“One bite. Nothing more,” according to the Indepedent.

“The first bite says it all,” Tuslaw High School student Ryan Murphy said. “If the first bite is good, I know it’s going to be good the rest of the way.”

Thursday evening, Murphy along with hundreds of others put area pizzerias to the test, looking for that perfect first bite. Eight local pizza parlors put their best pies forward with the hopes of winning the coveted Judges’ Choice and People’s Choice awards at the second annual Massillon Pizza Wars, hosted by the Massillon Recreation Center.

“I’m not really one of those get-everything-toppings kind of guys,” Murphy said. “I look for something that is not too big. Something that will fill you up, but not leave you feeling that you ate a lot.”

Massillon resident Asrean Pierce knew exactly which pizza shop was going to get her vote. She knew after the very first bite of Kraus’ pizza.

“This is the one,” she said with a smile.

Pierce admitted to being a true pizza-lover, one that would gladly eat a leftover slice cold from fridge.

“I like just about anything on my pizza except anchovies,” Pierce said. “Usually, I’ll just get pepperoni and sausage and hot peppers.”

For pizza-lovers like Pierce, the annual Pizza Wars event was the perfect place to be. The eight pizzerias that served up freshly baked slices offered everything from traditional cheese to a bacon-ranch-potato combination. ”