'Our defense was outstanding': Massillon football rolls to OHSAA state finals behind D

COLUMBUS — Throughout the high school football playoffs, the Massillon Tigers have run through their opponents. Taking out a Cincinnati Anderson team that averaged almost 40 points a game entering the Division II state semifinals was no different Friday.

Now, the Tigers are one win away from completing a perfect season.

The Tigers routed the Raptors 55-7 at Historic Crew Stadium to advance to the Division II state championship game against Hoban. The Tigers return to the state finals for the first time since 2020, when they lost to Hoban in Massillon. It's the Tigers' fourth state final appearance since 2018 and their seventh overall. They are seeking their first state title of the playoff era.

They will arrive for this championship game as arguably the state's most dominant team in any division.

Massillon has allowed seven or fewer points in all five playoff games and 11 of 15 games overall this season. The 55 points the Tigers put on Anderson tie their second-highest point total this year and are the most in this playoff run.

The Tigers (15-0) scored in all three phases Friday, while holding the Raptors to a season-low of 264 yards, including 8 yards rushing.

“I’m really happy with our guys’ performance,” Massillon coach Nate Moore said. “Our defense was outstanding. They had the biggest task tonight.”

Anderson’s quarterback, Justice Burnam, struggled to get the ball out because of the pressure he was under all night. With Anderson's running game a nonfactor, the Raptors had no choice but to throw. Burnam threw 50 times for 256 yards and one touchdown to his No. 1 target, Trace Jallick. That score tied the game 7-7 midway into the first quarter.

It was all Tigers the rest of the way.

Massillon defense came up with six sacks and two interceptions. Half of those sacks and picks came in the hands of North Carolina State commit Chase Bond. After a three-sack performance, he ended the game with a tipped interception he turned into a pick six to put the icing on the cake for Massillon.

“I think, honestly, we didn’t play very well,” Anderson coach Evan Dreyer. “We had four or five drops as receivers. Their D-line is really good. It’s very comparable to a Win(ton) Woods state championship, state-level team. Their nose tackle (Michael Wright Jr.) is not very tall, but he is one of the best players out there, and then you throw in No. 92 (Bond), a really good player. He is a beast. I was impressed by their front seven."

With Bowling Green commit Dorian Pringle sidelined for a third straight week with an injury he sustained in in the second round of the playoffs, Cody Fair, Shon Robinson, Maverick Clark and Vito McConnell stood tall in the linebacker corps. Robinson led the way 10 total tackles. Fair added six more tackles and two tackles for loss. McConnell intercepted a pass in the first quarter.

“We knew that they are a hurry-up offense and they were starting to get tired, going into halftime,” Fair said. “So we expected them to come out a lot faster, high energy, but after we shut them down on the first drive, they started to come out sluggish. We knew that we got the job done.”

The Raptors had no answers to contain Massillon’s offense, which gained 393 total yards despite most of the second half played using a running clock. Senior quarterback DaOne Owens took one to the house with a 68-yard touchdown on the first play of the game. He finished with 75 yards rushing and 135 passing yards. He threw a TD pass to Emy Louis Jr., who also scored on a 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to break the 7-7 tie following Anderson's lone score.

“Yeah, it was all blocks,” Moore said on the kickoff return TD. “Great read by him. He found the creases and was able to put it in the end zone. It was a good play.”

Michael Wright Jr., who also had two sacks on defense, added two more rushing touchdowns. Mylen Lenix and Peytton Mitchell each scored on runs from inside the 10.

Massillon's focus shifts to Hoban and the state championship game at 7 p.m., Thursday, in Canton. The Knights coming off a 17-14 victory over Avon to reach their fourth straight state final. Hoban beat Massillon in the state semifinals last year and the state finals in 2020.

“Like overall, it doesn’t matter who is on the field, everyone does their job, and it goes with our scheme,” Fair said. “At the end of the day, we have a lot of players all over the field, so everyone does their job in our scheme and we’re going to get the job done.”

More: Ohio high school football playoff scores | See who won OHSAA state semifinals to go to Canton

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Massillon Tigers football shuts down Anderson in OHSAA semifinals