Tigers Again Come From Behind To Beat Alliance 20-6 Touchdowns In Last Two Periods Produce Locals’ Fourth Victory
By LUTHER EMERY
The Washington high Tiger football team out fumbled and outscored the Alliance Aviators 20-6 before 15,000 fans in Tiger stadium Friday evening to record their fourth straight triumph of the season.
The fumble count was Massillon 7, Alliance 4, but the Tigers managed to recover three of their bobbles, while the Aviators lost the pigskin on all four occasions.
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It was the third week in a row the Tigers had to come from behind to win and they looked like an improved ball team doing it. With Alliance scoring first in the opening period after both teams had fumbled away opportunities, the Tigers struck back to mark touchdowns in each of the last three periods and win the game.
In past weeks they had to dig in during the last half to overtake Canton Lincoln which last night edged Canton McKinley 6-7 and Steubenville which dropped its second game to Campbell Memorial. It takes a scrappy team to come from behind and win and the Tigers have plenty of the old fight in them.
In fact the desire to win seems more than ever the Tigers’ best asset, and it is one that is hard to beat. Discounting their loose ball handling, they also looked like an improved ball club which is another argument in their favor. In fact, they are looking better with each succeeding game, and well they might for Mansfield, Warren, Cleveland Latin and Barberton are coming along in that order, and that’s a tough row of potatoes for anyone to dig. * * * THE 20-6 score left the Tigers with a greater margin of superiority than statistics would indicate. First downs were only 15-11 in their favor and they gained but 26 more yards than the visiting team.
Fumbleitis was costly to both elevens, and both teams became afflicted with it immediately after the kickoff. The Tigers grabbed the pigskin, marked up two first downs as they carried the ball into Alliance territory, and then lost it when Clarence Flitcraft pounced on Dick Jacobs’ fumble on the Alliance 41. A few plays later found the Aviators breathing hard on the goal line until Mike Maccioli fumbled as he was going across and Jack Hill pounced on the ball in the end zone to stop the threat – but only momentarily, for on the very next play, Al Brown fumbled and George Balogh covered on the Massillon 26. This time Alliance was not denied.
Mel Knowlton, Alliance coach, evidently had the Tigers well scouted at Steubenville and knew the Massillon team was a sucker for a deep reverse. He sent John Edwards whirling around the left flank in an end around play that planted the ball on the six-yard line and on fourth down Balogh nudged it over for the last year. Al Benton’s attempted placekick was smothered, leaving Alliance in front 6-0.
The Tigers made their first touchdown bid after the kickoff and marched the leather from their 47 to the three-yard line where Clarence Johnson bored his way through on the first play of the second period for a touchdown. Gene Schludecker tried to kick the extra point but it was to the right of the uprights.
The Tigers lost a golden opportunity to score in the second quarter when they carried the ball to within six yards of the goal only to lose it on downs by a foot. * * * ALLIANCE had the ball in Tiger territory early in the third period, but lost it on the 25 when Jacobs pounced on Maccioli’s fumble. They got it back near midfield by recovering Clarence Johnson’s fumble, but the Tigers held and got the ball on a punt on their own 34, which touched off a drive that finally produced a touchdown. A 17-yard sprint by Brown helped to put the ball on the 33 where Jack Hill pitched a strike to Ben Roderick who raced to the three-yard line where he was declared down though his momentum had carried him over the goal. Johnson moved it up two yards and Brown circled his left end for the T.D. This time Schludecker kicked the extra point which at the time looked as though it might be a most important point.
In the middle of the fourth period, Brown got away for a 67-yard run that put the ball o n the six-yard line but it was called back and the Tigers were penalized five yards for being in motion.
Alliance eventually forced the locals to make their only punt of the game, but they fumbled trying to pass on fourth down and Joe Jones got the leather on the Aviators’ 36-yard line. The Tigers went backward as Brown was thrown for a nine-yard loss and Johnson for one yard but Jacobs, itched into the flat to Brown who got to the 13 and Badarnza hurled another to Jacobs for a first on the three. Time was ticking away and only 10 seconds remained when Badarnza tossed a quickie over the center of the line and into the waiting arms of Earl Johnson in the end zone for the final touchdown of the game. Schludecker kicked the extra point.
The defeat was Alliance’s second of the season; Barberton having beaten the Aviators by an identical score last week.
The visitors were as dangerous as they were expected to be. Maccioli was a threat every time he carried the ball, but toward the end of the game was slowed down by vicious tackling. * * * THE TIGERS, who kept shifting their defense according to the down and the yardage needed for a first down, almost stopped Alliance cold in its pass offense. Only one pass did the visitors complete and it happened to be the first toss of the game, a 12-yarder. Five others were thrown and the passer was smeared several times before he could get rid of the ball.
The locals on the other hand completed five tossed for 77 yards and three different players, Hill, Jacobs and Badarnza were on the hurling end of the completions.
Alliance out-rushed the Tigers 259 yards to 220 yards, but the locals had the edge in the passing yardage and finished with a net total of 283 yards to Alliance’s 257 yards.
How well the offenses of the two teams clicked until they gave the ball away on fumbles, can be seen from the number of punts. There were two, one by Massillon and one by Alliance. The Aviators once again were smothered when they tried to pass on fourth down.
The game was keenly contested and while no player was seriously hurt both coaches had to make substitutions because of injuries. Jacobs was knocked out after recovering a fumble in the third period and was revived on the sidelines. He later re-entered the game. Ronald Williams, had several stitches taken in a cut under his nose when, kicked toward the close of the game.
Victory No. 4
MASSILLON POS. ALLIANCE Johnson LE Fogoros Eberhardt LT Flitcraft Morrow LG Nixon Olenick C Slabaugh Farris RG Shafer Wittmann RT L. Nicholson Roderick RE Edwards Badarnza QB Elton Jacobs LH Maccioli Brown RH Thorpe C. Johnson FB Balogh
Score by periods Alliance 6 0 0 0 6 Massillon 0 6 7 7 20
Tigers Great Comeback Whips Steubenville 13-12 Massillon Team Scores Twice In Last Half After Trailing 12-0
By LUTHER EMERY
A fighting Washington high Tiger that wouldn’t be beaten, clawed its way to a 13-12 victory at Steubenville Friday evening to the amazement of an overflow crowd of 10,000 spectators.
Hopelessly outclassed, out-charged, outplayed and out-scored 12-0 the first two periods, the Tiger team made a gallant comeback the second half to score a touchdown the third period and another in the fourth on a sensational 65-yard pass from Clarence Johnson to Ben Roderick.
Victory rode the pigskin on that toss, as the ball nestled into Roderick’s arms on the 15-yard line with nothing but the goal posts ahead of him.
It was Massillon’s third straight victory and crushed Steubenville’s hopes for an undefeated season, the decision hanging on one slim point, a goal from placement after touchdown kicked by Gene Schludecker.
Had you not known the players and their numbers you actually would have thought the game was one of those pre-season exhibition affairs in which a bevy of teams are trotted out to play a quarter or so with each other. Neither team looked the same in the second half as it did the first two periods.
The first half was all Steubenville and the last two periods all Massillon.
After the Big Red had rolled to two touchdowns in the first 14 minutes of play and the local team had shown a preference for running backward instead of forward, Massillon fans eased back in their seats and murmured to themselves “this is the demise of the Tigers.” * * * THE SECOND PERIOD was closing rapidly before the Massillonians showed any kind of an offense where they had spent most of their efforts up to that time trying to pass for yardage – all to no avail – they suddenly found that the Big Red was vulnerable to a ground attack; and began to roll. Time beat them to the goal line which was only 12 yards away with first down coming up when the half ended. Though disappointed at not having scored, they went in for the rest period, encouraged with the knowledge that they could push Steubenville around too.
Whatever Coach “Bud” Houghton charged the team with during that brief intermission period we would recommend as a sure cure for rheumatics, for you would never have known it was the same Massillon team that came out for the second half.
The Tiger coach said he spent most of the time between halves going over his defense, making corrections in the secondary which had been fooled repeatedly by Steubenville’s reverses.
The defense stiffened, the offense moved and the Big Red was out of the ball game entirely the last two quarters as the Tiger gridders found themselves and put on the kind of performance which Massillonians have learned to expect through their heritage of football.
They took the kickoff and passed and marched their way to the six-yard line before Steubenville stopped them. They roared right back for a 41-yard march that ended with Al Brown bolting his way through the Steubenville forward wall for the last three yards and the first Tiger score. With Jack Hill holding the ball, Schludecker booted a perfect goal from placement. * * * ANOTHER touchdown was needed for victory, and the Tigers went right after it. They were well on their way when Bob Stratton intercepted Hill’s pass on the goal line and scampered back to his 30 before being downed. But the Tigers braced, got the ball on a punt on their own 35 and then it happened. On first down, John Bardarnza tossed a lateral to Clarence Johnson who ran wide to his left, reversed his field and fired the ball straight down the center. Ben Roderick and Earl Johnson had already passed the Steubenville secondary when the ball began to fall. It nestled into the former’s arms on the 15-yard line after a flight of 60 yards and Earl blocked out the only possible Steubenville tackler as Ben romped over the goal with the pigskin. Massillon fans as well as Steubenville fans gasped with amazement at the sudden turn of events for the Big Red supporters after turning back the one touchdown threat had felt a sense of security when their team forced the Tigers into their own territory.
Steubenville was aware that the Tigers had such a play. Their coach Howard Brinker, a former junior high coach here, saw the Massillon team in spring practice and as late as Thursday had warned members of his team to be on the lookout for a long pass anytime Johnson had the ball. The Tigers pulled it at the opportune moment, Coach Houghton sending Bardarnza into the game to call the play and catch the Big Red asleep as they ganged up on the scrimmage line to halt the Massillon running attack.
The touchdown came with six and one-half minutes of the fourth quarter remaining to be played and the Tigers nearly got another after Brown and Jacobs covered a Steubenville fumble on the 33-yard line. They knocked each other out diving for the ball. Jacobs recovered to run the ball back to the three before being forced out of bounds. Steubenville’s recovery of a fumbled lateral to Clarence Johnson ended this threat with three minutes and 10 seconds to go and the game ended with the Big Red trying desperately to pass their way to a touchdown, in possession of the ball on a first down on the Tiger 30-yard line. It was the only time they had the ball in Massillon territory the second half.
In defeating Steubenville the Tigers gained more yards than in the Revere and Canton Lincoln games put together and four-fifths of the gains were rolled up in the second half.
First downs were 13 to 10 in the local team’s favor and they rolled up 326 yards to Steubenville’s 237. Ninety of the 326 were scored on two forward passes, Johnson’s 65-yarder to Roderick and an earlier 25-yarder to brother Earl that figured in the first fruitless touchdown drive.
Steubenville was keyed for the game and there’s no denying the Big Red has a fine team. With the exception of a few plays at the end of the game, the team operated from a single wing offense and gained most of its ground on tricky reverses that caused the Tiger secondary to take after the faker, leaving the ball carrier to run at liberty around the opposite flank. * * * SUCH WAS the case when Robinson scored his first touchdown after six minutes and five seconds of the first period had expired. Nary a hand was laid on him as he sped around his own left end to score from 14 yards out. On the previous play Pete Polovina had advanced the ball 48 yards on a reverse around the opposite end.
