BULLDOGS WIN GAME WITH EASE
Tigers Completely Outplayed As Red And Black Rip Local Team To Pieces Last Half To Defeat Orange and Black First Time In Eight Years
By Luther Emery
Now Massillon knows how Canton McKinley, and all the Tiger’s other opponents have felt these last seven years.
Saturday it was the Massillon fans turn to sit in the stands and watch their Tiger team take a thorough 35-0 beating at the hands of one of the finest Canton McKinley teams ever to set foot on a Massillon gridiron.
Canton Keeps Edge in Series
For seven long years, the Tigers have been lashing the whip in Ohio gridiron circles. Saturday, in the closing game of the eighth year, they were on the receiving end, with none other than their old rival, Canton McKinley, administering a sound threshing in the 47th game to be played between the two elevens since 1894. The victory gave Canton 23 victories in the series, left Massillon with 21 and three have ended in tie scores.
The defeat was Massillon’s first in 53 consecutive games, a string that began in November 1937 after the Tigers had lost to a fighting New Castle team, 7-0. But one tie marred the victory chain, Mansfield holding the 1941 Massillon team to a 6-6 draw.
The defeat was Massillon’s first at the hands of Canton McKinley since the 21-6 paddling the local eleven received in 1934. That likewise was the last time an Ohio team had been able to subdue the terrific Tigers.
Reason For Celebration
So McKinley had reason to celebrate. For seven years the Bulldogs have watched the Massillon fans stream out on the field and parade behind their band after the game. Saturday it was Canton’s turn, and they so rejoiced at the triumph that the officials had to call the game, despite the fact that there was time left for one play.
The celebration went on into the night, carried through Sunday and will be resumed today when McKinley high practically declares a holiday to laud the achievement of their coach Herman “Bup” Rearick and his Bulldogs.
Massillon never knew a celebration such as the Bulldogs will be treated to. Victories have been so many for the Tigers the past seven years that they have been taken for granted by fans and students, and they accepted defeat with no more signs of emotion than exhibited in their triumphs.
The sympathy of the fans went to Coach Elwood Kammer and his Tiger team. It was the first losing game for the senior members of the squad, the first loss for Kammer as a high school coach.
There was no disgrace in losing to the Bulldog Saturday. He was terrific, and when animosities created with 48 years of rivalry are put aside in favor of common sense, the Tigers could have been beaten by no better opponent than their old Stark county rival, McKinley.
Canton reached its peak Saturday afternoon and played a near perfect game of football before the crowd of between 20,000 and 22,000 spectators. The Bulldogs scored five touchdowns, three points after touchdown, a safety, and had two other touchdowns called back because of penalties.
That set a new scoring record for the Massillon-Canton series, something no one even dared to dream about before the game.
Canton’s Day
It was McKinley’s day. Practically everything the Bulldogs tried worked, and it was one of those days when the victors were even opportunists, intercepting passes and being Johnny on the spot for fumbles.
It was anything but a day for Massillon. The only break the Tigers had was the weather. They wanted a dry field, and the footing was fairly firm. The rain stopped before they peeled the tarpaulin from the gridiron, and while the sod was a bit soft, it was anything but muddy. The Tigers got off to a poor start when a punt went straight up in the air on the 32-yard line, and in their anxiety they contributed 15 yards in penalties that left the Bulldogs but 17 to go in their first touchdown drive and they gave away 10 more yards on the red and black’s second touchdown jaunt.
A poor start was anything but what the Tigers had hoped for. Their strategy was to score as quickly as possible, with the hope of breaking down the Bulldog spirit so prevalent the last two weeks, and at the same time ease the pressure on four cripples who were pieced together with bandages in order to get them on the field.
The Massillon eleven was not badly outplayed the first half, though Canton from the start looked the stronger team and the eventual winner. Three five-yard penalties, one of which gave the red and black a first down on the Tiger five-yard line helped them to their first touchdown after a poor punt, and another five-yard penalty gave the red and black a first down on the 20-yard line in the second touchdown drive after the Tigers had only yielded seven yards in three attempts. The second touchdown came with less than a minute of the half remaining to be played.
The Tigers gained 88 yards t he first half, all by rushing, to 109 for Canton, 19 of which were made by passing.
It was in the second half that McKinley rose up in all its might to subdue the Tiger and knock him loose from his throne with a deluge of 23 points. Only a merciful gun kept the score from being any larger.
Nine of the points crossed the Tiger goal in rapid succession just when it appeared that the local team might salvage a scoreless third period out of the contest and 14 more were piled over a tiring but still scrapping Tiger team.
The Bulldogs victory throws the state championship race into an awful mess. In percentages, the Tigers have a better record than Canton, for the Bulldogs were tied by one of their own schools, Lincoln, and lost 21-13 to Steubenville, a team that Massillon whipped 33-13. The Big Red will put in a claim for a share of the title, and there probably will be a lot of shouting from several “podunks” that haven’t played anybody but that have finished the season with an undefeated record. Most sportsmen will say you have to beat the champ to win a title and Canton has the honor of being the first Ohio team to do it since 1934; but Steubenville will more than likely object, for the Big Red will boast that it is the team that beat the team that beat the champ and has a higher percentage of victories this season. Oh, well.
