LINEMEN AGAIN REVEAL POWER
Tear Steubenville Wall Apart As Backfield Men Dance To Long Runs; First Team Plays But Two Periods
By Luther Emery
A powerful Tiger offense that never punted and only once failed to score when it came into possession of the ball, rolled the Big Red Wave of Steubenville back into the Ohio river last night 58-0, before 8,000 amazed fans.
Polished to a keen edge, doing everything right, nothing noticeably wrong, the Massillon juggernaut scored at least two touchdowns in every quarter, despite the fact that the first, second, and third teams were used in the game.
32 Points First Half
The first stringers rolled up 32 points the first half and then retired to allow the second and third teams to carry on. The second eleven scored 13 points in each of the third and fourth periods before retiring in favor of an all-sophomore team that did not score but had the ball on the Big Red 15-yard line when the game ended.
It isn’t often you see a football game where one team never punts, but that’s what happened in Steubenville last night. Not once did the Tiger eleven have to kick the ball, and it only lost it once on downs, that the result of a fumble on fourth down when the third team was in operation. And that was the only time they failed to make a touchdown when they came into possession of the ball.
It was a sad night for Mel Knowlton, who left Massillon last Spring to take over the coaching job at Steubenville. He had the same offense, several kinds of defenses, but lacked the personnel that made up the Massillon team.
Couldn’t Stop Local Team
Knowlton felt badly about it all, but there was nothing he could do about it. It was Massillon’s night and the Tigers clawed the Big Red convincingly for their 38th consecutive victory and their fifth in a row over Steubenville.
The statistics were just as convincing as the points, 534 yards to Steubenville’s 51, and 23 first downs to Steubenville’s 2. Both of the Big Red first downs came as a result of penalties. Never were they able to penetrate the sturdy Tiger forward wall for 10 yards.
Once more it was the old story of a line that so completely outcharged its opponent that backs could run at will -–and they had a big evening. Pokey Blunt, Dick Adams, and Bob Graber all gained more than 90 yards each, while Junior White and Chuck Holt were not far behind. Blunt, Adams, Graber, and White each crossed the Big Red goal twice and even Fred Cardinal found the end of the rainbow when he scored on a quarterback
sneak – the first time he has carried the ball.
Even a drizzle of rain failed to check the scoring. In fact it gained impetus with the moisture that began dripping about the middle of the second period. At that it would be something new for the Tigers to play on a dry field. They have had rain their last three games. As expected, Knowlton had a fancy defense prescribed for throttling the Massillon speed. Massillon fans in past years had seen him direct his junior high elevens to upset victories through fancy conniving and spiriting of his team to unheard of heights. They had expected something in the unorthodox and found it a 5-3-1-2 defense with variations of 6-2-2-1 and 5-3-2-1. As the game progressed and the route continued, however, he changed to the more standard 7-1-2-1.
The way the Tiger offense functioned last night, none of the types of defense could stop it. The line hit with such ferocity that Big Red tacklers were grounded in the charge and had little opportunity to break up the interference. The blockers cut down the secondary viciously and scattered Big Red players over the field as though a machine gun had mown them down.
Many Long Runs
It was a night of long runs with Adams, Blunt, and Graber particularly having themselves a big evening. Longest of the runs was an 80-yarder by Adams, a return of a punt that didn’t count because the Big Red kicker was bumped over. Graber jaunted 55 yards after a pass interception to score, and Blunt, Carl Paulik, who has an injured shoulder, and replacing Dave Miller at left guard with Bob Wallace who has been coming along fast.
Though the Big Red looked in better condition and better coached that the disorganized teams of the past two years, it had nothing offensively to penetrate the Tiger attack, and only once was in possession of the ball in Tiger territory. That, too, was the result of the fourth down fumble by the third team that forfeited the ball to the Big Red on the Tiger
43-yard line.
Only five passes were thrown by Steubenville and three of these were intercepted by Massillon, one being turned into a touchdown.
None Seriously Hurt
A quick checkup of Massillon players after the game failed to reveal any serious injuries. Hill sustained a gash over the right eye that laid an egg on his forehead, while Cardinal was bumped hard on the leg in one scrimmage. None of the Steubenville boys was believed injured to any extent.