The Tigers still permitted themselves to be fooled in the second period as the Big Red drove from its own 29-yard line to the two-yard line where Polovina plunged over for his team’s second touchdown. He missed both attempts for the extra point and Steubenville fans groaned for the points were the first he has failed to kick this season.
Up to this time the Tigers’ had a net loss of three yards for their offensive efforts.
They came back with the kickoff, however and marked up three first downs in a march from their 37 to the Steubenville 32 where an intercepted pass ended the threat. Their next effort stopped when Wittmann, an illegal receiver caught a pass from Jacobs, giving Steubenville a first down on Massillon’s 31. The Big Red was penalized 15 for holding and Jones pounced on Robinson’s fumble on the Big Red 47 to set the Tigers in motion again. Jack Hill was tossed for a 14-yard loss trying to pass but Clarence Johnson reeled off 18 yards around right end and Brown raced to the 12-yard line in the last seconds of the half. Coach Houghton sent in a substitute to stop the clock but it was too late. The period was over. Then came the rousing second half, and here are the plays that led to Massillon’s first touchdown. * * * GETTING the ball on a fumble on the Big Red 41, Clarence Johnson hit right tackle for six yards and Bardarnza sneaked through to a first down on the 27. Bardarnza tried it again and gained but two yards. Brown shot through tackle to a first down on the 14. Hill made two at right tackle and Johnson hit through left for six more. Bardarnza went through center for a yard and Johnson made it first down on the three-yard line. Brown went over on first down for the score.
Massillon’s defense showed the same reversal of form the second half as did its offense. The Tigers tackled viciously and never permitted their goal line to be threatened.
Whereas the Steubenville line ripped the Massillon forward wall to pieces the first half, the Tiger linemen piled the Big Red up in the second. They stopped Steubenville’s ace runners Robinson and Polovina in most of their second half ball carrying efforts and slowed them down considerably. Both of the Big Red players are good runners and dangerous at all times.
Fumbles hurt Steubenville. It lost the ball four times on loose handling of the pigskin, while the Tigers recovered all but one of their own fumbles.
The Tigers emerged from the game in apparently good condition. Both Jacobs and Brown were removed because of injuries but both reentered the contest before it was over and appeared well enough in the locker room after the game.
The victory stretched Massillon’s record to 10 victories and one tie with Steubenville in games played the last 11 years. The Big Red won the only other two games played between the teams in 1930 and 1931.
A Great Finish
MASSILLON Pos. STEUBENVILLE Johnson LE Hess Eberhardt LT Dobbs Williams LG Ossio Olenick C De Leonardis Houston RG Wells Wittmann RT Morates Roderick RE Wheeler Hill QB Lelli Jacobs LH Polovina Brown RH Robinson C. Johnson FB Stratton
Tigers Come From Behind To Beat Canton Lincoln 13-7 Forward Passes Turn Defeat Into Victory For Massillon Eleven
By LUTHER EMERY
Two frantic fourth period passes turned defeat into a 13-7 victory for Washington high school over Canton Lincoln here Friday evening and brought the Tigers their second triumph of the season.
The chips were down and the crowd of 16,000 was almost ready to concede the Lincoln Lions their first triumph in five years of Tiger competition when Sophomore Fullback Clarence Johnson stole the ball from Nelson Robertson, Lincoln fullback to give the Tigers the pigskin on the Lions 37-yard line.
Five minutes of the game remained and Lincoln was leading 7-6. Few in the stands expected the Tigers to come through for they had already passed up an opportunity to go ahead when they were thrown back after having a first down on the four-yard line.
The clock was clicking off precious seconds as Quarterback Jack Hill dropped back and fired a pass to End Ben Roderick who caught the ball on the 22-yard line and slipped to a knee just as he was about to break away.
Then came the payoff. Without hesitation, Hill called for another pass and picked out Al Brown in the end zone as the receiver. The Lions appeared to have Al well covered but he leaped high between two of them came tumbling down with the ball in his arms for the winning touchdown. Only four minutes and 15 seconds remained to be played and as it turned out it mattered naught that Gene Schludecker kicked the extra point from placement.
The pass brought a thrilling climax to a game that otherwise was very much on the dull side for all of three periods, since neither team up to that time had shown any great offense. * * * THE PASS even sparked Lincoln to a new effort for it came back with the kickoff in an effort to ram a touchdown right down the throat of the Tiger and it looked as though it would succeed as the ball was marched back 57 yards to a first down on the 13. But Hill ended the threat when he intercepted Jack Christianson’s pass behind the goal for an automatic touchback that brought the ball into possession of Massillon on its own 20. The game ended one play later.
The best of the football game was packed into the last five minutes of competition, and save for a goal line stand by each team and a second period touchdown by each, fans on either side had little to cheer about, for the defense of both elevens outshone their offense, and that never makes for an exciting ball game.
Lincoln lost the game but beat the Tigers in the statistics. The Lions made seven first downs to Massillon’s four and gained the net total of 177 yards from scrimmage to the Tiger’s 149 yards.
The Tigers spent most of the evening trying to move the ball between the Lincoln tackles. They had very little success for the sum total of their efforts was 72 yards gained and nine lost. Not an end run was attempted. “Lincoln played its end too wide for us to try any sweeps,” Houghton said after the game. The Tiger coach was pleased with the sudden turn of events in the fourth quarter, saying “that will give Hill a lot of confidence in his passing.” He praised the Lincoln team for its defensive ability. “Lincoln was really keyed up,” he said. “And played a lot better brand of ball against us than it did against Canton Timken.” (The Lions beat Timken 13-12 two weeks ago in their opening game the only engagement played prior to last night.) * * * THOUGH Lincoln’s hopes for registering its first victory over the Tigers in five years of competition were blasted, the Lions salvaged some consolation out of the contest, for it was the first time they had ever scored on the local team.
Hurled back once in the first period after covering a Tiger fumble on the three-yard line, Lincoln reached the Promised Land on the first play of the second period when Christianson fired a 30-yard pass that End Bruce Mase caught on the 10-yard line and raced over the goal. He also kicked the extra point and the visiting fans were delirious with joy.
The Tigers struck back with determination, however as Dick Jacobs returned the following kickoff 31 yards to the midfield stripe. Hill gained a yard on a sneak and then tossed to Jacobs for a first down on the 11. Brown tried right tackle for a yard and Hill only picked up a yard on a sneak. On third down he pegged the ball to Jacobs who took it in the end zone for the touchdown. The try for the extra point was missed when the pass from center was low and the ball dropped, before it could be put in position for Schludecker to kick. * * * NEITHER team threatened thereafter until the third period when Julius Wittmann blocked Dwight Beatty’s kick and Morrie Eberhardt pounced on the ball on the Lions four-yard line. The blow from the ball forced Wittmann’s removal from the game. Mike Takacs plunged for two yards in a crack at the Lion nine, and through Clarence Johnson and Brown were both free the next two plays the passes to them in the end zone were a little off the mark, thereby spoiling an opportunity for a touchdown. Brown was thrown back trying to carry the ball on fourth down and the Lions took over on the three-yard line.
The goal line stand by Lincoln was almost identical to a similar stand made by the Tigers the first period, when big Tom Seaman pounced on John Badarnza’s fumble on the three-yard line. Christianson made a yard at center and Robertson picked up another. Robertson tried again but Lincoln was offside and was penalized five yards. Beatty made two before being tackled by Jacobs and fumbled on fourth down, the Tigers taking over on the four-yard line.
While the Tigers were naturally happy over the sudden turn of events in the fourth quarter, the narrow escape is just another indication of the long road ahead of the team this season.
On the bright side of the ledger was the aggressive spirit of the players, their defensive ability and the improvement in their passing attack. They completed four of 10 for 86 yards and two touchdowns, whereas last week they failed to complete a pass. * * * ON THE DARK side was the absence of deception and a solid running attack. Ball carriers were stopped time and again without gain and made but two first downs on the land. Lincoln too often out-charged the lighter Massillon line and the local team’s passing attack might have been even more successful had not the passer been rushed so badly at times.
The fanciest run of the game was Jacobs’ return of the kickoff that followed Lincoln’s touchdown. Taking the ball on the 19-yard line, he stepped along the west sideline to midfield before being downed.
The Tigers emerged from the game without any serious injuries, and it is well that they did for they have an even greater test coming up next Friday evening at Steubenville. Thrilling Finish Massillon Pos. Lincoln Johnson le Love Jones lt Griffiths Williams lg Seaman Schludecker c Gellenbeck Houston rg Manful Wittmann rt Maggiore Roderick re Mase Resh qb Christianson Jacobs lh Beatty Brown rh Randall Takacs fb Robertson
Score by periods MASSILLON 0 6 0 7 13 LINCOLN 0 7 0 0 7
Tigers Edge Revere 7-6 Massillon Team Scores Early, Then Sputters Remainder Of Contest
By LUTHER EMERY
The Washington high Tigers opened their 1947 football season in Tiger stadium Friday evening with a 7-6 victory over Revere, Mass., high school and were none too happy about it.
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With a crowd of some 13,000 fans looking on, the Tigers struck quickly the first time they came in possession of the ball to score their only touchdown in the first five minutes of play, and watched time snatch away two other opportunities at the end of the half and at the end of the game.
The margin of victory was slim and while the Massillon offense frequently became fouled in the heavier Revere line, the inspired defensive play of the Tiger linemen delighted their supporters.
Save for the Canton McKinley game last fall the 1946 Massillon team never tackled as viciously as the Massillon linemen and secondary did last night.
This defensive play and occasional offensive flashes gives reason to hope that the local team has the possibilities of developing into a better team than it was last night. * * * THE PLAYERS and coaches were not at all satisfied with their one point victory. They made both mental and physical errors, which in part may be attributed to the opening night performance and the fact that seven players were starting their first varsity game.
Coach “Bud” Houghton believes that many of the errors can be corrected. “I was disappointed with our offense,” he said after the game. “A couple of the younger players had a tendency to get excited and throw us off in our timing. With this opening game out of our system we hope they will settle down and work smoother in succeeding weeks.”
Revere likewise bothered the locals with its defensive variations which changed depending on the down and the position of the ball on the field.
Fortunately, the Tigers emerged from the game without any serious injuries. Co-Capt. Morrie Eberhardt came out with a limp which was described by the team physician as nothing more than a bruised nerve. * * * THE MASSILLON eleven rode to victory on the toe of Gene Schuldecker, substitute end who kicked the point from placement after the Tiger touchdown, to give the local team its one point margin of superiority. Center Paul Olenick’s break through to smear Frankie McDonald’s attempted placekick after Revere’s one and only touchdown in the second period, prevented the game from ending in a tie, for the ball appeared headed for a dead shot between the uprights, when the husky lineman batted it down.
It was a long night for the Massillon eleven and may develop into a long season, unless Revere is a better football team than its play indicated.
