10,000 See Tigers And Mansfield Battle To 12-12 Tie
Massillon Has Ball On Three-Yard Line When Clock Runs Out of Time
By LUTHER EMERY
Eleven men and a clock beat the Washington high Tigers to the goal line at Mansfield Friday evening and the Massillon team had to be contented with a 12-12 tie.
It was a bruising battle staged before some 10,000 fans, the largest crowd ever to see a football game in Mansfield and only 10,000 because no more could get into the park.
Not Satisfied
The Tigers today were not particularly proud of their showing, though they can salvage some satisfaction out of maintaining the record of a Massillon team never having been beaten by Mansfield.
It was the third tie score in the 11 years of competition between the teams, the other eight games having been won by Tiger teams.
The Tigers were not particularly pleased with the result for they felt they had the better team. The statistics bear them out, and they might have returned the victor had not Mansfield succeeded in staving off a last minute thrust until the grim old reaper cut off the time and put an end to the game with Massillon in possession of the ball on the Tyger three-yard line with three downs to make it in.
Inopportune Penalties
That was a tough break for the Tigers, but they didn’t get out the crying towels for they were victims of several tough breaks all evening.
They had Mansfield stopped on both of its touchdown drives when penalties moved the ball forward for the Tygers, and three of their own drives went amiss inside the 35-yard line, twice on penalties and once when the officials got balled up and only gave the local team three downs in a series instead of four.
Albeit, the game was a nerve tingler from a spectator’s stand point and the crowd loved it.
The Tigers, first to score, pushed over a touchdown late in the second quarter on a thrust by Alex Giloff from the one-yard line after a march of 31 yards.
Mansfield came out high in the second half to take the kickoff and drive 67 yards to the two-yard line where Kenny Horvath took it over.
Brown Goes Over
The Tigers roared right back with the following kickoff and did not stop until little Al Brown knocked himself out with a run of 55 yards to gain five and the second touchdown of the game, and Mansfield tied it up at 12-12 when it marched right back with the kickoff to send Ralph Majors scampering around Massillon’s right end in a journey to the Promised Land.
The score ended in a tie because neither team had a kicker. Brown had two chances to boot the first point after touchdown but banged the ball into the line of scrimmage on both attempts. Gene Zorger tried to carry it across after the second touchdown but was dropped before he could get over the goal line.
Ross Frisbee tried to placekick both of Mansfield’s extra points. One was blocked and the other was wide of the posts.
It has been a long time since Massillon fans have seen a more exciting game. Danger was written into every play, for Mansfield’s Majors was a slippery runner who pummeled his legs into the Massillon secondary time and again. On several occasions Massillon ball carriers also threatened to go the whole route.
Defenses Crack
What the first half lacked in scoring was more than made up the last two periods when the teams cracked each other’s defense and drove for touchdowns every time they got the ball until they got tied up into a 12-12 knot. Even then Massillon almost got another, for after Mansfield had succeeded in tying the score, Zorger took the kickoff and ran hard through the Mansfield broken field, only to be hauled down from behind on the Tygers 43.
It was rough and tough and a pre-game argument between coaches over the kind of sweaters to be worn, served as hype to members of the teams to rip it up on the field.
Coach “Bud” Houghton of Massillon was snorting prior to the game when he saw Mansfield wearing a sort of gold jersey. He protested to Coach Snyder of Mansfield that he thought they had an agreement that Massillon would wear black and Mansfield white. Snyder replied that this was all he had that his other clothes had not been returned from the cleaner.”
Houghton took a look at the light ball to be used and noted how well it blended into the color scheme of the gold jerseys. “Then we’ll wear orange,” said the Tiger coach, and the orange sweaters were promptly pulled out of the bags and put on. This made a difference in the numbers of players with those on the program which were given for the black sweaters. The Mansfield numbers were also twisted around.
The sweater incident following a previous argument over the selection of officials for the game, so riled Houghton that he at one time threatened never to take a team back to Mansfield again until such goings on are stopped. A lot of people who stood throughout the game because they were unable to get their seats will breathe an amen to that statement, but perhaps the situation will correct itself in future months when Mansfield completes its new stadium and a better understanding between coaches is attained.
More Injuries
Injuries, which have plagued the Tigers all season, again weakened the team at intervals during the game. Wittmann, Zeller, Al Brown and Junior Pedrotty all joined regulars Gene Krisher, Chick Cary and Gene Yost on the bench for periods Friday evening.
Wittmann sustained an injured ankle; Zeller had the skin laid open above is right eye during the first half, but re-entered the ball game after the wound was stitched. Pedrotty was bothered by a bad leg and Brown writhed in pain from a back injury. Apparently a vertebra was knocked out of place when he was thrown against a post just after crossing the goal line, on the Tigers’ second touchdown. The injury mended and he went back into the game in the closing minutes of the play and almost got away for another touchdown jaunt.
Neither team gambled with passes. The field was not muddy, but it was slippery and the ball was always wet and often greasy. The Tigers tossed but two passes and both were grounded. The Tygers tried two and had one intercepted.
First downs were 16-12 in Massillon’s favor and the locals gained 225 yards from scrimmage to Mansfield’s 175 yards.
Just how superior the offense of the two teams was to their defense is seen in the fact that the Tigers never punted all evening while Mansfield only punted twice. The one time the locals should have punted, they lost the ball on downs on their 35 by failing to gain a yard on fourth down.
The Tigers lost the ball a couple of times on fumbles but on all other occasions they did not have to punt because they always managed to march the ball down deep into Mansfield territory where it was not advisable to kick.
