BILL PRICE STARS AS WASHINGTON HIGH SWAMPS GARFIELD
ATKINSON’S CREW SMOTHERS RUBBER CITY RIVAL 46 – 0

A SILVER lining shines through the cloud of gloom that for several weeks has hung over Washington high school with the defeat of Akron Garfield Saturday in Akron 46 to 0. It was only three weeks ago that Akron East sent a veteran team to Massillon to face eleven green youths who trotted out on the gridiron to tangle with their experienced and heavier opponents. It was a gloomy and dreary day for the few hundred high school students and a thousand or more loyal city supporters when they filed quietly through the gates from the field upon which their favorite team had gone down in defeat in its opening tussle.

Truly, predictions had come true. The orange and black had been defeated and a disastrous season was looked forward to. With everything to gain and nothing to lose, the youthful Tigers went into their second tussle, Erie Academy being their opponent. Many unfavorable remarks had been flung at the young gridders, before that game. Then the unexpected happened. The high school lads, with all the viciousness of their mascot, a Bengal Tiger, mauled and completely whipped Erie, scoring a 26 to 0 victory. A silver lining began to edge the cloud of gloom, but still remarks that Erie wasn’t powerful were heard.

Saturday afternoon, the Tiger stalked on Seiberling field, Akron, and at the end of 44 minutes of play, the cloud itself was gone; and no silver lining was necessary to bring a ray of hope to the several hundred Massillon fans who followed the team. After the 46 to 0 victory, they knew that Washington high school had one of the best teams in its history which, without an unexpected upset, should go through the remainder of the season undefeated.

Mother Nature herself seemed to take the condition of the Massillon team to heart much the same as local fans. Her sky and smiling sun were clouded over on the opening day and the rain fell as tears on the field. But the sun made things a little merrier for the second game, as the clouds would clear away for short intervals, giving Old Sol an opportunity to shine forth its encouragement. But Saturday afternoon there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. All were as certain of Massillon winning as they were of clear weather and the sun shone brightly on the gridirons as Akron Garfield was being tucked away for its afternoon nap.
BILL PRICE STARS
The game Saturday, because of the lopsided score, wasn’t as interesting as it might have been. Were it not for a few sensational runs by Capt. “Bill” Price, and a couple of fancy plays, called more for the interest of the fans than for the good they would do in the game, there would have been little of interest to the football fan with the big exception of seeing the local team triumph.

The Massillon football world has been wondering just what kind of a backfield man this Price person would make; always before he has played a position on the line, having performed credibly at end and center. However, having recovered from a broken collarbone, he was sent to a halfback berth at the start of the game. As Captain William was making his first touchdown on a sensational dash of 30 yards around right end, one could have knocked the eyes of the fans off with ball bats as they stood in amazement. That Price will be one of the big mainstays in the orange and black’s offense for the remainder of the season can easily be seen for “Bill” played little more than a full quarter during the entire game and crossed the goal line three times. He gained practically every time he carried the ball and ripped yard after yard through the Akron team.

All of Coach Atkinson’s men played good football and nearly every member of the squad was given an opportunity to display his talent during the game. Following the first quarter, a continual steam of substitutes was poured into the Massillon ranks and the unknowing fan wondered where they all came from. Naturally Garfield can be thankful to Atkinson for this, for it kept the score from being doubled, but while the young members were not piling up points, they were gathering much knowledge and football experience for next season when a part of them will hold down regular berths on the team. And a few glances at this wealth of good looking reserve material puts the Massillon fan in an optimistic mood. What a whale of a team Atkinson should have next season.

While the regulars were in, it was only a question of how many points the Massillon steam roller would pile up. Laughlin, Smith, Foster and McConnell were continually thrusting at the line and running the ends for long gains, while the line was a veritable stone wall to the Akron gridders. Akron couldn’t gain any way at all and only twice during the entire fracas was play in the orange and black’s territory, a fumble being responsible for Garfield’s only chance to score, when it attempted to place kick during the fourth quarter which was blocked by a Massillon lineman.
PLAY STRAIGHT FOOTBALL
As for the local gridders straight football was resorted to. The deadly passing attack which swept Erie completely off its feet was not tried. Only once did the orange and black throw a pass and it was completed, being good for four yards.

Passes were not necessary for the local team’s offense. A running attack gained the necessary ground and although the aerial game might have added interest to the contest, it would only have given Akron South scouts, who were undoubtedly watching the contest, a chance to gather information on the plays and plan a defense to combat it. Akron South is the next opponent of the orange and black.

It took only a few minutes for the Massillon machine to get into motion and begin scoring points.
SCORE EARLY
The local team received, Ott getting the ball and carrying it back to the Massillon 40-yard line. Then the drive started. Laughlin on the first play stopped away for 12 yards and a first down. McConnell plunged for nine more and Laughlin then lashed through center for another three. Price added three on a sweeping end run and Smith made four around left end. With the ball on the 22-yard line, Laughlin scampered through the Akron team and placed the pigskin over the goal line. McConnell drop kicked for the extra point.

