MASSILLON, Ohio — As the fans headed for the exits, a loud roar erupted at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. Massillon had a second chance.
With 16 seconds left and trailing 28-25, the Tigers took over after a dramatic St. Edward fumble. On a night where it seemed like they had 10 extra chances, one more is all they would need as QB Jalen Slaughter connected with Braylyn Toles for a 24-yard game-winning touchdown as Massillon Washington downed top-ranked St. Edward, 31-28, on Friday night.
In a game with five lead changes, Massillon (4-1) found a way.
“Coach Lombardo is a phenomenal coach and they have a phenomenal program, but our kids just went out and played hard,” Tigers head coach Nate Moore said. “We made some mistakes, but we hung in there and just kept fighting.”
The Eagles (4-1) entered the contest as the top-ranked team in the cleveland.com Top 25 and the Ohio high school football AP poll. The Tigers came in at No. 10 in D-II.
St. Edward had the last play of the game as Benjamin Lavelle missed on a 42-yard field goal as time expired. It was the fifth Eagles kick of the night that missed or was blocked.
The Tigers offense was unafraid of the Eagles championship defense from the start, attacking St. Edward hard in the first half with back-to-back touchdowns from senior receiver Ardell Banks. Banks finished with five receptions for 164 yards and two touchdowns.
Fueled by Slaughter, Banks was determined to chip away at St. Edward’s vaunted defense.
“The coach always asks us how you eat an elephant, you eat it piece by piece,” Banks said. “In each quarter you always have to attack, always attack because at some point they are going to want to stop, they aren’t going to want to play anymore.”
Slaughter finished 18 of 32 for 295 yards and three touchdowns.
In addition to a massive sack for Coastal Carolina commit Wyatt Gedeon in the final two minutes on a Massillon fourth-and-11, The fourth quarter was a whacky array of big plays and two costly fumbles, but none more costly than the Eagles blunder in the closing seconds to give the Tigers one last chance.
It was just one of many mistakes on the night for the defending D-I champions.
“We gave up too many explosive plays and too many penalties,” St. Edward head coach Tom Lombardo said. “We can’t extend a drive against a good team, and we didn’t convert in the red zone, I think we left 26 points on the board.”
Along with the missed field goals, the Eagles had eight penalties for 95 yards, helping keep the Tigers in the mix.
“We have been making some mistakes and you hope to learn from them,” Lombardo said. “Maybe getting caught not getting a victory from them. If we would have kicked the field goal and won in overtime we would be celebrating on the field, but the fact is we made those mistakes. We have to be better in those situations.”
Playing behind his massive offense line, senior running back Jos Gribble opened up the fourth quarter with a 52-yard run up the middle, giving St. Edward its third lead of the night at 28-25. St. Edward had strong success on the ground with 229 yards, including 96 each from Gribble and Marvin Bell.
The Tigers took a 25-21 advantage into the final quarter after a Peytton Mitchell 5-yard touchdown run.
The haymakers were flying early as St. Edward fired out the gate with a 98-yard kickoff return from Kylan Mason. Massillon immediately coughed the ball up deep in its own territory, allowing the Eagles to tack on a quick 2-yard touchdown from Bell. Senior defense end Robert King recovered the fumble.
Quickly down 14-0, the nightmare start for the Tigers was washed away with three straight scores, beginning on a 70-yard dart from Slaughter to Banks. Massillon found more than a few holes in the Eagles secondary, exploiting any possible weakness. The dynamic duo was a problem for the D-I defending champions.
After St. Edward failed to convert a fourth-and-1 from the Tigers 13-yard line, Massillon’s aerial attack resumed with a 54-yard pass from Slaughter to Banks. The duo doubled up with a 32-yard slant in the right side of the end zone to cut the lead to 14-13 after a blocked field goal midway through the first quarter.
The fireworks continued for the Tigers as Willtrell Hartson busted a 52-yard run, followed by a 5-yard score from junior Dorian Pringle. Again, the Tigers could not punctuate the drive, missing the extra point to take a slim 19-14 lead.
Hartson finished with 18 carries for 130 yards.
St. Edward responded with a 25-yard touchdown pass from junior QB Casey Bullock to senior wide receiver Grady Lentz-Pieffer. The Eagles tried to tack on a 19-yard field goal from Lavelle but were denied as they took the 21-19 lead into the break.
Bullock finished 12 of 21 for 166 yards.
St. Edward will host Rock Creek Christian Academy (MD) next Saturday while Massillon entertains Austintown-Fitch on Friday.