Nike Football Kickoff Classic features Massillon and the event’s first international squad along with a girls flag football game.
High school football powerhouse
Massillon (Ohio) will travel to the West Coast to take on NFL Academy on Aug. 22 as part of the Football Kickoff Classic. It will mark the third year in a row that the NFL and Nike have partnered to host football and girls flag football at the shoe company's world headquarters in Beaverton, Ore.
De La Salle (New Orleans, La.) and
South Anchorage (Anchorage, Alaska) will square off in the flag football game. Both squads were dominant last season with De La Salle going undefeated and South Anchorage falling in the state championship.
Massillon is coming off an undefeated 16-0 record and state championship in 2023, the school's 25th. The Tigers have won 948 wins, the second-most in high school football history.
Braylyn Toles of Massillon celebrates during a big win over rival McKinley last season. The Tigers will open the 2024 campaign in Oregon against NFL Academy. (Photo: Matt Smith)
Graduates of Massillon include Pro Football Hall of Famer Paul Brown. After coaching his alma mater and winning four national titles from 1932-40, Brown went on to win a national championship at Ohio State in 1942. As the head coach of the Cleveland Browns, he won seven championships between 1946-55.
A trio of three-star recruits in the Class of 2025 are set to return for Massillon.
Offensive lineman and Wisconsin commit
Nolan Davenport helped pave the way for a rushing attack that accounted for more than 4,000 yards and 55 touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball Toledo commit
Tyler Hackenbracht and Maryland pledge
Vito McConnell each had three interceptions.
The NFL Academy is based in the United Kingdom and is a football development program. This is the first year the program has played in the Nike Football Kickoff Classic. The NFL Academy will also face
De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) in England and
IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) in Germany this season.
"This year, we're adding an international twist with the NFL Academy facing off against Massillon," said Roman Oben, vice president of NFL Football Development and 11-year veteran with the Giants, Browns, Buccaneers and Chargers. "The experience these teams will share will be unforgettable."
Robinson (Tampa, Fla.) defeated
Alonso (Tampa, Fla.) 12-6 in the 2022 flag football game while
DeSoto (Texas) won against
St. Augustine (New Orleans, La.) 35-10 in the Classic's inaugural football game.
