MASSILLON CRUSHES YOUNGSTOWN SOUTH, 20-9
STEEL CITY ELEVEN CANNOT STOP MARCH OF LOCAL GRIDDERS
Massillon’s great scholastic football team, traveling under the orange and black banner of Washington high school, last Saturday marched a step nearer the scholastic championship of Ohio, when it defeated Youngstown South 20 to 9 at Youngstown in a scrappy engagement and hung up its fourth straight victory of the 1922 campaign. Hailed as one of the toughest teams on the local schedule, South was expect to give Coach David B. Stewart’s gridders a fight all the way. And they did but the youthful Tigers, imbued with a determination to keep their slate clean of defeats, just waded into the Mahoning county warriors, broke down their defense and plunged through for three touchdowns and two goals after touchdown.
South was held to a touchdown and field goal, the field goal coming in the second quarter and the touchdown in the first 15 minutes of play and hung up its final points in the second 15-minute period.
Although they invaded enemy territory for their fourth scholastic encounter, Coach Stewart’s lads played the same brand of football that brought them a 31 to 7 victory over Dayton Steele in their opening battle. It was largely a defensive game that Massillon played Saturday. The great defensive play of the orange and black, together with Hill’s excellent punting and a few snappy dashes through the Youngstown team by Hill and Ulrich made it possible for the local gridders to out score South without resorting to anything except straight football.
Coaches of teams still to be played by Massillon who were among the 4,000 spectators who witnessed the contest were disappointed if they expected Coach Stewart to instruct his gridders to open up. They left the contest knowing just as much about Massillon’s attack as they did before the game. The orange and black played the kind of football that did not require much outside of stiff defense and straight football on offense. Their method of attack made South attempt everything it knew in a desperate effort to score.
South, was forced to open up and during the last two quarters it tried desperately to score via the overhead route but for the most part its attempts were dismal failures.
Catch Asbaugh, of South, has the reputation of turning out teams that know how to handle the forward pass. He still seems to be able to work out plays for gaining by the air route but his team certainly was not able to make its aerial attack count for much Saturday against the watchful defense which Coach Stewart had built up against such a style of attack.
During the last 30 minutes South shot forward passes with reckless abandon. Nearly every time it gained possession of the leather it began to pass the oval to all corners of the lot. But the orange and blacks secondary defense was right on the play and the steel city gridders got away with very few of their desperate heaves.
Massillon won because it excelled on defense and had a big advantage in punting, both teams resorting frequently to the kicking game in an effort to gain ground by out punting their rivals. So far as weight was concerned the two teams were evenly matched although Youngstown reports of the game would seem to indicate that the orange and black eleven was composed of a group of giants when compared to the poor little South team which probably averaged very near the 175 pound mark.
Despite the fact that the game was played in Youngstown and that the three officials who handled the contest appeared more than eager to penalize Massillon for every slight offense and let South do as it pleased, Coach Stewart’s lads won, which is a positive indication that the local gridders, even under adverse conditions, can tackle an opponent of their own weight and beat them.
“Butch” Hill, Massillon’s great fullback, was the outstanding star of the contest. It was he who gave the orange and black a big advantage by his educated toe which sent different, twisting punts far up the field, on which Massillon gained ground nearly every time. It was Hill who tore through the South line three times for touchdowns. And it was Hill who played a bear of a game on defense.
But Hill was not the only Massillonian whose playing was noteworthy. Bill Edwards, rangy tackle, also was more or less of a bear on defense. Bill somehow got into nearly every play and once he wrapped his long arms around a Youngstown player that individual generally came to earth with a thud. Ted Roth, scrappy center, also did yeoman service, especially in breaking down South’s overhead attack. Hill and Ulrich were the only Massillon players able to gain much ground against South. Hill several times ripped his way through the Mahoning county team’s defense for substantial gains while Ulrich paved the way for one of Massillon’s touchdowns by a brilliant 47-yard dash through the center of the Youngstown line.
Although Hill, Edwards and Roth were the main cogs in Massillon’s victory the other lads Coach Stewart shoved into the fray also gave a good account of themselves. The strain of the hard conflict finally began to wear on the local team and the players showed signs of becoming tired in the final quarter. But the terrific pace which had been set also had its effect on South and the steel city athletes were on the ragged edge when the game was over.
The crowd of nearly 1,000 Massillon fans who journeyed to Youngstown to witness the encounter saw the orange and black accomplish what they hoped it would and they returned home happy. South high supporters though were a little crest-fallen. They expected to win. In fact many were absolutely convinced that the red and black machine would twist the tail of the Massillon Tiger. South appeared to have one of the greatest teams in its history but when pitted against the equally great machine, which Coach Stewart has developed, it paled in comparison.
How desperately South tried to score by the overhead route is shown by the fact that the eastern Ohio eleven tried 42 forward passes. Of this number it completed eight for a total yardage of 79. Two of them were good for 15-yard gains. Nine passes were intercepted by Massillon while 22 were not completed. Massillon attempted but two forwards, one of which was intercepted by South and the other was grounded, the ball going over South’s goal line and robbing Massillon of a touchdown.
South made more first downs than Massillon, most of these coming in the last two quarters when Massillon was playing a purely defensive game.