The visitors lived up to the reputation their supporters had built for them in pre-game discussion – that they were tough defensively but did not have too much on the ball on offense, save some fancy formations. Massillon finished with an edge in both departments.
The Tigers made 10 first downs to Revere’s eight, gained 227 yards from scrimmage to Revere’s 190 and tossed Revere players fro 61 yards in losses while being thrown for 23.
The Massillon offense, bucking against a 190-pound line had difficulty moving consistently. Break throughs by ball carriers were stymied on later plays in all but three instances. On one of these the Tigers marched 47 yards to their first touchdown and overcame a 15-yard penalty for clipping on route. Dick Jacobs, sophomore left halfback reeled off most of the yardage including one 18-yard jaunt, and Al Brown went through on a quick opener that split the Revere defense for 24 yards of fancy touchdown stepping. Time beat them to two touchdowns. They permitted the clock to stop them on the goal line in the first half which ended with the ball on the one and one-half yard line with second down coming up. A time out would have provided another play. The end of the game also found them in command of the pigskin in the shadow of the Revere goal posts. * * * MOST DISAPPOINTING from a Massillon offensive standpoint was the failure of the Tiger passing attack. Not a one was completed and one was intercepted by Revere Halfback Wolla Lagorio, who for a moment appeared headed for a touchdown. He slipped and fell on the 20-yard line while in the open. However, a penalty would have brought the ball back even though he had maintained his stride and crossed the goal. * * * REVERE, on the other hand worried the Tigers with passes and scored its own touchdown in that manner when Capt. Bill Waxman pegged the ball to Halfback McDonald who raced into pay dirt for the visitors’ six points. The second period drive covered 79 yards, most of which were gathered in by McDonald, who twice got away for 21-yard gains.
The Massachusetts boys gained 85 of their 190 yards through the air completing six of 10 attempts. They had one intercepted.
Jacobs did a fine job of punting for the Tigers, but two boots went for naught when teammates covered the ball inside the 10-yard line automatically sending it out to the 20. Had they not touched it the ball would have been put in play where it stopped.
Schludecker’s point from placement revealed the importance of this department of the game. The Tigers have played seven tie ball games in the last two years and save for a bit of last minute practicing under pressure by Schludecker, Thursday, last night’s encounter might have had a similar ending. Gene was given the opportunity of practicing placekicks with an opposing line bearing down upon him. He kept at it until he was able to bang the ball between the posts just as though no one was there. He did the same thing last night and as a result the Tigers are in possession of their first triumph of the season. * * * THE VICTORY however does not forecast any easy going this season. It was hard earned and it looks as though they will come that way this season. The blocking left much to be desired and there were many instances where good clean blocks would have freed ball carriers for long gains.
Most of the mistakes may be attributed to the lack of poise of a green team, since they were committed in most instances by boys who had never before started a varsity game. Be that as it may, mistakes of this type may lose games in the future.
As a whole the visitors were well satisfied with the outcome of the contest. Despite some pre-game bragging, they figured down in their hearts they would lose by a more sizable margin and considered themselves fortunate that they were not beaten by more than one touchdown.
Actually Revere made but one touchdown threat, the Tigers holding the team in check behind the 20-yard line.
Revere tossed single wing and spread formations at the local eleven and presented a fancy runner in McDonald who would look good on any man’s team. Won By A Point Massillon Pos. Revere Johnson le Belmonte Eberhardt lt Hodus Morrow lg Taylor Olenick c Nolan Houston rg Manganiello Wittmann rt Capidulupo Schuldecker re Giarusso Bardarnza qb McCarthy Jacobs lh McDonald Brown rh Lagorio Tackacs fb Waxman
Score by periods MASSILLON 7 0 0 0 7 REVERE 0 6 0 0 6
Substitutions: Massillon – Roderick, re; Williams, lg; Jones, lt; Edie, rt; Hill, qb; Resh, lh; C. Johnson, fb. Revere – Terminiell, rg; Stillman, fb; Ferragamo, le.
Touchdowns: Massillon – Brown. Revere – McDonald.
Point after touchdown: Massillon – Schludecker (placekick).
Referee – Jenkins. Umpire – Gross. Head Linesman – Boone. Field Judge – Brown. Statistics Massillon Revere First down 10 8 Passes attempted 3 10 Passes completed 0 6 Passes had intercepted 1 1 Yards gained rushing 227 105 Yards lost rushing 23 61 Net gain rushing 204 44 Yards gained passing 0 85 Total net yardage 204 129 Times kicked 2 2 Average kicks (yards) 34 42 Times punted 3 5 Average punts (yards) 36 26 Average return of kicks 20 8 Average return of punts 10 2 Fumbles 4 1 Fumbles recovered 2 0 Times penalized 5 5 Yards penalized 55 45
Tigers Battle Canton McKinley Bulldogs To 6-6 Tie Local Gridders Knot Count With Only Five Minutes Left To Play
By LUTHER EMERY
A brilliant 71-yard return of a kickoff by Halfback Gene Zorger, and a mighty lunge over the center of the line by Quarterback Paul Cary, rammed a touchdown right down the throat of the Canton McKinley Bulldog Saturday afternoon to gain a 6-6 tie for the Washington high Tigers in the last five minutes of their 51st meeting.
The Canton Bulldog was still wagging his tail over a 78-yard touchdown dash by Ralph Pucci, great McKinley right halfback, when the Tigers struck back in sudden fury that repaid the Bulldogs for all they had meted out just two minutes earlier.
To the capacity crowd of 22,000 fans, Pucci’s touchdown had looked like the payoff to the terrific defensive struggled that had been waged by the lines of the two teams for three and one-half periods.
They gasped when Zorger grabbed the following kickoff on his 20-yard line and raced toward the Bulldog goal.
“Go, go, go!” Massillon fans were shouting as Zorger did a tight rope walk along the sideline, stiff-arming and side-stepping when he had room. His teammates were timing their blocks well and felling Bulldog players as they came in to make the tackle. At the 50-yard line it was Zorger all alone with two Bulldogs closing in from an angle. He leveled off and made a run for it but stepped out at the nine just as a Bulldog player lunged at him and eventually brought him down on the four. * * * CANTON FANS who a moment before were in ecstasy over what appeared certain victory in this half century of bitter and traditional rivalry were completely stunned, while Massillon fans were gulping in amazement.
But the ball still wasn’t over. It was nine yards short of the goal and a big, stubborn, strong McKinley line stood between the Tigers and the Promised Land. It had turned back Massillon’s best efforts all afternoon and this was the final test.
It was the final test for the Tiger linesmen too and they moved into their positions in grim determination. Cary handed the ball off to Alex Giloff, who rammed his way forward three yards. It was now on the six. Then he slipped it on a quick opener to Zorger who butted through to the two.
It was a case of power from now on. Cary selected the strongest play in the Tigers’ offensive repertoire, the smash off right tackle, and carried the ball himself. He virtually threw himself atop the pile of struggling lines. They went forward then backward. There was a roar from the Massillon side of the field, where fans thought he had gone over, but Referee Titus Lobach said no and the ball was placed on the turf with its nose almost touching the goal line. Cary elected to try it again. This time there was no doubt about it. The ball was passed. The lines came together with a rattle. The Tigers hit the harder, the Bulldog forward wall bent and Cary rode on top of it for a touchdown. That was it – 6-6. * * * THERE WERE anxious moments left as Cary attempted to kick the extra point from placement with Dan Byelene rushed in to hold the ball. He missed, half topping his kick, just as Pucci had missed two minutes earlier when he sent the ball spinning to the side of the uprights.
And there you have all the scoring in the ball game – all of it in the space of two minutes. What a fitting climax it was for one of the greatest games ever played in the 52 years of rivalry between high schools of the two cities, and what a splendid finish for the 15 senior members of the squad, 12 of whom participated in the melee, to tie a team that had entered the game a 13-point favorite to win.
It was likewise a tribute to the coach of “Bud” Houghton and staff who patched up a Massillon line which had been weak all season defensively, and made it strong.
On defense they moved Tom Brooks from guard to left end, where he played a whale of a game. They took Morrie Eberhardt from left end and inserted him at right tackle; Tony Uliveto was moved from left to right guard, and Gene Krisher from right tackle to left guard. And there you have the realignment of the defensive forward wall that thrice threw the Bulldogs back in the first half and kept them entirely away from their goal in the last two periods save for the one time when Pucci broke away around the right side for his long touchdown jaunt.
It was a personal triumph for Zorger and Cary. A year ago the former was a mediocre fullback. He came back this year as a right halfback to become a runner-up for scoring honors in the county, second only to Pucci. Cary rushed into the game when little Al Brown was knocked out one play after the opening kickoff of the second half and played more minutes of football than he did all season. You will remember he started the year as the Tigers’ first string quarterback, but an injured knee in the second game of the season with Canton Lincoln put him out of action to such an extent that he only carried the ball twice thereafter until Saturday. But he ran the team smoothly and had the necessary drive to ram over the Tigers’ one touchdown. * * * THAT HE DIDN’T make the extra point was no more of a disappointment to Tiger fans than was the kick that went wide of the uprights for Pucci. A 7-6 defeat would have been hard for either team to have swallowed, and if you want to be downright impartial about it, the performance was deserving of a tie.
Anyway you look at it, statistically or otherwise, the two elevens battled to a draw as represented by the score. Massillon fans like to think of their Tiger team as being in a little the better physical condition at the end than the Bulldogs. It appeared that the locals were, for they picked themselves off the ground quicker in the closing stages of the contest than did McKinley and yet the Bulldogs made three of their first downs and gained 66 yards after the Tiger score.
It was an even battle from the standpoint of clean play too, perhaps the cleanest in the history of the years of competition. Only three penalties were called, all five-yard violations for mechanical errors rather than for infractions of rules governing unclean play.
It was an even battle as far as ball carrying was concerned. The Bulldogs had more chances to score, but their chances with the exception of Pucci’s successful run, were the result of Tiger fumbles and misplays, and not out of their ability to carry the ball into Tiger territory. In fact only twice during the entire contest did the red and black succeed in moving the ball from their own territory across the 50-yard line and into Tiger land. Once was on Pucci’s long run. The other was on the last series of plays of the game when they intercepted a Massillon pass on their own 47 and executed a forward pass into Tiger territory that had no more than been completed when the gun cracked ending the contest.
The Bulldogs lost two of their scoring opportunities on fumbles and a third when the Tigers rose up and held them for downs. * * * THE TIGERS, who crossed the 50-yard line four times during the afternoon, likewise lost possible touchdown bids through fumbles and intercepted passes. They barely got over the mid-stripe twice in the first quarter when forced to punt. But at the start of the second half they carried from their own 35 to the Bulldog 22 where they lost on a fumble. Another mid-stripe effort came on Zorger’s fourth period kickoff return that led to Massillon’s touchdown. The locals got the ball in Canton territory on two other occasions in the second half, as a result of breaks, lost it once on an intercepted pass and forfeited it on downs on the 22-yard line, on the other occasion.
Many had expected a great offensive game Saturday. It turned out to be just the opposite – a defensive contest featuring two hard hitting lines.
