CROWD OF 12,000 SEES TIGERS DEFEAT WARREN HIGH 21-0
MASSILLON TURNS TO POWER PLAYS TO WIN
Ball Carriers Shove Over Three Touchdowns When Visitors Spread Defense Over Passing Zone; Game Abundant In Color
By LUTHER EMERY
A driving offense that gained yardage the hard way, kept the Washington high Tigers into the top spot of northeastern Ohio football Friday evening as they stemmed the invasion of the battling Presidents of Warren before a crowd of 12,000 cheering fans.
Thrice the Tigers plowed their way to touchdowns and thrice the toe of Ray Getz, sophomore halfback sent the ball spinning between the bars for a 21-0 triumph in a game that has never been surpassed in color here.
Color and Class
Fully 12,000 fans poured into Massillon field, which already has been enlarged to a 13,000 seating capacity. The packed stands formed a colorful back drop for the green stage and one of the finest football shows ever put on.
Both teams had its performers, but in the entire cast there were none more dangerous or more sparkling than the Johnson brothers, Mackey and Levi, Warren’s fleet and dangerous halfbacks.
Their dazzling sprints, the skillful maneuvers of the 81-piece Warren band, the snappy new drill of the Tiger musicians, the princely marching of the Ohio champion American Legion drum and bugle corps and the downright determination of both teams to battle to the final whistle completed a show that sent losers as well as winners home talking.
Warren Primed For Game
As expected, Warren was loaded to the guns. Several thousand President supporters drove the 70 miles to Massillon and another several thousand gathered around public address systems at home to see and hear their team in one of northeastern Ohio’s most important football games of the year.
It was billed as a game that would go a long way toward determining the northeastern Ohio champion and it did just that.
Warren came to Massillon with an uncrossed goal line, but went back home with three touchdowns shoved over it.
The first followed the kickoff to Massillon and a Tiger drive of 80 yards that ended with Ray Getz lashing through a stubborn left tackle for one yard and a touchdown.
Another bristling drive that started from the Tiger 29-yard line late in the first period and took up a third of the next quarter produced the second score with Capt. Red Snyder diving over from the one yard line after the visitors had twice stood their ground.
An intercepted pass on the Warren 40-yard line and a drive that moved forward with the aid of a 15-yard penalty produced the third touchdown in the fourth quarter with Freddie Toles winging his way around right end from the four-yard line.
Those three touchdowns briefly sum up Massillon’s offensive efforts for the evening.
Warren Always Dangerous
Warren with two backs in the Johnson boys, who were faster and who could twist and squirm better than any of the Tiger ball carriers was dangerous at all times.
Again and again Mackey or Levi would break through the Massillon line as though fired from a cannon, but there was always a Tiger somewhere handy to haul them down before they could reach the Promised Land.
Once it was Red Snyder who leaped on Levi’s back after he was on his way down the sidelines. Again Mackey was carrying the mail up the middle with four men ahead of him for interference and no one to be taken out of the way when Bill Zimmerman gathered himself off the ground and took the fleet Negro from behind.
The Johnson boys’ runs with one exception were the only long ones of the evening, the Tigers gathering virtually all of their yardage in power plays through the line or hard sweeps around the ends.
Visitors Defense Bothered Tigers
The Warren defense which continually shifted from a five-man to a six, seven and even eight man line, confused Tiger linemen on their blocking assignments and frequently resulted in Massillon ball carriers being stacked up without gain.
But troublesome as it was, Warren’s defense was pierced for 254 yards and 15 first downs while the visitors were held to 163 yards and seven first downs.
Warren, however, did succeed in stopping the Tiger passing attack to a fair degree of success. Carefully guarding their secondary, the Presidents only allowed two completed passes, one figuring in the second touchdown drive.
Using a 6-3-2 defense, the Tigers likewise guarded their secondary and only allowed the completion of one Warren pass while intercepting three, one of which started the final touchdown drive.
Though it broke occasionally and allowed the Johnson brother to tear through, the Tigers forward wall gave a creditable performance and out charged the visitors for three periods. By gaining the first foot of ground Toles, Houston, Russell, McMichael, Gillom, Martin and Lucius made it possible for their ball carrying teammates to smash through for gains which though not long, paid off in the end.
Tigers Score After Kickoff
The Tigers won the toss and received at the north end of the field. It was slam-bang from then on. Mackey Johnson booted the kickoff into the end zone and Massillon took the ball on its own 20. The going was tough with two and three downs being necessary to get the required first down. With Getz, Snyder and Slusser alternating at carrying the ball the Tigers rolled up six first downs as they moved down the field. They got a first down on their 32, their 46, the Warren 44, the 25, the 12 and Snyder finally rammed through for a first on the one-yard line. It took two plays to get it over from there, Getz carrying it across and kicking the extra point. The drive consumed half of the first quarter.
