Terrific Tigers Smash Warren 38-8
21,092 Fans See Bengals Roll Up 30 Points In First Half To Subdue Foe
By CHARLIE POWELL
Any doubt that Massillon is not MIGHTY MASSILLON was certainly and very explicitly brought to an end Friday night by a hungry band of Washington high school Tiger footballers.
Spirited, downright vicious blocking and tackling, hell-bent-for-leather running, the confidence of a Las Vegas gambler holding all the aces – these were the earmarks of the Tigers as they showed 21,092 fans how the game of football should be played in pounding Warren Harding’s Panthers into submission by a 38-8 tune.
The Panthers did not have a chance against the revenging Bengals.
In what shaped as a bruiser but wound up as a one-sided bruiser with Warren getting all the “black eyes” the state’s top-ranked powerhouse was conclusively dominant from the first minute to the last tick of the clock.
They set up the invading team with a quick first period touchdown, shook them with two more salvos early in the second quarter and then an electrifying 73-yard run by the whirling Art Hastings just before intermission took 99 percent of the starch right out of the fired-up Panthers.
* * *
MASSILLON’S heroes drove for another six-pointer in the third stanza and that was the extent of their scoring. But it didn’t matter, one has to think that the boys from Warren wouldn’t have put many chinks in the Tiger armor if they had battled the rest of the night.
The Panthers did score, a fake-punt run by Paul Warfield setting up a 19-yard pass play which averted a shutout, but they floundered and sputtered until that last quarter.
Massillon had 17 first downs to – 10 and five of Warren’s stickmovers came in the last period. Massillon rolled up 409 yards on the ground to 73 for the Panthers – and the visitors netted all but 30 of that total in the final canto.
Had they remained real “hungry” for the second half of their spectacular production, the talented Tigers might have really poured it on. But the final spread of 30 points was plenty good enough against the sixth-ranked Slaughtermen.
* * *
SLAUGHTERED Warren, in going down to its second defeat against five wins, hadn’t yielded by that many points since Massillon’s 1952 victory by a 31-0 margin.
Had the Tigers kept up the steamroller attack they probably would have passed the 59-0 shellacking the 1940 Panthers suffered at the hands of the Bengals.
The triumph was the seventh of the season and 10th consecutive for the Leo Strang-coached battlers.
It probably will hike Massillon’s stock in the state polls because the Tigers beat a higher ranked team than second-place Springfield, which clubbed Hamilton Garfield, 61-0.
It – the Tigers 26th victory over the Trumbull countians since 1921 – also preserved the record of no Massillon coach ever having lost two in a row to the Panthers.
Offensively, the Orange forward wall which was led by Captain Gary “Sluggo” Bednar, Jim Houston, Wendell Snodgrass, Bob Barkman, Jay B. Willey, Virgil Bukuts and Don Appleby, earned its share of accolades. They cut down the enemy to spring the ball-carriers loose for big yardage and there was picture blocking especially on Hastings’
73-yarder and that 60-yard gallop by Martin Gugov at the outset of the third frame.
Defensively, the line also was outstanding. Standouts yes, lots of them, but special praise must go to the likes of Houston, Bednar, Willey, Frank Midure, Hase McKey, Gary Wells and Terry Snyder, plus the secondary defenders such as, Gugov, Hastings, Nick Daugenti, Bob Oliver and Bob Herring. Most of their tackles, shook the white-shirted opponents to their toes.
* * *
THE DEFENSE held the Panthers to less than three yards per rushing play. In the air Warren completed six of 18 passes with one being intercepted and only the 19-yard scoring aerial in the last period did major damage.
The losing side committed three fumbles and twice Massillon boys were “Johnny on the Spot” for important recoveries.
Absolutely and positively, it was a true team effort with 34 Tigers entering the game but how about some of that snazzy running?
The longie by Hastings for the fourth touchdown of the first half must rank with the greatest seen anywhere.
After the Orangemen’s third TD, a Warren bid was thwarted at the 27 and on the first play, the lad they call “Duck” hit off the left side and it looked like an ordinary three or four yard gain. But Art saw that it wasn’t plain ordinary. Between the line of scrimmage and the midfield stripe, he twisted away from four defenders, then at the Warren 45, did a sensational job of pulling away when apparently trapped once again.
* * *
FREE AFTER this bit of hipper-dipper, he headed for the west sidelines and outran a couple hopeful opponents to the end zone.
