CLARKSVILLE, Ohio — After Clinton-Massie won the football state championship last year, expectations were high, but this season, things got off to a rough start.
What You Need To Know
- Clinton-Massie won its third state championship last year
- With high hopes going into the season, the team was playing to win another
- The Falcons dropped their first three games
- Now on a two-game win streak, the team still has sights on Canton
The memories are still fresh: a come-from-behind victory sealing it with a two-point conversion to win the state championship last year. Now, those accolades adorn the football stadium.
The stadium at Clinton-Massie now shows the 2021 state championship. (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)
“That’s history,” head coach Dan McSurley said. “That’s your legacy right there.”
“It was something that was incredible,” Adam Frisch, a senior left guard, said. “There’s nothing that could really top that game. It was something special.”
Players hold up the state championship trophy after winning in 2021 (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)
But things didn’t go quite as planned. The Falcons lost their first three games of this season.
“It was definitely frustrating because we know what kind of team we have and we know the kind of wins we can pull out,” senior right tackle Owen Trick said.
But thanks to senior leadership Trick, they used the lessons they learned in that state championship game to come out on the other side.
Owen Trick gets game-ready at practice. (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)
“The craziest thing about it was we really never lost sight of the game,” Trick said. “We just stuck to the game plan, never were flustered. We knew if we kept to what we were going to do the whole time, it was going to work out in the end.”
Now, Clinton-Massie is on a two-game win streak, something they hope to continue. McSurley said he’s taking it week by week.
Coach Dan McSurley helps players run drills at practice (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)
“I think with this team, you can’t look too much in the future,” McSurley said. “It’s really week to week. We feel that every week going in we’re playing for a conference championship.”
But this team still has one goal in mind.
“We know how to do it; we’ve been to Canton and back,” Frisch said. “Our expectations and our goals are still on the table for this year and nothing’s changed.”
