Valdosta, Massillon Finally Meet in Historic Matchup
A game that Massillon Tigers head football coach Nate Moore called “50 years in the making” took place on August 19, 2023 when his team hosted the Valdosta Wildcats on the hallowed grounds of Paul Brown Stadium. The environment was everything you would expect – and maybe more – for a historic game that had so much anticipation and buildup. The possibility of such a contest had been talked about for decades but never materialized until it finally became official with the announcement in early 2023 that the Massillon and Valdosta would finally meet.
Massillon, OH had a “countdown clock” in the heart of its downtown that displayed the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until the Tigers and Wildcats would face off. Valdosta players, coaches and a bus full of fans departed the VHS campus on Wednesday afternoon of game week to make the all-night, 14-hour journey to Northeast Ohio, where an estimated 16,000 fans would gather for the historic event.
When Valdosta and Massillon finally began the historic showdown, it was the visitors from Georgia who came out roaring the loudest, scoring on a 16-yard touchdown pass that was set up by a long run on the opening play. According to coach Moore, his defense was caught off guard by an unbalanced offensive line from Valdosta.
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