The Tigers couldn’t find a hole in the Bulldog forward wall, and only once did the Massillon line crumble, and permit Pucci to break through. It was a great finish for Seniors Jim Young, Tom Brooks, Tony Uliveto, Gene Krisher ,Gene Yost, Substitute Dave Dowd and Junior Morrie Eberhardt, who comprised the defensive forward wall. Young had a particularly difficult assignment. Not only did he have to be on the lookout for ball carriers but he likewise had the job of jamming in McKinley’s fine end, Nick Stevenson to keep him from going out after passes. You didn’t see him catch any until the last play of the game, did you? And Stevenson has been about one-half of the Bulldog offense this year. In fact the Bulldogs only worked two passes all afternoon. Their other effort was a 22-yard loss to Sterling Winn in the fourth quarter.
Statistically the teams were even. Each made seven first downs. Canton out gained the Tigers’ from scrimmage for a net total of 243 yards to 142 yards, but this figure does not include Zorger’s long kickoff return and a second fine run from kickoff by Brown. Add returns of punts and kickoffs to the net yardage made from scrimmage by the two teams and you have them winding up with exactly the same total, 270 yards.
While a tie score is always an unsatisfactory way of settling a game which is played for the expressed purpose of determining which is the better team, it was in general received with enthusiasm by Tiger fans, whose team had been cast in the role of underdog for the contest. One only had to visit the dressing rooms of the two elevens to see which group was the more satisfied with the outcome. The Canton dressing quarters were quiet, but there was a hum of activity in the Massillon locker room as fathers of players and fans rushed in to congratulate the athletes on their performance. * * * THE LOCAL team was no entirely satisfied with the tie. It was out to win, and with such a determination that it caused many Massillon fans to pull out large handfuls of hair, when on fourth down, 45 seconds to go, and five yards needed for a first down, it elected to try a pass instead of play it safe and punt. The pass was intercepted by McKinley, which tried four plays before time ran out.
It was not the first time during the contest that the Tigers had gambled. They stuck their necks out in the second period when needing a yard to go on fourth down and still back on their own 31-yard line they elected to carry the ball. Brown tried it the hard way too, a sneak through center. There wasn’t anything sneaking about it though, but somehow or other he managed to worm and squirm for that one yard that made it first down.
Fans of both cities who do their second guessing with the word “if” had enough instances to talk about in this game to work up a good case of lock jaw.
“if we hadn’t blown two scoring opportunities on fumbles in the first half we might have won,” some Canton fans were saying.
“If it wasn’t for our own fumbles and misplays you wouldn’t have had those scoring opportunities,” Massillon fans countered.
“If a Massillon blocker would have seen the Canton safety man coming in from the side, Al Brown would have gone for a touchdown in the first period,” was another Tiger argument. Other local fans also saw Jack Zeller standing loose in the safety zone in the fourth quarter with no Canton player around him but the Massillon passer didn’t spot him and threw to a teammate who was well covered. * * * SOME CANTON fans also believe their team relaxed momentarily after Pucci’s touchdown run which made possible Zorger’s brilliant dash after kickoff.
Maybe the Bulldogs did, but whenever and wherever the game was discussed Saturday night and Sunday, by fair-minded folk, second guessers included, they usually wound up with the conclusion that it was a great contest, that the teams played on even terms and that the score was quite representative of their performance.
The Tigers finished the game in fairly good physical condition and without any serious injuries. Though he still didn’t know the score at the end of the game, Brown became rational in the locker room and was apparently O.K. when he left the stadium. Cary, removed in the last two minutes when he aggravated his injured knee, was able to dance around on it at the football frolic Saturday evening.
Houghton Will Speak Tonight
Coach “Bud” Houghton will discuss the Canton game tonight at 8 o’clock at the Y.M.C.A’s open house program. Houghton and his staff will be guests of the Y’s Men’s club at a dinner meeting prior to the open house. No Booster club meeting has been scheduled for tonight but Boosters and all Massillon football fans are invited to the free open house party.
Giloff’s nose got in his way as it has done most every game this season and was freshly pealed. Otherwise the squad was in fairly good shape.
Briefly replaying the game, it went like this. Capt. Merle Darrah won the toss and the Tigers elected to receive. They carried the ball just over the midfield stripe when they were forced to punt. They stopped Canton and got the ball again on a punt on the 33, losing some 18 yards on the exchange. Brown broke loose and ran to the 50. He had a blocker to take out the Canton safety man, the last player between him and the goal, but the blocker either did not see the Bulldog tackler or couldn’t get a good head on him. The ball was only moved three yards beyond the center of the field when the locals again punted to the Canton 28. * * * PUCCI made Canton’s first first down on a 15-yard run, but the Tigers braced thereafter and forced Canton to punt to the 20. Brown fumbled and Stevenson covered for McKinley on the Tiger 20. The locals turned back four Canton ball carrying attempts and took over the leather on their 15. An exchange of punts wound up with the Tigers having the ball on their 20. They moved to a first down but Pucci intercepted Brown’s pass and got all the way back to the Tiger 16. On the next play Bill Wetzel fumbled on the 13 and Brown was Johnny on the spot to cover the ball. The Tigers were tossed backward and the Bulldogs carried their punt back to the 23. Three plays only gained two yards and Tony Uliveto pounced on Pucci’s fumble to again end the threat. An exchange of punts wound up the first half activities.
McKinley elected to have the wind to its back to start the second half and accordingly kicked off to the Tigers. Brown almost got loose as he ran the kickoff back to his 35. He was knocked out on the next play in which Zorger advanced the ball 11 yards. Passes from Cary to Zeller and Eberhardt, the latter making a brilliant catch to take the ball out of the arms of two McKinley players, carried the pigskin to the Bulldog 22-yard line where Zorger fumbled and Sterling Winn covered for McKinley. Neither team threatened but McKinley started to roll late in the third quarter until Brooks stopped the forward movement by covering a fumble by Spera in a handoff to Ray Hamilton.
It didn’t gain the Tigers anything, however, and they had to punt. The Bulldogs got back to their own 44 on a pass from Spera to Winn, but Spera, trying to pass again, barely got the ball off his arm as he was tackled and Uliveto came up with the ball before it touched the ground. The Tigers moved down to the 28, where they lost the ball on downs. Zorger barely touching a pass on the 10-yard line on fourth down. Zeller at the time was loose in the end zone, but Cary didn’t spot him.
Canton took over and on the first play Pucci struck out through his left tackle for a 78-yard touchdown jaunt. Two or three Tigers got their hands on him, and Zeller tried to run him down but barely brushed his shirt as he dove at him on the 15-yard line. Pucci attempted to kick the extra point from placement but the ball was wide of the upright.
Canton kicked off to Massillon and Zorger caught the ball on his 20, headed straight up the field, and along the sideline to the four, where he was downed. It was ruled he had stepped out on the nine.
On fourth down, Cary went over for the Tigers’ six points.
Gene Schludecker, sent in to kickoff, boomed the ball out of the end zone twice. The Tigers were offside on the first kick and the ball was moved back five yards. Pucci touched it the second time as the ball bounded on the ground but it too rolled out of the end zone for an automatic touchback.
Neither team threatened any more.
Good Enough Massillon Pos. Canton Zeller LE Winn Young LT J. Cobett Uliveto LG W. Wetzel Darrah C Bourquin Brooks RG E. Cobett Krisher RT O’Brovac Eberhardt RE Stevenson Brown QB Spera Giloff LH Hamilton Zorger RH Pucci Yost FB W. Wetzel
Statistics Mass. Canton First downs 7 7 Passes attempted 9 5 Passes completed 2 2 Had passes intercepted 3 1 Yards gained passing 29 32 Yards gained rushing 113 211 Total Yards gained 142 243 Yards lost 11 0 Net yards gained 131 243 Yards punts returned 34 27 Yards kickoffs returned 105 0 Net yards covered from scrimmage and returns 270 270 Fumbles 4 5 Lost ball on fumbles 2 3 Penalties 1 2 Yards penalized 5 10 Times punted 6 6 Average punt (yards) 28 30 Times kicked off 1 3 Average kickoff (yards) 45 45
Thrilling Tie With Bulldogs Closes Grid Season
By KEN HARTWICK
They refused to be beaten, and they weren’t beaten!
That, in brief, is the story of what happened at Tiger stadium Saturday afternoon in the 51st renewal of Ohio’s and perhaps the nations’ most intense and most widely-known scholastic gridiron rivalry.
Massillon’s Tigers were supposed to lose that game, but they refused to lose it – and they didn’t lose it.
Usually it is only in stories that an underdog team is able to escape defeat through sheer refusal to be defeated, but that happened in real life at Tiger stadium Saturday afternoon.
For a time the Tigers were beaten, but it was a very short time because, within two minutes after the Bulldogs scored their lone touchdown following more than 40 minutes of rugged but scoreless play, the Tigers fought back into a tie and the score was still tied when the game ended five minutes later. * * * IT TOOK, of course, more than just a refusal to accept defeat, but the Tigers had everything else that was needed. As a matter of fact, they were decidedly the better team throughout most of the game.
Their attack was more versatile, they were more willing to take chances, they appeared to have more stamina, they definitely had more confidence and they seemingly got stronger as the contest progressed.
Actually, if a couple of plays had gone just a little differently, the Tigers might easily have come out on top, but the Massillon fans, particularly those who had fearfully anticipated a decisive Tiger defeat, and present company is not excepted, were well satisfied with a tie.
The same thing can’t be said of the Canton fans. More confident of victory than at any other time in recent Massillon-Canton grid history, the McKinley followers reacted to the tie as through their team had suffered a defeat.
The tie was particularly crushing to those confident Canton fans who had given points in bets. It is very rarely that it is possible to get points from a McKinley follower in a bet on a Massillon-Canton game but this year a lot of Canton betters were more foolhardy than usual and gave as high as 13 points and took a financial drubbing as a result.
Certainly never again will it be possible to get points from a Canton better even if there ever should come a season in which the Bulldogs won all their games by large scores and the Tigers lost theirs which, of course, never will happen.
That not only the McKinley fans but also the McKinley players confidently expected to win was very evident to anyone who visited the Canton dressing room after the game. * * * THE GLOOM was so thick that it could have been cut with a knife as the Bulldogs took their showers and changed to civilian clothes in a silence that resembled that of a morgue.
Coach “Bup” Rearick said, “I’m satisfied,” when asked how he felt about the game, but the look on his face wasn’t that of a completely satisfied man.
The Tigers, particularly the seniors who have never had the satisfaction of beating a McKinley team, weren’t too happy over the outcome of the contest nor, on the other hand, were they as gloomy as their opponents.
The Massillon dressing room was filled with the usual after-the-game chatter as the Tigers took off their grid togs for the last time this season and on the whole the reaction of the players was good. After all, hadn’t they just proved that thousands of Canton persons and, frankly, quite a few Massillon fans, can be wrong? * * * THE THING for which Saturday’s game will be remembered the longest will be the most thrilling two minutes in Massillon-Canton gridiron history.
Over a period of more than a half century the annual meetings of Tiger and McKinley football teams have provided a lot of thrills but none greater than those which came within the space of something like 120 seconds Saturday after noon.
