Eric Smith, Author at MassillonTigers.com

1946: Massillon 19, Alliance 0

October 11, 1946December 26, 2017
by Eric Smith

Tigers Down Alliance 19-0 Before Crowd Of 12,000
Massillon Gridders Win Hard-Earned Victory On long Run And Good Punt

By LUTHER EMERY

The Alliance “dreamboat” crashed in the Tiger jungle Friday evening and whatever visions the plucky crew of Aviators harbored of handing Massillon its first defeat by an Alliance team in 14 years, were buried under a 19-0 score.

Ever since 1932, Alliance has “dreamed” of a victory over the Tigers, and many thought that with Mel Knowlton, a Massillon boy, at the helm, this was the year.

With a record crowd of 12,000 fans (6,000 sitting and 6,000 standing) looking on; the Aviators made an exciting takeoff, but their big machine sputtered when it approached the Massillon goal and was unable to buck the Tiger Tornado.

A long run, a good punt and a blocked punt, one coming in each of the last three periods, downed the Alliance hope and brought a hard earned but deserving victory to Massillon as both score and statistics reveal.
Knowlton Surprises

Knowlton, always known for pulling surprises when he coached successfully in the Massillon junior high schools, met the Tiger offense last night with a 5-3-2-1 defense. It wasn’t exactly what the local coaches had expected.

In the pre-game guessing in which coaches try to outsmart the other by anticipating in advance what type of defense the opposition will employ, the Tiger staff had figured Knowlton would resort to a seven-man line. Their eyes popped when they saw Alliance lineup with only five-men on the forward wall and they knew they would have trouble. They did – and plenty of it.

The Alliance team went after the Tigers as though they were out to get their first meat in weeks, and employed the five-man line to real advantage in the early minutes of the game.

Nobody was able to do anything with anybody during the first series of plays run by the two teams and it was obvious that the football game of the week was being played.

It was a game Alliance wanted to win every which way and one the Tigers did not want to lose, so the chewing went on from the opening whistle to the final gun, with casualties strewn over the field in Bombay riot fashion. Not that players of either team were guilty of dirty playing, for the injuries were the result of the hardest kind of rough and tumble football and the impact of some of the tackles could be heard in the stands.

The Tigers were continually pouring back to the first aid station on the bench and two of them, Gene Yost and Gene Krisher, received injuries that will put them on the sidelines the next week or two. Yost, who sustained the hardest blow of all, was left in the Alliance city hospital last night. He was believed to have suffered a slight concussion.

He was only in the game a couple of minutes when he sustained a blow on the head. He was immediately removed from the contest and was apparently all right until he got a dizzy spell in the dressing room. An ambulance was called and he was taken to the Alliance city hospital where X-rays failed to reveal any fractures. His condition was reported as good today, and he will be brought by ambulance to the Massillon city hospital today for several days of rest and observation.

Krisher slipped a cartilage out of place in his knee. It was not believed to be torn and was put back in place after the game last night.

However, the injury will keep him on the bench this week and possibly one or more additional weeks.

Several other players were likewise shaken up. Gene Zorger got two wallops on the head that put him out of the contest but before the end of the game, he had ceased seeing stars and was coaxing to get back into the fray. Early in the contest Tom Brooks bloodied up a couple of towels when socked on the nose.

Knowlton counted casualties too on his Alliance team. They included Dick McFall whose accurate bullet passes were too hot for his teammates to handle.

Coach “Bud” Houghton was happy to pull through the game as well as he did and without any more injuries to his squad.

It seems that someone is seriously injured in every Massillon-Alliance game, and it was Krisher’s lot to be the first victim of the jinx. In fact, Alliance is one team he will always remember. He broke an arm against the Aviators two years ago and last year had several teeth kicked out.

The Alliance victory was not wrapped too securely until the final stages of the game when the Tigers scored their third touchdown. The margin of victory might just as well have been two touchdowns and with a little more luck, the Aviators might even have succeeded in holding the locals to a scoreless tie.

For one and one-half periods it appeared that the game was headed for just such a result when lightning suddenly struck the left side of the Aviator line in the form of Al Brown, and the Tiger quarterback raced 61 yards to a touchdown and added the extra point to give the locals a 7-0 lead at the half.

The importance of good punting was revealed on the scoreboard in the second half when the Tigers chalked up their last two touchdowns of the game.

It was a well placed punt by Dan Byelene that rolled out of bounds on the two-yard line that set up the second touchdown. Hurried in attempting to return the punt from behind his own goal line, Dick Strait booted the pigskin out of bounds on his own 19 and five plays later Alex Giloff went over from the four for the Tigers’ second score.

The fourth quarter was waning when they got their third and last. Rushing a weakening Alliance line, they threw Paul Varley for a 22-yard loss on two consecutive plays and then blocked Strait’s attempt to punt. Morrie Eberhardt, who had had his hands in blocked punts in other games, broke through the Aviator line, smeared the ball as it came off Strait’s toe and cleverly followed it over the goal line where he pounced on the leather for a touchdown.

Brown missed both attempted placekicks after the last two touchdowns.

The Tigers got down to the 11-yard line again before the end of the game.
Lots Of Thrills
Brown played only a few minutes of the game, and never went back into the contest after his long touchdown run, except to try for points after touchdown.

Zorger got away for several long runs before being kayoed in the fourth quarter and Ben Roderick sparkled with two good dashes in the last five minutes.

The game was a good one to watch because it was filled with the spectacular. Knowlton provided some of it with his aerial attack but McFall’s passes with the slippery ball were too hot for his receivers to handle and they dropped several that were in their arms. In fact Alliance’s only successful pass effort resulted in a loss of 13 yards. Other thrills were provided by Earl Johnson with his shoe string catch of Byelene’s fourth period pass; by Byelene himself in a dash that would have been a touchdown had he not run into one of his teammates; by Jim Young on one occasion when he hauled down Alliance’s George Balogh with a one-handed tackle; by Jerry Thorpe, son of Jack Thorpe, former Mt. Union college coach, who gave Alliance fans something to cheer about the last quarter with his classy dashes. He was the fastest man on the field last night, and only sits on the bench because he is a sophomore while Strait, whom he is understudying, is a senior and an inspirational leader for the Aviators.

Despite the fact that it made as many first downs as the Tigers, Alliance actually only threatened the Tiger goal on one occasion. It came in the closing minutes of the first half, when the Aviators marched the ball 45 yards to the Tiger 18. The threat ended when McFall, attempting to pass was chased back toward midfield. He finally got the ball away to Plum, who didn’t have any business catching it, for a loss of 13 yards on the play. The Aviators never threatened the last two periods though Thorpe on several occasions was within a few steps of shaking himself loose.

The Tigers as a whole resorted to straight football. They never threw a pass until the fourth quarter and then attempted only five, two of which were completed for 30 yards. Alliance pitched 14, completed the one for a 13-yard loss and had two intercepted.

While first downs were even, yards gained reveal the Tigers’ superiority. The local team made 216 yards rushing to Alliance’s 163 yards, and gained a net total of 246 yards to Alliance’s net of 131 yards.

The Tigers were victims of 60 yards in penalties to Alliance’s 15. One of the penalties, a five-yarder may have cost Massillon a first period touchdown. It had worked the ball from its own 15 to the Alliance 23 (thanks to a 30-yard run by Zorger), only to lose the ball partly as a result of the penalty.

The local team had the edge in punting despite a couple of poor Massillon boots in the early stages of the game. Byelene’s out of bounds effort on the two-yard line was the classiest kick of the evening.

Though threatening skies confined their efforts to a mere drizzle of rain a couple of times during the game the field was wet from heavier rains earlier in the evening. Despite the soggy condition of the turf, there was little slipping on the part of ball carriers and each team fumbled but once.

The Tiger line, which was patched up often because of injuries, gave a good account of itself during the night and frequently threw Alliance ball carriers for losses.

The Alliance team is one of the best that has represented that school for years. Players showed more pepper than any Aviator team since the days of Dr. George Wilcoxon and played their heats out for Knowlton. In fact several of them were groggy on their feet towards the end of the game which probably accounts for the Tigers’ third touchdown.

There’s a good spirit in Alliance and the fans are back of Knowlton 100 per cent – as they should be.

“We are going in the right direction now,” one Alliance fan was heard to say after the game, and the comment of others could be summed up in one word.—Amen.

Victory No. 3
Massillon Pos. Alliance
Zeller LE A. Macciolo
Young LT Welbush
Uliveto LG Reese
Darrah C Plum
Brooks RG Cobbs
Krisher RT Edwards
Eberhardt RE M. Macciolo
Byelene QB McFall
Giloff LH Balogh
Zorger RH Strait
Pedrotty FB Russ

Score by periods:
Massillon 0 7 6 6 19

Substitutions:
Massillon – Wittmann, rt; Brown, qb; Schludecker, re; Schumacher, rg; W. Krisher, c; Johnson, le; Ceckler, rg; Edie, t; Roderick, lh; Yost, fb; Badarnza, rh; Tackas, fb.
Alliance – Varley, qb; Clayton, fb; Merrill, lh; Vernon, g; Thorpe, rh;
Nixon, g; Myers, t.

Touchdowns:
Massillon – Brown; Giloff; Eberhardt.

Points after touchdown:
Massillon – Brown (placekick).

Referee – Jenkins.
Umpire – Schlemmer.
Head Linesman – Schill.
Field Judge – Zimmerman.

Statistics
Mass. Alliance
First downs 9 9
Passes attempted 5 14
Passes completed 2 1
Had passes intercepted 1 2
Yards gained passing 30 -13
Yards gained rushing 216 163
Total yards gained 246 150
Yards lost rushing 23 19
Net yards gained 223 131
Times penalized 6 1
Yards lost penalties 60 15
Fumbles 1 1
Recovered own fumbles 1 1
Times kicked off 4 1
Average kickoff (yards) 47 45
Kickoffs returned (yards) 15 80
Times punted 4 6
Average punt (yards) 32.7 23.1
Had punt blocked. 0 1

Tickets On
Sale Monday

In response to an increasing public demand, Washington High School Monday afternoon will sell season tickets for the remaining four home games on the Tiger schedule. The four are Warren, Dayton Chaminade, Toledo Waite and Canton McKinley.

The school has had so many requests from fans who would purchase season tickets for the last four games, that it has decided to place them on sale at 3:30 p.m. Monday. A limited supply of reserved seats for next week’s Mansfield game will be sold at the same time.

Merle Darrah

History

1946: Massillon 13, Steubenville 6

October 4, 1946December 26, 2017
by Eric Smith

Tigers Hand Big Red 13-6 Defeat Before 21,000 Fans
Massillon Gridders Win Hard Fought Battle With Fourth Period Touchdown

By LUTHER EMERY

The Tigers of Washington high school dammed the Big Red surge from Steubenville Friday evening and turned back the wave from the Ohio River city by a score of 13-6 in a hard fought game in Tiger stadium before a near capacity crowd of 21,000 fans.

Massillon spectators who like to see them close, saw their second home game in a row that way, and were glad to settle for the seven-point margin of victory. In fact at the end of the scoreless first half they had reached the point where they wouldn’t have been too disappointed with a tie score.

Hard To Crack
Not that Steubenville has the greatest football team in Ohio. It hasn’t, but it has a scrappy eleven that caught the Tigers on a night when the latter were jittery and the victim of a bad case of fumblelitis.

No team could have had any more hard luck happen to it at the wrong time than that which plagued the local eleven throughout the game. But in spite of all the bad, there was enough good in the Tiger team to pull through to victory, and the crowd stuck to the end.

A terrific first half which saw a lot of vicious tackling, and goal line threats thrown away with fumbles, prefaced the second half when the two teams scored all of their points.

The third period was five minutes old when Al Brown, Tiger sophomore quarterback, raced around his right end for the first touchdown of the game, and the fourth quarter had hardly begun when Querino Lelli tossed a 29-yard pass to Bob Stratton of the Big Red to tie the score at 6-6.

The Tigers roared back magnificently after the Steubenville touchdown and went 85 yards to score with Gene Zorger lugging the leather over from the one-yard line and Brown placekicking the 13 and final point.

That in brief tells the story of the scoring, but it does not tell the whole story.

Howard Brinker, former Massillon Ed. Jones junior high coach who went to Steubenville as assistant to Mel Knowlton in 1941 and became head coach when Knowlton entered the navy, brought a heavy, experienced team to Massillon and as expected by those who were in the know, gave the Tigers all they cared to handle in one evening.

In the early stages of the game, Brinker’s eleven outplayed the orange and black, but in the last three periods the Massillon eleven was distinctly the better team and not only the score but the statistics bear out this point. They made 11 first downs to Steubenville’s five and gained a net total of 263 yards to the Big Red’s 149. Hard luck cost them two possible touchdowns the first half and they were on the three-yard line when the game ended.

In fact fate was so unkind the first half it appeared as through the books were closed on Tiger scoring. The local boys handled the Big Red defense nicely after the first period, but muffed every scoring opportunity.

No wonder then the Massillon spectators went delirious with joy when Brown finally worked his way over the Stubber goal line. As far as the spectators were concerned they would just as leave had half a dozen bombs shot off for that one, for it looked big for the moment. Then along came Steubenville to tie it up at 6-6 and folks again were talking about settling for a tie. But their visions of a duplication of the 1945 score were soon eased when Zorger took the following kickoff and raced straight up the alley and through the Steubenville team, only to be hauled down from behind on the visitor’s 35-yard line and have a 15-yard penalty slapped on for clipping.

The fans greeted the clipping charge with a terrific boo, since from the stands it appeared that Al Brown had safely driven his body in front of the would-be Steubenville tackler.
A Great Run
Zorger’s run on the kickoff return was one of the finest of the day and one of many contributions on his part to the spectacular phase of the evening.

One two other occasions he almost got away for touchdown sprints, but was hauled down by the safety man. His running was just as outstanding for the Tigers as was that of slippery Preston Robinson for the Stubbers. The latter, who has a lot of knee action, put the Big Red in position for their fourth quarter touchdown when he dashed 28 yards to the Tiger 29-yard line from which point Lelli executed his perfect peg to Stratton. The latter all evening had the knack of eluding the left side of the Tiger secondary and had it not been for his own butter fingers, the Big Red might have had an even better showing for its efforts.

The one Steubenville touchdown actually was the Big Red’s only serious threat of the game, although fans at all times feared that Robinson or Pete Polovina would break away for a sprint to the oats bin.

The Tigers, on the other hand, were threatening right up to the end of the game. Ben Roderick late in the fourth quarter, intercepted a Steubenville pass and raced for what looked like a touchdown, but his foot slipped out on the 30-yard line and the ball was called back to that point and put in play. Then too at the end of the game, the Tigers were hammering for what appeared to be a sure touchdown on the three-yard line.

The Massillon line again played a great game. It took a beating the first period when it appeared unable to handle the Steubenville backs or open holes for the Tiger runners, but it arose to the occasion from there on and moved the Big Red players around constantly. Big Jim Young played a bear of a game and Tony Uliveto was in on plenty of tackles. Likewise, Gene Yost and Tom Brooks grabbed their share of legs during the night.

