14,000 See Tigers win From Youngstown South 28-7
Massillon Gridders Beat Mahoning County Team For Third In Row
By LUTHER EMERY
A stubborn Youngstown South high school football team, was upset 28-7 by the Washington high school Tigers before 14,000 people here Friday evening and fans are still wondering how strong the Massillon team actually is.
Going into the game heavy favorites to win as they pleased, the orange and black gridders found themselves face to face with stiff opposition and a screwy assortment of defenses that often bogged them down offensively and stemmed the flow of points that had been expected to pour over the Youngstown goal.
Touchdowns were hard to get for the Tigers, but they did manage to shove over three in the second quarter after a scoreless first period, and added another in the fourth to match South’s only scoring effort of the game in the final frame.
Twenty-eight points should be enough to satisfy most any fan, but Massillonians have been hungering for touchdowns for several years and one T.D. only whets the appetite for another and another.
Frankly South came out with more opposition than most folks, players included, had anticipated. After floundering around in their opener with Youngstown Ursuline, which they lost, the South boys have been improving each week, and last night’s showing was a better performance than a week ago when South whipped Boardman 20-0.
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“THEY HIT HARD,” was the way several members of the Tigers team described the Youngstown eleven after the game, and the visitors did make the local team give ground frequently during the evening.
Statistics however were all in the local’s favor, 14 first downs to 11 and 434 yards gained from scrimmage to South’s 235. Then too, one goal line crossing and what would have been another, were nullified by penalties which set back the Massillon team and ruined both attempts.
Coach “Chuck” Mather, however, does not like opponents making 235 yards against his team. That’s enough to win an average football game and certainly calls for some intensive defensive preparations for Steubenville’s Big Red who invade Tiger stadium next week, undefeated and with one of the best early season offensive showings of any team on the schedule. After that game Massillon fans will know more about the strength of their team.
But don’t sell this Massillon team short. Mather hasn’t let any one combination in long enough to get acquainted, but there’ll come a time. He used 25 players last night.
The Tigers’ blocking looked better than it did a week ago against Canton Lincoln though there were instances when a missed block meant the difference between a small gain and a touchdown. There were also signs that the many clipping penalties charged against local players in Canton last week may have made them dangerously cautious.
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THE TIGERS showed improvement in their passing department too, as they completed four of six attempts for two touchdowns and a total gain of 49 yards. The prettiest pass of all; a screen, from Jack hill to Don Slicker, good for 80 yards and what would have been a fourth period touchdown, didn’t count because of a clipping penalty.
South’s determined defense spoiled some of Mather’s plans to give more sophomores a taste of varsity competition before he attempts to tear down murderer’s row, but it looks as though the boys will have to wait a long time to get into a game what with Steubenville, Alliance, Mansfield, Warren, Toledo Waite, Barberton and Canton McKinley lined up for the next seven weeks of competition.
Nevertheless, 25 players got a chance to show what they could do against South, and some of them were in and out of the lineup continually throughout the evening.
Biggest improvement in the scoring department was the placekicking of Clarence Johnson for points after touchdowns. Prior to last night the Tigers had scored but three extra points in 11 attempts. Johnson, finally keeping his head down, booted all four chances through the uprights last night which brought a lot of joy to teammates, coach and fans. He can kick’em through all day in practice but in games has had a tendency to lift his head to see if the ball was going where he had aimed it. The result was the same as a raised head in golf—a topped ball—and most of Johnson’s boots prior to last night were just that kind. “Kick the ball, spit on the ground at the spot you kicked it before you look up,” Mather told Johnson in an effort to correct the fault.
He did last night and four points were the result.
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PENALTIES and inability to coordinate their attack stymied the Tigers at intervals throughout the game, though they generally were able to move forward with the ball.
