TIGER GRIDDERS CRUSH STEUBENVILLE FOR 19th VICTORY
GEORGE SLUSSER SETS PACE IN 50-0 TRIUMPH
Scores Three Touchdowns, Throws Passes For Two Others; Huge Crowd See Undefeated Massillon Machine Roll Onward
By LUTHER EMERY
Steubenville’s Big Red wave was only another ripple on the Ohio river today, as the Washington high Tigers calmed the troubled waters with a 50-0 victory before 10,000 fans Friday evening, a record football crowd for Steubenville.
Displaying the same steam roller offense and rugged defense that has carried them through to an undefeated season the Tigers marked up their 19th consecutive triumph last night in a grand gridiron pageant.
Another Fine Show
The huge crowd, that necessitated closing all ticket windows before the start of the game, the march and rhythm of the bands and the antics of the Steubenville bear and the Massillon Tiger, gave the fans the show they had come to see and though the score was
one-sided, every yard of territory was stoutly contested by the Stubs to the satisfaction of their loyal supporters.
The Big Red wouldn’t quit as touchdown after touchdown went over their goal and they were still scrapping at the final gun. In fact Steubenville reporters declared their team displayed more fight last night than at anytime this season.
In Defeating Steubenville 50-0, the Tigers won by a more decisive score than did Portsmouth, which beat the Big Red 39-6 on the same gridiron two weeks ago.
Portsmouth laid claim to the state title last year and was prepared to shout again this season, but the Tigers succeeded in hushing their claims last night.
Says Tigers Stronger Team
Bill Workman, sports writer for the Herald Star, Steubenville, declared Massillon was far superior to Portsmouth. He feels the Trojans were no more than three if not two touchdowns better than the Big Red. They got four of their touchdowns through breaks of the game.
Breaks helped place the ball in position for three of the Tiger touchdowns last night when Steubenville fumbles were recovered between the 20 and 30-yard lines and a 15-yard penalty inflicted on the Big Red helped the local eleven in a fourth touchdown march.
On the other hand penalties also helped to retard the Massillon steam roller at times and were it not for these additional scores might have been shoved over the Big Red goal.
The Tigers got a good break at the start when Bernie Cybulski fumbled the opening kickoff and Gil Pedrotty recovered on the 20-yard line. In three plays George Slusser gained seven yards, Red James nine and Slusser four more and a touchdown. Only a minute of the game had transpired when Slusser crossed the goal.
The touchdown parade continued throughout the game. A second went over the Big Red goal in the opening period and three more were put over in the second quarter. The Stubs succeeded in slowing down the invasion in the third period when they held the Tigers to one touchdown, but the Massillon gridders nearly pushed the home team back into the Ohio river with a wave of fourth period offense that produced two quick touchdowns and ended only when Coach Paul Brown put his second and third stringers in the game.
Big Red Completely Outplayed
The Big Red had the fight, but all their pepper could not save them from taking a beating in points and statistics.
They were out rushed, out passed, out kicked and even out penalized.
The Tigers gained a total of 488 yards from rushing and passing to the Stubs’ 45 yards and showed a net gain, losses deducted of 468 yards to 26 yards.
The linemen of any team that holds Steubenville to a net gain of 26 yards, deserve particular mention and that’s why Massillonians doff their hats today to Ray Getz, Roscoe Clendening, Gil Pedrotty, Jim Russell, Earl Martin, John Swezey, Gene Henderson, Ray Getz and backer upper Horace Gillom.
Gillom punting as he never has before, averaged 42 yards from scrimmage as he kicked the ball 31, 50 and 45 yards in three attempts.
Walter Lonas, the Steubenville punter, averaged 33.3 yards on his 10 punts, most of which were placed out of bounds to keep Fred Blunt, Red James and Dick Adams, Tiger safety men from running the ball back.
And the Tigers were penalized 110 yards to the Stubs’ 55 yards. Most of the penalties inflicted on Massillon were for failing to pause sufficiently on the shift. It was the first time this year they were penalized for this violation a frequent cause for penalization in past years.
First downs were 15 to 1 in favor of the local team, Steubenville’s only first down coming on a penalty for pass interference.
Big Red In Shape
But for all the beating they took the Big Red stoop up and fought back gamely. That they were in condition, no one can deny. There were few injuries, the most serious of which was George Fabian, Tiger substitute halfback who it is believed suffered a cracked rib in the fourth quarter. He was removed from the game, but at his own request, continued on with the team to Pittsburgh, where today the Massillon eleven will see the
Duquesne – University of Pittsburgh game.
If the Big Red succeeded in any single effort last night it was in bottling up Pokey Blunt. The Tiger sophomore had never been stopped before. He made one touchdown against the Stubs going over from the two-yard line, but his long runs that featured other games were missing.
You can give Ed. Mike, the Steubenville right end, most of the credit for stopping Pokey. The Massillon boy usually runs to his left and defending the right Steubenville flank, was Mike. He acted as though he knew where Pokey was going for he usually beat the Tiger carrier to the hole.
Mike’s defensive work was a highlight of the Steubenville attack. The Big Red line as a whole was badly out charged, though it seemed to come to life on point after touchdown plays. Several times the Stubs’ blocked Ray Getz’s attempted placekicks and they rushed him badly on other occasions. He only got two over the bar and between the uprights in eight attempts.
The vicious blocking of the Tigers caused a stir in the press box as Big Red tacklers were cut down cleanly. The Steubenville reporters liked that kind of football.
Inability of the Stub blockers to accord their ball carriers the same kind of support, kept their offense from making any great inroads on the Tigers.
While the Tigers crossed the Stubs’ goal eight times, the Big Red never seriously threatened. Cas Myslinski recovered. Slusser’s fumble on the Tiger 33 in the first period but in four downs the Stubs could make but three yards and they lost the ball on their
30-yard line.
