Tigers Top Bulldogs 23-13 in 133rd War of 1894

Photo by Devin Lowe

Massillon jumped out to an early 21-0 lead and never looked back, taking down Canton McKinley for the 7th straight time in the storied rivalry. After scoring on their first three possessions, the defense locked in, and the Tigers outlasted the Bulldogs.

First Half

Massillon received the opening kickoff and wasted no time in making their presence felt. On third and nine from the McKinley 40, QB Jalen Slaughter hooked up with Ardell Banks to put the Tigers up 6-0 midway through the first. The Bulldogs would get their first chance on offense and were unable to pick up a first down. Massillon had possession of the ball for 11 of the 12 minutes in the first quarter.

Just like their first drive, the Tigers put together another 12-play drive on their second possession. After converting two fourth down plays, Massillon handed the ball to Wiltrell Hartson, who plowed one yard through the line for the score. A Dorian Pringle two-point conversion stretched the Massillon lead to 14-0.

For the second possession in a row, the McKinley offense stalled and was unable to pick up a first down. Slaughter found Hartson out of the backfield for 30 yards on their first play following the punt. Two plays later, Hartson took one in from five yards out for another Massillon touchdown, making it 21-0 Tigers.

McKinley was finally able to break through a bit on offense but were still forced to punt. Then, for the first time of the day, the Bulldog defense came up big, when Da’Vontz Lewis picked off Jalen Slaughter. Both teams would trade punts, but McKinley would get one more possession in the half.

With time running out in the half, QB Keaton Rode was able to finally put the Bulldogs in the end zone. Rode was 4-5 on the drive for 63 yards, finding Alex Vazquez for a 40-yard touchdown with just five seconds remaining in the half. After 24 minutes, Massillon led McKinley 21-7.

Second Half

The story of the second half was defense, on both sides. Both teams were able to string a couple of first downs together on their opening possessions but were ultimately forced to punt. On Massillon’s punt, the Bulldog returner decided to try and make a play but was brought down on his own one-yard line.

McKinley was able to push the ball out to the five but that was it. On fourth down, the center snapped the ball far over the head of Keith Quincy, giving Massillon the two-point safety. With under two minutes to go in the third quarter, the score was 23-7 Tigers.

Massillon would take their next possession deep into Bulldog territory but stalled out at the 11. McKinley would go three and out backed up against their own end zone. After having their last kick attempt fail, Quincy punted a rocket that set up Massillon back at their own 14-yard line.

When they really needed it, the Bulldog defense came up big and forced a Tiger punt, keeping the hopes of a comeback alive. With just under three minutes to go, Rode went up top to Quincy who brought it down for the five-yard touchdown.

McKinley would get multiple attempts at an onside kick recovery after multiple penalties, but Massillon was able to recover. Things would get very chippy between the two sides near the end, but the Tigers were able to run out the clock for the win.

 

Keys to the Game

Massillon absolutely dominated the time of possession in this game. In the first quarter alone, they held the ball for 11 minutes. In the game, the Tigers doubled the Bulldogs in time with the ball. Wiltrell Hartson once again crossed the century mark, and the offense won the battle at the line of scrimmage.

Defensively, the Tigers forced McKinley to punt the ball seven times on nine possessions, including three three-and-outs. Besides the blocked punt, they were unable to force any turnovers but held the Bulldogs to under 200 yards of offense. A stingy defense paired with a ball control offense could be big for Massillon going forward.

Despite falling down by three scores early, the Bulldogs hung tough and kept it within striking distance late. Things got a little testy near the end, but McKinley stayed close and kept the Tigers out of the end zone in the second half.

 

Next Week

The regular season is officially over, and the Bulldogs finish 5-5. Despite the loss, McKinley will open up the postseason at home next weekend. McKinley will host crosstown foe Canton Glenoak Friday night at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.

After losing their Week 1 battle with Archbishop Moeller, the Tigers have rattled off eight straight wins and are the top seed in Region 7. Next Friday, Massillon will host their own crosstown foe, Massillon Perry, at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

 

Top Performers

 

Canton McKinley

Keaton Rode: 11-24 173 yards 2 TD

Alex Vazquez: 3 catches 60 yards 1 TD

 

Massillon Washington

Jalen Slaughter: 10-14 157 yards 1 TD 1 INT

Wiltrell Hartson: 35 carries 131 yards 2 TD

 

Tigers Bulldog Scoring Summary

 

First Quarter

Massillon 5:50- Jalen Slaughter to Ardell Banks, 40 yards (kick no good)

 

Second Quarter

Massillon 11:17- Wiltrell Hartson, 1-yard run (Dorian Pringle 2 pt. good)

Massillon 9:03- Wiltrell Hartson, 4-yard run (Nolan Hendricks kick good)

McKinley 0:05- Keaton Rode to Alex Vazquez, 40 yards (Giancarlo Hernandez kick good)

 

Third Quarter

Massillon 1:44- Snap out of end zone, Safety

 

Fourth Quarter

McKinley 2:41- Keaton Rode to Keith Quincy, 5 yards (2 pt. no good)

 

	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	FINAL
McKinley	0	7	0	6	13
Massillon	7	14	2	0	23

 

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