When Warren failed to gain after the following kickoff, Lindsey booted the ball to Snyder who came back to the visitor’s 46. There was second touchdown drive was launched despite two 15-yard penalties for holding. A fake kick from which Snyder ran 33 yards to a first down on the Warren 29-yard overcame the penalty losses. It was Massillon’s longest run of the game.
The mouse trap with Toles carrying the ball gained 11 yards and brought a first down on the one-yard line and Snyder went over after Warren had twice stopped thrusts at the line.
The visitors flashed their first offensive late in the second period when the Johnson boys got hot feet and carried the leather to the 15-yard line. There on fourth down, Zimmerman and Getz dumped Mackey hard after he had taken a lateral from Exler and Warren lost the ball.
Warren Takes Initiative
The third quarter was all Warren. Not a first down did the Tigers make in that frame while Warren came through with three in two unsuccessful bids for touchdowns. Once Levi Johnson raced through to the Massillon 31-yard line where Snyder charged over to the sideline to stop him. Warren only got two yards its next four plays and lost the ball on the 29.
They charged back again, however, and were well on their way with a first down on the Tiger 32-yard line when Manus fumbled the ball and Getz recovered for Massillon to end the threat.
Came the fourth quarter and the tide again turned in favor of the Tigers. In a desperate effort to score, Warren opened up with passes into a secondary that was closely guarded by Massillon. Horace Gillom went up into the air to pull one down on the Warren 40 and got back five yards before being downed. Slusser in two plays ran to a first down on the
19-yard line. As he was tossed out of bounds, an over anxious Warren player piled in on his legs and a 15-yard penalty was stepped off. It advanced the ball to a first down on the four-yard line. On the first play, Toles swept wide around his right end, outrunning Edwards of Warren to get the touchdown. Getz for the third time blasted a perfect shot between the uprights for the extra point.
The victory was the Tigers’ third and their hardest game of the season. Apparently they came out of it in better shape than either the McKeesport or Mansfield games and will point for Sharon next week.
The coaching staff of Miami University viewed the game from the enlarged press box and were amazed at the show put on. “We can see now how you can draw crowds of 12,000 at your football games,” was their comment.
They were particularly interested in the Massillon band. “Better than most college bands,” they said.
Maestro George Bird had his musicians primed for a new number and transferred the scene to the old Chicago Fair and “little Egypt’s gyrations”. It case you don’t know Pep Paulson was inside the skin.
Warren Band Impresses
The Warren band presented a fine drill between halves and an acrobatic drum major in Miss Helen Johnson. She knows here “taps” too so they say. The Warren male drum major who did such fancy baton twirling is one of the four Keller brothers, a family of drum majors.
The Warren band paraded the streets late Friday afternoon and marched to the Washington high gymnasium where members were served a lunch by the Band Mother’s club. Members of the Massillon band were on hand to greet the visiting musicians.
The Legion drum and bugle corps put in its annual football appearance before the game. The corps usually participates in the opening night exercises but was on its way to Los Angeles this year when the Tigers opened their season with McKeesport.
The Ohio champions and the 10th best corps in the United States were given a great ovation as they left the field.
Miss Margaret Busse, Massillon’s acrobatic cheerleader was given a big hand.
There was one fight, but the fan who took the pass at one of the Massillon ‘coppers” regretted it. He was not locked up however, but was put out of the field.
Good Plunging
Massillon Pos. Warren
Toles LE Edwards
Lucius LT Hoffman
Russell LG Brownlee
Martin C Canzonetti
Houston RG Hyde
MacMichale RT Lindsey
Gillom RE Holmes
Slusser QB Henry
Getz LH Manus
Zimmerman RH Johnson
Snyder FB Layton
Score by periods:
Massillon 7 7 0 7 21
Substitutions:
Massillon – Lechleiter, le; Foster, le; Fabian, fb.
Warren – L. Johnson, fb; Exler, lh; Leutsch,; E. Wilson; Thompson; Terrell; Mustas; R. Wilson; Webster; Lohret; Mrus.
Touchdowns:
Massillon – Getz; Snyder; Toles.
Points after touchdown:
Massillon – Getz 3 (placekicks).
Referee – Jenkins.
Umpire – Rupp.
Head Linesman – Hetra.
Field Judge – Ensign.
Game Statistics
Massillon Warren
First Downs 15 7
Yards rushing 254 163
Yds. Lost rushing 14 13
Net yards rushing 240 150
Yards passing 22 18
Total Yds. Gained 262 168
Passes attempted 7 7
Passes completed 2 1
Passes incomplete 5 3
Passes intercepted 0 3
Times punted 5 3
Av. Punts (Yds.) 37.4 37.6
Yards penalized 65 35