Slusser Scores Three
Leading Massillon’s touchdown parade was George Slusser. He crossed the Big Red goal three times. James, Blunt, Gillom, Getz and Foster all succeeded in reaching the Promised Land once during the course of the game.
Most sensational of the eight touchdowns was a beautiful 58-yard run by Red James for the second score of the game, a 23-yard touchdown pass from Slusser to Gillom and a 47-yard touchdown pass tossed by Slusser that Ray Getz took on the dead run.
The fans had hardly recovered from the thrill of the kickoff and Pedrotty’s recovery of Cybulski’s fumble when Slusser plunged over the Big Red goal from the four-yard line with the first touchdown of the game. Getz missed the attempted placekick for the extra point.
When the Big Red failed to gain after the following kickoff, Lonas punted it out on the Massillon 41. The Tigers were penalized 15 yards for holding and they lost the ball when Slusser fumbled and Myslinski, recovered for Steubenville. They stopped the Big Red’s ball carrying attempts and took the ball on their own 30. There they began another drive that took them to their 42-yard line where James was turned loose for a 58-yard touchdown jaunt. He sidestepped Cybulski, the Stub safety man, who slipped and fell when he tried to wheel in the same direction to block the Tiger ball carrier. Getz kicked the extra point from placement and the score was 13-0.
The Tigers kicked off and when the Stubs couldn’t gain, they booted it back to the Massillon 36-yard line. The Tigers drove down to the nine-yard line, where a 15-yard penalty stopped their bid for a touchdown and forced Gillom to punt, the ball rolling over the goal.
Foster Sneaks Over
The Stubs kicked on the third down to James who was dropped on the Stubs’ 46. With James leading the way, the Tigers marched to the 10-yard line. Slusser took t he ball to within a yard of the goal and Foster sneaked through for the touchdown. Getz’s kick for the extra point was blocked. Score 19 to 0.
The Big Red received, but Lonas was forced to punt out of bounds on the Massillon 48. Blunt whirled to the 32 and Slusser running hard, carried the ball to the seven-yard line. In two more plays he banged his way over for the touchdown. Getz’s kick was wide of the goal posts. Score 25-0.
On the first play after the following kickoff, Cybulski fumbled and Foster was on the job to cover the ball on the Big Red 30. Blunt was thrown for a nine-yard loss and Hillis blocked Slusser’s pass to Gillom. The Big Red was penalized 15 yards, however, for roughing Slusser and in three attempts, Slusser and Clendening lugged the leather to the three-yard line where Blunt went over for the touchdown. Getz’s attempted kick for the extra point was low. Score 31-0.
The Tigers got the kickoff in the second half, but their advance was stopped by the Big Red who came out playing inspired football. Gillom punted over the goal. The Stubs couldn’t gain either and kicked back to the local eleven. James making a beautiful return of the ball, only to have the run nullified by a 15-yard penalty for clipping that put the ball back on the Tiger 40. A touchdown drive immediately got underway with Slusser and James doing most of the ball carrying and Slusser finally driving over through tough Big Red resistance, from the two-yard line. Again Getz’s kick was no good but the score was 37-0.
And 37 it stood until the fourth quarter when Clendening in the first minute pounced on Stauffer’s fumble on the Stub’s 23-yard line then lightning began to strike the Big Red. On the first play, Slusser stepped back and pegged the ball to Gillom who raced over for the touchdown. Getz’s kick was blocked. Score 43-0.
The Tigers kicked off to the Stubs, but got the ball back on a punt that went out of bounds on the Big Red 47. In another lightning stroke Slusser faded back 10 yards and fired a long pass that Getz took at full speed on the 20-yard line and crossed the goal with no one near him. This time he kicked the extra point.
From here on in, a continual parade of substitutes entered the game for the Tigers, several third stringers being in the lineup at the finish.
Tigers Roll On
Massillon Pos. Steubenville
Getz LE Adams
Pedrotty LT R. Mike
Russell LG Harvey
Martin C Myslinski
Henderson RG Peterson
Swezey RT Starr
Gillom RE E. Mike
Foster QB Cybulski
Slusser LH Lonas
James RH Gilliam
Clendening FB Hillis
Score by periods:
Massillon 13 18 6 13 50
Substitutions:
Massillon – Blunt, rh; Fabian, lh; Pizzino, fb; Kingham, rh; Hill, g; Pettay, g; De Mando, e; Appleby, c; Kester, e; Moody, e; Cardinal, g; Broglio, t; Wallace, g; Croop, g; Adams, hb; White, hb.
Steubenville – Love, c; Stauffer, fb; Allen, e; Statula, e; Smith, g; Monti, t; Oraini, g; Barnett, g.
Touchdowns:
Massillon – Slusser 3; James; Foster, Blunt; Gillom; Getz.
Points after touchdown:
Massillon – Getz 2 (placekicks).
Referee – Ribley.
Umpire – Emsweiller.
Head Linesman – Balton.
Field Judge – Fawcett.
Game Statistics
Mass. Steub.
First downs 15 1
Yards rushing 380 25
Yards passing 98 20
Total yards gained 488 45
Yards lost 20 19
Net yards gained 468 26
Passes attempted 8 7
Passes completed 3 2*
Passes incomplete 4 4
Passes intercepted 1 1
Times punted 3 10
Average punts (yards) 42 23.2
Punts returned 2 0
Average return (yards) 12 0
Times kicked off 9 1
Average kickoff (yards) 46.6 30
Kickoff returns 1 8
Average return (yards) 11 14.3
Fumbles 5 5
Lost ball on fumbles 2 8
Times penalized 8 9
Yards penalized 110 35
*One on interference
