MASSILLON — Coming off its fourth win in as many years against Lakewood St. Edward, the Massillon Tigers high school football team played a hard-to-gauge opponent from Ontario, Canada: Football North Inc.
There was no mistaking the quality of St. Edward, a 2024 Division I state semifinalist that arrived in Tigertown last week’s as the No. 1 team in the USA Today Ohio Super 25.
And there’s no mistaking the quality of Football North after a convincing 34-2 win over the Tigers on Friday, Sept. 26.
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The pregame went beautifully as the Massillon choir delivered a stirring, respectful rendition of “Oh Canada” that drew big applause.
The game began and the mood of the Tiger crowd turned to … “uh, Canada, where’d you get all those big, fast guys?”
Football North, a team from Mississauga, Ontario, ruled the first half with a 13-2 lead that could have been more, then ruled the second half and celebrated a 34-2 victory.
Massillon fell to 3-3 a week after beating state-No.-1-ranked Lakewood St. Edward 21-14.
The Tigers gave up a 26-carry, 192-yard, four-touchdown outing to Football North scatback Josh Martin-Pendley, and lost six fumbles, plus a late interception.
Massillon head coach Nate Moore expressed these thoughts in the locker room after addressing his team:
“They played a great game. They were the more physical team. They outplayed us. Congrats to them. We have a lot to work on obviously.
“They did a great job getting pressure on our quarterback. We really struggled blocking them in the pass game and the run game.
“We couldn’t get the run game going. We couldn’t keep our quarterback clean, and it’s hard to play offensive football when it’s like that.
“The game got away because we couldn’t get anything going offensively. Our defense played well enough to win. Seven turnovers are completely unacceptable in every form and fashion of football at any level.”
Football North might have had the best pass rush in Ohio (granted, it was visiting Ohio) Friday night. The Chargers unleashed a front four that wasn’t just big, but had really good players across. It was Graham Harburn Weldon (6-2, 240) and Khalil Felix (6-3, 220) on the outside, and Carlyan Fotso (6-3, 235) and Mateos Jackson (6-2, 310) on the inside.
On offense, the Chargers wielded a legit left tackle in Owen Richardson (6-foot-6, 275 pounds) and a big additional cast that gave a polished quarterback, 6-1 Jacob Muller, enough protection, while Martin-Pendley’s running forced the Tigers to be constantly on their toes.
Football North expected to put up a better showing than in its 2024 trip to Massillon, which brought a 45-6 loss. This was a complete turnaround.
Coaches hanging out near the Football North locker room before warmups were optimistic their guys could hang with Massillon, and also highly were impressed that the Tigers beat Lakewood St. Edward for the fourth straight year.
The program was founded nine years ago to create opportunities for the type of players who had been leaving the country to attract college scouts’ attention in the USA.
It has evolved to the point of scheduling strong teams from all over. In addition to Massillon, the Chargers will make Ohio stops at Lakewood St. Edwartd on Oct. 10 and Cleveland St. Ignatius Oct. 24.
The Chargers arrived not on a charter bus, but their own bus, emblazoned with the Football North logo. They are based in Mississauga, Ontario, 325 miles from Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. Their schedule includes teams from Georgia, Texas and Missouri.
Football North’s defensive captain, Jorel Sahay, touched on why this year’s game was so different than last year’s.
“Our culture improved a lot,” Sahay said. “We have a bunch of new guys who came together tonight. I saw the energy from the start.”
Muller became Football North’s starting quarterback midway through the 2024 season. His first start was the blowout loss at Massillon.
“We didn’t let the moment get too big for us this time,” he said. “We played together. We wanted to run the ball and be aggressive and win the trenches, and we did those things.”
North head coach Jamie Lalonde, who grew up in Hamilton, Ontario, was thrilled with the turnaround from last year’s six-hour bus ride to Massillon.
“We broke through on the defensive line,” he said. “We did a good job containing the quarterback.
“We’ve dealt with adversity this year. We finally executed our game plan on offense and defense and special teams.
“Last year we came here and Massillon took care of us in pretty easy fashion.
“This place is awesome. It’s true Friday night lights. I love coming here.”
Football North made a huge improvement from a 30-6 loss at Walsh Jesuit just two weeks earlier.
Walsh Jesuit lost at Akron Hoban 19-14 Friday.
Hoban and Walsh are together in Division II Region 5, currently led by the Lake Blue Streaks.
Massillon is in Division II Region V, projected to be in ninth place (12 teams in the regional make the playoffs) heading into a game against a Missouri team, Cardinal Ritter.
Here’s how the game unfolded through our live updates from Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.
Final: Football North 34, Massillon 2
The Tigers drop to 3-3, while Football North is 2-3 with its wins coming against a 2024 Pennsylvania state champion and a 2023 Ohio state champ.
Football North scores again, running clock at Massillon
Football North has put the game into a running clock in the fourth quarter after scoring another touchdown to lead 34-2 with 3:19 left.
Football North pass rush turning game at Massillon into blowout
There were no signs the Tigers were going to turn the game around even before quarterback Manny Patterson, once again deluged by a Football North rush.
Patterson fumbled at the 2, and Josh Martin-Pendley easily scored up the middle on the next play. It looks like game, set, match, with the score at 27-2, even though the third quarter is not yet over.
Here’s how Massillon falls into a deeper hole
Football North is strong on offense and defense, has big legs at kicker and punter, and plays crisp special teams.