The first downs stood 12 for South and nine for Massillon. Massillon punted 24 times to 19 for South. In the matter of penalties Massillon drew a great many more than South, some of the penalties inflicted by the officials seeming a little too severe when it was considered that South was committing practically the same infringements and drawing no penalties whatever.
With both teams fighting fiercely to keep their rivals from gaining ground, the battle soon developed into a punting duel between Hill and Randolph and Hill had it all over the Youngstown foe. The Massillon star kept sending back wicked twisters the Youngstown players found hard to catch and on practically every exchange of punts Massillon gained ground. South’s defense appeared to tighten in the second half and the orange and black was not able to come within scoring distance except twice.
On one occasion left end Weirich intercepted a South pass and ran it back 40 yards before being downed on South’s two yard line. Four smashed at the Youngstown line failed to take the ball over. A little later Massillon again took the ball within South’s 20-yard line but was unable to put it over, attempting a forward pass on its fourth down which was grounded behind South’s goal.
FIRST QUARTER
South won the toss and Pflug kicked off and South was downed on its 22-yard line. Right off the bat Massillon drew a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness. South was held and Randolph punted over the line. The ball was put in play on Massillon’s 20-yard line. Ulrich went through South’s left tackle for a first down. Hill lost 15 on a bad pass from center and then punted out of bounds in mid-field. South fumbled and Hill covered for Massillon on South’s 42-yard line. Massillon lost the ball on downs and South immediately punted. Hill kicked back the ball going out on South’s 31-yard mark. The rivals exchanged punts twice before Thomas returned South’s second boot 25 yards to South’s 40-yard line. Hill plunged off South’s right tackle for 35 yards, carrying the ball to the five-yard line. Hill hit the same spot again but failed to gain. Captain Ulrich went through the South line taking the ball to the one-yard line from where Hill plunged through for Massillon’s first touchdown, nine minutes after play began. Thomas missed a try for goal.
South received and after an exchange of punts Ulrich signaled for a fair catch of a South punt on South’s 35-yard line. Edwards then tried for a field goal which went to one side, Potts gathering in the ball and racing to South’s 12-yard line before being downed. Ulrich lost five on an attempted double pass but Hill made it up by taking the ball to South’s 10-yard line on a dash around South’s right end. On the next play Hill carried the ball to within half a yard of South’s goal and went over on the next smash. Edwards kicked goal. The quarter ended a short time later with Massillon in possession of the ball on South’s 20-yard line.
SECOND QUARTER
Massillon attempted a forward, which was intercepted by Randolph. Referee Kreach, of Case, ruled that tackle Salberg of Massillon had slugged Randolph and ejected the Massillon man from the game, penalizing Massillon half the distance to its goal. South made a first down on plunges and then George drop kicked the ball over from the 25-yard line for South’s first points. With Hill out punting Randolph and Thomas generally returning South’s punts 10 to 25 yards, Massillon soon worked the ball back into South territory. Then Ulrich dashed through the South team for a gain of 47 yards carrying the ball to South’s two-yard line. Hill failed in his first dash into the South line but the next time he went over for Massillon’s third touchdown and Edwards again kicked goal. During the remainder of the quarter play was confined to the mid section of the gridiron.
THIRD QUARTER
With the start of the third quarter South’s defense seemed to take on added strength and it began to open up attempting numerous forward passes. South attempted 17 heaves in this period only four of which were completed. It was a pass, Perilla to Cook, that was good for 15 yards that put South in position to score its only touchdown. Following this pass Perilla plowed through the Massillon line for a 15-yard gain, taking the ball to the five-yard mark. Two plunges into the orange and black forward wall failed to gain but on the third play Davies went off Massillon’s left tackle for South’s touchdown. Goal was missed. South continued its desperate overhead attack, which was continually broken up by the alert Massillon lads. The quarter ended with South in possession of the ball in mid-field. It was in this period that Weirich intercepted a South pass and carried the ball back to South’s two-yard line. Then four line plays failed to dint the Youngstown line and Massillon lost the ball on downs.
FOURTH QUARTER
In the final period play zig-zagged over the center of the field until near the end of the period when Boerner intercepted a South forward and carried the ball to South’s 11-yard line. Massillon then attempted a forward but it went astray, landing behind the goal line and it was South’s ball on the 20-yard mark. Both teams resorting to punting during the closing minutes, the game ending with the ball near mid-field.
Four In A Row
Massillon – 20 Position South – 9
Potts LE Evans
Edwards LT Whitley
Kallaker LG Garns
Roth C Armstrong
Pflug RG Gintz (c)
Salberg RT Welsh
Jamison RE Cook
Ulrich (c) Q Randolph
Thomas LH Perilla
Boerner RH Lewis
Hill F Marrie
Score by Quarters:
Massillon 13 7 0 0 – 20
South 0 3 6 0 – 9
Substitutions: Massillon – Rohr for Salberg, Weirich for Potts,
Define for Thomas, Potts for Manison, Thomas for Define,
Miller for Rohr.
South – George for Marrie, Baker for Randolph, Marrie for
George, Dahman for Lewis, Davies for Baker, Blackman for
Lewis, Nelson for Evans.
Touchdowns: Hill 3, Davies.
Goals after touchdown: Edwards 2.
Field Goal: George.
Referee – Kreach, Case.
Umpire – McKay, Brown.
Headlinesman – Pickerel, O.S.U.
Timers – McCoombs, Leads.
Time of quarters – 15 minutes.