Agile Art got his other touchdown on a six-yard slant on his previous trip with the mail and when the game ended he had accounted for 171 yards in 18 tries…an average of 9.5 yards per carry out-doing Warfield’s 6.7 average.
The hard-hitting Gugov carted 10 times for 87 yards and scored twice on short plunges. Bill Finney, using the old noodle when he wasn’t blasting straight ahead, carried 12 times and picked up 61yards – including a one-yard touchdown smash.
Jarrin’ Jim Wood netted 45 yards in six tries and had a 10-yard run wiped out by a penalty. For the first time this year, the Tigers used their classy quarterback, Joe Sparma, as a major infantry “weapon” and he got 32 yards in four carries.
The first time he kept the ball, Joe hummed for 18 yards and this was the longest gainer as the Bengals moved to their second score of the night.
* * *
SPARMA had to punt only once and this boot went 44 yards. He did not arch a pass until the Tigers tried to “beat the clock” in the second period. He hit on one of four in a space of 50 seconds. On two occasions the pass was completed – but barely out of bounds – and the other toss was batted down on a fine individual effort by Warfield.
Only two of his passes in the second half were way out of reach.
Warfield, who had previously scored eight touchdowns and averaged over eight yards per carry, gained 28 yards on his best try of the game. This came on a double reverse in which he danced to the left and then to the right. The speedy back was shaken up on this play and many times thereafter he was slow getting up off the ground.
On the next play Howard carried nine yards to the Tiger 28 and he too had to have some attention after being knocked out of bounds. Suffering a reoccurrence of his leg injury, he did not get to play in the second half, and for the game carried three times and made 13 yards.
* * *
FULLBACK Willie Jones did not run like he had a serious leg injury, which hospitalized him last week. His only trouble was that he had to contend with the Tiger defense and he picked up only 23 yards in five trips.
The Tigers started to take command on the sixth play of the encounter when Snyder recovered a Howard fumble at the Warren 45.
In eight plays, the orange and black covered the remaining distance as Finney, Hastings and Gugov toted the pigskin. On a critical three and one-foot situation at the 20, Hastings zoomed 13 yards and three plays later, Gugov dived through a hole at right tackle from two yards out. Finney swept the right flank and at 6:06 jubilant Massillon fans chirped on an 8-0 lead.
On Warren’s first two plays after the kickoff the Panthers had a would-be pass receiver in the open behind Massillon’s secondary. But on the first slip, Quarterback Doug Brown was smacked by Willey as he threw and the wobbly ball fell short. On the next play, the Panthers pulled an identical maneuver in which there was a reverse in the backfield before Brown took a pitch-out. However his throw again was short and Hastings made a leaping interception and got four yards to the Tiger 39.
* * *
STRANG’S gang went out on the prowl again. After 10 plays and before the quarter came to a conclusion, they had marched to the enemy 11 as Sparma sneaked for 18 and Hastings found a hole for 11.
On the first play of the second round Gugov made four and then came back with six after Wood slipped and fell for no gain. From the one Gugov rammed through right tackle and at 10:38 Massillon had its second tally. Hastings swept left for two more points and it wasn’t long before the score was hiked to 24-0.
A low punt gave the Tigers the ball at their own 21 following a penalty which put the Panthers at their nine-yard line. Wood made four, Finney seven, Hastings two and Finney also two before Sparma pulled a beautiful fake and gave the ball to Hastings who drilled through the left side at 6:22. The conversion again was good as Gugov went across standing up.
As the Tigers re-aligned for the kickoff, hundreds of gala Massillon fans gave them a standing ovation and this roaring apparently spurred the boys for another TD before intermission arrived.
Warfield’s 28-yard sortie aided the Panthers in moving from midfield to the Tiger 27 before their passing attack went awry. Then came the rip-roaring burst by Hastings and with a little over three minutes remaining in the first half the Tigers held a 30-0 advantage.
* * *
AFTER THE KICKOFF Warren was forced to punt. Wood ran for 15 and then little Bob Herring dashed for 20 to move the ball to the 47. Sparma tossed to Herring on a brilliant play for 14 yards but after another forward failed, time ran out.
Gugov ripped off 60 yards on the third play of the third chukker and Hastings followed with a 15-yard gain. Sparma then was nailed for an eight-yard loss on an attempted pass play and Massillon had to relinquish the ball after an intentional grounding penalty and a screen pass which failed to click.
