Tigers take charge out of Chargers
By Keno Sultan
Stark County Prep Press writer
www.starkcountypreppress.blogspot.com
MASSILLON--It has been 33 years since an NHL team won the Stanley Cup.
Clarkson Football North's stunning 32-point win at Massillon last year felt like a Stanley Cup winning moment for the Chargers.
It wasn't happening two years in a row.
After a 0-0 deadlock, Massillon found their footing and maintained their winning ways as they concocted a 14-0 second quarter and parlayed that into a competitive 31-8 win over the Chargers at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium to extend their record to 6-0 going into an unexpected bye week.
Massillon coach Nate Moore, always a savant of durability touted his team's response to the challenge of the visitors.
"That's a good football team. They have size and they play hard. We played hard and physical. We made mistakes at times but we overcame those," Moore said.
Massillon's first possession only lasted just 49 seconds. Clarkson Football North drove deep into Massillon territory using a healthy diet of runs and passes and several key first down conversions.
But their drive stalled after 15 plays when quarterback Brandon Bailey was blindsided on a well-timed cornerback blitz from Deontay Malone that ended the Chargers legitimate scoring chance and the opening quarter concluding in a 0-0 deadlock.
On the Tigers third possession of the half, Massillon quarterback Rasmus Haines threw a deep bullet to Gio Jackson Jr. spanning 48 yards to the Chargers 13-yard line. Two plays later, Haines found a wide open Jackson over the middle for a 13-yard touchdown and Mateo Herrera's extra point kicked handed the hosts a 7-0 lead midway through the second quarter.
That tone setting score was pivotal for the Tigers according to Moore.
"When you get momentum and you can ride off of that, it is huge," he said.
Clarkson threatened deep again into Tiger territory but were turned away on downs when the Massillon defense held up again.
Not scoring on those opportunities were deflating according to Charger head coach Jamie Lalonde.
"When you get inside the 20-yard line you have to score touchdowns. Field goals will not do you any good in a game like this," he said.
Clarkson's troubles only conjured up when Savior Owens took advantage of a hole opened up by the durable Tiger offensive line and sprinted untouched for a 57-yard score and a two-touchdown advantage at 14-0, the score going into intermission.
The Chargers got a life sparking jolt. In two plays, Bailey completed a 52-yard strike to Gabriel Tabora to the Massillon 32-yard line coming out of intermission. On a fourth-and-long, Bailey ran for a 22-yard jaunt into the Tigers red zone to keep their opening drive alive. It was rewarded when Bailey scored on a 12-yard run and completed a two-point conversion and what seemed to be a safe Tiger lead was reduced to 14-8 and momentum was on the Chargers side after their opening drive to commence the second half.
The momentum was quickly quashed when Massillon provided an answer of their own. Haines threw what was a safe pass to Owens and Owens turned on the afterburners and one final block from Malone cleared the runway for Owens that led to an impressive 79-yard catch and run and momentum was back on the side of the hosts and there to stay for the duration of the evening at 21-8.
That score and Massillon's response was more than what Clarkson, now 3-2 on the season could handle.
"Massillon made a great play on that screen. We had it leveraged and we just didn't make a tackle. It was a good play by them and a game changer," Lalonde lamented.
Massillon would add on a 27-yard field goal from Mateo and another Owens touchdown run to cap the evening.
Massillon goes into their bye week firing on all pistons and much needed rest before a challenge from Cornerstone Christian (Texas), who will come to Paul Brown Tiger Stadium for a second straight season.
Haines had two touchdown passes on the night and Owens had two scores as well and the defense kept the Chargers under 100 rushing yards and never really let them get going for the most part save for the third quarter.
Moore likes where his team is at and the rest looks to be beneficial.
"We're going to handle the bye week the best way that we see fit. We're going to have some additional practices and some time off that we see fit," he said.
Clarkson Football North last year had a win reminiscent of winning the Stanley Cup. Massillon saw to it that it was not happening again.
Keno Sultan is a writer for Stark County Prep Press. He can be reached at 330-445-4575 or email at KenoSultan@hotmail.com.
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