The statistics were all in favor of McKinley, 17 first downs to Massillon’s 10 and 304 yards gained in rushing to Massillon’s 166. In fact when you analyze the gains by quarters you find the Tigers seldom had the ball the last period and only tried two running plays the entire fourth quarter.
Though the local team carried the ball into Bulldog territory three times during the game they only threatened once. Their first march followed the Bulldogs, first touchdown, the Tigers striking back with a drive that moved from their 20 to the Bulldog 41, where Graber on third down with seven yards to go, tried to snap a pass over the center of the line to Bray, but Abe Aslanides intercepted on his 35 to end the threat.
The second march came the next time the Tigers got the ball and likewise started from their 20. They moved it to the bulldog 40 where they were forced to punt.
Fumble Ends Threat
The last effort, in the fourth period was their best. Starting with Chuck Holt’s interception of Earl Louck’s pass on the 39-yard line, they overcame a five-yard penalty to move up to the 28-yard line on passes. Bob Graber tossed one to Don Willmot who put a lateral into Fred Cardinal’s hands for a first down in midfield. Another fell into Tom Jasinski’s fingers for a first on the 34 and another to Cardinal took the ball to the 28. There Holt on a running play crashed through the weak side and raced to the 10-yard line. He appeared to have generated enough momentum to go over, but when bumped, the ball flew out of his hands and into the arms of Jack Crider, who got back to his 28 before being downed. No once could have lateraled it any better.
Everyone in the Massillon stands was hoping Chuckie would get the touchdown. With Graber useless as a runner because of an injured ankle, Holt shouldered the burden of the ball carrying. Twenty times he lugged the leather during the afternoon, often going three times in a row.
The rest of the running was left to Keve Bray, who carried the ball 11 times. Graber carried it but once. Bray gained more yards the first quarter than all of the Canton players together. He ran 46 yards in six attempts, while the combined first period yardage of the Bulldog backs was 29 yards.
Canton is heaping words of praise on Tony Dominick and Jack Crider for their great performances. Spear-headed by a fast charging line that knocked the Tiger forwards on their heels the last half, Dominick and Crider tore the locals apart the last half. Dominick ripped through center where all the courage of little Dave Edwards and Barney Wallace couldn’t stop him. Willie Crider slipped in and around the tackles bringing his performance to a peak with a 47-yard touchdown jaunt. Ernie Parks, the fleet-footed giant of the Bulldog backfield was held well in check. He only gained a net total of 36 yards in 12 attempts but his weight and elongated body helped to wear down the Massillon eleven that spotted the red and black 14 pounds to the man in weight.
There was no lack of courage on the Massillon line and it wasn’t any fun for 150-pound Edward , 140 pound Wallace, and 150-pound Bray to have 192-pound Bob Zimmer, 193-pound Parks, and 172-pound Dominick come pounding through the center of the Massillon forward wall. Coach Elwood Kammer occasionally relieved the Massillon lightweights and sent Bob Williams and Bob Kanney into the game for defense.
There was no lack of courage when fellows like Bob Wallace with a badly damaged leg; Graber with a sore ankle; Cardinal with two injured shoulders and a damaged foot; Karl Paulik with an injured shoulder; and Tom Jasinski with a charley horse would stay on the firing line against a heavy eleven in tip-top condition.
Took Defeat Gamely
The Tigers have no alibi to offer that anyone quit trying. They simply got the whipping that they knew was coming sometime or other and they took it, painful as it was, without a whimper. That was their answer to the question many have asked – how will Massillon take defeat? The Tiger Booster club will have an opportunity to give its answer Tuesday evening when it meets in the Washington high auditorium.
To recount the scoring plays, here is what happened.
The Tigers received, Cardinal getting the ball and coming back to his 20. Three plays gained eight yards so Romeo Pellegrini, who started in place of Graber, dropped back to punt. The ball went straight up going only four yards from the line of scrimmage, so Canton took over on the Massillon 32. Crider hit for two yards, but Massillon was offside and drew another penalty giving Canton a first down on the 22-yard line. With Dominick carrying the ball twice and Crider once, the Bulldogs moved up to a first down on the 10-yard line.
Three substitutes raced on to the field for Massillon, Graber, Bob Wallace, and Bob Williams. The Tigers were charged with delaying the game and drew another five-yard penalty giving Canton a first down on the fire-yard line. Dominick was stopped without gain, but he got four yards his next effort and went over on the third attempt. Crider’s attempted placekick for the extra point was wide.