However, the Tigertowners were back in business after McKey smacked down Brown, (trying to pass) who fumbled with Midure recovering at the Warren 44. Finney galloped 12 yards and the Tigers percolating, but good, once again.
A holding penalty did not deter them as Wood came back with a 19-yard gain on a reverse. From the one Finney tallied at 1:36 and Gugov went in for two more points.
After the kickoff the visitors made 14 yards on the last three plays of the quarter and on the fourth play of the final chapter, Warfield raced 23 yards from punt formation. With the ball at the 19, Brown hit End Dick Laraway who made a difficult catch in the right corner. From placekick formation, Warfield ran across and it was 38-8 at 9:03.
* * *
ON THEIR NEXT series of plays the Tigers gambled with a fourth and four situation. From punt formation Sparma ran right but was halted about a yard and a half shy of a stick mover.
The Panthers then moved from the Massillon 43 to the 19 before a penalty (illegal player downfield on a pass play) stymied the bid. Two passes fell incomplete.
A holding penalty hurt Massillon and Sparma punted for the first and last time of the night. A Brown to Jones flat pass lost two yards and Warfield caught Brown’s toss for 30 yards but on the last play of the game Daugenti intercepted another Brown forward.
The Big One!
MASSILLON
ENDS – McKey, Barkman, Zumbrunn, Oliver, Royer, Bodiford.
TACKLES – Appleby, Bukuts, Wells, Haines, Herbst.
GUARDS – Bednar, Houston, Willey, Midure, Crenshaw, Anzalone,
White, Brugh.
CENTERS – Snodgrass, Snyder, Demis.
QUARTERBACK – Sparma.
HALFBACKS – Finney, Wood, Daugenti, Herring Gogov, Kurzen.
FULLBACKS – Hastings, Hershberger, Toles, Dean.
WARREN HARDING
ENDS – Laraway, Ferance, Auble, Kiefer, Brooks.
TACKLES – Smith, Rodosovich, Chickerneo.
GUARDS – Romig, Rogers, Angelo, Ondrejko.
CENTER – Kent.
QUARTERBACKS – Brown, Hilles, Dibattiste.
HALFBACKS – Warfield, Howard, Combs, Thompson, Wilson, Jackson.
FULLBACKS – Jones, Hicks, Getsay.
Scoring by quarters
Massillon 8 22 8 0 38
Warren 0 0 0 8 8
Massillon Scoring:
Touchdowns – Hastings (R-6, R-73); Gugov (R-2, R-1); Finney (R-1).
Extra Points – Gugov (2); Hastings, Finney (all runs).
Warren Scoring:
Touchdown – Laraway (P-19).
Extra Points – Warfield (run).
OFFICIALS
Referee – Dan Tehan.
Head Linesman – Tony Pianowski.
Umpire – Jim Lmyper.
Field Judge – Sam Hodnick.
Statistics
Mass. War.
First downs, rushing 16 7
First downs, passing 1 3
First downs, penalties 0 0
Total first downs 17 10
Yards gained rushing 419 101
Yards lost rushing 10 28
Net yards gained rushing 409 73
Yards gained passing 13 76
Total yards gained 422 149
Passes attempted 8 18
Passes completed 1 6
Passes intercepted by 2 0
Times kicked off 6 2
Kickoff average (yards) 33.3 43.5
Kickoff returns (yards) 20 57
Times punted 1 2
Punt average (yards) 44.0 27.5
Fumbles 0 3
Lost fumbled ball 0 2
Penalties 6 3
Yards penalized 80 40
Massillon Virtually Sews Up First Title Since 1954
Rated Warren
No Match For Savage Tigers
in 38-8 Massacre
By DON LIGHTNER
Repository Sports Writer
MASSILLON – It doesn’t pay to defeat the Massillon Tigers. Warren’s Panthers found that out in no uncertain terms here last night.
With 21,092 fans in attendance, the state’s top-ranked Bengals easily crushed the Panthers, 38-8, in a tremendous display of rock’em, sock’em football.
It was sweet revenge for Coach Leo Strang’s Massillon crew. The one-sided victory more than made up for last season’s 6-0 loss at the hands of Warren.
That was the only defeat on the Tigers’ 1958 record and ruined their hopes for the state title which went to Alliance. The Aviators and Bengals tied 8-8 last season.
