MASSILLON — Massillon renews its long-standing rivalry with GlenOak on Friday, Aug. 29.
Both teams dropped close openers, Massillon falling to Glenville 33-27 in overtime, GlenOak losing to Dover 18-7.
In recent decades, GlenOak by far has been Massillon’s most frequent Stark County opponent other than McKinley.
Follow along throughout the evening for our live updates from Friday’s game.
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Massillon receiver goes ‘extra mile’ on run after catch
Another three-and-out resulted in instant Massillon possession in GlenOak territory.
Everyone is learning Deontay Malone might be the best run-after-catch guy in the county, but Malone went the extra mile when he caught a short ball and ran toward both sidelines while weaving around, eventually covering 50-plus yards to make a short gain for a first down.
Austin Pryor caught a 12-yard TD pass from Patterson as Massillon’s lead swelled to 28-3 before the second quarter was halfway through.
Short punt, wide-open pass, bigger Massillon lead
Massillon’s defense forced a three-and-out followed by a short puht that gave the Tigers possession on the 25.
Senior Jadyce Thigpen got as wide open as he is likely to ever be in his life on a 20-yard touchdown strike from Manny Patterson. It was 21-3, Massillon, with 11 minutes left in the first half.
Tigers add touchdown just before second quarter
Manny Patterson dodged a blitz and scrambled for a while before while Deontay Malone improvised getting open on a 20-yard completion. Big back Ja’Dyn Williams found a seam up the middle and seven yards for a touchdown that gave Massillon a 14-3 lead with 34 seconds left in the first half.
70-yard run helps GlenOak close Massillon lead to 7-3
GlenOak gave perennially strong Dover a fight last Friday, but Massillon fans talked in terms of going home early in a running-clock game.
The crowd on the home side of Paul Brown Tiger Stadium was much smaller than it was for the opener against Glenville, but probably was the largest gathering in the county. GlenOak brought a lot more supporters than Glenville did. The game kicked off promptly at 7 p.m.
Manny Patterson made his second start at quarterback and came close to completing a third-down bomb to Deontay Malone, but the Tigers punted.
GlenOak’s junior quarterback, Evan Crissey, scrambled for a first down on third and long as the visiting crowd roared appreciation. Through half of a quarter, it hardly looked like a game heading for a running clock, but Massillon got an interception from Isaac Maxheimer on an underthrown touch pass toward the Tiger bench, and took over on the GlenOak 18.
Junior Gio Jackson scored from 10 yards out on a pass into the end zone by Patterson, and Massillon led 7-0.
On the first snap after the kickoff, GlenOak senior Javi’ion McClendon came close to going the distance but was caught at the end of a 70-yard run.
A 26-yard Sean Leahy field goal pulled the Golden Eagles to within 7-3.
Massillon in bright orange; GlenOak’s Garcia back in Tigertown
The only thing brighter than the sun is Massillon’s all-orange uniforms as the Tigers and GlenOak Golden Eagles warm up. GlenOak is wearing white jerseys and green pants for a game that will be played in uncommonly cools temperatures.
GlenOak head coach Scott Garcia was a Massillon assistant before taking over the Golden Eagles. He was a GlenOak senior lineman in 1986 when GlenOak won a game at Massillon under head coach Bob Commings.
Massillon football coming off Avon, Moeller, Glenville gauntlet
The Tigers have been through a rough few weeks, having scrimmaged Avon and Moeller and opened against Glenville, teams ranked No. 1, No. 4, and No. 6 in this week’s USA Today Ohio Super 25. The Tigers were going for a last-second, would-be, game-winning field goal against Glenville last Friday when the kick was blocked. Glenville won in overtime.
In turn, GlenOak had a titanic task on its hands in facing Massillon, which is ranked No. 11 in the Super 25. The Golden Eagles opened with an 18-7 loss to Dover after going 1-9.
GlenOak-Massillon football rivalry traces to Bob Commings
Massillon first faced GlenOak when Bob Commings was the Golden Eagles head coach.
Commings’ work as Massillon’s head coach from 1969-73 earned him the head coaching job at the University of Iowa. Commings was fired by Iowa after five seasons and returned to Stark County as GlenOak’s head coach.
In 1986, Commings’ team won at Massillon, 9-7, becoming the first Stark County team other than McKinley or Alliance to beat the Tigers in football.
iA long lull in the Massillon-GlenOak series was revived after Scott Garcia, who played for GlenOak in the 1986 game, was the Golden Eagles’ head coach.
GlenOak beat the Tigers in 2015, Nate Moore’s first year as Massillon’s head coach. The Tigers have knocked off the Eagles every year since then, with the exception of 2020, when there was no game in “the year of Covid.”
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