Washington (Massillon, Ohio) at McKinley (Canton, Ohio)
McKinley and Washington (Massillon) will fight for the Victory Bell in one of the nation's best and longest-running rivalries.
File photo by Jason Heffran
The 124th renewal of perhaps the most storied rivalry in prep football, set for Saturday afternoon at Fawcett Stadium on the campus of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The collective history of winning between the two programs in unmatched: Massillon's 828 wins and 22 state titles are the most in Ohio history. McKinley follows close behind with 803 wins and 12 Ohio crowns. A win would give Massillon (7-2) some much-needed momentum entering the Division II state playoffs. The Tigers lost hard-fought games to state-ranked opponents two of the last three weeks. Meanwhile, McKinley is off to its first 9-0 start since 2005. The Bulldogs locked up the outright championship of the Federal League with a 47-0 rout of Boardman (Youngstown) last week. It was their largest margin of victory this season.
Just the facts: The list of all-time greats who participated in this rivalry include Pro Football Hall of Fame player Marion Motley and College Football Hall of Fame coach Don Nehlen for McKinley. For Massillon, the notables include Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Paul Brown and College Football Hall of Fame player Chris Spielman. … Massillon holds a 66-52-5 edge in the series, which began in 1894. The Tigers have also won seven of the last 10.
Mitch Stephens: McKinley 35, Washington 34
Kevin Askeland: Washington 40, McKinley 28
Jamie DeMoney: McKinley 34, Washington 27
Stephen Spiewak: McKinley 28, Washington 24
Leland Gordon: Washington 30, McKinley 27
Colin Ward-Henninger: Washington 24, McKinley 21
Jamie DeMoney is in his 20th season covering high school sports and recruiting. He is a Regional Content Manager and Product Specialist for XOS Digital and compiles the National Prep Poll for World Features Syndicate.
