line played very well,? Cross said. ?After watching films, most of our grades were about 75 percent. I?d say overall, that?s a ?B? to a ?B-plus.? ?
McIntyre is surrounded by right tackle Max Rehfus, right guard Alex Lyon, left guard Isaiah Gatlin and left tackle Sean Whited. The tight end is Steve Laubacher or Jewone Snow.
Their work has the Bulldogs averaging 249.4 rushing yards and 37.2 points. Williams has gained 691 yards; Sheeler has 369.
?Our offensive line has made great strides,? Cross said. ?They?re doing what they?re asked. With our backs, they don?t need to create gigantic holes, just a crease. They know they don?t have to blow people off the ball. They just have to get hats on everybody like they?re supposed to.?
McKinley?s offensive line averages 232 pounds, making this unit significantly smaller than recent lines. Last year?s crew averaged 280.
This year?s smaller line had Cross thinking the Bulldogs would not use as much zone blocking as a year ago. But it has not worked out that way.
?Even though we?re not quite as big, we move better,? Cross said. ?We?re taking advantage of that.?
Preseason plans also have given way to in-season adjustments on defense.
With only Darius Williams back up front, McKinley switched from its traditional 4-3 defense to a 3-5. But in recent weeks, the Bulldogs have become primarily a 4-3 team.
?It wasn?t working the way we felt it could,? Cross said.
Middle linebacker George Tabron is another reason for the switch. He transferred to McKinley over the summer, after the Bulldogs already had made the switch. But Cross calls Tabron ?an ideal middle linebacker? for the 4-3.
?Our personnel matches up better in that,? Cross said. ? We have run the 4-3 at McKinley for a long time. We feel comfortable making the adjustment.?
McKinley?s four-man front features Isaac Gatlin at one end and Gaylan Roberson or Martavian Thigpen at the other end. Williams plays nose guard and the defensive tackle is either Charles Taylor or Isaiah Gatlin.
Like the offensive line, McKinley?s defensive line is not huge. The 251-pound Taylor is the biggest up front; Roberson and Thigpen each weigh 210.
?Because of our lack of size, we?ll have problems with bigger teams,? Cross said. ?We?ll have to find ways to move those people and give those people different looks.?
McKinley was outsized last week but limited GlenOak to 201 total yards. Fitch will have the size advantage this week.
?With their size,? Cross said, ?we have to move our defensive line and hope that works against them.?

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Canton McKinley 28,
Austintown Fitch 7
Morgan Williams scored on two long runs to lead the Bulldogs (6-0, 4-0) to beat Fitch (3-3, 1-2) in a Federal League game. Williams scored on a 76-yard run on the first play from scrimmage in the game and added a 65-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

Canton

Bulldogs’ record still unblemished
Saturday, September 30, 2006 By Chris Beaven REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER


CANTON - It’s not every night that two inadvertent whistles happen in the same high school football game.
But that’s the type of night it was Friday at Fawcett Stadium for McKinley’s game with Austintown Fitch.
Bizarre officiating, two long runs by McKinley’s Morgan Williams and big turnovers made for an interesting night for the more than 5,000 who saw the Bulldogs win, 28-7.
“There were a lot of things happening,” McKinley head coach Brian Cross said after a historic win for his program.
The Bulldogs (6-0) have won 21 straight in the regular season, tying a school record set in 1955-57.
“It kind of snuck up on us,” McKinley senior center Drew McIntyre said of the streak. “I knew a little bit about it. It’s a huge chunk of history for us to be a part of.”
McKinley, ranked No. 2 in the state in Division I, scored on the first play from scrimmage in each half. Williams began the game with a 76-yard touchdown run. But the win was far from easy.
Fitch tied the game late in the first half with a 94-yard interception return for a score. Williams gave the Bulldogs breathing room when he went 67 yards for a TD late in the third quarter.
But it wasn’t until soon after the night’s second inadvertent whistle that the Bulldogs put the game away.
Fitch appeared to get within a touchdown of McKinley in the final minute of the third quarter. Jon Stockman threw what appeared to be a 60-yard TD pass to Brett Gabrick. An official threw a flag for what looked like defensive pass interference. McKinley’s two defenders also stopped pursuing. That’s because another official inadvertently blew his whistle with the ball in the air.
After the officials talked, they told each coach the play was dead when the whistle blew. The flag no longer mattered, and it wasn’t clear whom the penalty was against. Fitch coach Neal Kopp was told it was defensive pass interference. Cross was told it was offensive interference.
“I’ve never seen anything like that,” Kopp said. “ ... If we get that, it’s 21-14 with (the fourth quarter to go).”
Cross apologized to Kopp after the game.
“That was a very questionable call,” Cross said. “ ... It did change the whole complexion of the game. If we’re up 21-14, now we’ve got to play a little bit more conservative, and we’re under pressure.”
The Falcons punted without gaining a first down on that drive. They fumbled on their next possession, which McKinley quickly turned into a TD. Dan Grimsley lofted a pass to Lonnie Richardson for a 38-yard score on post route.
“We made mistakes a young football team makes,” said Kopp, whose team had three turnovers.
McKinley’s defense came up with nine tackles for loss and a sack. Darius Williams, Trent Bush, George Tabron, Isaac Gatlin, Gaylan Roberson, Disi Alexander and Jewone Snow were defensive leaders.
“I liked the way our defense came to play,” Cross said.
Also making plays was Morgan Williams, who rushed for 165 yards on 12 carries. On the game’s first play, he took a handoff left, cut, bounced outside and was gone for 76 yards.
“Once he gets out in the open, he’s off to the races,” McIntyre said.
Fitch tied the game when Nick Wiery intercepted a pass into the right flat and returned it 94 yards late in the half.
The Bulldogs used a turnover to reclaim momentum at the start of the second half. Fitch fumbled the kickoff, and Brandon Mingo scooped it up at the 27 and scored, but an inadvertent whistle blew the play dead on the recovery. Grimsley threw a 27-yard TD pass to Kenyad Blair on the next play.
The Bulldogs get ready for next Saturday’s showdown of unbeatens when Perry visits Fawcett Stadium.
“The fact that we’re 6-0,” Cross said, “with a team that had to replace 16 starters is a testament to how hard our kids worked in the offseason and how hard they’ve continued to work.” Reach Repository sports writer Chris Beaven at (330) 580-8345 or e-mail: chris.beaven@cantonrep.com