Ohio Chatter DEV

skank

7 on 7 schedule

7-12 @ Louisville (Varsity Only) Noon.
7-16 H Orrville 5:30
7-19 H Lake & 4 others 5:00

skank

MAXPREPS top 25 Pro Style QB's.

Kyle Kempt #25.
http://www.maxpreps.com/news/h9iLP-n...arterbacks.htm

Al Bundy

skank;1206595 wrote:MAXPREPS top 25 Pro Style QB's.

Kyle Kempt #25.
http://www.maxpreps.com/news/h9iLP-n...arterbacks.htm

Hopefully this kid lives up to the hype this year. He has had a difficult time adjusting to Ohio football since we brought him in from the high school he was at in Oregon. Go Tigers! 2012 State Champs!

skank

Um....3,000 yards passing & 30 TD's in a season and a half is, "having a difficult time adjusting"? Get a clue.

Al Bundy

skank;1207699 wrote:Um....3,000 yards passing & 30 TD's in a season and a half is, "having a difficult time adjusting"? Get a clue.

We brought this kid to Ohio from Oregon to win state championships. Since bringing him in, we haven't even won a playoff game, and we are 0 for 2 against McKinley. We could have put up those numbers just using a Massillon kid.

skank

Al Bundy;1111251 wrote:Best of luck with the combine next week. Hopefully you are able to land him and some of the other recruits.

Al Bundy;1119385 wrote:congrats. Are you expecting many more commitments after the combine today?

Al Bundy;1119692 wrote:I'm not an Ursuline or Mooney guy. I'm a fan of a local public school. I was just giving congrats to the Tigers. I talked with a few real Massillon fans today, and it sounds like they brought in some talented kids for tryouts this year. There is a lot of controvery and mixed feelings in Massillon regarding this.

Al Bundy;1122740 wrote:It is pretty clear that I have better connections with what is going with Massillon than skank. Skank claimed that Massillon was only going invite kids who have used up their high school eligibility to their combine this year. My claim was that they would invite underclassmen from multiple states. I even offered him an avatar/signature bet on it, but he declined. Massillon did invite several underclassmen from various states to the combine. I claimed that the Devers transfer wouldn't be complete until they were hooked up with a job. Ravenna is only about 30 miles from Massillon and both schools are open enrollment, so the family could live in either community and easily attend the other. Most people wouldn't even move for a job that is only 30 miles away. Once again, the transfer didn't occur until he was hooked up witha a job.

The current controversy involves Massillon's philosphy on building a program. The top programs in Ohio develop a core group of kids who work together through high school. The Massillon philosophy is to hold combines and try to bring in top talent. Many in the Massillon community believe that more effort should be put into working with the kids that they currently have instead of always spending time trying to bring in someone new. Others in the community feel that Massillon should continue to hold combines and bring in kids from all over the country. That has created the current controversy in Massillon. Many in Massillon love playing the role of the renegade program that has been on probation more than any other program. The problem is that playing the role of the bad guy just makes them look silly when they don't win.

Massillon has many great fans. Many of those fans would love to see Massillon win their first state title some day. Good luck to Massillon in winning their first title one of these years.

Al Bundy;1123415 wrote:You claimed that the Massillon combines were for kids going to college, while I claimed that the combines were for underclassmen. Almost all of the kids that Massillon "hosted" were underclassmen. Massillon is even willing to host the top ones for the rest of their high school careers. That is mighty friendly of them.

Since Massillon is open enrollment, and Ravenna is only around 30 miles from Massillon, I'm not sure why the job was even an issue in the transfer. Yet, the transfer wasn't completed until the job offer.

Good luck to the Tigers in 2012. It is always nice to see programs that have never won a title have good seasons.

Al Bundy;1123814 wrote:Looks like someone has gone back to namecalling when he loses the debate. This hypocrite would cry if you call him a name, but it is ok for him to call names.

Al Bundy;1123969 wrote:The funny thing is that he is going to complain about you calling him a name :rolleyes:

Al Bundy;1124139 wrote:They are one of the best programs that has never won the state, but I wouldn't call a program that has never won the state "truly great" They have kids from all over the place and from multiple states. They just hosted a combine where they tried out kids from several states. I am public school guy, so I guess I am stuck posting on the public school forums.

