Week 10- Austintown Fitch (7-1) @ Warren G. Harding (3-5)

In the third quarter of Friday night’s game in Massillon, Warren G. Harding did something that they haven’t done in 10 years when junior Matt Richardson returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown.  That hadn’t been done since Raider legend Lynn Bowden did it during the fourth quarter of their classic shootout against the Tigers.  It was a signature play in his first of seven career games with at least five total touchdowns for Harding as they outlasted their longtime nemesis 48-41.  To date, that remains their highest point total ever against Massillon.

Warren G. Harding junior Matt Richardson (#10) returns a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown against Massillon on 10/17/2025. It's now in a three-way tie for the seventh longest score in the history of the rivalry.

Unfortunately for the Raiders, Richardson’s landmark play this past Friday temporarily halted a running clock as Jaron Edmonds’ extra point made the score 35-10 in favor of the Tigers, who turned five Harding turnovers into 28 of their 42 points on the night.  That said, Richardson’s performance, which included his second two-interception performance of the season (the other was against Akron Buchtel), embodies his team’s mentality of never quitting when things get rough.  Down 35-3 towards the midway point of the third quarter, it would have been easy for Harding to accept their fate and just lay down with the continuous clock triggered.  Instead of doing that, they chose to fight until the end.

Harding junior kicker Jaron Edmonds ties his career-long with a 34-yard field goal against Massillon on 10/17/2025.

Of course, “moral victories” don’t show up in the record column and unfortunately, the physical nature that the game of football brings produced obstacles that have made Harding’s season more difficult than it had to be.  That said, Richardson’s father, head coach Matt Richardson, and his staff believe that the road that they have traveled will eventually pay dividends for the program.  Believe it or not, according to fantastic50.com, a week 10 victory over Austintown Fitch has a 40% chance of propelling the Raiders into the postseason.

Harding junior linebacker Asa Burch (#7) swarms into Massillon's offensive backfield and tackles Jadyce Thigpen for a loss on 10/17/2025.

Having said the above, a victory over the one-loss Falcons won’t exactly be a walk in the park as they’ve been busy making some history of their own this season under head coach T.J. Parker.  It took junior tailback Deon’Dray Richard less than two seasons to eclipse the school’s previous career rushing record of 2,862 yards, which was set by 2015 Fitch alum Antwan Harris.  As a sophomore last season, Richard set the Falcon’s single-season mark with 1,695 rushing yards and tied Harris and 2023 alum Jamell James for tops with 20 touchdowns on the ground.  In fact, 324 of those yards came in two games against Harding last season.  That includes his 222-yard effort in the second round of the playoffs, which is the fourth highest single-game rushing yardage total in the history of the rivalry. 

Then-Austintown Fitch sophomore Deon'Dray Richard bursts through the right side of the line for a 15-yard touchdown during their second round playoff game against Harding on 11/08/2024.

As dynamic as Richard is, he’s far from alone in the Falcons’ offense.  In fact, he shares carries with senior tailback Junie Higgs, who also shined in last season’s second round playoff game against Harding as he totaled 122 rushing yards & 3 touchdowns (48, 2, 1) on 14 carries.  To date, he has scholarship offers from Mount Union, Allegheny College, Baldwin Wallace, Capital, Otterbein, and the College of Wooster.  Junior quarterback Collin Kalaher makes sound decisions under center while his favorite target, senior Brady Evans, is a threat to take it the distance from anywhere on the field as last season, he hauled in 53 catches for 634 yards & 4 TDs.  The entire offense operates behind a huge, physical line that includes Anthony Blalock Jr. (6-foot-5, 305 lbs), Booker Newberry V (6-foot-3, 275 lbs), Noah Bolen (6-foot-3, 270 lbs), and Trenton Ciccarelli (6-foot-1, 290 lbs).  Senior kicker Jaxon Faulkner has a strong leg and carries scholarship offers from Marietta and Midway Sprint. 

Then-Austintown Fitch junior Junie Higgs explodes up the middle for a 48-yard touchdown during their second round playoff game against Harding on 11/08/2024.

Defensively, Fitch is equipped with a stout front seven.  Damarr Rogers is 6-foot-3, 260-pound defensive end who has proven to be difficult for opposing offensive linemen to contain while linebackers Dylan Krohn (5-foot-10, 190 lbs), Anthony Nespeca (5-foot-11, 210 lbs), and Mark Fitzgerald (5-foot-9, 205 lbs) all have a knack for flying to the football while Higgs (5-foot-8, 175 lbs), Wayne Holloway Jr. (6-foot, 150 lbs), Devanzo Tate III (5-foot-10, 165 lbs), and Isaiah Porch (6-foot-1, 175 lbs) round out a stingy secondary as the Falcons have only surrendered 10.5 points per game against a pretty impressive schedule. 

Then-Austintown Fitch sophomore defensive back Wayne Holloway Jr. (#4) swarms to the ball and tackles tyhen-Harding senior B.J. Coleman for a loss during their regualr season matchup on 10/25/2024.