BENGALS CLAW INDIANS 39-7
Toledo Gains Early Lead With Forward Passing Attack, But Fast Massillon Backs Get It Back and Send Score Soaring
By Luther Emery
Ten thousand fans were still thawing out today after shivering and stomping their feet through four periods of near-freezing temperatures at Tiger Stadium, Friday evening, while their Washington high football team was handing Toledo Waite a 39-7 beating to stretch the Massillon undefeated streak to 41 games.
If you have thawed out, you might chance continuing on with this story, but if you are still chilly, turn away from the cold facts or you will start shaking all over again.
Still a Remarkable Crowd
What a difference in the weather last night when compared with that of the Toledo Waite game of 1940, and what a difference in the crowd. And yet last night’s turnout was almost as remarkable.
A year ago, 22,000 fans sat through a driving rain and 5,000 more peered through the fences because they couldn’t get tickets to see a game that had been ballyhooed for eight months, a grudge battle with undefeated rivals for the 1939 state title pitting their perfect records against each other.
The Tigers won that game 28-0 and are still undefeated. But Waite came to Massillon last night with three victories in seven games including losses in its last two starts, and yet 10,000 persons stuck their chins out and took a worse beating from the weatherman than the Toledo football team received at the claws of the Tiger.
A high wind, and near-freezing temperatures made it downright cold, but the fans, most of them, stuck it out to the last despite the fact that the result was a settled issue by the middle of the third period.
Waite Pulls a Thriller
It was an inspired Waite team that met Massillon last night, eleven Indians who fought tooth and nail the first half to ambush the Tigers, score a touchdown the first period and uphold the beat traditions of Maumee gladiators with a courageous display of defense that staved off two Tiger scoring threats in the second period and left Massillon holding the slim edge of 12-7 at halftime.
The game was in no sense secure when the third period got underway, but with the mercury flirting with the low 30’s it didn’t take the Tigers long to put it on ice in the third quarter with two rapid fire touchdowns.
It was a game filed with the spectacular, long runs, and passes, what many fans like and stayed to see.
It stated off faster than the 35-mile an hour gale that howled through the stands and made the light poles sway. Ere four minutes had expired, each team had shoved over a touchdown and fans were wondering what next was coming off.
It took just three plays for the Tigers to get their’s. Junior White got off to a flying start by returning the kickoff 41 yards to the Waite 37, then slipping to the 21 on the next play, from which Dick Adams’ twisted his way for the touchdown.
That was that and Massillon fans leaned back in their seats waiting for the kill, but they themselves were about to be scalped as the Indians took the kickoff and charged back with three rapid-fire passes, two over the line and into the flat that brought a first down on the five-yard line. There Bob Albright rared back and pegged the ball straight over the line to Harry Wright who took his footsies off the ground for a moment to make the catch. When Dick Jensen kicked the extra point, the Tigers found themselves trailing for the second time this year.
Sends Blunt In
None was more concerned than Coach Bud Houghton, for he shoved his ailing captain, Fred Blunt, into the game and the fur began to fly. It that’s the way colds effect Blunt, it might be a good idea to blow a few bacteria his way every week. All he did was grab the ball on his 44-yard line, and head for left end with Joe De Mando thundering along in front to block out the last tackler, while “Pokey” did the whole 56 yards in one stretch. It wasn’t too encouraging yet, when Adams failed to carry the extra point across, for no one knew when Waite might connect again with its passes and take the lead.
For some reason or other, however, the Indians tossed a couple away and quit throwing. The Tigers apparently solved the attack and set up a defense for it. Not another pass did Waite complete after its touchdown. In fact but five more were attempted.
The Indians had hard luck handling the ball. They lost it four times on fumbles, and on three of the occasions the Tigers were quick to seize the break and capitalize on it.
That is not saying that Massillon did not deserve the victory. It was faster and more powerful. Had Waite hung on to the ball a little better however, and gotten away good fourth down punts, the Tigers would have had to have traveled a greater distance to get to the promised land, and consequently the score might not have been as large.
One of these fumbles gave the local gridders a scoring opportunity in the second period when they covered a Waite muff on the 28-yard line.
Here the Indians demonstrated their pluck and only yielded two yards on a pass and three running plays.
Here’s Real Stone Wall
But that was only a sample of what they could do defensively. It wasn’t long after that a brilliant 31-yard run by Blunt helped to get the ball to a first down on the Waite five-yard line. Here the Indians came through with a goal line stand that had Massillon fans worried at the half for they gave the Tigers but two yards on four running plays and took the ball away from them on the three-yard line.
The Indians must have played themselves out doing it however for along came the third period and with Chuck Holt as the spearhead of the drive, the Tigers marched from where they got the kickoff on the 18 to the Waite 16-yard line where Holt tore through the left side of the Waite line to score. This time Adams kicked the extra point and Massillon went to the front 19-7. And it was 25-7 shortly afterward when Holt broke through left guard again and dashed 51 yards for a touchdown. The Tigers had gotten the ball on a fumble just before Holt’s sprint. Vernon Weisgarber covered Bauman’s muff.
Another muff in the same period, this one by Jim Lamoreaux, right halfback, was covered by George Dolmos, substitue tackle, and set the locals in motion for a successful march. Holt plunged for a first down on the 15-yard line and Adams’ well thrown pass was snared in the end zone by Joe De Mando for the touchdown. Adams kicked goal and it was 32-7.
De Mando covered a fumble by Beauman on the 32-yard line in the fourth quarter to ring up points again. White and Holt hugged the ball to the seven from where Graber took it over for six points and repeated on the attempt for the extra point.
That’s all the scoring there was.
Only twice did Waite work the ball into Tiger territory, once on its successful touchdown series and again in the last minute of the fourth period when Albright ran some 27 yards to reach the Massillon 40.
That the Indians were thoroughly outplayed, is clearly shown by the statistics, 14 first downs to eight and a net total of 402 yards from ball carrying to 70 yards.
Coach Houghton started a backfield with only one regular, Chuck Holt. As the game moved into the clutch, however, the regulars one by one began to recuperate and take their places on the field. Fred Cardinal, Blunt, and Graber, all saw service, but John Hill, and Don Armour are still on the sidelines with injuries.
The game was Massillon’s last night attraction of the season, Youngstown East will play here next Saturday afternoon.
Good First Half
Massillon Waite
Bray LE V. Smith
Paulik LT Jensen
Wallace LG Schick
Fuchs C Kives
Kanney RG Saam
Weisgarber RT Oatley
De Mando RE Wright
Power QB Links
Adams LH Lamoreaux
White RH Albright
Holt FB Bauman
Score by periods:
Massillon 12 0 20 7 – 39
Waite 7 0 0 0 – 7
Substitutions – Massillon: Blunt, rh; Cardinal, qb; Dolmos, lt; Miller, lg; Jasinski, re; Willmott, le; Gibson, fb; Graber, lh; Stout, c;
Waite: Collins, le; Atwood, qb; Raether, re; Cannon,lh; Milks, lg.
Touchdowns – Blunt, Adams, Holy 2, De Mando, Graber, Wright.
Points after touchdown – Adams 2 (placekicks),
Graber (carried), Jensen (placekick).
Referee – Gross
Umpire – Boone
Headlinesman – Bachman
Field judge – Long
