STATE CHAMPIONSHIP AT STAKE IN TIGER-BULLDOG GAME
MASSILLON SPOTTY IN BEATING CHANEY 26-13
Tigers Play Listless Ball, But Score Touchdowns When They Need Them; Team Will Practice Behind Closed Gates Tonight
By LUTHER EMERY
The Washington high Tigers and the Canton McKinley Bulldogs having kept their slates clean last week by winning from Youngstown Chaney 26-13 and Mansfield 32-0 respectively, will battle for the state championship Saturday afternoon on Massillon field.
The two elevens have mopped up on many of the best teams in Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York and with Massillon in the role of defending champion and Canton, the challenger, one of the finest football games in many years is in the making.
Large Crowd Expected
The largest crowd of the season will jam every inch of space in Massillon field to see the two elevens’ battle. Most of the tickets are held by fans of the two cities, though hundreds of people from other cities, as far away as Honolulu will be in the stands.
The splendid undefeated and untied records of the competitors and the championship recognition that will be given the winner would draw a crowd from two to three times that which will witness the game, if seating space were only available. No attempt has been made to sell tickets to any other but Massillon and Canton fans and there even will be insufficient room for as many of them as would like to attend.
Most of the reserved seats have been sold, but a few seats were still available today. Likewise, 5,000 general admission seats will be available Saturday. The general admission price will be 50 cents to adults and 25 cents to students.
The nearer the game approaches the more it appears a tossup. There was a time a few weeks ago when fans were picking Massillon by 18 points, but in the last three weeks, Canton has played three teams defeated by Massillon and a comparison of the scores offers little choice.
The Tigers beat Alliance 19-6, Canton beat Alliance 33-26. Massillon beat Steubenville
31-0. Massillon beat Mansfield 33-7. Canton beat Mansfield 32-0. Massillon beat Canton Lehman 52-0. Canton beat Canton Lehman 48-6.
Massillon Has Won Nine Games
The Tigers have played nine games, the Bulldogs eight.
In addition to the four victories already mentioned the Tigers have defeated McKeesport, Pa., 19-7; Warren 21-0; Sharon, Pa., 37-20; New Castle, Pa., 52-7; and Youngstown Chaney, 26-13. The Bulldogs defeated Akron South, 32-0; Erie Academy, 7-6; Huntington, W.Va., 19-6 and Elmira, N.Y., 52-6 in addition to Lehman, Alliance, Steubenville and Mansfield.
In their nine games the Tigers scored 290 points to their opponents 60, an average of 32.1 points to the opponents’ 6.66 points per game. The Bulldogs scored 255 points to the opponents’ 50, an average of 31.87 points to the opponents’ 6.25.
Of the two teams, the Tigers had the harder game Saturday. Chaney, recognized as a good team, met a Martinless Massillon at a time when the entire eleven was low.
The visitors, playing inspired ball, gave local fans their biggest thrill of the season when trailing 14-0 going into the fourth quarter they scored two touchdowns, one on a completed pass and another on an intercepted pass to pull up to within a point of the orange and black.
But the Tigers came to life after the second Chaney touchdown to play their best ball of the afternoon and score twice in the last seven minutes to win 26-13.
The Chaney team was one of the best to show here this season. Score comparisons showed it to be such in advance for it had beaten Farrell, Pa., a team that trimmed Warren and the Tigers were glad for a three-touchdown victory over Warren.
The Tigers were far superior from a statistical standpoint for they made 18 first downs to Chaney’s seven and gained a total of 393 yards to Chaney’s 97.
Chaney Stubborn
However, the Youngstown boys offered stubborn resistance when fighting with their backs to the wall and penalties and fumbles halted Massillon drives.
Inability to complete passes slowed the Massillon offense. Chaney was responsible for that too. With a big advantage in weight, the visitors safely used a 5-3-2-1 defense that furnished good protection to the secondary. It left openings for Massillon ball carriers, but virtually stopped the Tiger passing attack. Only two of 11 passes were completed for gains of 27 yards. Here Chaney had the edge in statistics. It completed seven of 17, including laterals for a total of 94 yards.
Capt. Red Snyder and Ray Getz were the chief Tiger ground gainers. Snyder picked up 174 yards and Getz the net total of 156. Frendenrich, Sinkwich and Chockey were the shining lights of the Chaney offense.
Chaney started with a rush and with Frendenrich getting away for a run of 41 yards before being hauled down by Capt. Snyder, advanced the ball from the kickoff to the 26-yard line. Here interference was called on a Chaney pass receiver and the visitors were given the ball on the Tiger 10-yard line. Three downs only gained a yard and Sinkwich missed an attempted field goal.
Getting the ball on their own 20, the Tigers marched 80 yards for a touchdown with Snyder going over. Getz kicked the extra point.
Two 15-yard penalties, one for clipping and another for holding stopped two more Tiger touchdown drives in the first period. In the second quarter the Tigers marched the ball to the Chaney 25 where three incomplete passes in a row gave the visitors the ball again.
The Tigers did not score until midway in the third period, when they began a drive from their own 41 where they got the ball on a punt. The locals’ only two passes of the game, both caught by Getz, helped advance the ball to the three-yard line where Snyder took it over and Getz kicked goal.