Al Bundy;1128653 wrote:Congratulations to Massillon for having a great combine last week! This certainly makes them the team to beat in Ohio next year. I wonder if the other teams will even bother to show up. Massillon has some great fans, and it will be nice to see the Tigers win their first state title this fall.
http://espn.go.com/high-school/football/events/nike-sparq-combines/2012/story/_/id/7694429/massillon-ohio-nike-football-sparq-combine-recap

Al Bundy;1195391 wrote:As a Massillon fan, I am happy to see this. Our combine would never have reached the level it has without Nike's financial support. We also have developed a strong relationship with the state of Oregon, and it is good to see that continue.

Al Bundy;1206718 wrote:Hopefully this kid lives up to the hype this year. He has had a difficult time adjusting to Ohio football since we brought him in from the high school he was at in Oregon. Go Tigers! 2012 State Champs!

Al Bundy;1207707 wrote:We brought this kid to Ohio from Oregon to win state championships. Since bringing him in, we haven't even won a playoff game, and we are 0 for 2 against McKinley. We could have put up those numbers just using a Massillon kid.

Nuff said.

Al Bundy

skank;1208015 wrote:[/B]

Nuff said.

I am proud of our combine. You know how you were excited when Vince Vaughn did the Massillon ESPN commercial. You even started a thread about that commercial. We both have a lot to be proud of in Tigertown.

Rocket08

skunky

Thanks for re-posting your friends observations

It speaks volumes that you can't refute anything that he says

skank

So then....Only certain people have to follow rules #2 and 3 on the HS forums?

skank

Rocket08;1208675 wrote:skunky

Thanks for re-posting your friends observations

It speaks volumes that you can't refute anything that he says

They're not observations....They're BASELESS ACCUSATIONS, which, if I remember correctly, breaks rule #3.

Al Bundy

skank;1209012 wrote:They're not observations....They're BASELESS ACCUSATIONS, which, if I remember correctly, breaks rule #3.

Which of the phrases that you highlighted is not an accurate statement? I know that we don't always agree on everything, but we are both Massillon fans.

skank

Jim Shorts;971671 wrote:Are we still living in the past?

TROLLING

J-Dover;1004938 wrote:So are you shooting for another 6-4 year and finishing 12th in the region? Or are you going to raise the bar in 2012? If you catch all the DII and DIII teams in a down year 7-4 wouldn't be bad. Maybe even come as close as 9th in the region. Still on the outside looking in come week 11, but who knows maybe PBTS will draw a playoff game before week 15. We all can only hope......

GO T-I-G-E-R-S get that 7-4 record in 2012....

TROLLING

Al Bundy;1009949 wrote:Aren't you always in season?

TROLLING

genghis dong;1010407 wrote:Dude you always talk smack about the mods. Then you want them to help you out?

TROLLING

Rocket08;1010463 wrote:"Rocket08 has not made any friends yet"

Don't need friends when you have 8 titles

You gonna tattle skank?

TROLLING

Spread All Day;1014242 wrote:This is the year......
haha

TROLLING

Al Bundy;1111251 wrote:Best of luck with the combine next week. Hopefully you are able to land him and some of the other recruits.

BREAKS RULE #3

Al Bundy;1119385 wrote:congrats. Are you expecting many more commitments after the combine today?

BREAKS RULE #3

Al Bundy;1119692 wrote:I'm not an Ursuline or Mooney guy. I'm a fan of a local public school. I was just giving congrats to the Tigers. I talked with a few real Massillon fans today, and it sounds like they brought in some talented kids for tryouts this year. There is a lot of controvery and mixed feelings in Massillon regarding this.

