TIGER’S POWER PLAYS DOWN NEW CASTLE, 13-0
Massillon Gridders Smash Through Stubborn Red Hurricane for Two Touchdowns and Fifth Straight Victory on Muddy Field

By LUTHER EMERY

A prayer, a punt and two thunderbolts rocked Taggart field at New Castle Friday evening and today the Washington high Tigers are ready to lay claim to the championship of western Pennsylvania.

In a deluge of rain, the Tigers drove through mud to two touchdowns and a hard-earned 13-0 triumph to administer the first loss the Red Hurricane has suffered in three years on its home lot.

It was Washington high’s fifth straight triumph of the 1936 campaign and its 15th straight victory in a row, the 1935 team having won 10 straight games without a reverse while fighting its way to the Ohio scholastic championship.

New Castle Threatens Early
The Hurricane had Tiger fans with crossed fingers in the first three minutes when they recovered a Massillon fumble on the 25-yard line and smashed their way to the one-yard line. There an eight-man Massillon line defended the Marne and repelled the attack that might have changed the entire complexion of the ball game.

Two minutes later, Charley Anderson, standing on his own 15-yard line, drove his foot into the leather sphere and sent it searing to the Pennsylvania’s three-yard line, an 82-yard punt that pulled the local eleven out of the hole.

That was the first flash and the thunderbolts struck in the second and third periods when Bog Glass and Mike Byelene smashed their way through the storm to cross the New Castle goal line with the two touchdowns of the game.

You might have heard the roar in Massillon that 2,000 Tiger fans sent up after the big putsch.

Until last night, touchdowns had been cheap for Massillon and many a ball carrier crossed the goal line without getting any resemblance of an ovation.
New Castle Defense Strong
Last night they fought for every inch of ground they gained and only through a superior charging line and hard driving by Glass and Byelene were they able to penetrate to the New Castle goal line.

Sufficiently hard fought it was to keep 9,000 spectators in the stands throughout the game in as disagreeable a night as football could possibly compete with.

It looked like a night for the Red Hurricane and possibilities of an upset were at a premium when an all day rain soaked the grassy turf and made it difficult to obtain good footing.

It was evident form the start that the rain would prohibit extensive use of the forward pass, which is one-half of the Tiger offense and Massillon fans became all the more worried when they saw their ball carriers slip and skid in their first ball carrying attempt. Fleet-footed Edgar Herring could not negotiate his hairpin turns and the first power play failed.

Then came a fumble as Glass tried to punt the slippery ball on fourth down and Nocera, Red left end, dove in to cover the ball on the Tiger 25-yard line.

Then and there the Tiger line was subjected to the most severe hammering it has received this season. With Dominic Decaprio hurling his 180 pounds into the Massillon trench, the Red Hurricane began a sweep toward the Tiger goal. He hit for four yards at center and smashed again for four more after Perrett had added a yard.

With fourth down coming up and the ball on six inches from a first down, Decaprio carried again. The Massillon line built up a pyramid with the Pennsylvania Italian half way up, but when they measured it they found he had made his first down by half a foot and the goal line only 15 yards away.
Hurricane Stopped on One-Yard Line
The Massillon line broke through to toss Mort for a three-yard loss. New Castle was offside on the play, but Massillon declined the penalty and made the down count. Decaprio regained the loss in a smash at the center of the line and Perrett hit his right tackle for seven yards. With the ball on the eight-yard line and three yards to go for a first down, Mort circled his left end and carried the leather to the Tiger four-yard line.

There the Massillon gridders reorganized their defense and went into an eight-man line. Decaprio charged the Tiger forward wall and moved the ball up one-yard. He hit center again and planted it another yard nearer the goal. He charged a third time and moved it a yard closer. It was fourth down and the Tiger linemen were standing on their own goal line with the ball three feet in front. Again the ball was passed to Decaprio. He hit a stone wall and the force of the Massillon charge knocked the ball out of his hands, a mud spattered orange jersey falling on it 10 yards away.

Thus ended New Castle’s one and only threat, but the Tiger eleven was still in the hole. Byelene elected to carry the ball and advanced it five yards. Running hard, Glass plunged for 15 yards and a first down on his 30. Herring made eight and Glass one but the slippery ball got away from Byelene and he lost 10 putting the Tigers back on their 29 as the period ended.
The time had passed so quickly on the goal line stand that many fans thought the first period unusually short. It was timed from the Massillon bench, however and was correct.