Akron showed its best offensive strength a moment later, making two consecutive first downs, one coming as a result of a penalty inflicted on the youthful Tigers. The belated rally, however, was cut short when Laughlin intercepted a pass on the Akron 35-yard line and carried the ball back to the 12-yard zone before being tackled. Price hit for five yards and Laughlin made a first down by inches. McConnell then carried the pigskin across. His attempted drop kick was blocked.

Toward the close of the first period, Price grabbed a punt in midfield and raced back to the 30-yard line where he was tackled. On the very next play he dashed around right end for his first set of markers. This time McConnell’s toe functioned and he kicked goal. The quarter ended with the score 20 to 0 in favor of the South Mill street gridders.

A few minutes after the second period opened. Popeko punted to the Massillon 30-yard line, Massillon fumbling but recovering. Price made three yards and Smith a yard. McConnell made seven on two attempts bringing a first down. Drives by Price and Briggs, who had substituted for Laughlin, brought six yards, and Price then stepped away in a well covered trick formation for 45 yards and a touchdown. It was a neat play the orange and black pulled and so well did it work that all but one of Garfield’s secondary defense was drawn away by the other Massillon backs who faked carrying the ball. McConnell missed his drop kick.

McConnell kicked over the goal line and Akron was given the ball on its 20-yard line. Four plays netted but nine yards and the orange and black received the ball on downs on the
29-yard line. Briggs hit for four yards and Foster, who replaced Price knifed through left tackle for seven more and a first down. McConnell then carried the ball to the five-yard line for a first down. Foster cut the distance to three yards, but Smith lost a yard on the next play. McConnell then carried the ball to within a foot of the goal line and on the next play plunged it over. McConnell drop kicked for the extra point bringing the local team’s total to 33 points.

A brilliant run of 35 yards by Briggs, who intercepted a pass from Popeko, Akron back, paved the way for the final points of the first half with McConnell drop kicking for the extra point.
SECOND HALF TAME
The only points scored in the second half were rolled up early in the last period after a march of 60 yards up the field. Bast received a punt on the Massillon 38-yard line and returned to the local’s 40. Schnerlie gained two yards on two plunges and the quarter ended with the ball on the locals’ 42-yard line. Here Atkinson shot in part of his regulars and Garfield was mowed down. Wagner ripped off two yards and Laughlin made 10 on the next play. Price made five yards around right end and McConnell added six more. Wagner failed to gain. Laughlin added two yards and Price carried the ball 19 yards to the 17-yard line. Laughlin struck for four and Wagner made three yards. McConnell hit center for two yards and Laughlin then went through right tackle for five more placing the ball on the three-yard line with four chances to put it over. On the next play, Price hit through right guard and rolled over the goal. McConnell failed in his attempt to dropkick for the extra point. During the remainder of the game, play was mostly in the center of the field, neither team getting into a position to score.

Garfield’s only opportunity to score came near the middle of the fourth quarter, when a member of the team covered a fumble on the orange and black’s 15-yard line. Three times the Akron gridders drove into the line, but on each occasion were repulsed without a gain. On the fourth down, an attempted place kick was blocked, Massillon recovering and starting a march that ended in midfield.

Akron , as expected was about as weak a team as the orange and black will face this year. It succeeded in making seven first downs as compared with 22 rolled up by the local gridders.

The Akronites attempted eight passes and completed two, one counting for four yards and the other for six yards; four were incomplete and two intercepted. Only a single pass was tried by the local team and that was good for four yards.

One of the outstanding features of the entire melee was the clean playing of both teams. Only two penalties were inflicted on the two teams. Massillon was penalized 15 yards at one time for holding, while Akron was penalized on one occasion for over use of the forward pass.
Boy, Page South
Massillon – 46 Pos. Akron – 0
Gump LE Denison
Ott LT Ripley
Spencer LG Nichols
Benson C Bland
D. Smith RG Franklin
French RT Fedor
Ressler RE Kroah
McConnell QB Moyer
Laughlin LHB Orthel
Price RHB Oakley
C. Smith FB Popeko

Score by quarters:
Massillon 20 20 0 6 46

Substitutions:
Massillon – Briggs for Laughlin, Foster for Price, Buttermore for Benson, Henderson for Ott, Easterday for Spencer, Mauger for D. Smith, Strough for French, Mathews for Ressler, Bast for McConnell. Grant for Briggs, Bickel for Foster, Schnerlie for C. Smith, Price for Schnerlie, Laughlin for C. Smith,McConnell for Bast, Wagner for Bickel, Briggs for Price, Foster for Laughlin, Hax for McConnell, Smith for Wagner, Fox for Gump, Fisher for Mauger.

Akron – Burk for Franklin, Croix for Nichols, M. Oriehl for Denison, Sloakes for Oakley, Franklin for Burk, Ripley for Franklin.

Touchdowns – Laughlin, McConnell 2, Price 3, Briggs.

Point after touchdown – McConnell 4, (dropkick).

Referee – Koester.
Umpire – Lovell.
Head Linesman – Smith.

Time of quarters – 12 and 10 minutes.