Massillon Tigers

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11/17/05

Tigers will be ready to compete
Thursday, November 17, 2005 By Todd Porter REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER

Repository Bob Rossiter Gotta slow him down - Any success for Massillon on Saturday starts with containing McKinley running back Morgan Williams (23), who ran for 234 yards in the Bulldogs’ Week 10 victory.

MASSILLON - There isn’t any denying what happened the first time. Massillon isn’t making excuses. Tiger head coach Tom Stacy doesn’t blame bad luck, a slow start, nerves, tension, the moon, stars or the drinking water in Canton.
Three weeks ago, Massillon was dominated by McKinley. The Bulldogs barely broke a sweat when they handed the Tigers their first loss of the season, 38-8.
Stacy, however, is confident his team’s psyche isn’t broken. He’d be lying if he denied there is a revenge factor.
“We’ve won enough games that the kids have confidence in their ability,” Stacy said. “We just have to play well. Whatever that entails, be it execution, coaching or from a technique standpoint ... will be the deciding factor this time.”
It was the last time.
Saturday night at Akron’s Rubber Bowl, Massillon and McKinley will lock up in a Division I, Region 2 title game. The winner moves on to the state semifinals. The Tigers went from consecutive 4-6 seasons to 11-1 in Stacy’s first year.
This is the fourth time the teams have met in the playoffs. McKinley has never beaten Massillon twice in the same year. The Tigers get a second chance, and revenge is on their minds.
“When you get embarrassed like we got embarrassed, you’d like to hope we come out with the idea of playing better and with a revenge factor,” Stacy said. “That’s with complete respect to McKinley. They flat-out outplayed us.”
There wasn’t much to highlight in Massillon’s first effort. The Tigers were held to less than 150 yards. They didn’t score on offense. In fact, Massillon’s only points came off a Troy Ellis interception return.
To boil down a 30-point loss in one play would be insufficient. However, if one play symbolized the Tiger’s day, it came in the first quarter. Both offenses had little success until about five minutes remained in the first quarter.
McKinley faced a second-and-10, and Massillon blitzed safety Andrew Dailey. Bulldog coach Brian Cross called a draw to running back Morgan Williams. Dailey arrived a half-second late, and the draw play opened up in the area that Dailey manned before the snap.
Williams rattled off a 47-yard gain to the Massillon 7, and the Pups took a 7-0 lead two plays later. The Tigers thought twice about blitzing a safety the rest of the half. Cross said it was a lucky call. Perhaps, but it was the perfect call. Had Dailey made the tackle, McKinley might have faced a third-and-14.
From that point, McKinley dominated both lines of scrimmages. Massillon’s defense adjusted in the second half, and the Tigers pinched both outside linebackers off the edge. McKinley, though, wasn’t concerned with yards as much as it was with consuming clock.
Massillon’s offensive line was manhandled. The Tiger offense got little going as a result of too much pressure on quarterback Bobby Huth.
“That’ll be a point of emphasis this week,” Stacy said.
It started Monday night at Stacy’s booster club meeting. A man pronounced Massillon could not block McKinley or Lakewood St. Edwards.
Stacy’s reply?
“Thank goodness our kids don’t believe that.”
“This will be an old fashioned game that will be won up front,” Stacy said.
Massillon did shut down its offense in the fourth quarter. Stacy went with basic plays.
“Were we running every trick play we have? No,” Stacy said. “At that point it would have done no good.”
The game may be more mental than physical for Massillon. The Tigers are coming off their worst winning performance of the season. They made just about every mistake, yet found a way to beat Findlay.
Another game like that, and McKinley could walk out of the Rubber Bowl with a larger winning margin. Perhaps, Massillon looked beyond Findlay to a rematch.
“It could be, but we can’t let that be an excuse or even accept that,” Stacy said. “We can never rationalize how we played Saturday night from an intelligence standpoint or a discipline standpoint. That’s never acceptable, let alone in a playoff game. “I want us to be a methodical football team this weekend,” he said. “We need to have tunnel vision, play hard and play smart. The only thing that needs to matter Saturday night is this game. We’ve played like at times. We need to be in our own little world.” Reach Repository sports writer Todd Porter at (330) 580-8340 or e-mail: todd.porter@cantonrep.com

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11/17/08

Massillon vs. Canton McKinley

What, when, where: Division I regional championship game, 7 p.m., the Rubber Bowl, 800 George Washington Blvd., Akron. Call 330-972-8102.
Records: Massillon 11-1; McKinley 12-0.

