Playoff‑bound Tigers
pound Pups 24‑0
Defense awesome in
4th straight win over McKinley
By
ROLLIE DREUSSI
Independent
Sports Editor
There used to be a sign in the Massillon weight
room that read: "Offense wins games, defense wins championships."
On the strength of an overpowering performance
in their 24‑0 win over Canton McKinley Saturday afternoon, the Massillon
Tiger football team will get its first chance to prove that theory since 1972.
For the team and their "Tiger Bag"
waving fans are headed for the Class AAA computer playoffs. They will play
Parma Padua Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in a semifinal game in the Akron Rubber Bowl.
The Tiger defense' was awesome against the
Bulldogs, registering nine sacks for 78 yards in losses. Six of the sacks came
in the first half as the Tigers shocked the Pups by rolling up three touchdowns
for a 21‑0 halftime lead.
Quarterback Bill Scott accounted for the first
two scores, throwing nine yards to Marty Guzzetta for the first touchdown, then
hooking up with Greg Evans oil a 54‑yard bomb.
Evans' score, which came on a third‑and‑six
play, dazed the Bulldogs, but it was linebacker Tim Reese's interception on the
Pups' next possession that broke their backs.
On a second‑and‑10 from his own 46,
Bulldog quarterback Dave Seaman threw over the middle for Ron Rankin, but Reese
stepped in and picked the pass off at his own 43 and returned it 30 yards to
the Bulldog 27.
After an incomplete pass, fullback Sam McDew
gained 26 yards in three rushes and halfback Bill Beitel scored from a yard out
on the next play.
Jeff Fry's third straight extra point kick made
it. 21‑0 with 1:30 left in the half. The only other scoring was a 26‑yard
field goal by Fry in the fourth quarter.
"It was a great, great victory to a great
great year," Tiger coach Mike Currence said afterwards. We hope we can
just keep on going ‑ and win two more."
Two more wins, of course, would bring the Ohio
prep football championship back to Massillon for the first time since 1970 ‑
and it would be the first for the Tigers since the computer playoff system was
installed.
The Tigers are now 10‑0 - their first
perfect season since 1972 ‑ and have claim to the final All‑American
Conference football championship (the league is now disbanded).
The Tigers have now either won outright or
shared the AAC title four straight years ‑ all under Currence, who has
now beaten the Bulldogs four straight.
And the key to this one, he said, was the
defense.
"The defense gave us the field
position," he said, referring to the nine sacks and three interceptions
(Jamie Schlegel and Len Robinson also picked off passes).
Currence said the sacks were a combination of a
fierce pass rush and great coverage by the Tiger secondary.
Seaman tried to pass 11 times in the first
half,, and six times the Tiger "Sack Cats" threw him for losses.
Currence also credited his offense, of course.
"That was a great catch by Guzzetta and a
great pass by Scott," Currence said of the Tigers' first touchdown.
"And Evans catch was a big play, it really hurt them.
"But it was the interception by Reese that
broke their backs."
Currence said he was still nervous with a 21‑0
lead especially when Phil Giavasis blocked a Mike Hodgson punt. late in the
third quarter and Mitchell Kelly recovered the ball at the Massillon 11 yard
line.
However, tackle Dave Geschwind threw Brantly
Kelly for a one‑yard loss on the first play, and two plays later
Geschwind Tom Mummertz and Bryant Lemon sacked Rick Worstell for a 12‑yard
loss. An incomplete pass in the end zone on fourth down gave the Tigers the
ball at their own 19.
When the Pups got the ball back, Jamie Schlegel
intercepted a Worstell pass at the Bulldog 27 and returned it to the two yard
line. Four plays later, at 7:52 of the fourth quarter, Fry booted his 26‑yard
field goal.
"After the field goal I relaxed,"
Currence said.
"The difference was the big play," he
explained. "When you get the big play, you've got them. The kids were
looking for them, and they made them.
"This game will be like a springboard for
us," he added, referring to the playoffs. "We have momentum
now."
The Tigers' first score came on their second
possession. Massillon took over at the Bulldog 35 following a 17‑yard
McKinley punt.
Seven plays later, Scott lofted the ball over
the middle and over an unaware Sid Lewis to Guzzetta who made a diving catch in
the end zone. Fry's kick made it 7‑0 with 1:45 left in the first quarter.
The Tigers took over at 6:55 of the second
quarter at their own 42 following a Bulldog punt.