The Tigers came back with a couple of offensive bursts that bogged down after passing the midfield strip and the Bulldogs finally took over when Graber punted over the goal. Here an 80-yard touchdown drive was lunched. After Crider had drive for two yards, Dominick in two attempts crashed a first down on his 32. Parks made nine yards, his best effort of the day, and Dominick picked up the rest for a first down on his 44. Two more plays and Dominick had another first on the Tiger 44. Crider hit for four yards, but the Tigers drew a five-yard penalty on the next play. Parks was tossed for a three-yard loss, but Crider made up for it by tossing a flat pass to him that netted a first down on the Massillon 32. Dominick got six yards in two attempts, but the Tigers with hopes of halting the Bulldog drive, were guilty of offside on third down and the five-yard penalty gave Canton a first on the 21-yard line. Dominick and Crider on two plays powered their way to a first down on the nine-yard line. Parks and Crider were held to a total of three yards but Crider crossed the Tigers up on third down and flipped a short pass to Dale Haverstock who got to the one foot line. It was only a matter of form for Dominick to crash through for the touchdown. Crider’s attempted placekick was blocked and the score was 12-0. Only seconds remained to be played, and the half ended two plays later with one Massillon pass knocked down and the second intercepted by Crider on the 34-yard line.
Canton Gets Safety
The Tigers stopped Canton drives twice in the third period before the Bulldogs finally scored on a safety. The first drive reached the 35-yard line after recovery of a Massillon fumble there. The second went to the six-yard line where the locals recovered a Canton fumble. Trying desperately to do something Graber twice passed from behind his goal. Once Haverstock missed a sure touchdown when the ball slipped through his hands as he tried to intercept it. Punting on third down, Graber was rushed by Zimmer, Bulldog quarterback, who blocked the ball and fell on it back of the end zone for an automatic safety that gave Canton two points.
The Tigers kicked out from the 20-yard line and Vic Wernet got back to the Massillon 48. Parks made a yard and then Crider went for the works in a beautiful dash through center in which he outran the Massillon secondary. Chuck Holt made a desperate effort to get him with a diving tackle on the five-yard line, but Crider faded away. This time Hank Smith was rushed in to sweep right end for the extra point and succeeded, bringing the score to 21-0.
The Bulldogs gained at will from there on in. They kicked off to Massillon, and on second down, Crider intercepted Graber’s pass and went for a touchdown only to have the ball called back because a Canton player clipped. It made no difference, for the red and black just powered their way right on through for 48 yards with Parks scampering around left center for the last seven and Crider pitching to Jasper Harris for the extra point.
The next one followed the Tigers best bid of the day when Crider recovered Holt’s fumble on the 10 and went back to his 28. It was first Dominick and then Crider, with the latter getting off one 32-yard run, until the four-yard line was eventually reached. Then Crider went over for the touchdown and Dominick place-kicked the extra point.
On the last play of the game, Bill Cook, sub center went 30 yards with a pass interception for a touchdown that didn’t count. Time expired during the run and the spectators poured on to the field. But McKinley was offside on the play. The Tigers would have taken a fine-yard penalty and there would have been one more play. The officials looked at the crowd and thought what’s the use. Massillon would have held the ball anyway, so they called the game.
Chain Is Cut
Massillon Pos. McKinley
Willmot LE Haverstock
Edwards LT Jordan
Kanney LG Wernet
B. Wallace C Lombardi
Weisgerber RG Schuster
Paulik RT Bell
Jasinski RE Harris
Cardinal QB Zimmer
Pellegrini LH Crider
Bray RH Parks
Holt FB Dominick
Score by periods:
McKinley 6 6 9 14 – 35
Substitutions – Massillon: Yelic, t; Williams, c; R. Wallace, g; Power, fb; Graber, lh.
McKinley: Aslanides, qb; Zufall, g; Hall, g; Garafolo, t; Tucci, t; Smith, hg; Thomas, hb; Schwalenberg, e; Cook, c; Loucks, fb; Rotunno,e.
Touchdowns – Dominick 2, Crider 2, Parks.
Points after touchdown – Smith (carried, Harris (pass from Crider), Crider (placekick).
Safety – Zimmer
Referee – Reese.
Umpire – Gross.
Headlinesman – Lobach.
Field judge – Long.
Statistics
Mass. Cant.
First downs 10 17
Line plays 32 58
Yards rushing 136 304
Yards lost rushing 9 6
Net gain rushing 125 298
Yards passing 47 31
Net yards gained 172 329
Passes attempted 12 8
Had passes intercepted 3 1
Passes incomplete 5 2
Fumbles 4 2
Lost ball on fumble 2 1
Times penalized 6 3
Yards penalized 30 25
Times punted 4 2
Punts blocked 1 0
Average punt (yards) 24 26
Yards punts returned 0 38
Kickoffs 2 6
Yards kickoffs returned 51 0
Booster Club Meets Tuesday
Massillon’s undefeated string of 52 games has been broken and that calls for all the more effort on the part of members of the Tiger Booster club.
The Boosters will not meet tonight, but they will gather Tuesday evening and will elect officers for 1943 as well as make plans for their annual banquet. It will be an open meeting. The pub