The 41 minutes which proceeded that brief period and the five minutes that followed were to all intents and purposes merely the prologue and epilogue to the activity of the afternoon.
The guy who claimed that lightning never strikes twice in the same place was proved wrong with a vengeance in full view of the overflow of 22,000 persons who sat in on the happenings on the Tiger field.
Lightning did strike twice on that gridiron and it struck so rapidly that most of the fans were left stunned as a result. * * * IT WAS LIKE a bolt from the blue above when Ralph Pucci, undoubtedly the best McKinley player on the field on the first play attempted by the Bulldogs after a Tiger drive had been halted on the Canton 22-yard line, crashed through the Massillon forward wall and scampered 78 yards for a touchdown which sent the Canton crowd into a delirium of joy.
The cheering of the visitors didn’t abate when the Bulldogs’ try for extra point was unsuccessful, but it died to a whisper and was replaced by an even grater ovation from the other side of the field when Gene Zorger took the Canton kick on his own 20-yard line and all but got away from the entire McKinley team as he returned the ball to the Bulldogs’ nine-yard stripe before being pulled down.
The joy of the Massillon spectators knew no bounds when, on fourth down with the ball hardly more than two inches from the Canton line, Paul Cary crashed over for the touchdown which tied the score.
A total of only seven plays counting Canton’s attempt for the extra point produced all the scoring of the game and 99.9 per cent of the thrills. * * * THE HALF-TIME show given by the Tiger and McKinley bands ranked on a par with the game itself with both bands doing themselves proud in their final grid appearance of the season.
Undoubtedly the fact that neither team had scored in the first half made the show more enjoyable to all the spectators than would have been true if either club had enjoyed an advance at the recess.
Certainly the Tiger band’s “Study in Blues” seemed considerably better than when it was first presented at Youngstown a week earlier.
Maybe it was that the 24 senior members of the band were giving out just a little harder in their last football show that made the music a bit more jivey, the dancing a little more zippy and the entire show a great deal more enjoyable.
Certainly Majorette Mary Limbach and Obie put everything they had into their bit of jive which brought the show to a rousing finish, so much so, in fact, that Mary all but lost her hat at the end. Drum Major Warren Mathey contributed some fancy baton work. The drum soloist was Bill Drake and the cornet soloist was Andy Paul.
The Tiger band’s unannounced feature was, as though we didn’t know, a tribute to S. Earl Ackley who Saturday resigned as faculty manager of Tiger athletics after 17 years of service in that job. * * * IN PAYING tribute to S. Earl the band formed a large “A” as Bob Smith read over the P.A. system a brief eulogy to the retiring faculty manager. As the band sang “For He’s A Jolly Good Fellow,” Earl was presented with a fountain pen provided by the band in appreciation for his many services to the musical organization.
Expressing appreciation for the tribute, S. Earl told the crowd, “It has been a real privilege to be associated with Massillon athletics,” and expressed appreciation for the cooperation given to him.
Tribute also was paid to Jack Paramore who always will be remembered as one of the finest Obies in Tiger band history. His parents and brother presented him with a wrist watch.
The most noteworthy thing about the early part of the Tiger band show was the fact that Drum Major Mathey missed his baton when he tossed it over the goal post. It was his second miss of the season and gave him a season record of seven catches and two misses. He will be back next year to try to better that record.
The highlight of the show of the McKinley band was a routine in which the band went into formations resembling various musical instruments while the musicians who played those instruments moved to the front for a bit of fancy playing. Instruments featured included cornets, trombones and drums. * * * THE DAY OF the Massillon-Canton game traditionally is the day for flowers and, in keeping with tradition, majorettes of both bands were presented with bouquets, the Tiger majorettes getting orange chrysanthemums and the McKinley majorettes white mums.
The Massillon cheerleaders who kept the Tiger student section in an uproar all afternoon, presented the bouquets to the Tiger majorettes and in turn were given flowers by six girl students.
Director Orin “Dykae” Ford directed the show of the Tiger band despite the fact that he carried his right hand in a sling to protect a finger which was badly cut when struck by a piece of glass Thursday afternoon.
The band’s closing performance must have been a memorable one for “Dykae” because it brought to an end his first season as director of the Tiger swing band during which under his guidance the famed musical organization carried on in the same fine manner as during the preceding eight years when it was under the supervision of George Bird who created it.
“Dykae” incidentally, already is looking forward to next season and, in fact, already has written several of the shows which the band will do in 1947. * * * A PERMANENT record is to be made of all the shows done by the band this season. During its regular class sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday the band will make recordings of every show it did this year so that in future years it will be possible to hear just what the Tiger musicians did in 1946.
For some of the persons at the game the biggest laugh of the afternoon was provided by the reaction of some of the Canton fans to the statement made by Bob Smith, in his eulogy to Ackley, that the Massillon football program today is undoubtedly the outstanding scholastic grid setup in the nation.
The reaction of the Canton spectators indicated that they think that Canton’s setup is better which, to anyone who knows the facts, is a big joke. And we could furnish a lot of facts to prove it. * * * THE DAYS festivities got off to its usual colorful start as the Tiger and McKinley bands joined forces to play the national anthem as the flag was raised with R. Donald Stump, director of the Canton band, as conductor.
Immediately after the selection was played a sky bomb was exploded and from it floated a small American flag attached to a parachute.
It is doubtful if anyone had a bigger time at the game than Jack Paramore in his final appearance as Obie.
Among other things Obie served as guardian for a small scaffold in front of the Massillon student section from which hung a bulldog, and on one occasion he raced half way across the gridiron in pursuit of a Canton cheerleader who had attempted to remove the bulldog from its humiliating position.
Later Obie tore the bulldog to pieces after the McKinley team scored its touchdown.
The Tiger student section, incidentally, was particularly colorful as many of the students constantly waved orange and black crepe paper streamers. * * * AT A MASSILLON-McKinley game there are no impartial spectators, and that goes for person in the pres box. Usually sports writers try to act strictly impartial and not show any undue reactions to what happens on the field, but not when Massillon is playing McKinley.
On the day of the big game the press box workers are fans just like any of the other spectators and they react accordingly.
Saturday, for instance, the Canton sports writers and the others who wanted to see a McKinley victory had themselves quite a time when Pucci got away on his long touchdown run, but it was the Tiger followers among the newspapermen who got the last cheer, and cheer they did when Cary went over for the Massillon touchdown.
It also was the Tiger followers who appeared to be the most satisfied when the game was over and the post-mortems started.
The press box, incidentally, was well filled with writers representing many newspapers in this section of the state, but the number of newsmen was small in proportion to the number of photographers who were on the field during the game. * * * IT IS DOUBTFUL, if a Massillon-McKinley game ever attracted a larger battery of photographers. There were at least nine of them, that many being counted when they gathered in front of the coaches and captains of the two teams to take the traditional just-before-the-game pictures.
If one of the picture takers had taken a picture of the other picture takers taking pictures of the coaches and captains he would have come up with a much more interesting picture than the pictures that were taken by the picture takers. If you get what we mean.
Perhaps on a few occasions in the past there were more autos in and around Stadium park than on Saturday afternoon, but that is doubtful.
Tigers Beat Youngstown East While Eyeing McKinley Massillon Eleven, Under Wraps, Wins 20-7; Canton Bulldogs Trim Lakewood
By LUTHER EMERY
The Washington high Tigers defeated Youngstown East 20-7 in Rayen Stadium Saturday afternoon but that is old news and of secondary importance now. What matters most this week is that the Tigers will tackle Canton McKinley’s once beaten and once tied Bulldogs in Tiger Stadium at 2 o’clock next Saturday afternoon in a continuation of one of the oldest and most heated football rivalries in the state.
The Bulldogs defeated Lakewood 13-7 Saturday, and like the Tigers looked bad doing it, but one might well believe that Bulldog Coach “Bup” Rearick like Tiger Coach “Bud” Houghton, was holding his punches and trying to get by just as easy as he could.
Such was the case at least at Youngstown, Saturday where Houghton started four players who had never previously started a Tiger football game, and likewise twisted his defense continually throughout the game so as to even confuse Massillon fans as to what he was trying to do.
New faces in the Tigers’ starting lineup were Bill Edie at left tackle, Bob Angstadt at left guard, Wayne Krisher at center and Jack Houston at right guard. Regulars Jim Young, Merle Darrah and Dan Byelene, and Dave Dowd who might be classed as a regular since he has started the last several games, didn’t play a second of the contest. Tony Uliveto was in for only two defensive and two offensive plays and Tom Brooks was used sparingly.
Houghton, in fact, used 22 players in the contest, substituting freely and mixing everything up after his Tigers had roared to all of their 20 points in the first period and a half of the game. * * * THIS IS NOT intended to imply that the Tigers did not try to score more than three touchdowns. They did, but in the second half they looked just like the great 1940 team did on the same gridiron when Paul Brown pulled his regulars after running up 26 points in 16 minutes, and then couldn’t get another point, regulars and all.
In fact, East scored one touchdown, had a second called back and threatened on two other occasions after Houghton started his program of substitution, but the final score showed Massillon the winner by a score of 20-7 which was one-half of the afternoon’s objective. The other half was to get through the game without any serious injuries, and that was accomplished too. Most seriously injured was Morrie Eberhardt who had the web torn on his hand between the first and second finger, necessitating six stitches, but Morrie had it sewed up, bandaged and even went back into the game to try it out. Otherwise there were no injuries.
The game was used to test the physical fitness of Gene Krisher and Julius Wittmann, first and second string tackles, who handled the right tackle post, as well as Paul Cary, who started the season as the first string quarterback but who was cut down by injuries in the second game. Cary twice held the ball for Al Brown to kick points from placements, then went into the game to quarterback the team for a few minutes. He carried the ball once for a sizeable gain and announced that his leg was O.K. and would be ready for service next Saturday. He hopes to see a lot of action against McKinley. * * * THE EAST GAME was not only used as a testing ground for the Tigers for McKinley but preparations for the Bulldogs went forward immediately after the contest when all players were given “conditioning” pills to keep them in good health for the forthcoming all important battle.
Back in Massillon after the contest, the squad was not dismissed until after a pep talk by Houghton and an outline of plans for this week’s work. That work began Sunday when the players took a two-mile walk, an annual custom followed on the Sunday preceding the Canton game…MORE.
Tonight the squad will begin a week of secret practice which is scheduled to end Friday afternoon when a few limbering up exercises are expected to hone the team’s precision and physical condition into a fine edge.
A start against McKinley, such as the Tigers made in the East game would gladden the hearts of Massillon fans. * * * IT ONLY required as much time as it takes Gene Zorger to run 85 yards to get the first touchdown. He grabbed Larry Ciolli’s kickoff on the 15 and ran along his right sideline without a hand being laid on him. Twice before this season Zorger has gotten by everybody but the safety man on kickoff plays. Saturday he went the route behind perfect blocking. In fact a hasty survey of the field showed but four East players on their feet and they were on the far side of the field.
With Zorger holding the ball, Brown missed an attempted placekick for the extra point.