What to watch: A crowd of about 25,000 is expected to watch the renewal of one of the state's oldest rivalries on neutral turf. McKinley, ranked second in the state, won the 113th regular-season meeting, 38-8, on the final weekend of the season as it dominated up front on both sides of the ball. The Bulldogs, state runners-up last year, beat two of the best teams in the Pioneer Conference, Brunswick and Elyria, by a combined 70-26 in its playoff games, while the Tigers whacked North Canton Hoover before slipping past Findlay, 27-20, last week with a huge goal line stand as the game ended. McKinley's offense centers around junior tailback Morgan Williams, who rushed for 1,977 yards and 24 touchdowns during the regular season. Quarterback Dan Grimsley has two lethal targets in Joe Morgan and Mark Jackson. Massillon relies on junior tailback Brian Gamble, who gained 1,054 yards and scored 11 TDs in 10 games. Until the McKinley game, Massillon quarterback Bobby Huth had thrown just one interception against 12 TD passes. McKinley picked him off three times. This is the fourth time the two Stark County rivals have played twice in the same season. It also happened in 1980 (split), 1994 (split) and 2001 (Massillon sweep).

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11/18/05


Quote:

Bulldogs vs. Tigers, Round 2, upon us
Saturday, November 19, 2005 By CHRIS BEAVEN

Their historic meeting three weeks ago did not live up to the hype. What looked to be an exciting clash of two evenly matched high school football teams quickly became one-sided.

Will tonight’s rematch meet expectations?

No one knows.

But expect two confident teams to take the field tonight at a packed Rubber Bowl in Akron when McKinley and Massillon meet again. The Division I regional final kicks off at 7.

McKinley and Massillon enter the game three wins away from winning a state championship. Each appears to have the necessary talent to win a title.

They both feature dangerous running backs, big-play passing attacks, strong defenses and solid special teams. They also both have a nice mix of athletes with big-time futures at the college level, in addition to guys who are outstanding high school players.

When they met the first time around, though, it was all McKinley. The Bulldogs won, 38-8, quickly removing any potential suspense from the first meeting in 41 years where both teams entered 9-0.

And yes, that win gives McKinley plenty of confidence. But not too much.
“Our kids will be ready to play,” McKinley head coach Brian Cross said. “They’re mature enough to know that what happened before is over and done with. This is a whole new, different ballgame.”

Massillon, of course, hopes the game plays out entirely different. Don’t expect the Tigers to be one bit timid because of that loss.

“We’ve won enough games that the kids have confidence in their ability,” said Massillon head coach Tom Stacy.

The Tigers were far from their best last week. Turnovers and penalties plagued them, but they preserved and won, 27-20, over Findlay with a goal-line stand on the final play.

To ensure a “total focus” this week, Stacy closed practice this week and the players were off-limits to the media.

Stacy wanted a proper intensity this week, and he does not think the players will get too uptight.

The Bulldogs never appear to be even close to uptight. They have been an extremely loose team. “Sometimes too loose,” Cross has said on occasions.
Senior safety-receiver Mark Jackson, one of four McKinley captains, said the Bulldogs have their share of fun.

“It’s the most fun I’ve ever had, just on a daily basis,” Jackson said. “We have fun in practice. We have fun when we see each other in school. And we have fun when we’re watching films.”

But whenever Cross has challenged his Bulldogs, or an opponent has tested them, they have responded.

Last week, Elyria gave McKinley some problems early, but not nearly enough to prevent the Bulldogs from winning, 35-9.

“We’re a laid-back team, but we’re laid back and focused at the same time,” Jackson said. “We don’t want to be a team that’s too uptight that we won’t be ready to play. We’re laid back, but always ready and always focused.”

Reach Repository sports writer Chris Beaven at (330) 580-8345 or e-mail: chris.beaven@cantonrep.com


tonight
Kickoff at 7 p.m.
MCKINLEY VS.
MASSILLON
Division I, Region 2 title game
Rubber Bowl, Akron
TV Tape-delayed at 11 on Time Warner Cable Channel 11, Massillon Cable Channel 22, Akron Time Warner Cable Channel 17
RADIO WHBC-AM 1480,
WNPQ-FM 95.9, ESPN-AM 990
central catholic vs. youngstown mooney
Division IV, Region 13 title game Tiger Stadium, Twinsburg RADIO Tape-delayed at 9:30 on WNPQ-FM 95.9

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11/20/05

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.