Steubenville operated almost completely from a single wing. The Tigers started with a T offense but couldn’t make it click to get openings for ball carriers. They lost no time getting back into a single wing.

The Big Red played a 5-4-2 defense throughout most of the night. It confused the local team during the early minutes of the game but once the players and coaches figured out a way to go through they often penetrated it for sizeable gains.

The loss was Steubenville’s second in four games this season and the victory was the Tigers second in three games.

Steubenville had previously beaten East Liverpool, 19-0 and Weirton, W. Va., 13-7 and had lost to Steubenville Central Catholic, 2-0. The Tigers in their two previous games had defeated Canton Lincoln, 29-0 and lost to Cathedral Latin at Cleveland, 14-7.
A Vicious Game
The teams went at each other with a vicious spirit from the start of the opening whistle and tackled for keeps. Neither team threatened until the closing minutes of the first period when the Stubbers launched a drive that carried them to the 8-yard line where, on fourth down, Don Joyce tried to pass and was thrown for a six-yard loss by Gene Krisher, Tom Brooks and Gene Yost.

The Tigers made their first serious threat midway in the fourth when Zorger got loose for a 22-yard run that took the ball to the 27-yard line and moved it on to the five in another dash. On first down, the ball was dropped in a reverse, Zorger to Byelene, and Dwight Bauman recovered for the Big Red.

Stopped in their efforts to return the ball, the Stubbers elected to punt, but Joyce’s kick was blocked and it would have been Massillon’s ball on the five-yard line had not a Massillon player been offside. That ended another possible threat and the last of the first half.

The Tigers came out after intermission with the idea of taking the kickoff and going for a touchdown but it didn’t work out that way. The Big Red stopped them and forced them to punt. The third period was about half over when the local team got its first break of the day. Joyce had dropped back in an attempt to pass but was smothered as he drew back to fire. The ball popped out of his hand and the Tigers covered on the Big Red 25. A series of plays gained a first down on the 12-yard line and put the ball in position for Brown’s wide end sweep for a touchdown.

He tried to placekick the extra point but punched the ball into the backs of his own players.

Steubenville struck back with fire in its eyes and on the first play of the fourth quarter got the ball through a punt on its own 38-yard line. Robinson danced his way to the Tiger 29 from which Lelli launched his touchdown pass. Polovina’s kick was blocked.

With the score tied at 6-6 the Big Red kicked off to Zorger who caught the ball on his 15 and ran straight up the field behind fine interference. He was in the open at the 50-yard line and had a one step lead on the nearest Big Red tackler when Brown took off with a dive in an attempt to lay a block into the Big Red player. The officials called it clipping and instead of the Tigers getting the ball on the 35, they got it on the 50. It took nine plays to get over the goal, Zorger lugging the ball across from the one-yard line . This time Brown kicked the extra point which looked very precious for the moment.

That ended the scoring although the Tigers’ nearly had another on Roderick’s fine run after interception and Byelene’s long pass to Johnson for a first down on the nine-yard line. The Tigers had moved it from the nine to the three when the game ended.

Massillon’s passing attack was ragged. The Tigers’ completed two for 48 yards and had two intercepted. Steubenville wasn’t any better although one of the two passes it completed went for a touchdown. The Big Red tried 11 and had two intercepted.

Massillon’s superiority can be read in the ground gained by the local team. The Tigers gained 27 yards to the Big Red’s 166.

Numerous penalties, many inopportune moments, slowed the game. The Tigers were penalized four times for a total of 65 yards while Steubenville was penalized seven times for 75 yards.

WILLIAM G. “BUD” HOUGHTON
— 1946 —
Game 3: Steubenville (Big Red)
Head Coach: Howard Brinker
Date: Friday, Oct. 4 (8:00 p.m.)
Stadium: Tiger Stadium
Attendance: 21,000
Referee: Titus Lobach
Umpire: O.V. Boone
Head Linesman: Denny Schill
Field Judge: Carl Brubaker

Massillon Starting Offense Steubenville
(22) Jack Zeller LE Robert Hess (15)
(25) Jim Young LT Dwight Baughman(35)
(11) Tony Uliveto LG George Ossio (10)
(50) Merle Darrah C Art Deleonardis (26)
(98) Tom Brooks RG Eugene Quinn (19)
(42) Julius Wittmann RT Jim Miller (37)
(45) Morrie Eberhardt RE Stanley Giffs (25)
(35) Al Brown QB Don Joyce (33)
(33) Junior Pedrotty LH Pete Polovina (22)
(65) Gene Zorger RH Preston Robinson(31)
(10) Gene Yost FB Bob Stratton (12)

1 2 3 4 Final
Massillon 0 0 6 7 13
Steubenville 0 0 0 6 6

3rd Quarter
Mass TD#1 – Al Brown runs 12 yds around RE on 1st & 10 to end 25 yd drive. The drive starts after a fumble recovery. PAT kick by Brown is too low and hits the backs of his own players.
4th Quarter
Steub TD#1 – Bob Stratton takes 29 yd pass from Querino Lelli to end 62 yd drive. The drive starts after a punt reception. PAT kick by Polovina is blocked.
Mass TD#2 – Zorger runs 1 yd to end 9-play 50 yd drive. The drive starts after the kickoff return by Zorger. PAT kick by Brown is good.

M STATISTICS Opp
11 First downs 5
2 of 10 Passing 2 of 11
2 Own passes intercepted 1
48 Passing yardage 41
228 Rushing yardage 125
276 Total yardage 166
13 Yards lost 17
263 Net yards gained 149
4 for 27.7 Punts & average (yards) 6 for 25.8
38 Punt returns (yards) 21
3 for 47 Kickoffs & average (yards) 2 for 49
3 of 5 Fumbles & lost 1 of 3
7 for 65 Penalties & total yardage 7 for 75

Game Info
Substitutions
Massillon: Byelene, qb; G. Krisher, rt; Bishop, re; Eberhardt, re; W. Krisher, g; Johnson, le; Badarnza, rh; Roderick, fb.
Steubenville: Hess, le; Wells, rg; Lelli, lh; Sogan, rh.

Merle Darrah

History

1946: Massillon 29, Canton Lincoln 0

September 27, 1946December 26, 2017
by Eric Smith

Tigers Show Power As They Crush Lincoln Lions 29-0
Zorger Sparkles Behind Brilliant Line Play And Fine Downfield Blocking

By LUTHER EMERY

A snarling Washington high school Tiger met a vicious Canton Lincoln Lion before a record throng of 24,000 people in Fawcett stadium, Canton, Friday evening and the Tiger won 29-0, after 48 minutes of the roughest football that has been played on a Stark county gridiron in a long time.

The Tigers ended Lincoln’s undefeated string at 16 games, while chalking up their first victory of the season, but they lost the services of two quarterbacks; Chick Cary and Al Brown, for possibly one or more weeks and had two other players jolted out of their senses.
Important Victory
It was give and take all the way with both teams doing plenty of both, the Tigers winning the ball game but sustaining more casualties for their efforts.

The victory was important from a Massillon standpoint. The Tigers needed it to bolster their own morale as well as that of their public after suffering their first defeat in an opening game in 16 years to Cathedral Latin last week.

Lincoln wanted a victory as the 17th link in its undefeated chain and to press its claim for another state championship which it had a hand on last year.

That’s why the game meant much to both teams and that’s why it turned out to be the kind of hard-fought battle everyone expected — a revival of the old knock’em down, drag’em out contests of the roaring ‘teens.
Surprised Followers
The Tigers surprised the most optimistic of their followers. Few conceded them more than seven points in the betting, but they won by 29, through spirited line play and excellent down field blocking.

The Massillon linemen tore up the Lincoln forward wall like the best teams did in the Tigers’ state championship years, and it has been a long time since fans of either school saw blockers cutting down would-be tacklers in the open field like the Tigers did last night. They saw their men quickly and got them.

The score does not tell how thoroughly Lincoln was outplayed. Neither does it give any hint of the general roughing both teams handed out to each other.

Massillon’s superiority can be found in the statistics: 14 first downs to the Lions’ eight; 335 net yards gained to the Lions’ 133 and one blocked Lion punt.

It was evident from the first couple of minutes of play that the game would be rough and that Massillon had the heavier wallop.

On second down of the first series of Massillon plays, Cary was forced out of the game with a puffed right knee, and Brown took his place.

Brown did an excellent job of calling plays until an injured right ankle put him on the bench with a third of the second period remaining to be played. Dan Byelene, himself suffering from injuries sustained last week, finished the game at the signal barking post.

Looking like an entirely different team from the one that faced Latin last week, the Massillon gridders scored in every period. From the T or the single wing, it made no difference, the ball carriers raced to long gains, but it was a 52-yard return of a punt for a touchdown by Gene Zorger that really brought the spectators to their feet and put a sprag in whatever hopes Lincoln had of keeping pace with the local team.

A safety in the first period and a touchdown by Zorger from the five-yard line combined with a placekick by Brown for the point after touchdown, had the Tigers leading 9-0 when Ray Keck booted the ball to the Massillon 48. The ball was rolling dead, and Byelene was making no effort to pick it up. Neither were two Lincoln players who were standing behind it as it rolled slowly toward the Massillon goal. Then up came Zorger to gamble on a running scoop up of the ball, right from under the noses of the two Lincoln players. He had tried the same stunt against Latin on the Tiger five-yard line last week and almost got away with it. Last night it worked. Zorger’s teammates immediately sensed their duties. As the Tiger halfback raced laterally in the field, his blockers went to work. They cut down Lincoln tacklers and Zorger reached the goal without a hand being laid on him. It was a great run and the suddenness of it all left the spectators gasping in just as much surprise as the Lincoln players.

It was the best of several runs turned in by Gene last night, his greatest night as a Washington high football player. Once he broke through from scrimmage to race 69 yards to the Lincoln 11 before being downed. On another occasion he was away to what would have been another touchdown dash, but his blocker missed the last Canton tackler who had a chance to get him and get him he did.

But while Zorger’s long runs stood out offensively for the local team, the Massillon eleven as a whole from end to end and from back to back played hard-nosed football.
The Line Was The Difference
The difference in the teams to a great extent was the Tiger line. From the time the Tiger forwards rose up to smite down Ray Keck’s attempt to punt from behind this own goal, blocked the ball and gathered two points on an automatic safety, the Massillon linemen were charging and ripping the Lion forward wall to pieces. It was the kind of charge Massillon fans used to smile at with satisfaction in the state championship years and the kind that makes an offense and a ball carrier look good.

The players showed the effects of it too. Julius Wittmann, starting his first game at right tackle, got such a wallop on the last play of the first half that he passed out in the dressing room and was out cold for 45 minutes. It was late in the fourth quarter before he completely regained his equilibrium.

His mother couldn’t have done a better job with a paring knife than a Lincoln gridder’s shoe did in taking the skin off Jim Young’s nose.

Three of the four members of the Tigers’ starting backfield were knocked out of the game. First came Cary, then Brown and finally Junior Pedrotty got such a wallop that he went haywire for a moment and began swinging at members of his own team. Zorger was the only backfield starter to come out unscathed.

Lincoln had its casualties too and its great little halfback, Ray Keck, who was forced to run laterally most of the time last night because of the charge of the Tiger line, was knocked out of the ball game on one occasion but, like Pedrotty, reentered following a rest.

Despite the roughing, only one player was tossed out of the game. Gordon Young, Lincoln right end was caught taking a swing at Pedrotty in the fourth period and was sent to the bench. His team was penalized half the distance to the goal line but it only meant five yards for the Tigers were within 10 yards of a touchdown when the fisticuffs occurred.

All in all, the Tigers scored a safety, four touchdowns and three points after touchdown. Quick on the takeoff, they were penalized many times for being offside or in motion, and that’s just as good as it is bad, for it indicates the anxiety to get the jump on the opposition. They lost 50 yards on penalties to Lincoln’s 40.

The Tigers scored their first two points on a safety in the first five minutes of the game.
Score On Safety
Neither team gained on the first exchange. The locals, in fact, wound up with fourth down coming up and 19 yards to go when Zorger was called to punt for the first time in his life. He got a good one off to the Lincoln 18-yard line, and it was here the Massillon line stepped into the cage in the role of Lion tamer. Keck carried twice and wound up 13 yards back of where he started. He dropped behind his goal line to punt and the Tiger line crashed through, Eberhardt knocking the ball before it went over the end zone for an automatic safety for Massillon.

Pedrotty brought the following free kick back to the Lions’ 45-yard line and the Tigers took off on a 55-yard touchdown march and had to overcome four different five-yard penalties to do it.
Brown hit right tackle for six and Zorger broke through for 18 more only to have the ball called back and a five-yard penalty inflicted for offside. It didn’t discourage the Tigers however and after Brown’s pass to Giloff traveled over the latter’s head. Zorger was again turned loose for a first on the Lion 32. Giloff made nine yards at guard and on a second attempt chalked up what would have been a first down on the 15, but again the Tigers were set back five yards for being in motion on the play.
Zorger Goes Over
That didn’t stop them, however, for on the next play, Brown tossed a lateral to Zorger who swept his left end for a first down on the 15. Pedrotty bucked through to the six and Brown was held for no gain but again the Tigers lost five yards for being offside. It didn’t stop them though, for Zorger banged his way through to within a foot of the goal. Brown went over but Massillon was called again for being offside and the ball was put in play on the five-yard line. Giloff picked up two yards and Zorger finally took the ball over for a TD that couldn’t be denied. Brown placekicked the extra point to put the Tigers ahead 9-0.

The Tigers’ second touchdown came in the opening minutes of the second quarter on Zorger’s long runback of Keck’s punt, the story of which has already been told. The Lions had the ball on their own 31 when they kicked it to Zorger who picked it up on his own 48 and reeled off 52 yards. Again Brown placekicked the extra point.

Neither team threatened until the closing minutes of the half when the Tigers drove 37 yards to the Lincoln 20.

The local eleven received the kickoff at the start of the third period and hammered its way 92 yards for a touchdown without surrendering the ball.

Giloff started with three yards and Zorger made it first on his 34. Byelene bootlegged for six yards. Zorger picked up three and Giloff made it first down on the Lincoln 46. Zorger went for nine yards at center and a five-yard penalty for offside moved the ball to a first on the Lincoln 32. Giloff made five at center and Zorger on a reverse ran to the 18. Byelene passed to Zorger on the goal line but the ball was called back and the Tigers were penalized five yards. Zorger and Giloff made it first down eight yards short of the goal. Zorger took the ball to the five-yard line but a five-yard penalty set the Tigers back on their heels again.

The Lincoln line appeared to brace as Giloff was held to two yards so Byelene tossed a well aimed pass to Zorger in the end zone for the Tigers’ third touchdown. This time t he ball was passed to Giloff who carried it over for the extra point.