The Tigers scored again in the second period after twice losing the ball on fumbles. Getting the ball through a punt on the East 46, they moved it up five yards and again turned Zorger loose through left tackle. He cut sharply to his right as he caught the East secondary off balance and outran them to the goal line 41 yards away.
Cary was sent in to hold the ball for Brown and Al kicked the extra point with as dead center a boot as is possible to make.
An intercepted East pass on the Youngstown 49 set the Tigers in motion for their third and final score with Brown tossing nine yards to Zorger who caught the ball in the end zone. Brown kicked the extra point. * * * EAST SCORED its only points in the same quarter after being stopped in one attempt when Earl Johnson intercepted Joe Malmisur’s pass behind the goal and ran it out to the six. The Youngstowners started from their own 45, drove and passed their way to the Tiger four, where Mancuso plunged through left tackle for the touchdown. Al Bucci kicked the extra point.
That sums up the scoring, and what happened in the second half; Massillon would just as leave forget. The Tigers were badly outplayed the last two periods, and only because East was in motion the score might have read 20-14, for Ken Queener got loose for a brilliant dash in the fourth quarter that carried him 58 yards and over the Tiger goal. The ball was called back, however and East was penalized five yards. Even in the face of this disappointment, East moved the ball to the 13-yard line before losing it on downs.
The Tigers never threatened seriously in the second half. They got to the 25 once when the ball was lost on an intercepted pass and they were on the 20-yard line when the game ended.
From the statistical columns you would believe East the winner. It made 14 first downs to the Tigers six and ran up a net total of 264 yards from scrimmage to the Tigers 230 yards.
Zorger’s two long touchdown dashes, belie all other statistics, however and give Massillon the advantage in the column that counts most points scored. * * * THE STATISTICAL columns reveal, however that the Tigers left much to be desired in the way of defense, and this department undoubtedly will receive more attention than ever this week as the local team prepares for the Bulldogs.
Ralph Pucci, the Bulldogs’ great back, runs between the tackles where the Tigers have appeared weakest all season.
Lakewood was fairly successful in topping Pucci Saturday. He was held scoreless, save for a point after touchdown.
You can’t gang up your secondary on the Bulldogs to stop Pucci either, for the Canton team has a good passing attack. In fact Lakewood learned the folly of concentrating too heavily on a stop Pucci movement, for Canton’s two touchdowns were scored on passes from Pete Spera to Nick Stevenson.
Pete, who quarterbacks the Canton T, is an accurate passer and will bear just as much watching as Pucci.
Lakewood, however, demonstrated as several of the McKinley opponents have this year – that the Bulldogs are vulnerable. The Lakewood eleven powered its way over the goal line in the third quarter for one touchdown and threatened again later in the game.
The lineups and summaries: Massillon Pos. East Zeller LE McKeown Edie LT Carderelli Angstadt LG J. Massaro W. Krisher C Sulick Houston RG Santillo E. Krisher RT T. Massaro Eberhardt RE Ciolli Brown QB Maimisur Giloff LH Casey Zorger RH Queener Yost FB Mancuso
Score by periods: Massillon 13 7 0 0 20 East 0 7 0 0 7
Points after touchdown: Massillon – Brown 2 (placekicks). East – Bucci (placekick).
Referee – Paul Avery. Umpire – Denny Schill. Head Linesman – A. Lindsey. Field Judge – K. Soller.
Statistics Massillon East First downs 6 14 Passes attempted 8 12 Passes completed 2 6 Had passes intercepted 1 4 Yards gained passing 38 124 Yards gained rushing 211 183 Total yards gained 249 307 Yards lost 18 43 Net yards gained 230 264 Times kicked off 4 2 Average kickoff (yards) 47 44 Kickoffs returned (yards) 95 27 Times punted 4 2 Average punt (yards) 28 37 Punts returned (yards) 0 13 Times penalized 10 4 Yards penalized 80 30 Times fumbled 4 5 Lost ball on fumbles 3 3
McKinley Pos. Lakewood Winn LE Yuhas Snyder LT Lestock H. Wetzel LG Bender Bourquin C Sopka E. Cobett RG Webster O’Bravic RT Stoyanoff Stevenson RE Ostlund Spera QB Courtney Hamilton LH Kadar Pucci RH Bristow B. Wetzel FB Sanders
Toledo Waite Crushes Washington High Tigers 40-6 19,000 Fans Stunned As Indians All But Chase Locals Out Of Stadium
By LUTHER EMERY
The Tiger lost his stripes here Friday evening and they were transplanted in war paint on the Toledo Waite Indians who all but ran the Massillon gridders out of the Stadium in rolling up a 40-6 victory, the largest score chalked up against a Massillon team since the 68-0 defeat at Steubenville in 1931.
The Tigers were no more stunned than the near capacity crowd of 19,000, when the visitors capitalized on two first period breaks to score touchdowns and then turned loose their vaunted power to score 27 more points in the three remaining periods. The victory established Waite as a leading claimant to the Ohio scholastic football title.
Waite had everything last night – power, deception, good kicking and luck, and the first three always make the latter look good. The Tigers had little of anything. They started out the first minute as though they had their minds set on making a runaway of it, but after two, consecutive first downs they lost the ball on a fumble, stopped the Indians on the next series, but lost it again on their 27-yard line from which point Waite swept to its first touchdown.
A blocked punt paved the way for Waite’s second score which likewise required only 27 yards of traveling, and the Tigers were never in the ball game thereafter.
The two first-period fumbles and the blocked punt undoubtedly had something to do with upsetting the spirit of the local team, but the upsetting as a whole was caused by a hard charging Toledo line and the bull-like rushes of Fullback Bill Gregus, who had the Tigers reeling backward most of the evening.
It was the third game between the two schools and it proved to be the charm for Waite, since it was the first time the Indians were able to take the measure of the local team. Massillon won the two previous games played in 1940 and 1941. * * * THE VISITORS were jubilant over their victory. The Waite dressing room after the game was the scene of great exultation with players cheering each other, their coach, and spending more than the usual amount of time in the shower room – a sure sign of satisfaction.
The scene in the Tiger dressing room was exactly the opposite. Massillon players dressed and slipped quietly away, as quickly as possible – all except the injured, who had to have their faces patched or legs and arms tended to by the trainer. An early checkup revealed bad legs on Gene Krisher and Earl Johnson. The former was playing his first game since the Alliance contest a month again in which he sustained a knee injury. He aggravated it again last night. Johnson lasted only one play, when he was assisted to the sideline.
The game was clean and the injuries were not the result of any unfair tactics. Waite hit the harder of the two teams and the team that is hit the harder is the one that comes up with the injuries.
The Tigers showed the effects of the visitors’ power on their faces and bodies just as they did when they fell backward on the playing field. It has been many a year since a Massillon team gave ground as the locals did last night, but they have been up against few teams as good as Waite in the last dozen years.
SCALPING PARTY Massillon Pos. Waite Zeller LE Durst Young LT Scallish Uliveto LG Kowalka Darrah C Torda Brooks RG Rae Dowd RT Hepler Eberhardt RE Tambur Byelene QB Young Giloff LH Carson Zorger RH Davis Yost FB Gregus
Tigers Pluck Feathers Of Chaminade Eagles 35-12 Massillon Gridders Find Caliber Of Dayton High Football Isn’t Too Tough
By LUTHER EMERY
The Dayton Chaminade Eagles which had expected to roost this year on the state high school throne, was a featherless bird today, fully aware that its flight to Massillon Friday evening was a sorry mistake.
The ambitious Eagle had its feather picked by a mightier Tiger to the tune of 35-12 while a near capacity crowd of 18,000 fans looked on. String of Victories Snapped The Eagle had flown from it’s nest into strange territory and had paid the penalty for it — the loss of any opportunity to claim the state title and the end of a long winning streak of 16 consecutive games.
Dayton schools are not playing the same type of football that is played in northern Ohio, and Chaminade now knows it. Chamindae was perhaps, the poorest team the Tigers have met this year. Either that, or Massillon was sharper than it has been in other games.
We would like to think the latter true, and feel convinced that the Massillon eleven did show an improved brand of football over previous performances in past weeks, but we also believe that most any opponent the Tigers have faced this year, could have beaten Chaminade last night.
The Massillon eleven appeared sharper on the attack, especially in the take off on the line which beat the Dayton forwards to the jump most of the time and opened the way for two blocked punts, one of which led to a safety and the other to a touchdown.
Give the linemen the credit. Though badly bruised from wing to wing as a result of bumps received in games the past weeks, they refused to baby their bruises and out charged their visiting opponents from start to finish.
The ball carriers did their part too, but it was the long, accurate passes of Dan Byelene that produced three of the touchdowns including the most sensational one of the day, a 35-yard peg to Gene Zorger, who caught the ball on the 25-yard line and hot-footed it the rest of the way across the Chaminade goal. Five times the local team crossed the Dayton goal line and twice the Eagles flew into Massillon pay dirt. The first Chaminade score was wrapped in three sheets of tissue paper. The first was on a first down awarded the visitors when the ball was actually a yard and a half short of a first down. The second was a Massillon player’s muff of a Dayton pass with an open field ahead of him. The third was the fact that the Eagles scored with only 10 seconds remaining of the half. It seemed as though the visitors were pre-destined to get that one, and it looked big until the Tigers began pouring more points on their own score in the second half.
The officials later admitted they had erred on the first down play. What had happened was this: Ralph Fleischman, after catching a pass from quarterback Bill Hoban, was thrown out of bounds on the Tiger 34 yard line and one line carrier pulled the stick back from the sideline to keep Fleischman from hitting it and possibly hurting himself. An official saw the stick, and not noticing it had not been returned to the line though Fleischman had made his yards and awarded a first down. Otherwise it would have been fourth down, and Chaminade would have been faced with the decision of punting or running another play.
The decision furnished the cause for the big boo that was heard between halves. It was not intentional but an oversight that could have been costly in a close game.
The game was a whole was held in control, at all times by the officials when it easily could have gotten out of their hands. While the visiting fans took their defeat gracefully, flashes of temper on the playing field resulted in two Dayton players being expelled from the game for unnecessary roughness.
When it appeared that the boys might try boxing instead of football, Coach “Bud” Houghton yanked his first stringers and sent in his second team to finish most of the game.
This was the fist time this season that the first stringers were able to gain the rest they need so badly, and it should do them good, as well as provide the second team with needed experience. In fact the third team finished the game as Houghton cleared the bench of all players.
It was because of this fact that Chamiade statistically does not appear as many as 23 points inferior to the Tigers.
The Dayton gridders scored one of their touchdowns and a lot of first downs while the second team was in the game, but the latter, by pushing the ball over in the fourth period, managed to keep on a par in points.
Statistically, each team made nine first downs and Massillon gained a net total of 283 yards to Chaminade’s 214.
Of the yards gained by Massillon, 104 came on pass plays, while Dayton gained 116 yards on passes.
The local team’s passing attack was sharper than usual, as you can judge by its completion of five of nine passes, three of them for touchdowns. Byelene was even hurried on some of his throw.
That too was Hoban’s chief difficulty. He had little time in which to pick out his receivers and get the ball away. Given a little more time he could be a deadly passer.
