MASSILLON AND NEW PHILADELPHIA BATTLE TO SCORELESS TIE IN ANNUAL TILT
PENALTIES HINDER ATTACK OF ORANGE AND BLACK RUNNERS

With rivalry at white heat, New Philadelphia fans cheering and Massillon fans booing, the orange and black of Washington high and the red and black of New Philadelphia high battled to a scoreless tie at the latter city, Saturday afternoon.

Tired and weary were the two elevens as they plodded from the field at the close of the game, and tired were the fans who were in the bleachers 45 minutes longer than necessary due to the late arrival of the Massillon team, but the person who minded it most was Referee Hamm who stepped off 100 yards in penalties inflicted on the Massillon team, thereby proving himself the best ball carrier of the day.

The many penalties inflicted on the local eleven, principally for holding and offside, brought a storm of protest from the Massillon delegation of 1,200 rooters who were huddled in one section of the bleachers. They saw their team score a touchdown that would have meant a victory and saw the ball brought back and put into play again. They saw the official step off a quartette of 15-yard penalties and a quintette of five yard penalties, that interfered with nearly every attempt to advance the ball. And with the final crack of the gun, a section of this embittered crowd, swept upon the field, fists clenched, ready for action, but was finally dispersed by a squad of police ready for just such a demonstration. Fists flew at intervals, but fortunately no one was injured and the prompt action of the law saved further trouble.

But in spite of the penalties, whether fair or unfair, the game ended with a score that compared favorably with the play of the two teams. Whether or not the orange and black could have scored a touchdown had not penalties interfered no one knows, for the New Philadelphia line was scrapping and scrapping hard. Neither team showed any great offense, both scoring but two first downs each, although the local eleven gained by far the most ground from scrimmage.

The “touchdown” was scored in the last few minutes of play when Jack Schnierle intercepted a New Philadelphia pass on the 35-yard line and scampered across the goal. But the ball was called back, the headlinesman declaring that Hollwager interfered with the supposed receiver, and New Philadelphia was given the ball at the point where the alleged interference occurred. A wild howl went up from the Massillon stands when Schnierle scored the “touchdown,” but an even greater noise rent the air when the ball was brought back, the Massillon fans adding their boos to the bedlam that took place.

With the six points ruled out, the local gridders got angry for the first time in the game and showed their best offense of the day. They carried the ball two minutes later to the red and black’s 34-yard line where Hollwager fumbled and Hensel recovered for New Philadelphia. A minute later they started another offensive march which was stopped abruptly by a 15-yard penalty for holding, and the game came to a finish a few seconds later.

The last minute attack was the only offense the Washington high eleven uncorked. In the first place, it was playing nothing but straight football and in the second place could do little against the fighting forward wall of the red and black and the penalty hazard.

The strength of the red and black’s line was somewhat surprising although it lived up to the advance dope that the game would be a similar battle to the Conneaut affair of a week ago. The Tuscarawas county gridders, however, were even less helpless on the offense than the local team, ball carriers frequently being tossed for losses, but while Massillon was penalized 100 yards during times in which it was in possession of the ball, the red and black was set back but 15 yards when it had the pigskin. One other penalty was charged up to New Philadelphia when the local eleven had the ball but it did not help the orange and black any for it followed a 15-yard penalty inflicted on Washington high on the previous play.

An argument ensued between halves between Coach Elmer McGrew and the referee, over clipping which occurred a few seconds before the end of the half, Houriet was clipped from behind while going down under a punt. The officials saw the clipping but declared that it occurred after the ball had been caught and carried out of bounds by the New Philadelphia safety man. The result was that New Philadelphia was given the ball at the point where the runner went out of bounds, Captain Potts declining a penalty which would have made a difference of about two yards in the position of the ball. However had the clipping occurred before the runner went out of bounds then New Philadelphia would have been penalized nearly to its goal line. The referee argued that his eyesight was good but from the sidelines it appeared that the runner was fully eight yards inside the boundary line when Houriet was clipped.

The red and black counted the game as somewhat of a moral victory. Rooters were enthusiastic over the scoreless tie and in spite of the fact that all the breaks were against the local eleven the wearers of red and black ribbons had a right to be proud of the scrappy game their team put up.

The Massillon eleven should make certain after this that it gets to the field on time. Fans waited in the bleachers 45 minutes after game time before the local team appeared on the field. At least one-half hour of the delay was due to a broken axle on the bus when the team was dressed and ready to leave the school for the field, but barring the accident the Massillon team would have been 20 minutes late.

The officials were prepared to step off a 25-yard penalty for being tardy but did not do so at the request of officials of New Philadelphia high school, which Massillon fans consider very sportsmanlike.

Watkins showed well at halfback in his first game in the backfield, while the playing of Potts and Houriet on the ends was the feature of the Massillon play. Honors were even between Kester and Knauss in punting.

Whether or not the referee was partial to New Philadelphia, Massillon fans can settle in their own minds, but it is not good sportsmanship to threaten to “beat up” the officials. It leaves a bad reputation for the school and makes it all the more difficult to obtain good officiating.

Lineup and summary:

Massillon Pos. New Phila.
Potts LE Keiser
Slinger LT Sherer
Fisher LG Hensel
Lewis C Alexander
Blatz RG Wheatley
Goodman RT Bebout
Houriet RE Douds
Worthington QB Rohrbach
Kester HB Byrd
Watkins HB Foutz
Hollwager FB Knauss

Substitutions:
Massillon – Schnierle for Watkins, Minger for Potts, Potts for Fisher, Francis for Hollwager, Garland for Potts;
New Philadelphia – Marsh for Bebout, Hurst for Keiser, Bebout for Marsh, Hammond for Bebout.

Referee—Hamm (Kenyon).
Umpire—Burghalter (Heidelberg).
Headlinesman—Kiefer (Ohio State).