BREAKS RULE #3

Al Bundy;1122740 wrote:It is pretty clear that I have better connections with what is going with Massillon than skank. Skank claimed that Massillon was only going invite kids who have used up their high school eligibility to their combine this year. My claim was that they would invite underclassmen from multiple states. I even offered him an avatar/signature bet on it, but he declined. Massillon did invite several underclassmen from various states to the combine. I claimed that the Devers transfer wouldn't be complete until they were hooked up with a job. Ravenna is only about 30 miles from Massillon and both schools are open enrollment, so the family could live in either community and easily attend the other. Most people wouldn't even move for a job that is only 30 miles away. Once again, the transfer didn't occur until he was hooked up witha a job.

BREAKS RULE #3

The current controversy involves Massillon's philosphy on building a program. The top programs in Ohio develop a core group of kids who work together through high school. The Massillon philosophy is to hold combines and try to bring in top talent. Many in the Massillon community believe that more effort should be put into working with the kids that they currently have instead of always spending time trying to bring in someone new. Others in the community feel that Massillon should continue to hold combines and bring in kids from all over the country. That has created the current controversy in Massillon. Many in Massillon love playing the role of the renegade program that has been on probation more than any other program. The problem is that playing the role of the bad guy just makes them look silly when they don't win.

BREAKS RULE #3

Massillon has many great fans. Many of those fans would love to see Good luckMassillon win their first state title some day. to Massillon in winning their first title one of these years.

TROLLING

Al Bundy;1123415 wrote:You claimed that the Massillon combines were for kids going to college, while I claimed that the combines were for underclassmen. Almost all of the kids that Massillon "hosted" were underclassmen. Massillon is even willing to host the top ones for the rest of their high school careers. That is mighty friendly of them.

BREAKS RULE #3

Since Massillon is open enrollment, and Ravenna is only around 30 miles from Massillon, I'm not sure why the job was even an issue in the transfer. Yet, the transfer wasn't completed until the job offer.

BREAKS RULE #3

Good luck to the Tigers in 2012. It is always nice to see programs that have never won a title have good seasons.

TROLLING

Al Bundy;1123814 wrote:Looks like someone has gone back to namecalling when he loses the debate. This hypocrite would cry if you call him a name, but it is ok for him to call names.

BREAKS RULE #2

GoChiefs;1123947 wrote:Liar.

BREAKS RULE #2

Al Bundy;1124139 wrote:They are one of the best programs that has never won the state, but I wouldn't call a program that has never won the state "truly great" They have kids from all over the place and from multiple states. They just hosted a combine where they tried out kids from several states. I am public school guy, so I guess I am stuck posting on the public school forums.

BREAKS RULE #3

Al Bundy;1206718 wrote:Hopefully this kid lives up to the hype this year. He has had a difficult time adjusting to Ohio football since we brought him in from the high school he was at in Oregon. Go Tigers! 2012 State Champs!

BREAKS RULE #3

Al Bundy;1207707 wrote:We brought this kid to Ohio from Oregon to win state championships. Since bringing him in, we haven't even won a playoff game, and we are 0 for 2 against McKinley. We could have put up those numbers just using a Massillon kid.

BREAKS RULE #3

Al Bundy;1208296 wrote:I am proud of our combine. You know how you were excited when Vince Vaughn did the Massillon ESPN commercial. You even started a thread about that commercial. We both have a lot to be proud of in Tigertown.

BREAKS RULE #3

Rocket08;1208675 wrote:skunky

Thanks for re-posting your friends observations

It speaks volumes that you can't refute anything that he says

BREAKS RULE #2

Good to see that the mods are hard at work.

Al Bundy

Here are links to things that I posted that you said were baseless.

1) Our Massilon football combine http://espn.go.com/high-school/football/events/nike-sparq-combines/2012/massillon/results/_/id/104

2) The QB that we brought in from Massillon http://espn.go.com/college-sports/recruiting/football/story/_/id/7737943/change-slow-kyle-kempt

3) Our commercial that Vince Vaughn did on ESPN http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXf0YC889Kw&feature=youtu.be

a) just for good measure, here is the thread that you started about #3 http://www.ohiochatter.com/forum/showthread.php?34340-Vince-Vaughn-s-Fantasy-football-team

skank

These rules apply to all High School forums:

No swearing.
No personal attacks or name-calling on other members of the site or athletes/coaches.
No spreading rumors or making baseless accusations.