It was evident from the opening kickoff, however, that Dayton had stepped out of its own backyard and “into the major leagues,” as one of its city’s sports writers wrote.
Several thousand Chaminade fans, who had traveled by special train or driven to Massillon for the game saw the Tigers rip their team apart from the start.
Had Dan Byelene been a little faster, he would have gotten away for the works on the first kickoff. His teammates had cleared the alley for him, but one Dayton tackler managed to sneak in and drop him. Only two plays later Zorger got loose for a dash to the Dayton 25, where he was tackled by Hoban, the Chaminade safety man.
The touchdown opportunity was lost on downs on the 18-yard line, however. Dayton’s offensive weakness was revealed on the next series of plays when it was thrown back to the eight-yard line in three ball carrying attempts. When Jack Schneider, crack fullback, attempted to punt on the fourth down, Tom Brooks broke through and blocked the ball as hard that it rolled into and out of the end zone for an automatic safety. That put Massillon ahead 2-0 and that was the score at the end of the first period.
The Tigers scored their first touchdown with a 64-yard march that ended with Giloff tossing on fourth down to Jack Zeller in the end zone for 22 yards. Zeller dropped a pass from Byelene for the extra point. An Easy One Dayton received, and two plays after the kickoff Hoban fumbled while trying to pass and Jim Young was Johnny on the spot to cover the ball on the Dayton 26. Zorger and Giloff moved it down to the one-yard line and Zorger took it over, only to have the ball called back because Massillon was offside. That didn’t stop the local drive however, for on third down Byelene tossed to Zeller for a touchdown and this time Al Brown came in and kicked the extra point. That swelled the score to 15-0.
Chaminade had courage still, however, and came right back from the kickoff to move the ball on a series of passes to the Tiger 31, where Hoban passed to Ralph Fleischman in the end zone for a touchdown. Schneider then tried to kick the extra point but it was wide of the uprights and the half ended 10 seconds later.
The third period was only a couple of minutes old when Brooks broke through to block another of Schneider’s punts and recover the ball on the two-yard line. Byelene legged it across on second down, but Brown’s attempted placekick was wide.
Chaminade marched right back with the next kickoff to the Tiger 36, where Giloff gathered in one of Hoban’s passes and got back to his own 40. On the very first play, Byelene caught the Dayton secondary in close and fired a long pass to Zorger who ran for a touchdown. Paul Cary, who hasn’t seen any action since the Canton Lincoln game last September, went in and kicked the extra point from placement.
That made the score 28-6 and that’s where it stood at the end of the third quarter.
Came the fourth quarter and Coach Houghton sent in a second team. The kids responded by shoving over a touchdown with Ben Roderick toting the leather from the two-yard line. A 15-yard penalty on Dayton for unnecessary roughness put the ball there. Cary again kicked the extra point and boosted the score to 35-6.
Chaminade took the following kickoff and made touchdown scoring look easy as Bernie Faulkner sub halfback ran from his 24 to the Massillon 44 before John Badarnza closed in and hauled him down. Otherwise he would have gone for a touchdown. But Dayton got it anyway, for Dan Fulwiler moved the ball 12 more yards nearer the goal and Hoban tossed to Larry Zugelder for a first on the 18 and then repeated with a peg to Tom Zimmerman for a touchdown. Schneider’s kick was low and the score stood at 35-12; neither team threatened the rest of the game and the Tiger third stringers finished out the last two minutes.
The victory should add considerable prestige to the Tigers in the weekly football poll for Chaminade in some pools had been ranked at the top of the scholastic standing and was among the leaders in all of them.
Toledo Waite’s 31-7 triumph over Mansfield last night, however, will keep the Toledo boys near the top and their game with Massillon here next Friday night will have an even greater influence on the scholastic standings than last night’s clash with Chaminade.
Good Hunting Massillon Pos. Chaminade Zeller LE Kremer Young LT Kramer Uliveto LG Hemmelgarn Darrah C Stachler Brooks RG Meineke Dowd RT Smith Eberhardt RE Zimmerman Byelene QB Hoban Giloff LH Fulwiler Zorger RH Zugelder Yost FB Schneider
Score by periods Massillon 2 13 13 7 – 35 Chaminade 0 6 0 6 – 12
Points after touchdown: Massillon – Brown (placekick); Cary 2 (placekick).
Safety – Massillon.
Referee – Slutz. Umpire – Boone. Head Linesman – Jenkins. Field Judge – Long
Statistics Mass. Dayton First downs 9 9 Passes attempted 9 22 Passes completed 5 9 Had passes intercepted 0 6 Yards gained passing 104 116 Yards gained rushing 299 120 Total yards gained 303 236 Yards lost 20 22 Net yards gained 283 214 Times punted 2 3 Punts blocked 0 2 Average punts (yards) 36 16 Punts returned (yards) 9 24 Times kicked off 6 4 Average kickoff (yards) 45 47 Kickoffs returned (yards) 85 93 Fumbles 8 2 Lost ball on fumbles 2 2 Times penalized 2 6 Yards penalized 25 50
Massillon Tigers No. Name Pos. No. Name Pos. 10 Yost, G. FB 52 Ebert, Pat G 11 Uliveto, T. LG 54 McVay, J. C 15 Takacs, M. FB 55 Byelene, D. QB 22 Zeller, J. LE 57 Krisher, W. C 22 Houston, J. T 65 Zorger, G. RH 25 Young, J. LT 66 Edie, W. T 28 Hill, J. HB 66 Paul, W. G 28 Ellison, H. HB 67 Bush, E. QB 30 Schludecker, G. E 72 Kutz, S. T 33 Pedrotty, J. HB 75 Roderick, B. HB 35 Brown, A. QB 76 Williams, R. T 36 Johnson, E. E 77 Giloff, A. LH 37 Ceckler, W. T 81 Dowd, Dave C 40 Krisher, G. RT 85 Schumacher, L. G 42 Wittman, J. T 87 Bishop, Jim RE 44 Cary, P. QB 88 Badarnza, J. HB 45 Eberhardt, M. E 95 Farris, E. FB 47 Angstadt, R. G 98 Brooks, Tom RG 50 Darrah, Merle C James, A. HB 51 Morrow, William E Pizzino, Tony T
Passes Give Tigers 19-6 Victory Over Warren High Touchdown Pegs Defeat Presidents When Ground Attack Fails To Move
By LUTHER EMERY
The Washington high Tigers waited until the wettest night of the year to come out with a passing attack Friday evening and they can thank their lucky stars they had it for instead of beating Warren 19-6, they undoubtedly would have finished in a 6-6 deadlock.
While 16,000 fans, more than half of them drenched by the downpour of rain, looked on, the Tigers tossed two touchdown passes, one of which was the prettiest thing that has been seen here in a football way for a good many years. Little To Report About Aside from that the local team had little to be happy about. Its running attack was almost completely smothered by an inspired Warren line that out charged the Tiger forward wall, and the visitors in turn moved the ball quite freely through the Massillon offense to outnumber the local team 11-4 in first downs.
The pay off on touchdowns, however, and the Massillon gridders got three of them to Warren’s one. They gained more yards too, thanks to the completion of four of seven passes for 111 yards. Warren made the most yardage on the ground, 180 to the Tigers’ 101.
The first touchdown came cheap for the local team and it looked at the time as though Warren would have a bad evening. On the first play the visitors attempted, Dave Dowd broke through and, with a couple of other Tigers, batted down a pass as it left the hand of Herb Eddington, fleet Warren back. The ball went up in the air and Dowd hauled it in as it came down. He only had to scamper five yards to get over the Warren goal and over he went for a touchdown. Al Brown missed an attempt for the extra point. It was a personal achievement for Dowd who was starting his first game at right tackle where Gene Krisher and Julius Wittmann had already been laid low with injuries. Before the period was over, Dowd joined them with a lacerated nose that took several stitches.
The Tigers unleashed their passing attack to produce the two other touchdowns when their running failed to gain.
A 34-yard peg from Dan Byelene to Jack Zeller set up the second late in the opening period with a first down on the seven-yard line. When three line plays failed to move the ball any nearer the Warren goal, Byelene pitched one into the flat to Zeller who went over for the touchdown. This time Brown booted the ball between the uprights for the extra point.
The Tiger attack bogged down and neither team threatened in the second period.
Came the third quarter and Warren ran Massillon all over the gridiron and eventually climaxed a 50-yard march that saw Eddington skirt his right end for three yards and a touchdown. The Tigers appeared to have the Warren drive stopped on the 39, but with fourth down coming up, Eddington ran to a first down on the Massillon 23 on a fake kick and then with the help of Louie Schier and a five-yard penalty carried it on to the three from which he danced away for his touchdown. A Real Thriller The Tigers’ last touchdown was the thriller of the year. A 15-yard penalty for holding that followed the kickoff had the local team in deep water back on its 19-yard line. Interference on a pass moved the ball to the 35 and then it happened. Al Brown pegged a pretty 30-yard pass to Gene Zorger who caught the ball over his shoulder on the dead run. His blockers came up from nowhere and he gave them time to go to work.
Jack Zeller dumped the first Warren tackler, then Tony Uliveto dropped one, and finally Jim Young took out the last man who had a chance to lay a hand on Zorger as he raced 35 yards into pay dirt.
It was the prettiest display of setting up blocks and downfield blocking that has been seen here in a long time.
Trouble was, there wasn’t enough of it at other stages of the game, for the Tiger ball carriers had a hard time moving last night, and had it not been for their ability to complete an occasional pass it is doubtful if they would have scored more than the one touchdown that Dowd gathered in on Warren’s first play from scrimmage.
Penalties hurt the locals; offensive work many times. The linemen were unusually eager to get at their opponents and were penalized seven times for offside. In fact their eagerness frequently got them in bad for Warren used a series of trap plays that time and again cut down Tiger tacklers and left big openings in the Massillon line.
Many Massillon fans, bearing the scores of other high school games announced over the public address system, considered the local team fortunate that it was able to come through on a night of upsets such as Mansfield 6, Canton Timken, 6; and the scoreless tie that locked Canton McKinley and Steubenville together.
Fortunately for the local gridders, they emerged from the game without too many injuries.
Wittmann’s split nose required several stitches and Gene Yost, who has been playing in tough luck all season, left a couple of teeth on the field and sustained a cup lip that had to be stitched. His tackling in the early stages of the game when he threw Warren runners for losses was cheered by the fans.
Several of the boys came out with bumps and bruises on their faces and bodies but it was the first game this season that nobody turned up with an injured leg and Coach “Bud” Houghton is happy on that point, for one of his big tests of the season is coming up next Friday when Dayton Chaminade brings its undefeated, unscored on team to Massillon.
Houghton didn’t take many chances with any of his cripples last night for that reason. He kept Junior Pedrotty on the bench and used Wittmann only briefly. He hopes, as a result, that Wittmann, Pedrotty and Krisher and possibly Chick Cary will all be ready for the Chaminade game, and if they are, that will be the first time the team has been intact since the second game of the season.
