SAUER RACES THROUGH MASSILLON TO GIVE SOUTH HI 19-0 VICTORY
SCORES 18 POINTS ON BRILLIANT RUNS; TIGERS LACK PUNCH
‘Twas a Sauer day for Akron, Saturday, but a bit more sour for Massillon than Akron for the maroon and gold of South high school swept over the orange and black of Washington high to score a 19 to 0 victory.
It was sour for Massillon because the defeat was a bitter pill for the local team to swallow, and it was Sauer for Akron, because a young gentleman by that name scored 18 points and also helped in scoring the 19th point.
Sauer was sweet. It sounds funny but true nevertheless. And his speed and manner of running quite upset the youthful tigers of Washington high, for twice he slipped away for runs of 70 yards for touchdowns and ran so fast that as a spectator said, “even his shadow had a hard time keeping up with him.”
With the cool air brushed over the field by a moderate wind, and the autumn sun concealed behind a blanket of clouds, the day was a fitting one for a football game.
Orange and black streamed from many a coat lapel as did the gaudy maroon and gold colors of the rabid Akron rooters who went wild with joy when they saw the tow-headed Bill Sauer rush into the game in the second period when everything appeared headed for a Massillon victory.
Why all the flash of color and noise from the Akron stands just because a substitute was entering the game? queried Massillon fans. Just something to yell about. The Massillonians had done all the yelling so far for their team was the only one to score a first down or even come close to scoring.
But the folks of the would-be Zeppelin city had an idea of what was about to happen for they knew that Bill Sauer is the fastest runner in Akron and isn’t slowed down a bit when in football togs.
That was in the first few minutes of the second period. Previous to that Massillon fans had seen their hopes rise and fade when the youthful tigers carried the ball deep into South territory, once to the 13-yard line, only to lose it on downs. South hadn’t even worked the ball into Massillon territory and when Sauer entered the game the locals were in possession of the ball in midfield. Twice the orange and black slashed the Akron line, for gains of seven yards but a yard was lost on the third attempt. With fourth down coming, the tow-headed substitute, dropped back from a halfback position to safety man. Coach Weltner chuckled. John Kester punted, and Sauer ran. Catching the ball on his own 28-yard line he eluded two tacklers and headed for the sideline. Like a horse with the string-halt he ran, only there wasn’t any “halt”. Legs kicking high, knees nearly touching his chin, Sauer was a difficult gridder to tackle, and before the Massillon players or fans knew what had happened, he was behind the goal line, waiting for the referee to catch his breath in order to blow his whistle.
That turned the tide of battle. After Sauer had passed to Larson, an end, for the extra point, the Massillon eleven went back in the game, somewhat downhearted, but far from beaten at any rate. A few minutes later Sauer fumbled and Slinger scooped up the ball and raced back to the Akron 10-yard line before being tackled, but the referee ruled the play out and gave Akron the ball. That was a tough break for the local eleven. The bark of the timekeeper’s gun kept the youthful tigers from another chance to score when the half ended with them in possession of the ball on the Akron 23-yard line.
Sauer was placed on the bench when the second half started. Weltner awaiting an opportunity to duplicate his stunt of the second period. It came, not in the third quarter but at the beginning of the fourth period. Massillon had just shown a burst of offense that carried the ball to the 11-yard line, threatening to tie the score, but fumbled on the first down, Akron recovering. The Akron gridders then began their only real offensive march of the day. They paraded from the 11-yard line to the Massillon eight-yard line before the third quarter ended. But with the orange and black bracing, and the South backs weakening under the battering they took in carry the ball down the field, Weltner beckoned to Sauer, and the human bit of lightning sped toward the two teams already lined up to play. There’s no need telling the rest but just to complete the story, Sauer tucked the ball under his arm and plunged across the goal line for his second touchdown. This time his pass was knocked down by Lewis, and the extra point was foiled.
But the lineup credits Sauer with six more points.
A few minutes later he took the ball from scrimmage on a shift play, which many Massillon fans thought to be illegal, galloped for 70 yards and a touchdown. This time his pass to Porter was complete, but the referee stepped in, declared the point did not count. That concluded the scoring for the day and did it with a spectacular finish.
Followers of sport have heard of a lot about one-man teams, and Saturday’s game furnished a good example. When Sauer wasn’t in the fray the orange and black outplayed the Akronites, but with the big-tow-head in the lineup, the maroon and gold gridders not only showed their offensive punch but braced on defense and stopped the attacks of the local backs.
The Massillon gridders solved the baffling formation of the South gladiators too late to do any good, other than giving the Massillon fans the unexcelled pleasure of seeing the ghost of the Akron team tossed for losses instead of gains.
But in spite of the score, the orange and black made eight first downs, only two less than the number totaled by the Akron gridders. The youthful tigers, however, were helped out somewhat in their efforts to carry the ball by penalties, while South frequently lost ground through the power of the referee. The Akron gridders were penalized 100 yards, while the youthful tigers were set back 55 yards.
South’s tight pass defense made the local eleven look foolish when attempting to use the aerial game. Thirteen times signals were called for forward passes. Twelve times the ball was batted down and once it was intercepted but on one of the occasions, the referee ruled that an Akron gridder interfered with a Massillon man’s attempt to try to catch the ball and declared the pass completed.
Akron only tried four passes, two of which were completed for a gain of 20 yards. The others were wasted.
The Washington high gridders missed George Hess in the backfield. Hess, who was ineligible, would have provided the extra offensive punch that might have enabled the local team to have bucked across a touchdown. As it was, “Chip” Hollwager probably played the best offensive game for the local eleven, although Schnierle, who is an in and outer, made two good runs. Kester’s punts, as usual, kept the ball in Akron territory the greater part of the game.
Massillon fans were given the run around as soon as they entered Akron. In the first place, the road, over which they were directed to the stadium by an official of South high, was closed, and the machines had to detour. Then when they reached the field, the local sport enthusiasts, at least a great many of them, had to march clear around the fence before they found the entrance gate. After that, well that has already been told. Sauer did the rest of running around. The playing field, however, was covered with about as good a sod as any field the local eleven has trod upon this season, making it easier falling than on the pebbles of Massillon Field.
After Coach McGrew realized he was hopelessly beaten he freshened his ranks with many substitutes in order to give them experience in varsity competition for next year.
Lineup and summary:
Massillon Pos. Akron South
Schnierle LE Winkleman
Slinger LT Robinson
Fisher LG Kraus
Potts C Huth
Blatz RG Hartz
Goodman RT Burke
Houriet RE Larson
Lewis QB Porter
Hollwager LH Gablac
Kester RH Brundage
Buttermore FB Hedderly
Score by periods:
South 0 7 0 12 19
Substitutions:
Massillon – Watkins re, Mann lg, Worthington, fb, Hess lh, Garland rt, Francis rh, Malone re, Geis rt, Willison c, Herman lt, Minger rf, Pfister lg, Toles lh.
South – Sauer lh, Perry c, Kazan lg.
Touchdowns – Sauer 3.
Point after touchdown – Larson (pass)
Referee—Kirk.
Umpire—Daum.
Headlinesman—Anderson.