Al Bundy

skank;1209548 wrote:These rules apply to all High School forums:

No swearing.

No personal attacks or name-calling on other members of the site or athletes/coaches.

No spreading rumors or making baseless accusations.

If you can provide a link to something, it is not a baseless accusation. I have provided links to the things that you said were baseless accusations.

skank

1.) "They brought in some talented kids for tryouts this year."

BASELESS ACCUSATION.

2.) "Massillon did invite several underclassmen from various states to the combine this year."

BASELESS ACCUSATION.

3.) "The Massillon philosophy is to hold combines and try to bring in top talent."

BASELESS ACCUSATION.

4.) "Once again, the transfer didn't occur until he was hooked up with a job offer."

BASELESS ACCUSATION.

Sure would be nice if we were all allowed to play by the same rules.

Al Bundy

skank;1209803 wrote:1.) "They brought in some talented kids for tryouts this year."

BASELESS ACCUSATION.

2.) "Massillon did invite several underclassmen from various states to the combine this year."

BASELESS ACCUSATION.

3.) "The Massillon philosophy is to hold combines and try to bring in top talent."

BASELESS ACCUSATION.

4.) "Once again, the transfer didn't occur until he was hooked up with a job offer."

BASELESS ACCUSATION.

Sure would be nice if we were all allowed to play by the same rules.

Do you think ESPN just made up articles about a combine that didn't really happen? Are you this paranoid about everything in life?

skank

#1 tryouts.

#2 Massillon didn't invite anyone.

#3 How do you know what the Massillon philosophy is?

#4 Please share the information you kinow about the offer and the job itself.

Are you this much of a troll about everything in life?

skank

Massillon recruiting news

Kyle Kempt/Cincinnati verbal
Gareon Conley/Michigan verbal
Kentrell Taylor/ Schools showing interest/Buffalo, Toledo, Bowling Green, a fourth MAC school which escapes me, Indiana, Michigan State & Wisconsin.
Nathanial Devers/Toledo, several other MAC schools and several Big Ten schools including Wisconsin and Michigan.
Beau Huffman/Toledo.

skank

[h=1]Massillon opponents preview: Buchtel starting over with inexperienced team[/h] Chris Easterling
[email protected]
Updated: Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Buchtel quarterback Chris Davis looks for an open man in last year’s matchup against Massillon. INDEPENDENT KEVIN WHITLOCK

A year ago, as Ricky Powers sized up his Akron Buchtel football team entering the 2011 season, he saw a team lacking experience. It was a team with raw talent, but not a lot of time under the bright lights of the varsity stage.

Now, as Powers assesses the team that will ultimately kick off the 2012 season Aug. 23 against Massillon at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, he once again sees a team devoid of experience. This time, however, that inexperience is also mixed in with a significant amount of youth.

“Last year, we had a lot of first-year seniors, so we had a lot of guys that it was their first year playing,” Powers said. “They weren’t necessarily young; they were just guys who had played sparingly or were mostly (junior varsity) guys that this was their big opportunity to start for the first time. That was the situation last year.

“This year, we’re kind of starting over. We’ve got new guys; new young talent. The kids are tough. I’m excited to see what they can do, but again, we’re young, and there’s nothing we can do about that.”

A year ago, Buchtel’s inexperienced group stumbled out of the gate, starting 0-3 and being outscored a combined 81-14.

Of course, of the three teams to beat the Griffins to start the year, two — Steubenville and Solon — were playoff teams while the other, Massillon, was a win away from joining the postseason party as well.

After that start, however, Buchtel would lose just once more — a Week Nine loss to another eventual playoff team in St. Vincent-St. Mary. The Griffins captured yet another Akron City Series championship while finishing 6-4.

Powers believes such a rugged non-league slate is something that helped his inexperienced Griffins last year grow up.

“It’s good for us,” Powers said. “Where we go (schedule-wise), we’re light years ahead of anybody else in our league.”

