The *UNOFFICIAL* Massillon 2012 Thread

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Al Bundy

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Aug 3, 2012 4:03 PM
skank;1239230 wrote:Massillon dividing linemen in half to help them learn nuances of new system

Chris Easterling
[email protected]
Updated: Wednesday, August 1, 2012




Massillon offensive linemen Chase Lash (72) and Nathaniel Devers block for quarterback Kyle Kempt (7) during a two-a-day practice Monday at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. INDEPENDENT GLENN B. DETTMAN






MASSILLON Sometimes half of something is better than the whole.

That’s a philosophy Massillon football coaches are taking with regard to the Tigers’ offensive line and how it adjusts to the new spread offense being installed.

As a group, the Massillon offensive players are all trying to get acclimated to coordinator Badre Bardawil’s new scheme, which features a wide-open style. While many of the blocking schemes involved aren’t far off from what the Tigers have run in the past, the coaching staff has taken a different approach to how to teach it, especially with the linemen.

“What we’ve decided to do as a staff is we’ve kind of separated our team into a quick and a strong side,” Tiger offensive line coach Matt Leisure said this week. “Our kids are really only learning half of our offense. They’re learning the front side of one play, and the other side’s learning the back side of the same play. The terminology and the things they’ve been learning has all been cut in half.”

Leisure has noticed that the condensed schemes the linemen are learning are sinking in quicker than some of the past ones. The process is still relatively early, as the Tigers opened two-a-days on Monday and weren’t able to even put on shoulder pads until Wednesday.

However, that short period of time — along with the 10 camp days permitted in June and July — has given the coaches a belief that it’s a success to date.

“What we’re seeing out of that is just better production out of our kids,” said Leisure, who’s being assisted with the linemen by ex-Tiger Greg ****erhoof. “They know what to do, so they’ll flop sides when they need to. Shrinking it all down has really accelerated our offensive growth.”

What has also helped is the experience Massillon possesses, at least among the five linemen who have regularly worked with the first unit early on in two-a-days. Senior quick guard Emmanuel Brantley and junior strong tackle Chase Lash both were starters for the Tigers a year ago.

Also on that line is junior strong guard Nathaniel Devers, who was a special-mention All-Ohioan at Southeast last season. That trio has been joined on the top group by a pair of potential first-year starters in senior center Colt Brakefield and sophomore quick tackle Devin Williams.

“It’s one of our more experienced groups we’ve had the last couple of years,” Leisure said. “The thing that we do have is Nate moved in from another district. … They all kind of group together as friends. We went to the Ashland camp, and they were all hanging out and talking and having a good time. … It’s like they’ve been together and they’re not sophomores or seniors, they’re all just one group.”

One thing that has the Tigers excited about the line is the prospects of the aptly-named strong side of the line, where Lash and Devers both reside. Both juniors stand 6-foot-5, with Devers weighing in at 273 pounds and Lash tipping the scales at 298 pounds.

Both have also drawn plenty of interest from Division I college coaches. Devers, in particular, already owns a scholarship offer from Toledo, while a number of upper-level Big Ten schools are also in pursuit.

“Having Nate and Lash next to each other is very exciting,” Leisure said. “You’re really excited to see what they can do. They’re both experienced kids. They’ve played varsity football, and now it’s gelling together as offensive linemen an friends is the next step. … It’s really exciting to see how far they push it.”

A key to the line, though, may fall on the one senior newcomer to the group in Brakefield. In the past, the Tiger quarterbacks have had to deal with both direct snaps and shotgun snaps.

However, in Bardawil’s system, all of the snaps are out of the shotgun. The centers and quarterbacks have spent at least an extra 10 minutes prior to the start of each day working on those snaps, with Brakefield and senior quarterback Kyle Kempt working together in those sessions.

“There’s a lot of pressure on Colt,” Leisure said. “He’s the center of our offense. He’s in charge of making all the defensive calls and really setting up our blocking schemes. He has the ball in his hands and he has to get it to Kyle in a good snap so that we’re able to execute our offense.”
It is good see that our coaches are taking things at a slow pace. Athletically, everyone agrees that we have assembled the most talented team in the state this year. However, the state report card shows that Massillon kids learn at a level that is well below average. Our coaches are simply brilliant to come up with a plan that reduces the learning required in a new system. This plan will lead us to the 2012 State Title! Go Tigers!
Aug 3, 2012 4:03pm
L

Lockup Screen

Senior Member

139 posts
Aug 3, 2012 4:44 PM
Al Bundy;1239826 wrote:It is good see that our coaches are taking things at a slow pace. Athletically, everyone agrees that we have assembled the most talented team in the state this year. However, the state report card shows that Massillon kids learn at a level that is well below average. Our coaches are simply brilliant to come up with a plan that reduces the learning required in a new system. This plan will lead us to the 2012 State Title! Go Tigers!
Is that not every year?
Aug 3, 2012 4:44pm
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skank

