Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo

Long Runs Spark Tigers’ 33-0 Win At Cincy
Traylor Returns First Kickoff 85 Yards As Massillon Wins No. 2

By LUTHER EMERY

Coach Chuck Mather of Washington high school dealt a pair of “Jacks” to Cincinnati Elder Friday evening and their long runs brought down the cheers from an almost full house of 9,000 fans who saw the champion Tigers roll to their second victory of the season by a score of 33-0.

The “Jacks” were Johnny Traylor and Johnny Francisco, lightweight ball carriers who ran 85 and 88 yards respectively for touchdowns.

Traylor got his by grabbing the opening kickoff and going almost the length of the field. The scoreboard showed just 15 seconds of the game elapsed when he crossed the Elder goal.

Francisco got his with two minutes of the second period expired. He burst up the middle to race through the entire Elder team.

Lee Nussbaum went half as long for the last TD of the game and his second when he circled right end for 43 yards after juggling a pitchout. He had previously gone over standing up from the one-yard line for No. 2 of the game. Traylor also scored twice, getting his second from five yards out.
* * *
ONE THAT didn’t count and one of the prettiest of the game was a long pitch from Quarterback Bob Misere to End Sam Williams, good for 64 yards in the second period. But Massillon was declared offside on the play and the score was not allowed.

Fortunately for the Tigers, they rolled up 19 points the first 14 minutes of competition, for Elder was tough to crack.

The Cincinnati boys had size, tackled yard and played a Massillon team which was apparently tired from a six-hour bus ride.

The Tigers were not sharp and their passing was not as good as hoped for, though their percentage of completions would have looked better had not a couple been called back because of penalties.

However, they had the edge in most of the statistics, gaining 346 net yards, 67 on passes to Elder’s 122 yards, 72 of which were made on aerials. First downs were 13 to 10 in the local team’s favor. Massillon tried 11 passes and completed three. Elder completed half of its 14 attempts.
* * *
THE LOCALS lost 30 yards in penalties. Elder none.

Massillon had a good-sized delegation of fans in the stands to cheer Traylor in his first touchdown bid. He grabbed the kickoff on the 15 and ran straight down the alley, without a hand being placed on him. Tom Boone added insult to injury by booting the extra point squarely between the uprights. By the time the period was much older, Massillon had another.

This one came after Boone, playing safety, had flopped on Mike Bachman’s fumble on the Elder 23. Traylor got 18 yards in two tries and after Francisco had lugged the leather to the one, Nussbaum crashed through center standing up for the score. Boone’s kick was wide.

Elder roared back with the kickoff and got down to the Tiger 24 before the latter braced. Boone intercepted Quarterback Tom Malone’s pass on the 12 after Traylor deflected it. That gave Francisco his chance and on first down he cut loose with his 88-yard run. Boone’s kick was again wide.

There was no more scoring until the fourth quarter. The next came with 9:30 left of the period on a drive that started from the Elder 43 at the tail-end of the third. A 12-yard run by Nussbaum and an 11-yard pass from Misere to Bob Khoenle helped to set it up. Traylor carried it over from the five.
* * *
THE FINAL points you already have. Nussbaum’s 43-yard jaunt came after interception of an Elder pass by substitute Halfback Roland Miller. The Tigers were after another and had the ball on the seven when Elder intercepted a pass.

Coach Chuck Mather stuck largely to his first offensive team, but played around a lot with his defensive setup to stop Elder’s split-T formation.

Jim Geiser and Khoenle played fine defensive games for the Tigers and stopped most of Elder’s up-the-middle stuff. Elder gained most of its ground on passes and sweeps, but couldn’t get the ball over, although once in the third quarter it got down to the three-yard line before being turned back.

The game, which was ballyhooed Friday in all of the Cincinnati papers, one with pictures, another with a front page streamer, was played under perfect weather conditions.

The Tiger band was given a tremendous ovation by the crowd, and impressed one of the sports writers more than the team.

“This team may drop one along the way,” he said, “but that Massillon band will never be beaten.”

Hottest part of Elder’s band show was Frank Buttleworth, who twirled a baton tipped with two balls of fire and the hottest part of him was the seat of his pants, which became ignited from the baton and threatened to envelop him in flames – but he never missed a twirl as he spun the baton with one hand and beat out the flames with the other.

The play-by-play:
First Quarter
John Traylor took the opening kickoff on the Tiger 15, ran straight up field behind almost perfect blocking for 85 yards and a touchdown. Tom Boone kicked the extra point.
7-0
Jim Geiser’s attempt at a short kickoff was recovered by Cincinnati on the Elder 40. Don Beck got three yards through the center. Jim Vale picked up six yards around right end, then got three for a first down on the Tiger 48. Vale tried right end and was tossed for a seven yard loss by Geiser. Tom Malone got seven around right end Malone’s pass was incomplete and Bachman punted to Traylor on the 17.

Bob Misere lost two on a mix-up in signals, but John Francisco ripped off 15 to the 30. Traylor lost five on an end run. Francisco got three and Traylor 12, missing a first down by a yard, Traylor punted to the Elder eight.

