Tigers Defeat Warren 34-7
Massillon Eleven Gets Back On Victory Trail
By Crushing Old Rival
By LUTHER EMERY
The Tigers are back on the road of triumph again. There was happiness in the dressing room and noise in the stands as the Massillon gridders defeated their old rival Warren 34-7 here Friday evening before 11,087 fans.
Gone was that gloom that characterized last week’s 12-12 tie with Mansfield, and another link was welded into the Tigers undefeated chain which now stands at 14 games, with three to go before the end of the season.
The same team whipped Warren last night as that which dueled a week ago with Mansfield but it didn’t look the same. In the early moments when Warren drove to its only touchdown and the first of the game, there was apprehension that the night would have grave forebodings for the Tigers.
But it only aroused the Bengals and they struck back to control the ball the rest of the way.
* * *
THEY ONLY managed to come out with a tie the first half, but they completely outplayed the Panthers getting 10 first downs to the latters’ one. Only an error here and there kept the score from growing.
But when Halfback Charlie Brown grabbed a punt on his own 31-yard line in the second minute of the third period and aided by a tremendous block by Earl Radtke, to run 69 yards for a score – the jig was up for Warren.
The Tigers were off to the races thereafter and taking advantage of Warren mistakes, shoved over two more touchdowns in the period and another in the fourth to win by a sizeable margin.
When it was all over, Warren had lost its fifth game of the season as against two wins and was a pretty badly beaten team – physically, statistically and in points.
The Panthers had to take many times out for injuries; they yielded 250 net yards to Massillon on the ground and 54 from passes for a total of 304 net yards to their own 96 and trailed 17-6 in first downs.
Of great satisfaction from a Massillon standpoint was the Tigers’ improved defense and the point after touchdown kicking of John Kasunick. He proved the leading cheer-getter last night as he booted four out of five over the cross bar.
* * *
COACH TOM HARP was visibly pleased at the outcome too. He felt the team showed considerable improvement in its defense and he complimented Kasunick for his placekicking, the result of a lot of practice the past two weeks.
“There were mistakes,” said Harp, “But with the continued improvement of school spirit, community spirit and the boys’ desire to go to work, we should be able to correct these mistakes and continue to improve.”
The Tiger dressing room presented a far-different picture last night, than a week ago, for the boys knew they had played a ballgame and the gloom was gone from their faces as well as those of the many well-wishers who came in to congratulate them.
In whipping Warren they had rolled up the second largest score of the season on the Panthers this year. Only the 46-0 walloping handed Warren by Canton McKinley in the second game of the season exceeded last night’s spread of points.
The Tigers mixed passes with their running attack last night, throwing 10 and completing four, one for a touchdown, for a total of 54 yards.
They also ran 46 plays on the ground, excluding a punt, Dave Archibald ran 19 of them to lead the ground gaining with 126 net yards. Brown ran five for 28 yards and two touchdowns, one a punt return; Don Duke 12 for 52 net yards and a T.D.; Willie Long, six for 35 yards and John James four for 10 yards including a touchdown.
The Tigers’ other touchdown came on a pass over center, James to Dave Canary for 13 yards.
* * *
THE PANTEHRS ran 35 plays on the ground and tossed nine passes, completing three for 20 yards.
Chief ground gainer for the visitors was Nate Reed with 23 yards in nine attempts. Nick Spitogiania gained 17 yards in four carries and Frank Lengel 16 in five.
The Tigers won the kickoff for a change and on their first possession of the ball carried to midfield only to have Rickey Lawrence, a halfback, intercept a James pass and dash back to the Massillon 22. Reed was stopped without gain on the first play but then Lengel hit for two and seven and Reed for five that gained a first on the eight. Carries by Lengel and Reed failed to gain a yard but on third down the ball was pitched out to Reed who went around his left end to score with seven minutes and seven seconds still to play.
That fired up the Massillon team. They took the kickoff and with Archibald and Duke carrying and aided by a pass from James to Canary for nine yards, reeled off four first downs in a row to put the ball on the 12 by the end of the quarter.
On the first play of the second period with fourth down coming up and seven to go, Brown took a pitch and went around his left end to score and Kasunick added the extra point.
The high school reserves will play the Akron St. Vincent reserve team at 8 o’clock tonight at Tiger stadium.