On third‑and‑six from the 46, Scott
threw long for Evans. A Bulldog defender leaped in an attempt to make an
interception, but he missed the ball and Evans caught it at the 18 yard line.
He scampered the rest of the way for the score with 5:17 left in the half.
Reese's interception then set up Beitel's one‑yard
touchdown run just. before the half, and Schlegel's interception set up the
field goal by Fry in the fourth quarter which capped the scoring.
Now it's on to the Rubber Bowl and, hopefully, a state championship. BEAT PADUA!
FINAL STATISTICS
MASS OPNT
First
downs:
Rushing 7 1
Passing 5 2
Penalty 0 0
Total 12 3
Yds
gain rush 155 53
Yds
lost rush 28 82
Net
yds rush 127 29
Net
yds pass 143 58
Total
yds gain 270 29
Pass
attempted 15 10
Pass
completed 7 3
Pass
int by 3 2
Pass
int yds 63 2
Kickoffs 5 1
Kickoff
ave 48.8 48.0
Kickoff
ret yds 20 96
Punts 3 6
Punt
ave 38.7 35.2
Punt
ret yds 21 22
Punts
blocked 1 0
Fumbles 1 1
Fumbles
lost 1 0
Penalties 3 3
Yds
penalized 3.5 20
TDs
rushing 1 0
TDs
passing 2 0
TDs
by int 0 0
Other
TDs 0 0
No.
of plays 56 38
Time
of poss 26:
27 21:33
Attendance 21,000
MASSILLON 7 14 0 3 24
McKINLEY 0 0 0 0 0
Mass ‑ Marty
Guzzetta 9 pass from Bill Scott (Jeff Fry kick)
Mass ‑ Greg
Evans 54 pass, from Scott (Fry kick)
Mass ‑ Bill
Beitel 1 run (Fry kick)
Mass ‑ Fry 26
FG
Tiger, Bulldog lineups
MASSILLON
Offense
Quarterback:
10 ‑ Bill Scott (Sr., 6‑1, 170); 15 Dave DeLong (Sr., 5‑10,
169);
Fullback:
49 ‑ Sam McDew (Sr., 5‑7, 167);
Halfbacks:
31 ‑ Bill Burkett (Sr., 5‑11, 162), 22 ‑ Bill Beitel (Sr., 5‑7,
162):
Ends:
25 ‑ Marty Guzzetta (Sr., 5‑11, 165), 87 ‑ Greg Evans (Sr., 5‑10,
168);
Tackles:
76 Mark Kircher (Sr 6‑2 218), 74 ‑ Gerald Wesley (Sr., 6‑0,
233);
Guards:
66 ‑ Wally Neff (Sr., 5‑9, 175), 65 ‑ Larry Massie (Sr., 5‑7,
206);
Center:
51 Andy Weber (Sr., 6‑0, 190), 53 ‑ Doug Eberhart (Jr., 5‑10,
191)
Defense
Ends:
86 ‑ Mike Hodgson (Sr., 6‑6, 208), 80 ‑ Tom Mummertz (6‑5,
190);
Tackles:
77 ‑ Dave Geschwind (Sr., 6‑0, 200), 44 ‑ Bryant Lemon (Sr.,
5‑11, 215);
Middle Guard:
55 ‑ Bob Simpson (Sr., 6‑0, 205), 99 ‑ Ed Newman (Jr., 6‑0,
192):
Linebackers;
59 ‑ Tim Reese (Sr., 5‑9, 175), 58 Kevin McClelland (Sr., 6‑3,
195), 30 ‑ John Mayles (Jr., 5‑9, 181);
Monster Back:
23 ‑ Jim Blogna (Sr., 5‑10, 176); Safety: 21 ‑ Jamie Schlegel
(Sr., 6‑0, 170);
Halfbacks:
24 ‑ Dan DiLoreto (Sr., 5‑9, 162), 27 ‑ Len Robinson (Sr., 5‑10,153).
Kickers: 20 ‑ Jeff Fry (Sr., 6‑0, 180), placements, kickoffs; 86 ‑ Hodgson, punter
BULLDOGS
Offense
Quarterback: 12 Dave Seaman (Sr., 175);
Fullback: 20 ‑ Dwayne Randle (Jr., 175), 32 John Lewis (Sr., 181);
Halfbacks: 40 ‑ Brantly Kelly (Sr., 175), 23 Brian Jenkins (Jr., 164), 35 ‑ Bert Lynch (Sr., 180), 42 ‑Michael Simms (Jr., 185), 24 ‑ Sidney Lewis (So., 175);
Ends: 87 ‑ Terry Draper (Jr., 155), 84 ‑ Ron Rankin (Sr., 189(, 88 ‑ John Grimsley (Sr., 200) ;
Tackles: 75 ‑ Tony Floyd (Sr., 220), 77 ‑ Eric Torrence (Sr., 185);
Guards: 62 ‑‑ Ed Grimsley (Jr., 1,75), 60 ‑‑ Sam. Elfaye (Jr., 175) ;
Center: 51 – Robert Nau (Jr., 180).
