TIGERS FINE
FANS THRILL AT POWER OF LINE
Massillon Machine Put Into High Gear As It Splashes To 36th Straight Victory on Wet Gridiron
By Luther Emery
Blocking with the precision reminiscent of the best days of yore, the Washington high Tigers Friday evening removed Cathedral Latin from their path to the tune of 39-0 as they chalked up their 36th consecutive victory on a wet field before 11,221 fans.
The attendance was the smallest of the season, but was surprisingly good considering the rain and was indicative of how the stands would have bulged had good weather prevailed.
Tigers Show Power
It was a vicious, point thirsty Tiger that Coach Bud Houghton and his assistants trotted out on the soggy gridiron last night, and fans stood up and applauded loudly as the Massillon youngsters, blocked and tackled, handled the ball with better timing and clicked as they never before did this season.
This Massillon eleven is coming right along, fans said to themselves as they waded through the moisture on their way home from the game, and they were correct.
The Massillon eleven is improving, getting better in leaps and bounds, and that is a testimony not only to the coaches but to the players as well who are putting into practice on the gridiron what they learn during the week on the training field.
New Tiger Team
From the time the Tigers grabbed the kickoff and marched 49 yards to the Latin nine-yard line, it was evident that a new machine had been tuned up for the orange and black. Even though the first drive failed, and sputtered when a fumble three plays later gave Latin its only scoring opportunity on the Massillon 20-yard line, it was obvious that the Tigers were the better team.
They had the power, the force to roll back a seven and eight-man line tossed at them by Latin and their drive through the center of the visitors’ forward wall led by young Chuck Holt, looked like the plunges that Glenn Williams produced 10 years ago.
Holt apparently is the answer to Houghton’s offensive problem, for he is just the type of crusher that is needed at fullback, and Fred Blunt who prefers cutting his capers from the right halfback spot, did a good job of it there last night.
Holt stood out, because it was his first performance as a starter. There wasn’t a standout in reality for the other members of the backfield, Bob Graber and Fred Cardinal, and the linemen were in the game up to their neck, offensively as well as defensively, and the holes they ripped in the Lion’s den made it far easier for the ball carriers to gain ground than on previous nights when the blocking was a bit spotty.
The Tigers threw everything but the goal posts at their opponents on the sweeps and tacklers were felled as red woods are cut down out where the west ends.
The Massillon eleven was superior in every department of play last night and not only shoved six touchdowns over the Lion goal, three of them in the last quarter, but rolled up 16 first downs to Latin’s two and gained 402 yards rushing to Latin’s 34. Latin’s two first downs were made on completed forward passes, the only department in which the visitors held the edge in yards gained. They made 33 yards to the Tigers 18 but they only completed three of 12 passes to two of seven for Massillon.
Latin Gambles
From the start it was evident the Latin boys were out to gamble, and gamble they did when they threw the wet ball from behind their goal the first time they got their hands on the slippery leather. They had hoped to catch Massillon off guard and score a cheap touchdown, but it didn’t work.
The Lions time and again pitched from deep in their own territory and did their very best to make a game of it to the very end despite discouraging pass interceptions and blocked punts.
The game produced more than one thrill as Joe De Mando blocked one punt, Bob Kanney another, and Blunt, Graber, and Junior White got away to long touchdown jaunts. Then there were the fumbles that stopped both teams at intervals, a dribble by Graber that bobbed right back up into his arms, a loss by Dick Adams after a brilliant run that had him heading for the open field when the ball slipped out of his arms like a greased pig.
There might have been other touchdowns ,too, with a few ifs. Twice denied touchdowns in the last 30 seconds by the rules, the Tigers had the ball on the one-yard line with first down coming up when the game ended.
Only the Tiger passing game fell short last night but it was not a fair test, considering the wet field and slippery ball. If the passing improves next week at the same rate as the running attack, the orange and black will be in good position to play host to Alliance’s Aviators here next Friday in what undoubtedly will be their stiffest test of the season to date. Alliance defeated Akron St. Vincent’s last night 25-0.
Herb Eisle, the Latin coach, was very complimentary after the game and hurried to the Tiger dressing room just as soon as he had given his boys the once over and found none seriously hurt.
“You have another fine team here in Massillon,” he said. “We always learn a lot when we come here. Our boys do too. We go home, and we are pretty tough to lick thereafter.”
Ends 10 -Game Streak
Eisle isn’t certain how this year’s Latin team compares with that of last year’s eleven which took a 64-0 beating here. The 1940 team only lost one other ball game, and the Lions came here last night with a victory string that was severed at 10 games.
Two movie cameramen, reportedly from Warren, came to Massillon last night hoping to learn a lot too, but their identity was discovered after they had posed as being from Cathedral Latin, and their films were confiscated.
The Tigers had something for them all to look at last night – even though it was little more than straight football. The fancy stuff can come later and will now that the eleven has gained the confidence essential to a green team.
The local eleven looked like the orange crushers of state championship years as they pushed the Lions around the first period, and even though they failed to score, they were causing trouble all the time.
Their first successful drive began when Graber pulled down Dick Brown’s pass on his 41 and got back to the Lion 36. Two plays gained but three yards as the lion’s stiffened with eight men on the forward wall, so Graber appropriately tossed to Cardinal for a first on the 19. Holt and Blunt took two smacks at the line and moved the ball to the five-yard stripe. Graber knifed his way a yard short of the goal and Holt took it over. Holt tried to hurry his point after touchdown and kicked the ball low and to the side.
