WARREN IS DEFEATED 6 TO 0 IN LOOSELY PLAYED GAME
FUMBLES PROVE COSTLY; SCORE IN 4th QUARTER
A GALLANT little band of red and white grid warriors from Warren was unable to stand up under the terrific onslaught of the orange and black of Washington high school and bowed their heads in defeat at the close of 50 minutes of play on Massillon Field Saturday afternoon in a loosely played contest.
The score was 6 to 0 in favor of the orange and black. Had it not been for unfortunate fumbles and penalties when points were in sight, the local team would have piled up a much larger score.
There was no comparison between the two teams in strength, but the orange and black proved to be the better fumblers and thus the score was small. Fans on the bleachers became rather impatient when time after time the Massillon machine would make a long march of 40 or 60 yards towards the Warren goal and then pull a freakish stunt by fumbling when victory was in sight. If such is the case next Saturday when McKinley high of Canton plays here – well, make your own guess.
When it came to offense Saturday afternoon, the local team had two taps on the Warren gridders. Twenty first downs were piled up by the Massillonians, a greater amount than has been registered in any game this season, and yet the score was only 6 to 0. True the locals had a half dozen other chances to score, but each opportunity was passed up with a miss-play, and the orange and black came near to holding themselves to a scoreless tie. As it was, Warren only had the pigskin once in Massillon territory, and it came out of there so fast the Trumbull county gridders are still trying to catch it.
Warren was jubilant when it looked as if it were going to have an opportunity to score with a first down on Massillon’s 16-yard line, the ball getting there through a severe penalty inflicted upon the youthful Tigers when Matthews couldn’t hold his fists when treated roughly in a scrimmage.
Thornton’s fumble, however, sent the Warren gridders’ only hopes of victory flying away for Foster was right on the job and pounced on the pigskin and after a drive of more than 35 yards, Smith punted the ball over the Warren goal line and the easteners were playing on their own 20-yard line instead of the Massillon 16.
Had Warren a few more Pohto’s the score might have been different. Pohto was the man who continually harassed the local team’s ends, often getting away for long gains. He was the bulwark of the visiting gridders’ offense and his runs counted for most of his team’s first downs. The Warren backfield as a whole worked well together, but with a poor line in front had little opportunity to flash its form and power.
And one reason the Warren backs did not shine so brightly was due to the brilliant and fierce talking of Fox, Massillon left tackle, who was on the bottom of most every play, fighting to win. And Fox’s good playing was a result of the fighting spirit he showed during the entire afternoon. He was out to make Massillon win and gave every ounce of his strength to do so. Another player appeared endowed with that same pepper, especially during the last period when the time was speeding towards the close of the game. He was “Danger” Smith, guilty of fumbling in the earlier quarters, but out to give all to make up for his misplay. “Danger” played his best game of the year Saturday and showed some real offensive strength when he tore up the Warren line with his light body, and carried the pigskin across the goal when but four and three-quarters minutes remained.
What the orange and black needs next Saturday if it is going to defeat Canton McKinley, is 50 minutes of the same kind of fight it displayed in the last 10 minutes Saturday. If every player on the team gives his all during the entire game next Saturday as he did during the last 10 minutes when Warren was being rushed off its feet, the orange and black may win but if such is not the case, the local gridders are likely to be on the short end of the score with their Canton rivals for the second consecutive year.
The game Saturday, was rather costly to Massillon. Captain “Bill” Price had to be taken out because of injuries and “Fritz” Gump’s leg was once more put out of commission, probably meaning that he will be unavailable for the Canton game, for Gump’s support is in a pretty bad shape.
The officials were strict Saturday and heavy penalties were inflicted on both teams, Massillon suffering the worst. The local team was set back a total of 86 yards and these penalties came usually at times when big orange and black advances were in progress. Warren was penalized 75 yards.
Two of Massillon’s 20 first downs came as a result of penalties, but to even up matters, the same can be said of Warren, for it was enabled to make the required yardage twice because of assisting penalties. Another way to show some strength of the Massillon drive can be seen from the number of punts each team made. The orange and black punted once in the third period and twice during the last quarter, only three times during the game while Yaunt, Warren fullback, had to boot the ball on 10 different occasions.
Hess showed good form in the backfield when injected into the game late in the first period. He made many substantial gains during the afternoon, being accorded good interference on most of his runs.
“Whitey” Laughlin returned to the game amidst a burst of cheers from the Massillon stands. “Whitey” has been absent from the orange and black lineup since the Akron South game, but is now ready to play again. His interference aided in many of the local’s gains and he should be in tip top form by next Saturday.
The local team had an opportunity to score in the first five minutes of play, but with the ball on the Warren 18-yard line, Price fumbled on the third down but recovered, losing four yards and a pass, Smith to Foster, gained eight yards, and Warren took the ball from the locals on its own 14-yard line. The same kind of a story goes for the remainder of the game up to the close of the third period when Warren made a spasmodic flash and aided by a penalty threatened the Massillon goal.
As usual, a Massillon march was halted with a fumble Warren recovering on its 40-yard line. Pohto cut loose around end for 10 yards and a first down. A buck by Thornton gained three yards and Pohto then passed to De Santis for 12 yards and a first down on the orange and black’s 32-yard line. On the next play, Matthews was ejected from the game for slugging and the orange and black were penalized half the distance to the goal line, giving Warren the ball on the locals’ 16-yard line. Pohto put the Massillonians in a little easier spirits when he was tossed for a loss of 16 yards on a trick double, pass. A pass, Kempke to Thornton, gained eight yards, but Thornton fumbled on the next play and Foster jumped on the ball.
A blocked punt late in the fourth quarter put the local team in a position to score, getting the pigskin on the 25-yard line. Smith rammed through the Warren line for three yards, and Laughlin cut loose around right end for seven more and a first down on the 15-yard line. Smith hit the center of the line for a gain of four yards and Foster made three more. Smith then carried the ball to the five-yard line and the orange and black had four chances to push the pigskin over. Smith hit the center of the line for four yards, and on the next play carried it over, for the only points of the game. Foster missed his attempted dropkick.
The orange and black tried seven passes and completed three for a total of 27 yards. One was intercepted and three incomplete. Warren tried 11 passes, completing three for a total of 26 yards. Six were incomplete and two intercepted.
CANTON NEXT
Warren – 0 Pos. Massillon – 6
Estabrook LE Fulton
Gardner LT Fox
Santis LG Mauger
Lisby C Potts
Mountain RG Spencer
Allen RT Ott
Kempke RE Gump
De Santis QB Hax
Geissman LH Smith
Pohto RH Foster
Yount FB Price
Substitutions:
Warren – Bevan for Geissman, Corsetea for Gardner, Daheringer for Bevan, Harris for Corsetea, Thornton for Daheringer.
Massillon – Hess for Hax, Briggs for Foster, D. Smith for Mauger, Davenport for Fulton, Benson for Potts, Easterday for Spencer, Laughlin for Briggs, Fulton for Davenport, Foster for Price, Matthews for Gump, Ressler for Matthews, Bast for Foster, Henderson for Fox.
Touchdown – Smith
Referee – Barrett, Sebring.
Umpire – Howells, Sebring.
Head Linesman – Jenkins, Akron.
Time of periods — 12y minutes.