The locals’ last touchdown came in the first five minutes of the fourth period. The quarter opened with the pigskin straddling the 50-yard line, and fourth down coming up for Lincoln. Keck punted and Zorger was downed on the 25. A five-yard penalty pushed theTigers back to their 20, and it was from this point that Zorger was turned loose for a dash to the Lincoln 11. He wheeled through left tackle, dashing forward for 15 yards before reversing his field and heading out to his right. He got by all the Lion players until Dwight Beatty hauled him down 11 yards short of a touchdown. Zorger made a yard at center, and Lincoln was penalized half the distance to the goal when its Gordon Young was caught taking a poke at Pedrotty. Byelene lost three yards, but tossed a strike to Jack Zeller on the next play for the final touchdown of the game. An attempted plunge for the extra point failed.
Lincoln’s two best offensive efforts came in the last period. The Lions shot the works after the kickoff as Beatty flipped a pass to Ted Resler who tossed a lateral to Ted (Thunder) Boldt, who raced 45 yards to the Tiger 16 before he was hauled down. The Lions only moved the pigskin three yards nearer the goal before the Tigers took it away from them on downs.

On the following series of plays, Ben Roderick, sophomore fullback got away for an
18-yard dash, but the Tigers lost the ball when Jack Stiner intercepted a Byelene pass on the Tiger 48. Lincoln managed to get back to the 14 before the game came to an end.

Lion Tamers
Massillon Pos. Lincoln
Zeller LE Mase
Young LT Seaman
Uliveto LG Little
Darrah C Gellenbeck
Brooks RG Rosenberry
Wittmann RT Rich
Eberhardt RE Young
Cary QB Mallett
Giloff LH Keck
Zorger RH Resler
Pedrotty FB Boldt

Score by periods
Massillon 9 7 7 6 29

Substitutions:
Massillon – Yost, fb; Schludecker, re; Johnson, lg; Brown, qb; Angstadt, g; Roderick, fb; Dowd, c; Badarnza, lh; Farris.
Lincoln – Griffith, lg; Norris, fb; Wayne, rg; Beatty, rh; Frank, qb; Baxter, re.

Safety – Massillon

Touchdowns:
Massillon – Zorger 3; Zeller.

Points after touchdown:
Massillon – Brown 2 (placekicks); Giloff (carried).

Referee – Earl Gross.
Umpire – Verlin Jenkins.
Head Linesman – Augie Zimmerman.
Field Judge – Dwight Peabody.

Statistics
Massillon Lincoln
First downs 14 8
Passes attempted 7 13
Passes completed 3 5
Had passes intercepted 1 0
Yards gained passing 27 79
Yards gained rushing 351 80
Total yards gained 378 159
Yards lost 23 26
Net yards gained 355 133
Times punted 2 6
Average punt (yards) 29 25
Returned punts (yards) 93 11
Had punts blocked 0 1
Times kicked off 5 1
Average kickoff 48.4 60
Yards returned kickoffs 6 80
Fumbles 2 1
Lost ball on fumbles 0 0
Times penalized 10 6
Yards penalized 50 40

Merle Darrah

History

1945: Massillon 0, Canton McKinley 0

November 17, 1945June 20, 2017
by Eric Smith

Tigers And Bulldogs Battle To Scoreless Draw In Mud

Morningstar’s Warriors Hold Edge In Statistics, Twice Threaten To Score

By FRED J. BECKER

Last Friday was a swell day – lots of sunshine and a balmy temperature that made you want to be outdoors. Sunday was another fine day – bright sunshine and enough snap in the air to make it just right for a football game. But Saturday was a lousy day – positively lousy. And of course that had to be the day the Washington high school Tigers and the Canton McKinley Bulldogs got together at Fawcett stadium, Canton, to stage their annual football rumpus – the 50th meeting between the two schools since 1894.

And who won! Why the weatherman with his showers and overcast skies and the ankle deep mud that covered most of the Fawcett stadium gridiron. As far as the Tigers and the Bulldogs were concerned the weatherman’s soaking showers that turned the gridiron, shy of grass between the 25 yard lines, into a sea of mud and water put quite a check on their best offensive efforts with the result that neither team was able to score and this 50th meeting between Stark county’s traditional scholastic football enemies ended in a scoreless draw.
Five Victories and Five Ties
For the Tigers that 0 to 0 encounter with the Bulldogs gave them a unique record for the 1945 campaign – five victories against five ties – but it wrote into Massillon’s football history the chapter of another undefeated season for the orange and black. For the Bulldogs it was their second tie in 10 games with seven victories and a lone defeat at the hands of Warren Harding.

Despite the rain, which turned the gridiron into a mass of slippery mud and water this annual encounter between the Tigers and Bulldogs was fought with all the intense rivalry that has marked past battles and a capacity crowd of more than 22,000 partisan spectators braved a drizzling rain and murky atmosphere to be on hand for what has become one of the country’s outstanding schoolboy football games.
Typical Tiger – Bulldog Battle
Although the lads out their on the field, were put at a disadvantage by the elements and poor condition of the gridiron it did not keep them from battling their hearts out in true Massillon-Canton fashion. Soaking wet and covered from head to foot with a generous coating of mud after the first few plays the Tigers and Bulldogs battled it out in 48 minutes of intense warfare and then trudged off the field tired and dirty but with honors even as far as the score was concerned.

It was too bad the game could not have been played in good weather and on a firm, fast gridiron. A much different and much more spectacular encounter might have resulted for both the Tigers and Bulldogs were primed for Saturday’s melee and despite the handicaps they faced they still put on tap a performance that will rank with other Massillon-Canton McKinley football scraps for hard, determined fighting.

Faced with treacherous footing and a ball that was as slippery as an eel, neither team took many chances with tricky plays or forward passes. Straight football predominated throughout, both teams resorting to this type of warfare to guard against fumbles which would give their opponents a break and a scoring chance.

Although the game ended in a scoreless draw and supporters of the Tigers and Bulldogs must be content this year with a division of the spoils, there are still many who believe that on a hard, dry field the Tigers might have proved themselves superior to their old rivals. Even in the mud and water the Tigers impressed their followers by their hard driving offense and their stonewall defense which very effectively bottled up a much heavier and more powerful Canton McKinley outfit.

The game ended in a tie but the statistics once again favor the Tigers as they did in all their four other ties with the exception of that 6-6 encounter with Cleveland Cathedral Latin.
Statistics Favor Tigers
Statistics, however, do not win ball games but it is satisfying to know that the Tigers outplayed the Bulldogs last Saturday afternoon even though neither team scored.

In first downs the Tigers had a 10 to 7 advantage over the east enders.

In yards gained the Tigers also held a decided edge. Coach Augie Morningstar’s fighting youngsters had a gross yardage of 200 with a loss of 16 for a net of 184 while the Bulldogs had a gross of 143 with a loss of 20 for a net of 123.

Neither team took many chances with the forward pass. Massillon tried three and completed one for 12 yards. Canton completed one for four yards. Fumbles were at a minimum in despite the slippery going. The Tigers fumbled twice and both times lost the ball. McKinley also fumbled twice but recovered each time.

The Tigers dominated play in the first half and twice drove inside McKinley’s 15-yard line but each time the Bulldogs stiffened and checked the Massillon scoring threat. The Bulldogs held the upper hand throughout a large part of the second half but they made only one serious bid to score, that coming in the fourth quarter but the Tigers were equal to the occasion and took the ball away from the red and black on downs on the Massillon 19.
The Bulldogs might have become tough to handle in the third period when they completed a long forward pass that took the ball to the Tiger 20 but the play was called back and the gain wiped out because McKinley’s backfield was in motion.
16 Tigers See Action
Sixteen Tigers got a chance to soak up some of the mud and water that covered the gridiron while Canton McKinley made but two substitutions, Pete Spera at an end and Bob Jordan at a guard.

Alex Giloff started the game at right halfback for the Tigers but was hurt in the first period and replaced by Don McGuire. Steve Tomasevich and Tommy Brooks alternated at right guard. Jim Young went in at right tackle late in the game when Merle Darrah was hurt and Gene Krisher moved over to center. Jim Bishop replaced Captain Fred Bonk at right end with less than two minutes of play remaining. Dan Byelene was in the game a short time, replacing Webb for a few minutes.

Although the Bulldogs had two work horses in their backfield – Duane Fondren at left halfback and Ralph Pucci at fullback – who gave the Tigers plenty of trouble throughout the afternoon, the orange and black defense as a whole was magnificent throughout the entire game.

Fondren and Pucci ran and plunged their way for most of Canton’s yardage but they were slapped around plenty by the Tigers who gave another outstanding exhibition of brilliant defensive play and hard, accurate tackling.

Offensively the running of Bert Webb high lighted the Tigers’ bid to score. Although he had been in the hospital most of last week with a severe cold, Webb was by far the fastest man on the field Saturday and despite the sticky mud he ran the legs off the Bulldogs in addition to playing a stellar defensive game in the Massillon secondary. His speed several times enabled him to nail Canton ball toters who managed to smash their way through the line and seemed headed for plenty of yardage until Webb caught up with them and dumped them into the mud.

Sharing offensive honors with Webb were McGuire and Gene Zorger, both of whom hammered their way through the Canton line for many gains. Each of them broke loose for at least one long gain and they might have turned the tide of battle had they been on firmer footing.

The Tigers had plenty of fine blocking and interference for ball carriers Saturday with Virgil Edie doing a lot of fine blocking. Giloff also cut down his share of Cantonians while he was in the game.

The entire Tiger line from end to end played its usual stellar game. True the boys were so smeared with mud it was difficult to recognize them but this did not keep them from doing a good job of smearing the heavier and bigger Bulldogs.
Tiger Line Shines
Captain Fred Bonk, playing his last game for the Tigers, and Jack Zeller, starting his first game since he broke a toe three weeks ago, were in the ball game every minute, playing their usual steady and highly efficient game. Bernie Green, another senior, and Gene Krisher, sturdy junior, had a lot to do with stopping the bullet rushes of Pucci and Fondren while Tony Uliveto, a junior, played the entire game at left guard and turned in a fine afternoon’s work. Steve Tomasevich, a senior, and Tommy Brooks, a junior, handled the right guard berth in good shape and Merle Darrah, another junior, played his usual brilliant game at center until forced to the sideline late in the struggle with an injured leg.

Jim Young, a junior, who went to right tackle when Krisher took over Darrah’s duties at center, also got his share of tackles. In the backfield the game was the last for Webb, McGuire and Edie.

Fondren and Pucci were Canton’s outstanding ground gainers while Bill Messenheimer at left end, Bob Cobbet at left tackle and Clarence Snyder at right guard played fine defensive games.

With Saturday’s game a tie, the fourth played between the two old foes in 51 yards, the series stands at 24 victories for McKinley and 22 for Massillon. Saturday’s scoreless draw was the first played since 1926. Other ties occurred in 1913 when they battled to a 13-13 deadlock and in 1907 when the game also ended in a scoreless deadlock.

The Tigers made the first of their two bids to score early in the first quarter when after receiving the kickoff they reeled off four first downs in succession and drove to Canton’s 13 before being halted.

Zorger took Bob Lilly’s kickoff and raced it back to the Massillon 41. On a weak side reverse Webb picked up seven yards around left end before being run out on Massillon’s 48. Zorger then crashed through the line to Canton’s 48 for a first down. Webb came right back and skirted his right end for 11 and another first down. Meacham nailed Giloff without gain at left end but Zorger picked up three through the line and then Webb broke through left tackle and scampered to the Canton 27 for another first down. He picked up another two yards through the same spot and then Giloff reeled through left tackle and smashed to Canton’s 14 before being downed. This gave the Tigers their fourth first down in a row.
Bulldogs Held On 13
But here this Bulldog defense stiffened. Webb was thrown for a three-yard loss on another attempted weak side reverse and Giloff was stopped without gain but Zorger smashed through for give to get up to the 13 before being downed. With fourth down coming up and eight to go Webb was smeared for a five yard loss and the Bulldogs took over on their 17.

With Fondren and Pucci lugging the ball the Bulldogs smashed right up the field for a pair of first downs before the Tigers succeeded in checking them and Fondren punted.

The Tigers made little progress but Webb put the Bulldogs in a hole from which they never emerged during the remainder of the first half by getting off a quick kick for 56 yards to the McKinley nine yard line.

Fondren then gave the Bulldog fans something to cheer about when he clipped off a 20 yard gain before being nailed by Webb.

The Tigers braced and Fondren got off a poor punt that only went 13 yards before going out of bounds on the 50. Webb ripped off a five yard gain before the quarter ended and Zorger put the Tigers into scoring territory on the first play in the second quarter by streaking through right tackle and racing to the Canton 24 for a gain of 31 yards. It was a beautiful piece of footwork in the mud. McGuire and Webb picked up nine yards in three smashes but on the fourth down Webb was inches short of the required yardage and Canton once again stopped the Tiger scoring threat, taking over on its 14. Neither team threatened after that during the remainder of the quarter.

The Bulldogs, however, stirred things up in a hurry at the start of the third period. They received and drove into Massillon territory. Fondren then heaved a long pass which Meacham caught on the 20 where he was knocked out of bounds. McKinley rooters cheered lustily but their cheers died quickly when the officials called the ball back and slapped a five-yard penalty on the red and black for backs in motion. This forced the Bulldogs to punt.

A short time later they secured another break when Webb fumbled in attempting a double pass behind the line to McGuire and Messenheimer fell on the ball on Massillon’s 28.
Bulldogs Stopped
Hammering at the Tiger forward wall the Bulldogs picked up nine yards in three plays but on fourth down with one yard to go Tucci tried a quarterback sneak and was promptly buried in the mid by an aroused Tiger line. He gained an inch and the Tigers took the ball on their 19 to wipe out Canton’s most serious bid to score.

Several minutes later Webb carried a Canton punt back to his 32 and Mickey McGuire electrified the Massillon rooters by slamming through the line and racing 21 yards to Canton’s 47 before being tackled. This Massillon uprising, however, was short-lived. Webb fumbled on the next play and Sterling Winn covered for Canton on the Bulldogs 45.

After several punt exchanges the Tigers gained the ball on their 29. With the clock running out McGuire tossed to Zeller for 12 yards to complete one of the three passes attempted by the Tigers during the game. Webb hit the line twice, picking up nine yards and when the final gun sounded the ball was right smack on the 50-yard line in Massillon’s possession with the scoreboard still showing Massillon, 0, McKinley, 0.
The Windup
Massillon – 0 Pos. Can. McKinley – 0
Zeller LE Messenheimer
Green LT Cobbet
Uliveto LG Bourquin
Darrah C Lilly
Tomasevich RG Snyder
Krisher RT Winn
Bonk RE Stevenson
Edie QB Tucci
Webb LHB Fondren
Giloff RHB Meacham
Zorger FB Pucci

Substitutions:
Massillon – McGuire, rhb; Brooks, rg; Young, rt; Krisher, c; Byelene, lhb; Bishop, re.
McKinley – Spera, le; Jordan, lg.

Officials:
Referee – Reese.
Umpire – Lobach.
Head Linesman – Shafer.
Umpire – Brubaker.
1946 Schedule
Sept. 20 Cathedral Latin here.
Sept. 27 Canton Lincoln at Canton.
Oct. 4 Steubenville Wells here.
Oct. 11 Alliance at Alliance.
Oct. 18 Mansfield at Mansfield.
Oct . 25 Warren Harding here.
Nov. 1 Dayton Chaminade here.
Nov. 8 Toledo Waite here.
Nov. 16 Youngstown East at Youngstown.
Nov. 23 Canton McKinley here.
6 Big Home Games For 1946 Tigers
Washington high school’s 1946 football schedule, announced this morning by S.E. Ackley, faculty manager of athletics, calls for six home games with four battles on foreign fields. It also provides three new opponents for the orange and black next fall.