When a fumble stopped the next march on the 24-yard line, Joe De Mando went to work and blocked one of Frank Tercek’s punts to give the Tigers another chance from the 23. The half was nearly over. In fact the series began with only a minute and seconds remaining, but Adams managed to flip the ball to Holt on fourth down for a touchdown and he kicked the extra point that made it 13-0. The half ended on the kickoff, and there followed a blackout caused by a blown fuse that left both teams in the dark for 25 minutes before play could be resumed.
March Back With Kick
The third quarter saw Latin a beaten team. The visitors chose to kickoff and the Tigers launched a march from the 35 that ended with Blunt circling end for eight yards and a touchdown. Pokey had set up the touchdown with runs of 12 and 14 yards. Adams’ attempted kick was wide and left the score at 19-0.
There was no further scoring in the period despite a 48-yard run by Holt from a pass interception and a 30-yard sprint by Blunt, but the fourth quarter was a dizzy one and had its reward in points.
Kanney got through to block Julius Suky’s punt, and De Mando scooped up the ball on the 15-yard line and raced over for the touchdown. Holt’s toe made it 26-0.
Another touchdown followed in a flash. Stopped in efforts to gain ground, Tercek kicked out on the 31-yard line and Graber in two plays, was over. Holt missed his try for point.
With an entirely new Tiger team in the game the ball came into Massillon’s possession on the Latin 37-yard line. T.Y. Gibson moved the ball up three yards and Junior White reeled off the remainder in a dash around left end. Just to add insult to injury, Adams circled the other flank for the extra point.
Same Old Tiger
Massillon Latin
Armour LE Tercek
Paulik LT Mahon
Miller LG Rigot
Fuchs C Mazurowski
Hill RG Daley
Weisgarber RT Phillips
De Mando RE Paltoni
Cardinal QB Dillon
Graber LH Brown
Blunt RH Cusineau
Holt FB Sukys
Score by periods:
Massillon 0 13 6 20 – 39
Substitutions – Massillon: Adams, qb; Wallace, g; Jasinski, e; Edwards, g; Gibson, hb; Stout, c; White, hb; Dolmos, t; Power, qb; Kanney, g; Willomt, t;
Latin: Winterich, hb; Liston, t; Krairis, g; Vegis, hb; Corey, hb.
Touchdowns – Holt 2, Graber, Blunt, White, De Mando
Points after touchdowns – Adams, Holt (placekicks), Adams (carried).
Referee – Jenkins
Umpire – Boon
Headlinesman – Brubaker
Field Judge – Graf
Tigers Score Easy Victory
By 39-0 Count
By Ivan Read
THE DELICATE wheels that make up the Massillon high scheme of football attack moved with precision of watchworks last night and the Tigers scored their 36th straight victory with an impressive 39-0 triumph over Cleveland Cathedral Latin at Massillon stadium.
A crowd of 11,220 rain-socked spectators watched the gallant Cleveland eleven, with a string of 12 consecutive wins, hold the powerful Massillon team in check for the first 12 minutes of play.
Then the Tigers roared into action in the second period and their well-timed blocking and deception produced glittering long runs and six touchdowns in the final 36 minutes.
For the first quarter the Clevelanders, clearly outmanned, put up a grim battle, holding the count even and threatening within 20 yards of the Massillon goal.
Three minutes after the second period opened Massillon pulled the throttle and from there on it was just a breeze.
Chuck “Zeke” Holt made the first touchdown over his right tackle from the three-yard mark.
A blocked kick late in the second quarter set the stage for another Tiger opportunity. Massillon, working against the clock, took to the air.
There were two minutes to play when Don Armour jumped on Bob Dillon’s fumble on the Latin 22. Two tosses from Dick Adams failed to hit the target, but finally one by the same boy to Holt paid for 22 yards and a touchdown just before the half ended.
Hardly had the echo of the opening whistle of the second half faded away when Fred “Pokey” Blunt, on a reverse that started on the 12-yard line, took the ball back to the other side and behind a wall of interferers, reversed his field and carried on to a touchdown.
The fourth Massillon tally was a gift. Julius Sukys, Latin fullback, trying to get away a quick kick, found the Tiger line smothering him. The ball popped into Joe Demando’s hands and from the 12-yard line he scored over the final white stripe.
Bob Graber produced the big thrill of the game when he dashed 23 yards through the entire Latin team for the fifth score.
The enthusiasm of the Massillon substitutes was evident when Coach Bud Houghton sent them into action late in the final quarter. A 60-yard procession with Junior White racing around left end for 27 yards and a touchdown gave Massillon its final points.
Massillon Pos. Cathedral Latin
Armour le Tercek
Paulik lt Mahon
Miller lg Rigot
Fuchs c Muzurowski
Hill rg Dailey
Weisgarber rt Phillips
Demando re Paltoni
Cardinal qb Dillon
Graber lh Brown
Blunt rh Cousinean
Holt f Sukys
Scoring by periods
Massillon 0 13 6 20 – 39
Latin 0 0 0 0 – 0
Touchdowns – Holt 2, Blune, Demando, Graber, White.
Try-for-point – Adams 2, Holt
Subtitutions: Massillon – Adams, f; Wallace, rg; Stout, c; Jasinski, re; White, rh; Powers, qb; Bray, re; Tongues, lt; Mastrianni, f; Oberlin, rh.
Latin – Krairis, rg; Regis, rg; Gorey, qb; Galfidi, lh; West, le; Reulbach, rt; Lansdown, rt.
Referee – Verlin Jenkins
Umpire – O.V. Boon
Head linesman – Carl Brubaker
Field judge – C.J. “Honus” Graf
