SUNBURY — For the fifth time in six seasons, Big Walnut and Massillon Washington are meeting in the Ohio high school football playoffs, and the latest chapter arrives Friday night with a regional final berth on the line, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
The second-seeded Golden Eagles (11-0) host the third-seeded Tigers (10-1) in a Division II, Region 7 semifinal on Nov. 13, The Columbus Dispatch reported. The winner plays top-seeded Watterson (10-0) or fourth-seeded New Albany (9-2) in the regional final on Nov. 20 at a neutral site.
The recent history between the programs is as even as it is intense. Massillon defeated Big Walnut in regional semifinals in 2021 (38-0) and 2022 (42-21), according to The Columbus Dispatch, but the Golden Eagles turned the tables in the Region 7 finals in 2024 (14-7) and 2025 (27-21). Both of those Big Walnut wins were followed by state semifinal losses to Cincinnati Anderson, The Columbus Dispatch reported.
“Our kids will be ready,” Big Walnut coach Curtis Crager told The Columbus Dispatch. “We know they’re a storied program. They’re extremely well coached and they have a great team, but our kids are going to show up and play hard and fight.” Crager has led the Golden Eagles to records of 42-10 overall and 9-3 in the playoffs during his four seasons, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
The biggest question hanging over the week sits under center. Senior quarterback Eli Stumpf suffered what Crager called an upper-body injury during a 37-7 win over seventh-seeded Louisville in a regional quarterfinal on Nov. 6, according to The Columbus Dispatch. Stumpf, a Michigan State commit, has completed 146 of 201 passes for 2,165 yards and 27 touchdowns with one interception, and rushed for 456 yards and five scores, The Columbus Dispatch reported.
If Stumpf cannot play, Crager told The Columbus Dispatch that senior Jackson Bowers would likely get the start. Bowers, the team’s starting tight end, replaced Stumpf in the fourth quarter against Louisville and ran for a touchdown, according to The Columbus Dispatch. Playing without Stumpf could also mean a heavier workload for senior running back Nolan Buirley, who has rushed for 1,783 yards and 28 touchdowns on 190 carries and caught 30 passes for a team-high 523 yards and eight touchdowns, The Columbus Dispatch reported; Buirley is a Northwestern commit at linebacker.
On defense, Big Walnut’s leaders are all linebackers: senior Cole Hysell (45½ tackles) and juniors Cole Swonguer (45) and Gage Eckelbarger (44), according to The Columbus Dispatch. “I can’t be mad at [being] undefeated, but the job is not finished,” Swonguer told The Columbus Dispatch. Eckelbarger told The Columbus Dispatch the Eagles welcome the step up: “We like playing at a higher level against better opponents, just another week in the office.”
Massillon arrives playing its best football of the season. The Tigers routed sixth-seeded DeSales 48-0 last week, limiting the Stallions to minus-13 yards rushing, 5 total yards and two first downs, according to The Columbus Dispatch. The Tigers’ top players include Ohio State commit Deontay Malone at receiver and defensive back and Michigan State commit Savior Owens at running back, plus brothers Brayton Feister — a linebacker committed to Oregon — and Brydon Feister, transfers from Akron Hoban who were part of a court battle against the OHSAA to restore their playoff eligibility, The Columbus Dispatch reported.
“We have a lot of respect for Big Walnut and their program,” Massillon coach Nate Moore told The Columbus Dispatch. “They’re well coached, disciplined, physical and they play extremely hard. When you consistently meet in the playoffs, especially with so much on the line, there’s naturally going to be a rivalry that develops. We’ve had some great battles with them, and I expect another one Friday night.” Massillon needs two more wins for its 17th state semifinal berth and its first since 2023, when it won its lone OHSAA state title, according to The Columbus Dispatch; the Tigers also have six state runner-up finishes.
The game is one of 56 regional semifinals the OHSAA has set for Friday, Nov. 13, all kicking off at 7 p.m., with 112 teams still alive across seven divisions. It is the kind of November weekend Ohio football does best — the same weekend that saw Hudson’s girls soccer team stay perfect and reach a state final, and it comes as college programs are deep in their own stretch runs, like Ohio’s Battle of the Bricks loss at Miami.
Crager’s formula for Friday is straightforward. “We just want to try to keep it close into the fourth quarter and have an opportunity,” Crager told The Columbus Dispatch. “If we hopefully win at the line of scrimmage, win the turnover margin, not make mistakes and just keep playing one play at a time and hopefully in the fourth quarter, we’ll have a chance.” What happens next is a 7 p.m. kickoff in Sunbury on Friday — and, for the winner, a Nov. 20 regional final and a shot at the state semifinals on Nov. 27.
Photo: Sean P Bender, CC BY-SA