CRAFTY TIGER
DRIVES BULLDOG
BACK INTO KENNEL FOR
ANOTHER SEASON
POWERFUL OFFENSE
CRUSHES McKINLEY
UNDER 31-6 SCORE
By LUTHER EMERY
With the alertness and craftiness of the famous jungle cat the Washington high school Tiger sneaked through the traps that had been set for it at Canton Saturday afternoon, clawed the turf four times behind the Bulldog goal line and roared out of Lakeside stadium with a 31-6 victory, the greatest score that has ever been rolled up in a Canton-Massillon high school football clash.
The real Obie could not be captured like the paper Mache Tiger that was taken from the clubhouse last week and returned to the school Saturday. It would not be captured, and though 11 fighting Bulldogs tried every known bit of strategy to subdue the orange and black terror, the Tiger was still on the field as the sun began to sink in the west and the Bulldogs were cooped up in their kennel and the door locked for another season.
Fought With Vengeance
“
Striking as swiftly as a tornado, the whirlwind offense
found its golden gate in sight shortly after the start of the third period and
swept through it to victory with a suddenness and power that not only shocked
the
An intercepted forward pass did it, and it changed defeat into victory so quickly that the morale of the McKinley players was broken and the fighting spirit lost.
Trailing 6-3 at the half, none but the Tigers and probably
their coach were confident of victory when the teams took the field after the
rest recess. A bit of hard luck gave
Crafty And Alert
The Tiger was alert Saturday, following the ball continually
and getting nearly all the breaks. And
it was crafty, deceiving the red and black defenders time and again with
reverse and spinner plays executed through the good judgment of Quarterback
John Kester.
The deception of the Tiger attack was most plainly noticeable on the try
for point on the last touchdown, when the entire McKinley team rushed to knock
down an expected placekick while Williams waltzed through the line for the
extra marker. Again the craftiness of
the Tiger came to light when the star of the game won the game by not carrying
the ball. “Watch Clendening”.
Those two words were drilled into the red and black nightly for the past
two weeks and the Bulldogs were so intent upon watching the orange and black
shadow that they forgot that
Used For Deception
Realizing that Clendening, his star open field runner, would be trailed like a criminal Saturday, Coach Elmer McGrew built his running attack around Kester, Williams and Getz, and left Clendening to take carrying the ball on reverse and spinner plays. In the first half of the game Clendening carried the pigskin but a few times and being watched so closely gained only a few yards but when the red and black began to pay less attention to him in the latter part of the game, Kester gave him the ball and he got away for several nice runs, scoring one touchdown.
Backfield Worked Smoothly
But Clendening was only one of a
quartet of backs who performed like a machine, Saturday. Williams’ hard smashes left an impression
every time he collided with the
The Tigers were first to score. After passing up two opportunities in the first period, the orange and black, early in the second quarter got the ball on the 24-yard line as a result of a poor punt by Fehn. Kester immediately smacked left tackle for seven yards. Williams added two more and Getz made it first down on the 11-yard line. Clendening failed to gain more than two yards in three plunges and with the ball on the nine-yard line, the colored flash dropped back to the 20-yard stripe and with Kester holding the pigskin, applied his educated toe to the leather for a field goal, giving the orange and black three points.
McKinley Scores
But the lead was short lived, for after the kickoff there was an exchange of punts, which would up with Kester getting a bad pass and juggling the ball which kept him from getting away his punt on the fourth down, McKinley gaining the leather on its 33-yard line. A four-yard plunge and a short pass gave the red and black a first down on the 23-yard line, and after Plaver had plunged for a two-yard gain, Hartsel stepped back and tossed a long pass to Smith who had slipped from his right end over to the left side of the field unnoticed to take the ball and scamper for a touchdown. Rich’s attempted kick was low.
That ended the scoring for the first half and Blatz’s sprint of the day in the early minutes of the third period has already been described. While the Tigers’ second touchdown was not scored until the fourth period it was in the making in the closing minutes of the third period. The drive started when the Tigers got the ball in midfield on a punt. A running attack carried the pigskin to the eight-yard line as the quarter ended. On the second play of the fourth period, Kester lugged the ball across, and Clendening kicked goal. Getting the ball in the center of the field the orange and blacks a few minutes later again hit their stride, rushing the leather to the 17-yard line where Rich, Canton end, was caught slugging and a 15-yard penalty was inflicted on the red and black. Williams went through for the touchdown and Clendening kicked goal. Hartsel fumbled the following kickoff and Houiet recovered on the 26-yard line. Clendening and Kester carried the ball to the one-yard line where Clendening took it across. Williams plunged over for the extra point.
