'It starts with the trenches': Ja'Meir Gamble has big night in Massillon football road win

AUSTINTOWN — Ja'Meir Gamble ran wild for the Massillon Tigers. Wild at a near historic rate.

Gamble ran for 233 rushing yards and two touchdowns in Massillon's 42-7 win over Fitch on Friday. He was just 6 yards shy of having the 10th-most rushing yards in a single game. When Gamble found out after, he was quick to credit his teammates for his success.

"Honestly, that's great," Gamble said. "It starts with the trenches. Everything is in the trenches. If the line does good, the running backs are good because they open up the holes. The pass game was great. Everything was good."

Gamble made his mark from start to finish. In the first four minutes of the game, he ran for a 53-yard touchdown on his second carry. Halfway through the fourth quarter, he sealed the game with a 48-yard score leading to a running clock. That score clinched the win in the unbeaten Tigers' first road game of the year.

"Great night for Ja'Meir," Massillon coach Nate Moore said. "He ran really hard. He was able to pull through with some big runs. I'm really proud of him."

The Tigers as a whole rushed for 439 yards on 42 carries with five of its six TDs on the ground. Dorian Pringle and Mylen Lenix each scored on runs in helping give the Tigers an early 21-0 lead. Quarterback DaOne Owens, despite being limited in the passing game, also had a big running night (134 yards on 11 carries and a TD). The senior now has 783 rushing yards this season, making him Massillon's all-time leading rusher for quarterbacks. The record was previously held by Willie Spencer (1994).

Massillon's run blocking down the middle opened up holes for the downhill running of Gamble, Owens and others.

(I'm) Proud of the offensive line," Moore said. "(They) played well up front and played physically too. They were really physical. I'm really proud of the guys. "

Massillon's defense, which allows an average of less than 9 points a game, held the Falcons to only one score in the second quarter. The lone touchdown was on a screen pass to Dan Evans on a 59-yard play. Evans finished the night with seven catches for 98 yards. Fitch QB Deshawn Vaughn completed 20 of 39 passes for 205 yards, with an interception.

However, the Falcons' run game was a nonfactor, netting just 12 yards. It was the sixth consecutive game the Tigers have not allowed a rushing touchdown.

An interception by Kyler Wiggins late in the second quarter led to an Owens TD pass to Braylyn Toles at the end of the first half for a 28-7 lead. Massillon scored two more TDs and shut out the Falcons in the second half..

"We're just trying to be one foot right into the other," Moore said. "We're going to enjoy this win tonight, and then tomorrow, it's time to move on and start working on Warren Harding (in Week 9)."

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This article originally appeared on The Repository: No. 1 Massillon football remains unbeaten, wins at Austintown Fitch