‘Never seen so many grown men cry’: Massillon residents reflect on what HS football championship win means
MASSILLON, Ohio (WJW) — Days after the Massillon Washington High School Tigers won the Division II Ohio High School Championship, the city continues to celebrate.
The Tigers won the title defeating Archbishop Hoban by a score of 7-2.
On Monday, the team and its coaches celebrating the title live on FOX 8 News in the morning (as seen in the video above).
“It was big, it was … for us, the whole community to win the game and get a title under our belt,” said Dorian Pringle, a Tigers linebacker.
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“It was an exciting game. Hoban was a great team and we pretty much brought the whole city of Massillon into Tom Benson [Hall of Fame Stadium] so it was a great time great atmosphere,” said Zack Liebler, a Tigers wide receiver.
At the Tiger Store, a spirit shop in Massillon on Monday, the phones were ringing steadily with callers wanting to get their hands on state champion merchandise.
Heather Bowen said they took hundreds of orders then started asking people to order online to help streamline the process.
“I knew that the demand for the state champs would be there, I severely underestimated how big the demand would be,” said Bowen.
She was among the packed crowd at the stadium in Canton Thursday.
“I’ve never seen so many grown men cry,” she recalled of the game. “That’s all I kept saying. You look around and there are so many people who have wanted this for so long.”
Among those who was also in attendance was season ticket holder, and Massillon Mckinley alumni Bill Byers who recalls celebrating state championships during is junior and senior year in 1965 and 1966.
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“Yeah, I got to see it with my children, my grandchildren,” said Byers.
The team scored only one touchdown. It was a score that was set up by senior Chase Bond, who blocked a Hoban punt, giving Massillon a short field on which to score the game’s first points.
“It might have been the play of the game,” said Massillon Head Coach Nate Moore on Fox 8 News in the Morning.
Bond’s dad, whose other son, Deangelo Zimmerman, plays on the same team, was beaming on Monday over the success of his two sons.
“I had the opportunity as a player in 2005 to play in the state championship game, come up a little short. For my boys to be a part of this, they made history,” said Zimmerman.
Following the win on Thursday, the team was given a hero’s welcome when they returned to Massillon.
“Riding through town jumping, standing, a lot of hugging,” said Debbie Wolford who was also at the game and was there afterward to welcome the team home.
“It’s just phenomenal, the way people are in this town, just crazy,” said her husband Glen.
The city plans to continue the celebration with a victory parade this Sunday starting at 7:30pm
Details were still being finalized Monday morning, but on Fox 8 News in the Morning, Moore said the route would likely be the same as their Beat McKinley parade in October, which followed Lincoln Street starting at 8th Avenue.
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