Eric Smith, Author at MassillonTigers.com

1979: Massillon 24, Canton McKinley 0

November 10, 1979August 6, 2017
by Eric Smith

Playoff‑bound Tigers pound Pups 24‑0
Defense awesome in 4th straight win over McKinley

By ROLLIE DREUSSI
Independent Sports Editor

There used to be a sign in the Massillon weight room that read: “Offense wins games, defense wins championships.”

On the strength of an overpowering performance in their 24‑0 win over Canton McKinley Saturday afternoon, the Massillon Tiger football team will get its first chance to prove that theory since 1972.

For the team and their “Tiger Bag” waving fans are headed for the Class AAA computer playoffs. They will play Parma Padua Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in a semifinal game in the Akron Rubber Bowl.

The Tiger defense’ was awesome against the Bulldogs, registering nine sacks for 78 yards in losses. Six of the sacks came in the first half as the Tigers shocked the Pups by rolling up three touchdowns for a 21‑0 halftime lead.

Quarterback Bill Scott accounted for the first two scores, throwing nine yards to Marty Guzzetta for the first touchdown, then hooking up with Greg Evans oil a 54‑yard bomb.

Evans’ score, which came on a third‑and‑six play, dazed the Bulldogs, but it was linebacker Tim Reese’s interception on the Pups’ next possession that broke their backs.

On a second‑and‑10 from his own 46, Bulldog quarterback Dave Seaman threw over the middle for Ron Rankin, but Reese stepped in and picked the pass off at his own 43 and returned it 30 yards to the Bulldog 27.

After an incomplete pass, fullback Sam McDew gained 26 yards in three rushes and halfback Bill Beitel scored from a yard out on the next play.

Jeff Fry’s third straight extra point kick made it. 21‑0 with 1:30 left in the half. The only other scoring was a 26‑yard field goal by Fry in the fourth quarter.

“It was a great, great victory to a great great year,” Tiger coach Mike Currence said afterwards. We hope we can just keep on going ‑ and win two more.”

Two more wins, of course, would bring the Ohio prep football championship back to Massillon for the first time since 1970 ‑ and it would be the first for the Tigers since the computer playoff system was installed.

The Tigers are now 10‑0 – their first perfect season since 1972 ‑ and have claim to the final All‑American Conference football championship (the league is now disbanded).

The Tigers have now either won outright or shared the AAC title four straight years ‑ all under Currence, who has now beaten the Bulldogs four straight.

And the key to this one, he said, was the defense.

“The defense gave us the field position,” he said, referring to the nine sacks and three interceptions (Jamie Schlegel and Len Robinson also picked off passes).

Currence said the sacks were a combination of a fierce pass rush and great coverage by the Tiger secondary.

Seaman tried to pass 11 times in the first half,, and six times the Tiger “Sack Cats” threw him for losses.

Currence also credited his offense, of course.

“That was a great catch by Guzzetta and a great pass by Scott,” Currence said of the Tigers’ first touchdown. “And Evans catch was a big play, it really hurt them.

“But it was the interception by Reese that broke their backs.”

Currence said he was still nervous with a 21‑0 lead especially when Phil Giavasis blocked a Mike Hodgson punt. late in the third quarter and Mitchell Kelly recovered the ball at the Massillon 11 yard line.

However, tackle Dave Geschwind threw Brantly Kelly for a one‑yard loss on the first play, and two plays later Geschwind Tom Mummertz and Bryant Lemon sacked Rick Worstell for a 12‑yard loss. An incomplete pass in the end zone on fourth down gave the Tigers the ball at their own 19.

When the Pups got the ball back, Jamie Schlegel intercepted a Worstell pass at the Bulldog 27 and returned it to the two yard line. Four plays later, at 7:52 of the fourth quarter, Fry booted his 26‑yard field goal.

“After the field goal I relaxed,” Currence said.

“The difference was the big play,” he explained. “When you get the big play, you’ve got them. The kids were looking for them, and they made them.

“This game will be like a springboard for us,” he added, referring to the playoffs. “We have momentum now.”

The Tigers’ first score came on their second possession. Massillon took over at the Bulldog 35 following a 17‑yard McKinley punt.

Seven plays later, Scott lofted the ball over the middle and over an unaware Sid Lewis to Guzzetta who made a diving catch in the end zone. Fry’s kick made it 7‑0 with 1:45 left in the first quarter.

The Tigers took over at 6:55 of the second quarter at their own 42 following a Bulldog punt.

On third‑and‑six from the 46, Scott threw long for Evans. A Bulldog defender leaped in an attempt to make an interception, but he missed the ball and Evans caught it at the 18 yard line. He scampered the rest of the way for the score with 5:17 left in the half.

Reese’s interception then set up Beitel’s one‑yard touchdown run just. before the half, and Schlegel’s interception set up the field goal by Fry in the fourth quarter which capped the scoring.

Now it’s on to the Rubber Bowl and, hopefully, a state championship. BEAT PADUA!

FINAL STATISTICS
MASS OPNT
First downs:
Rushing 7 1
Passing 5 2
Penalty 0 0
Total 12 3
Yds gain rush 155 53
Yds lost rush 28 82
Net yds rush 127 29
Net yds pass 143 58
Total yds gain 270 29
Pass attempted 15 10
Pass completed 7 3
Pass int by 3 2
Pass int yds 63 2
Kickoffs 5 1
Kickoff ave 48.8 48.0
Kickoff ret yds 20 96
Punts 3 6
Punt ave 38.7 35.2
Punt ret yds 21 22
Punts blocked 1 0
Fumbles 1 1
Fumbles lost 1 0
Penalties 3 3
Yds penalized 3.5 20
TDs rushing 1 0
TDs passing 2 0
TDs by int 0 0
Other TDs 0 0
No. of plays 56 38
Time of poss 26: 27 21:33
Attendance 21,000

MASSILLON 7 14 0 3 24
McKINLEY 0 0 0 0 0

Mass ‑ Marty Guzzetta 9 pass from Bill Scott (Jeff Fry kick)
Mass ‑ Greg Evans 54 pass, from Scott (Fry kick)
Mass ‑ Bill Beitel 1 run (Fry kick)
Mass ‑ Fry 26 FG

Tiger, Bulldog lineups
MASSILLON
Offense
Quarterback: 10 ‑ Bill Scott (Sr., 6‑1, 170); 15 Dave DeLong (Sr., 5‑10, 169);
Fullback: 49 ‑ Sam McDew (Sr., 5‑7, 167);
Halfbacks: 31 ‑ Bill Burkett (Sr., 5‑11, 162), 22 ‑ Bill Beitel (Sr., 5‑7, 162):
Ends: 25 ‑ Marty Guzzetta (Sr., 5‑11, 165), 87 ‑ Greg Evans (Sr., 5‑10, 168);
Tackles: 76 Mark Kircher (Sr 6‑2 218), 74 ‑ Gerald Wesley (Sr., 6‑0, 233);
Guards: 66 ‑ Wally Neff (Sr., 5‑9, 175), 65 ‑ Larry Massie (Sr., 5‑7, 206);
Center: 51 Andy Weber (Sr., 6‑0, 190), 53 ‑ Doug Eberhart (Jr., 5‑10, 191)
Defense
Ends: 86 ‑ Mike Hodgson (Sr., 6‑6, 208), 80 ‑ Tom Mummertz (6‑5, 190);
Tackles: 77 ‑ Dave Geschwind (Sr., 6‑0, 200), 44 ‑ Bryant Lemon (Sr., 5‑11, 215);
Middle Guard: 55 ‑ Bob Simpson (Sr., 6‑0, 205), 99 ‑ Ed Newman (Jr., 6‑0, 192):
Linebackers; 59 ‑ Tim Reese (Sr., 5‑9, 175), 58 Kevin McClelland (Sr., 6‑3, 195), 30 ‑ John Mayles (Jr., 5‑9, 181);
Monster Back: 23 ‑ Jim Blogna (Sr., 5‑10, 176); Safety: 21 ‑ Jamie Schlegel (Sr., 6‑0, 170);
Halfbacks: 24 ‑ Dan DiLoreto (Sr., 5‑9, 162), 27 ‑ Len Robinson (Sr., 5‑10,153).
Kickers: 20 ‑ Jeff Fry (Sr., 6‑0, 180), placements, kickoffs; 86 ‑ Hodgson, punter

BULLDOGS
Offense
Quarterback: 12 Dave Seaman (Sr., 175);
Fullback: 20 ‑ Dwayne Randle (Jr., 175), 32 John Lewis (Sr., 181);
Halfbacks: 40 ‑ Brantly Kelly (Sr., 175), 23 Brian Jenkins (Jr., 164), 35 ‑ Bert Lynch (Sr., 180), 42 ‑Michael Simms (Jr., 185), 24 ‑ Sidney Lewis (So., 175);
Ends: 87 ‑ Terry Draper (Jr., 155), 84 ‑ Ron Rankin (Sr., 189(, 88 ‑ John Grimsley (Sr., 200) ;
Tackles: 75 ‑ Tony Floyd (Sr., 220), 77 ‑ Eric Torrence (Sr., 185);
Guards: 62 ‑‑ Ed Grimsley (Jr., 1,75), 60 ‑‑ Sam. Elfaye (Jr., 175) ;
Center: 51 – Robert Nau (Jr., 180).
Defense Ends: 80 – Mitchell Kelly (Sr., 185), 81 ‑ Phil Giavasis (Sr., 185), 83 ‑Scott Dixon (Jr., 185);
Tackles: 75 ‑ Floyd, 79 Troy Sanders (Jr., 210);
Linebackers: 62 ‑ E. Grimsley, 31 ‑ David, Faur (Jr., 185);
Monster Back: 88 ‑ J. Grimsley;
Safety: to ‑ Robert Davies (Jr., 175);
Halfbacks: 24 ‑ S. Lewis, 43 ‑Bob Harsh (Jr., 1 65), 82 ‑ Craig Massey (Sr., 175).

Series: 84th meeting, Massillon holds 46‑32‑5 edge.
Last meeting: 1978, Massillon 13, McKinley 10.
Records: Massillon 9‑0, McKinley 7‑1‑1.
Points scored by: Massillon 278, McKinley 174.
Points scored against: Massillon 24, McKinley 67.

The Tigers did it all

The 82nd victory in the football coaching career of the Massillon Tigers’ Michael L. Currence had to be one of his sweetest, for it carried him and his 1979 Tigers to a record, an All‑American Conference title and a shot at the state championship.

Saturday’s foe was Canton McKinley, who went into the game with a good 7‑1‑1 record and were primed for another of the upsets that have marked 84‑year Tiger‑Bulldog rivalry. Coach John Brideweser of McKinley had lost all three of his previous ‑meetings with Currence’s Tigers.

But the Tigers, too, were ready. Currence had polled them on stage at a bonfire rally Friday night, asking each what he planned to do to the Bulldogs Saturday afternoon. And they did it all.

Now, for the second time since computers got into the act, the, Tigers have a crack at a state title. They will play Parma Padua (9‑1) in the Akron Rubber Bowl
Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and the winner will advance to the state finals the following Saturday at the Rubber Bowl.

I
Tiger quarterback Bill Scott, speaking of Padua and Cincinnati Moeller, the team he expects to face in the championship, said: “I think we can do it. We’ve got a whole town behind us.”

That the Tigers have. Let’s show them this week how much we are behind them. BEAT PADUA!

Massillon Does It Again!

…And so another Massillon-McKinley rival match is in the record books, and Massillon continues to dominate the action.