With fourth down coming up and the ball on the 29-yard line, Anderson dropped back more than 10 yards to give himself ample time to get away his punt.

He drove his toe into the ball and sent it soaring high over the safety man’s head. It landed 20 yards behind the latter and rolled to the three-yard line where Odell Gillom smeared Mumford with a vicious tackle just as he picked up the ball.

That drive put New Castle in the hole and the Red Hurricane, now on the defense, played it safely. Mumford punted out to Herring, a 50-yard boot that little Echo caught on the
40-yard line and raced back 10 yards to his 30 before being thrown.

Glass slashed center for four yards and Byelene reeled off five around left end. Glass ran into a stone wall on the third down and only advanced half a yard. The New Castle line piled up again and Glass was thrown without gain and the Red Hurricane took the ball on downs on its 21-yard line.
Massillon Launches Drive
Mumford immediately punted again and Herring after catching the ball on his own 30, fumbled but recovered. Byelene made three yards at left end but Herring failed to gain at the right wing. Glass plunged for a first down on his 42-yard line and he and Byelene in two attempts smashed through for another first down on the New Castle 46. Sensing trouble, Coach Bridebaugh sent in replacements to strengthen his tiring team but the new men could not stem the Massillon thrusts.

The Tigers lost five yards in an offside penalty, but Glass got back the five and two more in a plunge. Then Mike Byelene running behind fine interference, raced 42 yards to the new Castle two-yard line. He tossed two power plays at the Hurricane, with Glass carrying the ball. The first failed to gain, but Glass went over on the second attempt and the Tigers went to the front, 6-0. Byelene was piled under when he tried to carry the extra point across.

The Tigers got back to the New Castle 34-yard line once more in the period but lost on downs when two attempted passes were grounded.

New Castle flashed for a moment at the start of the second half with Perrett doing the fancy work. He brought the kickoff back to the 34-yard line and in a cut back play raced 20 yards to the Massillon 46-yard line where E. Herring, his last obstacle dragged him out of bounds. The Red Hurricane was checked however on the Tiger 37-yard line when Decaprio failed to gain a yard that was necessary for a first down.

That gave Massillon the ball and the Tigers launched a touchdown drive that was fought over 73 yards including 10 yards the Tigers were penalized for twice being offside.
Byelene Goes Over
Glass and Byelene smashed to a first down on the New Castle 49 and picked up six more in two attempts. Glass hammered for 10 but the Tigers were set back five for offside. Herring wiggled around his right end to a first down on the New Castle 40 and Glass and Herring made another first down on the 30. Herring made two but on the next play the Tigers lost five for being offside.

Byelene and Glass got them back, however, as they drove through to a first down on the 18. There Byelene shot a pass that was dropped behind the goal and the attack bogged down as the Hurricane smothered Glass without gain. Byelene smacked for five yards and with fourth down coming up, Herring was turned loose around his left end for a five-yard dash to the five-yard line. He tried to circle his end again but was dropped without gain. Glass smashed for three yards and on third down, Byelene drove over for the touchdown and Glass plunged for the extra point.

New Castle’s offensive effort in the fourth quarter was another 20-yard run by Perrett that took the ball to the Massillon 46-yard line, but the threat ended with Perrett being tossed for a six-yard loss and Mumford fumbling while trying to punt on fourth down, Massillon taking the ball on the Hurricane’s 33-yard line.

The Tigers got as near as the 21 but were repelled and Anderson punted out of bounds on the 10-yard line.

The Hurricane kicked out and Massillon again drove back to the six-yard line where the stubborn New Castle forwards once more stopped the advance and took the ball on downs. The game ended two minutes later with the Tigers in possession of the ball in midfield.

Massillon made 12 first downs to New Castle’s five and neither team completed a forward pass. The Tigers tried three and New Castle attempted but one.
A Wet Victory
Massillon Pos. New Castle
Gillom LE Necera
Jr. Anderson LT Leonard
Wyatt LG Small
Snavely C Vargo
Miller RG Jokinen
Peters RT Roussos
C. Anderson RE Dombroski
Byelene QB Mumford
Herring LH Mort
Snyder RH Perrett
Glass FB Decaprio

Score by periods:
Massillon 0 6 7 0 13

Substitutions:
Massillon – none.
New Castle – Cox; Chip; Palkovich; Albert; Jenkins; Howley; Covelli.

Touchdowns:
Massillon – Glass; Byelene.

Point after touchdown:
Massillon – Glass (carried).

Referee – Wallace.
Umpire – Jenkins.
Head Linesman – Brickley.