Tigers hit jackpot in shutout of Titans
By Keno Sultan
Stark County Prep Press writer
www.starkcountypreppress.blogspot.com
MASSILLON--Betting on Ja'Meir Gamble can either result in a jackpot or a total loss of money.
For the Massillon Tigers, their gamble was an absolute jackpot.
The 5'10'', 190 lb. senior tailback had a career game reminiscent of former Tiger back Willtrell Hartson as he rushed for 291 yards and tallied five touchdowns on the ground as Massillon disposed of Legacy Sports & Science (Texas) to the tune of a 41-0 rout in the Tigers final home contest before their annual showdown two weeks from Saturday at home against Canton McKinley (who wrapped up a share of the Federal League title at press time with a 35-21 win at Lake).
In a game that was at times snappy with hordes of personal foul penalties between the schools and with Massillon being penalized a concerning 15 times in the contest, Gamble was a bright spot for a Tigers team who is starting to hit their stride as the playoffs are only two weeks away.
It also conjures up dividends that he is running behind an offensive line that prides itself on durability, a tenet of the Nate Moore era and a reason why Moore is a two-time Division II state title winning head coach.
"Honestly, our offensive line dominated their defensive front and that is what they wanted to do." Gamble said.
Nolan Davenport is one offensive lineman who prides himself on being a part of the Tigers deep offensive line corps and his play is a major reason why he will be playing inside the confines of Camp Randall Stadium on Saurdays as a Wisconsin Badger next season under former Ohio State interim head coach and Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell.
Davenport was quick to attribute the success to Massillon's strength and conditioning program which has been a paramount factor in their line emaciating opposing teams over the course of 48 minutes.
"We call ourselves the trench line as a unit and we take pride in how we dominate the line of scrimmage and all week, that was our emphasis that we wanted to sustain blocks and we executed that well tonight. When we have teams worn down, that is when we have to attack and we all know that," he said. "When you have teams down like that, you have to finish them off and put them away."
Massillon's opening possession was just a portent of what was to arrive on the evening. On the ninth play of their drive, quarterback Jalen Slaughter completed a 32-yard pass to senior Braylyn Toles to put the ball deep in Titans territory and from there, Gamble burst through the first of a plethora of holes on the evening erected by the Massillon offensive line for a 22-yard touchdown run and an early 7-0 lead.
Their second possession was even better as Gamble ran for 23 yards in to Titans territory and four plays later he was in the end zone for a second time, this time from 24 yards away and Massillon compiled a 14-0 lead after the first 12 minutes of competition.
Gamble only got stronger as the game progressed, bringing back memories of former Tigers running back Zion Phifer, who was remembered for spelling Jamir Thomas in the fourth quarter and running the ball on a drive that took nine minutes and ending with a touchdown and a 10-0 season six years ago against Canton McKinley in a competitive 24-17 home victory.
By the time halftime arrived, Gamble already had 112 yards. When asked if he saw himself like Phifer, Gamble offered his assessment respectfully.
"Zion was one of the great backs at Massillon. He is a bigger guy than I am, the one thing I do have is speed," he said.
Legacy had two chances deep in Massillon territory that was thwarted with interceptions by Daylan Pringle and Braylon Gamble. A missed chip shot field goal from 24 yards didn't assist their cause and their porous defense was evident once again as Massillon became the newest team to crack the 40-point plateau against the Titans.
Massillon head coach Nate Moore was pleased that his team played hard but does want to see a cleaner effort in truncating penalties that hinder drives and most importantly, momentum.
"Legacy is a good team with great players and our guys played really really well. We were able to get pressure on their quarterback (Keisean Henderson) and that affected his ability to throw the ball downfield. Our DB's did a great job covering their receivers downfield," Moore said. "Those things (penalties) are disappointing but they are teachable moments and we'll coach our guys on that."
Gamble added three more spectacular touchdown runs of 34, 68, and 77 yards to conclude his evening. Peytton Mitchell added the final score, a one-yard touchdown run amid a running clock following Gamble's fifth touchdown scamper.
Massillon will travel to Warren for a week nine tilt against a Raiders team that is experiencing a resurgence under first-year general and Warren native Matt Richardson. At press time, the Raiders are 6-2 with a 20-6 win over Youngstown Cardinal Mooney.
Massillon has not lost to the Raiders since the 2016 season, a 41-28 victory in which Lynn Bowden calmly led Harding from a 21-7 halftime deficit to outlast the Tigers eight years ago. Harding's last win at Mollenkopf Stadium against Massillon was nine years ago, a 48-42 decision in which Bowden accounted for six touchdowns in what was a pinball machine scoring affair between the teams.
Personal fouls is something that Moore wants his battalion of Tigers to beware of in the next two weeks, starting with the Raiders in a game he wants his squad singularly focused on and nothing before that.
"Avoiding personal fouls has been a focus most of the year and we didn't do a good job of that tonight. We're going to have to be better for sure next week," he said.
Betting on Ja'Meir Gamble can either result in a jackpot or a total loss of money. For the Massillon Tigers, Gamble was their jackpot on a night they cashed in a sixth victory.
No comments:
Post a Comment