Massillon punches ticket to Division II state title game with win over Anderson
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Mike Wright, Jr. was hoping he could redeem himself by making a positive impact on both sides of the ball for Massillon in its Division II state semifinal, after losing a fumble in the Tigers’ previous playoff victory.
The 5-foot-10, 280-pound nose tackle cashed in on that opportunity Friday at Historic Crew Stadium by rushing for two touchdowns and racking up two sacks, seven tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss to help lead Massillon to a 55-7 win over Anderson.
The Tigers improved to 15-0 overall and will face Archbishop Hoban (13-1) in the Division II state championship game at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 30 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.
“I put the ball on the floor (in a 31-6 win over Uniontown Green in a regional final on Nov. 17) and that ate at me all week, so it feels amazing to recover with a game like this,” Wright said. “I played as hard as I could on defense and when I got the opportunity to carry the ball, I just ran as hard as I could so I could punch it into the end zone.
“My drive to play the game of football is I love everyone on this team and I want us to continue to win as many games as we can together.”
Massillon coach Nate Moore didn’t hesitate to put the ball back into Wright’s hands when the Tigers’ offense utilized its jumbo red zone package. Running into the teeth of Anderson’s defense, Wright finished with four carries for 18 yards, including two 5-yard touchdown runs.
“Things happen,” Moore said. “Mike wasn’t trying to fumble, and I’m not going to throw in the towel on a guy like him for making a mistake. He’s a terror for offensive lines, and he’s fun to watch as our running back on heavy sets because he runs hard and is very tough to bring down.”
Wright displayed nimble feet on his first touchdown run, which capped a 14-play, 67-yard drive, which put Massillon ahead 21-7 with 8:43 remaining in the second quarter.
On that run, Wright ran up the middle, and after seeing his running lane collapse in front of him, quickly veered to his left, outracing Anderson’s perimeter defenders to the end zone.
“I just bounced it to the outside when I saw the hole ahead of me was clogged,” Wright said.
And Wright displayed his power on his second touchdown run, which gave Massillon a 42-7 advantage with 6:34 remaining in the third quarter, when he plowed his way through a bevy of Anderson defenders at the line of scrimmage for another 5-yard score.
“On that run, I just ran as hard as I could into the line and punched it in,” Wright said.
Massillon’s defensive line of Wright, end Chase Bond and tackle Malachi Card was dominant throughout the contest, limiting Anderson to negative-6 rushing yards on 22 attempts.
Linebackers Shon Robinson (game-high 10 tackles), Cody Fair (six tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss), Maverick Clark and Vito McConnell also played a major role in the Tigers dominating the line of scrimmage.
“(Wright) isn’t very tall, but he’s really, really good, and he made things difficult for us,” said Anderson coach Evan Dreyer, whose squad finished 13-2 overall. “Their entire front seven is really good and we couldn’t control the line of scrimmage to establish our running game. Their pressure package is the key to their success and their backend is really solid, too.”
Massillon's Mike Wright, Jr. (No. 45) makes a tackle during the 2022 regional finals against Lake. Photo credit: Jeff Harwell, SBLive Sports
Jeff Harwell, SBLive Sports
Bond proved to be a force on the defensive line as well, racking up seven tackles, three sacks and four tackles for loss. The North Carolina State recruit also intercepted a pass and returned it 49 yards for a touchdown with 2:20 remaining in the game to cap Massillon's scoring.
“The ball got tipped and instead of it going down, it went up in the air, so I caught it and used the speed I have to score,” Bond said. “But it’s a team sport and I have to give great props to our scout team for getting us ready for this game.”
In total, Anderson quarterback Justice Burnam threw two interceptions, and the Raptors’ offense turned the ball over on downs a total of six times, setting up five of the Tigers’ touchdowns.
“We knew they run a lot of screens and short passes, so we stayed disciplined with our eyes,” Fair said. “Everyone on our team did their job and we had a lot of guys step up and make big plays.”
Massillon quarterback DaOne Owens sparked his offense on the game’s first play from scrimmage by breaking free from a couple of tacklers at the line and then sprinting up the middle of the field for a 68-yard touchdown run just 17 seconds into the game.
The left-handed quarterback rushed for a game-high 75 yards on five carries, and was 8-of-13 passing for 135 yards, including a 31-yard touchdown pass to Emy Louis Jr. that gave the Tigers a 28-7 lead midway through the third quarter.
“They have a lot of speed at their skill positions and we can’t replicate what DaOne does,” Dreyer said. “He hurt us with both (his arm and legs).”
On their first possession of the game, the Raptors marched 73 yards for a touchdown on just six plays, as Burnam capped the drive with a 19-yard scoring pass to wide receiver Trace Jallick to tie the score at 7-7 just 4:25 into the game.
However, Louis Jr. returned the ensuing kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown to put Massillon ahead 14-7 just 14 seconds later.
“Emy’s really fast and athletic, and he has great ball skills,” Moore said. “That return was well-blocked, and (Emy) found creases and put it in the end zone. That gave us some momentum.”
Junior running back Mylen Lenix scored the most spectacular touchdown of the game on a 10-yard run with 3:59 remaining in the second quarter to give the Tigers a 35-7 halftime advantage.
Lenix resembled a whirling dervish on his scoring run, spinning in and out of the arms of three different defenders before carrying a tackler over the goal line.
“Mylen’s a talented, tough kid, and that was as good of a run as I’ve ever seen,” Moore said.
Lenix finished with 35 rushing yards and a touchdown on only six carries, Peytton Mitchell ran for 41 yards and a score on nine attempts, and Ja’Meir Gamble rushed for 52 yards on 10 carries.
Leading Anderson’s offense was Burnam, who finished 33-of-50 passing for 256 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions.
Jallick had nine receptions for 103 yards, and Brody Berg had nine catches for 35 yards.
“I’m really happy with our overall performance,” Moore said. “Our defensive effort was outstanding. Our defensive line played great, and I think our defense, offense and special teams just played really well across the board.”
