Massillon notebook: Stout Whitmer defense hasn’t faced an offense like this

MASSILLON  The calling card all season long for Whitmer has been its defense.

At no point this season have the Panthers seen their points-allowed-per-game average rise above the 8.6 it sits at entering tonight’s Division I regional title game in Mansfield. In fact, for most of the season — all but three weeks — that average has sat below eight points per game.

Yet, Whitmer coach Jerry Bell acknowledges his defense hasn’t faced an offense quite like the one awaiting his team tonight out of Massillon. The Tigers are averaging 42.8 points, 245.4 passing yards, 168.5 rushing yards and 413.9 total yards per game.

“How much time do we have to talk? They’re unbelievable,” Bell said this week. “They’re loaded. I think they’re potentially — not potentially, they are — the best team we’re going to face all year.”

Whitmer is averaging 192 total yards allowed defensively, including 123 passing yards per game. Six teams have thrown for more than 100 yards against the Panthers, while only two teams — Oregon Clay and Hudson — have tossed for more than 200 yards.

Only four teams have rushed for more than 100 yards against Whitmer, which is averaging 68 rushing yards allowed. Findlay’s 223-yard rushing performance is the only game where a team rushed for more than 130 yards against the Panthers.

STAFF HONOR

On Thursday night, Massillon coach Jason Hall was recognized by his fellow coaches as the Stark County Coach of the Year. It’s the first time in his five seasons at Massillon that he has received the honor, and is the first time a Tiger head coach has received the honor since Mike Currence picked it up in 1982.

For Hall, though, the award was far from an individual honor.

“Obviously, it means a lot when your peers will vote for you,” Hall said. “It’s just like I said last night, to me, that award means that we’re doing the right things as a program. We have great parents; great coaches; great kids.

“They’re doing great things, and that’s how you get those rewards, the product you put on the field. It’s not about Jason Hall; to me, it’s about this coaching staff and what we’ve done with our program and our booster club and parents to create a family environment.”

WHAT PRESSURE?

Anybody who has spent any sort of time around this year’s Tiger team can attest to the seemingly carefree attitude the players bring to the field on a daily basis. And at no time has that relaxed atmosphere seemed more noticeable than when they are preparing for a big game.

Such an attitude is something Hall believes was set by the way the Tigers prepared for the season during their grueling offseason workouts.

“Some of the training they’ve done since Dec. 19 of last year, there’s nothing that’s going to be harder than that,” Hall said. “They need to go out there and play football and just have fun. We don’t create some crazy, tight atmosphere where it’s got to be crazy.”