One thought as Massillon trailed 13-2 with its offense deep in its own territory: There won’t be many teams like this in the Division II playoffs.
Tiger QB Manny Patterson continued to be dogged by the rush. Safety Mason Morkill ran to the Massillon 2 after Petterson fumbled during a scramble.
That set up the touchdown run and two-point conversion that gave Football North a 21-2 lead with 1:12 left in the third quarter.
Massillon blocks field goal to avoid falling further behind
The Tigers attempted to get Football North’s big defensive line off balance, seeing in the first half that physical domination wasn’t going to happen.
Trailing 13-2, Tigers head coach Nate Moore opted not to gamble on fourth and one from his own 41. After a punt, though, Football North was back in control with a 45-yard run to the 15 by 5-foot-8 speedster Josh Martin-Pendley. Deontay Malone’s hustle tackle to save a touchdown loomed large when the defense backed up the Chargers in a fourth and 21.
Ja’Dyn Williams blocked a 43-yard field goal attempt by Giancarlo Shaheen.
Canada team leads Massillon at half … not a fluke
Football North leads Massillon at halftime, 13-2. The Chargers have been the superior team on both sides of the ball.
One supposes the Tigers have the wherewithal for a comeback, giving their win over state-No.1-ranked Lakewood St. Edward last Friday.
Interception saves Massillon from further damage; Tiger trail
Football North kept the pressure on Massillon with impressive athletes on both sides of the ball. The Tigers are one of the few high school teams out there with the cornerbacks to cover swift 6-foot-5 wideout Tyson Clarke.
The key to the offense is the 6-foot-1 junior quarterback Jacon Muller, who shows quite a knack for negating a pass rush with his escape maneuvers.
Down 13-2, the Tigers avoided falling further behind when Muller’s jump-ball pass into the right corner of the end zone was intercepted by Deontay Malone.
Massive Canada tackle plows Massillon into 13-2 deficit
Massillon is having a hard time with Football North’s big offensive line. Football North brought a big offensive line, which is led by 6-foot-6, 275-pound left tackle Owen Richardson.
The Chargers ran their way inside the 5 by making space for shifty Josh Martin-Pendley (5-8, 175). They brought in extra beef to block inside the 5 and eventually scored on a keeper by QB Jacob Muller. It was 13-2 early in the second quarter.
The Football North defense also has a big line, and it stuffed the Tigers on a third and 1 at the 29. The Tigers lined up as if to go for it on fourth and 2, but took a timeout and punted.
Football North outplaying Massillon, forves fourth and 37
Football North pressured quarterback Manny Patterson throughout the first quarter. On a third and long, Patterson misjudged his ability to escape three breakaway rushers and kept going backward until he was sacked to set up a fourth and 37.
North QB Jacob Muller missed an open receiver for a would-be touchdown but kept moving the Chargers, who were the better team in the quarter both on the scoreboard, leading 7-2, and on the eyeball test.
Massillon gets on board with safety but misses TD pass
Xavier Smith recovered a fumble near midfield to give Football North a chance to build on a 7-0 lead.
Junior quarterback Jacob Muller, a major-college prospect with Ivy League suitors, looked sharp on the first drive, but a bad snap to open the second series left the Chargers in a hole. Another bad snap, on a punt attempt, sailed over the punter’s head and out of the end zone for a safety.
After a free kick, Massillon quarterback Manny Patterson and running back Savior Owens passed and ran the Tigers into scoring position. On fourth and five from the 28, Patterson had Deontay Malone open in the back of the end zone but overthrew him. Malone caught the ball but was planting his feet out of bounds as he did.
Canada team pounces on Tigers on opening drive
Football North threw a one-two-three-four punch to open the game.
A strong kickoff return, a 40-yard bomb, and two chunk runs put the visitors in the end zone.
A touchback on the kickoff to the Tigers built on the impression Football North is a serious team.
What Massillon football foe is saying as kickoff nears
Coaches hanging out near the Football North locker room before warmups were optimistic their team could hang with Massillon, and also highly impressed that the Tigers beat Lakewood St. Edward for the fourth straight year.
The program was founded nine years ago to create opportunities for the type of players who had been leaving the country for high school opportunities.
They have evolved to the point they are scheduling strong teams from all over. In addition to Massillon, they will make Ohio stops at Lakewood St. Edwartd on Oct. 10 and Cleveland St. Ignatius Oct. 24.
The Chargers arrived not on a charter bus, but their own bus, emblazoned with the Football North logo. They are based in Mississauga, Ontario, 325 miles from Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. Their schedule includes teams from Georgia, Texas and Missouri.
Football North expected to put up a better showing than in its 2024 trip to Massillon, which brought a 45-6 loss.
Where is Football North Inc. located?
Football North is located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, and its players attend Clarkson Secondary School. It has regularly played Northeast Ohio high schools in recent seasons, including four trips to the region this season. The Chargers beat the reigning Pennsylvania 5A state champ Bishop McDevitt 27-7 in Week 1 this season. Several Football North alumni have played in the CFL and dozens have received scholarships to Division I colleges in the United States, including the Big Ten and other Power Fours.
Football North scores, schedule
Massillon Tigers football scores, schedule
Massillon football stats leaders
This article originally appeared on The Repository: OHSAA football scores | How Canada’s Football North upset the Massillon Tigers
Reporting by Steve Doerschuk, Canton Repository / The Repository
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
