WASHINGTON HIGH GRIDDERS DEFEAT TIFFIN JUNIORS IN DRIVING RAIN 7 TO 0
LONG RUN BY KESTER PUTS BALL IN PLACE FOR WINNING POINTS
By LUTHER EMERY
WASHINGTON high school gridders splashed through a driving rain to their first victory of the season Friday evening when they defeated Tiffin Junior Home 7-0 on Massillon Field.
Old Jupiter Pluvius played a more prominent part in the game than any individual in football uniform and Washington high can attribute its victory to his sprinkling system.
Handle Ball Better
Better handling of the slippery ball was responsible for the victory. If there are any three individuals on the Massillon team who deserve extra credit for the triumph, they are Schott, center, Foster who did part of the punting and Kester who not only helped to boot the ball but who cut loose with a long return of a punt from his own 38-yard line to the
one-yard line that made possible the Tigers’ only touchdown.
Kester placed the team in scoring position, and Schott’s good passing of the slippery ball gave the Juniors no chance for a break, while the Tigers following the ball like hawks, pounced upon nearly every Tiffin fumble and in that way stopped the offensive thrusts of the visitors.
The Juniors fumbled and fumbled, and often poor passes from center slowed down the punter with the result that the Tigers blocked several kicks. In practically every instance a Washington high player was on the bottom of the pileups which occurred after three misplays. On the other hand, but few fumbles were made by the local team and only one kick was blocked and that, fortunately, was recovered by a Massillon player.
Juniors Gain More Ground
In ground gaining the Junior gridders were superior and more reckless than the Massillon ball toters who chose to stick to a defensive game and take no chances after scoring the touchdown. The Juniors pushed through to 10 first downs, getting four in the first quarter, three in the second, one in the third and two in the fourth. Washington high on the other hand made but three first downs, two in the second period and another in the fourth.
Though playing under the worst conditions, the Tigers showed more fight to the 1,000 fans who braved the elements, than they have displayed in any other game this season. Tackling for the most part was more vicious than it has been and while the offense showed but little, the smashes of Williams were more like the thrusts the Massillon fullback delivered last year. Clendening did nothing with the ball but he did make a couple of fierce tackles when he stood Junior Home players on their heads as they came streaking by the line of scrimmage. K. Monroe broke into the lineup for the first time in several weeks and played a fine game.
The outstanding player, however, was not a Massillon man, but Horace Anderson tall Junior fullback whose speed made fans wonder just what he might have done to the local team on a dry field.
Anderson and R. Perry in the very first period streaked through the Massillon offense for long runs which carried the ball from the Tiffin 40 to the Massillon 15-yard line, where Schott recovered a Tiffin fumble on the first down. The Tigers punted back to the 40 but runs by R. Perry and a pass, R. Perry to Anderson, took the ball to a first down on the seven-yard line. W. Perry smashed through to the one-yard line on the next play and here the Tigers braced and showed their greatest strength of the season. They turned back the next three drives and took possession of the ball on their three-yard line.
That ended Tiffin’s two scoring opportunities in the first half. In the last two periods the Juniors twice carried the ball far into Massillon territory but lost it on fumbles.
Williams Scores Touchdown
The only time Washington high got any distance beyond midfield was when it scored. Three minutes and 45 seconds of the second period had expired when Kester snared a Tiffin punt on his own 38-yard line, and after being apparently stopped wriggled out of a huddle of players, reversed his field and raced to the one-yard line where he was stopped. On the next play, Williams crashed through the center of the line for a touchdown, and likewise bucked over the extra point.
The Massillon eleven never had another opportunity to score and for the most part played its offensive football in its own territory, punting on third down because of the slippery condition of the field.
The rain was a severe blow to the athletic treasury, for it undoubtedly would have been the best paying home tilt on the Tigers’ schedule. Yet in spit of the downpour, there were a thousand or more folks in the bleachers to witness the event which had been heavily advertised in surrounding cities. The Junior Order band of Canton was present and played before the game but left the field as soon as the rain began to fall. The Washington high band likewise was forced to scatter before the end of the first half. A play by play description was broadcast from the sidelines through amplifying equipment.
Summary
Massillon Pos. Junior Home
Heisler LE W. Schlemmer
W. Monroe LT Rich
Schimke LG C. Newkirk
Schott C Henry Anderson
W. Toles RG Peacock
Adams RT Whoolery
Getz RE Cartwright
Knowlton QB W. Perry
Singer LH Herron
Kester RH R. Perry
Williams FB Horace Anderson
Score by periods:
Massillon 0 7 0 0 7
Substitutions:
Massillon – Brunker, le; K. Monroe, rg; Foster, lh; Singer, lg; Shrake, qb; Clendening, qb; Porter, lg; Amic, fb; Beck, lt; Shackleton, le; Shattuck, hb; Bender, re; Krug, rt; Mudd, Gump; Ripple.
Junior Home – G. Hamlin, qb; A. Hamlin, re; Fuller, e; M. Newkirk, lg; Thompson, rt; Broughton, qb; Mylers, c.
Touchdown:
Massillon – Williams.
Point after touchdown:
Massillon – Williams (line buck).
Officials:
Referee – Howells.
Umpire – Shafer.
Head Linesman – Barrett.
Time of periods: 12 minutes.
