WASHINGTON HIGH SHOWS POWER IN CRUSHING AKRON ST. VINCENT’S 39-0
FORWARD WALL RIPS IRISH LINE TO BITS AS TIGER BACKS ROMP
By LUTHER EMERY
One for the money, two for the show, three to make ready and – whoopee! Three touchdowns in the last period. That’s the way it went for 5,000 fans last night when Washington high school’s 35 Tigers opened the 1933 football season in a very suspicious manner with a 39-0 victory over the fighting Irish of Akron St. Vincent’s high school.
[
Scoring a touchdown in each of the first three periods, the Massillon team waited until the final quarter to make a complete route of it and then it was the second stringers and not the regulars that put the finishing touches to the crushing defeat.
Linemen Actually Won Game
Though the backfield men showed their dash and color, football games are won and lost on the line and that’s where Friday evening’s victory was made possible.
Weighing 170 pounds from tip to tip and supported by two young giants at tackle, the forward wall was impregnable on defense and blasted big holes in the Saints line when the Tigers took the offense. The wave of interference that bowled over would be Irish tacklers was the finest Tiger fans have seen in a long time. The linemen and blockers opened wide paths for the ball carrier in off tackle smashes and threw everything but the goal posts at the ends when they circled the wings of the Irish line.
Without a line in front of him, a backfield man can do nothing. Henry Krier got nowhere as a ball carrier with last year’s light forward wall to support him, but he could not be stopped last night when the heavy Massillon boys cut him a path.
Tigers Too Heavy For Saints
St. Vincent’s had a scrappy team but was out weighed eight pounds to a man. A good little man can frequently whip a big slow man but a good little man has little chance or no chance against a big fast man and that about sizes up the helpless condition of the Saints last night. The Tigers are not only big, but are fast. Their line averages 170 pounds and their backfield 166 pounds and Krier and McCants, the heavy weights of the raiding foursome can run neck and neck with Shrake and Shertzer, the smaller boys. Furthermore Steve Birkish, the heaviest man on the team, 207 pounds, surprised fans with his speed in the opening minutes of the game when he went down under the first punt to tackle the safety man just as he caught the ball.
A sweeping victory was just what the Tigers needed, in the opinion of the high school’s board of strategy for confidence is what an inexperienced team needs and five of the six players that started last night were playing their first varsity game. Furthermore, several of the substitutes looked every bit as good as their hand picked brothers that started the game and this will create greater rivalry within the team itself.
There was no stopping the Massillon eleven last night and St. Vincent’s has only three fumbles and a penalty to thank that two or three more touchdowns were not scored against them. Once the Tigers fumbled ad lost the ball after Sharke had carried it to the five-yard line on a brilliant dash of 35 yards, the prettiest run of the game. He might have carried it over, for there was no one between him and the goal posts but he became overbalanced sidestepping the safety man and fell. On another occasion McCants raced 24 yards around right end and across the goal but the ball was brought back and Massillon penalized 15 yards for holding. On two other occasions the Tigers fumbled a triple pass within the
20-yard stripe after determined marching down the field.
Pass, Saints Only Weapon
Where the Tigers relied on power plays and end runs for gains and tried but two forward passes one of which was completed for a gain of 34 yards, St. Vincent’s found the forward pass its only offensive weapon and pegged the ball 17 times. On five occasions the ball fell into the arms of a receiver for a total gain of 69 yards.
Massillon’s drive netted 18 first downs to seven for the Irish.
Most remarkable of all was the condition of the Massillon team. Only twice during the game was time taken out for a Massillon player, Krier and Shrake each having the wind knocked out once.
The Tigers let it be known from the start that they meant business. Shrake was downed with the kickoff on the 20-yard line and there the march got underway. Shrake made three yards at left end and McCants plunged for five. Krier made it first down on the Massillon 35-yard line. McCants failed to gain but Sharke hit through left tackle for seven yards and McCants picked up 11 more for a first down on the Saints’ 47-yard stripe. It was a spinner play. St. Vincent’s was penalized five yards for offside. McCants made three yards at left guard and then waded through a pileup for a first down on the Saints 31-yard line. St. Vincent’s took time out. Play was resumed with Shrake circling left end for five yards. He then came around left end on a reverse for a 14-yard dash to the 12-yard line. Krier hit right tackle for seven yards and made it first down with two yards to go. On the next play, McCants plunged through center for the first touchdown and Krier placekicked the extra point. That ended the scoring of the first quarter.
