ALLIANCE MET ITS WATERLOO
Massillon High Evened Up
With a Crushing Defeat.
MASSILLON – 64; ALLIANCE – 0
Coach Hall’s Relentless Scoring Machine Showed Great Form
A Thick and Blinding Snow Storm Added a Most Spectacular Feature to the game.
The Massillon high school, playing with almost perfect team work, aided by flashes of individual work, piled up 64 points with little trouble on the Alliance team, fighting bitterly but without spirit, Saturday afternoon on the high school grounds. When Massillon had pushed over the last touchdown and Heyman’s great boot had brought the score to its final figure, the snow was settling over the field in blankets and feather beds. The air was thick with enormous flakes. Objects could not be distinguished forty yards away. The sidelines with people wee two long grey blotches on the chaos of white. The players were gray figures lining up and breaking in the white gloom, and on the last punt the ball could not be seen by the players who were to receive it. As soon as Massillon again had the ball in its possession Acting Captain Snavely called the game a few minutes before the twenty minute half was up.
The arrival of the beautiful was not so aesthetically appreciated by the players, however. The field which had been in excellent condition became slimy with a coating of wet snow. The players who wore tennis shoes through the game could get no foothold whatever. After a few minutes these were discarded, given a healthy fling in some direction or other ,and for the rest of the game the strenuous and elusive pigskin was chased in stocking feet. Even cleats did not hold any too well and a flying tackle which had any steam at all behind it was likely to come to a halt some twenty feet from where the players hit the dumps. The intervening space resembled the initial attempt of a fifty cent fountain pen on a sheet of white paper. Veritable drifts collected on the heads and shoulders of the players who could not run fast enough to get from under. Eyes and ears were filled with miniature drifts and at least one fumble was caused by the coating of ice with which the ball was richly garnished.
As to the game itself, without any kidding, it was worth the money, especially to the liberal smattering of deadheads commonly known as chair weights. It was worth while if for no other reason in the world than to get a few points on how the game is played. When the two teams lined up there w as little doubt but what they were in for a hard and grueling match. It took but twenty seconds of play to see on which side of the fence the fowl of victory would descend. Massillon kicked off like a whirlwind, and not only downed the bewildered runner on his own twenty yard line, but held the ball there on downs. Alliance punted and Massillon carried the ball back to within striking distance of the goal. The first two touchdowns were made in the first minute of play. From this time on Massillon’s relentless scoring machine walked up the field and over the line at will.
Only once was Alliance within any danger of making a point. This was one of the numerous kickoffs, when the ball, after bounding on the right side of the field was secured by Alliance, on Massillon’s twenty-five yard line. In a moment of weakness the Alliance full back pierced Massillon’s right side for five yards. Hope sprang sky high beneath the red and white jerseys, but each presumption was immediately sat upon. The next play was dumped behind the line, and Massillon secured the ball on the next. Throughout the game Alliance became more and more dumpy, and held less and less as the game progressed. The full back and right end, however, played good games and stuck to the firing line until the last dog was hung.
Massillon’s playing was aggressive to the degree of monotony. Every play was tried and almost every member on the team was indulgently awarded the honor of making a touchdown. Alliance could not see through the playing for smoke,. Bang! Bang! Bang! Massillon would hit the line with glee. Bang! The whole Alliance team would pile desperately under the play; but no, somehow or other, someone or other had surreptitiously sneaked around the back way, and was beating it down the field for anywhere from ten yards to half the length of the field. In the second half Captain Hammersmith left the game with a new Charley horse, this time in his right leg. Reese went in at right end. Blackburn, whose trusty boot turned the trick in the Canton game, was in hard luck Saturday. A yellow streak in his right toe prevented several spectacular goals.
The teams lined up as follows:
Alliance Pos. Massillon
Jones le Kelly
Godddard lt Erb
Kallenbaugh lg Heyman
Tanner c Davis
Iden rg Blackburn
Sorn rt Clay
Mummert re Wells, Reese
Davis qb Atwater
Iger lh Hammersmith and Wells
Aloot rh Snavely
Newshutz fb Sonnhalter
Time of halves: 20 minutes.
Touchdowns:
Massillon – Sonnhalter 4; Hammersmith 3; Wells 2; Clay 1; Erb 1; Snavely 1.
Goals from touchdown:
Massillon – Blackburn 1; Heyman 3.
Referee – Merwin,
Linesman – Bloomberg.
Timekeepers – Hall and Coleman.