For the second time this season the Tigers won the toss and elected to receive. On their very first ball carrying effort they lugged the pigskin into Mansfield territory only to lose it on a fumble that Mansfield recovered on its own 48.
The Tigers only permitted Mansfield to hold it for one play, however as big Jim Young tore through and tossed Ollie Cline so hard he fumbled the ball. Young not only made the tackle but also covered the fumble. The Tigers marched the leather to the 20-yard line where a five-yard offside penalty set them back when otherwise they would have had a first down. As a result they tried to pass on fourth down, failed and Mansfield took over.
With Majors and Horvath doing most of the lugging the Tygers banged their way 55 yards to the Massillon 25 where they lost the ball on downs.
Massillon charged back and moved to a first down on the Mansfield 38. Then came the boner of the evening and one you seldom see in football. The local team got in one play before the end of the quarter as Zorger grabbed off two yards at left tackle. They only ran two plays the second period, Zorger making two yards on one and Byelene grounding a pass when the officials ruled the ball had been lost on downs. The lineman carrying the down marker, showed fourth down instead of third, on the pole and the officials failed to note the error. In fact it went by without any protest from the Massillon team until the halftime intermission when Houghton voiced his complaint.
The error cost the Tigers another down with the ball on the 33-yard line.
Mansfield was forced to punt on the next series and the Tigers lost the ball on their own 35 when they tried to carry it a yard on fourth down and failed to do so. Mansfield’s efforts ended with Merle Darrah intercepting Cline’s pass and running back to the Mansfield 31 before being tackled.
That sparked the Tigers to their first touchdown march. Giloff immediately whirled away to the 19-yard line. It took four downs to move it another 10. Then Giloff on a quick opener shot through for five more and Zorger went around his left end to the one yard line. It took two more cracks at the line for Giloff to get it over.
Brown missed an attempted kick for the extra point but Mansfield was offside. He tried it again and missed.
The Tigers forced Mansfield to punt after the following kickoff and had just made a first down on the Tyger 30-yard line when the half ended.
Mansfield didn’t wait to get rolling in the second half. Cline brought the kickoff back to the 31-yard line and in three plays, Majors and Horvath ran to a first down on their 47. Majors moved it up with another dash to the Massillon 33 and Horvath’s plunge combined with a five-yard penalty inflicted on Massillon for offside moved the leather to the 20-yard line. The Tigers had Mansfield stopped on the 13-yard line, but a five-yard penalty gave it a first on the nine. Horvath carried the leather four times in succession, going over on his last effort. Frisbee’s attempted kick for he extra point was blocked.
Tigers Score Again
Massillon took the following kickoff, Zorger carrying the ball back to his 40. Four successive first downs with Giloff and Zorger doing most of the carrying, took the ball to the 16. Brown staggered through center for 11 yards and a first down on the five. He then made an unorthodox but sensational sweep around his right end for a touchdown. Getting the ball, he started to his right but ran backward as three Mansfield tacklers bore down on him. He ran from the five back to the 20, where he turned on a burst of speed that caught the Mansfield gridders flat-footed. Running in a big arc, he went over for the touchdown, but was injured as he crossed the goal line and had to be removed from the game. Zorger tried to sweep left end for the extra point but was bottled up.
The six points in no way discouraged Mansfield. The Tygers rushed right back with the ball after the kickoff. Three successive first downs advanced it from the Mansfield 37 to the Tiger 30. The Tigers would have held for downs but again an offside penalty gave the Tygers the necessary extra yardage and they carried up to the five-yard line where Majors caught Massillon napping and swept his left end for a touchdown. Frisbee’s kick went wide of the goal.
Zorger took the following kickoff and nearly got away with it. He was down to the Mansfield 43 before being tackled. The Tigers moved the ball to the 23 where an offside penalty set them back. A fumbled lateral was recovered by Mansfield on the 36 but Majors fumbled for Mansfield on the next play and Bill Ceckler pounced on the leather for Massillon on the 35. Massillon was penalized five yards for delaying the game, but Brown got them back and more as he reentered the game and ran to the 15-yard line. Zorger took it up to another first down on the three and Brown was thrown without gain as the game ended.
Not Too Good
Massillon Pos. Mansfield
Zeller LE Henke
Young LT Rondy
Uliveto LG Richards
Darrah C Wentz
Brooks RG Gross
Wittmann RT Boals
Eberhardt RE Beard
Byelene QB Frisbee
Giloff LH Cline
Zorger RH Majors
Pedrotty FB Horvath
Score by periods:
Massillon 0 6 6 0 12
Mansfield 0 0 6 6 12
Substitutions:
Massillon – Schludecker, re; Byelene, qb; Edie, rt; Ceckler, rt; Badarnza, rh; Tackas, fb; Johnston, le; Bishop, re.
Mansfield – Sinerson, re; McKee, rh; Emerson, c; Marth, rt; Amsbaugh, le.
Touchdowns:
Massillon – Giloff; Brown.
Mansfield – Horvath; Majors.
Referee – Zupp.
Umpire – Smith.
Head Linesman – Landrum.
Field Judge – Grant.
Statistics
Massillon Mansfield
First downs 16 12
Passes attempted 2 2
Passes completed 0 0
Had passes intercepted 0 1
Yards gained rushing 225 175
Yards lost rushing 6 16
Net yards gained 249 159
Times punted 0 2
Average punt (yards) — 23
Fumbles 3 3
Lost ball on fumble 3 2
Yards penalized 35 21
Merle Darrah