The schedule won’t be any easier for this latest group of green Griffins as they try to grow up fast. Along with the opener at Massillon, Buchtel other three non-league games are against 2011 playoff participants in St. Edward, Solon and Steubenville.

Such is the quandary Powers finds himself in as he tries to get another lengthy playoff run out of his alma mater, which he guided to the 2010 Division III state championship game.

“They’re lacking experience, especially playing the games that we play,” Powers said. “Every game we play is big. We don’t make excuses. They’re good enough to play. ... I’m excited to see what they can do.”

Not everyone on the Griffins’ roster is lacking in varsity experience. A handful of Buchtel’s players come into the season having seen more than their share of action.

The top of the list is senior wide receiver Elijah Bell, a four-year varsity player who has already garnered offers from the Air Force Academy and Boston College. Also back is quarterback Chris Davis, who was a first-year starter a year ago.

“I think our quarterback is pretty talented, and we can build off that in his second year,” Powers said. “Elijah Bell’s a wide receiver for us. This is his fourth year playing for us. I’ve got some two-year guys, but not a lot of experience.”

For those young Griffins, the first chance to gain some of that experience will come at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium against the Massillon Tigers.

FridayNightOhio.com powered by these GateHouse Ohio newspapers: The Independent, The Repository, The Suburbanite and The Ti

skank

[h=1]Massillon opponents preview: Maumee must find new QB to lead its powerful offense[/h] David Harpster
[email protected]
Updated: Monday, July 9, 2012

Maumee football coach John Boles didn’t have to think long when he mulled over the biggest hole his Panthers will be forced to fill when preseason practice begins later this month.

“That’s huge,” Boles said of the graduation of starting quarterback Jake Schneider from last year’s 7-3 squad. “That’s certainly one of the bigger holes to fill and he’s a tough guy to replace. He was a two-year starter for us.”

All Schneider did was pass for 2,091 yards and 26 touchdowns and rush for another 1,284 yards and 12 scores during the 2011 season.

Massillon managed to hold Schneider under wraps for the most part in its 49-14 victory over Maumee in Week 3 of last season.

This season, the Tigers may have to focus on controlling senior Steven Duby when they make the lengthy road trip to suburban Toledo to meet the Panthers in Week 3.

“He was a starter for us as an outside linebacker and he’s an all-league defensive player,” Boles said of Duby. “He’s a strong kid, he’s a good enough runner to be a threat, and he’s got a good arm. It’s his turn.”

Boles, who has been at Maumee for 14 seasons, isn’t only looking to replace Schneider, as just four starters return from an offense that racked up more than 4,700 yards in 10 games. Duby was 8-of-15 passing for 107 yards last season. His top two targets figure to be seniors Dominique King and Sean McGovern, who both started last season.

Boles tends to look at the positives of promoting seniors into open roster spots.

“Our running back, Brandon Phenix, also was very productive,” Boles said. “He had around 900 yards rushing and about 300 more receiving. We lost two other starting receivers and three of our starting offensive line.

“Defensively, we lost a significant number of kids, too. We lost our all-state Mike linebacker who also was a three-year starter at center in Evan Karchner. But it’s not unusual for us really. We like to think we’re usually senior-dominated.”

While the Panthers may be forced to promote somewhat green seniors into starting spots, they will do so at least with a solid knowledge of the team’s base spread offense. Boles isn’t much for change; he has run the same scheme for the last half of his tenure at the school.

“We’ve been doing it for seven years, and to be honest, I’m not smart enough to change offenses every year according to what all our personnel is,” Boles said. “Hopefully, you have a system in place that’s flexible enough that allows you to emphasize different things.

“You want your kids growing up within the system. Sometimes they may not be as talented as a team before, but if they’re fundamentally sound and can execute and take advantage of some things, then that’s what you want them to do.”

Boles came away significantly impressed in his team’s first exposure to Massillon last season. The Tigers managed to hold the Panthers’ high-powered offense in check for most of the game, while also capitalizing on every chance they were given.

“I was real impressed with Massillon’s football program last year. I felt there were a number of times where physically we competed well, even though the score really didn’t show it,” Boles said. “Massillon did a great job making us drive a long field. We moved the ball OK, but when you have a long field, your chances of scoring really decrease.

