Massillon continues rivalry dominance with 23-13 win over Canton McKinley

The win is the seventh in a row in the series for Massillon

MASSILLON, Ohio – For the seventh straight season, Massillon got to ring the victory bell with a 23-13 win over Canton McKinley in one of Ohio’s oldest high school football rivalries.

“This game means everything to our program,” Massillon head coach Nate Moore said. “Everything we do, everything we prepare for is for this moment right here. I am so proud of our staff and our kids.”

Massillon (8-1) started off fast, scoring a touchdown on the game’s opening possession when sophomore quarterback Jalen Slaughter hit Ardell Banks for a 40-yard touchdown pass to cap off an 11-play, 77-yard drive.

Senior running back Wiltrell Hartson scored on a 1-yard touchdown run on the next drive and then from four yards out just 2:14 later to give Massillon a 21-0 lead.

“This is my last year, so it was a great day,” Hartson said.

Canton McKinley got on the board as time was winding down in the second quarter as quarterback Keaton Rode found Alex Vazquez for a 40-yard touchdown pass with just five seconds left before the half.

The second half didn’t see much scoring, but a snap over the head of the McKinley punter and out of the endzone for a safety gave Massillon a 23-7 lead with less than two minutes left in the third quarter.

McKinley (5-5) closed the gap with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Rode to Keith Quincy, but the two-point conversion failed, keeping it a two-possession game. McKinley never saw the ball again as Massillon got the ensuing kickoff and ran the clock out.

Slaughter was 10-of-14 for 157 yards passing, one touchdown and one interception.

“He was important,” Moore said. “He played a nice game, distributed the ball well and took some shots. I am really proud of him.”

The Massillon defense held McKinley to just 13 points and less than 200 yards of total offense after the Bulldogs had averaged almost 42 points per gamer over their last five games, all wins.

“They are a really good offense, and they have a lot of weapons,” Moore said. “It was a great performance from our defense.”

Both teams will host first round playoff games next week, with the pairings announced later this weekend.

A win by Massillon in their first-round game would tie Moore with legendary head coach Paul Brown for the most wins by a head coach in their Massillon career. The win Saturday tied him with Mike Currence for second all-time in school history with 79 victories.