Chaney Scores Twice
The period was drawing to a close when Wellington covered Getz’s fumble on the Massillon 45. Sinkwich in two plays went to the 30 and Chockey executed a perfect lateral to him for another first down on the eight-yard line. Two plays failed to gain a yard but on fourth down, Chockey flipped a pass over the line to Soltas who took it back of the goal for a touchdown. Sinkwich missed his try for point.
********
Boosters Meet
The Tiger Booster club will meet
this evening at 8:15
in the high school auditorium.
The Canton game
will be the big subject of conversation.
********
The Tigers received and charged back to the 50, but when Slusser tried a long pass to Toles, Sinkwich left his feet to snare the ball, head down the west sideline then reverse his field to run 70 yards for Chaney’s second touchdown. He kicked the extra point and the score was 14-13.
Here the Tiger team took account of itself and used the kickoff as a starting point for a 66-yard drive that ended with Snyder smashing over from the one-yard line on the 10th play. Getz missed the try for point and the score was 20-13.
Chaney trying desperately to upset the dope in the closing minutes began flinging passes. Snyder intercepted one to end what had the appearance of a threat on the 36-yard line and Gillom pulled down another on the Chaney 34 and ran back to the 14 before the visitors finally downed him. In two plays Snyder went to the one-yard line where Getz took it over for the final points of the game.
Unimpressive as the Tigers were Saturday, it was not an alarming condition considering that they virtually overlooked Chaney last week while pointing for the Canton Bulldogs.
It is dangerous enough to take a second rate ball team in the stride and Chaney was a far better eleven than that. Furthermore you need only think back to other years and you will recall that Massillon teams the past three seasons have looked ragged the week before the Canton game.
Spotty as their performance was Saturday, it is worthy of note, that 10 plays after Chaney had pulled up to within a point of them, the Tigers were over the goal for another touchdown.
Gordon Appleby and Jim Mauger did a good job at center but the ball carriers do not have the same confidence in either boy that they retain in Earl Martin who has been snapping the leather back to them for two years.
Martin is a key man on offense and the center of the line on defense and every attempt will be made to have his injured shoulder repaired by Saturday afternoon. However, coaches said it was extremely doubtful if he would be able to face the Bulldogs.
May Make Center Of Kingham
Brown this week will attempt to turn Dick Kingham into a center to give “boom” to that portion of the line. Kingham, a sophomore, has been the third string blocking halfback.
The Tigers emerged from the Chaney game with the usual number of bumps and bruises, none of which appeared serious. Practice this week will be secret. The field will be policed and not a spectator will be permitted on it.
McKinley had little difficulty subduing Mansfield. The Bulldogs scored one touchdown in the first quarter, two in the second and two in the third and made 19 first downs to Mansfield’s nine. The Bulldog subs played all of the fourth period and several minutes of the third. The Bulldogs uncovered a new backfield speedster in Bill Goodman, a sophomore. He started his first game Saturday. Motley and Roman each made two touchdowns and Goodman got the fifth.
The Tiger and McKinley bands will put on a first class show between halves here Saturday. The Massillon band was at its best during intermission of the Chaney game featuring “The Bugle Call Rag” and a dance step. It was a special arrangement prepared by Director George Bird and received a great ovation.
The singing showed improvement. Though the crowd was by far the smallest of the season the vocal music was the best.
Among the spectators was H.R. Townsend, of Columbus, commissioner of the Ohio high school athletics. Townsend expressed surprise at the size of the Massillon team. He expected to find a string of box cars on the line instead of a team averaging 162 pounds.
A representative of the Erie Times watched the game from the press box. He was particularly impressed with the band and would like to bring the Massillon show to Erie.
Good Enough
Massillon Pos. Chaney
Toles LE Soltas
Lucius LT Dasen
Russell LG Jakupsic
Appleby C Wellington
Houston RG Rominger
Henderson RT Williams
Gillom RE Machingo
Slusser QB Chockey
Getz LH Sinkwich
Zimmerman RH Frandenrich
Snyder FB Gaglione
Score by periods:
Massillon 7 0 7 12 26
Chaney 0 0 0 13 13
Substitutions:
Massillon – R. Clendening, rh; W. Clendening, lh; Sweezey, rt; Mauger, c.
Chaney – Magilla; Thompson.
Touchdowns:
Massillon – Snyder 3; Getz.
Chaney – Soltas; Sinkwich.
Points after touchdown:
Massillon – Getz 2 (placekicks).
Chaney – Sinkwich (placekick).
Referee – Gross.
Umpire – Boone.
Head Linesman – Schell.
Game Statistics
Mass. Chaney
First downs 18 7
Yards gained rushing 409 102
Yards lost rushing 16 5
Net gain rushing 393 97
Yards gained passing 27 94
Total yards gained 420 171
Passes attempted 11 17
Passes completed 2 7
Passes intercepted 1 5
Kickoffs 6 2
Average kickoffs yards 37 40
Punts 4 5
Average punts 39 41
Lost ball on fumbles 1 1
Penalties yards 65 30
INDIVIDUAL BALL CARRYING
Massillon
Player Gained Lost Total
Snyder 174 0 174
Slusser 73 4 69
Getz 162 6 156
Toles 0 6 -6
Total 409 16 393
Chaney
Frendenrich 43 0 43
Sinkwich 37 1 36
Chockey 5 0 5
Gaglione 5 0 5
Thompson 12 4 8
Total 102 5 37
