Eric Smith, Author at MassillonTigers.com

1933: Massillon 70, New Philadelphia 0

October 13, 1933May 21, 2017
by Eric Smith

POWERFUL AERIAL AND PASSING ATTACK CRUSHED NEW PHILADELPHIA 70-0
TIGERS GRAB FOURTH STRAIGHT WITH BEST SCORE IN NINE YEARS

By LUTHER EMERY

Piling up the largest score made by a Massillon football team in nine years, the Washington high Tigers raced through the frosty air on Massillon Field Friday evening to a 70-0 victory over New Philadelphia high; their fourth of the season and their third successive Northeastern Ohio league triumph.

Not since a powerful Tiger team crushed Alliance 77-0 and Wellston 70-0 in 1924 has Massillon registered such complete superiority on their gridiron as it did last night and
yet – the story is just the same as it has been in each preceding game – the first stringers only played one-half the game.

19 First Downs
The superiority of the Massillon team is not measured by the score alone, for the Tigers excelled in all but one department, that of passing. They made 19 first downs to New Philadelphia’s seven and on eight of the first nine times that they secured possession of the ball they scored touchdowns.

Not since the time of Jack Snavely has a Massillon team played offensive and deceptive football comparable to that displayed last night. Faking on every play the locals time and again fooled Quaker tacklers who rushed in to barrel the wrong man and left the ball carrier wade through a yawning gap for a long gain.

All the ball carriers had to do was run last night. The powerful line that one opposing coach has described as a string of box cars, splintered the New Philadelphia forward wall and cleared the path for the ball carrier and his five-man interference.

Strong On End Runs
The Tigers were especially successful on their sweeps around the ends for here most of their several hundred yards from scrimmage were gained.

The first touchdown came on a 30-yard sweep after a double reverse with Mellinger lugging the ball. Getting the ball for the first time on their own 46-yard line the Tigers started out on a touchdown march. Mellinger wormed through left tackle for nine yards but lost three on a triple pass on the next play. Krier circled right end on a reverse for a first down on the 43-yard line and McCants plunged through center on a spinner for 13 and a first down on the 30. Shertzer hurled a long pass to Lohr who was in the open but the ball was too high. On the next play Mellinger dashed around end for a touchdown. Krier’s placekick for the extra point was wide.

The locals kicked off to New Philadelphia which after failing to gain punted poorly to its own 37-yard line. On the second play Krier went over for a touchdown from the 27-yard line but the ball was brought back and Massillon penalized 15 yards for clipping. The Tigers came right back to carry the ball to the three-yard line, where they forfeited it on downs to the Quakers. A 15-yard penalty that followed enabled New Philadelphia to make its first first down of the game. However, the Quakers failed to make any more yardage and their attempted punt on the fourth down was blocked and Massillon took possession of the ball on the 24-yard line just as the quarter ended.

Mellinger Scores Again
Starting the second quarter McCants plunged for five yards. Mellinger was stopped without gain but Krier smashed through for a 14-yard dash to the five-yard line. McCants made a yard and Mellinger slid through left tackle for a touchdown. Krier again missed an attempted placekick for the extra point.

Krier kicked off to the 28-yard line and New Philadelphia was set back 15 yards for clipping. Mellinger returned the following punt 42 yards to the three-yard line, where McCants plunged over for the touchdown. Krier kicked the extra point this time and the score was 19-0 in the Tigers’ favor.

Again Krier kicked off and the ball was returned to the 19-yard line. A 15-yard pass gave New Philadelphia a first down, but Monroe hauled down a Quaker pass to give Massillon the ball on the 32-yard line. On the very first play Shertzer shot a beautiful pass to Lohr who took it on the run and ran over for the touchdown. Krier’s attempted kick was wide again and the score stood at 25-0.

Kicking off to the 12-yard line, Massillon held the Quakers to a total gain of four yards in three plays and a none too good kick gave the locals the ball on the 36-yard line. On the very first play, Krier circled right end for a touchdown and followed with a pass to Lohr for the extra point. This raised the score to 32-0.

