Tiger Stadium in Massillon, Ohio will be the site of the 122nd meeting between the Massillon Tigers and the McKinley Bulldogs. None as the “War of 1894”, this annual showdown is one of the most historic and reveled rivalries in the nation. The Bulldogs won last season’s game 23-20 but trail in the all-time series in victories, 64-52. The rivalry, which started in 1894, features 2 of the most winningest high school football programs in America. Massillon is currently in 4th and McKinley is in 7th on the all-time wins list. The teams fight for the right to paint the coveted “Victory Bell” their school colors upon winning. Massillon has not possessed the “Bell” since 2009.

MVP

Brodie Tronn
Massillon

SCHOLAR ATHLETES

Kyle Kempt

Massillon

Kyle is a straight “A” 4.112 GPA student. He has lettered in football and baseball for 3 years. Kyle is a member of the National Vocational Technical Honor Society and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He has verbally committed to the University of Cincinnati.
Akinola Gonzalez

McKinley

Akinola is a three-year letterman in Varsity Football and was Honorable-Mention All-Federal League as Defensive Back in 2011. He is a member of Canton Scholars and the National Honor Society and plans to attend college to further his education and play football.

HALL OF FAME

Dave Shegog

Massillon

Dave played a major role in both the 1964 and 1965 Massillon come-from-behind wins over Canton McKinley. As a reserved QB in 1964, Dave scored the winning touchdown in a 20-14 Massillon victory that carried the Tigers to the state title. Dave quarterbacked the 1965 version of the Tigers, but it was his pass interception that led to the final touchdown in Massillon’s 18-14 win…the 9th consecutive Tiger victory in the historic series and another state championship. Following high school, Dave attended Compton Junior College in California. He later returned to Stark County and went to work for Republic Steel. Today, he is closing out 40 years of employment with Republic Engineers Product. In 1996, Dave was inducted into the Canton Negro Old Times Athletic Association. He is married to Victoria and they are the proud parents of 3 sons and 7 grandchildren.
Mike Doss

McKinley

Mike played in the McKinley-Massillon rivalry from 1995 – 1998. He was 4 – 0 in his career as a player against the Tigers. Mike helped lead the Bulldogs to back-to-back state championships in 1997 and 1998 and the USA Today National Title in 1997. He continued his playing career at The Ohio State University, where he helped lead the Buckeyes to the 2002 National Title while earning All-American honors. Following graduation, he played in the NFL for the Indianapolis Colts and Minnesota Vikings before retiring. He is currently employed at Zimmer Orthopedics.

GAME SUMMARY

The Tigers took control early and shocked the Bulldogs with a 24-7 lead at the half. Massillon MVP Brodie Tronn made the game-ending play, when he intercepted the tying touchdown attempt in the endzone in the last minute. The Victory Bell has returned to Paul Brown Stadium and the Tigers of Massillon.

GAME GALLERY