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Yappi.com writer MASSILLON—The inflated Tiger rose high above the Massillon Washington High School gymnasium. Students, band members, cheerleaders, and players were treated to 50 minutes of fun inside the gymnasium during the “Beat Canton McKinley” pep rally. This might be the last rally for the Tigers as a team. They hope that it is not. For the Tigers, this game for all intents and purposes is their judgment day. And there are two roads the Tigers can go on Saturday afternoon, which will be that Day of Judgment. Their season can fly high to heaven at 6-4 by pinning the first loss on the undefeated Bulldogs. Or their season will sink to the depths of hell, which means a loss to the Bulldogs will leave them at 5-5 and most likely out of the playoffs. And junior Ryan Skibicki isn’t ready to start looking forward to next season. “With Halloween coming up, I think the Bulldogs will be in for a scare. They think that they are really good and they haven’t played anybody,” he said. “They haven’t seen anyone like Massillon all season.” “Massillon wins 27-24.” The signage inside the gym did most of the talking. From “Demolish the Dogs,” to “Bulldoze Over the Bulldogs,” along with “Massacre McKinley”, the dislike for Canton McKinley is shown. Not only are the Tigers playing for their season but they are looking to reclaim a prized possession that has been missing inside the halls of Massillon Washington since 2003. That prize indeed is the Victory Bell, which goes to the winner of the regular-season ending contest. And the head coach of the Tigers in his second year, Tom Stacy says that it is time the bell returns to the confines of the Tiger City. “It’s time that we bring the bell back to where it belongs,” he said emphatically to the revved up audience inside the gym. Massillon cheerleader Shameerah Lemon believes that the game will be the most dangerous one the team will have all season. But she has faith that Massillon will win and will win the right way. And that way is being forceful, the direction that Stacy set in ground when he became head coach of the Tigers in 2005. “Massillon is a good team and they will do what they can to win the game. They will not rely on hostility and intimidation like the Bulldogs have done,” she said. “This being my senior year, I want us to beat Canton McKinley and advance to the playoffs.” With Saturday nearing so close, the game will be an emotional one for a first-year personality in the city. Fred Blosser, who served for 15 years as superintendent of Canton City Schools and is now the superintendent for Massillon City Schools could not help but marvel at the electric crowd and intensity of the rally. He attended 15 rallies for Canton McKinley. This being his first, it is clear where his heart now lies. And he doesn’t feel any pressure at all being on the other side of the grass. “I want Canton McKinley to win every game they play,” he said. “They can win all their games but Massillon,” he said. One figure inside the school that knows about dangerous games is 11th year Massillon Tigers head basketball coach and 2003 Ohio Division I coach of the year Matt Creamer. The 47-year-old coach has consistently thrived off of pressure during dangerous games in his tenure as head basketball coach of the Tigers. He used two examples of wins over Canton McKinley during the 2002 and 2003 seasons (twice in 2003, the second one to win the Canton district basketball title) to hammer home his point before summing up what the Tigers have to do on the field to improve to 3-1 against the Bulldogs this decade at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. “In big games like this, you cannot turn the ball over. If Canton McKinley turns the ball over, Massillon has to capitalize on those,” he said. “If we score first, we’ll be in very good shape.” “But at the same time, you don’t want to get too hyped up. You have to stay focused on the task at hand.” That won’t be a problem for the Division I state finalists. Now when it is judgment day against a team looking to make the Tigers hibernate prematurely. |
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