Tigers Beat Garfield 21-13 Massillon Gridders Overcome 6-0 Deficit
To Win 8th Of Season
By LUTHER EMERY
BEAT McKINLEY!
The crowd roared at Tiger stadium last night with the final gun that ended the Massillon gridders’ 21-13 squeak over Akron Garfield their eighth win of the season, and we have reason to believe that McKinley had as much to do with the close score as Garfield. The Tigers just couldn’t get the game off their minds.
McKinley and fumbles we should say aided the enemy for the Tigers fumbled five times, lost the ball three times, twice when within easy reach of touchdowns.
But there was also a dent in the Massillon armor, especially in the second half, when the local gridders permitted Garfield to hold the ball for long periods at a time while banging out first downs.
The Massillon offense was good enough the last two periods, but it couldn’t get the ball enough. It scored three of the four times it got the leather and had the pigskin on the
nine-yard line with a first down coming up when the games ended the fourth offensive trip.
* * *
THE DEFENSIVE leaks must be plugged if the Massillon gridders realize their post-game ambition of BEAT McKINLEY in the state championship battle to be played here at 2 o’clock next Saturday afternoon.
That goes for both line and secondary. The latter permitted one pass to go through for a touchdown and another to produce a first down on the one-yard line which also led to a touchdown.
Garfield lived up to its advance predictions of being a good football team.
Playing without the services of their triple threat back, Bill Miller, who injured an arm Thursday, the Presidents displayed a good offense, mixing up split T with single wing that struck particularly hard at the center of the Tigers line, and on optional sweeps.
The Akron gridders led the local team 6-0 at the half, but somehow Massillon fans did not appear too uneasy during intermission for they had seen their team lose two likely touchdowns through fumbles and another through the expiration of time in the first and second quarters.
* * *
IT TOOK ONLY four plays to tie the score when the third period got under way and Tom Morrow’s deadly kick put the locals in the lead.
They made a 14-6 early in the fourth period and might have done it sooner had not Garfield held the leather for nine plays.
Then Garfield aided by a 15-yard penalty inflicted on Massillon for roughing the punter after it had the Presidents stopped, helped the latter score a second touchdown on a
nine-yard pass over the line which with the point from placement brought the score to
14-13, too close for comfort of conversions looked awfully big for three and one-half periods of the game.
* * *
THE TIGERS might have broken Garfield’s back early in the contest had they scored in their first touchdown attempt. They took the kickoff and in two plays were on the six-yard line. Fromholtz carried the third play, went to the goal line where he fumbled when tackled and Garfield covered with the nose of the ball just three inches away from the chalk line. It was on this play that Fromholtz hurt his arm and had to be removed.
After an exchange of punts, Garfield got the ball on its own 20 and went all the way, using up almost 10 minutes to run off 15 plays. A 25-yard pass from Sterling Shepherd to Don Olenick and a nine-yard toss from Joe Amedio to Shepherd figured prominently in the drive. The latter pass brought a first down on the one-yard line and Al Mobley in two plays bucked it over for the score.
The Tigers blocked Washknock’s attempted kick for the extra point and Garfield led 6-0.
* * *
FLOYD was downed with the following kickoff on his own seven and the teams took turns fumbling the ball. The Tigers after Dave Canary covered a Garfield fumble on the Massillon 25, drove all the way to the Farfield 13 where on first down Ron Boekel fumbled and Garfield covered.
The orange and black made one more threat, a pass, Crescenze to Floyd putting the ball on the 10-yard line with first down coming up when the half ended.
Garfield received to start the third period but Stavroff intercepted Chris’ pass and was downed on the Massillon 45. Floyd raced 23 yards to the Akron 32. Yoder lost four yards on a fumble, but Crescenze shot the ball to Robert Williams for 30 yards and a first down on the six. Floyd lost no time going over for the T.D. that tied the score and Morrow put the locals in the lead.
Garfield took seven plays to make two first downs, but couldn’t make another in four downs and the Tigers took over on their 25 with a couple of minutes left in the period. By the time the quarter ended they were down to the Garfield 17, thanks to a 17-yard run by Crescenze and a 14-yard pass to Yoder.
On the second play of the final period, Boekel went 13 yards around his left end to score and Morrow’s extra point made it 14-6.
But Garfield wasn’t at all upset about it.
The visitors got the kickoff on their 28 and clicked off four first downs as they went the distance. The Tigers had them stopped on the Garfield 41, but the Presidents’ punter was roughed and Garfield was favored with a 15-yard penalty which brought a first down on the Massillon 44.
A 32-yard pass, Sehpherd to Amedio, did the damage, giving Garfield a first down on Massillon’s 12. Chris moved it three yards nearer the goal and on third down tossed to Olenick for the touchdown Washknock booted the extra point and it was 14-13.
The visitors John Taylor got off a short kick that Bob Williams ambled back with to the Akron 41. Boekel moved it up a yard and Floyd shot around his right end, setting up some fine blocking ahead to go 58 yards for the final score. Again Morrow kicked the extra point.
The play of Olenick and Dick White, Garfield ends, and that of Chris and Mobley were highlights of the visiting team.
Crescenze’s passing and Floyd’s running stood out for the Tigers offensively.
The line-up and summary:
MASSILLON
ENDS – Lorch, R. Williams, Canary, Houston, Hagle, Francisco.
TACKLES – B. Williams, Hill, Schumacher, Moore.
GUARDS – R. Maier, Holloway, Morrow.
CENTER – Rohrbaugh.
QUARTERBACKS – Crescenze, James, Speck.
HALFBACKS – Floyd, Fromholtz, Yoder, Stephens, Stavroff.
FULLBACKS – Boekel, Cocklin.
AKRON GARFIELD
ENDS – Olenick, White, Winters, Bell.
TACKLES – Fink, Compton, Parker, Genda.
GUARDS – Washknock, Aulina, R. Parks. W. Parks.
CENTERS – Vegh, Cox.
QUARTERBACK – Chris.
HALFBACKS – Amedia, Shepherd, Stephens, Taylor, Cianciola.
FULLBACK – Mobley.
Score by periods:
Massillon 0 0 7 14 21
Garfield 0 6 0 7 13
Touchdowns:
Massillon – Floyd 2; Boekel.
Garfield – Mobley; Olenick.
Points after touchdown:
Massillon – Morrow 3 (placekicks).
Garfield – Washknock (placekick).
Officials
Referee – Titus Lobach.
Umpire – Paul Tobin.
Head Linesman – Mack Shaffer.
Field Judge – Dave Klocker.
STATISTICS
Mass Garf.
First downs 16 15
Passes attempted 8 11
Passes completed 6 6
Had passes intercepted 0 2
Yards gained passing 120 114
Yards gained rushing 241 125
Total yards gained 361 239
Yards lost 5 26
Net yards gained 355 213
Times punted 1 2
Average punt (yards) 26 18
Yards punts returned by 0 0
Times kicked off 4 3
Average kickoff (yards) 53 31
Net kickoff returns by 4 52
Times fumbled 5 6
Lost ball on fumble 3 1
Times penalized 4 5
Yards penalized 40 25
