MIKE BYELENE STARS AS TIGERS WIN 8 IN ROW
Massillon Quarterback Scores Four Touchdowns, Two on Long runs, As Columbus East Is Swamped 52-0
By LUTHER EMERY
Silent Mike Byelene, who lets a pleasant grin do his talking for him, came into his own Saturday afternoon as the Washington high Tigers rolled over Columbus East to their eighth triumph of the season and 18th in succession. Playing before 2,000 fans, the smallest home crowd of the season, Mike, who waited two years to become a started, scored four touchdowns in the first half as the Tigers piled up 52 points to the visitors’ none.
Scores On Long Runs
He ran 58 yards for a touchdown on the second play of the game. Ripped through for 16 yards and another, 50 yards for the third and jogged 12 yards on the fourth.
There’s nothing Capt. Mike would rather do than play football and he’s a plugger, an inspiration to the rest of the team. They block for Mike and he blocks for them.
On his two long jaunts Mike was given expert interference, though he did some fancy stepping himself to shake loose a couple of tacklers who nearly grounded him.
Bob Glass, who likes to carry the ball himself, was in there battling for Mike, Saturday, helping him to get points. Bob had the pleasure of knocking over the last Columbus East tackler on Mike’s 16-yard run and he got a man out of the way on the 58-yard dash too.
Tigers On Upgrade
It was not all Byelene Saturday afternoon, however. The Tigers as a whole are on the upgrade again and only their passing attack looked ragged. They only completed six of 22, in most instances the ball just narrowly missing the receiver. The field was rather heavy and perhaps that threw the timing off a bit.
There was little left to be desired, however, in the running of the point-a-minute foursome. Byelene, Glass, Snyder and Herring probably could have scored 100 points had they been left in the ball game all afternoon.
However, in possession of a 26-0 lead, Glass and Herring, who played their first ball in two weeks, were taken out at the start of the second period and replaced by Shrake and Dixon. Bob Swoger, also relieved Junior Anderson at the same time. The revamped lineup scored two more touchdowns and increased the lead to 39-0, at half time and gave the second team a chance. The Tiger second stringers played the entire second half and although they were held scoreless the third period, they came back in the fourth to twice cross the Columbus goal and increase the total for the afternoon to 52 points.
Dick Shrake, Phil Pizzino and Dudley Dixon did some neat ball carrying for the Tiger youngsters and would have scored even more points the last half had not penalties for holding continually slowed their attack. Then too, the second stringers found a good passing combination in Shrake to Edwards. It clicked for one touchdown and a point after touchdown and worked successfully on other occasions.
24 First Downs
First down statistics are more impressive than the score. Massillon made 24 to East’s three. Twenty-four first down as a rule are good for more than 52 points especially when you have long runs for touchdowns, but the fact that the Tigers were penalized 15 yards on six different occasions, discloses why more points were not scored. Then too, they did not punt Saturday, another testimonial to their offense.
East came to Massillon, admittedly without an offense but determined to hold the Tigers to as low a score as possible. Coach Webster, giant tutor of the Orientals, who has given Ohio State many a fine athlete, was loud in his praise of the Tiger eleven after the game. He declared Massillon could beat Middletown, one of south central Ohio’s best teams, by 30 points and he ought to know, his team has played both.
Except for passing, East had nothing to show Massillon in an offensive way. The Orientals completed five passes for 54 yards but couldn’t put two and two together for any sustained drive and as a result were shut up on their own side of the field all afternoon.
Late comers to Saturday’s game missed the first two touchdowns so fast did the Massillon varsity strike. Coach Paul Brown decided to give Glass and Herring, who have been nursing sore legs, a chance to warm up a few minutes and started them in the ball game.
Score Rapidly
East, electing to play a defensive game, kicked off and Charley Anderson lugged the ball back to the 34-yard line. Echo Herring took it to the Massillon 42 and on the next play Byelene came around his left side for a 58-yard run and a touchdown. Glass kicked goal.