Schedule details were completed early today and the 1946 card was arranged through the combined efforts of Faculty Manager Ackley and W.G. (Bud) Houghton, head coach, who will take charge of the Tigers during spring practice after more than three years service in the U.S. Navy.

Coach Houghton returned to the Washington high school teaching staff several weeks ago, following his discharge from service, and since that time he and Ackley have been working together selecting the schools to appear on the 1946 schedule. Once agreements were reached with schools on dates, contracts for the games were negotiated by Ackley.

The six home games, which have been booked for next year will be standout attractions and two of them will be with schools not on this year’s slate. Toledo Waite, which has not been on a Massillon schedule since 1942, will play the Tigers here Friday night, Nov. 8. Waite this year has had an undefeated season and will play Canton Lincoln’s Lions at Canton Dec. 1 in a post season game.

Dayton Chaminade, which this fall became one of southwestern Ohio’s outstanding scholastic powerhouses, also has been scheduled for 1946, coming to Massillon Nov. 1.

Third new school to gain a place on the 1946 slate is Youngstown East and this game will be played at Youngstown, Saturday afternoon, Nov. 16, the week before the annual battle with Canton McKinley which in 1946 will be played here.

It will be the first time in several years that the Tigers have played a daylight encounter prior to the McKinley tussle but Coach Houghton desired at least one daylight encounter for his 1946 Tigers before they stacked up against the Bulldogs. He believes the daylight game will be of great value in preparing the Tigers for their all-important tussle with the east enders.

The 1946 season will start off with a bang on Friday night, Sept. 20, with Cleveland Cathedral Latin as the Tigers opening game opponent. The Tigers and Latin played a 6 to 6 tie in the Cleveland municipal stadium last Nov. 9 with more than 52,000 people in attendance.

Other home games next fall will be with Steubenville, Oct. 4. Warren Harding, Oct. 25, Dayton Chaminade, Nov. 1, Toledo Waite, Nov. 8 and Canton McKinley, Nov. 23. All are Friday night games with the exception of the McKinley clash.

The Tigers will take to the road Sept. 27, meeting Canton Lincoln at Fawcett stadium, Oct. 11 at Alliance, Oct. 18 at Mansfield and Nov. 16 at Youngstown East. All are Friday night games with the exception of the Youngstown East duel.
Statistics
Mass. McK
First downs 10 7
Yards gained rushing 188 139
Passes attempted 3 1
Passes completed 1 1
Yards gained passing 12 4
Gross yardage 200 143
Yards lost 16 20
Net yardage 184 123
Number of kickoffs 1 1
Average distance of kickoffs 48 38
Average return of kickoffs 19 23
Number of punts 7 9
Average distance of punts 28 26
Average return of punts 7.2 6.3
Times fumbled 2 3
Times ball lost on fumbles 2 0
Times penalized 3 6
Yards lost by penalties 15 30

History

1945: Massillon 26, Cleveland East Tech 6

November 9, 1945June 20, 2017
by Eric Smith

Tigers Romp Over East Tech 26-6, For Fifth Victory
Morningstar Uses Flock Of Players As Bengals Play Final Home Game

By FRED J. BECKER

And now, folks, the Bulldogs are next.

Turning loose a lot of potent power on the ground, some effective strafing from the air, along with their usual high class performance on defense, Coach Augie Morningstar’s Washington high school Tigers Friday night kept their 1945 record free of defeats by shellacking a rather formidable Cleveland East Tech aggregation 26 to 6 at Tiger stadium in their final home appearance of the current campaign.

By turning back the invading Clevelanders, the orange and black comes up to its all-important battle a week from today with Canton McKinley’s Bulldogs still in the unbeaten class with a string of five triumphs against four ties. By conquering East Tech last night, the Tigers notched their fifth 1945 victory, the win coming after they had been held to tie scores in their last two battles, one a scoreless deadlock with Warren and the other a 6-6 shindig with Cleveland Cathedral Lath.
Sixth Defeat for East Tech
For East Tech the defeat was its sixth of the season with but a single victory to brighten an otherwise dismal fall.

Using at least 25 players, regulars and reserves, and starting off with a lineup that was generously sprinkled with second team performers, Coach Morningstar last night was able to give some of his key regulars a much needed rest which should do them no harm as the Bengals Monday begin their final week of practice in preparation for the clash with Bulldogs.
Tigers Romp To Second Period
Held scoreless in the first quarter, the Tigers unleashed a devastating ground and air attack in the second period to tally three times and they added their fourth set of counters in the third period. East Teach chalked up its lone marker in the final period on a long aerial that was good for a 50-yard gain and their points.

With off tackle thrusts as their best ground weapon, the Tigers picked up a lot of yardage through a determined Cleveland team that battled hard all the way but was not quite equal to the task of stopping Massillon’s power plays or halting the Tiger aerial attack. Some fine work by the Tiger line, which opened plenty of gaping holes in the East Tech forward wall, and some equally fine blocking and interference paved the way for many nifty gains by Tiger ball toters.

The visitors were rather badly outplayed by Morningstar’s warriors, the Tigers making 16 first downs to four for East Tech. Three of East Tech’s first downs came on forward passes while another brought them their lone touchdown.

The Tigers completed three of seven passes for 51 yards and two of them were good for touchdowns. East Tech took to the air 15 times, completing five for 116 yards. Tech had three intercepted, one interception bringing a Tiger score.

The forward pass was by far the visitors’ best ground gaining weapon as they made but 44 yards on ground plays with a loss of 16. They had an overall yardage of 160 and a net of 144.

How badly they were outclassed is revealed by the Tiger yardage. The Tigers romped to 385 yards on the ground and made 51 through the air for 436. They had a loss of 35, giving them a net of 401, not a bad evening’s work.

The Tiger line, regulars and reserves, played a steady, bang up game until late in the contest when the Massillonians began to miss quite a few tackles. The backfield also performed in a highly efficient manner with regulars and reserves sharing the spotlight when it came to ground gaining.
Flock Of Good Ground Gainers
Of the regulars Bert Webb and Mickey McGuire did a lot of ground gaining with MdGuire showing as much, if not more, drive than at any time this season. Webb left the game in the second quarter after Massillon had tallied its first touchdown. Gene Zorger, regular fullback, also only played a short time.

Virgil Edie, regular quarterback, played most of the game and put on tap his usual steady performance and broke into the scoring column for the first time when he intercepted a Tech pass and scampered 32 yards for the points.

Sharing ground gaining honors with Webb and McGuire were Alex Giloff, Bill Gutshall and Dan Byelene, all of whom made life quite miserable at times for the Tech forwards.

Gene Krisher, shifted from his regular right tackle berth, played center while Merle Darrah watched most of the game from the bench, getting a much needed rest. Jim Young was in the right tackle slot while Steve Tomasevich and Tom Brooks alternated as right guard. Captain Fred Bonk was at right end with Bob Richards at left end, replacing Jack Zellar, laid up with a broken foot. Bernie Green was at his regular left tackle post while Tony Uliveto and Bob Waltz took care of the left guard chore. Gene Yost and Milan Chovan saw action in the backfield while Schumacher, Ceckler, Dowd and Bishop saw duty on the line.

East Tech, coached by Humphrey Harmony, who starred for Canton McKinley 25 years ago, brought a big, rangy team to Massillon with several outstanding performers. Defensively Lou Strnad at right end played a fine game while John Hrasch, Al Jicha, Dosio Ginnerini and Tee Chapman did some good work in the backfield with Hrasch as their best ground gainer and passer.
Three Long Marches
Three long, sustained marches gave the Tigers three touchdowns while the fourth came on a pass interception. In their scoring spree the orange and black turned loose marches of 83, 81 and 77 yards for points and were hammering at the touchdown door when the game ended, having the ball on the visitors’ eight-yard line.

But once again an unfortunate offside penalty robbed Coach Morningstar’s charges of an early touchdown and nullified a beautiful 58 yard run by Bert Webb.

Webb took the opening kickoff and was downed on his 35. Giloff and Gutshall hammered the line for six yards and then Webb streaked through a big hole at right tackle, reversed his field and raced 58 yards without a hand being laid on him for what looked like a touchdown.

But the officials were waving their arms frantically down around midfield as Bert was showing a clean pair of heels to the East Teach lads and the ball was called back and a five yard penalty slapped on the Tigers for offside.

That halted their offensive march for the time being and East Tech narrowly missed scoring a touchdown, when Chapman heaved a beautiful long pass to Strnad who dropped the ball on the Massillon goal line.

After getting out of that hole the Tigers buckled down and went to work. Jicha punted to Krisher who was downed on the Massillon 17. Zorger and McGuire cracked through for nine yards in two plays and then Webb found a hole at right tackle and scampered 52 yards to Tech’s 25 before being brought down by Hrasch.

That thrilling dash set the stage for Massillon’s first touchdown. Webb picking up five more in another off tackle thrust just as the first quarter ended.
Webb To Bonk For Score
On the first play of the second period Webb tossed a neat pass to Edie, good for 10 yards and the Tigers were knocking on the touchdown door. An offside penalty on Tech took the ball to the five but Webb was tossed for a five yard loss on his next attempt. He then caught the visitors flatfooted on the next play, tossing a pass to Bonk who took the ball in the end zone with not a Cleveland lad anywhere near. Webb failed in his attempt to plunge the ball over and the score stood 6-0 Massillon.

It did not stay that way long. East Tech received and Ginnerini was dumped on his 34 by Zorger and Giloff. Bonk then tossed him for a loss of four and the invaders took to the air with disastrous results. Attempting a screen pass, Chapman cut loose a heave and the ball sailed right at Edie, out in the open. The Tiger quarterback tucked the leather under his arm and with a clear field ahead raced 32 yards for Massillon’s second touchdown. Darrah came in at center as Krisher dropped back to try his hand – or rather toe – at place kicking and the hefty Tiger lineman booted it squarely between the posts for the extra point.

Now all steamed up and going places, the Tigers were not long in manufacturing their third set of counters and a beautiful McGuire-Richards pass for 34 yards climaxed a march of 81 yards.

Massillon gained the ball when Chapman punted to MdGuire who was tagged on the Tigers’ 19. With McGuire spearheading the drive by some beautiful plunging and running the Tigers traveled right down the field. Giloff ripped off seven at right tackle and McGuire made it a first down to Massillon’s 34. On the third play in the next series McGuire again went to town for another first down to Massillon’s 46 and came back to hammer his way through the visitors for nine more.

Then Giloff took a hand in the proceedings and flashed his way down the field for 18 to Tech’s 34. McGuire made three at the line and on the next play faded back and heaved a long pass right down the alley to Bob Richards who was far out in front. Bob sailed across the goal line without hesitation and the Tigers had struck pay dirt for the third time in the period. Krisher again tried a place kick but it failed.

That was all the scoring until the start of the third quarter when the Tigers again unleashed another power attack during which they marched 77 yards for their fourth and final touchdown. Again it was McGuire and Giloff who powered the drive with Gutshall lending a hand and Giloff finally going over.
Another Touchdown March
Tech received but found the task of denting the Tiger forward wall a bit too stiff. Chapman punted and the ball was downed on Massillon’s 23. McGuire smashed for five and then Giloff took off on a spectacular run that was to net 42 yards before he was stopped. Ginnerini finally brought him down on East Tech’s 30.

For a moment the Tiger attack sputtered but a five-yard penalty on East Tech for being offside helped and then McGuire roared through the line to the 15 for a first down. Massillon, however, drew a five yard penalty for backs in motion but Giloff picked it up and more by lugging the leather down to the six on a neat driving play. Then he smashed right through the line and over for Massillon’s fourth set of counters. Krisher tried another place kick but failed, East Tech, however, was offside and he got another chance. This time he rammed through the line to make the extra point.

East Tech’s passing attack looked threatening all night and it finally began to pay off dividends in the fourth period when the visitors, taking a leaf from the Tigers’ book, rambled 66 yards on the ground and through the air for their lone set of counters.

It all began when Byelene punted to Hrasch who was downed by Richards on Tech’s 34. Hrasch flipped a pass to Strnad for 11 but the visitors lost this gain when they were handed a 15-yard penalty for illegal use of hands. But Hrasch came right back to toss an aerial to Champman for 16 yards and then heaved another long one to Al White, substitute end, who took the ball deep in Massillon territory and raced over for the touchdown, gaining all told 50 yards and six points. Chapman’s attempted place kick fizzled.

With Byelene doing some neat dashing through the tackles and Gutshall smashing through the line the Tigers were deep in East Tech territory as the watch ran out. A ripping sprint of 32 yards by Byelene took the ball to East Tech’s six-yard line where Dan was chased out of bounds. The Tigers tried hard to put the ball over but were checked by an offside penalty and they had the ball on the eight with fourth down coming up when the final gun popped.
Bulldogs Next
Massillon – 26 Pos. East Tech – 6
Richards LE Edge
Green LT Selavko
Uliveto LG Malsano
Krisher C Froelich
Tomasevich RG Stalzer
Young RT Goldfarb
Bonk (c) RE Strnad
Edie QB Jicha
Webb LHB Hrasch
Giloff RHB Chapman
Gutshall FB Ginnerini

Score by quarters:
Massillon 0 19 7 0 26
East Tech 0 0 0 6 6

Touchdowns:
Massillon – Bonk; Edie; Richards; Giloff.
East Tech – White.

Points after touchdown:
Massillon – Krisher 2 (place kick and plunge).

Substitutes:
Massillon – McGuire, rh; Zorger, fb; Brooks, rg; Darrah, c; Waltz, lg; Gutshalll, fb; Yost, qb; Byelene, lh; Ceckler, lt; Bishop, re; Schumacher; Chovan, rh (unreadable line).
East Tech – Sarkisian, rg; White, le; Gahagan, rg; Kustich, re; Semala, rt; Vecchio, c; Strnad, re.

Referee – Gross.
Umpire – Lobach.
Head Linesman – Boone.
Field Judge – Pfeiffer.

Statistics
Mass. Tech
First downs 16 4
Yards gained by rushing 385 44
Passes attempted 7 15
Passes completed 3 5
Yards gained by passing 51 116
Gross yardage 436 160
Yards lost 35 16
Net yardage 401 144
Number of kickoffs 5 2
Average distance of kickoffs 37 39
Average return of kickoffs 18 16
Number of punts 3 1
Average distance of punts 34 33
Average return of punts 4 6
Fumbles 5 1
Times ball lost on fumbles 1 0
Times penalized 3 6
Yards lost on penalties 16 39

History

1945: Massillon 6, Cleveland Cathedral Latin 6

November 3, 1945June 20, 2017
by Eric Smith

Tigers And Lions Battle To 6-6 Tie In Grid Thriller
More Than 52,000 See Spectacular Struggle; Local Defense Sparkles

By FRED J. BECKER

They may never be referred to as champions but the Tigers of 1945 always will be remembered was the Washington high school football team that had more intestinal fortitude and bulldog courage than any other aggregation to ever wear the famed orange and black and Massillon has had many courageous aggregations in its long and brilliant career in scholastic football.

