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| Massillon quarterback Manny Patterson (c) celebrates with his teammates as they ring The "Victory" Bell after defeating Canton McKinley in the 136th edition of the rivalry. (Photo: Gene Simmons/Ohsfbmedia.com) |
CANTON, Ohio - Massillon maintained its supremacy in the most significant rivalry in the nation. They secured the prestigious "Victory" Bell for the 10th consecutive season with a 21-14 win in the 136th meeting between the two teams.
In a game where defense played a big role in keeping both teams engaged, the Tigers managed to pull off a surprise with their special teams performance. "Credit to our defense and credit to McKinley's defense, too. It's really defensive battle today and made it a really good game," said Patterson.
In the initial quarter of a defensive standoff and a crucial McKinley fumble, Massillon managed to score first with a touchdown run by Savior Owens, a 4-yard play made mid-quarter that put the Tigers up 7-0 after a successful PAT with 6:44 left.
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| Massillon's Savior Owens celebrates scoring in the first quarter with Robert Blakely (59) and Marcus Garner Jr. (60). (Photo: Chuck Cordes/Ohsfbmedia.com) |
Note that McKinley found itself in a difficult position during the quarter when Trent Hayden's attempt to pass to Darius Hill was intercepted by Chayce White, which led to another drive for Massillon that concluded the quarter.
Entering the quarter, still driving, Massillon found themselves back in the endzone off a 14-yard run by Savior Owens at 11:16 to go up two touchdowns, leading 14-0.
McKinley regained their position in the game when sophomore running back Keylin West sprinted up the seam for a 45-yard touchdown, shifting the momentum. After forcing Massillon to punt, they went on a 9-play drive that resulted in a 10-yard touchdown by Shad Davis that would tie things up 14-14 heading into the break.
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| McKinley's Shad Davis scores in the second quarter. (Photo: Chuck Cordes/Ohsfbmedia.com) |
Neither team was able to score in the third quarter, as mistakes overshadowed the gameplay. McKinley punted after a possession, but soon regained possession when Damere McClellan intercepted a pass from Mandwel Patterson, yet once again fell short and had to punt.
One big play would decide the winner of the 136th game. After both teams again put up defensive stances, and big penalties and more punts, it came down to a 51-yard untouched punt return for a touchdown by Deontay Malone with 5:05 left in the game.
"They had kicked it deep, I just seemed to have some good blocks and I had a little bit of space so I bounced it out to the left and even though I seen more good blocks and I seen a hole and I hit it," said Malone.
Coach Nate Moore knows the significance of having discipline in this week ten rivalry game, "We had too many penalties that just were completely unnecessary," he stated.
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| Nate Moore talks to refs before the 136th meeting of the Massillon-McKinley rivalry. (Photo: Chuck Cordes/Ohsfbmedia.com) |
Now Massillon moves on to a bye week and a home game to start the playoffs, as the same for McKinley will get a bye and a home game to begin the playoffs.
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