Massillon also has erased that “blot” – blanking Alliance, 14-0 earlier this campaign.
Thus, the Bengals have a good down payment on their first state championship since 1954 when they posted a 9-1 record under Coach Tom Harp.
It is hard to believe any of the Tigers’ three remaining opponents – Barberton, Akron Garfield and Canton McKinley – can derail the Massillon express.
With seven victories already in the bag, the Bengals seem to be a cinch to post their first undefeated season since 1953.
If there is such a thing as perfect football, Massillon played it last night in the first half.
* * *
THE FIRED-UP Bengals scored eight points in the first period and then rammed home 22 more in the second quarter for an over-whelming 30-0 lead at intermission.
Massillon’s fantastic feats in the first half stunned the huge throng. For the most part, fans were expecting a close game.
But the Tigers wanted the Panthers’ skin real bad. They forced Warren into mistakes and turned them into touchdowns.
The Bengals’ blocking and tackling were savage.
With the triumph locked up at half time, Massillon lost some of its fire in the second half.
It upped the count to 38-0 in the third period before Warren got its only touchdown in the fourth quarter.
* * *
STRANG JUST shook his head while talking about his charges in the first half.
“I never have had a team which played such vicious football,” Leo said.
“The kids wanted this one real bad. It took us 372 days to get even for last year’s loss to Warren.”
Strang then was asked if the number switching of Warren halfbacks Paul Warfield and Marv Howard caused him any trouble.
“We spotted it on the kickoff.” Strang said. “It was just a bush league trick to do it in front of all those people.”
Warren Coach Gene Slaughter said he knew Massillon would be keying on Warfield and figured it was worth a try.
Slaughter, incidentally, also had a gripe. “This is the second time we’ve come to Massillon without having field phones.” Slaughter said, “We just had to play it by ear.”
* * *
GENE WENT on to say that his team’s early errors gave Massillon three “cheap” touchdowns. “You can’t expect to win by playing that kind of football.”
Slaughter was referring to a fumble, pass interception and bad punt which Massillon turned into TD’s in the first half.
Although they made the Tiger goal a little easier, there wasn’t much question as to which was the better team.
The Bengals’ savage tackling stopped the vaunted Panther attack.
Howard was knocked out of the contest in the second period with a severely injured shoulder.
The brilliant Warfield also was shaken up as was fullback Willie Jones.
Massillon’s main aim was to keep Warfield contained. It succeeded pretty well.
Only in a few instances did he show his sparkling running form. But it was far too little.
* * *
MASSILLON’S GREAT depth was overpowering. Fullback Art Hastings was the workhorse with halfbacks Martin Gugov, Bill Finney and Jim Wood adding valuable support.
Gugov was the Bengal “storm trooper.” When yards were needed, Gogov got them.
Hastings carried the pigskin 18 times for 164 yards and two touchdowns and an extra point run. Gugov had 10 carries for 83 yards two TDs and two extra point runs.
Finney added a touchdown and PAT to round out the scoring.
Warfield paced Warren with 60 yards in nine carries.
The Panthers put themselves in the hole after receiving the opening kickoff.
After picking up a first down they fumbled on their own 45. Massillon covered and was off to the races.
Eight plays later, Gugov blasted into the end zone from two-yards out. Finney added the PAT.
* * *
SECONDS LATER, Hastings intercepted a Warren pass on his own 39.
The Bengals pounded downfield to the one-yard stripe where Gugov again took it over on the 14th play. Hastings ran over the extra points.
A poor punt, which went out of bounds on the Warren 21, set up Massillon’s third TD. The kick traveled only 12 yards.
Hastings then tallied from the six-yard line and the rout was on. Gugov made the PAT.
After the Panthers were stopped on the Tiger 26, the most exciting play of the game occurred.
Hastings took the pigskin and rambled 74 yards to pay dirt. At least five Warren players had a crack at the elusive speedster, but he kept right on going down the left sidelines.
The Tigers made their final TD late in the third quarter.
* * *
AGAIN IT WAS a fumble which gave Massillon possession on the Warren 44. Twelve plays later, Finney went in from the one-yard line. Gugov made the extra points.
Warren then took the kickoff and finally scored after a 63-yard march. With the ball resting on the Massillon 10, quarterback Doug Brown pitched a strike to end Dick Laraway in the end zone. Warfield ran the PAT.