Aside from the blocking accorded Zorger on his long touchdown run, the outstanding dashes of the game were made by Warren’s Herb Eddington. Only a sophomore, he is fast on the get away and several times almost gave Tigers tacklers the slip.
His long runs practically accounted for the one Warren touchdown and he almost got away on the return of Massillon’s last kickoff when he raced from his own 10 to the 42 before being tackled. It set the stage for Warren’s last march and its only other serious threat of the evening. The Presidents reached the 15-yard line before they were thrown back to the 20 and forced to surrender the ball.
The Tigers have reason to show concern over the outcome of the contest, even though they did win. It was the second straight game in which an opponent succeeded in taking their defense apart fairly well. They couldn’t stop Mansfield successfully two weeks ago and the 180 yards aimed on the ground by Warren last night were too many to be passed up without a bit of serious thinking.
The defeat was Warren’s fourth in seven games, it having been previously beaten by Campbell Memorial, Canton McKinley and Akron Garfield. It was the Tigers’ fourth victory in six games.
PASSES CLICK Massillon Pos. Warren Zeller LE Smedi Young LT McGee Uliveto LG Spelich Darrah C Coleman Brooks RG Rogers Dowd RT Graham Eberhardt RE Bassett Byelene QB Cardinal Giloff LH Eddington Zorger RH Corbin Yost FB L. Schier
10,000 See Tigers And Mansfield Battle To 12-12 Tie Massillon Has Ball On Three-Yard Line When Clock Runs Out of Time
By LUTHER EMERY
Eleven men and a clock beat the Washington high Tigers to the goal line at Mansfield Friday evening and the Massillon team had to be contented with a 12-12 tie.
It was a bruising battle staged before some 10,000 fans, the largest crowd ever to see a football game in Mansfield and only 10,000 because no more could get into the park. Not Satisfied The Tigers today were not particularly proud of their showing, though they can salvage some satisfaction out of maintaining the record of a Massillon team never having been beaten by Mansfield.
It was the third tie score in the 11 years of competition between the teams, the other eight games having been won by Tiger teams.
The Tigers were not particularly pleased with the result for they felt they had the better team. The statistics bear them out, and they might have returned the victor had not Mansfield succeeded in staving off a last minute thrust until the grim old reaper cut off the time and put an end to the game with Massillon in possession of the ball on the Tyger three-yard line with three downs to make it in. Inopportune Penalties That was a tough break for the Tigers, but they didn’t get out the crying towels for they were victims of several tough breaks all evening.
They had Mansfield stopped on both of its touchdown drives when penalties moved the ball forward for the Tygers, and three of their own drives went amiss inside the 35-yard line, twice on penalties and once when the officials got balled up and only gave the local team three downs in a series instead of four.
Albeit, the game was a nerve tingler from a spectator’s stand point and the crowd loved it.
The Tigers, first to score, pushed over a touchdown late in the second quarter on a thrust by Alex Giloff from the one-yard line after a march of 31 yards.
Mansfield came out high in the second half to take the kickoff and drive 67 yards to the two-yard line where Kenny Horvath took it over. Brown Goes Over The Tigers roared right back with the following kickoff and did not stop until little Al Brown knocked himself out with a run of 55 yards to gain five and the second touchdown of the game, and Mansfield tied it up at 12-12 when it marched right back with the kickoff to send Ralph Majors scampering around Massillon’s right end in a journey to the Promised Land.
The score ended in a tie because neither team had a kicker. Brown had two chances to boot the first point after touchdown but banged the ball into the line of scrimmage on both attempts. Gene Zorger tried to carry it across after the second touchdown but was dropped before he could get over the goal line.
Ross Frisbee tried to placekick both of Mansfield’s extra points. One was blocked and the other was wide of the posts.
It has been a long time since Massillon fans have seen a more exciting game. Danger was written into every play, for Mansfield’s Majors was a slippery runner who pummeled his legs into the Massillon secondary time and again. On several occasions Massillon ball carriers also threatened to go the whole route. Defenses Crack What the first half lacked in scoring was more than made up the last two periods when the teams cracked each other’s defense and drove for touchdowns every time they got the ball until they got tied up into a 12-12 knot. Even then Massillon almost got another, for after Mansfield had succeeded in tying the score, Zorger took the kickoff and ran hard through the Mansfield broken field, only to be hauled down from behind on the Tygers 43.
It was rough and tough and a pre-game argument between coaches over the kind of sweaters to be worn, served as hype to members of the teams to rip it up on the field.
Coach “Bud” Houghton of Massillon was snorting prior to the game when he saw Mansfield wearing a sort of gold jersey. He protested to Coach Snyder of Mansfield that he thought they had an agreement that Massillon would wear black and Mansfield white. Snyder replied that this was all he had that his other clothes had not been returned from the cleaner.”
Houghton took a look at the light ball to be used and noted how well it blended into the color scheme of the gold jerseys. “Then we’ll wear orange,” said the Tiger coach, and the orange sweaters were promptly pulled out of the bags and put on. This made a difference in the numbers of players with those on the program which were given for the black sweaters. The Mansfield numbers were also twisted around.
The sweater incident following a previous argument over the selection of officials for the game, so riled Houghton that he at one time threatened never to take a team back to Mansfield again until such goings on are stopped. A lot of people who stood throughout the game because they were unable to get their seats will breathe an amen to that statement, but perhaps the situation will correct itself in future months when Mansfield completes its new stadium and a better understanding between coaches is attained. More Injuries Injuries, which have plagued the Tigers all season, again weakened the team at intervals during the game. Wittmann, Zeller, Al Brown and Junior Pedrotty all joined regulars Gene Krisher, Chick Cary and Gene Yost on the bench for periods Friday evening.
Wittmann sustained an injured ankle; Zeller had the skin laid open above is right eye during the first half, but re-entered the ball game after the wound was stitched. Pedrotty was bothered by a bad leg and Brown writhed in pain from a back injury. Apparently a vertebra was knocked out of place when he was thrown against a post just after crossing the goal line, on the Tigers’ second touchdown. The injury mended and he went back into the game in the closing minutes of the play and almost got away for another touchdown jaunt.
Neither team gambled with passes. The field was not muddy, but it was slippery and the ball was always wet and often greasy. The Tigers tossed but two passes and both were grounded. The Tygers tried two and had one intercepted.
First downs were 16-12 in Massillon’s favor and the locals gained 225 yards from scrimmage to Mansfield’s 175 yards.
Just how superior the offense of the two teams was to their defense is seen in the fact that the Tigers never punted all evening while Mansfield only punted twice. The one time the locals should have punted, they lost the ball on downs on their 35 by failing to gain a yard on fourth down.
The Tigers lost the ball a couple of times on fumbles but on all other occasions they did not have to punt because they always managed to march the ball down deep into Mansfield territory where it was not advisable to kick.
For the second time this season the Tigers won the toss and elected to receive. On their very first ball carrying effort they lugged the pigskin into Mansfield territory only to lose it on a fumble that Mansfield recovered on its own 48.
The Tigers only permitted Mansfield to hold it for one play, however as big Jim Young tore through and tossed Ollie Cline so hard he fumbled the ball. Young not only made the tackle but also covered the fumble. The Tigers marched the leather to the 20-yard line where a five-yard offside penalty set them back when otherwise they would have had a first down. As a result they tried to pass on fourth down, failed and Mansfield took over.
With Majors and Horvath doing most of the lugging the Tygers banged their way 55 yards to the Massillon 25 where they lost the ball on downs.
Massillon charged back and moved to a first down on the Mansfield 38. Then came the boner of the evening and one you seldom see in football. The local team got in one play before the end of the quarter as Zorger grabbed off two yards at left tackle. They only ran two plays the second period, Zorger making two yards on one and Byelene grounding a pass when the officials ruled the ball had been lost on downs. The lineman carrying the down marker, showed fourth down instead of third, on the pole and the officials failed to note the error. In fact it went by without any protest from the Massillon team until the halftime intermission when Houghton voiced his complaint.
The error cost the Tigers another down with the ball on the 33-yard line.
Mansfield was forced to punt on the next series and the Tigers lost the ball on their own 35 when they tried to carry it a yard on fourth down and failed to do so. Mansfield’s efforts ended with Merle Darrah intercepting Cline’s pass and running back to the Mansfield 31 before being tackled.
That sparked the Tigers to their first touchdown march. Giloff immediately whirled away to the 19-yard line. It took four downs to move it another 10. Then Giloff on a quick opener shot through for five more and Zorger went around his left end to the one yard line. It took two more cracks at the line for Giloff to get it over.
Brown missed an attempted kick for the extra point but Mansfield was offside. He tried it again and missed.
The Tigers forced Mansfield to punt after the following kickoff and had just made a first down on the Tyger 30-yard line when the half ended.
Mansfield didn’t wait to get rolling in the second half. Cline brought the kickoff back to the 31-yard line and in three plays, Majors and Horvath ran to a first down on their 47. Majors moved it up with another dash to the Massillon 33 and Horvath’s plunge combined with a five-yard penalty inflicted on Massillon for offside moved the leather to the 20-yard line. The Tigers had Mansfield stopped on the 13-yard line, but a five-yard penalty gave it a first on the nine. Horvath carried the leather four times in succession, going over on his last effort. Frisbee’s attempted kick for he extra point was blocked. Tigers Score Again Massillon took the following kickoff, Zorger carrying the ball back to his 40. Four successive first downs with Giloff and Zorger doing most of the carrying, took the ball to the 16. Brown staggered through center for 11 yards and a first down on the five. He then made an unorthodox but sensational sweep around his right end for a touchdown. Getting the ball, he started to his right but ran backward as three Mansfield tacklers bore down on him. He ran from the five back to the 20, where he turned on a burst of speed that caught the Mansfield gridders flat-footed. Running in a big arc, he went over for the touchdown, but was injured as he crossed the goal line and had to be removed from the game. Zorger tried to sweep left end for the extra point but was bottled up.
The six points in no way discouraged Mansfield. The Tygers rushed right back with the ball after the kickoff. Three successive first downs advanced it from the Mansfield 37 to the Tiger 30. The Tigers would have held for downs but again an offside penalty gave the Tygers the necessary extra yardage and they carried up to the five-yard line where Majors caught Massillon napping and swept his left end for a touchdown. Frisbee’s kick went wide of the goal.
Zorger took the following kickoff and nearly got away with it. He was down to the Mansfield 43 before being tackled. The Tigers moved the ball to the 23 where an offside penalty set them back. A fumbled lateral was recovered by Mansfield on the 36 but Majors fumbled for Mansfield on the next play and Bill Ceckler pounced on the leather for Massillon on the 35. Massillon was penalized five yards for delaying the game, but Brown got them back and more as he reentered the game and ran to the 15-yard line. Zorger took it up to another first down on the three and Brown was thrown without gain as the game ended.
Not Too Good Massillon Pos. Mansfield Zeller LE Henke Young LT Rondy Uliveto LG Richards Darrah C Wentz Brooks RG Gross Wittmann RT Boals Eberhardt RE Beard Byelene QB Frisbee Giloff LH Cline Zorger RH Majors Pedrotty FB Horvath
History 
