SHUT DOWN, SHUT OUT: Massillon flies up, down, over and all around Canton McKinley in rout

SHUT DOWN, SHUT OUT: Massillon flies up, down, over, and all around Canton McKinley in rout

DOWN AND OUT. Canton McKinley defensive lineman Devante Everett sits dejectedly as the final seconds of Saturday's 134th McKinley-Massillon game ticks away. (Keno Sultan/C-Town Radio)

CANTON--The Canton McKinley Bulldogs can identify the pain that Michael Jordan felt playing against the Detroit Pistons from 1988-1991.

During that span, the Bulls lost 13 straight agonizing contests to their hated rival Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills that included three stinging playoff losses before they finally solved the labyrinth of their rival that triggered a 24-game winning streak including never losing at Detroit the rest of Jordan's Bulls career.

The Massillon Tigers are Stark County's football version of the Pistons with their domination of McKinley not to mention their physicality and durability up front and once again their mastery was on display.

Massillon needed just one play, a DaOne Owens 36-yard touchdown pass to Braylyn Toles to set the tone for the afternoon and it pretty much was all the visiting Tigers needed as they obtained their eighth straight triumph and an emphatic one in the form of a 35-0 running clock decision over the host Bulldogs to complete a third 10-0 season in nine years in front of a solid crowd at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.

However, a serous post-game scuffle at the end between the competing rivals will likely be the loquacious chatter around the county. But not to be lost in all of that is the fact that Massillon obtained the first shutout in the rivalry since the 2008 season, a 17-0 victory at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium when Jason Hall was in his first year atop the Massillon post.

The game was a carbon copy of Massillon's 28-7 win over St. John's (D.C.) but the only difference is that McKinley did not mount a serious threat on the afternoon after Owens first strike.

"I'm really proud of our guys, they played really well. They played hard and were very physical. I'm proud of our guys," Massillon boss Nate Moore said. "It was a great call by Jarrett Troxler our quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator. The kids executed it and that set the tone for the game."

McKinley was never able to get anything going and a lot of that had to do with the ferocity of the Tigers defense with Cody Fair and Mike Wright Jr. making a living in the Bulldogs backfield. 

The Tigers special teams also made a cameo appearance. As McKinley awaited the kickoff for their fourth possession and down 14-0 on the strength of an 18-yard touchdown run by Dorian Pringle, Massillon kicker Vinny Keller executed a well-timed onside kick that was immediately recovered by the visitors and were rewarded six plays later when Wright Jr. scored on a five-yard touchdown run and the Tigers had the Bulldog faithful in funereal silence down 21-0 with most of the quarter left to be played.

"We thought it was there on film and confirmed it earlier in the game and part of that situation, we had some momentum, it was a great call by Jason Jarvis our special teams coordinator and the kids executed," Moore said.

RUNNING RODE. Canton McKinley quarterback Keaton Rode eludes Massillon defenders Mike Wright Jr., Maverick Clark (above) and Chase Bond (far right) in the third quarter of the 134th meeting between the Bulldogs and Tigers. (Keno Sultan/C-Town Radio)

Massillon added to McKinley's troubles when Owens connected on a 30-yard touchdown pass to a wide open Emy Louis Jr. over the middle midway to create their 28-0 halftime margin. Massillon came out the locker room after the intermission and used a 14 play drive that ended with a Pringle four-yard touchdown run as he was aided by Massillon's vaunted offensive line to create the final margin and the running clock. A 22-0 second quarter by the Tigers was the eventual catalyst of the game.

For the Bulldogs who had received the late news that they were outright Federal League champions with Lake's 28-0 loss to Green, it was a brutally painful end to their day with the clock running down continuously on their regular season as they absorbed a second straight loss to close their regular season at 7-3 after a 7-1 start.

McKinley advances to the Division I playoffs as a team now with more question marks than answers unlike Massillon, who has every intention of making a second trip back to Benson Stadium in six weeks amid a fourth Division II state championship appearance in six years.

Bulldogs head coach Antonio Hall lamented the early tone setting touchdown before voicing his displeasure about the post-game scuffle that terminated the handshakes that caused police officers from Canton and Massillon to respectively usher both teams to the locker room.

"It was more of self inflicted mistakes and not being coached what we are to do moreso that anything," he said of Massillon's first score. "We were undisciplined (postgame) and that was an embarrassment. We got some suspensions coming and we got what we deserved."

For Massillon, their winning streak against McKinley now has stretched to eight games and they are now 4-0 at Benson Stadium and Moore now has triumphed over three different Bulldog head coaches in nine years. Massillon has the feral look of a team that may potentially win a state championship to a city that is long overdue for a crown and this may be the team to finally wear the crown as a champion.

And Moore likes the direction his team is headed. Especially now he has two senior classes who are proud to say that the Victory Bell never left Massillon let alone never lost to Canton McKinley.

"I am proud of our guys and proud of our first season and our second season that is week 10 and there will be a time to sit around and think about that. But now we have to move on to week 11," he said.

EYE OF THE STORM. Massillon head coach Nate Moore looks on during the action of Saturday's contest against the Bulldogs at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium (Keno Sultan/C-Town Radio)

Keno Sultan can be reached at 330-455-4575 or email at KenoSultan@hotmail.com.