Defense Ends: 80 – Mitchell Kelly (Sr., 185), 81 ‑ Phil Giavasis (Sr., 185), 83 ‑Scott Dixon (Jr., 185);
Tackles: 75 ‑ Floyd, 79 Troy Sanders (Jr., 210);
Linebackers:
62 ‑ E. Grimsley, 31 ‑ David, Faur (Jr., 185);
Monster Back:
88 ‑ J. Grimsley;
Safety:
to ‑ Robert Davies (Jr., 175);
Halfbacks:
24 ‑ S. Lewis, 43 ‑Bob Harsh (Jr., 1 65), 82 ‑ Craig Massey
(Sr., 175).
Series: 84th meeting, Massillon holds 46‑32‑5 edge.
Last meeting:
1978, Massillon 13, McKinley 10.
Records: Massillon 9‑0, McKinley 7‑1‑1.
Points scored by: Massillon
278, McKinley 174.
Points scored against: Massillon
24, McKinley 67.
The Tigers did it all
The 82nd victory in the football coaching career
of the Massillon Tigers' Michael L. Currence had to be one of his sweetest, for
it carried him and his 1979 Tigers to a record, an All‑American Conference
title and a shot at the state championship.
Saturday's foe was Canton McKinley, who went
into the game with a good 7‑1‑1 record and were primed for another
of the upsets that have marked 84‑year Tiger‑Bulldog rivalry. Coach
John Brideweser of McKinley had lost all three of his previous ‑meetings
with Currence's Tigers.
But the Tigers, too, were ready. Currence had
polled them on stage at a bonfire rally Friday night, asking each what he planned
to do to the Bulldogs Saturday afternoon. And they did it all.
Now, for
the second time since computers got into the act, the, Tigers have a crack at a
state title. They will play Parma Padua (9‑1) in the Akron Rubber Bowl
Saturday
at 7:30 p.m., and the winner will advance to the state finals the following
Saturday at the Rubber Bowl.
I
Tiger quarterback Bill Scott, speaking of Padua
and Cincinnati Moeller, the team he expects to face in the championship, said:
"I think we can do it. We've got a whole town behind us."
That the Tigers have. Let's show them this week
how much we are behind them. BEAT PADUA!
Massillon Does It Again!
…And so another Massillon-McKinley rival match
is in the record books, and Massillon continues to dominate the action.
The Tigers' 24‑0 whitewashing of the
Bulldogs last weekend made it four straight over the Pups. Over the past three
years, Massillon has outscored McKinley, 58‑10, including two shutouts in
the last three years, both at Fawcett Stadium. Their latest triumph upped the
overall series mark to a commanding 47‑32‑5 lead.
Is the rivalry becoming too one sided'?
"No way," said Massillon Coach Mike
Currence. "Massillon and Canton will always play this game. They've been
playing it now for 84 years, and they're going to continue playing it long
after John and I (McKinley Coach John Brideweser) are gone."
I don't think anyone would question that. I
can't imagine November without a Massillon‑McKinley game, but there's no
question that the Tigers are becoming a more dominant force in this classic.
There are several theories as to why that's the
case. The first one is that the entire town is behind Massillon, whereas Canton
doesn't totally back McKinley.
A second theory is that the Tigers are just
getting better material out of their feeder schools than the Bulldogs are, and
the third theory states that many of Massillon's players have played together
longer than McKinley's have because most of them attended the same grade
schools and junior highs. Massillon is less diversified than Canton, and this
might be a possible explanation contributing to Massillon's dominance.
Personally, I support the 'town theory.' The
fact that Massillon has its entire town behind the Tigers is a mighty big boost
in a game of this magnitude.
Sure, the Tigers were gunning for the playoffs and
trying to keep a perfect mark intact, but they also defeated McKinley the last
three years when they weren't headed for the playoffs.
McKinley will always have a great challenge
lying ahead of them in this game, because let's face it: Not everyone who lives
in Canton is a 'live or die' McKinley Bulldog fan.'