Related Stories
Gamble helps in all phases for Tigers

Playoff results statewide

McKinley-Massillon notebook

Five former Tigers on list of 15 finalists

Tigers beat Bulldogs



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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11/21/05

Stacy gets rest amid celebration
Monday, November 21, 2005 By Todd Porter REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER

Repository Scott Heckel Massillon Washington Head Coach Tom Stacy (left) accepts congratulations from McKinley coach Brian Cross following the Tigers’ 21-3 Division I football playoff win over the Bulldogs on Saturday night at the Rubber Bowl in Akron. The Tigers face Lakewood St. Edward in a state semifinal Saturday again in Akron.

MASSILLON - After the biggest win of the season — perhaps decades — in this football-crazed town, Tom Stacy didn’t dance into the night or stick around for pats on the back.
“I came home, spent some time with my family, and watched the USC-Fresno State game on TV. Then I just collapsed,” Washington High School’s head football coach said Sunday afternoon before beginning to work on a game plan for the 14th time this season.
The Tigers dominated for four quarters and redeemed themselves after a 38-8 loss in the regular-season finale by beating McKinley, 21-3, Saturday night at the Rubber Bowl. Massillon advances to a Division I state semifinal game against Lakewood St. Edward at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Rubber Bowl.
Oddly enough, that site is where Stacy became seasoned as a football coach. He was a former University of Akron assistant coach under another former Massillon coach, Lee Owens. It was that experience that allowed Stacy to remove the personal consequences of a possible second loss to McKinley.
“I don’t worry about myself. I worry more about the kids and the overall football program,” Stacy said. “I’ve been through the battles, whether as an assistant coach here or in college football.
“Regardless, we’ve had a great year. If you worry about the consequences of losing, you’d get out of the coaching business. I learned a lot going through the tough losses in college football. I always say you learned more from the losses than you do from the win.”
After the first McKinley game, Stacy felt his game plan wasn’t very good. Defensive assistant coaches like Steve Kovacs, Mike Babics and Scott Garcia lose sleep when a game plan doesn’t work.
“Coach Kovacs and the defensive coaches, they stayed up until 11:30 each night thinking of ways to stop that offense,” Massillon nose tackle Lorenzo Grizzard said of the Bulldogs.
Since that first McKinley game, Kovacs worked on a new plan — even while preparing for playoff games against Findlay and North Canton Hoover.
“After the first game, coaches thought ahead, especially Steve,” Stacy said. “He coached at McKinley. He’s been around. He talked to me several times during Hoover week and Findlay week. He’d say, ‘Hey, I’ve got some things I think will hurt them if we get to that point again.’ I told him to jot them down and keep them under his hat.”
Massillon’s biggest defensive adjustment was bringing run blitz pressure from the weak side, usually with safety Brian Gamble. The game plan was to bottle up Bulldogs’ 2,000-yard running back Morgan Williams and limit his big-;ay ability.
“We felt if we could stop Morgan Williams, and with our secondary, things would work out well,” Stacy said. “Our defensive backs take a lot of pride in the way they play and were upset with the way they played the first game.”
Massillon’s physical cornerbacks also jammed McKinley’s wide receivers at the line, throwing off the timing of the Bulldogs’ passing game.
“And we got pressure on (Dan) Grimsley,” Stacy said. “We didn’t want him getting into a rhythm. We wanted him throwing on the run, or throwing with someone in his face.”
The unsung hero for the Massillon defense was cornerback Neil James, who stayed with speedy McKinley receiver Joe Morgan most of the night despite playing with the flu.
“He played a great game,” Stacy said. “He looked terrible Saturday ... the kid was sick all day. We weren’t sure if he’d be able to play and he just said, ‘I’m playing.’ ”
Offensively, Stacy felt he saw a Bulldog weakness while watching tape of McKinley’s playoff win over Brunswick. He thought the Bulldogs were susceptible to screen passes. Also, Gamble, who starts at tailback, played in the same backfield with backup Lanale Robinson.
“Offensively we didn’t change plays, we window-dressed them,” Stacy said. “We also used a tight end wing set that helped a lot.”
Massillon has used that set, but not with the personnel it did Saturday. Safety Andrew Dailey, defensive lineman Dirk Dickerhoof and Steve Yoder, a transfer from Northwest who became eligible to play last week, was used.
“It was the same look, but it was with three different guys attacking them three different ways,” Stacy said. “I think that surprised them a little. I don’t think the X’s and O’s matter as much as the kids executing them. If you don’t execute, no matter how good the plan, it still looks like you don’t know what you’re doing.”
Stacy rested Saturday night. There will be less time to sleep this week. The Tigers are a win away from playing for a Division I state title.
“We’ve had to come off big wins this year and we handled it well,” Stacy said. “It depends on how far the kids want to go. Now we’re in the state semifinals. There are four teams left. We’ve got as good a shot as anybody.” Repository writers Don Detore and Chris Beaven contributed to this report. Reach Repository sports writer Todd Porter at (330) 580-8340 or e-mail: todd.porter@cantonrep.com.