The Tigers’ 24‑0 whitewashing of the Bulldogs last weekend made it four straight over the Pups. Over the past three years, Massillon has outscored McKinley, 58‑10, including two shutouts in the last three years, both at Fawcett Stadium. Their latest triumph upped the overall series mark to a commanding 47‑32‑5 lead.

Is the rivalry becoming too one sided’?

“No way,” said Massillon Coach Mike Currence. “Massillon and Canton will always play this game. They’ve been playing it now for 84 years, and they’re going to continue playing it long after John and I (McKinley Coach John Brideweser) are gone.”

I don’t think anyone would question that. I can’t imagine November without a Massillon‑McKinley game, but there’s no question that the Tigers are becoming a more dominant force in this classic.

There are several theories as to why that’s the case. The first one is that the entire town is behind Massillon, whereas Canton doesn’t totally back McKinley.

A second theory is that the Tigers are just getting better material out of their feeder schools than the Bulldogs are, and the third theory states that many of Massillon’s players have played together longer than McKinley’s have because most of them attended the same grade schools and junior highs. Massillon is less diversified than Canton, and this might be a possible explanation contributing to Massillon’s dominance.

Personally, I support the ‘town theory.’ The fact that Massillon has its entire town behind the Tigers is a mighty big boost in a game of this magnitude.

Sure, the Tigers were gunning for the playoffs and trying to keep a perfect mark intact, but they also defeated McKinley the last three years when they weren’t headed for the playoffs.

McKinley will always have a great challenge lying ahead of them in this game, because let’s face it: Not everyone who lives in Canton is a ‘live or die’ McKinley Bulldog fan.’

History

1979: Massillon 31, Canton Timken 0

November 3, 1979August 7, 2017
by Eric Smith

Tigers beat Trojans, eye Bulldogs dogs next
Massillon wins ninth straight by 31 ‑0 score

By ROLLIE DREUSSI
Independent Sports Editor

“The new season starts this week . . . again,” ‘Massillon coach Mike Currence said after his Tigers subdued the feisty Timken Trojans 31‑0 Friday night in Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

“This is the only place I ever coached where you have two seasons. I think the kids will be ready. They’ve been waiting a long time,” he added.

The Tigers had just won their ninth straight game of the season, but Currence was already looking ahead to the big one ‑ next Saturday’s clash with the Canton McKinley Bulldogs (7‑1‑1) in Fawcett. Stadium.

At stake for the Tigers is their first perfect regular season since 1972 and a possible spot in the Class AAA computer playoffs.

“The Pups are back,” Currence cautioned, noting they defeated a rugged Youngstown Chaney team (which had defeated Warren Harding 12‑7 earlier this season) 25‑0 Friday night in Canton.

“It will be a typical showdown. It’s going to be a Massillon‑McKinley game like you never saw before. They are never the same.”

As for his team’s performance against the Trojans, Currence admitted his team was flat.

“We didn’t have any emotion whatsoever tonight,” he said. “We got two (touchdowns) and started looking for the quick one, but the quick didn’t come. We got away from our game plan. We should have been satisfied with driving the ball. We should have stayed with that.

“They played well,” he said of the Trojans. “They hit us.”

Timken ‑ coach Charles “Sonny” Spielman wasn’t too happy about the outcome of the game, but he was proud of his players.

“I thought our defense did a hell of a job. It’s just that we lacked the total consistency of driving the football down to get the score.”

The Tigers scored on their first two possessions ‑ on touchdowns runs of 10 yards by Mike Jones and 1 yard by Bill Beitel ‑ to take a 13‑0 first‑quarter lead.

Timken’s defense then stiffened, but their offense suffered two crucial breakdowns in the second quarter.

On successive possessions, the Trojans had the snap from center go past their punter and out of the end zone for two safeties. Those mistakes gave the Tigers a 17‑0 halftime lead, and helped demoralize the Trojan offense.

“I felt that if we wouldn’t have had the bad snaps (the Trojans also had a bad snap in the fourth quarter on another punting attempt that led to the Tigers’ final touchdown), the score wouldn’t have been 31‑0.” Spielman said.

“But you can’t make big mistakes against a great football team like Massillon.”

Spielman said he thought his team moved the ball fairly well in the second half. The Trojans had a net total of minus five yards offense in the first half, and had a net total of 50 yards in the second half. They lost 59 yards on the three bad snaps, however, and lost a total of 77 yards during the game. They gained 113 yards rushing and only 9 passing.

“Our kids wanted the challenge of coming here and playing the number two team in the state (Associated Press poll). We hit them,” Spielman concluded.

He also noted the Tigers may have been a little flat for the game.

“This is probably a good time to play Massillon,” he explained. “Their big game is next week. Let’s be honest, they may have been a little flat.

“I look for a hell of a ball game next week. I’ll be there.”

The Tigers added second half touchdowns on a 5‑yard run by Beitel in the second quarter and a 5‑yard pass from Dave Eberhart to Dave Huth in the fourth quarter.

The Tigers’ third‑quarter score was set up by a pair of pass completions from Dave DeLong to Marty Guzzetta.

They were Guzzetta’s 5th and 6th receptions of the game, and they helped him break Curtis Strawder’s single season Massillon and All‑American Conference pass receiving marks.

He now has 43 receptions 0 the season for an unofficial 628 yards, another Massillon and AAC single‑season record.

DeLong had a good night himself, completing 9 of 14 for 114 yards.

Beitel also had a good game, scoring two TDs and gaining 72 yards on nine carries. His 54‑yard run to the one yard line preceded his first touchdown on the next play.

The Tigers’ scored their first TD off their opening possession when Jones went spinning and banging his way through the middle of the Trojan defense for 10 yards and the score. Jeff Fry’s kick made it 7‑0 with 6:18 to go in the first quarter.

The Tigers got the ball back at their own 45 following a Trojan punt, and Beitel swept left end for 54 yards, being dragged down from behind by Timken’s George Smith at the one yard line. He carried it in on the next play. Fry’s kick was good, but an offside penalty against Timken forced him to kick over, and this time he was wide right.

The Tigers then got two second‑quarter safeties on the bad Trojan snaps (on the first‑one the ball was on the 20 and on the second it was on the 15).

Safety Jamie Schlegel intercepted a Randy Troutman pass early in the third quarter and returned it from his own 16 out to the 24.

The Tigers, then drove 76 yards in 15 plays, with Beitel going the final five with 2:58 left in the third quarter, and Fry’s kick making it. 24‑0.

Guzzetta caught three passes in the drive. The first went for 13 yards and a first down at the Trojan 30. The second came on a fouth‑and‑11 play, and was good for 14 yards and a first down at the Timken 17 (that reception tied Strawder’s 1978 record of 42).

The third reception came on the next play, and was good for 12 yards and another first down at the five yard line. Ouzzetta received a standing ovation from the crowd of 9,641 when it was announced he broke the record.

The Tigers’ last score was set up by another muffed snap on a Trojan fourthdown punt attempt.

The Tigers drove 19 yards in six plays with Eberhart hitting Huth with 7:39 left in the game. Eberhart added the point after.

So now the Tigers’ second season ‑ or Beat McKinley Week ‑ is underway.

Despite a few injuries against the Trojans, Currence said he expects all of his players to be healthy.

McKinley coach John Brideweser and his Bulldogs will be out to break the Tigers’ three‑game winning streak in the ancient series. Currence is hoping to taste victory over the Pups for the fourth straight year.

The game will start at 2 p.m. Saturday in Canton’s Fawcett Stadium.

FINAL STATISTICS
MASS OPNT
First downs:
Rushing 4 5
Passing 9 0
Penalty 3 3
Total 16 8
Yds gain rush 152 113
Yds lost rush 22 77
Net yds rush 130 36
Net yds pass 142 9
Total yds gain 272 45
Pass attempted 19 13
Passes completed 12 1
Pass int by 1 1
Pass int yds 13 13
Kickoffs 5 3
Kickoff ave 47.4 41.6
Kickoff ret yds 22 60
Punts 3 2
Punt ave 36.7 33.6
Punt ret yds 2 0
Punts blocked 0 0
Fumbles 0 1
Fumbles lost 0 0
Penalties 10 6
Yds penalized 90 73
TDs rushing 3 0
TDs passing 1 0
TDs by int 0 0
Other TDs 0 0
No. of plays 55 42
Time of poss 27:13 20:49

TIMKEN 0 0 0 0 0
MASSILLON 13 4 7 7 31

Mass ‑ Mike Jones 10 run (Jeff Fry kick)
Mass ‑ Bill Beitel 1 run (kick fail)
Mass ‑ Safety (ball snapped through end zone)
Mass ‑ Safety (ball snapped through end zone)
Mass ‑ Beitel 5 run (Fry kick)
Mass ‑ Dave Huth 5 pass from Dave Eberhart (Eberhart kick)

History

1979: Massillon 16, Warren Harding 6

October 26, 1979August 7, 2017
by Eric Smith

Massillon wins 16‑ 6 to raise record to 8‑0
Defense rallies Tigers over Panthers

By ROLLIE DREUSSI
Independent Sports Editor

“Defense!”

The crowd chanted it as the Warren Harding Panthers tried to move the ball at the start of the third quarter.

“Defense!”
was how Tiger coach Mike’ Currence summed up his team’s eighth straight win of the season and first victory over Warren since 1976.

“Defense!”
And plenty of it helped the Massillon Tigers pull out a 16‑6 win over Warren and take another big step toward their quest of qualifying for the state computer playoffs.

The Tigers and Panthers were deadlocked 6‑6 at halftime, but the 13,285 fans in Paul Brown Tiger Stadium Friday night knew what they wanted.

They stood and cheered as the team took the field to start the second half. The Tigers kicked off and Warren took over at its own 28.

The crowd started its chant:

“Defense! Defense!”

Three plays later they were on their feet again as Jim Blogna intercepted a Panther pass at the Warren 43 and returned it to the one yard line.

Dave DeLong took it in on a quarterback sneak, and the way the Tiger defense was playing, that was just about the ball game right there.

“Jim Blogna,” Currence said, relishing his monster Lack’s name. “That was a big play, wasn’t it?”

That wasn’t the only big play, as the defense held Warren to 89 yards total offense the second half and pinned the Panthers with a total of 40 yards in losses during the game.

Currence said the enthusiasm of the crowd at the start of the second half was a real boost to his team.

“The crowd really helped us,” he said. “It took some of the vinegar out of them.

“We were uptight for this game. Tighter than we’ve been for any game this year. This win meant a lot to these kids, and to the coaching staff, too.”

Also giving the Tigers an emotional boost the second half was the return of defensive tackles Dave Geschwind and Bryant Lemon. Both players have missed games because of knee injuries and saw only limited action in the first half.

Lemon, in fact, wasn’t expected to play at all.

“You’ve got to give credit where credit is due,” Currence said. “Jim Blogna, Jeff Fry (who booted a 25‑yard field goal in the fourth quarter to boost the Tigers lead from 13‑6 to 16‑6) and Bob Simpson. Simpson was sick all week and didn’t even practice.

“And how about Lemon and Geschwind coming in there and playing so well?”

Bob James, the junior fullback who was switched to defensive tackle for this game because of all the injuries at that position, also did well. He recovered a fumble in the fourth quarter that set up Fry’s field goal.

The Tiger offense had an off night, but Currence put that into perspective.

“They did a good job on us. Warren is an aggressive football team. Nobody’s scored more than two touchdowns against them all year. Give them 13 points a game and they would have been undefeated (they are now 4‑4).”