McCants Romps 67 Yards
Following the next kickoff the Quakers worked a series of passes that carried the ball to midfield, where they were forced to punt, the ball going out of bounds on the 26-yard line. McCants made seven yards on a spinner and then romped away for 67 yards and a touchdown. He bowled over one of the secondary with a stiff arm and outran the safety man. Krier kicked the goal to give the Massillon team a 39-0 advantage at the half.

The second team played all of the last two periods, only Mellinger hanging over from the starting lineup.

Massillon’s kickoff went over the goal line and a poor New Philadelphia punt gave the Tigers the ball on the 12-yard line. On the very first play Dutton snapped a pass to Dietz for a touchdown. Mansbury’s attempted pass for the extra point was blocked. Score Massillon 45.

A five-yard return of New Philadelphia punt started the second march of the quarter from the 35-yard line. A forward pass having failed, Mansbury pivoted and wormed his way to the 20-yard line, going over for a touchdown on the very next play. His attempted kick was blocked and it bounded on the ground. Massillon 51 points.

Tigers Punt For First Time
The Tigers punted the next time they came into possession of the ball. It was their first punt of the game, a five-yard penalty and two incomplete passes stopping them from making a first down.

Morningstar put them back in the game, however, when he intercepted a pass on the
38-yard line. Chovan circled right end for 15 yards and a first down on the 23-yard line and Mellinger made nine more at left end. Mansbury made it first down and four to go and though Chovan lost five when bottled up on an end run, Mansbury came right back to wade through center for a touchdown. His kick was wide again. Score: Massillon 57.

Several minutes of the fourth quarter passed by uneventful, but Dutton suddenly came out of nowhere to snare a Quaker pass and run 40 yards for a touchdown. Sladavic was stopped on the line of scrimmage in his plunge for the extra point. This increased Massillon’s total to 63 points.

McDew Scores Last Points
Jimmy McDew, substitute end, had the honor of scoring the last touchdown of the game. A good pass receiver, McDew pulled down a 28-yard shot from Dutton and romped across the goal line. The same play was repeated, Dutton passing to McDew for the extra point.

The attack was diversified with forward passes last night for the first time this season and great improvement was shown in the aerial department.

Passes were responsible for three of the touchdowns and two points after touchdown. A total of two were completed for a gain of 121 yards in addition to two completed for the extra points. Five were intercepted.

New Philadelphia completed six passes for a gain of 69 yards and had three intercepted and two batted passes fell by the wayside and one down.

The New Philadelphia and Washington high bands furnished plenty of music and their drilling brought a rousing ovation from the 3,000 fans.

As the resume of the game shows, no Massillon player was outstanding last night, all ball carriers and linemen alike sharing equally in the triumph. Bob Sharke, who injured an ankle in the Wooster game a week ago, did not play. His place was capably filled by Mellinger. Hoernaman was outstanding for New Philadelphia. What ground was gained, he made, and he likewise tossed most of the passes.

Other high scores made by Massillon teams during the past nine years are as follows:
1932 – Massillon 26, New Philadelphia, 0; 1931 – Massillon 20, Canton 8; 1930 – Massillon 46, Dover 0; 1929 – Massillon 46, Akron Kenmore 8; 1928 – Massillon 32, Wooster 0;
1927 – Massillon 15, John Adams 19; 1926 – Massillon 46, Akron Garfield 0;
1925 – Massillon 18, Zanesville 0; and 1924 – Massillon 74, Wellston 0; and Massillon 77, Alliance 0.

Lineup and summary:
Massillon Pos. New Philadelphia
Lohr LE Resler
Birkish LT Masman
Porter LG Corbett
Monroe C Gopp
Snavely RG Shearer
Buggs RT Glass
Heisler RE Demuth
Shertzer QB Wortman
Krier LH Johnson
Mellinger RH Carlisle
McCants FB Hoernaman

Score by periods:
Massillon 6 33 18 13 70

Substitutions:
Massillon – Wolf, lt; Dietz, le; Molinski, rg; Chovan, lh; Peters, rt; G. Schimke, re; Mansbury, fb; Dutton, qb; Smith, lg; Morningstar, c; McDew, le; Hutsell, lh; Sladavic, fb.
New Philadelphia – Jenkins, lt; Pryst, qb; Bedloin, g; Beitzel, c.

