MASSILLON GRIDDERS SPRING SURPRISE SATURDAY AND TROUNCE WARREN 12 TO 0
OUTCLASS VISITORS IN EVERY QUARTER; HESS SCORES TWICE
Digging their cleats into the soggy turf of Massillon Field the Washington high gridders played their best game in two years Saturday afternoon and put to route the highly touted Warren high crew by a score of 12 to 0.
And in spite of the fact that the victory surprised even the most optimistic Massillon fans, the score does not even indicate the margin by which the youthful tigers outplayed the invaders from the Trumbull county city. It might have been an off day for Warren but nevertheless the visitors played hard and used practically every trick formation they knew in an effort to overcome the Massillon team. But the Washington high gridders were awake for a change, and they did not play as though they wore steel shoes. They were out to best Warren and this they did in a most decisive manner.
They had four other chances to score and had crossed their opponents goal line a third time, but the ball was brought back when both teams were declared offside. Warren worked the ball into Massillon territory but once during the entire game, the visitors advancing the ball to the two-yard line, where a forward pass failed to make first down by a few inches and Massillon gained possession of the oval.
Scoring honors for the day went to George Hess, who after three weeks of ineligibility returned to the lineup to score both touchdowns, one on an 85-yard run after taking the kickoff at the start of the second half and the other in a dive over the goal from the two-yard line.
Warren came to Massillon Saturday in high spirits and expected to score its second victory over Massillon in seven years. Backed by an excellent record for the season, with Akron East and Sharon, Pa., two of its victims, the visiting eleven was a heavy favorite to defeat the orange and black. And the Warren team at times flashed an attack that seemed deadly but the rallies quickly flickered out while the Massillon offense was ablaze the greater part of the time. Warren’s offense clicked smoothly and faultlessly, but it was turned back by the Massillon line quite often for losses.
In spite of the fact that the victory was pleasing to Massillon fans the Washington high team should not become so satisfied with the result that it will be caught asleep in its game with Barberton next Saturday. Some of the Warren followers blamed over-confidence for the defeat of their team and even though an excuse does not seem probable, yet the youthful tigers should guard against just that sort of thing by drilling all the harder this week for Barberton and Canton McKinley which will put in its appearance here next week.
Carrying the ball deep into their opponents’ territory several times during the first two periods, the local eleven was turned back as it neared the Warren goal and the first half ended without a score being made. Play, however, was decisively in favor of the orange and black, Warren not working the ball into Massillon territory on a single occasion.
The second half, however, opened dramatically. Even though their team had shown a good punch in the first two periods, Massillon fans were still doubtful when Puegner, Warren end, and former Massillon boy, kicked off to George Hess to start the third period. And with that kick came the fireworks of the game. Hess took the ball on his own 15-yard line, and ran in about as straight a line as any surveyor could lay, for the Warren goal. His teammates got busy and the Warren tacklers hit the turf when they attempted to get close to Hess. “Ike” Lewis took out two men who stood between Hess and the goal line, and with two or three players chasing him, Hess galloped across the Warren line. Largely due to the superior interference accorded him by his teammates, scarcely a hand touched him during the entire run.
It was the kind of spectacular play that always bobs up in a Warren game, and as usual took the heart out of the Warren boys. It was two similar long runs by Vince Define five years ago that upset Warren and three years ago two intercepted passes followed by long runs by Laughlin and Kammer defeated the Trumbull county boys. Thus they had a right to become discouraged after they saw Hess waltzing away for a touchdown.
The second score came in the same period, and although Hess made the points, the entire Massillon team, and especially a punt by John Kester, made the score possible.
The local eleven had the ball on the 39 yard line when Kester stepped back and kicked the ball outside on Warren’s nine-yard line. Latimer returned the punt but it went outside on the 25-yard line. Hess struck for a yard. Buttermore crashed through for six and made two more on his next attempt. Schnierle carried the ball to the 10-yard line for a first down. Buttermore went over on the next play but both sides were declared offside and the ball was put in play on the two-yard line. Hess then drove through for a touchdown. Kester’s kick was wide just as Schnierle’s was after the first touchdown.
Kester missed a hard luck touchdown just before the third period ended when he struck off right tackle and by clever running carried the ball across the Warren goal after a run of 28 yards. Both teams, however, were declared offside on the play and the ball was brought back. The local eleven soon was headed for another touchdown but the threat was spoiled by a 15-yard penalty. In transferring the ball at the end of the third period, the officials made a mistake. The period ended with the ball on the 19-yard line, but the officials put the pigskin in play on the 21-yard line when the fourth quarter opened.
The orange and black made a dozen first downs to Warren’s five and was penalized 70 yards to 65 yards for Warren.
The local team completed its first two forward passes of the year for gains Saturday, one bringing seven yards and another 10. Three passes were incomplete and two intercepted. Warren completed three passes out of 10 attempts for a gain of 43 yards. Seven were incomplete.
The American Legion drum corps helped to entertain the small crowd by participating in the raising of the colors, and drilling on the field between halves. It was unfortunate that the day was not a brighter one and that more fans were not in the bleachers to see the drum corps go though its maneuvers. The drum corps was the third musical organization at the game, both Warren and Washington high schools being represented by bands.
One of the features of the game was the punting of John Kester. His boots traveled long when punting from his own territory, but when in the land of the enemy he placed his punts out of bounds anywhere from the one-yard to the 15-yard line.
Lineup and summary:
Massillon Pos. Warren
Potts LE Puegner
Buttermore LT Afills
Garland LG Canzonetta
Lewis C Dahringer
Fisher RG Mock
Goodman RT Schatzel
Houriet RE Titus
Worthington QB Boyd
Kester HB De Santis
Watkins HB Rogers
Hollwager FB Latimer
Score by periods:
Massillon 0 0 12 0 12
Substitutions:
Massillon – Hess for Worthington, Schnierle for Hollwager, Blatz for Fisher, Geis for Goodman, Mann for Garland, Slinger for Buttermore, Buttermore for Watkins, Fisher for Geis.
Warren – Dick for Mock, Ott for Boyd, Chance for Latimer, Latimer for Chance, Howell for Titus.
Touchdowns – Hess 2.
Referee—Barrett.
Umpire—Maurer.
Headlinesman—Kirk.