“Defensively, we just broke down at key times and allowed a lot of big plays. The game got out of hand for us. Massillon just played very sound and very well and took advantage of every wrong thing we did.”

Boles and the Panthers will begin sifting through the questions and finding some answers later this month. But it’s not something he hasn’t dealt with during his prior seasons at the school.

“You want to make sure you’re preparing as well as you can and you’re competing as well as you can and developing a great team environment,” Boles said. “That’s all you can do, and then you see the results come from that. We’ve got a lot of questions.

“We’ve got some defensive linemen back, we have a few perimeter kids back on defense, so we’ll see. We like to think we play a lot of seniors each year, so each year, you might have a lot of questions.”

Gardens35

Fitch update: Hawkins is back for the Massillon game. That's all for now...

skank

Lol.

skank

Massillon Impresses in 7on7 Action

This story originally published on FOXSportsNEXT.com

Kyle Kempt

By [URL="javascript:location.href='http://search.scout.com/a.z?s=145&p=4&c=1&search=1&sskey=%22' + author + '%22&sssiteid=145&type=2';"]Bill Greene[/URL]
Ohio recruiting analyst
Posted Jul 13, 2012

Share on twitter Share on facebook | More Sharing ServicesMore

Northeast Ohio has been an extremely strong area of the state recently, with Lakewood St. Edward and Cleveland St. Ignatius winning the past two state championships in Division-I. Massillon is looking to be in the hunt in 2012. The Tigers impressed Thursday in 7on7 action.

The Massillon Tigers are poised for a big season in 2012, led by several Division-I college recruits. Expectations are always high for one of Ohio's top programs, and they were in top form Thursday in 7on7 action against Louisville.
Kyle Kempt. Senior quarterback. Committed to Cincinnati. Kempt was very good as a sophomore, but dropped off a bit as a junior last season. In Thursday's 7on7, he threw the better than I've ever seen him throw it previously. Everything was on time, extremely accurate, and the zip on the football was better than at any time I've seen him throw. Made several throws from the far hash-mark to the opposite sideline, and that has been a tough throw in the past. Kempt has several targets to choose from, and it's clear he has taken to Massillon's new spread attack like a fish to water. He should put up huge numbers this season.

Gareon Conley. Senior cornerback/wide receiver. Committed to Michigan. The speedster locked down every receiver he covered, which is to be expected, but he was very impressive at wide receiver on offense. Conley will play cornerback at Michigan, but will be the main deep threat for Massillon this season. He had two long catches Thursday where he simply blew by the defenders. Just an impressive athlete, and one of the top overall prospects in Ohio for the class of 2013.

Marcus Whitfield. Junior wide receiver/defensive back. Doubtful too many people in Ohio know about this kid, but that will change before too long. Whitfield (6-foot-1, 170-pounds) is simply a clone of Conley, and will make the same type of splash this season. He won't draw a lot of attention from defenses early in the year, but that will change once he scores a few touchdowns from long distance. Whitfield will be a Division-I recruit within the next month. He has the speed college recruiters covet, and could project to either side of the football.
Kentrell Taylor. Senior fullback/linebacker. The emotional leader of this team, Taylor holds four offers to date. He is in the best shape of his career, and it showed in the depth of his drops in coverage Thursday. Taylor is quicker than last year, and a physical presence at 6-foot, 230-pounds.

Beau Huffman. Junior tight end. Had several outstanding catches Thursday, and continued the fine play he showed at Ohio State's camp a few weeks ago. Older brother (Brett) played tight end at Duke, and the younger Huffman will be a Division-I recruit as well. A near-impossible matchup for a high school linebacker.
Michael Smith. Sophomore cornerback. Impressed in coverage, picking off one pass and taking it the distance. Smith showed great hip turn and the ability to play man-to-man coverage. One to watch for the class of 2015.
OTHER TOP PROSPECTS:
Nathaniel Devers. Junior offensive tackle. Will play both ways for Massillon, but his future will be as an offensive guard. One of the top 2014 prospects in Ohio, and a future Big Ten recruit. Devers (6-foot-3, 265-pounds) is hearing from all the big schools to date, and has the strength and footwork needed to play at the next level.
Chase Lash. Junior offensive tackle. Will pair with Devers as bookend tackles for Massillon. The 6-foot-4, 300-pound, Lash will also be a Division-I recruit, although not as highly rated as Devers. Started last year as a sophomore, and had success blocking Se'Von Pittman of Canton McKinley. Needs to build on that performance this season.

