(Big schools/Game Report) North 24 South 3

 

The first high school football game of 2026 took me back to Massillon High School to watch both games of the North vs. South all-star games.

The South All-Stars got the first big break of the game, when Jarrett Mullen (Wapakonta) pounced on a punt return fumble by Nasir Foster (Massillon Perry). For the South, that would be one of the few positive things to happen for them, and this came with 10:31 left in the first quarter.

Luke Bonnette (Auroa) forced a South fumble with 10:07 showing on the clock, but the South came up with the ball to keep the drive alive.

Later on the drive south, they would face a fourth and one; they elected to go for it, and that decision came up good for the North when Chris Crook (Canton McKinley) tipped the pass away.

The South would have the ball back with 6:38 showing on the clock when Bodie Smith (Newark) found MC Walker (Olentangy Orange) for a gain of eighteen.

With 11:09 left in the half, Gavin Peeps (Kent Roosevelt) found Marty Tobin for 18 yards. The ten-play, 63-yard drive came to an end on a 38-yard field goal from Cooper Mizeur (Massillon Jackson), putting the North up 3-0.

Luke Bonnette (Auroa) got to Caleb Moyer (Wapakoneta) for a loss of four with 6:34 left in the half. Bodie Smith (Newark) connected with Dre Jackson (Canal Winchester) for 16 yards with 3:01 left in the half. Smith would be picked off by Brandon (BJ) Serrano (Lorain) when the receiver fell down. Serrona would take the ball 68 yards for a North score to make this a 10-0 game with 2:36 left in the half.

With 0:14 left in the half, Peeps ran for 18 yards to put the ball on the South one. From there, Marty Tobin (Walsh Jesuit) broke two tackles before hitting pay dirt to put the North up 17-0 at half.

North would start their drive on the north 9-yard line after Cooper Mizeur's knee touched the ground when he was fielding the snap on a punt. The North drive came up about 1 yard short when Smith was stopped inside the one, turning the ball over on downs.

At the 7:26 mark of the quarter, the North got a leaping catch from Nasir Foster (Massillon Perry) on a nicely thrown ball from Charley Levak (CVCA) for a gain of 38 yards. The 6-play, 99-yard drive came to an end on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Tobin to Cam Miller on a sweet halfback pass play, giving the North a 24-0 lead.

Smith found Jackson for a 39-yard gain. Dario Lombardi (Green) got to Lance Cantrell (Talawanda) for a short loss. Cantrell would get to Smith for a short loss, forcing the South to settle for a 22-yard field goal by Bode Shoaps (Granville) to make this a 24-3 game with 0:15 left in the third quarter.

Though there would be zero points scored in the final stanza, there were some nice plays. With a little over 10:00 left in the game, Lomabardi sacked Smith for a loss of eight. With a little over 8:00 remaining, Gunner Lacey (Ashland) got to Cantrell for a loss of eight. The North defense got a nice play from Abdel Abuenaaj (Boardman), and Drayston Martin (Ashland) stuffed Smith for a short loss. Lombardi got another sack on Smith with 2:26 left, and the last big play came when Smith fumbled the ball and Bo Barney (Padua Franciscan) came up with it.