Coach Augie Morningstar’s kids Friday night wrote their chapter in the annals of Washington high school athletics – and wrote it in big capital letters – when, outweighed and out-manned, they battled Cleveland Cathedral Latin’s brawny and powerful Lions to a 6 to 6 tie in Cleveland’s lakefront municipal stadium in one of the greatest displays of defensive ability ever seen on any gridiron.
Great Goal Line Stands
Sure you have seen and read about goal line stands. Sure you have seen and read about football teams, that faced with defeat and greatly outplayed, dug their cleats into the turf and threw back a superior foe in a brilliant defensive stand but you have seldom seen or heard of a team that had to make four goal line stands in two quarters and succeeded in halting its enemy in three of those four desperate situations.

But that’s what a great throng of more than 52,000 spectators witnessed Friday night at Cleveland when the Tigers, battered and decisively outplayed by a foe that possessed a superior weight advantage, three times repelled the hefty Lions inside their five yard line but failed on one other occasion and gave the rugged Lions their chance to romp to a touchdown – a touchdown that enabled Latin to tie the score at six all and saved the Lions from a defeat after they had complied a record of 20 straight triumphs.
Latin Had Advantage
For the Tigers that epic 6-6 encounter was their fourth tie game in eight starts this fall, the other four ending in Massillon victories but the situation last night was entirely different than it had been in any of the other three previous games in which the orange and black had been held on even terms so far as scores were concerned.

For the first time this fall the Tigers were outplayed by a foe that had every right to outplay them because of its great advantage in weight. The Tigers might have been outplayed in the statistics, which showed Latin superior in offensive ability, but they never wilted under the ferocious hammering to which they were subjected in that bruising second half and their great defensive performance, especially within the shadow of their own goal posts, left the huge throng gasping in amazement.

They just couldn’t believe that any team anywhere could perform the heroic feats the Tigers wrote into the records but the Tigers accomplished their amazing performance because they had the courage to do the seemingly impossible on all but one of the occasions when they were faced with the task of stopping the burly Lions or seeing their Cleveland opponents notch their second victory in as many years over a Washington high school team.

The huge turnout for last night’s game was the third largest to ever witness a high school football contest in Cleveland. The attendance was exceeded at two previous charity contests staged in the Cleveland stadium but it was the largest gathering to ever witness a regularly scheduled contest between two high school teams in Ohio.

It was a great and enthusiastic outpouring of humanity and the thousands who jammed their way into the stadium saw a football game they long will remember – a battle between two well coached, hard fighting outfits who have never had the time to look up the meaning of the word “quit”. They were out there to win and they tossed everything they had at each other but when it was all over the Tigers reaped the major share of the laurels because of their magnificent display of courage during the times which it seemed they must surely crack and permit their opponents to romp away with the victory in a scoring spree.
Perfect Weather
Perfect weather conditions helped to attract last night’s mammoth throng – perfect weather and the past reputation of Washington high school football teams and the national fame which has come to George Bird’s great Tiger swing band. And not one of the persons in that great crowd of more than 52,000 went away disappointed – except possibly Cathedral Latin’s supporters who were confident of their second victory over the Tigers in as many years and who after the game couldn’t figure out why their great team fared no better than a tie with the orange and black.

Between 5,000 and 8,000 Massillon fans were in that turnout last night. They traveled to Cleveland by special train, chartered buses and in thousands of automobiles. It was the greatest crowd of Massillonians to ever follow the Tigers to an out of town game and they came away from the stadium singing the praises of Coach Morningstar’s gritty band of warriors. Sure it was a tie score but the contest finished in a tie only because of the remarkable defensive playing of Massillon’s scrappy kids.

A team with less courage than the Tigers possess would have gone down to defeat before the withering fire poured at them by Latin’s big, hard hitting backs but not the Tigers. They stayed in their fighting to the last, even though they were subjected to a terrific pummeling in the second half when the Lions, trailing 6 to 0, roared back in a determined bid to win or at least avert a blotch on their record by gaining a tie.

The statistics give Latin all the best of last night’s spectacular, engagement. Herb Eisele’s aggressive Lions chalked up 19 first downs to eight for the Tigers, 12 of them coming in the second half when the Clevelanders piled up a big advantage in ground gained through a terrific power and forward passing attack.

The Lions gained 195 yards on ground plays and 73 on forward passes and lost 23 for a net gain of 245 yards. The Tigers gained 111 yards on the ground and 26 through the air and had a loss of one for a net gain of 136 yards.

The blue and gold of Cathedral Latin attempted 12 forward passes and completed five with none intercepted. The Tigers took to the air seven times, completing three, one for a touchdown, for 26 yards and had one intercepted. Massillon was penalized seven times for a total of 38 yards, most of the penalties coming on offside play and backs in motion. Latin was penalized twice for 20 yards.
Lions Checked In First Half
The big and powerful lions were rather thoroughly checked by the Tigers in the first half but they came charging out at the start of the second half to take the play away from the Massillonians and they completely dominated the picture in the last two periods.

Running off tackle from the T formation Latin’s powerful backs time after time ripped their way through the sturdy Massillon forward wall for good sized gains. And when checked on the ground the Lions took to the air, causing the Tigers no end of concern with a short dump pass over the center of the line that produced plenty of yards.

With such an array of ball toters as Jerry Beckrest, who tallied Latin’s only touchdown, Cliff Hill, Fritz Pahl, George Werling and Jack Behm, the Lions turned loose the most powerful running attack the Tigers have faced this season. The big Latin backs had plenty of power and speed and their off tackle lunges were extremely effective until they powered their way deep into Massillon territory where the Tigers tossed them back every time with one exception.

The Tigers had no outstanding heroes. They were just a gang of kids who played their hearts out every step of the way and did a magnificent job of it. They battled against great odds but they came through with flying colors, every one of them. Although greatly outweighed by Latin’s big forward wall, the Tiger line time after time charged through to nail Latin ball carriers in their tracks or back of the line of scrimmage. Massillon’s secondary also distinguished itself by its remarkable performance, stopping many a Latin charge that seemed headed for pay dirt.

The Tigers have nothing to be ashamed of. They played a great game from start to finish and they deserve only praise for their truly remarkable fight.

With their jinx still trailing them the Tigers lost a touchdown in the first five minutes of the game through an unfortunate fumble but they came roaring back after that disheartening blow to again drive into scoring precincts and this time they did not fail, a forward pass from Bert Webb to Captain Fred Bonk, who took the ball in the end zone, giving the Tigers their six points.

George Raggets kicked off to Bert Webb to start the game and Webb was downed on his 29. Gene Zorger smashed through the line for six and Webb picked up two more on a spinner. Zorger then made it a first down on Massillon’s 41. Webb knifed through the Latin line for four and then took a pass from Don McGuire for another first down to Latin’s 44. Webb fumbled on the next play and Latin covered on its 38. The Tigers tied Beckrest and Pahl into knots and then Raggets attempted to punt but Bonk charged in to block the kick, the ball rolling out of bounds on Latin’s 27.
Latin Covers Fumble
It was Massillon’s ball and McGuire squirmed through for eight and then the Tigers shook Webb loose on a dash around right end and the speedy little Negro scampered to Latin’s two before he was chased out of bounds. But on the next play Webb hurtled into the line and fumbled, Raggets covering put Latin on the Lions’ two.

With Beckrest and Hill carrying the mail the Lions charged back to their 27 before the Tigers applied the brakes. Raggets then punted out on Latin’s 34 and once again the Tigers hammered their way toward Latin’s goal. McGuire tried one pas to Webb but it failed. He came right back with another and this one clicked for six yards. Zorger again crashed the main line for a first down on the Lion’s 25. Webb raced around his left end for nine and Zorger again plunged for a first down to the 13. He picked up five on the next play and then Webb tossed a short pass to Bonk who made a beautiful catch of the ball in the end zone for Massillon’s touchdown.

Virgil Cocklin, sophomore place kicker, was sent in to try for the extra point but he missed.

From then on Latin began to dominate play but two fine quick kicks by Webb in the second period kept the Lions from becoming too dangerous. Once the Clevelanders drove to Massillon’s 13 but lost the ball on downs and late in the period they rammed their way to Massillon’s 14 but there Behm fumbled and Bob Richards pounced on the ball.

The Lions, however, came out for the third period in a determined mood and it was soon evident that the Tigers were going to face plenty of battering from there on out.

Taking the kickoff at the start of the third period, the Lions soon hammered their way deep into Massillon territory and set the stage for the Tigers’ first goal line stand. With Hill spearheading the drive the Lions marched down the field and then Joe Amato connected on a dump pass to Al Hasselo for 17 yards, putting the ball on Massillon’s 30. From there on the Lions hammered their way right down the field with Bob Maloney making it a first down on the five. Two Latin plungers were turned back by the Tigers but Werling then sprinted around left end and raced up to the one foot line before being tossed out of bounds. But here the Tigers displayed their courage and halted the Lions in their tracks. Tony Uliveto and Tom Brooks nailing Backrest without gain on fourth down.

McGuire punted from behind his goal line to the Massillon 27 and once again the Lions came roaring back but once again the Tigers stopped them this time on their 32 after Richards had nailed Beckrest for a loss of five. Raggets then punted over the goal line and the Tigers put the ball in play on their 20.

The Massillon offense, however, was stalled and McGuire punted to Latin’s 45.
Latin On The March
Mixing powerful off tackle plunges with equally effective dump passes the Lions bean another goal ward march.

The end of the third period found them back on the Massillon four yard line. Beckrest sparked the drive with powerful lunges through the line.

The fourth period got under way with the Lions on Massillons four with second down coming up. Amato was stopped without gain but on the next play the Tigers were offside and the ball was moved to the two but once again the orange and black was equal to the occasion and halted the Latin march when Uliveto broke through and dumped Werling for a two yard loss, the Tigers gaining the ball on their four.

McGuire, again punting from behind his goal line, kicked out to Amato who was downed on the Massillon 35. Werling then shot a short pass over the line to Hasselo who was downed on the Tigers 25. Beckrest and Maloney picked up another first down in two plunges and the Lions were on Massillon’s 14. Again Maloney and Beckrest lugged the ball and they picked up nine yards and on the next play Beckrest skirted his left end and raced over for Latin’s touchdown to tie the count at six all.

Raggets attempted placekick was wide.

The Tigers took the kick off with five minutes of play still remaining and turned loose a spurt which carried them to Latins 44 yard line. Webb picked up 12 yards in this march with a sizzling dash around right end, aided by some fine blocking.

But the Tigers tried to pass on first down and Amato intercepted and ran the ball back to the 50. Once again the Latin machine went into action and another short pass from Werling to Beckrest took the ball to the Massillon 27. Beckrest then plunged to the 16 and made it first down on the next play. Three plunges, two by Beckrest and one by Maloney, took the ball to Massillon’s four and made it first down. Maloney and Beckrest twice crashed into the Tiger line but the Lions were still three yards away from the Massillon goal line when Bog Wagner, stellar Latin tackle, was injured and replaced by Johnny Beletic.

The clock was running out fast, less than 10 seconds remaining when the Lions went into formation for what apparently would be the last play of the game.

But the gun sounded just as they got into motion. Beckrest ran with the ball but was stopped without gain by Uliveto.

The abrupt ending of the game created considerable confusion but the officials ruled the Lions guilty of illegal delay when Beletic was substituted for Wagner.
Decision Based On Rule
The officials based their ruling on the following section of the Official N.C.A.A. Football Rules:
“During the last two minutes of either half, requests for excess ‘time outs’ by field captains when no injured player is designated shall be refused, and if the team in possession of the ball (having exhausted its three legal ‘time outs’) takes time out to make a substitution for an injured or uninjured player, the referee shall signal the watch to start as soon as he considers the substitution completed.”

Referee Carl Brubaker said he started time while Latin was in the huddle and that time expired before the Lions could run off another play.

Statistics
Mass. Latin
First downs 8 19
Passes attempted 7 12
Passes completed 3 5
Yards gained by passing 26 73
Passes had intercepted 1 0
Yards gained by rushing 111 195
Gross yardage 137 268
Yards lost 1 28
Net yardage 136 245
Number of kickoffs 2 2
Average distance of kickoffs 37 90
Average return of kickoffs 15 13
Number of punts 6 5
Average distance of punts 41 18
Average return of punts 0 6
Fumbles 3 3
Times ball lost on fumble 2 1
Times penalized 7 2
Yards lost on penalties 35 20

History

1945: Massillon 0, Warren Harding 0

October 27, 1945June 20, 2017
by Eric Smith

Tigers, Presidents Battle To Scoreless Tie At Warren

Massillon Gridders Lose Pair Of Touchdowns When Penalties Rub Out Points

By FRED J. BECKER

Getting exactly nowhere on the path that leads to championships, Augie Morningstar’s Washington high school Tigers, at least, are going to create some unique records before they wind up their campaign in three weeks with their annual conflict with the Canton McKinley Bulldogs, now steaming along like nobody’s business.

In the years to come when future typewriter jockeys write about Washington high school’s 1945 grid campaign they probably will refer to it as the season of ties, for that is just what it is fast becoming.
Toss Away Golden Opportunities
The Tigers Friday night tossed into the ash can a golden opportunity to score their most impressive victory of the season; they kicked away a chance to gain splendid revenge for a defeat sustained in 1944 and put themselves back into the Ohio scholastic picture as one of the dominant football powers in the Buckeye state.

All this happened in Harding stadium in Warren when the unbeaten Tigers and Warren Harding Presidents clashed in their big gridiron classic before an overflow crowd of 12,000 – all the humanity that could be packed into the Trumbull county capitals’ stadium. And because they kicked away their scoring chances the Tigers today had to be content with another tie score – their third in seven games.
Flock Of Scoring Chances
Coach Morningstar’s lads actually scored two touchdowns against the formidable Presidents last night and otherwise made those rugged eastern Ohioans look bad but they lost both touchdowns because of offside penalties. On at least three other occasions they drove deep into Warren territory, once inside the five yard line, but they could not capitalize on their big chances and as a result what was billed as Ohio’s biggest scholastic battle of 1945 ended in a scoreless draw.

Reverting to the kind of football they played against Canton Lincoln and Steubenville Wells, the Tigers last night pushed the brawny, speedy Warren Presidents all over the gridiron but saw the punch in their attack wither and fade away when they came within striking distance of pay dirt. It was against Lincoln and Steubenville that the Tigers played their other two tie games, the duel with Lincoln ending in a scoreless draw and the Steubenville shindig in a 7 to 7 count.

Had the orange and black played the kind of football it put on tap in its two previous games against Mansfield and Alliance it would have smothered Warren under a flock of touchdowns and returned hone with a convincing triumph over a team that had been rated among the top notchers in the state.

Last night’s battle was the 21st between Massillon and Warren teams but it was the first game to end in a tie. Prior to last night the Tigers had defeated Warren 15 times while the eastern Ohio school has five victories to its credit.

The Tigers, as said before, actually scored two touchdowns against Warren only to lose both on penalties and messed up several other fine scoring chances, while Warren with its highly advertised speed merchants and formidable forward wall never actually threatened to score. In fact Heinie Beck’s gladiators never got inside Massillon’s 30 yard line at any stage of the conflict.

