Celluloid Tigers pull no punches

Rick Shepas wasn't quite sure what to do.
He had been approached by Ken Carlson, who wanted to film a documentary about Shepas' Massillon Washington High football team.
"One of the things created by the tradition and stir of Massillon Tigers football is exactly that -- all the extra attention you get," Shepas said.
Shepas' decision wasn't easy. If he allowed cameras to follow the Tigers' every move, would it serve as a distraction? If he said no to Carlson, would he be jeopardizing an opportunity to promote the program?
Providing an answer: Easing Shepas' concerns were the connections he shared with Carlson, a graduate of Brown University. Some of Shepas' classmates from Cardinal Mooney High went to Brown.
A former Youngstown State player and Poland High coach, Shepas gave Carlson approval to go ahead with the film.
"Go Tigers!" opened recently in theaters. The documentary, rated R, profiles three Massillon captains -- Ellery Moore, Dave Irwin and Dan Studer -- throughout the Tigers' 1999 season.
"Once we got into making the movie, we had to go out and get our team prepared to play," Shepas said.
"We were coming off a very poor season [4-6 in '98]," he added. "There was a lot we needed to do as a football team. The focus was on what to do with the team and not on the cameras as much."
The Tigers also centered their focus on a school levy that hung in the balance. The team believed its success in the '99 season would help rally the community to support the levy.
Carlson's film provides that drama.
Outside influence: "In my experiences, having the media around is a good thing," Shepas said. "It means things in the program are going well. Even the kids' attitudes are heightened when they're getting attention."
Shepas viewed the film privately when it was completed. He saw it again in the theater with his team.
His reaction?
"It was like seeing a highlight film of our team that we would put together at the end of the year," Shepas said. "This was just one that was well done."
Initially reflecting on the film, Shepas wondered why anyone would make a movie about Massillon football.
"Because St. Ignatius has done so well in the '90s and Canton McKinley was coming off success two years in a row," Shepas said.
The reason for the film occurred to him most while scouting a game at St. Ignatius, with "hardly anybody in the stadium," he said. In Massillon, Shepas thought, the community's involvement helps shape the football program.
The film also contains several references to Youngstown -- highlights of Massillon's games against Austintown Fitch and Chaney, and interviews of Shepas wearing Youngstown T-shirts.
Realistic view: The uniqueness of Carlson's film is the realism given the high school athletic scene -- on and off the field.
Locker room scenes are laced with profanity, and a party portrays underage drinking, complete with binge drinking and vomiting.
"Nobody in education or administration at any school district would condone that type of behavior," Shepas said. "However, it does take place. It takes place at a lot of school districts, not just ours. It's something as a society we have to deal with."
Credit Carlson and Shepas for not shying away from the truth and possible backlash from those scenes.
"That's why I think Ken Carlson did a great job telling his story through our three captains," Shepas said. "He gave people a real account of what goes on in a given year."
XBrian Richesson covers high school sports for The Vindicator. Write to him at richesson@vindy.com.