Harding coach Tom Ross was distraught over his team’s loss.

“We were just a step away from breaking a run here and a run there,” he said. “All we needed to happen was for a couple of those big plays to break.

“I thought the kids hung tough with it. I think Massillon’s defensive front was every bit as tough as we thought it was coming in. But we knew what we had to do, we just didn’t get it done.

“We gave them the big turnovers. One resulted in a touchdown and the other in a field goal and that was the game. I wish them the best of luck.”

Both teams played the game without several key starters. The Tigers had injured fullback Sam McDew on the bench the whole game. Quarterback Bill Scott hurt his calf in the second quarter and didn’t return. And for most of the first half, Lemon and Geschwind saw little action.

Warren played without three defensive players, two of whom also start on offense.

It was a hard‑hitting football game from the opening whistle, and the outcome was in doubt until Fry’s insurance field goal early in the fourth quarter.

The Tigers took the opening kickoff and managed to drive to the Panther 43 yard line before the drive stalled. Mike Hodgson punted the ball into the end zone and Warren took over on its own 20.

They were forced to punt from their own 24 and Dave Preston kicked the ball off the side of his foot for only 15 yards.

The Tigers took over at the Panther 39 and in nine plays drove to the three yard line.

On third and goal from the three, Scott rolled right and passed to Bill Beitel in the right corner of the end zone for a 6‑0 lead with 1:11 to go in the first period. Fry’s extra point kick hit the left upright and bounced back.

Warren took over following the kickoff and drove out to its own 41 early in the second quarter. On third and nine, Panther quarterback Two Freeman hit Pat Shannon with a short pass and the speedy wingback broke several tackles and scooted 27 yards before he was hit and fumbled the ball. Dan DiLoreto recovered for the Tigers at his own 32.

However, Scott lost the ball on a bad exchange from center on the Tigers’ first play and Hassan Hameed recovered for Warren at the 31.

Seven plays later, on fourth and sixth at the Tiger 12 yard line, Freeman rolled right and lofted a pass to Shannon in the right corner of the end zone for a touchdown. Preston’s kick was wide right and the game was tied 6‑6 with 8: 11 to go in the half.

The Tigers took the kickoff and drove to the Warren 24, but Scott was sacked for a 10‑yard loss by Doug Carter.

On third and 20 from the 34, Scott threw a pass down the left sideline to a wideopen Bill Burkett but the ball was just off his fingertips.

Hogdson punted the ball intentionally short, trying to pin the Panthers deep in a hole, but Mike Golden picked up the rolling kick at the six yard line and almost broke it all the way. He was finally hauled down at midfield.

The Panthers tried a halfback pass on third down, but Len Robinson broke up the play near the goal line.

The half ended shortly thereafter.

When the Tigers came back out to open the third quarter, the crowd gave them a standing ovation.

Blogna made his interception when Fremman, looking to pass on a third and three play from the 35, was rushed hard and forced his pass.

Blogna raced for the goal line with the ball and was knocked out of bounds at the one. DeLong then scored the go‑ahead touchdown and Fry’s kick made it 13‑7 with 9:49 to go in the third quarter.

The defense got another standing ovation from the crowd when it stopped the Panthers on their next possession and forced them to punt.

Following a Massillon punt Warren took over on its own 22 yard line.

Jeff Rowe gained six yards on first down, but Simpson and Geschwind nailed Walt Campbell for an eight‑yard loss when he took a deep pitch on the next play.

A screen pass to Shannon netted 12 yards, but the Panthers were forced to punt again.

The Tigers managed a pair of first downs on DeLong passes of 11 yards to Greg Evans (he was shaken up on the play) and 16 to Marty Guzzetta.

The latter pass moved the ball to the Warren 30, but Mike Jones fumbled on the ensuing play and Warren recovered at its own 22.

Geschwind, Lemon and Simpson sacked Freeman for a five‑yard loss on first down, and the right side of the Tiger line nailed Campbell for no gain on second down.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Tom Mummertz and Simoson nailed Freeman at the 12 yard line and he coughed up the football, with James recovering at the Panther 14.

The Tigers advanced to the eight yard line when Fry was summoned on fourth down to attempt the field goal. His 25‑yard try from the left hash mark was good and gave the Tigers a 10‑point cushion.

Warren’s Aaron Pugh then returned Fry’s kickoff from his own nine yard line to the Tiger 35, but offsetting penalties (holding on Warren and face mask on Massillon) allowed the Tigers to kick over.

John Mayles Jeff Grove and Steve Tomasevich nailed Larren Morgan at his own 27 yard line this time.

The Panthers then went to the shotgun formation and Freeman completed his first pass for seven yards to Lamont Grant.

Freeman ran for a first down on the next play, but on first down from the Panther 40, Simpson used his great speed to chase Freeman down and sack him for an 11‑yard loss.

Mummertz pressured Freeman into an incompletion on the next play, and Hodgson batted down his next passing attempt behind the line of scrimmage.

Warren punted and the Tiger defense got another standing ovation as it left the field.

The Tigers couldn’t move the ball, but Hodgson boomed a 55‑yard punt to the Warren eight yard line.

The Panthers took over from there with 6:20 to go on the clock and drove to the Massillon six yard line with just under two minutes left.

On first down from there, Simpson and Geschwind nailed Morgan for a two yard loss, and on the following play, Lemon and Geschwind sacked Freeman for an eight‑yard loss.

Freeman then threw long for Shannon at the goal line, but Len Robinson knocked the ball away and almost intercepted the pass.

On fourth down from the 16, Freeman threw for Shannon again in the right corner of’ the end zone and the ball was tipped in the air. Before anyone could catch it, Robinson came crashing through, knocking the Panther receiver out of the way.

The Tigers then ran out the final minute on the clock.

The Tigers now have only games against Timken (at home) and McKinley (away) remaining, and a pair of wins should qualify them for the state computer playoffs for the first time since 1972.

Currence has said he will try to rest some of his injured players against Timken. They will have to be ready for the McKinley game, because the Bulldogs have been shooting for this game since last season’s 13‑10 loss in Tiger Stadium.

But right now, Currence and his Tigers will take a few days to savor their win over the Panthers.

FINAL STATISTICS
MASS OPP
First downs:
Rushing 4 8
Passing 6 4
Penalty 0 0
Total 10 12
Yds gain rush 95 137
Yds lost rush 15 40
Net yds rush 80 97
Net yds pass 90 91
Total yds gain 170 188
Pass attempted 18 20
Pass completed 10 8
Pass int by 1 0
Pass int yds 35 0
Kickoffs 4 2
Kickoff ave 55.0 31.5
Kickoff ret yds 21 58
Punts 5 5
Punt ave 35.0 26.6
Punt ret yds 1 45
Punts blocked 0 0
Fumbles 3 3
Fumbles lost 2 2
Penalties 2 3
Yds penalized 10 11
TDs rushing 1 0
TDs passing 1 1
TDs by int 0 0
Other TDs 0 0
No. of plays 50 53
Time of poss 23:12 24:48
Attendance 11,385

WARREN 0 6 0 0 6
MASS I LLON 6 0 7 3 16

Mass ‑ Bill Beitel 3 pass from Bill Scott (kick fail)
WH ‑ Pat Shannon 12 pass from Tom Freeman (kick fail)
Mass ‑ Dave DeLong 1 run (Jeff Fry kick)
Mass ‑ Fry 25 FG

History

1979: Massillon 42, Massillon Jackson 0

October 19, 1979August 7, 2017
by Eric Smith

Tigers’ big TD plays jar Polar Bears
As Massillon rolls 42‑0 for seventh win

By ROLLIE DREUSSI
Independent Sports Editor
For almost two quarters Friday night the Jackson Polar Bears were in the ball game.

Two plays, one minute and 13 seconds and one halftime show later the Massillon Tigers were off and running to their seventh straight victory and fourth shutout of the season as they beat the Bears 42‑0 for the second year in a row.

The Polar Bears (4‑3) came to Paul Brown Tiger Stadium ready to play and they were doing just that. They trailed only 7‑0 with 1:00 left before halftime and the Tigers trying to move the ball from back at their own 44-yard line.

That’s when quarterback Bill Scott faked to Mike Jones into the line and lofted a perfect pass down the sideline to Bill Beitel. Who made an over the shoulder catch and never broke stride as he outran the Jackson defenders to the goal line.

Jeff’ Fry’s kick made it 14‑0 Massillon and the 13,791 fans attending the game settled back to watch a couple of fine halftime shows.

The Polar Bears, still a little dazed, come back out and kicked off and it took Bill Burkett ‑ who had scored the first Tiger touchdown in the first quarter ‑ 88 yards and 13 seconds to weave his way through the Bear coverage for the touchdown that broke Jackson’s back.

“I think the opening kickoff of the second half obviously did the trick for us,” Tiger coach Mike Currence said afterwards.

“They played a good first half. That catch Beitel made ‑ and the throw Scott made ‑ was the best execution of any play we’ve had this year. Scott picked out the secondary receiver on that one.

“That play and the kickoff did it. When you’re making the big plays like that it’s going to hurt them.”

Jackson coach Tom Geschwind couldn’t disagree.

“There were two plays that particularly hurt us,” he said in the quiet and dejected atmosphere of the Polar Bear lockerroom.

“The first one was the long touchdown just before the half, and the second was the long kickoff return. Those were the turning points. I thought we played them well the first half.

“The first quarter we moved the ball right down the field, then the interception hurt us. A score on the opening drive would have meant a lot to us.

“The momentum turned after the second‑half kickoff. Our inability’ to control their running game in the second half was the single biggest factor for us after that.”

The Polar Bears will try to regroup their forces next week against Cambridge as they prepare for the remainder of their Federal League season. They are tied for second place (3‑1) in the league and have games remaining with GlenOak and first‑place North Canton Hoover.

“It’s still very important for us to come back because we’re still in the Federal League race. Last year we did it. We came back and beat Hoover (the final game of the season).”

Currence had said earlier in the week he was hoping his team would not have a letdown. It didn’t happen and he claimed there were several reasons why.

“The crowd helped a lot,” he said. “And Paul Brown being in the stands definitely made a, difference. The kids wanted to play good for Paul.

“I was going to say something about him being here before the game, but I didn’t have to. The kids did. This crew’s been a good group this year.”

Brown who was in town to promote and autograph his book “PB: the Paul Brown Story,” must have been pleased as he watched the team he made nationally famous strike with lightning quickness to seize the momentum and roll to an easy victory.

However, the game started out looking like anything but a rout.

Jackson took the opening kickoff and started a drive that lasted better than eight minutes. Fry’s kick had gone into the end zone and the Bears started from their own 20.

There were several key plays. On third‑and‑eight at his own 45, quarterback Mike Rankin did a nice job of scrambling away from the Tiger rush and scooted 14 yards for a Jackson first down.

The Bears drove to the Tiger 29 where they faced a fourth‑and‑11 situation. Rankin hit John Roman with a pass that netted the first down by inches.

But two plays later, a Rankin pass was intercepted at the three yard line by Tiger linebacker Tim Reese and he returned the ball to the 18.

The Tigers then drove 82 yards in 11 plays with Burkett banging over from the one and Fry adding the conversion kick to give the Tigers a 7‑0 lead with 2:48 left in the quarter.

The Tigers picked up four first downs in the drive, with Burkett getting one on an 11-yard pass from quarterback Bill Scott and another on a 12‑yard run, Sam McDew running 19 yards for one (he injured his knee on the play and didn’t return to action) and Scott hitting Greg Evans for 15 yards for one that took the ball to the one yard line.

