Washington High fired up for 2022 Massillon vs. McKinley football matchup

MASSILLON – What's viewed by many as the city's biggest tradition will kickoff later this week on the Washington High School grounds.

The Tigers host the Canton McKinley High School Bulldogs for the 133rd matchup in the rivalry at 2 p.m. Saturday at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. Massillon will be going for its seventh straight win in the longtime series.

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"This week is filled with festivities, and it's really crazy," said Elizabeth Menches, a Washington High senior who's part of the high school Pep Club, which consists of about 90 members.

The inside of Washington High School was transformed earlier this week into a sea of orange and black to gear up for the big game.

Pep Club members did the bulk of their high school decorating last Saturday by hanging banners, while cheerleaders took their normal turn Sunday. Altogether, about 900 banners hang along walls and ceilings inside the school.

Handmade posters now cover myriad areas with messages like "Tear it up Tigers," "Pound the Pups," "Hustle, Hit, Never Quit," "Bulldoze the Bulldogs," and "Our Blood, Our Sweat; McKinley's Tears."

The extensive effort to deck the halls, cafeteria area and atrium typically starts months prior to the current school year, said Amy Petro, a Pep Club adviser. In March, student members cut paper for the banners, while signs are painted with messages in September. The weekend before the McKinley matchup is when the banners are hung.

"The kids are full of energy this week, but the excitement starts much, much sooner," Petro said.

How to watch the 133rd Massillon-McKinley game

MCTV will provide a live airing of the football game to television subscribers in the city and Wooster.

The game is to be televised on MCTV channels 11, 611 and 621. Pregame coverage starts at 1:25 p.m. and the kickoff is set for 2 p.m.

WHS blood drive participation exceeding expectations

Days prior to kickoff, the 28th annual blood battle between the Tigers and Bulldogs faithful got underway.

The Massillon drive was held Tuesday at Washington High, while McKinley had its on Monday. Nonprofit blood services provider Vitalant again partnered with Q92 to host the blood bonanza.

Brian Sifferlin, a Washington High exercise science instructor, said more than 250 people had donated blood within the first few hours of the Tuesday event. He was expecting to double that number by the end of the day.

"It looks like we'll be here until after school," he said.

The annual competition pits Massillon and McKinley fans, students, teachers and faculty against each other in a battle to donate blood on behalf of their teams. The squad with the most blood donations will be announced Saturday during the football game.

A trophy is also presented to the winning side, Sifferlin said.

Q92 created the Blood Battle in 1994 as a way to give back to the community. Since then, more than 6,700 pints of blood have been collected to help save the lives of patients in need. CSE Federal Credit Union, Froggy's Car Wash, Stark Area Regional Transit Authority and McDonald's of Stark County were this year's supporters of the event.

Reach Steven at steven.grazier@indeonline.com. On Twitter: @sgrazierINDE

Upcoming Massillon-McKinley week events in Massillon

Here's a list of events for Massillon-McKinley week in Massillon:

Thursday

Washington High School open house: 6 to 8 p.m. at the high school, 1 Paul E. Brown Drive SE.

Band concert: 7 p.m. in the high school main gym

Friday

Food fight: 7 to 9 a.m. at downtown Dunkin', 309 Lincoln Way W

Band parade: 8 a.m. in downtown Massillon

Rotary lunch: 11:30 a.m. at St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 364 First St. SE

Beat McKinley rally: 1:15 p.m. in the high school main gym

Tiger parade: 7 p.m. in downtown Massillon

This article originally appeared on The Independent: Washington-McKinley High School meet for 133rd football game