Senior Member

6,543 posts
Aug 4, 2012 6:52 PM
[h=1]Massillon linebackers ready to make contact[/h] Chris Easterling
[email protected]
Updated: Friday, August 3, 2012




Massillon inside linebacker Devon Ingram works on his footwork during a two-a-day practice Friday at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. THE INDEPENDENT KEVIN WHITLOCK






MASSILLON The first week of two-a-days can be a frustrating one for football players. Due to regulations, full contact is expressly forbidden for the first five days, and full equipment doesn’t begin until the fifth day.

Nowhere may that lack of contact be more frustrating than for the defense. And nobody on the defense may want to tackle more than the linebackers.

So with contact limited until this morning, Massillon’s linebackers — especially the inside backers — have been left to cool their heels a bit. There’s still the occasional contact between shoulders pads, but nothing like what would normally occur during a full-contract drill.

But that hasn’t limited what the linebackers have been able to do through the first five days of two-a-days.

“The biggest thing you’re always looking at with a linebacker is making sure they’re getting the defense lined up correctly,” Tiger inside linebackers coach Dave Weber said between practices Friday. “That comes from knowing what package they’re in and how to line them up. If you can get that foundation established, you’re going to be pretty good, because from that point, you can work with technique.”

It hasn’t hurt the Tigers that they have some experience among their front-line linebackers, especially on the inside. Kentrell Taylor is a returning starter at one inside linebacker spot, while Eric Copeland saw time a year ago, although he is moving from outside linebacker to an inside position, while Dillon Cowan has transitioned from an inside spot to the outside.

Those two have been regularly filling the No. 1 spots on the inside during group and team drills. And Weber has been pleased with how the duo has set the tone.

“You have to have the core of your defense being the ones who speak up,” Weber said. “It’s right down the middle of your defense. Your linebackers have to vocal and have to be leaders, because the kids look at them. The safeties need to do the same thing.

“It’s always important to have somebody be the quarterback of the defense to get people rallied around him and focused on what the task is and get that job done. Those two do a great job of it.”

But what Weber is most pleased about is the growth of those inside linebacker behind Taylor and Copeland. Alex Dailey, Devon Ingram and Alec Weber have all been rotating on a regular basis with the first unit defense, gaining valuable practice reps.

Those reps are critical to getting the backups up to speed, which is going to be especially critical due to the offensive obligations that both Copeland and Taylor have at running back.

“You’ll have a kid who’s going to need a blow or you never know when injuries are going to occur, so you’ve got to have somebody,” Weber said. “What we try to do is we try to get both positions. Eric is a Mike (middle) and Trelly’s (Taylor) a Will (weakside), but we try to flip them back and forth so they know what’s happening. We might have a better mix if Trelly moves to a Mike and we bring Alex Dailey or Devon or somebody and put them in at Will. Building the depth is something you always have to do.”

This year marks the second for the Tigers in a 4-3 defensive scheme under coordinator Luke Durbin.

Having had a year in the scheme has paid off handsomely through not only the first week of two-a-days, but even dating back into summer camp.

“With the defense that Coach Durbin has put it, it’s very easy to learn,” Weber said. “You can rep the things you need to rep to get them to the position they need to be in, but it’s all based around the ease of the defense. The defensive structure we do have lends itself to popping kids in, teaching them quickly and getting them to excel quickly, because the schemes are not complicated.”

All of which provides more opportunities for the players to simply go out and makes plays — especially once they’re able to go out and hit somebody else.
Aug 4, 2012 6:52pm
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skank

Senior Member

6,543 posts
Aug 7, 2012 8:26 PM
[h=1]Massillon takes 'first step' in scrimmage against St. Edward[/h] Chris Easterling

[email protected]

Updated: Tuesday, August 7, 2012




Massillon running back Kentrell Taylor (center) tries to break through a pair of St. Edward defenders during Tuesday’s scrimmage at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. THE INDEPENDENT GLENN B. DETTMAN






MASSILLON The first step.

Those were the first words Massillon head coach Jason Hall said to his players as they gathered around him at roughly 8:30 Tuesday morning, about 90 minutes before the Tigers held their first scrimmage of the preseason against visiting St. Edward. For Hall, it was about making sure his team knew that what was about to happen wasn’t the final stage in the process, but merely the first piece in the puzzle that will be the Tigers’ 2012 season.

