Tale of the Tigers: Massilllon High School's Football Victory

Just like under 15,000 faithful fans and alumni did in December at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Nate Moore, the ninth-year Massillon Tigers head football coach and athletic director, exuberantly watched the scoreboard click down to zeros.The scoreboard read that the Massillon Tigers achieved a 7-2 victory over post season nemesis Archbishop Hoban High School Knights from Akron.

Then began the jubilation, euphoria and realization of what was no longer a dream, but a stark reality — the Massillon Tigers were the Ohio Division II football champions at last.

“Somebody dropped a bucket of ice water on me,” says Moore, Massillon Washington High School’s winningest head coach with a record of 99-22. “There were hugs and tears.”

That moment was one many Massillon fans had been waiting to witness for over 50 years. While the Tigers had won 24 mythical state titles when championships were voted on and not played out on the gridiron, winning a state championship on the field eluded them — until now.

The fact that the summit had finally been reached against rival Hoban makes for fitting retribution. Hoban had defeated Massillon for its state football trophies in 2018 and 2020. Then in 2022, the Knights sidelined the orange and black in the state semifinal. Defeating Hoban resonated deeply with more than 3,000 season ticket holders and thousands of other fans, including former players and alumni for whom Massillon Tigers football ranks right up there with faith and family.

"People stop me in the grocery store just to say, Thank you,” says Moore, who was named national coach of the year by Max Preps.“It means a lot to the people who live here.”

"The night of the championship game, there were so many Division I athletes from the 2018 and ‘19 teams that were in tears of joy,” says the school’s head principal Dave Lautenschleger, adding that thousands supported the team during the following days too. “There must have been 20,000 lining the streets downtown when we returned. This brings everyone closer together as a community.”

The victory culminated a perfect 16-0season for the Tigers, who were ranked as the 10th best high school football team in the country byUSA Today.Among notable wins were 28-17 overValdosta High School in Georgia, regarded as the nation’s top high school program, and its regular season ending with a 35-0 blanking of archrival McKinley Senior High School inCanton.

“I’ve been here 23 years,” says the school’s assistant athletic director Brian Pachis. “I played here, and I’ve coached here. All I can say is thank you!I was on the sideline that night watching with tears in my eyes. As an alum, I can say, We’ve waited a long time for this!”