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MASSILLON, OH𑁋 One of the most iconic high school football stadiums in the state of Ohio was a hub for opening week. Paul Brown Tiger Stadium was packed with eager fans as they began their quest for a Division championship. First opponent up, Archbishop Moeller.
The Crusaders had a strong season last year finishing 11-4 but, dropping out of the playoffs early in the second round. Massillon made it quite far, winning three contests. Unfortunately, they fell to Green in a heartbreaker, 26-25.
With both squads looking to advance further into the postseason, neither side was going to give way easily. After roughly nine months of little to no football, the energy was infectious on the home and away sides.
FIRST HALF
Moeller struck with aggression right from the opening kick with a forced fumble to immediately retain possession. From there they scored on their first play from scrimmage. Junior quarterback Luke Dunn, flipped it over to his go-to-guy Tennel Bryant on a screen pass. The senior would find the endzone from 20 yards out. That would not be the only time he would break open the defense.
Archbishop’s defense was excellent in the first quarter, neutralizing the Tiger’s young dual threat man under center Jalen Slaughter. He went 1-6 for only eight yards, whereas Dunn began with 5-8, 61 yards and a touchdown.
Jordan Marshall, a tall running back for his position, standing at 5’11, used his sheer size to overpower Massillon’s front seven. He scored from one yard out with 2:56 in the first quarter. That kept the fans quiet for the time being, with the score now at 13-0.
Massillon, however, finally began to click moving into the next 12 minutes. Zachary Liebler returned the ensuing boot for 62 yards to the Crusader’s 36. That set up a Willtrell Hartson rushing touchdown from 11 yards away.
Following a field goal to cut the Crusader lead to 10-13, Jordan Marshall continued his strong evening with a huge third down conversion. He later capped off the drive with another score with around 5 minutes in the half.
With more pressure being applied on the Tiger’s to keep pace, the offense got moving right before the break. The still-developing Slaughter took a costly sack that halted their attack and forced them back to the 19 yard line. The field goal unit’s attempt would be blocked and that play summed up the rest of the contest for Massillon.
SECOND HALF
Nate Moore’s team struggled mightily with keeping their composure after plays were blown dead. At least four instances occurred where players were flagged for personal fouls after tussling with the opposing Crusaders. Frustrations were clearly mounting after small mistakes that could have given them more opportunities to score and stay within striking distance.
Overthrows, underthrows, dropped passes, and confusion on defensive assignments dug a deeper hole for Massillon. Those miscommunications were caused by Tennel Bryant. The second half is when he totally took control. Off a bootleg to open the second half, Bryant earned great separation at the line and got wide open down field for a huge grab down the left side of the field.
That catch already put them near the red zone but a facemask, perhaps out of those tensions boiling, was committed by Freddie Lenix Jr. That moved the ball to the 10 yard line. Moeller wanted six so they went for it on 4th & goal but did not cross the pylon. However, this still showed how easy it was for Archbishop to move the ball down field.
This led to more disaster for the Tigers. Slaughter and the offense could not advance out of their own end zone. Nolan Hendricks’s kick was tipped and it took an unfriendly bounce back to the goal line. Massillon touched the ball which gave Moeller a safety and the football back.
Only 31 seconds elapsed off the clock for Bryant to score once more. A 66 yard beauty from Dunn was hauled in by the speedster. After another empty trip for the home team. Marshall would get back in on the touchdown party. Dunn dropped it off to the burly running back on the first play of the possession. He rumbled his way for a 56 yarder, which made the deficit 26 for the Tigers.
It seemed that the offense could only find some life towards the end of quarters. Massillon got on the board with a 1 yard run from Hartson with 3:55 to go in the third. Hartson followed up with another scamper to keep the Crusaders on their heels a bit within the first minute of the final 12 minutes. Only down 23-36, fans were beginning to have some optimism that this one was not over just yet.
But Bryant had something to say about that. For a third time, Moeller got six on the first play of a drive. No one could catch the Tyreek Hill-like speed and quickness and that put this one out of reach for good. The Crusaders would go on to win 49-31.
LOOKING AHEAD
Question marks will be looming over Massillon heading into week two. Staying calm and not letting the opponent get underneath their skin will be something to watch when they travel to face GlenOak in Canton.
The small errors of dropped passes and ball placement on throws will fix themselves over time. But staying cool and collected is a major issue that could derail this iteration of the Tigers hopes to capture a Division II championship crown.
An impressive win for Moeller gives them loads of confidence heading into their week two battle with Trinity (Louisville, KY) back in Cincinnati. With one of the best receivers in Ohio, the 5’9 Bryant can lift this team to where they want to be in his final season as a Crusader.
PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Archbishop Moeller:
Tennel Bryant- 225+ plus yards receiving 3 TD
Luke Dunn- 250+ yards passing 4 TD
Jordan Marshall- 100+ yards rushing multiple rushing TD and one receiving TD
Massillon (Washington):
Willtrell Hartson- 100+ rushing yards multiple rushing TD