Touchdowns:
Massillon – Mellinger 2; McCants 2; Mansbury 2; Lohr; Krier; Dietz; Dutton; McDew.

Points after touchdown:
Massillon – Krier 2 (placekicks); Lohr and McDew (passes).

Referee – Shafer (Akron).
Umpire – Lobach (F. & M.).
Head Linesman – Rang (Akron).

History

1933: Massillon 53, Wooster 0

October 7, 1933May 21, 2017
by Eric Smith

WASHINGTON HIGH SWAMPS WOOSTER 53-0;
MEETS NEW PHILADELPHIA NEXT
TIGER TEAM SHOWS GREAT STRENGTH IN SATURDAY’S VICTORY

By LUTHER EMERY

It will take more than New Philadelphia, Friday evening’s opponent of Washington high school to test the strength of the three Tiger elevens that Saturday afternoon, invaded Wooster and swept through the Generals to a 53-0 victory.

Reverse the picture and you can visualize what the Quakers have to think about this
week – they must play Massillon’s team that beat Wooster 53-0. Wooster defeated New Philadelphia 13-12. It seems the Tigers will have to wait another week to see just how good they really are.

Three Teams Used Saturday
Overconfidence will be a stronger opponent than New Philadelphia in Friday evening’s game and if the orange and black can keep inflation out of their minds they should win without difficulty.

Coach Paul Brown did everything possible Saturday to keep down over confidence. When his first team pushed over three touchdowns in seven minutes, he yanked all eleven men and sent in an entirely new eleven. When the assault did not did not cease, he pulled out the second team and sent in the third stringers and even supplemented their ranks with other substitutes. Still the touchdown mania continued. Coach Brown couldn’t stop it, for the subs wanted to make a showing and so they did, scoring two touchdowns in the second period, two more in the third and one in the fourth. All in all it was the largest score a Washington high eleven has made in many a moon and yet the first stringers played but seven minutes of the game.
That is why it can be said that the Washington high team still remains untested. Had the regulars been left alone to continue their romp Wooster probably would have been thumped by twice the score.

But why hazard injury to a player just for the sake of obtaining the kind of satisfaction derived from displaying an oversize peach at a county fair?

That was Coach Brown’s sound reasoning and he chose to save the strength of his team for the time when it will be needed rather than give an opponent an unmerciful beating at the possible cost of inflating the mental structure of his own team to the point where it would explode with the first puncture.

Made 20 First Downs
It is significant, however, that even with the second and third teams playing Massillon punted but once and made 20 first downs to five for Wooster, one of which was a gift by penalty.

It is also noteworthy that the first team made touchdowns the first three times it laid its hands on the ball and that it was yanked as soon as it made the third touchdown.

The Tigers received the kickoff and barely a minute had passed before the ball was carried back up the field for a touchdown. Gifford hoisted to Shrake who caught the ball on the 20-yard line and returned to the 35. Shrake circled left end for a 20-yard dash to the Wooster 45 and Krier dashed around the other side for a 25-yard sprint to the 20-yard line. Around the left wing came Shrake again to the four-yard line and Krier raced around the right for the touchdown and placekicked the extra point.

McCants Romps 62 Yards
Wooster again chose to kick to the Tigers and McCants returned Gifford’s boot from the 15 to the 38-yard line. On the very next play he ran 62 yards straight through the center of the team for a touchdown. Again Krier placekicked the extra point.

It took a little longer to score the third one because of a penalty. Krier kicked off to the
15-yard line and the ball was returned five yards. On the next three plays Massillon was penalized five yards and Wooster 15 yards, the generals eventually punting to Shrake who caught the ball on the Wooster 40 and returned five yards.

