Massillon – Just minutes before the kickoff on Friday night, Paul Brown Tiger Stadium was electric.
The Tiger Swing Band was rocking, fireworks were going off and the famous mascot – Obie, the live tiger cub – was trying to stir up a few growls from a cage on wheels along the Massillon sideline.
Yes, the sea of orange and black was ready for a good time.
Twelve minutes later, however, the party was O-V-E-R!
Saint Ignatius, dominating both lines of scrimmage from the get-go, scored five first-quarter touchdowns and went on to stun the Tigers, 49-7.
The Wildcats (5-1), who got outstanding efforts from senior quarterback Andrew Holland and his sure-handed classmates, Connor Ryan and Joey Parris, have now defeated Massillon 11 times in their 12 matchups. Saint Ignatius is 5-0 versus the Tigers in Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.
“It started up front with the line, they did a great job protecting,’’ said Holland, who, while playing just the first half, completed 10 of 11 passes for 262 yards and three touchdowns. “I was getting a lot of time, I was able to hit receivers and they were able to get open. It was a good night.’’
Several Massillon fans were saying goodnight early, heading for the exits with time still remaining in the second quarter.
The Wildcats, who entered the game ranked second in The Plain Dealer Top 25, second in the Division I, Region 1 computer ratings and 11th in the Associated Press big-school state poll, got their fireworks started with a three-play, 70-yard drive.
A 38-yard pass from Holland to Ryan on the first play from scrimmage put the ball on the Massillon 32. Two plays later, Holland hit Ryan in stride for a 30-yard touchdown pass. Senior Seamus Hennessey followed with the first of his seven extra-point kicks.
It was a family affair in the early going, as junior linebacker Jacob Ryan, Connor’s brother, intercepted a pass at the Tigers’ 35 and rambled into the end zone for a touchdown with 10:19 remaining in the first quarter. Jacob Ryan’s effort drew a big smile from his older brother.
The 12-minute nightmare continued for Massillon (3-3), even though the Tigers were able to pin Saint Ignatius inside its 10 with a punt.
Behind the elusive and strong second-effort running of junior tailback Kevin Johnson and Holland’s powerful arm, the Wildcats covered the 90-plus yards in just six plays. On second-and-10 from the Saint Ignatius 32, it was another picture-perfect strike from Holland to Connor Ryan for a 68-yard score. Ryan, a Ball State recruit who totaled 136 yards on his three first-half receptions, emphasized what a great job the coaches did all week designing the plays. He added that he and his teammates had one goal – “to play Saint Ignatius football.’’
Late in the first quarter, the Wildcats, with Parris stepping to the forefront, put together a six-play, 76-yard march. A 52-yard pass from Holland to Parris gave Saint Ignatius a first down at the Tigers’ 18. Three downs later, Parris, with a defender bearing down on him, kept his concentration and hauled in a 25-yard TD pass from Holland in the right corner of the end zone. Parris' first-half numbers read five receptions for 101 yards.
Wildcats standout senior safety Dan Fox said he and his defensive teammates wanted to make a strong stand early against the Tigers.
Well, Fox, a Notre Dame recruit, put a stamp on that early charge by closing perfectly on a pass across the middle, intercepting the ball and returning it 36 yards for Saint Ignatius’ fifth first-quarter touchdown.
Fox and Co. limited the Tigers to just 22 total offensive yards in the first half on 23 plays. In the process, they shut down Massillon’s talented senior tailback/defensive back J.T. Turner. A Michigan recruit who had rushed for more than 600 yards in the Tigers’ first five games, Turner managed just 18 yards on eight carries in the first 24 minutes. He did, however, account for Massillon’s only score on an interception return in the second half.
The Wildcats, who face a strong and talented Warren G. Harding team on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Byers Field, closed their first-half barrage with second-quarter TD runs of 1 yard by Holland and 47 yards by Johnson. Johnson rushed for 111 yards on 13 carries, as Saint Ignatius amassed 373 total offensive yards in the first half on just 29 plays.
Wildcats coach Chuck Kyle (’69), who will enjoy the victory for about a day before focusing on the Harding Raiders, was especially pleased with Holland’s maneuverability in the pocket.
“The idea is being able to step up and throw,’’ said Kyle. “A lot of people talk about that, but a lot of kids step up and run. Well, you step up and still focus on what the coverage is doing. And I thought Andrew did that superbly tonight.
“While they were rushing, he would find that little seam. He would see what was going on down there and boom!’’
Boom indeed. There is nothing like turning plays into your own style of fireworks.
BY THE NUMBERS: In case you were wondering over your morning coffee, Saint Ignatius also scored 49 points against Massillon in a state-semifinal matchup at the Akron Rubber Bowl in 2001. The final score was 49-20. In 1912, the Tigers were defeated by Barberton, 59-0. In 1921, they lost to Dayton Steele, 68-0, and in 1931 they were defeated by Steubenville Wells, 68-0. Last season, the Mentor Cardinals, led by 2007 Ohio Mr. Football Bart Tanski, scored 56 points in outlasting the Tigers, 56-52, at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.