With the Warren battle a matter of history, the Tigers now have a record of four victories and three ties in their seven battles. Warren has a mark of five victories and two ties. Next Friday night the orange and black invades Cleveland for another big encounter, meeting the undefeated Cathedral Latin Lions who scored a 6 to 0 victory over the Tigers in 1944 and who are hoping to repeat next week.

In the Warren press box last night was Herb Eisle, veteran coach of the Lions, and a detail of scouts. They withheld comment after the game but they saw what most of the 12,000 fans jammed into the stadium also saw – a Washington high school football team that can play the finest kind of a defensive game but, after seven weeks, has still not become an opportunist – taking advantage of the opportunities which come its way to tally points.

The statistics once again reveal how thoroughly the Tigers out played an opponent but as in the games against Lincoln and Steubenville, statistics do not pay off – it still takes points to win football games.
Tigers In Great Defensive Game
The Tigers, by playing a brilliant defensive game, one of their best of the campaign, thoroughly bottled up Warren’s famed speed merchants – Len Corbin, all-Ohio end in 1944, Abe Williams and George Pulca. As a matter of fact they stopped them dead in their tracks throughout most of the encounter. And with Corbin, Williams and Pulca stopped the Presidents were out on the gridiron with only a prayer. In justice to the speedy Len Corbin it must be said that he was not up to par last night. Injured in the game against Cleveland Shaw a week ago, Len was slowed down to a walk and spent most of the time on the bench, nursing that bad shoulder and some other bumps he picked up through some vicious, but clean, tackling on the part of the Tigers.

Walter Corbin, Len’s brother, starting his first game for the Presidents, bothered the Tigers more than any other member of the Warren team but he never got free long enough to become a scoring threat.
Getting back to the statistics, they show that t he Tigers manhandled the Presidents quite thoroughly but most of that manhandling took place in precincts other than those usually referred to as scoring territory.

Figures complied on last night’s battle show that the Tigers made 11 first downs to three for Warren, that they had a net yardage from both rushing and passing of 181 yards to 70 for Warren and that they fumbled four times and lost the ball on each miscue while Warren fumbled five times and recovered three of its bobbles.

The Tigers missed connections last night on both their running and passing games. Against both Alliance and Mansfield they swept to convincing victories behind some effective aerials and a torrid running attack. Last night this type of game sputtered and finally died out entirely.

But there was a reason for this. Warren’s scouts had been following the Tigers for weeks and they knew that the orange and black had developed its passing and running game to quite an effective point.

So this week Warren’s preparation for repelling the Tiger invasion was devoted to building up a defense designed to stop Massillon’s running attack and its forward passing. And the Presidents succeeded quite well because the Tigers completed only two of 13 attempted passes and had two intercepted.
Presidents Watch Webb
The Tigers kept an eagle eye on Len Corbin, Williams and Co., but the Presidents also kept an equally potent eye on one Bert Webb, the little Massillon Negro speed merchant with the result that Bert was quite effectively checked, except on one occasion and that was early in the battle when he tore off a brilliant dash of 34 yards to set up Massillon’s first opportunity for a touchdown – a touchdown that was lost because of over anxiety on the part of the local lads to get that “quick one” for which they had been aiming for all week and a touchdown which might have turned the battle into another Massillon victory instead of a scoreless draw.

With Webb fairly well shackled by the alert and determined Presidents, the task of toting the ball for Massillon gains fell upon the shoulders of Don McGuire and Gene Zorger and they did quite a good job of it, particularly McGuire who many times ripped and fought his way through the Warren forward wall for substantial gains.

On defense the Tigers were out-standing. The entire team played a bang up game in this department with the result that Warren’s pet offensive, speed on end around plays and off tackle thrusts, was smashed to smithereens.

The Presidents had hoped to turn Len Corbin and Abe Williams loose around the ends but Jack Zeller, playing in the secondary, took care of one side in brilliant fashion while Bernie Green and Capt. Fred Bonk were always messing up Warren’s pet plays on the other side.

Zeller and Green were particularly outstanding, turning loose some brilliant defensive playing, while Bonk, Merle Darrah, Gene Krisher, Tony Uliveto and Tommy Brooks also did their part when it came to nailing Warren ball toters. Virgil Edie, Zorger, McGuire and Webb also contributed their share to stopping the Warren attack.
The jammed spectators had hardly quit trying to squeeze closer together to make room for just one more person on the Warren stands before the Tigers were knocking at the touchdown door.

The orange and black received and Zorger raced Bill Balekly’s kickoff back 11 yards to the Massillon 31. McGuire smashed off tackle for eight and Webb made it first down on the Massillon 43. Massillon picked up five yards when Warren was offside and then Zorger rammed through the line for another first down to the Warren 43.
Webb Picks Up 32 Yards
On the next play, Webb, on a beautiful reverse, scampered through his right tackle and raced 32 yards to Warren’s nine before being pulled to earth. It looked as if the Tigers were on the loose again.

Zorger picked up three yards in a smash at the line and McGuire also rammed for three, taking the ball to Warren’s three. Webb then scooted through a hole and went over but Massillon lost the touchdown when the officials called the ball back and slapped a five yard penalty on the Tigers for backfield in motion. That put the leather back on the eight, making it third down with goal to gain. Webb carried the ball twice but on his second attempt he was stopped short of a touchdown and Warren took possession on its one yard line.

Again late in the first quarter the Tigers opened another march toward the Warren goal. McGuire and Webb negotiated a first down in two plays. The next first down came in four plays with McGuire lugging the ball to Warren’s 38. At this stage Coach Morningstar replaced McGuire with Bob Richards and Brooks with Bill Piper. Webb then tossed a pass to Zeller, the first to be completed by the Tigers, for another first down to the Warren 22. It was good for 17 yards. This play was completed just as the quarter ended.

The Tiger drive for a touchdown, however, was washed out early in the second period when Richards fumbled and Nick Spelich, Warren right tackle, covered on his 34.

But the Tigers came roaring back for another touchdown bid late in the period, only to see another golden opportunity fade. The Tigers got their break when Webb snared a Warren pass, tossed by Walter Corbin, and raced it back from Massillon’s 45 to the Warren 26 before being grounded.

With McGuire doing the heavy work, the Tigers battered their way to Warren’s six yard line before the drive was halted by the Presidents. On second down with three to go for a first down Richards was stopped without gain; McGuire’s attempt to pass over the goal line was batted down and then he was nailed on Warren’s three, inches short of a first down and Warren once again took possession of the ball as the period expired.
Offside, Tigers Lose Points
An offside play robbed Massillon of its touchdown in the third period. Fullback Jack Phillips dropped back to punt but Bernie Green blocked the kick and Gene Zorger scooped up the ball and raced about 20 yards for what looked like a touchdown. But once again the points were washed out when the officials ruled the Tigers had been offside on the kick.

Massillon had two more opportunities to go places in the fourth quarter, once when McGuire, on a brilliant theft, stole the ball right out of George Pulca’s hands and raced it back to midfield. But Massillon’s passing attack failed again.

A short time later Pulca fumbled and Zorger covered on the Massillon 39. Steady plunging by McGuire and a neat run by Webb and a screen pass from McGuire to Webb took the ball to Warren’s 26 but here McGuire fumbled and Dan Lefhgerber covered for Warren to give the Presidents the ball which they retained until the final play of the game when Webb intercepted a Warren pass just as the gun sounded.
Goose Eggs
Massillon – 0 Pos. Warren – 0
Zeller LE L. Corbin
Green LT Spelich
Uliveto LG Lefhgerber
Darrah C Rogers
Brooks RG Blakely
Krisher RT Cardinal
Bonk RE Nader
Edie QB Dunkerton
Webb LHB W. Corbin
McGuire RHB Williams
Zorger FB Phillips

Referee – Lobach.
Umpire – Gross.
Head Linesman – Brown.
Field Judge – Shafer.
Tigers Put
In Fourth Place
Massillon’s Tigers were rated as the fourth
best scholastic football team in Ohio in Dunkel
high school ratings released by the Scholastic
Sports Institute at New York which took into
consideration games played through last week.

Newark’s undefeated grid club topped the Ohio
list with a rating of 72.5 while Cleveland
Cathedral Latin was second with 70.6; Warren
third with 70.1; Massillon fourth with 69.8; and
Canton McKinley fifth with 69.0.

Statistics
Warren Mass.
First downs 3 11
Yards gained, rushing 102 153
Yards lost, rushing 32 —
Net yards gained, rushing 70 153
Yards gained, passing — 28
Forward passes, attempted 4 13
Froward passes, completed 0 2
Passes had intercepted 2 1
Number of punts 9 4
Average distance of punts 27 23
Distance of punts returned 27 23
Number of fumbles 5 4
Times ball lost on fumbles 3 4
Number of penalties 9 4
Yards lost by penalties 65 20
Total yards gained 70 181

History

1945: Massillon 40, Mansfield 6

October 20, 1945June 20, 2017
by Eric Smith

Brilliant Attack Gives Tigers 40-6 Win Over Mansfield
Three Touchdowns Scored On Forward Passes; Webb And McGuire Rip Invaders

By FRED J. BECKER

The Tiger with the “I” is still a better football player than the Tyger with the “Y” and so the orange and black of Washington high school chalked up its fourth triumph of the 1945 scholastic campaign Friday night by plastering a 40 to 6 defeat on the Mansfield Tygers in another one of those knock down, drag out affairs at Tiger stadium with about 18,000 fans, a lot of them soaking wet, watching Coach Augie Morningstar’s Bengals put on display their smoothest and most productive offense of the season.

The Tigers really clicked last night and they ran the big, rugged invaders from Richland county right into the ground with a six-touchdown spree, three of them coming in a thrilling first quarter when the orange and black passed and ran the visitors off their feet in a brilliant burst of offensive power that had the big crowd in a wild frenzy of cheering.
Mansfield Still Looking For Victory
The Mansfield Tygers, with a record of four wins in five starts and a team of youthful giants that held a superior weight and height advantage over the Massillonians, thought this would be their year to trim the orange and black and they came here imbued with plenty of fighting spirit but for the 10th time in as many years they were to be disappointed.

They traveled back home last night defeated for the eighth time in those 10 battles with the local warriors. In the other two games, in 1937 and 1941, they were able to hold the Tigers to tie scores, the final count each time being 6 to 6.
Plenty Of Torrid Talk
The visiting Tygers talked a much better game last night than they played. In fact their verbal outbursts were so torrid Referee Titus Lobach several times warned them, and late in the duel tossed a Mansfield player out of the game for using profanity following a
15-yard penalty on the visitors for unnecessary roughness.

Because the weatherman kicked over the traces early yesterday evening and turned loose a drenching downpour that continued until 30 minutes before game time what would have been the largest crowd to see a game here this season was cut down at least 3,000 by inclement weather. Those who went to the stadium early were caught in a heavy shower but the rain ended at 7:30 and from then on the game was played in ideal weather.

Turning loose a dazzling forward passing attack that brought three of the six touchdowns and a running attack that clipped off big gains behind efficient blocking and interference, the Tigers iced the contest with a 20-point splurge in the first 12 minutes and then, with one exception, repelled Mansfield’s best efforts to score and added three more tallies during the final two periods.

Mansfield plunged and passed to its lone touchdown in the second period but was thoroughly checked after that by a sturdy and alert Tiger defense that outsmarted and outplayed the visitors’ big forward wall in a bruising battle.

The victory kept the Tigers in the undefeated class with four wins against two ties and sets the stage for their big battle next Friday night with the Warren Harding Presidents in Warren.

Scoring honors last night went to Bert Webb, flashy Negro halfback, who galloped for two touchdowns on dazzling runs and showed the invaders more speed than they have looked at all season, and Captain Fred Bonk who snagged two forward passes and raced for touchdowns. Jack Zeller chalked up another touchdown on a forward pass and Don McGuire rammed through the Mansfield line for his set of counters. Don by the way, did a lot of first class ball toting.

Although they had their bad moments and at times found the heavy Mansfield outfit hard to handle, the Tigers continued to play great defensive ball. Once again the entire orange and black forward wall handled its chore in a highly efficient manner with the hard and accurate tackling of Merle Darrah, Jack Zeller, Captain Bonk, Bernie Green and Tony Uliveto being outstanding.
Tigers Hold Big Edge
Although the first downs were 10 to 9 in favor of the Tigers, the orange and black piled up a big lead over Mansfield in yards gained. The Tigers had a gross of 385 yards with a loss of 27 for a net of 258. Mansfield had a gross of 211 with a loss of 10 for 201.

The accuracy of Massillon’s passing attack is shown by the fact the Tigers completed four out of five attempts for 119 yards with three of them producing touchdowns. Mansfield tried 17 passes, completed six for 90 yards and had one intercepted. Massillon punted but once during the game while Mansfield punted three times.

Once the Tigers gained possession of the ball they were hard to stop. They gained the leather three times in the first quarter and each time they roared to touchdowns.

Mansfield won the toss and received but a 15-yard penalty for illegal use of the hands checked them and Ollie Cline punted out of bounds on the Mansfield 44.

Wasting no time the Tigers went right to work and in nine plays had manufactured their first touchdown with Zeller going over after taking a beautiful pass from McGuire.
McGuire To Zeller For Score
Gene Zorger plowed through a big hole in the Mansfield line for nine and McGuire made it a first down on the visitors’ 28. Webb picked up six yards in two plays, Zorger hit for two more and then Webb made it a first down by inches on the 17. Zorger was stopped without gain and Webb was tossed for an eight yard loss. On the next play, McGuire ran far to his left and then lobbed a long pass to Zeller who caught the ball on the three yard line and steamed over for the touchdown. Gene Krisher’s place kick was low.

Heads up football by the Tigers paved the way for their second touchdown. McGuire kicked off but the kick was poor and the ball headed for the sideline on the Mansfield 48. Just before it went out of bounds Bill Piper lunged at the leather but could not hold it. However, he was the last man to touch it before it went out of bounds and it was Massillon’s ball.

Once again the Tiger scoring machine was set into motion. Webb ripped off seven through left tackle and then McGuire slashed through the same spot and by a nifty place of running picked up 20 yards before being downed on the 17. Webb picked up four yards through the line but Massillon was set back five yards for being offside on the next play.

Then Webb unlimbered his pitching arm for the first time during the game and hurled a neat strike to Captain Bonk who snared the ball right on the goal line and stepped across for Massillon’s second touchdown. It required six plays to move the ball 46 yards for the points. This time Krisher plunged instead of attempting a place kick and he rammed over for the extra point.

The big thrill and most spectacular run of the game was to come a few minutes later with Bert Webb doing the running and his teammates opening a path for him by some first class blocking.

Interference by Massillon with a Mansfield pass receiver gave the visitors a first down on their 40 but once again they were stopped and Cline got off a long punt that Webb picked up on his 18-yard line. Tucking the ball under his arm Bert headed for the west sideline and then suddenly darted back toward the center of the field running through the entire Mansfield team and out into the open with only Ralph Majors, Mansfield safety man, blocking his path.
Webb Outruns Majors
But Majors was not quite equal to the task of catching up with the fleet-footed Webb who outraced him in a wild dash for the Mansfield goal line. Webb went over standing up to complete a brilliant 82 yard dash for a touchdown. Krisher made it 20 to 0 by again plunging through the visitors for the extra point.