After holding Elder on the 14, Massillon was offside on the punt and Elder had a first down on the 19. Bachman fumbled and Boone recovered for the Tigers on the 23. Traylor ripped over left tackle for a first down on the 12. He hit left tackle for six and Francisco bumped it to the one from where Lee Nussbaum went over standing up. Boone’s kick was wide.
13-0
Sam Williams tackled Vale on the Elder 28 on the kickoff. Vale got one and Bachman took a pitch out for eight. Ron Frey banged center for a first down on the 41. Malone passed 24 yards to Dan Boyle for a first down on the Tiger 36 as the quarter ended.
Second Quarter
After two short gains, Malone passed to Vale for a first down on the 24. Bob Khoenle dropped Malone for a five-yard loss. Malone passed deep and Boone intercepted on the 12 after Traylor tipped the ball. Francisco went up the middle on a trap for 88 yards and a TD. Boone’s kick was wide.
19-0
Elder returned the kickoff to the 35. Geiser threw Malone for a four-yard loss. A pass picked up four yards, but the next pass was snared by Boone, his second interception, and returned to the Tiger 37. Misere passed 64 yards to Williams for a touchdown, but the Tigers were offsides. Two passes were incomplete and Nussbaum made five before Traylor punted to Vale, downed by Khoenle on his 38.

Bachman got seven around end, Vale made a first down on the 48, Malone passed to Bachman for eight and Bachman got his first down on the Tiger 40. A fourth down pass was caught by Boyle for a first down on Massillon’s 24, a gain of 12 yards. John Climo knocked down an end zone pass and Malone dropped a sure TD toss from Bachman. John Tasseff spilled Bachman for a loss back to the 33 and the Tigers took over.
Williams dropped a long pass and another was incomplete. Nussbaum got a first down on the Elder 49, an 18-yard advance. Misere lost three on an attempted pass, but Nussbaum got nine on a pitchout.

Misere passed to Khoenle on the Elder 30, but the Tigers were penalized 15 for holding, putting the ball on their own 40. Nussbaum plowed for 10 as the half ended.
Third Quarter
Durbin kicked off to Nussbaum, who returned five to the Tiger 37, Francisco got three, but Nussbaum fumbled a pitchout and Karwick covered the ball on the Tiger 33.

Vale was stopped cold and Nussbaum threw Bachman for a loss of six yards. Malone passed to Boyle for 11 and then to Boyle for five and a first down on the Massillon nine. Vale got six to the three and Frey went to the two. Bachman lost two yards and Malone’s pass was broken up, the Tigers taking over on the six.

Francisco lost one, but Traylor turned left end for six. Traylor gained 14 and a first down on the 25. Nussbaum zoomed for nine up the middle. The Tigers fumbled on the next play but Khoenle recovered on the 45. Two passes were incomplete and Nussbaum gained five before Traylor punted to Malone, downed on the Elder 17.

Elder was held on downs and punted to Traylor who returned 10 yards to the Elder 43. Nussbaum took a pitchout for nine yards, then got three more for a first down on the 31. Quarter ends.
Fourth Quarter
Misere passed to Khoenle for 11 and a first down on the 20. Two end runs by Francisco netted one and four yards. He got four more before Traylor went off left tackle for six and a first down on the Elder five.

Traylor slipped over left tackle for a touchdown. Boone’s kick was good with 9:30 minutes left.
26-0
Elder was held for downs after the kickoff, but the Tigers had too many men on the field on the punt play and the home club had a first down on the 32. Massillon again held and Elder punted to Francisco, who came back to his own 47, a 27-yard return.

Lucas blocked Misere’s pass and Traylor was thrown for a 13-yard loss on a reverse. Khoenle trapped Misere’s pass and Traylor punted high to Boine on the Elder 39.

Roland Miller, intercepted Malone’s pass and came back to the Elder 43. Nussbaum juggled a pitchout, but held it and went all the way for the TD. Boone kicked the point.
33-0
Richter returned the kickoff to the Elder 28. The Tigers held and Bachman punted to Miller on his 39. Tasseff lost three, but Misere threw a 41-yard pass to Khoenle on the Elder 22. Another pass to Khoenle gave Massillon a 15-yard gain and a first down on the seven. Misere’s third pass in a row was intercepted by Massma on the goal line and returned to the 29. Elder ran one play before the game ended.

MASSILLON
ENDS – S. Williams. Khoenle, Crone, Letcavits.
TACKLES – Younkers, Beiser, Rubio, Schram, Gumpp, R. Williams.
GUARDS – Fabianich, Kraus, Clinage, Agnes, Shilling.
CENTERS – Corral, Kimmins.
QUARTERBACK – Misere.
HALFBACKS – Traylor, Francisco, Boone, Climo, Tasseff, Miller, Longshore.
FULLBACKS – Nussbaum, Stewart, Boone.

ELDER
ENDS – Boyle, Junker, Merrill, Aug.
TACKLES – K. Bachman, Fuller, Lucas, Wolf, James, Kelly.
GUARDS – Durbin, Kroth, Bender, S. Bachman.
CENTER – Massa.
QUARTERBACKS – Malone, Richter.
HALFBACKS – M. Bachman, Beck, Vale, Bell.
FULLBACK – Frey.

Massillon 13 6 0 14 33
Elder 0 0 0 0 0

Touchdowns:
Massillon – Traylor 2; Nussbaum 2; Francisco.

Points after touchdown: Massillon – Boone 3 (placekicks).

Bob Khoenle
esmith