Tigers Excel in Every Way
The orange and black was superior in every department of
play, making 17 first downs to
The Tigers completed on pass in five attempts for a gain of 20 yards. McKinley completed five passes in 18 attempts for a gain of 37 yards. Four passes were intercepted by the local team.
The crowd was small compared to the usual Massillon-Canton gathering, officials estimating the size at 5,000. The McKinley band which drilled gaily between halves when winning, left the field before the end of the game as did about half the red and black spectators.
First Quarter
Following the raising of the colors, McKinley which had won
the toss, elected to receive at the south end of the field. Willison kicked off
to Plaver who returned 13 yards to the 28-yard
line. Hartsel
failed to gain, and Lewis intercepted his pass on the next play on the 43-yard
line. Clendening
and Williams made seven yards.
Second Quarter
Hartsel’s pass was grounded and Lewis was hurt on the play. Snodgrass replaced Willison and the latter went to center. Hartsel was stopped after a one-yard gain and Fehn got off a poor punt, the ball going out of bounds on the 24-yard line. Kester hit center for seven yards. Williams and Getz made it a first-down on the 11-yard line. Clendening made three yards in as many line plunges but standing on the 20-yard stripe, kicked a field goal from placement with Kester holding the ball, placing the Tigers in the lead, 3-0.
Willison kicked off to Ross who
returned 25 yards to the 30-yard line.
Schott was hut on the play and after making menacing threats at Pfister, continued in the game. Hartsel slipped
through for a seven-yard gain at left tackle.
On the next play he made a first down on the
Two kickoffs for
40-yard line. A pass was incomplete, but
Third Quarter
McKinley kicked to Williams who returned from his own
10-yard line to the 45-yard line. Clendening failed to catch a pass that would have resulted
in a touchdown. Williams and Kester made seven yards and Kester
punted over the goal line.
This gave the Tigers a first down, but on the next play they
were penalized 15 yards, taking the ball back to the locals
42-yard line. A pass to Clendening gained 20 yards.
A second pass was grounded. Kester, trying to punt, was tossed for a loss of 15 yards
when he juggled a high pass from center.
Hartsel failed to gain, but on the next play, Blatz intercepted Hartsel’s pass
and ran 60 yards for a touchdown. Clendening placekicked the extra point. Score:
Willison kicked off to Ross who
returned to the 30-yard line. Fehn could not gain and Plaver
lost a yard. Clendening returned Plaver’s
punt 15 yards to midfield. Kester and Clendening got eight
yards and Kester punted over the goal. Hartsel and Fehn negotiated a first down on the local’s 37-yard
line. Hartsel
made a yard but on the next play his pass was grounded. Fehn could not gain
so he punted out of bounds on the 50-yard line.
Kester got seven yards in two off tackle
plunges and Williams made it a first down on the 34-yard line. Williams hit for three, Getz three and then
Williams on two more smashes at the line brought a first down 22 yards away
from the
Fourth Quarter
Kester plunged to the one-yard
line and took it over on the second play of the final period. Clendening
placekicked the extra point. Score:
Williams kicked off to Ross who returned 18 yards to the
28-yard line. Hartsel
made two yards, but Williams pulled down Hartsel’s
pass on the
Willison kicked off to Hartsel who fumbled, Houriet
recovering on the 26-yard line. Williams
made a yard and
McGrew then sent in his entire second team.
Line up and summary:
Willison LT Hinton
Herman LG Niederhouser
Lewis C Mottice
Pfister RG
Blatz RT Schott
Houriet RE Smith
Kester QB Ross
Clendening LH Plaver
Getz RH Hartsel
Williams FB
Score by quarters:
McKinley 0 6 0 0 6
Touchdowns:
McKinley – Smith.
Points after touchdown:
Substitutions:
McKinley – Fehn for Fife; Crawford for Everett; Sleighter for Schott; Glaser for Crawford; Fife for Plaver; Benson for Sleighter; Davis for Mottice; R. Schreiber for Smith; E. Schreiber for Hartsel; Forsythe for Hinton.
Massillon – Williams for Lewis; Snodgrass for Willison; Lewis for Willison; Willison for Snodgrass; Hoyman for Lewis; Knowlton for Kester; Price for Herman; Mudd for Williams; Snodgrass for Willison; Singer for Lewis; Spencer for Pfister; Hoagland for Willison; Rice for Clendening; Beck; Myers; Monroe; Roderick; Shankling.
Referee – Shaffer (
Umpire – Morgan (
Head Linesman – Barrett (Sebring).
Time of quarters: 12 minutes.