Although training 20 points the Tygers came back in the second period to take command of the game and they kept possession of the ball throughout most of the quarter, finally scoring their lone touchdown late in the stanza.

With Kenny Horvath, Mansfield’s ace speedster, Cline and Majors lugging the ball, the visitors pushed the Tigers around quite a bit and kept play largely in Massillon territory. Gaining the ball in midfield on a punt by Webb, which proved to be the only time the Tigers punted all evening, the visitors marched right down to the Massillon four-yard line before being halted. Two five-yard penalties on the Tigers for offside helped them to advance the ball.

The Tigers, however, gained possession of the ball on their four when Darrah nailed Otto Schmidt short of a first down but a fumble by Zorger, which was covered by Cline on Massillon’s 23 paved the way for the visitors’ lone touchdown. Once again Massillon was set back five yards for being offside and then Cline tossed a screen pass to Majors who was downed on the eight by Darrah. Cline’s next pass, intended for Majors, failed but the next time he connected on a neat heave to Harold Amsbaugh for a touchdown. Nick Gagich’s attempted placekick was wide.

Massillon received and marched 57 yards in eight plays for its fourth touchdown with a brilliant lateral from Zorger to Dan Byelene and a 38 yard run by Byelene paving the way for the tally.
Lateral Sets Up Touchdown
Webb took the kickoff to start the third period and was almost in the clear when nailed by Majors on the Massillon 43. Once again the Tigers took to the air and McGuire hurled a neat pass to Webb for a 21-yard gain. The Tigers, however, were set back 15 yards on the next play when the officials ruled Webb intentionally grounded the ball when he failed to find a pass receiver open; Zorger then went through right tackle and tossed a lateral to Beyelene who romped to the Mansfield 10 before being downed. Once again the Tigers were halted momentarily when they were penalized five for backs in motion but Zorger plunged from the 15 to the two and two plays later McGuire smashed through for the touchdown. Virgil Cocklin made good on his placement to boost the Tiger total to 27.

A fumble by Byelene after taking a Mansfield punt gave Mansfield another chance to bid for a touchdown. Dave Richards covered the fumble for Mansfield and a 33 yard pass from Majors to Amsbaugh put the ball on Massillon’s 23. Majors then attempted a pass which was intercepted by Darrah, who tossed a lateral to McGuire and Don raced all the way for a touchdown but the ball was called back and Massillon handed a 15 yard penalty for roughing the passer. This put the ball on the Massillon 20 but once again the Tigers stiffened. Two Mansfield passes were batted down and the third was intercepted by Darrah who ran it back to his 18.

This was the signal for Webb and McGuire to cut loose and they did in quick order. Webb raced around right end for 28 yards. Then McGuire steamed around left end for 20 yards and the ball was on Mansfield’s 28. On the next play Webb cut neatly through a hole outside of right tackle and raced unmolested for Massillon’s fifth touchdown. Cocklin’s attempted place kick was wide.

Again Mansfield drove down into Massillon territory after the kickoff and again the Tigers were equal to the occasion, holding for downs and gaining the ball on their 22. And again they started a touchdown march with Webb and McGuire knifing through for good gains and Webb and Bonk then teaming up to make good on a 52-yard forward pass for the touchdown.
Webb To Bonk For Another Score
Eight plays were required to move the ball 78 yards with Webb putting the clincher on the drive by tossing a pass to Bonk who took the ball on the Mansfield 30 and raced the remaining yards for the score. Webb went over for the extra point on a line plunge.

It was then Coach Morningstar decided his regulars had done a good evening’s work and sent in his second team to finish the combat.

Bob Richards was the only Tiger casualty last night. He was injured about the head late in the second period and was temporarily blinded but was recovering his sight rapidly later in the evening. Ollie Cline, Mansfield’s ace passer, was badly shaken up when tackled hard in the second period and did not play during the last half, Majors taking over the forward passing duties.
Smearing The Tyger
Massillon – 40 Pos. Mansfield – 6
Zeller LE Amsbaugh
Green LT Beard
Uliveto LG Richards
Darrah C Emerson
Piper RG Gross
Krisher RT Boals
Bonk RE Sinerson
Edie QB Cline
Webb LHB Taddeo
McGuire RHB Majors
Zorger FB Horvath

Score by periods:
Massillon 20 0 13 7 40
Mansfield 0 6 0 0 6

Touchdowns:
Massillon – Bonk, 2; Webb, 2; Zeller, McGuire.
Mansfield – Amsbaugh.

Points after touchdown:
Massillon – Krisher, 2 (plunges); Cocklin, 1 (placekick).Webb, 1 (placekick).

Substitutes:
Massillon – Young, rt; Brooks, rg; Richards, rh; Giloff, fb; Byelene, lh; Cocklin, rh; Bishop, le; Johnson, re; Ceckler, lt; Tomasevich, lg; Schumacher, rg, Dowd, c; Yost, qb; Bardarnza, lh; Gutshall, fb.
Mansfield – Rondy, lh; Schmidt, rh; Wentz, c; Gagich, fb; Lindsay, rt; Henke, re.

Referee – Lobach.
Umpire – Ruff.
Head Linesman – Long.
Field Judge – Brubaker.
STATISTICS
Mass. Mans.
First downs 10 11
Yards gained by rushing 266 121
Passes attempted 5 17
Passes completed 4 6
Yards gained by passing 119 90
Gross yardage 385 211
Yards lost 27 10
Net yardage 358 201
Number of kickoffs 7 2
Average distance of kickoffs 36 46
Average return of kickoffs 32 9
Number of punts 1 3
Average distance of punts 29 33
Average return of punts 27 0
Fumbles 2 3
Times ball lost on fumbles 2 1
Times penalized 9 4
Yards lost on penalties 65 50

History

1945: Massillon 44, Alliance 7

October 13, 1945June 20, 2017
by Eric Smith

Tigers Blast Alliance 44-7 In Touchdown Splurge
Webb Thrills Crowd With 3 Long Dashes; Aviators Score On 60 Yard March

By FRED J. BECKER

A point hungry Tiger, whose fangs had been dulled but not quite knocked out during the past two weeks, came roaring back Friday night at Tiger stadium to stage its greatest and most satisfying touchdown orgy of the 1945 scholastic football campaign.

Ripping and slashing along at a pace that even exceeded their great demonstration against the Red Riders of Weirton, W. Va., three weeks ago, Coach Augie Morningstar’s victory parched Bengals last night demonstrated, not only to their supporters but to themselves, that they possess a touchdown punch as they stream-rolled their way to a convincing 44 to 6 triumph over a band of formidable and fighting Alliance Aviators.
Tigers in Brilliant Exhibition
Held to tie scores the past two weeks after rolling up victories in their first two combats, the Tigers last night gave a scintillating all-around exhibition of football ability as they ran, plunged and passed their way to a seven touchdown spree to chalk up their third victory without defeat and their largest score of the season.

And it is well for the orange and black that if found its mislaid touchdown wallop for the scrappy Aviators invaded Massillon for their annual shindig with the Tigers primed to put up a whale of a fight and they did throughout most of the contest, marching 60 yards in the first quarter to score their lone touchdown and take a momentary lead by adding the extra point.
Regain Lead In Quick Order
But that Alliance touchdown just seemed to spur the Tigers on and before the game was over the Aviators were reeling before the lethal blows delivered by Morningstar’s warriors as they uncorked a touchdown parade that must have brought joy to the hearts of those Tiger fans who were beginning to have a faint suspicion that their boys might not have what it takes when the chips are down.

Any suspicions of that nature were thoroughly dispelled last night. The Tigers do have what it takes and the victory they registered over their old Stark county rival should make them mighty hard to handle from here on out, even though they do have such tough babies coming up as Mansfield, Warren, Cathedral Latin and Canton McKinley.

Last night’s victory was a sweet morsel for Coach Morningstar and his gladiators but it was a rather costly triumph. It was a typical Massillon-Alliance shindig with the Aviators inflicting quite a lot of punishment, and some of it a bit off color. Late in the game the Aviators were penalized half the distance to the goal for slugging.

Three Massillon players were quite severely injured with Bob Waltz, regular left guard, probably being lost for the balance of the season.

The stocky lineman had the ligaments in his left knee torn in the first half and it is doubtful if he will see any more action.

Gene Krisher, right tackle, had three front teeth knocked out, while Tom Brooks, right guard, sustained a badly cut lip that required two stitches to close. Both boys, however, remained in action until late in the game. Brooks having his damaged lip sewed up between halves.
Webb Paces Tigers
Burt Webb, nimble footed Negro halfback, paced the Tigers in their touchdown parade, galloping over the Alliance goal line to score four of Massillon’s tallies. Jack Zeller, Gene Zorger and Dan Byelene registered the other three.

Offensively the Tigers looked like a million dollars with Webb thrilling a crowd of 13,500 by three beautiful touchdown gallops, one for 53 yards, another for 31 and then a truly hair raising dash of 75 yards after intercepting an Alliance pass. Zeller scored his touchdown on a nifty forward pass from Don McGuire that was good for an overall gain of 53 yards. Zorger and Byelene scored on short plunges while Webb also tallied his fourth set of counters on a short dash through the line.

Except for those first few minutes in the opening quarter when the Aviators hit the Tigers with everything except the water bucket to march 60 yards for their lone touchdown, the orange and black dominated play. After the Aviators had tallied, the Bengals took a new lease on life and from then on their defensive play improved with the result that the Aviators threatened no more during the remainder of the battle and wilted rapidly in the last two quarters as the effect of Massillon’s deadly tackling began to reap its toll.

Once again the entire Tiger team distinguished itself by its fine defensive play and the work of the line on offense also showed great improvement over that of last week when Steubenville Wells held the orange and black to a 7 to 7 tie. Interference and blocking for ball carriers also was much better.

Outstanding defensively were the fine performances of Tony Uliveto, who replaced injured Bob Waltz, Merle Darrah, Krisher, Brooks, Zeller, Captain Fred Bonk, Jim Young and Bernie Green. Webb also played a bear of a game on defense, several times nailing Alliance runners after they had gotten into the clear. Virgil Edie, Gene Yost and McGhire also nailed a lot of Alliance ball toters.
Score In Every Quarter
The Tigers piled up two touchdowns in each of the first three quarters and then finished their night’s chore with one in the fourth.

The second team started the fourth quarter and scored the final touchdown. Third stringers went into the battle late in the final period.

It took just three plays for the Tigers to chalk up their first touchdown. Zeller took Maccioli’s kickoff and ran it back from the 30 to the 40. Webb went around d right end for our and McGuire rammed through left tackle for three.

Then Webb knifed through right tackle, cut back sharply to his left, turned loose the steam and in a jiffy was out in the clear and racing unmolested for the Alliance goal. He made it with yards to spare, completing a 53 yard gallop for Massillon’s first points.

Virgil Cocklin, the sophomore placement kicker, went in to try for the extra point but missed.

Then it was Alliance’s turn to take the spotlight and the big boys from the eastern section of Stark County made the most of their chance.
Aviators On The Move
Dick Strait, one of Alliance’s backfield speedsters, took McGuire’s kickoff on his 15 and raced it back to the Alliance 40 before he was tagged by Waltz and McGuire. Then the Aviators began to move and in 13 plays they had marched the ball 60 yards without a break for what proved to be their only touchdown.

With George Balogh, husky backfielder, spearheading the drive, the Aviators opened gaping holes in the Tigers line as they smashed steadily down the field. On their first offensive play, Balogh rammed through the line and was headed for pay dirt until Webb brought him down after a gain of 15 yards. Strait and Balogh made seven in two plunges and then Strait passed to left and Ed Krahling for 13 yards to put the ball on Massillon’s 29. Again Webb averted a touchdown by nailing Krahling after he had dashed into the open.

Balogh, Strait and Dean Russ, fullback, began to hammer the Tiger line for steady gains and soon the Aviators were on the Massillon four yard line for a first down. Strait smashed for two and then Blagoh plunged over for the points. Maccioli made the extra point by running across the goal line after taking a lateral from Strait and this point put the visitors ahead 7 to 6.

But not for long.

Zorger took the Alliance kickoff and raced it back to his 36 and five plays later the Tigers had chalked p their second to9uchdown to forge back into the lead where they stayed the rest of the battle. This time they took to the air to tally and the aerial assault hit the Aviators with the force of a block buster.
McGuire Pitches, Zeller Does Rest
McGuire, Webb and Zorger clicked off a first down in four plunges to the Massillon 47. Then McGuire decided to unlimber his pitching arm for the first time in the game. His effort was a beautiful long pass which nestled in Jack Zeller’s big hands far ahead of any Alliance warrior and Jack scampered about 20 yards for the second set of counters. The play was good for 53 yards. This time Webb plunged the ball over for the extra point and the Tigers were leading 13 to 7.

But Alliance was to be rocked plenty before the evening was over. Early in the second quarter Zeller took a punt from Strait and was downed on the Alliance 44. Webb’s feet were still hot so he ripped through right tackle again, cut back and raced to the Alliance 31 before being tackled, a gain of 13 yards. The next time Bert went to his right again, but this time he dashed around end and behind fine interference raced into the open and gave those hot feet the signal to go and when it was all over he had covered 31 yards on another brilliant dash for Massillon’s third set of counters and his second touchdown of the evening.

But young Mr. Webb’s torrid tootsies had not yet cooled off and he was still to turn in the game’s most thrilling run.

The Aviators were still fighting and after taking the kickoff they drove to Massillon’s 25 but there they were checked when Zeller intercepted a pass tossed by Balogh. However, the play put Massillon in a tough hole because Zeller made an illegal lateral to Zorger when he was about to be tackled and the officials slapped a penalty on the Bengals that took the ball back to the Massillon one-yard line.

McGuire punted to Krahling who was tackled on Massillon’s 32. This set the stage for Bert’s biggest thriller. After two plays Balogh uncorked a pass. Webb was at the right spot to intercept it, taking the ball on his 25 and then with his teammates clearing a path for him he raced 75 yards down the west side line for his third touchdown. Cocklin made good on his placement kick but the Tigers were guilty of holding and the point was erased. Set back 15 yards the Tigers tried a forward but it miss fired.

The start of the third quarter still found Webb in a point making mood. He took a poor punt by Strait and was downed on the Alliance 25. The Bengals made little progress until Webb unlimbered a pass to Zorger that was good for 21 yards, putting the ball on the four. Bert was stopped without gain on the next play but couldn’t be stopped a second time and plunged over for his fourth touchdown. Cocklin made good from placement and the Tigers were out in front 32 to 7.

A fumble by Balogh set up Massillon’s sixth touchdown a few minutes later. Uliveto covered the leather on the Alliance 32. Zorger flashed through right tackle and across the goal but the touchdown was ruled out because Massillon’s backfield was in motion.
Zorger Tallies
The Tigers were handed a five penalty but picked up 15 a play later when Alliance was penalized for illegal use of hands. This put the ball on visitors’ 19. McGuire and Webb reeled off 10 yards in two plays and then Zorger rammed to within six inches of the goal line. He went over on the next play. The attempt at conversion failed.