Krier made eight yards on a right end reverse and Shrake on a triple pass raced for a first down on the nine-yard line. Krier ran across the goal line on the next play but the ball was called back and Massillon was penalized 15 yards for holding. It made no difference, however for on the very next play, Shertzer shot a 24-yard pass to Lohr who scampered over the goal line. Again Krier placekicked the extra point.

From there on it was nothing but one substitute after another, both coaches making many replacements.

Chalk Up Another
Toward the end of the quarter the Tigers started another march that produced a touchdown early in the second pr4eiod. Getting the ball on their own 38-yard line they began with Hutsell getting away for a dash to the Wooster 32-yard line only to have the ball called back and another penalty inflicted. Mansbury made two yards and then raced to the 46-yard line on a spinner. Mellinger picked up six on a reverse. Hustsell was thrown without gain but Mansbury waded through to the 35-yard line and came right back with another 15-yard sprint to the 20-yard stripe. The quarter ended with the ball on the
12-yard line.

Mansbury picked up five on a spinner and made it first down with goal to go. He plunged over from the one-yard line for the fourth touchdown.

The second touchdown of the second period and the fifth of the game started when Dutton intercepted a Wooster pass on his own 46-yard line. Mansbury made seven on a spinner and Mellinger ran for a first down on the 37. Toles sprinted around left end for another first down on the 16-yared stripe and Mansbury plunged through for six more yards. Mansbury made seven more and first down on the three-yard line and the Tigers took three more plays to get it over, Mansbury crossing from the one-yard line. He likewise plunged for the extra point.

Dutton Intercepts Passes
Dutton provided the fireworks in the second half. Early in the third period be intercepted Joliff’s pass on the Massillon 45 and ran 55 yards for a touchdown. In the fourth period he intercepted another of Joliff’s passes to run 98 yards for a touchdown and thereby end Wooster’s only scoring threat of the day, an aerial attack that had carried the ball from midfield to the Tiger’s nine-yard line.

The Tigers made one other touchdown in the third period one a 48-yard march. Mansbury, Toles and Mellinger carried the ball most of the time; Mansbury carrying it across from the two-yard line. Attempts to negotiate points after the last three touchdowns all failed.

One of the most sensational sprints of the day went for naught when a Massillon man who never figured in the play was caught holding. The dash was contributed by John Mellinger on the first Tiger play in the second half. Wooster, after receiving the kickoff and failing to gain punted to Mellinger, who caught the ball on his own 35-yard line, eluding two tacklers and streaked down the east side line for a 75-yard run. It was a beautiful piece of open field running and more marvelous was the blocking on the play. As fast as a Wooster tackler came within reach of Mellinger a Massillon man was there to block him out.

Excellent Blocking
The same effective blocking was responsible for the many long runs made by Tigers backs Saturday. When McCants ran 62 yards for a touchdown he was escorted across the goal line by three Massillon players. Dutton likewise had blockers to spare when he ripped through Wooster for two touchdowns after intercepting passes.

Wooster was greatly handicapped Saturday by not having two of its star players in the lineup, Mullins, a fine defensive end, and Kate, a backfield man. Both were on crutches as a result of injuries sustained in the Dover engagement a week ago.

While the first team completed its only passing attempt, the second and third stringers tossed nine passes unsuccessfully, one being intercepted. Wooster completed four passes for a gain of 28 yards. Massillon intercepted three and grounded five others.

The line up and summary:
Massillon Pos. Wooster
Heisler LE Eschenberg
Birkish LT Leonard
Porter LG Gifford
Monroe C Sapp
Snavely RG Hindman
Buggs RT Munson
Lohr RE Goheen
Shertzer QB Joliff
Krier LH Smith
Shrake RH Gibbens
McCants FB Huston

Score by periods:
Massillon 21 14 12 6 53

Substitutions:
Massillon – Hutsell, hb; Cary, e; Mason, qb; Dietz, e; Dutton, qb; Mellinger, hb; Smith, g; Slacvic, fb; McDew, e; J. Schimke, g; Peters, t; J. Russ, g; Greenfelder, e; T. Toles, hb; Tom Price, t; Graybill, c; Willison, t; L. Russ, qb; Molinski, g; Morningstar, c; G. Schimke, e; Mansbury, fb.
Wooster – Creighton, lh; F. Kate; Miller; Castner; Glasgow; Knight; Weekly.

