Saturday, September 30, 2017
By MIKE MCLAIN
AUSTINTOWN
There were two guessing games being played during play in the non-conference game between the Massillon Washington Tigers and Fitch Falcons.
With the clock not working, fans had to guess throughout how much time was remaining. The other guessing game was when a turnover would occur that might decide a contest of matching touchdowns.
The answer to the second question came when Ralph Fitzgerald of the Falcons lost the ball on a jet sweep near midfield. Dyson Berry scooped up the fumble for the Tigers and returned it to the Fitch 20.
Massillon kicker Klay Moll made a 39-yard field goal four plays later for the deciding points in a 38-28 win for the Tigers on homecoming here Friday night.
“We were just trading punches left and right,” Falcons coach Phil Annarella said. “They got the better of us in the end.”
There was another missed opportunity that will stand out when Annarella shows film of the game to the players today. The Falcons forced a rare punt midway through the fourth quarter with the score tied at 28. Randy Smith returned it 18 yards to the Tigers’ 38.
Fitch (3-3) had been moving with ease in the second half, but the offense wasn’t able to continue the trend and was forced to go for a first down on fourth-and-5. Quarterback Joey Zielinski was chased out of the pocket by a strong pass rush and was tackled for no gain.
The Tigers then marched 78 yards in nine plays to score on a 12-yard pass from quarterback Aidan Longwell to 6-6 receiver Tre-Von Morgan. Moll’s point-after kick gave the Tigers a 35-28 lead.
“That last drive when we had the good punt return. We should have taken that in and we would have been up 35-28,” Annarella said. “We didn’t. Give credit to them. They stopped us and then went down field and scored. We didn’t have much luck stopping them.”
The Tigers (5-1) had little trouble moving the ball. Jamir Thomas, a 212-pound junior, had 160 yards on 29 carries, including touchdown runs of 4, 2 and 9 yards. Zion Phifer was efficient when giving Thomas a break, carrying 20 times for 93 yards and a 1-yard touchdown run.
Massillon had an advantage through the air. Longwell was 7-of-12 for 113 yards. Prior to Thomas’ 4-yard touchdown that opened the scoring, Longwell connected with Morgan, who reached high to pull in the ball for a gain of 40 yards to the Falcons’ 11.
“When you look at our corners, they’re 5-6 and 5-7,” Annarella said. “It does make a little difference. What are you going to do? You have to play the game.”
The Falcons showed resilience in coming back after each of Massillon’s first four touchdowns. Fitzgerald scored on a 58-yard run on a jet sweep to counter Thomas’ opening touchdown.
The Tigers took a 14-7 lead on a 2-yard touchdown run by Thomas, but the Falcons tied the score when Mike Ferree blocked a punt and recovered it in the end zone. The Tigers took a 21-14 halftime lead on Phifer’s touchdown run, but the Falcons tied the score early in the third period on a 6-yard run by Zielinski.
Thomas ran in from 9 yards out as Massillon regained the lead at 28-21. Zielinski answered with a 51-yard touchdown run to knot the score again.
Zielinski rushed for 114 yards on 17 carries. Fitzgerald had 101 yards on six carries.
“We played hard,” Annarella said. “It’s like in any close game. It’s whoever makes the fewest mistakes wins it, and they made fewer mistakes.”