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This Saturday at 1:00pm....

Saturday
At Akron Rubber Bowl (1) Lakewood St. Edward (12-0) vs. (3) Massillon Washington (12-1), 1 p.m. Saturday

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11/22/05

Massillon adding to firsts list
Tuesday, November 22, 2005


By Todd Porter REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER




MASSILLON - The list of firsts are growing long inside the Massillon locker room.

The Tigers (12-1) have won as many games as any team in school history, beat McKinley for the first time in three games, and will play in a Division I state high school football semifinal game for the first time since 2002.

So when the team buses drove through a crowd that stretched three blocks Saturday night, head coach Tom Stacy paid attention to his players. The first-year Massillon head coach found something out when the team returned to its locker room.

His players are both hungry and greedy.

“We’re not at all satisfied,” tight end Brett Huffman said. “As great an accomplishment it was last week, we were talking in the locker room and guys were saying they felt greedy. We got a big ‘W,’ but we’re not satisfied. We want that ring. You can call us greedy if you want, but that’s how we feel.”

If Massillon needed any self-assurance, Stacy points to the fact that the Tigers are one of four Division I teams practicing this week. Massillon is 2-4 in state semifinal appearances.

“I would hope that we believe how good we can be because we’ve got a good football team,” Stacy said. “There are a lot of people who didn’t expect us to be here, but we’re here. Now, we have to go out and win a game like we did against McKinley. We’ve got to play well, because at this point we’re not getting any gifts. St. Edward is as good as any team we’ve played.”

Massillon will play Lakewood St. Edward in Akron’s Rubber Bowl at 1 p.m. Saturday. The winner advances to next week’s Division I state title game at Fawcett Stadium.

Against McKinley, Stacy liked the way his team raised the level of play a notch. The Tigers did that against St. Ignatius in beating the Wildcats for the first time in school history.

“McKinley is a great football team, and for us to win the way we did we had to play daggone well,” Stacy said. “We didn’t have to play a perfect game, we had to play at a much higher level than we had been playing. It was nice to get back to that.

“Sometime you’re concerned as a coach once you play at that level during the season and don’t get back there whether you peaked or not. People in town were worried about it. Those are things you work through.”

As talented as McKinley was, St. Edward may be better. The Eagles have a school-record 12 wins this season.

Running back Frank Edmonds goes 5-foot-8, 180 pounds and has 2,136 yards rushing. Edmonds is the same player who transferred to St. Edward from Rhodes High School. A clerical error by St. Ed’s officials caused the football team to forfeit four games a year ago.

Edmonds seems to be playing on a mission this year. He left last week’s win over Glenville with a left knee injury in the second half. However, it was determined that it was a bruise. He looked fine during the postgame celebration last week.

Left tackle Joe Thomas (6-4, 300) is the Eagles’ best offensive linemen. He verbally committed to Pittsburgh, but Ohio State is jumping on the senior hard the last couple of weeks.

Massillon, however, is a team beginning to believe in itself. The challenge is trying to return from the high of beating McKinley, yet maintain a state-semifinal like ability level.

“We’ve come back after big wins before,” Stacy said. “I don’t think that will be a problem for this group. ... We let them bounce around at practice (Monday), now we need to crank the focus dial a little bit each day.”

Reach Repository sports writer Todd Porter at (330) 580-8340 or e-mail: todd.porter@cantonrep.com.