Massillon also won the battle of statistics. It made 17 first downs to Warren’s 10.
The Tigers picked up 422 net yards. The Panthers had only 149.
Warren broke one Massillon streak. It was the first time in 10 games that Bengal quarterback Joe Sparma didn’t complete a touchdown pass.
The Panthers’ record is now 5-2.
MASSILLON – 38
E – Barkman, Zumbrunn, McKey, Oliver, Royer, Bodiford.
T – Appleby, Bukuts, Snyder, Haines, Herbst, Herndon.
G – Bednar, Houston, Midure, Crenshaw, Anzalone, White, Willey, Wells, Brugh.
C – Snodgrass, Demis.
QB – Sparma.
HB – Wood, Finney, Gogov, Daugenti, Herring.
FB – Hastings, Toles, Hershberger, Dean.
WARREN – 8
E – Ference, Laraway, Kiefer, Brooks, Aubel.
T – Rodosovich, Smith.
G – Romig, Rogers, Ondrejko, Angelo.
C – Kent.
QB – Brown, Dibattiste.
HB – Warfield, Howard, Wilson, Thompson, Jackson.
FB – Hicks, Jones.
Massillon 8 22 8 0 38
Warren 0 0 0 8 8
TD – Gugov 2, Hastings 2, Finney. — Laraway.
EP – Gugov 2, Hastings, Finney (runs). — Warfield (run).
LOOKING’EM OVER
with CHARLIE POWELL
OUR MAGNIFICIENT Massillon grid warriors knocked the livin’ daylights out of the Warren Harding Panther in the first half, then rested on their laurels.
What a well deserved rest it was!
Warren had only Paul Warfield’s 21-yard scamper to shout about in that all-Massillon show for the first 24 minutes of play.
The Tigers stopped the Panther at every turn.
Most of the fans didn’t realize for over a quarter, that Warfield and Marvin Howard had switched jerseys with Warfield wearing No. 43 and Howard No. 45. But the Tigers knew about the switch at the game-opening kickoff.
* * *
ALL OTHER tricks the Panthers had up their sleeves failed too.
Meanwhile the blazing Bengals did just that…as the lads up front opened hole after hole for some terrific ball toting by Art Hastings, Bill Finney, Jim Wood, Martin Gogov and Joe Sparma.
Massillon’s first TD got the Panthers anxious and their gambles failed. The second score got them worried and the third – that razz-ma-tazz gallop by Hastings – left them as limp as Grandma’s oldest and wettest dish towel.
Warfield’s run from punt formation was about the only “surprise play” of the night that really worked for the Panthers.
We imagine their coach, Gene Slaughter, was surprised at the final score.
* * *
IT WAS WARREN’S worst beating in quite a few years but Slaughter had no excuses…he didn’t even feel like mentioning anything about the clock.
How did the Tigers look to him?
“Well, tonight they were a very good football team and we got beat,” he said.
“I honestly believe the difference was up front. You hurt us with those runs outside. You took advantage of the breaks.”
He made quite a point of the latter statement.
Slaughter, who probably will hear the wolves howling today, added, “We gave you three cheap touchdowns,” and complained about the injuries to Howard and Willie Jones slowing his team down.
Up at the north end of the field, Coach Leo Strang could hardly put two words together. He was a happy gent and so were his assistants, players and fans.
“This is the one we waited for…the one we wanted,” he kept repeating.
He was exuberated over the way the Tigers blocked, tackled and ran.
“Did you see that Hastings go, (on Art’s 73-yard TD jaunt),” he exclaimed.
* * *
“I DIDN’T SEE Warfield do anything like that,” he chortled.
Strang turned serious when a well-wisher yelled, “We’re the champs!”
The Tiger grid commander reminded everybody around that the Bengals have three remaining games and “anything can happen in football.” To emphasize his point, Strang pointed to a large sign in the dressing room. The sign reads, “To be crowned the best, we’ve got to win the rest.”
Leo was only slightly disappointed in that the Tigers didn’t show more offense in the second half. He said he was “trying a few things” and added that had the Tigers stuck to possession football they might have given Warren a more severe thumping.
Everybody around agreed also that after hitting so hard in the first half, the Orange apparently lost some of their energy.
Personally, they should save some of their vim and vigor for the three contests left on the agenda.
