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Yappi.com writer PERRY TWP.—It was seven years ago that the Massillon Tigers under then-second year head coach Rick Shepas were the most intimidating team in all of Stark County as they put fear into the eyes of teams who lined up against them in 1999. Everyone but the Perry Panthers as they tarnished Massillon’s undefeated record and departed from an angry Paul Brown Tiger Stadium with a one-sided 23-6 win that no one in Massillon saw coming. Three years later, leave it to Massillon kicker Max Shafer to give Perry a one-way ticket to the shoe leather expressway in the form of a 35-yard field goal with the clock having expired in regulation to give the Tigers a 23-21 heart-stopping win at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Field at Fawcett Stadium. Nearly three-and-a-half years since that 2002 contest, the neighboring rivals are back at it again for a third time and the second this decade, as they will open up the 2005 OHSAA Division I playoffs tonight at a sold-out Perry Panther Stadium at 7 p.m. Although Shepas and former Perry head coach Keith Wakefield will not be stalking the sidelines, two field generals will be leading their warriors onto the field for combat in this much anticipated game, Perry lieutenant John Miller and Massillon kingpin Tom Stacy. The Panthers are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2002 and carry with them a powerful running attack that features backs Mac Lloyd, Eric Magnacca, Rob Dugan, and quarterback Matt Vick. Those players are a big reason why the Panthers are competing Saturday night. “All of those players can be hard to catch in the running game and you have to defend them all. Their yards are a credit to the offensive line and their blocking up front,” Miller said in a phone interview. “You better defend them all. You never know which one of these guys will get the ball.” In addition to that, the Panthers carry with them one asset that has been a reason for their success. They are undefeated when they lead after the third quarter. Miller was surprised when asked about that key nugget. “I didn’t know we were undefeated when we led after the third quarter,” he said. “You just have to play for all 48 minutes. Just play 48 minutes for four quarters.” In his second year as the head coach of the storied Tigers, Stacy is well familiar with the Panthers. He knows about the work ethic of the Panthers and the men playing for the team. Stacy is well aware of the Panthers being undefeated when they lead after the third quarter. “The reason they are undefeated after the third quarter is how long they hold onto the ball. Perry plays hard and they grind out the clock. That will be a concern given how long they hold onto the ball.” Not to worry. Unarguably, Massillon has the best depth at running back. Players like Brian Gamble, Tommy Leonard and Chris Thornton can make a difference in the running game. Not to be forgotten also are Justin Turner, K.J. Herring, and Cooper Ivan, three other outstanding backs who can come in at any moment and make something happen. However, the last thing the 48-year-old Miller and the 47-year-old Stacy want to see is a bang-bang, high-scoring shootout with guns blazing. That means both teams are not playing defense. “Defensively, we just have to read our keys and play within our zone. The bottom line will be stopping the run. If we can do that, we like our chances to win,” Miller said. “The defense has just gotten better as the season has wore on. One of our players, Antonio Scassa is a real inspiration. He worked hard in the off-season program and he is right where he wants to be,” Stacy said. “Another player who has also come up big for us is also Cody Colly. He has played really hard on defense. Offensively though, we must play well and score some points to advance in the playoffs. However, if we are not scoring points and we are giving up too many, we will not be advancing to the next round.” With a game of high magnitude looming, there has been in the past concerns of hostility between the schools and their fans. Miller has stated in the past that this is a game between young men playing because they enjoy the game and that the fans need to sit down and cheer their respective teams to victory. Stacy also doesn’t foresee any serious hostilities brewing between the two schools. The winner of Saturday night’s playoff opening game will have a date with the winner of the Fremont Ross-Toledo Whitmer contest next Saturday at a place to be determined. Perry has always relied on determination to get them through tough times and they will call on that again in what will be the biggest game on the season since facing off with Canton McKinley four weeks ago. “Our players have a willingness to do the best they can. They come to practice and they go hard every day. They want to see what they can do well and how they can improve,” Miller said. “You can get better or get worse and we are getting better every week, especially this week.” “Both teams have a great deal of respect for each other. Aside from Canton McKinley, they are our second biggest rival,” Stacy said. “We are going to toss it up and see what happens.” Let the Lincoln Way East championship begin. |
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