Coach Morningstar began to run in his reserves and they tallied the seventh touchdown in the final period.

After getting an Alliance punt on Massillon’s 44, Bill Gutschall, substitute fullback, touched off the touchdown march with a 21 yard spurt to the Alliance 35. Bob Richards picked up eight. Byelene fumbled but recovered for a loss of nine. Then Dan heaved a pass to Earl Johnson that picked up 14 yards to the visitors’ 22. Byelene and Gutschall lugged the leather to the five in two plays from where Byelene dashed over for the score. Again the attempted conversion failed.

That was all the scoring with the third stringers taking over about two minutes before the game ended.

The points this time far outshone the statistics, although the Tigers held the edge in everything but first downs. These were even, 11 for each team.

Massillon had a net gain of 290 yards, compiling a gross of 313 with a loss of 23. Alliance had a net of 163, with a gross of 177 and a loss of 14.

The Tigers completed three of six passes for 91 yards, one of them for a touchdown. Alliance completed three of 11 for 55 yards and had three intercepted. No Massillon passes were intercepted.

More Like It

Massillon – 44 Pos. Alliance – 7
Zeller LH Krahling
Green LT Vernon
Waltz LG Reese
Darrah C Edwards
Brooks RG Cobbs
Krisher RT Pucci
Bonk RE M. Maccioli
Edie QB Plum
Webb LHB Strait
McGuire RHB Balogh
Zorger FB Russ

Score by quarters:
Massillon 13 12 13 6 44
Alliance 7 0 0 0 7

Touchdowns:
Massillon – Webb 4; Zeller; Zorger; Byelene.
Alliance – Balogh.

Points after touchdown:
Massillon – Webb (plunge); Cocklin (placekick).
Alliance – M. Maccioli (run).

Substitutes:
Massillon – Cocklin, rh; Giloff, fb; Uliveto, lg; Young, lg; Byelene, lh; Yost, qb; Richards, hb; Gutshall, fb; Johnson, le; Bishop, re; Ceckler, rt; Piper, rg; Dowd, c; Schumacher, lg; Chovan, hb; Schludecker, le; Hogan, re; Whitman, c; Olenick, fb; Edie, pb; Smith, lt; Krisher, rt; Sandy, lg; Thomason, rg.
Alliance – Myers, rt; Nixon, lg; A. Maccioli, fb; Tate, c.

Referee – Long.
Umpire – Graf.
Head Linesman – Schell.
Field Judge – Rupp.

STATISTICS
Mass. Alliance
First downs 11 11
Yards gained by rushing 222 122
Passes attempted 6 11
Passes completed 3 3
Yards gained by passing 91 53
Passes had intercepted 0 3
Gross yardage 313 177
Yards lost 23 14
Net yardage 290 163
Number of punts 2 3
Average distance of punts 34 8
Average return of punts 5 3
Number of kickoffs 8 3
Average distance of kickoffs 43 35
Average return of kickoffs 7 17
Fumbles 4 1
Times ball lost on fumbles 1 1
Number of penalties 6 4
Yards lost on penalties 50 60

History

1945: Massillon 7, Steubenville Wells 7

October 6, 1945June 20, 2017
by Eric Smith

Tigers, Big Red Battle To 7-7 Tie In Muddy Clash
Steubenville Scores Late In Game After Massillon Fails On Several Chances

By FRED J. BECKER

The Washington high school Tigers recorded a net gain of 349 yards moving the ball more than three times the length of a football field – and scored only seven points!

The Big Red of Steubenville Wells high school compiled a net gain of only 53 yards, a little more than half the length of a football field – and still scored seven points!

Massillon’s Tigers rang the cash register f or 18 first downs’ Steubenville’s Big Red moved the 10-yard chain but twice but the final score read: Massillon 7, Steubenville7.
6,000 Fans Witness Contest:
All this happened Friday night in the mud and rain and fog at Steubenville Wells stadium before 6,000 fans, the smallest gathering to see a Tiger- Big Red battle since the two old gridiron rivals renewed their annual shindigs back in 1937. It was far from a pleasant night for football, with intermittent showers and a slippery, muddy gridiron adding to the discomfort of both spectators and players. Only a handful of Massillon fans braved threatening weather yesterday afternoon to journey to the battle scene.

For the second time in as many weeks, Coach Augie Morningstar’s Tigers played their hearts out and gained nothing better than a tie score. A week ago last night they chalked up a wide margin over the Canton Lincoln Lions in the ground gaining department but were able to gain nothing better than a scoreless draw with the east enders, a fumble in the closing minutes of play robbing them of a chance to win.
Tigers Score Early On Pass
Last night they roamed through the air and through the mud to put on display their greatest ground gaining exhibition of the season but still they were able to score but seven points, those coming early in the first quarter on a beautifully executed forward pass from Don McGuire to Jack Zeller. But once again they saw victory elude their grasp when late in the fourth period the Stubbers intercepted a pass tossed by Bert Webb, raced it back from Massillon’s 34 to the 14 and then by dint of hard plugging rammed the ball over from the two yard line for the points that gave them a tie with the orange and black.

And today Coach Morningstar is wondering just what he can do to break the jinx that has beset his lads and which for two straight weeks has kept them away from notching victories their playing out on the field entitled them to but which they failed to achieve. There must be a reason why the Tigers today have a record for two victories against two ties, rather than a string of four straight.

Coach Morningstar has been hunting for that reason for some time and if he finds it the Tigers may still prove to be as formidable as their record of ground gained indicates.

For Steubenville’s Big Red last night’s 7-7 tie with the Tigers is one of those moral victory things. No one expected them to win or even come close to holding the Tigers to a tie. In three previous games the Stubbers had been kicked around rather soundly by Follansbeen and Weirton, W. Va., and East Liverpool. They had soaked up three straight defeats and had not been able to score a point.

Last night they scored their first points of the 1945 campaign and the seven they tallied were enough to give them a tie with the vaunted Massillon Tiger – and that more than satisfied the Big Red, their supporters and their coach. Prior to last night the Big Red had lost eight straight battles to the Tigers.

A few days ago Fortune A. Sullo, Big Red coach wrote us a letter taking us to task rather lightly for a story early in the week saying that Steubenville probably would prove another tough foe for Bengals because every team on a Massillon schedule had a habit of turning tough when they faced the Tigers.
Good On Field, Too
He said we were trying to make the game look good on paper. Well the game not only looked good on paper, but it looked awfully good from a Steubenville standpoint out there on the field. Even Coach Sullo probably raised his eyebrows a trifle last night when he saw the plucky battle his lads waged against the Tigers.

The only explanation for last night’s tie score is that the Big Red proved themselves to be better opportunists than the Tigers. Steubenville had but one chance all night to score – and the Stubbers took full advantage of it. The Tigers, after scoring once, had at least three other chances to tally points but each time they failed to make the most of their opportunity – once losing a touchdown when right up against the Steubenville goal line.

The Tigers played their hearts out again and took quite a battering from a Steubenville team that held a sizeable weight advantage but gained nothing better than a tie score out of the melee, largely because they were not able to take advantage of the opportunities their own playing brought them or because the breaks went against them – for instance a costly fumble in the fourth quarter that halted a Tiger march on Steubenville’s 30 after some spectacular dashes by Bert Webb had carried the ball from deep into Massillon territory to deep into Steubenville’s sector.

With Merle Darrah, Webb and Bob Richards nursing injuries Coach Morningstar shoved a revamped lineup into the fray, moving Gene Krisher from right tackle to center, installing Jim Young at the tackle berth and putting McGuire and Dan Byelene into the halfback posts. This aggregation played a lot of good football with Alex Giloff going in as a replacement for Gene Zorger and Gene Yost relieving Virgil Edie, who took quite a pounding from the Big Red.

Despite the muddy field and wet night, the Tigers uncovered a rather effective running attack and a better than average aerial assault with McGuire and Byelene doing the pitching and Zeller, Capt. Fred Bonk and McGuire on the receiving end. The slippery ball was hard to handle and because of this several Tiger aerials that might have been converted into touchdowns went for naught when local receivers were unable to hold the pigskin.
Tigers Tough On Defense
Defensively the Tigers were as tough to dent as a stonewall, except for that brief period in the final quarter when an inspired Big Red outfit, seeing a chance to avert defeat and gain a tie score ,plunged and lunged its way over the Tiger goal line for the points that knotted the score at seven all.

Offensively the Tigers despite the fact that they gained 340 yards, at times displayed faulty timing and interference and an attack that sputtered and failed just when they needed it most.

McGuire, Byelene, Giloff and Zorger plunged and ran their way to a lot of yardage on the water soaked field. The Tigers displayed their customary hard and accurate tackling with every boy who got into the game performing well on defense.

One of Steubenville’s biggest assets was Don Joyce, veteran end, whose brilliant and long-distance punting took Steubenville away from dangerous territory, many times. He also was a bear on defense. Offensively Pete Polovina, a fast stepping 160-pounder, who scored Steubenville’s lone touchdown on a wide dash around end, and Preston Robinson, sturdy Negro line cracker, were the Stubbers outstanding stars.

The Tigers threw passes last night, completing seven for 122 yards, one of them good for a touchdown. Steubenville tried four completing three for 14 yards. Nine Tiger heaves failed and four were intercepted. Steubenville had one aerial fail to connect.

The Tigers had a gross gain from all types of play of 364 yards with a loss of 15 for a net of 349. Steubenville had a gross of 81, a loss of 28 for a net of 43. Last night’s game proved once again that the pay off comes on points, not on yardage.

The Tigers won the toss and received and promptly chalked up their first and only touchdown of the battle. Starting from their 33 yard line after the kickoff the Tigers moved steadily toward the Steubenville goal despite a flock of penalties inflicted on both teams in midfield, the penalties keeping the ball moving back and forth much more rapidly than the gladiators were able to.

Finally Zorger rammed for a first down on Steubenville’s 42. On the next play McGuire wrapped his fingers around the slippery leather and cut loose with a long pass. Jack Zeller out in the open grabbed the ball and romped 10 yards for the score. Virgil Cocklin, sophomore placekicker, was rushed in to try for the extra point and he made good, splitting the uprights with a perfect kick. It’s a good thing he did. That point proved the difference between a tie and a defeat later on.
Pass Interception Hurts
Late in the initial period the Tigers began another march. Two first downs moved the ball to Steubenville’s 33 but Polovina intercepted a McGuire pass to end the threat. But the Tigers came pounding right back. Getting the ball after Joyce had punted, the orange and black steamed back to Steubenville’s 39 when Zorger punted for a first down. He then raced around left end for another to the Big Red’s 28. But Byelene was tossed for a loss of nine and Massillon incurred a 15-yard penalty for holding to take the ball back to Steubenville’s 49.

Once again the Tigers battered their way back after an exchange of punts. A Byelene-to-McGuire pass picked up 12 and then the Tigers brought out their fake kick play and Byelene took the ball from McGuire and ran around right end to the Big Red’s 30.

Byelene tossed to McGuire for 17 yards to put the ball on the 13. McGuire and Byelene picked up six in two plunges but on fourth down with four to go, McGuire was stopped and the Big Red took the ball on its five-yard line.

A neat 14-yard dash by Giloff and a 15-yard gain around end by Byelene late in the second period once again put the Tigers inside Steubenville’s 40-yard line but another chance to score went glimmering when Zeller failed to hold the slippery ball after taking a long pass from McGuire.

In the third quarter the Tigers launched an attack that moved the ball from their 19 to Steubenville’s two without a break but once again Lady Luck was not with them and they failed to score.

Starting from their 19 after Joyce had punted, the Tigers ripped and passed their way right down the field. Zorger, Byelene and McGuire took care of the ball toting chores while McGuire tossed, one pass to Zeller for 14 yards and Byelene heaved one to Bonk for 18 yards. Then two beautiful dashes by McGuire, each good for 11 yards, put the ball on Steubenville’s 10 and this time it looked as if the Tigers were going to hit pay dirt.
Stopped Again
Giloff and McGuire picked up five in two plunges. Then McGuire tried a short pass over the line to Bonk, which failed. Here the Tiger drive sputtered and finally fizzled out altogether when Giloff was stopped on the two yard line, inches away from a first down.

After Joyce had punted McGuire cut loose on another spectacular dash of 17 yards to put the ball on the 33 but Povolina averted a Tiger score by intercepting a Massillon pass and running it back to his 22. Stratton then clipped off 19 on a reverse to give Steubenville its first first down of the game.

Webb, Darrah and Richards were sent into the game in the fourth quarter and Webb raced the ball from his 32 to Steubenville’s 22 in two nifty dashes off tackle. But once again the Tigers ran into tough luck when Richards fumbled and Steubenville covered on its 30.
The big break for the Big Red came a few minutes later when Eugene Wells intercepted a pass tossed by Webb on the Massillon 34 and ran it back to the Tiger 14. This was Steubenville’s big chance and the Stubbers made the most of it.

Robinson plunged through the line for nine. Zeller tossed Povolina for eight on a beautiful tackle but Povolina then passed to Joyce for six and Robinson plunged again for a first down on the Tiger three. Robinson and Querlino Lelli made two in two lunges and then Povolina tucked the ball under his arm and running wide toward left end, sailed over the Tiger goal line.

Lelli’s attempted placekick was blocked but the Tigers were ruled offside and the Big Red got another chance to make the point that meant a tie score. On their next attempt Povolina plunged over for the extra point and the game was all tied up at seven all.

The Tigers received and took to the air in a desperate last minute attempt to score again. But the threat was wiped out when Povolina intercepted a Massillon pass.
Another Tie
Massillon – 7 Pos. Steubenville – 7
Zeller LE Joyce
Green LT Miller
Waltz LG Quinn
Krisher C Lawrence
Brooks RG Wells
Young RT Carocci
Bonk RE Bickerstaff
Edie QB Povolina
Byelene LH Stratton
McGuire RH Robinson
Zorger FB Mosti

Score by quarters:
Massillon 7 0 0 0 7
Steubenville 0 0 0 7 7

Touchdowns:
Massillon – Zeller.
Steubenville – Povolina.

Points after touchdown:
Massillon – Cocklin (placekick).
Steubenville – Povolina (plunge).

Substitutions:
Massillon – Giloff, fb; Uilveto, lg; Tomasevich, rt; Yost, qb; Gutshall, fb; Webb, lh; Richards, rh; Darrah, c; Cocklin, rh.
Steubenville – Hess, re; Leill, qb; Crawley, c; Mosti, lh.

Referee – Gross.
Umpire – Goodwin.
Head Linesman – Schill.
Field Judge – Broda.

Statistics
Mass. Steub.
First downs 18 2
Yards gained by rushing 242 67
Passes attempted 20 4
Passes completed 7 3
Passes had intercepted 4 0
Yards gained by passing 122 14
Gross yardage 364 31
Yards lost 15 28
Net yardage 349 53
Number of kickoffs 2 2
Average distance of kickoffs 48 38
Average return of kickoffs 18 27
Number of punts 2 9
Average distance of punts 37 37
Average return of punts 5 7
Number of fumbles 4 0
Times ball lost on fumbles 2 0
Number of penalties 4 4
Yards lost by penalties 50 20

Author: <span>Eric Smith</span>