By the time it ended at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium early in the afternoon, the biggest thing the Tigers had achieved was a chance to see where they were just eight days into the preseason. And Hall walked off the field feeling like there was plenty to be gained once he started breaking down the film from the two-and-a-half-hour scrimmage.

One of the biggest areas where Hall was interested to see how his team stacked up was along the line of scrimmage. Not just on the offensive side of the ball, but on the defensive side as well.

“We’re looking for, did we miss tackles?” Hall said afterward. “Did we make the right reads? Did they run through their tackles? Did they block to the whistle? All of those little things.”

The Tigers gave their coach plenty of reason to be pleased. Their first-unit offensive line of tackles Chase Lash and Devin Williams, guards Nathaniel Devers and Emmanuel Brantley and center Colt Brakefield were steady in the run-blocking phase of the game, providing plenty of holes for running backs Kentrell Taylor, Ryne Moore and Ernie Baez to get through.

In pass protection, things were a bit of a mixed bag. At times, quarterback Kyle Kempt was well-protected, certainly enough to throw the lone first-unit touchdown for either team when he hit Marcus Whitfield on a route down the sideline on the Tigers’ second 12-minute period on offense.

However, there were also times when Kempt found himself flushed due to penetration by the Eagles defense. On top of that, two bad snaps on the first of their two 12-minute offensive possessions also had Hall flustered.

“We moved the ball all day,” Hall said. “We shot ourselves in the foot a couple of times with bad snaps, which we’re not happy about. We had a couple of breakdowns in the pass protection in the two mods.

“Those little things we have two weeks to correct. If there’s anything that we learned from a couple of weeks ago — we had nine turnovers in Week 1 (in 2010) — we can’t have that. We have a couple of weeks to correct that.”

The flip side of it was a strong performance by the Tigers’ front seven, with both the defensive line and linebackers getting into the mix. That group for the most part stuffed the St. Edward running game, not allowing the Eagles backs to get free for any long runs.

St. Edward did find some seams to throw the ball, particularly on sideline routes. However, the Tigers’ front was able to get enough pressure on the quarterbacks to keep them scrambling.

“I think we have the potential,” Hall said of his defensive line. “We’re building depth there. It’s not about getting four people reps. We played up in the neighborhood of 12 guys on the defensive line today, giving everybody a chance.”

About the only thing that left Hall disappointed was several penalties that Massillon was flagged for. The Tigers picked up five personal foul penalties — either for late hits, grabbing the face mask or roughing the passer — during a scrimmage that was both physical and chippy on both sides.

Hall made a point about his feelings over the penalties after the scrimmage, when he made the team run sprints for the flags.

“This scrimmage is always chirpy,” Hall said. “You have two programs that are passionate, have a little bit of egos, I guess, too. The coaches get amped, the players get amped.

“What we have to do is we have to play smarter, and that’s why our kids were running,” he added. “They’re passionate about it, but now we just have to have a tame-the-tiger sort of mentality.”
Aug 7, 2012 8:26pm
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thePITman

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Aug 9, 2012 2:12 PM
As usual, I'm interested in receiving text message updates from OCC schools again. If you go to all your school's games and can text me updates, please let me know, and I'll PM you my cell phone number. I cover the WCAL, OCC, and PAC, and Tweet many scores/updates.

If you wish to receive my scores/tweets as text messages, all you have to do is text "follow AndrewMarcum" (without quotations) to 40404. You will get a confirmation message. To stop, simply text "unfollow AndrewMarcum".

In the past I've gotten some scores from Twitter (Mansfield Sr, Orrville), but texts are sometimes simpler. If you know an account that tweets your school's scores, let me know, and I can follow them.
Aug 9, 2012 2:12pm
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skank

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6,543 posts
Aug 11, 2012 4:12 PM
[h=3]Massillon flies over Titans in 24-6 shellacking[/h]
By Keno Sultan



MASSILLON—Kyle Kempt has been through two straight offensive coordinators since his sophomore year as quarterback of the Massillon Tigers.


Now with his third offensive coordinator, he looks poised to reward the faith and trust that head coach Jason Hall has instilled in him along with offensive coordinator and St. Thomas Aquinas graduate Badre Bardawil. And Massillon is determined to fly.