They were well on their way after taking the opening kickoff when they lost the ball in midfield on a fumble, South stopped them on their second attempt, but the third time they got the pigskin they launched a drive that swept 64 yards to a touchdown. The point parade actually got underway in the closing minutes of the first period when Irvin Crable brought a South punt back to his 36. The Tigers were up to the South 25 when the period ended and on fourth down and on the second play of the second period, Don James fired a floater to Crable who caught the ball in the end zone for the six points.
Scores came quicker after that and the Tigers scored touchdowns the next two times the came in possession of the ball. Their second set of points came on a 63-yard drive with Johnson running up the alley for 31 yards and the score. It wasn’t long thereafter until another 63-yard march moved to the eight-yard line where Hill fired the ball into the end zone to Jack Houston who caught the pigskin while running laterally with the goal line.
Most folks figured the Tigers would run South out of the stadium in the second half but ‘twas not so, and play was fairly even throughout both periods. South worked the ball as close to the Tiger goal line as the 25-yard line after taking the second half kickoff and the Tigers regaining the ball, got down to the three where a 15-yard penalty set them back and ruined the scoring opportunity.
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THE FOURTH period was nearly a third gone before South managed to score. Starting from their own 23, the visitors ran and passed their way to the Massillon one-yard line where Angelo Danessa plunged it over on third down. A pass, Byrdy to John Guerriero, produced the extra point.
Six plays after the following kickoff the Tigers scored the last points of the game, Crable running the last 25 yards for the touchdown.
The running of Halfback Davis from the single wing and the passing of Sonny Friend and Davis were outstanding to the visitors’ offensive contribution.
While the game did not gain the Tigers any particular amount of prestige in state scholastic circles because of South’s previous showings, it served to give Washington high a 5-4 edge in football games played between the schools at intervals in the past 31 years. Prior to last night each team had won four in the series which dates back to 1917.
The Tigers were fortunate to finish the contest without serious injury to any player. Jack Houston was touched up a bit but the injury is not considered serious enough to keep him out of the lineup.
VICTORY NO. 3
MASSILLON
ENDS – SLICKER, HOUSTON, Streeter, Studer.
TACKLES – TAKACS, JONES, Krisher, Stanford, Schumacher.
GUARDS – MORROW, PAUL, Reichenbach, Ebbert, Laps.
CENTER –MCVEY.
QUARTERBACKS – HILL, James.
HALFBACKS – CRABLE, JOHNSON, Sine, Bush, Roderick Crone.
FULLBACKS – BROWN, Lane.
YOUNGSTOWN SOUTH
ENDS – POPOVICH, GUERRIERO, McBride, Schossel.
TACKLES – DeLUCIA, BAKER, Evans, Oliver, Masucci.
GUARDS – BRIACH, BEACH, Goist, S. Danessa, Lamarco, Baumiller.
CENTERS – STEELE, Davies.
QUARTERBACKS – FRIEND, Byrdy.
HALFBACKS – HARMICAR, DAVIS, Keln, Manolukas, Hall.
FULLBACKS – A. DANESSA, Stawaski.
Score by periods:
Massillon 0 21 0 7 28
South 0 0 0 7 7
Touchdowns:
Massillon – Crable 2; Houston; Johnson.
South – A. Danessa.
Points after touchdown:
Massillon – Johnson 4 (placekicks).
South – Guerriero (pass).
Referee – McPhee.
Umpire – Brown.
Head Linesman – Hodnick.
Field Judge – Rainsberger.
Statistics Of The Game
Mass. South
First downs 14 11
Passes attempted 6 15
Passes completed 4 3
Had passes intercepted 0 1
Yards gained passing 49 93
Yards gained rushing 385 142
Total yards gained 434 235
Yards lost 36 20
Net yards gained 393 315
Times punted 2 3
Average punt (yards) 29 37
Punts returned by (yards) 31 13
Times kicked off 5 2
Average kickoff (yards) 47 39
Kickoffs returned by (yards) 35 70
Times fumbled 6 3
Lost ball on fumbles 2 0
Times penalized 6 4
Yards penalized 60 50
Penalties refused 2 1