Division I State
semifinal:
Massillon vs.
Lakewood St. Edward
1 p.m. Saturday Rubber Bowl, Akron

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11/23/05

High school football state semifinals: Eagles, Tigers similar teams
Wednesday, November 23, 2005 By Todd Porter REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER

MASSILLON vs. LAKEWOOD ST. EDWARD
Saturday, 1 p.m.
Rubber Bowl, Akron
RADIO WHBC-AM 1480,
WNPQ-FM 95.9, ESPN-AM 990


The similarities are uncanny. Few expected the Northern Ohio Division I state semifinal football game to be this.
Lakewood St. Edward had to upset Glenville, and Massillon had to beat a McKinley team that smacked the Tigers by 30 points in Week 10. Both teams managed in underdog roles.
Now teams with nearly identical scoring averages will meet for a trip to the Division I state title game.
“People who follow high school football expected the other two teams to be playing this week,” said St. Ed’s coach John Gibbons, a high school football coaching icon in Ohio. “Most people thought this would be a McKinley-Glenville showdown. That’s why you play the game, though.”
The Tigers bring an offense averaging 34.6 points a game. The Eagles are scoring 34.9 a game. Massillon’s defense allows 12.5, and St. Edward’s gives up 10.3. Both teams beat St. Ignatius by 3 points (10-7 for St. Ed’s, 29-26 for the Tigers).
Elder lost to the Tigers and Eagles, both games in Cincinnati. St. Edward scored 34, Massillon scored 35. The difference is the Eagles finished the game and allowed just 17 points. The Tigers gave up 31, most in the second half.
“There are a lot of similarities between the two teams,” Gibbons said. “Their quarterback (Bobby Huth) is a
playmaker. Our quarterback (Brandon Frohnapple) is. They have a good running back (Brian Gamble); we have a good running back (Frank Edmonds). Their offensive line is well-coached, and they’re all good players. I don’t know that they have a highly recruited lineman (Joe Thomas) like we do, but they’re good up front. What we see on film is they’re extremely well coached.”
When this season started, Gibbons thought this team might be a year away. He didn’t account for chemistry and young players stepping up.
Edmonds brings 2,136 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground into this game. The 5-foot-8, 180-pound spark plug was at the center of Lakewood’s storm last year. Edmonds transferred to St. Edward from Rhodes High School. Paperwork, none of it Edmonds’ or his parents’ fault, wasn’t completed.
The Eagles had to forfeit four games, and Edmonds was declared ineligible.
He seems to be playing with a chip on his shoulders.
“I think that’s probably the case,” Gibbons said. “I know he’s talented. If (last year) has taken him to another level, that’s feasible. It makes sense.”
It was a difficult period. Gibbons, a father of nine and grandfather of 11, didn’t know what to tell Edmonds.
“I called my wife,” Gibbons said. “ ... She’s good at dealing with those things. What do you say to a kid who did nothing wrong and can’t play football?
“She came over, and we sat him down and told him ‘No matter what happens we’re backing you up. You didn’t do anything wrong.’
“He’s a guy with a lot of character. He’s got a good strong mom and dad behind him. He’s an honor student. He’s got a lot going for him. He could get through that situation. Everybody supported him. The guys on the team had respect for him because he went through something that wasn’t his fault.”
This may not be the most athletically gifted St. Edward team, but Gibbons said he does have plenty of skilled players.
Frohnapple started three games last year for an injured senior quarterback, winning each one. Gibbons went back to the senior, and St. Ed’s lost in the playoffs. Frohnapple brings a 15-0 record into Saturday afternoon’s game.
“We’re talented, but I think we have a lot of heart and camaraderie,” Gibbons said. “We go out there and play hard as a team.”
Reach Repository sports writer Todd Porter at (330) 580-8340 or e-mail: todd.porter@cantonrep.com



Some similarities
St. Edward and Massillon have two common opponents this season. Each fared somewhat alike against Cincinnati Elder and St. Ignatius:
St. Edward (12-0)
Regular season
Pittsburgh CC W 14-6
Shaker Heights W 45-14
St. Thomas More (Ont.) W 49-0
at Cincinnati Elder W 34-17
Open date
St. Francis, N.Y. W 49-0
Cleveland East W 41-6
St. Ignatius W 10-7
at Cincinnati Moeller W 28-12
at Cle. Benedictine 3ot W 41-38
Playoffs
Shaker Heights W 42-16
Lyndhurst Brush W 49-0
Cleveland Glenville W 17-7
massillon (12-1)
Regular season
Dover W 34-0
at Cincinnati Elder W 35-31
at Mansfield Senior W 55-0
Chardon W 49-7
Mentor W 31-10
at St. Ignatius W 29-26
Youngstown Wilson W 54-0
Warren Harding W 13-0
Eastlake North W 49-14
at McKinley L 8-38
Playoffs
North Canton Hoover W 45-14 Findlay W 27-20 McKinley W 21-3

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11/25/05

Massillon vs. Lakewood St. Edward
Friday, November 25, 2005

Running back Brian Gamble has 1,437 rushing yards and 480 receiving yards for Massillon this season.

