McKINLEY TO PLAY FOR STATE TITLE
Sunday, November 28, 2004 By CHRIS BEAVEN Repository sports writer
MASSILLON — Teammates and coaches celebrated all around him at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. Fans 25 feet away chanted his name.
In the middle of that joyous chaos, McKinley High School senior Ryan Brinson tried his best to collect his thoughts.
“It’s the best feeling in my life,” Brinson said, moments after McKinley beat Cleveland Glenville, 20-17, in a Division I state football semifinal played in front of more than 10,000 fans Saturday.
The win, an upset to most, advances McKinley to its first state championship game since the Bulldogs won back-to-back titles in 1997 and ’98. The Bulldogs (11-3) will take a nine-game winning streak into the final against No. 1-ranked Cincinnati Colerain at 7 p.m. Saturday at Fawcett Stadium, McKinley’s home field.
“It’s unbelievable,” McKinley quarterback Mike Shaffer said. “From where we were in Week 5 to where we are now, especially since not many people gave us a chance (against Glenville).”
In Week 5, the Bulldogs were a struggling 2-3 team looking to find confidence after two straight 3-7 seasons. They found that confidence, and won eight straight entering this game.
But Shaffer said even some of his close friends talked to him this week as if the season would soon be over. Glenville (12-2) was too fast, too strong and simply too loaded with future Division I college players for the Bulldogs.
“We proved everybody wrong,” Shaffer said.
Not quite everybody.
“They’ve laid it on the line every week,” McKinley head coach Brian Cross said. “Not a lot of people believed in these kids in Week 5. But I still believed in them.”
Cross saw enough toughness and character to believe this team could regroup and make this season special.
“Never underestimate these kids from Canton McKinley,” Cross said.
To keep this season going, the Bulldogs emptied their bag of tricks on offense and received another fine performance from their defense.
“We knew we were going to have to play a lights-out football game,” Cross said. “Our offense wasn’t exactly lights out, but we scored enough points when we had to. And our defense just hung in there. It took a heck of an effort.”
Glenville’s offense produced just one touchdown and a field goal, as its other score came on a punt return. The Tarblooders finished with 190 total yards and had four turnovers.
“To do that against a team as talented as they are, it’s really hard to describe,” Cross said.
Junior defensive back Mark Jackson sealed the win with an interception in the end zone with 59 seconds left.
Glenville quarterback Arvell Nelson rolled right on a third-and-7 play from the 11 and tried to hit receiver Jacory Stone in the front corner of the end zone.
Jackson dashed in front of Stone and made the pick, securing the ball just before falling out of bounds.
“I wanted to make a play,” Jackson said. “I knew something had to happen for us there, and I’m just happy it happened to be me. It’s crazy how stuff falls into place.”
McKinley then ran out the clock, with Brinson breaking a 39-yard run to close it out. He finished with 92 yards on 25 carries, his first game under 100 yards during the winning streak.
But Brinson still made a big difference. He combined with Shaffer for the decisive touchdown, a surprising 20-yard quarterback throwback pass by Brinson.
“They almost always play man-to-man (coverage), and the only guy not accounted for in man-to-man is generally the quarterback,” Cross said. “We felt at that time, it was the right time to call it, and it worked out well. If they picked it off, it’s not such a great call.”
Cross called for the play on a second-and-14 from the Glenville 20. Brinson took the handoff and headed right like he has hundreds of times in his career.
This time, though, the Stark County Player of the Year suddenly stopped. He looked back to his left, and Shaffer was all alone.
Shaffer made the catch inside the 10 and scored. Zack Campbell added the PAT, giving McKinley a 20-10 lead with 5:47 left in the third.
“We worked on it all week and we knew we would only get to try it on one play,” Brinson said. “And Coach said when we run it, it’s going to be a touchdown, and that was exactly what it was.”
Once the ball was in the air, Shaffer said all he thought to himself was: “Look it in, look it in.”
Glenville cut McKinley’s lead to 20-17 by driving 48 yards in seven plays for a TD. Tailback Tim Conner gained most of the yardage, setting up Nelson’s 5-yard score around left end with 9:05 left in the game.
The Tarblooders had trailed in each of their previous three playoff wins, so they did not panic when they got the ball back with 6:03 left.
They went back to their running game on their final drive, moving from their own 38 to the McKinley 6 in 11 snaps. They ran the ball 10 times and got a pass interference call against McKinley on the other snap.
But after the Tarblooders were pushed back to the 11 for lining up off-sides, they had to go to the air on what was now a third-and-7. Enter Jackson with his third interception of the season.
“We turned the ball over too many times,” Glenville coach Ted Ginn Sr. said. “You can’t win this game when you’re turning the ball over.”
McKinley opened the scoring in the first quarter. The Bulldogs drove 61 yards in 12 plays and were helped by three Glenville penalties. A fourth-down illegal substitution penalty led to Theo Goodright’s 2-yard TD run with 3:14 left in the quarter.
Glenville’s speed and big-play ability, though, tied the game on the quarter’s final play. Jamario O’Neal returned a punt 95 yards for a TD.
Dan Grimsley’s punt looked like it would bounce safely inside the 10-yard line, but O’Neal scooped the bouncing ball up at his own 5, heading to his right. He ended up retreating into his end zone as he cut back to his left. He broke a tackle inside the 10 and escaped down the left sideline for the score.
Glenville took a 10-7 lead when Darren Gibbs hit a 22-yard field goal with 4:14 left in the half.
McKinley took advantage of a Glenville mistake late in the half to reclaim the lead. The Tarblooders fumbled a snap and McKinley linebacker Jeff Vaughn recovered at the Glenville 39.
The Bulldogs scored seven plays later on Goodright’s 1-yard run with 25 seconds left. Shaffer keyed the drive with two third-down completions; a 29-yarder to Joe Morgan and a 7-yarder to Antwon Hight.
That set up the wild second half and the joyous celebration.
“I’ve never experienced anything better in my life,” Brinson said. “It’s the best feeling I’ve ever had. I’m ready to play again ... I’m ready to play.”