Again East kicked off and this time, Anderson brought the ball back 40 yards to midfield. He was past the last Columbus player but was hauled down from behind. Byelene hurled a 34-yard pass to Anderson that put the ball on the 16-yard line and Mike running behind fine interference skirted his left end for the second touchdown and Glass placekicked the extra point.
The Columbus gridders kicked off a third straight time Glass coming back with the ball to his 35. The Tigers marched forward, despite a 15-yard penalty for illegal use of the hands and finally planted the ball for a first down on the Columbus 10. Herring skirted his right end for the touchdown. Glass’ attempted kick for the extra point went wide of the uprights and the score was 20-0.
That was all for Glass, Herring and Junior Anderson. They sat on the bench the rest of the ball game. Columbus likewise chose to receive after the touchdown, but soon punted, the ball rolling out of bounds on the Massillon 36. Shrake took the ball to the 50-yard line and Byelene again cut loose, this time running 50 yards for a touchdown.
The Tigers were on their way to another as the first quarter ended at 26-0.
Getting the ball on the Columbus 36 as a result of a punt that went straight up, Pizzino and Shrake carried to the four-yard line where Shrake skirted his left end for a touchdown, Anderson kicked the extra point.
After the following kickoff, the visitors put two forward passes together for two first downs that advanced the ball to the Tiger 47-yard line. It was the closest they got to the Massillon goal all afternoon.
Intercepted Pass Starts Drive
Snavely speared one of Newhouses’ passes when it came down the alley and was downed on his 48. Shrake, Pizzino and Anderson carried the ball to the 12-yard line where Mike sneaked through for his fourth touchdown of the game. Charley Anderson’s attempted kick for the extra point was wide. That ended the scoring in the first half.
A complete new Massillon team took over the game for the Tigers in the second half. The Tiger cubs’ first drive ended on the Columbus 34-yard line where Newhouse intercepted Shrake’s pass. The Tigers again came into possession of the ball on their own 27-yard line and despite a 15-yard penalty, advanced the ball to the eight-yard line where the third period ended with neither team having scored. On the third play of the fourth quarter, Dudley Dixon went over from the one-yard line and Shrake heaved a pass to Edwards for the extra point.
Three 15-yard penalties for holding and illegal use of the hands were mixed in with the Tigers next offensive march, but despite the losses they carried the ball from their 27-yard line to the last touchdown of the ball game, a 10-yard pass, Shrake to Edwards, producing the touchdown. The attempt for the extra point failed.
The Beach City high school band was a guest of the Tiger management Saturday.
Today the Tigers continue their preparations for the Massillon-Canton game two weeks hence. They will journey to Barberton Saturday afternoon, but expect to take the Magics in stride.
18 Straight Wins
Massillon Pos. Columbus East
Gillom LE Pennell
J. Anderson LT Louis
Wyatt LG Gunning
Snavely C Scarberry
Miller RG Walker
Peters RT Schaad
C. Anderson RE Martin
Byelene QB Newhouse
Herring LH Chandler
Snyder RH Staker
Glass FB Hunter
Score by periods:
Massillon 26 13 0 13 52
Substitutions: Massillon – MacMichael, t; Toles, e; Shrake, qb; Edwards, rg; Herman, rh; Pizzino, fb; Swoger, t; Lee, c; B. Miller, t; Greenfelder, g; Howard, g; Wurzbacher, e; Lucius, g; Dixon, hb; Harsh, t; Sedjo, g; Endress.
East – White, e; Gilnski, e; Louther, t; Jamison, t; Harrison, g; Case, hb; Kile, hb.
Touchdowns:
Massillon – Byelene 4; Herring; Shrake; Dixon; Edwards.
Points after touchdowns:
Massillon – Glass 2, Anderson (placekicks); Edwards (pass).
Referee – Lobach.
Umpire – Rang.
Head Linesman – Williams.