The Tigers put together a 13‑play drive that carried to the Polar Bear 14 yard line, but that one fizzled when Jim Kirven came up with his first of two interceptions, (he now has five on the year). A personal foul penalty against Massillon on the play gave the Bears the ball at their own 26.

They had to punt, however, and the Tigers took possession with just over a minute to go in the half.

On first down from the Tiger 35, Scott handed the ball to Burkett ‑‑ who handed it to Beitel ‑ who handed it back to Scott ‑‑ who eluded a Jackson defender and hit Marty Guzzetta with a 9-yard pass to the 44.

Then came the big play, with Scott and Beitel hooking up for a picture‑perfect 56‑yard TD pass play and a 14‑6 halftime lead.

Burkett then returned the opening kickoff of the second half 88 yards for a touchdown and Massillon had a 21‑0 lead over its shell-shocked opponents.

Later in the quarter, the Tigers drove 52 yards in nine plays as Beitel scored his second touchdown ‑ this one on a 3‑yard run. He also had a 20‑yard run for a first down in the drive. Fry’s kick made it 28‑0 with 2:45 to go in the‑third quarter.

Jeff Mayles intercepted a Rankin pass at the Jackson 28 and returned it to the 15, and a personal foul penalty on the Bears gave Massillon ‑ a first down at the seven yard line early in the final period.

Three plays later Bob James scored on a dive play from a yard out and Fry’s kick made it 35‑0.

Jackson then drove to the Massillon 17, but gave up the ball on downs when Bill Francis was stopped just short of a first down on a fourth‑and‑two play.

The Tigers then drove 85 yards in 10 plays with Don Fulton going the final four over right tackle and Dave Eberhart capping the scoring with an extra point kick with 1:07 on the clock.

Scott started at quarterback for the Tigers and completed 9 of 13 passes for 146 yards and one touchdown.

Guzzetta caught five of those passes for 58 yards and Beitel had two receptions for 63 yards.

Beitel also gained 47 yards in eight rushes. Burkett topped all ball carriers with 71 yards in eight carries and Mike Jones‑ who filled in at fullback for MeDew ‑ gained 49 yards in 12 carries.

For Jackson, Francis totaled 54 yards in 16 carries.

Both teams came out of the game with a couple of injured players. Jackson guard Todd Hufstetler and tackle Hank Evans both suffered ankle injuries. For the Tigers, McDew and defensive tackle Bryant Lemon both suffered knee sprains.

The Tigers will host All American Conference foe Warren Harding ‑ a team they have not beaten since 1976 ‑ Friday night in Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. Jackson will host Cambridge the same night.

FINAL STATISTICS
MASS OPNT
First downs:
Rushing 12 4
Passing 7 3
Penalty 1 2
Total 20 9
Yds gain rush 243 112
Yds lost rush 28 28
Net yds rush 215 84
Net yds pass 199 35
Total yds gain 414 119
Pass attempted 17 13
Pass completed 11 3
Pass int by 2 2
Pass int yds 28 8
Kickoff 7 1
Kickoff ave 49.3 48.0
Kickoff ret yds 88 112
Punts 2 6
Punt ave 41.0 36.5
Punt ret yds 6 9
Punts blocked 0 0
Fumbles 0 2
Fumbles lost 0 0
Penalties 6 4
Yds penalized 77 19
TDs rushing 4 0
TDs passing 1 0
TDs by int 0 0
Other TDs 1 0
No. of plays 59 52
Time of poss 25: 24 22, 36
Attendance 13,791

JACKSON 0 0 0 0 0
MASSILLON 7 7 14 14 42

Mass – Bill Burkett I run (Jeff Fry kick)
Mass – Bill Beitel 56 pass from Bill Scott (Fry kick)
Mass – Burkett 88 kickoff return (Fry kick)
Mass – Beitel 3 run (Fry kick)
Mass – Bob James 1 run (Fry kick)
Mass – Don Fulton 4 run (Dave Eberhart kick)

History

1979: Massillon 21, Barberton 6

October 12, 1979August 7, 2017
by Eric Smith

Massillon defense smothers Barberton
Holds Magics to 64 yards in 21 ‑ 6 win

By ROLLIE DREUSSI
Independent Sports Editor

Massillon Tiger coach Mike Currence didn’t have too much. too say after his team’s game in the cold, wet and windy Akron Rubber Bowl Saturday night.

He didn’t have to.

The Tigers passed their toughest test of the season by beating the Barberton Magics 21‑6. That gives the Tigers a perfect 6‑0 record while Barberton falls to 5‑2.

The Tiger defense was outstanding, holding the Magics to a total 64 yards for the game and registering nine quarterback sacks.

The offense had a few problems, but Dave DeLong and Bill Scott managed to come up with enough of a passing game ‑ despite the miserable conditions ‑ to assure the Tiger victory.

“I’m just pleased with everyone,” Currence said afterwards. “I’m pleased that we can come up to the Rubber Bowl and play a great team like Barberton and come out a victor.

“It’s just too bad we can’t pat ourselves on the back and take a week off. We have to come back Monday ‑ and lose a day of rest and start preparing for Jackson (which comes to Paul Brown Tiger Stadium Friday night).

“I think I get about a five second high out of it,” he added of the Tiger victory which avenged a 9‑7 loss to the Magics two years ago.

“There’s a lot of determination on this ball club,” Currence said. “And it showed. Our kids played like they wanted it.”

That was almost an understatement. Except for a shakey start ‑ the Tigers fumbled four times in the first half but lost only one – the Tigers controlled the tempo of the game.

The Tiger defense held the Magics to 24 yards in the first half as Massillon took a 7‑0 lead. The Magics tried to use the shotgun in an effort to get their passing game going, but the Tigers consistently put a hard rush on quarterback Brian
Breitenstine.

“They threw a lot of people at us,” Magic coach Rudy Sharkey acknowledged after the game. “And we didn’t handle it well. We played well except on the offensive line.”

Sharkey was also upset at the officials ruling on a controversial pass play that set up the Tigers’ first score.

On a second‑and‑10 from the Barberton 46, DeLong threw a long pass to wide receiver Marty Guzzetta.

Guzzetta turned back and caught the ball ‑ despite being bumped by Magic defensive back John Verhotz – and he Verhotz tumbled to the turf. Verhotz came up with ball and Barberton fans thought they had an interception.

There was a pass interference penalty against Verhotz on the play, but the officials ruled simultaneous catch and the Tigers declined the penalty and took the ball at the Barberton five yard line.

On fourth‑and‑goal from there, DeLong ran a keeper around left end, hurtling over a Magic defender into the end zone for a 6‑0 Tiger lead. Jeff Fry’s kick made it 7‑0.

All this came in the second quarter, after the Tigers had fumbled away their initial possession of the game, and almost fumbled away the lead on their next possession.

The Tigers had taken the opening kickoff and marched to the Magic 35, where they faced a fourth‑and‑five situation. DeLong ran a keeper, but fumbled the ball over (Jeff Wade recovered) to the Magics at the 33.

Barberton drove to the ‘Tiger 41, but a 19‑yard punt gave the Tigers possession on their own 22.

They started another drive which reached the Barberton 42 when DeLong hit Mike Reese for 13 yards and a first down. On the next play, Mike Jones carried into the line and had the ball knocked from his arms into the air. Several Barberton players rushed for it, and knocked it even farther back while trying to pick it up.

Tiger tackle Gerald Wesley then fell on it, but it squirted away on the slippery artificial turf all the way back to the Tiger 35 where DeLong alertly recovered it (for a 23‑yard loss).

The Tigers had one more scoring threat in the second quarter, but it ended when Fry missed on a 43‑yard field goal attempt.

The third quarter started out with Len Robinson intercepting a Breitenstine pass on the third play from scrimmage. DeLong was then intercepted on a long pass to Guzzetta, with Verhotz picking the ball off at his own 18.

The two teams then punted the ball back and forth for the remainder of the third quarter. The Tigers started a drive near the end of the third period that carried to the Magic 27 as the quarter ended.

Scott ‑ who has been hobbled by a knee sprain – entered the game for the first time to start the fourth quarter. The Tigers faced a fourth‑and‑two situation, and Scott hit Guzzetta on a curl pattern for a first down at the Magic 20, Two plays later, however, Verhotz tipped Scott’s pass and Wade picked it off at the 19.

Breitenstine went to the air on the first play, and Tim Reese intercepted the ball at the Magic 31 and returned it to the 21.

Following three incompletions (one by DeLong), Scott hit Guzzetta on a fourth‑and‑10 play for 13 yards and a first down at the Magic 18.

On second‑and‑12 from the 20, Scott hit Bill Beitel for eight yards and then found Greg Evans open down the middle for the touchdown with 7:50 to go in the game. Fry’s kick failed and Massillon led 13‑0.

The Magics’ score was set up when Mike Hodgson took a low snap while attempting to punt and was forced to run with the ball, He almost got away, but was tackled for a two‑yard loss at his own 24.

Seven plays later ‑ on fourth‑and‑18 from the 20 – Breitenstine scrambled out of the pocket and hit Dave Carrell with a pass for the touchdown. Bryant Lemon sacked Breitenstine as he looked to pass for the extra points.

The Magics then tried an onside kick, but Guzzetta recovered the ball at his own 45 while sliding out of bounds with 1:25 left in the game.

Three plays later, Bill Burkett burst 56 yards through the Barberton line and crossed the goal line with :03 showing on the clock. DeLong hit Beitel with a conversion pass to cap the scoring.

DeLong finished the game with five completions in 14 attempts for 100 yards. Scott was 4 of 7 for 40 yards and one touchdown. Burkett topped the Tigers with 58 yards rushing in eight carries, while Sam McDew added 41 in 14 carries and Beitel had 36 in five carries. DeLong picked up 29 yards in eight carries.

Defensively, Bob Simpson led the Tigers with five quarterback sacks and one tackle for minus yardage. The Tiger middle guard also had nine solo tackles and five assists.

The Tiger defense held the Magics to a net total of 10 yards rushing.

The Tigers will play Jackson Friday at 8 p.m. in Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. The Magics will host Toledo Scott.

The win should put the Tigers at or very near the top of the Class AAA Region 3 computer rankings,

FINAL STATISTICS
MASS OPNT
First downs:
rushing 5 3
passing 8 2
penalty 0 1
total 13 7
Yds gain rush 187 57
Yds lost rush 42 47
Net yds rush 145 10
Net yds pass 140 54
Total yds gain 285 64
Pass attempted 22 16
Pass completed 9 6
Pass int by 2 2
Pass int yds 0 3
Kickoffs 4 2
Kick off ave 48.5 27.0
Kickoff ret yds 13 46
Punts 3 7
Punt ave 31.7 30.0
Punt ret yds 23 0
Punts blocked 0 0
Fumbles 5 0
Fumbles lost 1 0
Penalties 6 4
Yds penalized 79 21
TDs rushing 2 0
TDs passing 1 1
TDs by int 0 0
Other TDs 0 0
No, of plays 59 50
Time of poss 24:48 23: 12
Attendance 10,000

MASSILLON 0 7 0 14 21
BARBERTON 0 0 0 6 6

Mass ‑ Dave DeLong 5 run (Jeff Fry kick)
Mass ‑ Greg Evans 12 pass from Bill Scott (kick fail)
Barb ‑ Dave Carrell 20 pass from Brian Breitenstine (run fail)
Mass ‑ Bill Burkett 50 run (Bill Beitel pass from DeLong)

Massillon’s passing game
is too much for Barberton
Preps Milan Zban

It wasn’t Sunday and it wasn’t the National Football League, but Massillon and Barberton weren’t a bit bashful about putting the ball in the air.