skank

[h=1]Massillon opponents preview: Perry happy to fill hole on Tigers' schedule[/h] David Harpster
[email protected]
Updated: Thursday, July 12, 2012

Perry quarterback Adron Bealer returns to start for a Panthers team that struggled to a 2-8 record last season. The Panthers, who struggled with injuries and inexperience, will use that as a learning experience, says head coach Keith Boedicker. INDEPENDENT GLENN B. DETTMAN

PERRY TWP. With Austintown Fitch officially leaving the Federal League prior to this season, the Perry Panthers had to find a team to fill one slot on their schedule.

Turns out, they didn’t have to look far.

Perry and Massillon will tangle at Perry Stadium on Sept. 14 after the two agreed to a two-year contract earlier this year. In 2013, the Panthers will make the short trip to Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

In Perry coach Keith Boedicker’s mind, the matchup falls under the “no-brainer” category.

“Without question, I think the community looks forward to games like this,” Boedicker said. “Our people love it, and obviously, the Massillon people love it. (Massillon coach) Jason Hall and I are good friends, so it’s a natural fit.”

Now, Boedicker and his staff are busy trying to turn around the Panthers’ fortunes prior to Massillon’s arrival for a Week 4 contest.

After finishing 7-3 and barely missing the Division I postseason in Boedicker’s first season in 2010, the Panthers took a step backward in 2011.

Some of that was out of their control, however, as the team was ravaged by injuries that forced younger players into the lineup before they were ready. Given Perry’s always-tough Federal League slate, the combination led to a 2-8 finish, including an 0-6 mark in the league.

Boedicker is hoping the Panthers can use the struggles of last season to propel themselves two steps forward this fall.

“It can help move a program forward if you have the right type of character and the right type of young men,” Boedicker said. “They’re going to learn from that, and they’re going to learn from the dissatisfaction of last year.

“Sometimes, losing is a great motivator. Hopefully, that will be the case for us this season.”

The upside to last season, despite the eight straight losses following a 2-0 start, was having plenty of underclassmen see the field. While they may have been overmatched against the McKinleys and GlenOaks of the Federal League, Boedicker knows there’s no substitute for experience.

“We battled through a lot of adversity. It was one of those years where everything that could go wrong, did go wrong,” Boedicker said. “By the end of the year, though, I thought a lot of our younger players surfaced. It was baptism by fire a lot of times, and a lot of guys were forced to play that weren’t really ready to play.

“They’ve got that experience now, and we that’s a good thing going into this year. We do have that experience, even though we’re still young in some spots, but we do have a lot of guys back.”

Some of those players include most of the defense, including linebackers JoJo Tayse, Jake West and Jake Moore and seven of eight players who saw time in the secondary. Devon Allen saw action in both the defensive and offensive backfields, while starting QB Adron Bealer returns. Junior Ronnie Humphrey is one of Perry’s top returning lineman.

Boedicker already can see the difference in his players through offseason workouts and the beginning of team camp days.

“Sometimes, we were playing seven to nine sophomores out there, and that’s very difficult to do with the schedule we play every season,” Boedicker said. “Those guys have grown up a lot, which you can see in our offseason program and the little bit we’ve done up to this point.

“They know now the significance of an offseason and what it means to prepare for the season. A lot of our younger players now understand how difficult it is to play on Friday nights. Experience is a big factor in football. Those guys have been out there on Friday nights now, and that makes a big difference.”

Archive

The UNOFFICIAL Massillon 2012 Thread

The *UNOFFICIAL* Massillon 2012 Thread

The UNOFFICIAL Massillon 2012 Thread