McKinley-Massillon: Through the mind of a Bulldog -- Bulldog Country Forum

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Date Posted: 18:39:45 10/22/02 Tue
Author: Keno Sultan
Subject:

McKinley-Massillon: Through the mind of a Bulldog

The date was October 28, 2000. The venue was at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, Home of the Massillon Tigers. The Canton McKinley Bulldogs were challenging the Massillon Tigers in the 107th McKinley-Massillon game. In 1999, the Tigers scored an emphatic 35-7 victory at Fawcett Stadium to reclaim the prized victory bell since winning the 100th McKinley-Massillon game in overtime 42-41. Being a three year sportswriter and a two year manager for the football team, and being a senior, I interviewed Head Coach John
Miller on the matchup, his first against Rick Shepas' Tigers. The interview went smoothly except for one question I regret asking. On the 1999 loss to Massillon, Bulldog fans and skeptics had claimed that the Bulldogs, who were 2-time Division I state champions was intimidated by Massillon. I asked Miller were the Bulldogs intimidated by Massillon. He looked me straight in my eyes for a while and sharply said that the Bulldogs were not intimidated by Massillon, and that any player who puts on the red & black never gets intimidated. I learned NEVER to stoke the fires of any coach who coaches at McKinley and dare ask them did they get intimidated after a big loss. As we arrived at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, here is a rest of my memory of McKinley-Massillon, from my remembrance:
11:30 a.m.- McKinley bus leaves for Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. I finish putting the last of the equipment on the bus.
12:00 p.m.- Players depart from the bus along with coaches. I am storing the equpiment to the visitors sidelines. At the time, I am walking to and back to the field. I see Susan, a longtime Bulldog backer who waves at me from a top section from the stadium. I wave back and reply zealously: "IT'S JUDGMENT DAY!"
12:45 p.m.- The McKinley and Massillon squads take the field for warmups. I am consistently inteviewing Canton McKinley backers as they file into the 18,000 seat colossus.
1:00 p.m.- While filling my notepad, I am also giving drinks to the players, Bulldog fans are yelling out good cheers to the team.
1:30 p.m.- The Bulldogs and Tigers finish last minute warmups.
1:40 p.m.- The whole team returns to the locker room.
1:55 p.m.- The Canton McKinley team takes the field.
2:00 p.m.- The Canton McKinley Bulldogs and Massillon Tigers take the field in front of 18,000 capacity!!!!!!!!
The scoreboard reads at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, McKinley 0, Tigers 0. Justin Zwick overthrows Jesse Robinson in the end zone. I yell out and urge backers to support the Bulldogs.
3:00 p.m. The second quarter ends with the scoreboard reading, McKinley 3, Tigers 7. Robert Oliver scored from 4 yards out to give Massillon the lead. Three Tigers pass interference penalties allow McKinley kicker Matt Prendes to kick a late field goal before halftime.
The third quarter ends with a dormant score with the Tigers still ahead 7-3.
The fourth quarter begins with McKinley fullback Chad Anderson scoring a 1 yard touchdown plunge to give McKinley a 9-7 lead. The McKinley section is very loud, and I am in high spirits urging the crowd to get in the game, filling my notepad, and taking care of equipment for the team. It would be the last time the Bulldogs lead as on fourth down and goal and 8, Tigers running back Perry James scores the potential game winning touchdown with 5:43 in the fourth quarter as the scoreboard reads: McKinley 9, Tigers 13. The trip back to Canton was a very glum trip back. Not one word was uttered on the bus. It got to the point where a young Bulldog backer told me we would get the Tigers next year. After he and his parents left Fawcett, I was just about ready to cry, I was taking this one very hard and I was not thr only one: players and coaches were taking it hard too. But fighting back tears and the thought of lowering my head in final defeat, I put on some sunglasses and headed out of the stadium. I did not feel like talking to any person after the loss, regardless of who it was. Only two people stayed behind at the end, Susan and Liz, who have always been Bulldog supporters were the only ones remaining at the gate. I told them that the game did not mean nothing because of the loss. Susan told me not to let a Massillon loss affect my Bulldog pride while Liz told me to stay optimistic and that we would see the Tigers again. But I learned some objectives about the game, and life in general. You cannot be down too much. It's OK to hurt, but not to the point where it ruins you in life. Also, it may not be as bad as wearing a sack bag over a loss, but you still have to show your face to the public, something I was missing when I put sunglasses on to hide my dejection. And that the Canton McKinley Bulldogs are NEVER intimidated, regardless of how bad a score is and finally.....NEVER let someone take away your BULLDOG pride!!! You have to keep your pride high. In victory, pride is high. The real test comes if you can retain your Bulldog pride through the times the Bulldogs are defeated, including if it means losing to Massillon.
That was my memory of the 107th McKinley-Massillon game, my senior year at Canton McKinley High School. Although the Bulldogs outplayed the Tigers and lost, my pride still remains 100% high. Nothing can take my red & black pride for the Runnin' Dawgs of Canton McKinley......NOTHING!!!!!!
In the words of the late college basketball coach Jim Valvano: "Don't give up. Don't ever give up."
BEAT MASSILLON! BEAT THE ORANGE & BLACK TIGERS!!

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