It didn’t take the Tigers long to show their superiority. They stopped Steubenville after the kickoff and got the ball on a punt on their own 49. It was Blunt, Holt, and Adams for three first downs in a row that ended with Blunt going through left tackle on a reverse for a touchdown. Adams kicked the extra point.
Stopped again after the kickoff Mastrioanni of the Big Red punted out on the Tiger 26. Five first downs that included a 10-yard pass from Graber to De Mando planted the ball on the six-yard line from which Blunt scored his second touchdown on a reverse. This time Holt tried to kick the extra point and missed.
The quarter ended with the score 13-0.
Early in the second period, another Big Red punt went out of bounds on the 46. Blunt reeled off 16 yards to go to the Big Red 30 and Adams took it in two plays to the eight-yard line. A reverse with Adams carrying the ball produced the touchdown. He also kicked goal for the 20th point.
The next drive began from the Massillon 30. Blunt and Graber bore the brunt of the ball carrying as they ripped off gains of 24, 23, and 10 yards. After Graber had planted the ball on the five-yard line, Cardinal plunged through on a sneak and came out of the pileup standing up. The point was missed and the score stood at 26-0.
Pass Starts Another
Junior White went into the game for Massillon and quickly intercepted Poole’s pass on his own 46. Graber fired to De Mando for 37 yards and a first down on the Big Red 17. Graber took it over in three plays. Holt missed a kick for the extra point and the half ended 32-0.
The Tigers received at the start of the third period. Two plays put the ball on the Big Red 47-yard line and Adams took it the rest of the way. He made the extra point attempt and the score was 39-0.
Having lost a touchdown on a penalty for roughing the kicker after Adams had danced his way 80 yards, the Tigers finally get the leather on the 33 and Adams ran it back to the 47. White reeled off eight and Adams tossed 27 yards to Jasinski for a first down on the eight-yard line. White went over for the touchdown. Adams missed the kick and the score was 43-0.
The fourth period opened with the ball on the Massillon 48-yard line. White overcame a
13-yard loss when Adams was thrown while trying to pass and carried the ball to the 34-yard line. Adams and Gibson took it to the 12-yard line and White went the rest of the way. Adams’ attempted kick was blocked.
The last touchdown came quick on the heels of White’s run, when Graber pulled in Poole’s pass on his 45-yard line and raced 55 yards to score. He kicked the 58th and final point.
Third stringers went in for Massillon and had the ball on the Big Red 15-yard line when the game ended.
One could hardly help but feel sorry for Knowlton as touchdown after touchdown sifted through his defense. He simply does not have the players this year. The eleven he started against the Tigers included but four players who won their letters last year and only one of the four approached being a regular.
Big Red fans as a whole, however, have shown a disposition of patience. They haven’t had a winning team for some five or six years, and they have confidence that Knowlton, if given time, will get them back into the headlines.
It’s The 38th
Massillon Pos. Steubenville
Armour LE King
Edwards LT Doggett
Bob Wallace LG Chadnock
Fuchs C Kopras
Hill RG B. Miller
Weisgarber RT Lashley
De Mando RE Kennedy
Cardinal QB Klein
Adams LH Poole
Blunt RH Mastrioanni
Holt FB Panagel
Score by periods:
Massillon 13 19 13 13 58
Steubenville 0 0 0 0 0
Substitutions
Massillon: Graber, Miller, White, Dolmos, Power, Stout, Kanney, Heakett, Bob Wallace, Gibson, Mastrianni, Jasinski, Willmot, Oberlin, Profant, Fulton, Barney, Wallace.
Steubenville: Cullins, Glassgow, Roush, White.
Touchdowns – Blunt 2, Adams 2, Graber 2, White 2, Cardinal.
Points after touchdown – Adams 3, Graber (placekicks)
Referee – Wallace.
Umpire – Fawcett.
Headlinesman – Cavanaugh.
Field judge – Walsh.
Statistics
Mass. Steub.
First downs 23 2
Yards gained rushing 451 51
Yards gained passing 75 0
Net yards gained 534 51
Passes attempted 7 5
Passes completed 6 2
Passes intercepted 6 3
Yards penalized 35 13