And at the end of the day in game like conditions, Massillon fans departed Paul Brown Tiger Stadium seraphically impressed by the University of Cincinnati recruit as he connected for three touchdown passes to senior receivers Gareon Conley and Brody Tonn spanning 62 and 22 yards respectively and one more to Marcus Whitfield that trekked 31 yards and the Tigers flew early and often to a 24-6 win over the Titans in game-like conditions. What was another aesthetic sight also was the fact that the hosts did not turn the ball over and also recorded a blocked punt for their special teams.
Kyle Kempt drops back and looks for a receiver at Friday's scrimmage
against Lorain. The Tigers won the scimmage in one half of game
conditions 24-6
For Kempt, he has battled through the trials and tribulations of being the quarterback of this storied program that commenced prep competition in 1894. After learning his lessons as a sophomore and junior, he finally has a grasp on the reins of the Tigers offense much to the pristine delight of Hall.[/FONT]


When asked if the Tigers offensive showing was reminiscent of the 2009 team that averaged 25.7 points with Robert Partridge as quarterback, Hall concurred but also acknowledged that assessment will be time-consuming over the duration of the 2012 campaign while praising his quarterback.


“Yes. Kyle is like a lot of our kids. He put on a lot of muscle weight. Kyle works just as hard as any football player I have had so. He is prepared and mentally focused. He wants to be a special football player for us,” he said. “He will stand in there and deliver the ball and now going into his third year, you can tell by the way he commands the offense. So we are playing like we expect to play.”


Defensively the Tigers were parsimonious and unrelenting as their defensive performance also matched the intensity of their offense, especially in the red zone. The Titans discovered real estate inside the Massillon five-yard line multiple times but only had one score to show for their effort.


Although Steve Kovacs was the defensive coordinator in 2009, Luke Durbin has a group of players that are adept at taking away an opposing team's running game. That will be an inoculating factor to the success of the defense that provided vistas of that state semifinal team that yielded 17.7 points over the course of 14 games three seasons ago.


And with Durbin having a year of experience under his belt and being a former tight ends coach under Tom Stacy and coaching against former defensive line coach Brian Pachis in practices dating back to 2007, he is adeptly prepared to put his defense in a position to bring opposing offenses to a pause.


“Time will tell if our defense was like our 2009 defense. They did make some good plays tonight,” Hall said. “I hope we do play sound defense like that team.”


Truly the major factor to the coaching staff was the addition of Bardawil. An offensive mastermind, Bardawil is a coach who favors an up-tempo offense that does not allow defenses time to get set in their formation that is nearly identical to the run-and-boot offense that Stacy ran for three years as Massillon's admiral from 2005 to 2007.


And in bearing witness to the truth for the Tigers benefit, Hall is ecstatic about Bardawil's presence.


“We have a lot of different tempos. He puts us in the best position to be successful and allows us to play a lot of kids. It's a fun offense and it's good to see our kids having fun because a lot of guys can touch the ball. Like everyone on our staff, Badre is a football gentleman 24/7,” he said.


In two weeks, 72 lights inside Paul Brown Tiger Stadium will shine down on another season when the Griffins from Akron Buchtel High School invade the stadium. Last season, the Tigers wore down the Akron City Series visitors who are two years removed from competing in the Division III state title game in the same facility they lost last season by a final score of 31-6.


The offense is just about in season form but Hall expects to do more fine-tuning and then commence preparations for the challenge of the Griffins and their head coach Ricky Powers, a former standout running back at his alma mater and the University of Michigan.


Only 13 days remain before the season opener.


“We're taking the right steps and we want to make corrections where they need to be made. Once we do that, I think we will be ready for our opener,” Hall attested.


Massillon fans departed Paul Brown Tiger Stadium seraphically impressed by what they saw of the Tigers in their second scrimmage. Whether the Tigers will shine like a white seraph comeAugust 23rd will all hinge if the offense and defense remain in the form displayed against the Titans.
Aug 11, 2012 4:12pm
G

Gardens35

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4,929 posts
Aug 13, 2012 9:40 AM
Clear some room for a pm.
Aug 13, 2012 9:40am
skank's avatar

skank

Senior Member

6,543 posts
Aug 13, 2012 6:44 PM
Ok, done.
Aug 13, 2012 6:44pm
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coyotes22

Go Tigers

11,298 posts
Aug 14, 2012 6:56 PM
Skank, u need to get ahold of me. Text, Call, Carrier Pigeon, Smoke Signal, Fax.
Aug 14, 2012 6:56pm
G

Gardens35

Senior Member

4,929 posts
Aug 14, 2012 7:09 PM
...or just rollover and slap a buttock.
Aug 14, 2012 7:09pm
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coyotes22

Go Tigers

11,298 posts
Aug 14, 2012 9:36 PM
Gardens35;1246955 wrote:...or just rollover and slap a buttock.
I see nothing has changed since my abstance.
Aug 14, 2012 9:36pm
skank's avatar

skank

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Aug 15, 2012 12:15 PM
I'll call you tonight.
Aug 15, 2012 12:15pm
G

Gardens35

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4,929 posts
Aug 24, 2012 3:38 PM
Updates?
Aug 24, 2012 3:38pm