In the 34th meeting between the two teams Saturday night at the Rubber Bowl, Massillon employed a two‑quarterback system and attempted 22 passes, completing nine for 145 yards.

The result was a 21‑6 win over the Magics before a chilled and wet crowd of about 10,000, most of whom left before the finish and failed to witness the game’s longest score, a 50‑yard sprint from scrimmage by Massillon’s Bill Burkett with just seven seconds to go.

The win kept the Tigers unbeaten through six games while Barberton slipped to 5‑2.

Barberton tried to match Massillon’s passing game, but the Magics’ offensive line couldn’t contain the Massillon defenders. Middle guard Bob Simpson sacked Magics quarterback Brian Breitenstine five of the eight times he was dropped.

MASSILLON coach Mike Currence used both Dave DeLong and Bill Scott, DeLong setting up the game’s first score with a 41‑yard pass and Scott throwing to tight end Craig Evans for a 12‑yard touchdown in the fourth period.

Barberton, whose deepest penetration had been to Massillon’s 42‑yard line in the first half, finally got on the board after trailing 13‑0 when Breitenstine, a sophomore, connected with tight end Dave Carrell for a 20‑yard scoring shot with 1:25 left in the contest.

Both coaches agreed it was Massillon’s pass rush that made the difference.

“Simpson had a tremendous game, but he plays like that all the time,” said Currence of his 6‑0, 205‑pound defensive lineman. “I think he’s the best in the state and when they had to double- and triple‑team him, that allowed our other linemen to seep through.

“This was a big, big game for us,” Currence added. “This should help us the rest of the way and put us in pretty good shape in the computer standings.”

Massillon, ranked atop the Beacon Journal’s Class AAA poll, is second in the Associated Press statewide survey and fifth in the computer ratings in Region 3.

Barberton, ranked fourth by the Beacon Journal and 17th by the AP, stood 13th in the computer ratings.

A DISILLUSIONED Barberton coach Rudy Sharkey allowed that Massillon’s ferocious pass rush sawed off his shotgun offense. “Massillon controlled the line of scrimmage and we couldn’t pass. When we can’t pass, we don’t go anywhere,” he said.

“The first touchdown was a gift by the officials,” said Sharkey, alluding to split end Marty Guzzetta’s controversial catch over Barberton defender John Verhotz, who had apparently intercepted the 41‑yard pass which set up the Tigers’ initial touchdown in the second quarter. “The rest (of the touchdowns) they earned.”

“That first score changed the complexion of the game. But from where we started the season (a loss to Buchtel), we’ve come a long way, so I guess I’ve no complaint.”

DeLong, who was five for 14 for 100 yards with one interception, set up the game’s first score with the heave to Guzzetta and later hit the end zone himself with a diving attempt from the four-yard line which made it 7‑0 at the half.

Then alternate quarterback. Scott came on the scene in the second half, throwing but seven times and completing four, including the 12‑yard touchdown pass to Evans in the fourth period.

After Barberton got on the board with 1:25 to go in the game, it appeared the Tigers would just run out the clock. That is, to everybody except Burkett, who bolted up the middle for 50 yards and the game’s final score with just seven seconds to go.

Massillon’s win was the 27th of the long series between the two schools. Barberton, which won the last meeting in 1977, 9‑7, owns six wins. One game ended in a tie.

History

1979: Massillon 38, Cleveland Benedictine 6

October 5, 1979August 7, 2017
by Eric Smith

Tigers ‘explode’ for win over Bennies
Late 2nd quarter outburst key to 38‑6 win

By ROLLIE DREUSSI
Independent Sports Editor

Auggie Bossu sighed. “That throws the old game plan eight out the window,” ‘he said.

That pretty much summed up the Massillon Tigers’ 38‑6 win over Bossu’s Cleveland Benedictine ball club before 11,039 fans in Paul Brown Tiger Stadium Friday night.

The Tigers turned three “second‑quarter turnovers by the Bennies into 13 quick points and took a 23‑0 halftime lead en route to winning the battle of the unbeaten teams in the final meeting between these two teams.

Massillon is now 5‑0 while Benedictine falls to 4‑1.

The Tigers were clinging to a precarious 10‑0 ‘lead with less than two minutes left in the half and the Bennies knocking on the door.

But the Tiger defense as it has done all season forced the Bennies into a pair of turnovers and the Tigers’ offense exploded for two electrifying touchdowns to crush the Bennies hopes.

“That was the most explosive finish to a second quarter’ we’ve ever had,” Tiger coach Mike Currence said afterwards in the winners lockerroom.

“Our defense has been coming up with the turnovers, and our offense is explosive. It was just fantastio the way we scored at the end of the second quarter.”

Currence was talking about an 85‑yard touchdown run by Sam McDew with 1:12 left in the half, and some trick plays that netted the Tigers another TD on two plays even though only nine second were left before the band show.

The Tigers took the opening kickoff and marched 62, yards in 12 plays with McDew sweeping left end for six yards and six points. Jeff Fry’s kick gave the Tigers a 7‑0 lead.

The game then turned into a punting duel the rest of the first quarter and halfway through the second, with Tiger booter Mike Hodgson ‑ with a big assist from the Tiger defense ‑ keeping the Bennies in the bole.

The Bennies missed a chance to tie the game when defensive back Reggie Thomas almost picked off a Dave DeLong pass on the far sideline. He had clear sailing to the end zone, but I forgot to take the ball with him. (DeLong was subbing for Bill Scott who left the game with knee problems).

The Tigers punted, and on the Bennies’ second play from their own 25 yard line, Kevin Richardson broke through a hole in the left side of the line and appeared to have daylight in front of him.

However, Massillon’s Dan DiLoreto stuck an arm out in desperation and stripped the ball from Richardson’s arms with Bob Simpson recovering at the Bennie 31 and returning the ball to the 26 yard line.

The Tigers drove to the Benedictine, five yard line where they had a fourth-and‑one situation, but an illegal procedure penalty pushed them back to the 10. Fry was summoned from the bench and made good on a 26‑yard field goal attempt to put Massillon ahead 10‑0.

The Bennies then put together a drive of their own, and thanks to a Massillon offside penalty on fourth‑and‑one at the Tiger 44 and a roughing the passer call against the Tigers on the following play, the Bengals had a first down at the Tiger 25.

Benedictine quarterback Jerry Mismas went for the score on the next play with a long pass to Dale Horton, but DiLoreto tipped the ball in the air and swiped it away at the three yard line and returned it to his own nine.

McDew carried on the next play out to the 15. The Tigers then ran a trap play up the middle and center Andy Weber and guards Larry Massie and Wally Neff opened up a huge hole for him in the Benedictine line. He got a block from Marty Guzzetta and he raced 85 yards for the score, leaving a couple of Bengal defenders hopelessly behind. Only 1:12 remained in the half.

The Tiger fans were going crazy, but the best was yet to come.

The Bennies took the kickoff and started from their own 37. On third‑and‑11 Richardson fumbled the ball and Bryant Lemon recovered at the Bengal 40 yard line.

With just 15 second left on the clock ‑ and the message board atop the scoreboard flashing “BOMBS AWAY” ‑DeLong flipped a lateral pass to Paul Turner on the left sideline and the junior fired a pass to a wide‑open Bill Burkett who was tackled at the three yard line. The first down stopped the clock with one second left and the Tigers called time out.

Eschewing the field goal, De Long this time pitched right to halfback Mike Jones and he lobbed the ball over the shell‑shocked Bengal defense to Guzzetta, who’ was in the clear in the end zone. The kick failed but the Tigers had taken a 23‑0 lead and more or less put the game on ice with: their second‑quarter onslaught.

“We had some tense moments there in the first half because they took away some things we wanted to do ‑ like pass,” Currence said. “Of course, we had some quarterback problems,” he added, referring to the fact Scott reinjured his knee and DeLong was forced to come off the bench and guide the team.

Currence said Scott was OK, but just wasn’t quite ready enough to come back. Scott did complete 2 of 3 passes for 42 yards before leaving the game.

“The thing that impressed me more than anything else,” Currence continued, “was that when we needed somebody off the bench they came in and did the job. DeLong and Mike Jones in particular came in and did good jobs for us.”

In addition to his first‑half touchdown pass, Jones provided the Tigers second‑half spark, running 5 and 10 yards for touchdowns and scoring on a conversion run. He gained 32 yards in five second‑half carries.

McDew had 140 yards in 14 first‑half carries and finished up with 146 yards on 17 carries, the highest individual Tiger rushing total for a ‑ single game this season.

DeLong did a good job running the Tiger offense for the second straight week. While he completed only 1 of 4 passes, the Tigers didn’t make a turnover for the first time this season.

The Tigers only completed 5 of 11 passes for 84 yards with Marty Guzzetta catching four of them for 47 yards and Burkett hauling in one for 37 yards.

“We ran up the middle a lot,” Currence explained, “because that’s what they were giving us.”

The Tiger defense didn’t give the Bennies much at all, allowing them a total of 114 yards (only 56 in the first half) and not surrendering a touchdown until the subs were on the field in the fourth quarter protecting the 38‑0 lead.

“I can’t say enough about our defense ” Currence said. “We kept the pressure on them and kept good field position. Our secondary did a good job of hitting them and they dropped some passes. They didn’t play well offensively ‑ and that’s the name of the game when you play us. You have to control the ball.”

The Tigers intercepted three Benedictine passes and recovered three fumbles all together. DiLoreto, Kevin McClelland and Jack Wilson had interceptions while Lemon recovered two fumbles and Simpson one.

“We just had too many, turnovers,” Bossu agreed. “I don’t know about the score, but it would have been a better ball game if we hadn’t turned the ball over so much.”

Currence agreed that a few breaks either way in the first half could have made it an entirely different ball game.

“You have to give Massillon some credit, too,” Bossu said. “They forced the turnovers.”

Bossu said the game was a. new experience for his players “because I they hadn’t been behind all year.

“I don’t think this game was a true indication of the kind of team we have. Just like the previous games weren’t (four lopsided wins over easy opponents). We had too many turnovers to get a true indication of what kind of team we have.

“Massillon has the same kind of team they’ve had for the 25 years‑ we’ve been coming down here. They’re a good football team. They are quick and their execution is real good.”

Of Benedictine’s decision not to play Massillon in the future, Bossu said: “We made the decision because we felt we needed a change.”

The Bennies ‑ a Class AA team ‑ first played the Tigers in 1954 when Bossu was an assistant coach. He took over the head reins the following year, though the two teams didn’t play each other. They have played every year since, however, and Benedictine and Bossu have earned the respect of Massillon fans in the process.

The final ledger shows a 22‑2‑1 edge for the Tigers, but the Bennies always came down from Cleveland ready to play.

They turned a win over Massillon in 1957 into a state big‑school mythical championship and used a tie‑in 1973 to earn their way into the Class AA state computer playoffs and an eventual state title.

Bossu has been the Benedictine coach for 25 years, and while this was his last game against Massillon, he said he plans to keep right on coaching..

Massillon will travel to the Akron Rubber Bowl next Saturday night for a big game with the Barberton Magics ‑ who beat ‘the Tigers 9‑7 there in the 1977 season‑opener. There will be a pep rally sponsored by the Tiger Booster Club at 7:30 p.m. Thursday night at Duncan Plaza.