Krier Runs 25 Yards
The last two plays of the first period paved the way for the second touchdown of the game. Porter was downed with a St. Vincent’s punt on the Saints’ 34-yard line. McCants tore through center for nine yards on a delayed buck. Here the period ended. With the ball on the 25-yard line, Krier circled right end for a touchdown on the first play of the second quarter. He also placekicked the extra point.
It was in this period that St. Vincent’s got nearest the Massillon goal. The Saints gained the ball through a fumble on their own 33-yard line. Aided by a 36-yard pass, Krasowski to Zeno, the ball was carried to the Tigers’ 11-yard line, where Zeno’s pass on the fourth down was wide and Massillon took possession of the ball. The half ended with the score
14-0 in favor of the Tigers.
Monrie and Lohr got the ball in position for the Tigers to score their touchdown of the third period when they blocked a punt on the Saints’ 35-yard line. The pigskin was no more than put into play until Krier again raced 35 yards on a reverse around right end for a touchdown. He was given excellent interference on this play, McCants alone seemingly mowing down half a dozen Akron players. Krier’s attempted placekick was wide. The third period ended with the score 20-0.
Subs Produce Points
Touchdowns came in rapid succession in the fourth quarter, a steady stream of substitutes seeming to propel rather than retard the Massillon offense.
McCants on the opening play of the fourth quarter skirted right end for a touchdown but the ball was called back and Massillon was penalized 15 yards for holding. Back to the
40-yard line, the Tigers set out to make up the loss. Shertzer’s pass was wild but Shrake scampered around left end to the 20-yard line where he was downed out of bounds under a pileup of Irishmen. The Saints were penalized for this and the ball was put in play on the five-yard stripe. McCants went over on the first play for a touchdown and Krier placekicked the extra point.
With Mellinger downed with a punt on the Saints’ 45-yard line, Willie Hutsel, the smallest of the team broke loose for three runs that carried the ball to the 29-yard line. Mellinger made six on a double reverse and Mansbury took it to the 16-yard line for a first down. He made six more yards on a center plunge and on the next play went over on a spinner for a touchdown. A poor pass from center hurried his attempted placekick that was blocked by the Saints’ players.
Mellinger Returns Punt 30 Yards
Mellinger’s 30 yard return of a punt placed the ball on the six-yard line in position for the sixth and next touchdown of the game. Mansbury went over on a plunge through center for the score. His attempted placekick was wide of the goal posts.
Both coaches used every member of their squads in the game, Coach Paul Brown giving
35 players a chance to perform.
There was color and plenty of it last night and the remodeled stadium with its heavy green turf and painted bleachers brought forth words of praise everywhere. The finest high school field in this section was the usual comment, and that’s just what it is, barring none.
Never before has a Washington band been given an ovation like that accorded the local musicians when they swept by the Tiger stands dressed in their neat and flashy uniforms with a drum major at the head that many a college would like to have. The band played and played well, the fruit of many nights of “vacation” rehearsals.
The new turf, though torn up considerably will have three weeks to take root again, and groundskeepers are not worrying over its condition for the next home game Friday evening, Oct. 13 with New Philadelphia. The refreshment stand did a rushing business from its new location and the score board kept the crowd informed as to score, downs, minutes to play and yards to go.
The line up and summary:
Massillon Pos St. Vincent’s
Lohr LE J. Roach
Birkish LT Sutter
Porter LG G. Siegferth
Monroe C Suscinski
Snavely RG Ahern
Buggs RT Yenchik
Heisler RE Holt
Shertzer QB F. Siegferth
Krier LH Krasowski
McCants FB Walsh
Shrake RH Zeno
Score by quarters:
Massillon 7 7 6 19 39
Substitutions:
Massillon – Hutsell, lh; Chovan, lh; Cary, le; Mason qb; Dietz, le; Dutton, qb; Mellinger, rh; Smith, lg; Sladovic, fb; McDew, re; J. Schimke, rg; Peters, rt; Russ, lg; Greenfelder, re; Toles, rh; Price, lt; Wolfe, rt; Graybill, c; Willison, rt; L. Russ, qb; Molinski, c; Morningstar, c; G. Schinke, re; Mansbury, fb.
St. Vincent’s – O’Nell, t; Carano, g; L. Gorbach, c; Tardo, g; La Presti, t; Juhass, hb; Maker, fb; Mattucci, hb; V. Blandin, qb; McGinnis, qb; Mundy, e; T. Roach, e; Richards ,e.
Touchdowns:
Massillon – McCants 2; Krier 2; Mansbury 2.
Points after touchdown:
Massillon – Krier 2 (placekicks).
Referee – Jenkins (Akron).
Umpire – Watkins (Wooster).
Head Linesman – Kelly (Kenyon).