KICKOFF Saturday, 1 p.m.
SITE Rubber Bowl, Akron.

WHAT Division I state
semifinal.

AT STAKE Winner gets berth in Division I state championship game Dec. 3 at Canton’s Fawcett Stadium against Cincinnati St. Xavier or Hilliard Davidson, which play in the other semifinal at 7 p.m. Saturday at Miami University’s Yager Stadium in Oxford.

RECORDS Massillon 12-1; Lakewood St. Edward 12-0.

PLAYOFF HISTORY This is Massillon’s 15th season in the OHSAA playoffs, and the Tigers have a 20-14 record in those games. St. Edward is making its 13th appearance and is 15-12 in the postseason. However, the Eagles have never lost a state semifinal. Massillon is 2-4 in those games, including four straight losses. The Tigers played for state titles in 1980 and ’82 and lost to Cincinnati Moeller both years.

LAST WEEK Massillon 21, McKinley 3; Lakewood St. Edward 17, Glenville 7.

LAST MEETING St. Edward won, 37-7, in the seventh week of the 2004 season. WHAT TO WATCH St. Edward is not as athletically gifted as McKinley, but the Eagles beat perhaps the state’s most talented team last week, Glenville, with methodical, mistake-free football. RB Frank Edmonds left the game last week with a bruised left knee, but he is expected to play. Edmonds did miss a game earlier this season with turf toe. Despite missing that game, he still has more than 2,100 yards rushing and averages close to 8 yards a carry. He has 21 rushing TDs. Edmonds is playing with a chip on his shoulder and for a purpose. He transferred from Rhodes High School last year and a clerical error by St. Edward school officials caused Edmonds to sit out the season and St. Ed’s to forfeit four games. QB Brandon Frohnapple isn’t great, but he is 15-0 as a starter. He’s thrown for about 1,400 yards and has capable receivers. Kyle Hubbard is a 6-3, 225-pound receiver whom the Eagles like to isolate and lob to. Chris Gardner is opposite Hubbard. Mark Dvoroznak will play receiver as well. He is athletic. The Eagles’ OL is strong and decently sized. LT Joe Thomas is one of the best in the state and he handled Glenville’s Division I defensive end, Rob Rose, last week. Massillon will have to scheme the left side of the St. Edward’s offensive line. If the Tigers can keep Edmonds in check and force the game in the air, this is their best chance. Massillon needs to come out fast at the start of the game. A Tiger lead can force a game-plan change. That is what Massillon did last week. It built a 14-0 lead and dared McKinley to win through the air. The Tiger offense is coming off one of its best games. Perhaps not from a statistics view, but execution was as good as it’s been all season. QB Bobby Huth was smart and efficient. He got time to throw and worked the sidelines. He took his shots down the field and opened things up for RBs Brian Gamble and Lanale Robinson. TE Brett Huffman is a definite threat. Look for Massillon to try to establish a hard-hitting tone on both sides of the ball early. Gamble has to have a 100-plus-yard game for Massillon to win, and the Tigers can’t afford to turn the ball over. The Eagles aren’t excessively big on the defensive line, but Thomas, a 300-pounder, will occasionally play DE to beef up the line. The linebacking corps here is fairly average, which means if Massillon’s offensive line can win in the trenches, Gamble and Robinson are good enough to carry for chunks. Massillon head coach Tom Stacy is trying to get his players to realize they have to play to the level they did against McKinley and St. Ignatius earlier in the year. If the Tigers can maintain a high level of play, they can win. St. Edward is every bit as good as McKinley, perhaps not as fast, but maybe more fundamentally sound. Both teams come in averaging about 35 points a game and allow about two TDs.

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bn (free)

11/28/05

Some great pics of the St. Eds vs Massillon game by Housteau....

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11/28/05

Massillon’s 23-year wait finally ends
Monday, November 28, 2005 By Todd Porter REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER

Repository David Distelhorst Massillon Washington High School running back Brian Gamble finds a seam in the Lakewood St. Edward defense during Saturday’s Division I state semifinal football game at Akron’s Rubber Bowl. Gamble scored two touchdowns in the final quarter as the Tigers topped the Eagles, 21-17, to gain a spot in this week’s Division I state title game at Canton’s Fawcett Stadium.