Benedictine will try to get back on the winning side Friday at wickliffe.

FINAL STATISTICS
MASS OPNT
First downs:
rushing 9 2
passing 3 3
penalty 0 5
total 12 10
Yds gain rush 229 72
Yds lost rush 22 18
Net yds rush 207 54
Net yds pass 84 60
Total yds gain 291 114
Pass attempted 11 20
Pass completed 5 6
Pass int by 3 0
Pass int yds 15 0
Kickoffs 6 2
Kickoff ave 46.5 47.5
Kickoff ret yds 41 89
Punts 6 5
Punt ave 36.3 38.6
Punt ret yds 30 20
Punts blocked 0 0
Fumbles 0 3
Fumbles lost 0 3
Penalties 7 6
Yds penalized 75 29
TDs rushing 4 1
TDs passing 1 0
TDs by int 0 0
Other TDs 0 0
No. of plays 50 51
Time of pass 27:04 20:56
Attendance 11,039

BENEDICTINE 0 0 0 6 6
MASSILLON 7 16 8 7 39

Mass ‑ Sam McDew 6 run (Jeff Fry kick)
Mass ‑ Fry 26 FG
Mass ‑ McDew 85 run (Fry kick)
Mass ‑ Marty Guzzetta 3 pass from Mike Jones (kick fail)
Mass ‑ Jones 5 run (Jones run)
Mass ‑ Jones 10 run (Dave Eberhart kick)
Ben ‑ Kevin Richardson 3 run (pass fail)

History

1979: Massillon 33, Niles McKinley 0

September 28, 1979August 7, 2017
by Eric Smith

Team effort earns Massillon fourth straight win
Tigers sharp in 33-0 win over Niles

By ROLLIE DREUSSI
Independent S ports Editor

“This was the first time we played this well as a team,” Massillon coach Mike Currence said after the Tigers blanked the Niles Red Dragons 33‑0 Friday night.

“The players are starting to forget themselves as individuals. We’re starting to become a team. ‑ and a great one.”

Niles coach Frank Thomas ‑ one of Currence’s former assistants ‑ offered no argument with that statement.

“They’re a super, super football team,” Thomas said in the, quiet Niles lockerroom. “I knew they were, and I knew they were quick, too. But I didn’t know they were as quick as they are.

The 9,468 fans in Paul Brown Tiger Stadium who endured a misty drizzle throughout the game saw the Tigers’ put on their best performance of the season. The win raises the Tigers’ record to 4‑0, with a 2‑0 mark in the All‑American Conference.

Currence was pleased with the performance of his offense and defense, and cited the work of quarterback Dave DeLong, who started in place of the injured Bill Scott.

“I have to give Dave DeLong a lot of credit tonight,” he said. “He came off the bench and did a good job. Actually, the whole offense did a good job. We have a great group of seniors, and their concentration and execution was the best it’s been.

“We did make a few errors. We got sacked a couple of times and those were errors they weren’t DeLong’s fault. But we came off the field, changed the blocking assignment’s and got it straightened out. In the second half we did anything we wanted to offensively.”

DeLong did a fine job directing the Tigers’ offense. He took them to a score in each quarter ‑ and a 27‑0 lead ‑ before giving way to substitute Dave Eberhart.

He completed 6 of 9 passes for 94 yards and one touchdown. His only target was wide receiver Marty Guzzetta, who hauled in a total of 7 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns on the evening.

Guzzetta’s second TD catch came on a halfback pass from Bill Burkett that covered 34 yards. Burkett also gained 65 yards in 7 carries.

Sam McDew topped all rushers with 79 yards in 11 carries and Bill Beitel added 61 yards in 10 carries to the balanced Tiger running at tack.

Beitel and Burkett each scored a touchdown rushing and Fred Borck capped the scoring by catching a TD pass from Eberhart.

In addition to his passing, DeLong also ran with the ball several times, including a 13‑yard carry on the first play of the game. He gained 22 yards on four carries, but was sacked twice for losses totaling 22 yards.

Thomas noted that the Tigers didn’t pass as much without Scott at quarterback.

“They took advantage of what they had;” he explained. “DeLong is more of a running quarterback, and they came out with the sprint series right off the bat. He runs real well and he threw well, too.”

Thomas also praised the Tiger defense, which recorded its third shutout in four games and didn’t let the Red Dragons get past their own 45-yard line. They allowed Niles only one first down, and that was on a penalty.

“We just couldn’t block them,” he said. “We tried to establish our running game but we couldn’t catch them. Both their lines (offense and defense) manhandled us. They executed well offensively and defensively and their defense totally bottled us up.”

“Our defense was unbelievable the way they held them,” Currence added. “I think we controlled the line of scrimmage. We just out hit them, that was, the key.”

Defensive coordinator Jim Letcavits also said the whole defense played well and added that Mike Spicer who filled in for injure safety Jamie Schlegel, did nice job.

The Tigers took the opening kickoff and marched from their own 32 to the Niles 14, but lost the ball on downs when a sweep by McDew on fourth‑and‑two fell a yard short.

Niles was forced to punt, and DeLong took the Tigers on a 52‑yard, four‑play drive that began with a 16‑yard pass to Guzzetta and ended with a 23‑yard scoring strike to Guzzetta. DeLong rolled right and eluded the Red Dragon rush before finding Guzzetta wide open. Jeff Fry booted the point after for a 7‑0 lead with 3:16 left in the first period.

The Tigers took over possession again near the end of the first quarter following another Niles punt.

They drove 55 yards in eight plays with Beitel scoring over left tackle with 9:34 to go in the half. Fry made it 14‑0 with his PAT kick.

The Tigers took over after another Niles punt, and were put into bad field position when the offensive blocking broke down and DeLong was sacked at his own 10 for a 14‑yard loss. A draw play on third down got the ball out to the 13, but it appeared the Red Dragons would get the ball in good field position with over five minutes left in the half.

However, Tiger punter Mike Hodgson boomed a 62‑yard punt ‑ a long, spiraling, line drive that sailed over the heads of the Red Dragon return men and rolled to the Niles 25 yard line. Hodgson also added a 50‑yard punt for a touchback later in the quarter.

Niles took the opening off of the second half but failed to move the ball again ‑ and the Tigers took over at the Red Dragon 45 following a 28‑yard punt.

DeLong went right to the air and lofted a long pass down the right sideline to Guzzetta. The senior receiver leaped into the air and made a great catch with a Niles defender hanging onto him. The play was good for 30 yards and a first down at the Niles 25.

Three plays later Burkett swept right end behind some good blocking and bulled over a Dragon defender at the goal line for a 12‑yard TD run. Fry hit his third straight kick for a 21‑0 lead with 8:45 remaining in the third period.

The Tigers got the ball back after a Niles punt at their own eight yard line and proceeded to cover the 92 yards to paydirt in nine plays.

On fourth‑and‑four from the Niles 34, DeLong pitched the ball to Burkett and he threw to Guzzetta ‑ who was wide open again ‑ for the touchdown. The score came on the first play of the fourth quarter. A run for the extra points failed and Massillon led 27‑0.

The Tigers final tally came with 4:13 to go in he game. Jeff Spicer picked up a Red Dragon fumble at the Niles nine yard line and returned it to the three. One Massillon penalty and three plays later, Eberhart hit Borck with a 5‑yard TD pass. Eberhart’s kick failed when he had to attempt it from the 15 yard line following an illegal procedure penalty on the Tigers.

The Tiger defense held Niles to minus‑four yards in the first half, and a total of eight for the game. The Red Dragons didn’t complete a pass until 2:22 remained in the game, and that was good for only one yard.

The Tigers, meanwhile, rolled up 18 first downs, 226 yards rushing, 149 yards passing (375 total yards) and controlled the ball for 28:19.

Despite being happy with the win and his team’s play, Currence was ready to put the game behind him.

“The real test will come next week because there are some men coming to town,” he said, referring to unbeaten and unscorned upon Cleveland Benedictine. The Bennies are 3‑0 and will play West Tech today in Cleveland.

“We’ll see what we’re made of,” Currence added.

NILES 0 0 0 0 0
MASSILLON 7 7 7 12 33

Mass ‑ Marty Guzzetta 23 pass from Dave DeLong, (Jeff Fry kick).
Mass ‑ Bill Beitel 3 run (Fry, kick).
Mass ‑ Bill Burkett 12 run (Fry kick).
Mass ‑ Guzzetta 34 pass from Burkett (run fail).
Mass ‑ Fred Borck 5 pass from Dave Everhart (kick fail).

FINAL STATISTICS
MASS. OPP.
First downs‑rushing 13 0
First downs‑passing 5 0
First downs‑penalties 0 1
Total first downs 18 1
Yards gained rushing 252 35
Yards lost rushing 26 28
Net Yds. gained rushing 226 7
Total yards gained 375 8
Net yds. gained passing 149 1
Passes attempted 13 9
Passes completed 10 1
Passes intercepted by 0 1
Ydg. on passes intercepted 0 0
Times kicked off 6 1
Kickoff average (ydg.) 49.8 30.0
Kickoff returns (yds.) 2 104
Times punted 3 9
Punt average (yds.) 49.7 34.9
Punt returns (yds.) 19 0
Had punts blocked 0 0
Fumbles 0 1
Lost fumbled ball 0 1
Penalties 8 2
Yards penalized 80 10
Touchdowns rushing 2 0
Touchdowns passing 3 0
Touchdowns by interception 0 0
Miscellaneous touchdowns 0 0
Total number of plays 55 29
Total time of possession 28 19 19:41
Attendance 9,468

History

1979: Massillon 28, Mentor 0

September 21, 1979August 7, 2017
by Eric Smith

Offense has problems in 28‑ 0 victory
Defense, keys Tigers win over, Mentor

By ROLLIE DREUSSI
Independent Sports Editor

The Massillon Tigers had just defeated the Mentor Cardinals 28‑0, but Tiger coach Mike Currence was not a happy man.

The Tigers raised their record to 3‑0 before 9,571 fans in Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, Friday night, and the Massillon defense held Mentor to a total of only 94 yards ‑ including, 17 in the first half.

“If it wasn’t for our defense we’d have been in a lot of trouble. They just shut us down,” Currence said.

The Tiger defense recovered all four Mentor fumbles and intercepted two passes ‑ one, of which was returned 35 yards for a touchdown by safety Jamie Schlegel to give the Tigers a 21‑0 lead early in the third quarter.

“We just looked at their defense and felt we could do so many things if we could just execute,” he explained.

“But the execution, the timing, wasn’t there. If they hadn’t made mistakes offensively, and if they would have had any kind of offense at all, it would have been a one touchdown ball game.

“We weren’t throwing well and catching well,” he continued. “We just weren’t prepared offensively. We had some injuries this week and we weren’t sharp.

“But you’ve got to give Mentor a lot of credit. I think they did a great job defensively against us. We’re usually a second half ball club ‑ we’re two platoon and they had players going both ways and they held us the second half. That’s what was so disappointing,” Currence said.

Another disappointing factor was an injury suffered by Schlegel. The senior safety dislocated his shoulder.

“He’ll be out for quite a while,” Currence said. “It’s a big blow, but we hope we can get him back before the season’s over.” Junior Mike Spicer will replace Schlegel.

The Tiger offense rolled up five first downs in the opening quarter but failed to put any points on the board. Their initial drive penetrated to the Mentor 19, but Steve Trivisonno intercepted a Bill Scott pass to end the threat.

The Tigers drove to the Cardinals 26 and 18 in the first quarter, but lost the ball on downs both times.