The Tigers pushed Warren all over the field the remainder of the period for six first downs to the Panthers’ eight yards gained, but were unable to score.
A fumble which they recovered stopped one drive and they lost the ball on a fumble in another effort.
The actions was fast the third quarter.
* * *
WITH THE SCORE tied 7-7 Warren received to start the second half. The Tigers forced a punt and Brown gathered in the ball on his 31 and set sail for the Warren goal. Radtke, who had injured a leg knocking down a pass on the previous play, liberated Brown with a block that took two Warren tacklers out of the way. The Tigers by that time had set up a wall of interference that protected Charlie as he raced down the sideline.
Kasunick’s placekick made it 14-7.
The Panthers got off a pass for 15 yards, John Theoharis to George Beck, after the kickoff, but after that they went backwards. Theoharis pressed hard, fumbled and Canary was on the ball for Massillon on the 30. Archibald, Duke and Brown took it to the 13 and James on third down fired over the line to Canary who got across the goal with the ball.
Warren only got off one play after the following kickoff when Grover Danage fumbled and Dave Schumacher flopped on the ball on the Warren 46. Bottled up trying to pass, James went down the middle for 15 yards and Archibald reeled off 21 more for a first down on the 10. Warren was penalized five for offside and Duke got two yards and James went over on a keep play. Kasunick missed his only try for point of the evening after this touchdown.
The Tigers got their last score after Schumacher again gained them position by covering Abrams’ fumble on the Tiger 36. Warren got to that point largely as a result of an attempted on-side kick that barely got off the tee.
After Duke had gained the Tigers a first down on the locals’ 49, Warren all but stopped the Massillon march. But Archibald, running from punt formation and from behind some good blocking, went for 20 yards and a first on the 28. A five-yard penalty set the Tigers back but Long got five and then raced 21 yards for a first down on the seven. Archibald moved it four yards closer and Duke took it over. Kasunick kicked the extra point.
The Tigers picked last night to try the onside kick which they have been practicing but it fizzled out, the ball not traveling the required 10 yards and going to Warren inside the 50.
The line-up and summary:
MASSILLON
ENDS – Houston, Canary, Chengery, Nagel, Welcher.
TACKLES – Graber, Maier, Kreiger, Schumacher, Whitfield, Hofacre.
GUARDS – Fisher, Roan, Tracy, Ertle, Kasunick, Harrison.
CENTERS – Spicer, Gentzler, Dowd.
QUARTERBACKS – James, Brenner.
HALFBACKS – Duke, Brown, Cocklin, Long, Herring, Radtke, Benjamin, Washington.
FULLBACK – Archibald.
WARREN
ENDS – Szuch, Beck, Minotti, Greskovich.
TACKLES – Shively, Leard, Dehringer, Gibson, Coldiron, Johnson.
GUARDS – Maras, Foy, Bartlett, Braden, Ondik.
CENTERS – McEwen, Todd, Bender, Millero.
QUARTERBACKS – Theoharis, Abrams.
HALFBACKS – Dowell, Reed, Spitogianis, Lawrence, Armour, Dotson, Lengel.
FULLBACKS – Gorby, D. Szuch, Danage, Danko.
Score by periods:
Massillon 0 7 20 7 34
Warren 7 0 0 0 7
Touchdowns:
Massillon – Brown 2, Duke, James, Canary.
Warren – Reed.
Points after touchdown:
Massillon – Kasunick 4 (placekicks).
Warren – Beck (pass).
Officials
Referee – Lymper (Mansfield).
Umpire – Russ (Youngstown).
Head Linesman – Tobin (Akron).
Field Judge – Klocker (Akron).
STATISTICS
Mass. Warren
First downs 17 6
Passes attempted 10 9
Passes completed 4 3
Had passes intercepted 2 0
Yards gained passing 54 20
Yards gained rushing 266 99
Total yards gained 320 119
Yards lost 16 23
Net yards gained 304 96
Times punted 1 3
Average punt (yards) 13 25
Yards punts returned by 69 0
Times kicked off 6 2
Average kickoff (yards) 26 33
Yards kickoffs returned by 16 60
Times fumbled 2 4
Lost ball on fumbles 1 3
Times penalized 3 2
Yards penalized 15 10
