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Yappi.com writer MASSILLON—Receiving numerous college letters from various schools around the nation is news good enough to make the head of a standout player swell to gigantic proportions on a daily basis. Don’t spread that daily news to 6’3’’, 225 lb. senior Massillon Tiger football player Andrew Dailey. For the last two seasons going back to the 2004 season, he has been on the radar of a variety of schools. Now entering his final season of prep football for the defending Division I state finalists, Dailey feels honored to have the privilege of being recognized for his play the last two seasons. But there is one goal that drives him more than anything: to get back to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Field at Fawcett Stadium for the Division I title game again and this time, holding up the golden trophy. “It’s a great feeling to be honored as I am today. I worked hard for this and my parents have always kept me straight in line during this time in my life and pretty soon, it will be time for me to make a decision,” Dailey said after today’s workout inside Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. “Where I will attend college depends on three factors. Those are the position coach, the academics of the school, and the coaching staff.” Right now, there are four schools that are hot on Dailey’s radar. And each of these schools are interested in having Dailey on the field for Saturday afternoons. Penn State, Notre Dame, Florida, and Michigan have expressed vast interest. But like any other college going after Dailey’s services, those four will have to wait for the time being, at least till February. Right now, Dailey’s mindset is leading the Tigers back to the Division I state championship game. And that is a mindset he passes on to the current sophomores and juniors rounding out the varsity team. “When we talk to them about last season and this season coming up, we mean business. My sophomore year, we had leaders but we all were not on the same page,” Dailey said in reference to their second 4-6 season. “It’s not about making the playoffs. It’s about getting back to the title game. Players like Cory Shane, Michael Porrini, and Antonio Scassa make that message clear.” One of the reasons why Massillon was successful last year was the competitive aura that 47-year-old head coach Tom Stacy brought to Massillon. Most importantly, he won over the trust of his players and staff in a season that saw the Tigers close the book on two losing seasons with a 13-2 record. Dailey is aware that Stacy will invest the same trust in him to be a key for the 2006 edition of the Massillon Tigers. When asked if he will feel the pressure of heightened expectations along with possible college coaches watching him on Fridays and Saturdays, Dailey did not back down. “I don’t feel any pressure at all. I play for the Tigers to win, not to impress the coaches who come to see me. That is not what I worry about,” he said. “Everybody tells me every now and then that I can do this and that. But once the college letters have been coming in, it’s been joyous. My parents have also been a great help to me. They are strict about my schoolwork and they are there for me in any way possible.” The 2006 Tigers schedule will be twice as formidable as the 2005 schedule. Six new teams highlight the schedule, and three of the six teams are out-of-state. Cincinnati Moeller makes an appearance for the first time since Rick Shepas’ first-year as Massillon head coach back in 1998. Returning to the schedule also is Akron Buchtel, who last challenged the Tigers in the 2004 season opener and Cincinnati Western Hills completes the newcomers. Ohio Division I powers Mentor and Cleveland St. Ignatius appear again on the Tigers schedule. Warren Harding is also on for a fifth season and the schedule is completed with archrival Canton McKinley, whose hearts are burning to take back the region 2 championship they lost to Massillon in last season’s regional title game. An interesting stat behind that in this decade is that both Canton McKinley and Massillon have won the last three of five regional championships going back to the 2001 season. Other than those two, Perry is the only other Stark County school to record a regional title in 2000. Dailey acknowledges that every team on the schedule will be looking to take down the Division I state finalists. “This schedule will be tougher than last year. Everyone is gunning for us because of the season we had last year,” he said. “The first half of the schedule will be tough and the second half will pan out all the way to Canton McKinley.” “We hit our peak against the Bulldogs and it has carried over to this season.” Massillon’s appearance in the Division I state title game was their first in 23 years. However, it ended on a cold and bitter night in a 24-17 loss to Cincinnati St. Xavier in the confines of Fawcett Stadium. The loss was the most devastating playoff setback the Tigers absorbed since their 2002 state semifinal loss to Warren Harding High School. Seven months has passed since that heartbreaking defeat. Dailey is anxious for the season to get underway. “Since that loss to St. Xavier, we have talked about getting back to the state title game. Losing that game was disappointing,” he said. “We are going to take this on a week-by-week basis. We are not going to take anyone lightly or look ahead.” “We are not like the 2003 or 2004 Massillon teams that went 4-6. We will prove that last season was not a fluke and we are going to do it with force.” Receiving college letters in the mail has been good daily news for Massillon’s Andrew Dailey. |
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