They finally drove 74 yards in 10 plays, with Scott hitting Greg Evans on a 39‑yard touchdown pass, with 9:25 to go in the half.

Evans caught the ball at the Mentor 16, broke a tackle and scampered into the end zone. The drive was kept alive when Mike Jones took a pass in the right flat on third‑and‑six from the Cardinal 46, broke a tackle and gained seven yards for the first down.

Mentor took the kickoff and got a first down on a roughing the kicker penalty ‑ the Tigers were penalized a total of nine times for 122 yards ‑ but Jim Ockington fumbled a pitch from quarterback Shawn Palmer on the next play. Tiger tackle Dave Geschwind knocked Ockington away from the, ball and defensive back Dan DiLoreto recovered at the Cardinal 29.

On third‑and‑six at the Mentor 25, Scott hit Evans on a curl pattern for 17 yards and first down at the Mentor eight.

Scott then passed to Marty Guzzetta on the right sideline with the senior wide receiver getting knocked out of bounds at the one yard line. Junior fullback Bob James took it in from there. Jeff Fry’s second straight conversion gave Massillon a 14‑0 lead.

The Tigers drove to the Mentor 26 later in the quarter, but once again lost the ball on downs.

Mentor took the kickoff to open the second half and on second‑and‑eight from the Tiger 23, Palmer’s pass was intercepted by Schlegel at the Cardinal 35. He headed for the left sideline, turned in some fine broken field running and made it into the end zone just 1:14 into the third period. Fry’s boot made it 21‑0.

The Tigers had trouble moving the ball until Ed Newman pounced on a fumble by Mentor’s Tim Garrett at the Cardinal 38 yard line with 4:30 to go in the game. Five plays later, substitute quarterback Dave Eberhart hit Jones with a 24‑yard touchdown pass. Eberhart added the conversion kick himself to round out the scoring.

Mentor coach Tom, Frazier was pleased with his team’s defensive effort, but, like Currence, was not happy with his offense.

“We came out offensively, and it was quite evident again that we couldn’t move the ball on the ground. When they know you’re going to throw the ball and they start blitzing, it’s hard to move it against a good team.”

The Cardinals’ first pass was intercepted by linebacker Kevin McClelland at the line of scrimmage. Palmer threw six straight incompletions before Schlegel intercepted his eighth attempt and turned it into a touchdown. Palmer finished with 2 of 18 for the night, and the Cardinals managed just 2 for 20 overall.

Frazier said his team failed to stop Massillon’s passing attack, and he took part of the blame for that.

“We didn’t have a defensive letdown, we just didn’t react to the ball well and cover their pass patterns. Maybe there was a better way of covering it, and I’ll take the blame for that.

“They used basically the same patterns to the right side and the left side. We tried to make adjustments, but we just didn’t do a good job. But our kids never quit hitting,” he added.

“A lot of positive things can come out of this game if our kids go back to the practice field and keep working. But this wasn’t the turning point for us. Our team needs to experience some success, and the turning point will be the next two weeks. We have to win our next two games (Brush and Maple Heights),” Frazier said.

Overall, the Tigers outgained the Cardinals 256 yards to 94, but led in first downs only 11‑8.

Scott finished the game unofficially with 9 of 19 for 128 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Dave Eberhart was 2 of 3 for 28 yards and one touchdown.

Sam McDew led the Tiger ground game ‑ which netted only 93 total yards – with 42 yards in 9 carries.

Greg Evans topped the Tiger receivers with three catches for 77 yards and one touchdown. Mike Jones had three for 35 yards and one TD, Bill Burkett had two for 19 and Marty Guzzetta had two for 17.

It was the second shutout in three games for the Tiger defense, which has surrendered just six points in the Tigers’ three wins. Mentor now has a 1‑1‑1 record.

The Tigers will entertain Niles McKinley ‑ now tutored by former Tiger assistant coach Frank Thomas ‑ Friday night at 8 p.m. in Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

MASSILLON 28
MENTOR 0

FINAL STATISTICS
MASS OPP.
First downs – rushing 5 5
First downs ‑ passing 6 0
First downs – penalties 0 0
Total first downs 11 8
Yards gained rushing 107 111
Yards lost rushing 14 41
Net yds. gained rushing 98 70
Net yds. gained passing 163 24
Total yards gained 256 94
Passes attempted 23 20
Passes completed 11 2
Passes intercepted by 2 1
Ydg. on passes intercepted 35 3
Times kicked off 5 1
Kickoff average (yds.) 44.4 48.0
Kickoff returns (yds.) 24 65
Times punted 4 5
Punt average (yds.) 41.3 35.2
Punt returns (yds.) 6 0
Had punts blocked 0 0
Fumbles 1 4
Lost fumbled ball 0 4
Penalties 9 6
Yards penalized 122 58
Touchdowns rushing 1 0
Touchdowns passing 2 0
Touchdowns by interception 1 0
Miscellaneous touchdowns 0 0
Total number of plays 55 59
Total time of possession 24.36 23.34
Attendance 9,521

MENTOR 0 0 0 0 0
MASSILLON 0 14 7 7 28

M ‑ Greg Evans 39 pass from Bill Scott (Jeff Fry kick);
M – Bob James I run (Fry kick);
M ‑ Jamie Schlegel 35 pass interception return (Fry kick);
M ‑Mike Jones 24 pass from Dave Eberhart (Dave Eberhart kick).

History

1979: Massillon 48, Alliance 6

September 14, 1979August 7, 2017
by Eric Smith

Tigers roll to 48‑6 win after close first half
Scott’s passing keys rout of Aviators

By ROLLIE DREUSSI
Independent Sports Editor

It was a close game for 22 minutes.

Then Massillon Tiger Quarterback Bill Scott took matters into his own hands, passing his team to a 14‑6 halftime lead that sparked them to an eventual 48‑6 rout of the Alliance Aviators before 10,534 fans in Paul Brown Tiger Stadium Friday night.

The Tigers were leading the Aviators 7‑6 with 2:06 left in the first half when Scott marched his team 60 yards in eight plays ‑ all of them passes ‑ to a touchdown with :31 showing on the clock.

That seemed to take the life out of the undermanned Aviators. The Tigers came out of the lockerroom to score 27 points in the third, quarter and coast to their second straight win.

“We played a good second half, anyhow,” Tiger coach Mike Currence said afterwards. “I think we had a little too much depth for them.”

I think it was obvious that our lack of depth hurt us,” Aviator coach Julius “Juice” Tonges agreed. “We hung in there well in the first half, but it took its toll. The things we did were sound (defensively), we just didn’t have enough man power. We just ran out of gas.”

“If we could make them play 11 guys for 48 minutes, we’d give them a good game,” Tonges added referring to the fact several Aviators played both ways the whole game, while Massillon used the two-platoon system plus fresh substitutes.

But it was that late second‑quarter touchdown drive that Currence called the turning point of the game.

“That late touchdown was crucial for our morale,” he explained. “It makes us feel like we have a ball club that can come through for us. That was great determination by our offense.”

Alliance received the opening kickoff, got one first down, then punted to Massillon. Dan DiLoreto fumbled the punt and the Aviators’ Alan Matthys recovered at the Alliance 43.

After 7:15 of possession, the Aviators tried a 32‑yard field goal attempt by freshman Chris Zurbrugg. It was blocked by nose guard Bob Simpson and the Tigers took over at their 20.

The Tigers then drove 80 yards in 10 plays with Scott hitting Marty Guzzetta with a 24‑yard touchdown pass, the first of three TD tosses by Scott, who finished the game with 14 of 21 passes for 174 yards.

Guzzetta caught the ball at the 15 and threw a nice move on an Aviator defensive back at the 10. Scott completed four of five passes in the drive, which was aided by a late hit penalty against Alliance on a crucial third down play. Scott had completed a nine-yard pass to Bill Burkett, but it was still five yards short of the first down. The penalty gave the Tigers a first and 10 at the Alliance 49 and they scored five plays later.

Fry converted the point after and Massillon led 7‑0.

Alliance’s Tony Grimes recovered a Sam McDew fumble at the Tiger 40 yard line midway through the second period, but the Aviators couldn’t move the ball.

On fourth and three at his own 47, Zurbrugg faked a punt and passed to Andre Jackson for a first down at the Tiger 44.

On the next play, quarterback Clay Brown scrambled to his right and found Jackson wide open for a touchdown with 2:11 showing on the clock. The Aviators muffed a two‑point conversion try, but trailed only 7‑6.

The Tigers took the kickoff and Burkett returned it 27 yards to the 40. That’s when Scott went to work.

He hit Guzzetta ‑ who had 7 catches for 108 yards and two touchdowns ‑ for seven and eight yards and a first down.

Greg Evans dropped his next pass, but the Aviators were called for defensive holding and the Tigers had a first down at the Aviator 30 with 1: 08 left.

Two incompletions and a screen pass put the ball back at the 33. On fourth and three with :44 remaining, Scott threw over the middle into a crowd and Guzzetta made a great catch at the 13.

Scott found Burkett open in the right corner of the end zone for the touchdown with :31 left. Fry converted for the 14‑6 half time lead.

“You have to give gill (Scott) a lot of credit,” Currence said. “Especially on that second touchdown drive. He hit the secondary receiver well. He knows the offense well and he’s starting to get a little confidence.”

Currence said Scott’s passing in the first half helped open up the Tiger running game in the second half (the Tigers had only eight yards net rushing in the first half but totaled 248 yards in the second half).

“In the first half, they were up tight on us,” Currence explained. “Scott worried them with his passing and they dropped off on us in the second half.”

“I went to the second backfield (in the third quarter) and it was all over. At that point, it was a combination of our depth – those were fresh backs I put in there ‑ Scott’s passing and their players being tired.”

The Tigers took the kickoff opening, the second half and marched 65 yards in 11 plays. Scott completed passes of 17 and 22 yards to Bill Beitel, the last one giving the Tigers a first down at the Aviator 24. Five running plays later, it was third‑and‑six at the nine. Scott drilled one to Guzzetta just inside the goal line in the right corner of the end zone for a touchdown with 8:16 to go in he third quarter. Fry’s kick made it 21‑6.

The Aviators showed definite signs of exhaustion at this point, and the Tigers rammed three quick touchdowns downs their throats: 64 yards in three plays, 33 yards in three plays and 54 yards in two plays.

After an Aviator punt, the Tigers took over on their own 36 with 7:12 left in the third period. Sam McDew swept right end behind some good blocking, broke a couple tackles and ran 48 yards to the Aviator 16.

Mike Jones carried 13 yards to the three, and Bob James took it over for the score on the next play. The kick failed and the Tigers led 27‑0 with 5:52 to go in the third quarter.

The ‘Tigers took over at the Aviator, 33, and on second‑and‑nine Scott pitched the ball to Jones who threw a pass to Guzzetta who made a fine catch in a crowd at the one yard line. He had been wide open, but the wobbly pass was under thrown. Jones then did the honors on the next play, the kick by Dave Eberhart failed, and the Tigers led 33‑0 with 1:48 left in the third quarter.

Dave DeLong then went in at quarterback for the Tigers as they took over after an Aviator punt at their own 46 just before the end of the third quarter.

DeLong ran 11 yards for a first to the Alliance 43, and Jones electrified the crowd with a twisting, tackle breaking run of 43 yards for a touchdown with :26 on the clock. Burkett ran for the extra points and a 41‑0 Tiger lead.