MASSILLON - For the first time in a generation, they’re getting ready for a high school football game in Massillon during the final week of November. It should come as no surprise, then, on Sunday morning there was already a fan camped out waiting for state-title tickets to go on sale.
That’s a two-day wait.
In Massillon, you don’t miss monumental football dates. The Tigers will play Cincinnati St. Xavier on Saturday night at Canton’s Fawcett Stadium for the Division I state championship. It is the first time in 23 years the Tigers have advanced this far.
Another win and Massillon will have its first state title since the playoffs started in 1972 to go with its 22 state poll titles.
When the season started Tiger players took the field against Dover in the opener with their minds set on winning a state title. Many people rolled their eyes. After all, this was a team coming off back-to-back 4-6 seasons, and taking the field with a head coach and coaching staff that had been hired less than two months before that season opener.
Perhaps what the Tigers have accomplished this season is a testament to what young spirit and belief can do.
“I give our kids all the credit,” first-year Massillon head coach Tom Stacy said. “Our kids were tired of losing. They saw this as an opportunity. They knew we had talent coming back. This, to them, was an opportunity for a fresh start in a new system. They’ve taken advantage of it.”
Massillon overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Lakewood St. Edward, 21-17, in the semifinal game Saturday at the Akron Rubber Bowl. In the fourth quarter, much went against the Tigers.
A snap in the shotgun on a miscommunication went 20 yards over quarterback Bobby Huth’s head. Massillon’s leading rusher, Brian Gamble, lost a fumble that St. Ed’s turned into its final touchdown.
In the final six minutes, though, Gamble took over the game. Huth made plays.
“To an extent, it’s overwhelming,” Stacy said of playing for a state title in his first season. “There is no doubt about that. But when you coach at Massillon, you have to have high expectations. If you don’t expect to be here, you don’t have a chance of getting here.
“This thing has just snowballed. We’ve gained confidence with each key win.”
The first key win, in Stacy’s mind, was the second game of the season. Massillon went to Cincinnati Elder and dominated the game before holding on for a 35-31 win. Four weeks later, Stacy watched on the sideline at Byers Field as fans and players seemed to unite as one in a momentum-turning fourth quarter against Cleveland St. Ignatius.
Massillon scored twice in the final quarter and shut out Ignatius for the school’s first win over the parochial school giant, 29-26.
Playoff wins over North Canton Hoover following a morale-busting loss to McKinley was important. Coming back from that 38-8 loss to the Bulldogs in the regular season to beat McKinley in the regional championship was important, Stacy said.
Learning how to win, and taking their talent beyond potential has been crucial during the playoff run. Having so many signature wins in a season will be beneficial this week.
Massillon had to come off an emotional high from the McKinley win and play in the state semifinal game. They did the same after Ignatius.
“Our kids realize where they’re at now,” Stacy said. “The goal of a state championship is in their grasp. They have a legitimate shot at it. Because of that, they stepped up their play. We struggled toward the end of the season, and the kids knew that. They knew what areas we had to improve in, and they did. There are still areas we need to improve.
“Focus isn’t a problem this week. Our kids know what this game means to the community.”
Sunday morning, two days before tickets go on sale, and someone was camped with a cardboard box as shelter. This has been a long wait in Tigertown.
Stacy laughed at the thought. “Maybe,” he said before heading to Paul Brown Tiger Stadium for game planning, “I’ll take them some coffee.” Reach Repository sports writer Todd Porter at (330) 580-8340 or e-mail: todd.porter@cantonrep.com

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Division I State Championship game...

DIVISION I

Saturday

At Fawcett Stadium

(1) Cin. St. Xavier (14-0) vs. (3) Massillon Washington (13-1), 7 p.m.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

link

11/28/05

TIGER TALES
Monday, November 28, 2005

PRACTICE CHANGE Because Paul Brown Tiger Stadium and Fawcett Stadium will be sites for this weekend’s state championship games, and there are games at both stadiums Friday and Saturday, Massillon can’t practice on its home field. Head coach Tom Stacy said he is looking into a facility for practice on Friday in Stark County. Massillon may inquire at Central Catholic about practicing there. Stacy also is thinking about practicing one day at the University of Akron’s indoor facility.

TICKETS Season-ticket holders and player parents can buy tickets from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. Potential buyers must have their orange playoff card, according to Athletics Director Jeff Thornberry. Tickets will be available to the general public starting Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the stadium. Sales move to the Third Street ticket office Thursday (7:30 a.m.-4 p.m.) and Friday (7:30 a.m.-noon). Presale tickets are $7; tickets at the gate — if Fawcett Stadium doesn’t sell out beforehand — are $9.

HARD TIME SLEEPING Stacy went home following the game after the team rode through downtown Massillon to the adoration of a few thousand fans lining Lincoln Way. “I had a tough time going to sleep,” Stacy said. “I tossed and turned all night long.” That’ll happen to a first-year coach making plans to play in a state title game.

VS. ST. XAVIER Massillon and Cincinnati St. Xavier have never played. In their two previous state title games, the Tigers lost to Cincinnati Moeller in 1980 and ’82. The first took place when former Akron Coach Gerry Faust was Moeller head coach, the second under Faust’s replacement, Steve Klonne. Mike Currence was the Massillon coach for both defeats.
ZACK ATTACK Massillon wide receiver Zack Vanryzin’s six catches over his last two games have accounted for 161 yards, an average of 26.8 per reception.
— Compiled by Todd Porter

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

some more pics of Massillon's win over St. Eds....

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

link

11/29/05

Tigers’ mystique hurt by lack of playoff title?
Tuesday, November 29, 2005 By Todd Porter REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER

Massillon’s Andrew Dailey celebrates after his game-changing sack of St. Edward quarterback Brandon Frohnapple in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s come-from-behind 21-17 Division I semifinal win at Akron’s Rubber Bowl.

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MASSILLON - Through all the tradition, the wins, the lore and mystique that is Massillon Washington High School football, there is an Achilles’ heel.
Mythical state titles.
Those who love to hate Massillon won’t finish a discussion without poking that finger in the eyes of the Tigers.
Massillon (13-1) won 22 state poll titles the same way Ohio State won six of its seven national championships. Unlike the Buckeyes, the Tigers have never won a championship on the field.
The Ohio High School Athletic Association instituted the computer points format for a football playoff in 1972. Twice since then has Massillon played for a state title. Both times, the Tigers lost.
Saturday night at Fawcett Stadium Massillon gets its first shot in 23 years to end the “mythical” discussion. The Tigers play Cincinnati St. Xavier (14-0) in a game that will crown one team a first-time state playoff champ.
This has been, however, a season of firsts in Massillon. Could ending a state-title losing streak be far off?
“It’s similar to the deal with us not having beaten St. Ignatius before,” said head coach Tom Stacy. “It’s a monkey-on-our-back type of thing that, hopefully, we can do something about on Saturday. It’s another challenge. This is a great opportunity for us to win a big football game.
“But there have been so many big football games throughout the great tradition and history of Massillon football to downplay those 22 state championships. I’d never do that. Besides, there are too many guys in town who played on those teams I’d have to answer to.”
Has Massillon’s mystique eroded a bit? Teams like St. Ignatius and Cincinnati Moeller have combined to win 16 playoff titles to the Tigers’ zero.
St. Xavier head coach Steve Specht doesn’t see any erosion, even though a generation has passed since the Tigers last played in this game.
“Any time you talk about Massillon, you talk about tradition,” Specht said Monday. “If there is a program in the national that has a better football tradition than Massillon, I’d like to see it.”
Specht has lost just once in two seasons at St. Xavier. Speaking of poll titles, the Bombers won the AP poll this year.
He doesn’t see his team as an overwhelming favorite, even though he dresses 60 seniors and has a defense that allows just 5.6 points a game.
“It’s going to be 48 minutes of great football. It’ll be a battle,” Specht said.
Stacy is playing up the underdog role, though — the same role he cast his Tigers in prior to playoff wins over McKinley and Lakewood St. Edward.
Massillon remains an underdog until it proves otherwise, according to safety Andrew Dailey.
“There were people who said we’d be lucky to go 5-5 before this season,” Dailey said. “We have a chip on our shoulder to fight for.”
Stacy knows all about being an underdog in this game. In 1985, he was an assistant coach under Lee Owens at Galion High School, which upset heavy favorite Youngstown Cardinal Mooney to win the Division II title.
“I’m sure we’re the underdog going into this game, and we should be,” Stacy said. “One team is undefeated, and we have a loss. They’ve been ranked higher in the polls most of the year. I don’t think coach Specht is going to have state championship hats made up before the game like Mooney did. We’re looking forward to the challenge.” The Mooney hat still sits in a trophy case at Galion High School. Stacy would like to add a piece of hardware to Massillon’s trophy case this weekend. Reach Repository sports writer Todd Porter at (330) 580-8340 or e-mail: todd.porter@cantonrep.com.