Massillon failed to move the ball on its next two possessions, and it looked like the fireworks were over when they took over on downs at their own 18 yard line with :19 seconds left in the game.

But Damian McKinney the speedster from the Tiger track team ‑ swept right end, got a couple blocks, and showed the tired Aviator defenders nothing but heel, sole and spikes as he burst 82 yards for a touchdown. Eberhart’s conversion kick capped the scoring at 48‑6.

“It’s been a great rivalry over the years,” Currence said afterwards, referring to the fact this was the last scheduled meeting between the two teams. “And for the first half it was a good ball game.”

Defensive coordinator Jim Letcavits singled out nose guard Bob Simpson for his exceptional play. Tiger linebackers Tim Reese and Kevin McClelland also had good games, coming up with a lot of successful blitzes.

“We were blitzing so much because we had to get some pressure on Clay Brown, he’s so quick,” Currence explained.

In addition to some fine statistics for Scott and Guzzetta, McDew had 74 yards in eight carries, Jones had, 48 in five carries and McKinney led all rushers with 98 in three carries.

The Tigers totaled 461 yards, 205 in the air and 256 on the ground, and piled up 23 first downs.

The Tigers are now 2‑0 and will entertain Mentor Friday night at 8 in Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. The Aviators fall to 1‑2 and they will host Cleveland John Adams on Saturday.

The final tally on the Tiger‑ Aviator series now reads 58 wins for Massillon, nine for Alliance and two ties.

ALLIANCE 0 6 0 0 6
MASSILLON 7 7 27 7 48

M – Marty Guzzetta 24 pass from Bill Scott (Jeff Fry kick);
A ‑ Andre Jackson 44 pass for Clay Brown (run fail);
M ‑ Bill Burkett 13 pass from Scott (Fry kick);
M ‑ Guzzetta 9 pass from Scott (Fry kick);
M ‑ Bob James 3 run (kick fail):
M – Mike Jones I run (kick fail)
M ‑ Jones 43 run (Bill Burkett run);
M ‑ Damian McKinney 82 run (Dave Eberhart kick).

Massillon 48
Alliance 6
Mass. OPP
First downs‑rushing. 10 14
First downs – passing 11 6
First downs – penalties 2 0
Total first downs 23 0
Yards gained rushing 284 78
Intercepted 0 0
Times kicked off 8 1
Kickoff average (yards) 46.1 48.0
Kickoff returns (yards) 51 10?
Times punted 1 ?
Punt average (yards) 31.0 28.
Punt returns (yards) 22 ?
Had punts blocked 0 ?
Fumbles 4 ?
Lost fumbled ball 2 ?
Yards lost rushing 28 41
Net yards gained rushing 256 37
Net yards gained passing 205 178
Total yards gained 461 215
Passes attempted 23 21
Passed completed 15 8
Passed intercepted by 1 0
Yardage on posses
Penalties 4 6
Yards penalized 40 45
Touchdowns rushing 4 0
Touchdowns passing 3 1
Touchdowns by interception 0 0
Misc. touchdowns 0 0
Total number of plays 58 66
Total time of possession 20:16 27:44
Attendance 10,534

History

1979: Massillon 21, Massillon Perry 0

September 7, 1979August 7, 2017
by Eric Smith

Tigers capitalize on Panther Miscues
For 21 ‑0 win in season opener

By ROLLIE DREUSSI
Independent Sports Editor

“You can’t make five mistakes and play Massillon,” Perry coach Joe Demaree said.

“You don’t have to look for any particular mistakes, we made them all tonight,” Massillon coach Mike Currence said.

The end result, however, was a 21‑0 season‑opening win for Currence and his Tigers Friday night before 16,454 fans in Paul Brown Tiger stadium.

Both the Panthers and Tigers had “opening game jitters,” as Currence called them, with Perry turning the ball over six times and Massillon four times.

The Tigers took two of those turnovers and turned them into touchdowns, helping them record their second straight opening‑game win over the Panthers in as many years.

“We were lucky they made mistakes,” Currence said of the Perry miscues. “We fumbled and we dropped passes. You can’t sustain a drive when you drop passes. How many drives of ours were stopped when the pass was there and we dropped the ball?” Currence asked rhetorically.

“You can’t run my kind of offense and drop passes. We live by the pass, and when we need it on third down, we’ve got to have it. We dropped about six to eight passes that were crucial tonight.”

Outside of that, Currence was pleased with his team’s defensive effort, which forced most of the Perry turnovers.

“I think our defense played exceptionally well tonight, except for the penalties. I wasn’t satisfied with that. We let them sustain drives a couple of times with penalties.”

But Currence was especially displeased with his offense, and he didn’t hide the fact.

“I’m not satisfied with anybody on our offense. Now, I’ve got to give some credit to Perry’s defense. I don’t want to take anything away from those guys, they’ve got a great group of juniors. They’re much better than last year (when Massillon won 27‑6).

“Their offense is better. It may not have looked that way tonight, but they’re very explosive. Our defensive line is just much better than last season. We’re quicker and we get to the ball better. I thought we did a good job of containing (Perry quarterback Dave) Fach,” Currence said.

Demaree was even more upset about his team’s mistakes.

“They’ve got a good ball club,” he said of Massillon. If you fumble once against them you’re going to be in trouble.”

The Panthers fumbled four times and lost all of them and also had two passes intercepted. Massillon fumbled three times, but lost only one, and had three passes intercepted.

“Our defense was on the field the whole night,” Demaree noted. “But our kids stuck in there and hit, they never gave up. Our defense did a good job, but you can’t stay on the field the whole night.

“But you can’t take anything away from Massillon,” he added.

Both teams played well on defense, but the Tigers’ defense gave their offense better field position – something Currence said he hoped it would do ‑ and the Tigers were able to take advantage of it.

The Tigers started the ball rolling ‑ literally ‑ when halfback Bill Burkett fumbled on the third play of the game with Perry’s Don Gregoire recovering.

Perry returned the favor on its first play when Monty Wise fumbled at midfield, with the Tigers’ Dave Geschwind recovering.

The Tigers didn’t muff this opportunity, as they drove 50 yards in six plays with Sam McDew taking it the last three yards for the touchdown with 9:59 left in the first quarter. Jeff Fry booted the extra point for a 7‑0 Tiger lead.

The drive was highlighted by a 36‑yard pass, from quarterback Bill Scott to wide receiver Greg Evans on first down. It gave the Tigers a first down at the Perry 14 yard line.

The two teams exchanged punts, and Perry started a drive at its own 20. They got a first down at the 31, but Greg Grimsley fumbled on the next play and Tiger safety Jamie Schlegel recovered at the Perry 34.

The Tigers drove to the three yard line, and on fourth and one, Demaree sent in big Carl Birone, the Panthers 6‑1, 265‑pound tackle.

The Tigers tried to run over him but he plugged the hole, forcing McDew to go outside where Mike Daniels made a hard hit at the four yard line, stopping the drive.

The Tigers took over at their own 42 following a Perry punt and 10 plays later Bill Beitel ran inside left tackler on a one‑yard touchdown play. Fry converted for a 14‑0 Tiger lead with 7:39 left in the half.

Mistakes highlighted the rest of the second quarter, with Tiger linebacker Kevin McClelland intercepting a Fach pass, Tiger defensive end Tom Mummertz recovering a fumble and Panther defensive back Dan Douglas intercepting a Scott pass.

The Panthers took the second half kickoff and promptly fumbled the ball back to the Tigers on first down, with. Jim Blogna recovering at the Perry 40 yard line.

Scott hit Marty Guzzetta with a 30‑yard pass down the right sideline ‑ with ‑the senior wide receiver making a fine catch.

With a first down at the Perry 10, McDew carried seven yards, Beitel picked up two more and Scott sneaked over from the one with 9:47 remaining in the third period. Fry’s kick was good again and Massillon led 21‑0.

More mistakes followed. Wise intercepted a Scott pass, and following an exchange of punts, the Panthers started a drive at their own 19 yard line.

They kept the ball on the ground, and moved it out to Massillon’s 43 yard line, where the drive stalled. On fourth down, Fach went back to punt, but a high snap from center sailed over his head, and Geschwind tackled him at the Perry 35.

The Tigers gave up the ball on downs, and Perry started another drive at its own 22.

Fach hit Jeff Radsick with a 24‑yard pass, giving the Panthers a first down at their own 46. On second down, Grimsley burst up the middle for 13 yards and another first down.

Perry moved the ball to a first down on the Massillon five when Jim O’Neal swept right end for 10 yards, but they could get no closer to the goal line.

O’Neal was thrown for a two‑yard loss (even though the Tigers only, had 10 players on the field), then Mummertz dropped Fach with an ankle tackle for an eight yard loss back at the 19. On the next play defensive end Mike Hodgson intercepted a Fach pass at the 18 and returned it to the 30.

The Tigers then gave, up the ball when, junior quarterback Dave Eberhart’s pass was intercepted by Dan Lloyd. Perry ran several more plays and the game ended.

“We’ve got good kids, tough kids,” Demaree said of his players. “They’re hurting mentally right now. We’re not satisfied, and no loss can ever help you, but we’ll start working real hard on Monday to prepare for Friday (when the Panthers will take on surprising Marlington, winner of its first two games).

“This is a good ball game,” Demarre said of the Tiger‑Panther series, which will run for at least two more years. “It’s good for the community, and I think we represent the Federal League well.”

One bright spot for the Tiger offense was the running of fullback Sam McDew. He gained 88 yards in 16 carries (5.5 average), but he also fumbled the ball once, though teammate Mark Kircher recovered.

“Sam looked better than in the three scrimmages,” Currence observed. McDew dislocated his thumb during the game, but tiger team doctor A.R. Furnas put it back in place for him on the sidelines.

Quarterback Bill Scott completed 9 of 18 passes for 128 yards and two interceptions. Greg Evans caught two passes for 43 yards, Bill Burkett hauled in three for 20 yards, Bill Beitel had two for 14, Marty Guzzetta had one for 30 and Sam McDew had one for 22 yards.

The Tigers, will open their All‑America Conference schedule next Friday when they entertain Alliance (1‑1). Perry opens its Federal League season when it travels to Marlington.

MASSILLON 21
PERRY 0

Mass. Opp.
First downs – rushing 10 7
First downs – passing 3 2
First downs – penalties 2 2
Total first downs 15 11
Yards gained rushing 146 135
Yards lost rushing 20 43
Net yards gained rushing 126 92
Net yards gained passing 149 60
Total yards gained 275 152
Passes attempted 25 10
Passes completed 9 3
Passes intercepted by 2 3
Yardage on passes intercepted 12 24
Times kicked off 4 1
Kickoff average (yards) 45.0 43.2
Kickoff returns (yards) 26 64
Times punted 3 4
Punt average (yards) 44.3 34.0
Punt returns (yards) 0 0
Had punts blocked 0 0
Fumbles 3 4
Lost fumbled ball 1 4
Penalties 7 3
Yards penalized 75 42
Touchdowns rushing 3 0
Touchdowns passing 0 0
Touchdowns by interception 0 0
Misc. touchdowns 0 0
Total number of plays 65 54
Total time of possession 23.42 24.18
Attendance 16,454

MASSILLON ‑TOP RUSHER
McDew ‑ 88 yards on 16 attempts.

PERRY 0 0 0 0 0
MASSILLON 7 7 7 0 21

M ‑ Sam McDew 3 run (Jeff Fry kick);
M – Bill Beitel 1 run (Fry kick);
M – Bill Scott 1 run (Fry kick).

Author: <span>Eric Smith</span>