Touchdowns:
Massillon – Krier; McCants; Lohr; Mansbury 3; Dutton 2.

Points after touchdown:
Massillon – Krier 3 (placekick); Hutsell (carried), Mansbury (carried).

Referee – Pund (Georgia Tech).
Umpire – Watkins (Wooster).
Head Linesman – Kidder (Bethany).

History

1933: Massillon 13, Niles 0

September 30, 1933May 21, 2017
by Eric Smith

WASHINGTON HIGH DEFEATS NILES 13-0 FOR SECOND STRAIGHT GRID VICTORY
SUBSTITUTIONS AND FUMBLES KEEP SCORE FROM BEING LARGER

By LUTHER EMERY

Having chalked up their second straight victory of the season with a 13-0 triumph at Niles Saturday afternoon, the Washington high school Tigers this week will prepare for their invasion of Wooster, a team that held Dover to a lone touchdown in a homecoming game last Saturday.

Coming out of the Niles encounter in good shape despite several hard knocks absorbed by members of the team the Tigers barring injuries in training this week will be in A-1 condition for their third combat of the season Saturday.

Must Stop Fumbling
What Coach Paul Brown must correct more than anything this week is fumbling. Massillon fans were pleased with the showing of the Tiger forward wall Saturday when it held Niles to one first down and that a direct gift by a five-yard penalty. The backfield, however was somewhat of a disappointment in many respects because of its inability to coordinate its attacks.

Time after time the Tigers launched into threatening offensives only to have a fumble or some other misplay end the attack. Most everyone expected a slaughter but there were three big reasons why the Tigers failed to make a killing as impressive as Canton McKinley’s 67-7 triumph over Akron South.

In the first place Coach Brown did not choose to trample over his opponent after he had him down. Instead, he pulled his first stringers shortly after each touchdown and allowed his subs to carry on the work. A running story of the game shows that the Massillon first string team played less than one-half the game and was pulled just when the attack became most vicious.

In the second place, Niles had more of a team than the Tigers and Massillon fans had expected. Instead of a team weighing 150 pounds as reported by its coach, Niles had an outfit that weighed fully 160 pounds and was exceptionally strong defensively.

First Downs Tell Story
In the third place the Tigers themselves muffed many chances to score by fumbling the ball at critical moments.

While the 13-0 score is anything but impressive, it does not furnish a real picture of the exact supremacy of the Massillon team, for the Tigers threatened throughout. Their 17 first downs to Niles’ one with the subs playing more than half the game better describes their superiority.

There was nothing flukey about either the local team’s scores.

Tigers Score In First Period
After twice being stopped within the 15-yard line, once on an intercepted pass and again on a 15-yard penalty, the Tigers late in the first period took the ball on their own 40-yard stripe and launched a drive that netted a touchdown.

McCants picked up eight on a spinner and made seven more and a first down on the
25-yard line on a fake reverse. Another seven-yard smash by McCants caused Niles to take time out, but the rest was of no good, for on the next play the big colored boy circled his left wing for a touchdown. Krier attempted a placekick for the extra point but the ball went wide of the goal posts.

The Tigers began another march in the second period that ended when Scanlon intercepted Shertzer’s pass on the 18-yard line.

Midway in the third period the second touchdown was scored. It was only the second time in the period that the Tigers secured possession of the ball. Shrake started the works by grabbing a punt on his own 40-yard line and returning the ball five yards. McCants slanted through left tackle for five yards and Schrake circled his right wing for 11 more and a first down on the 39-yard line. Again Shrake ripped off seven yards through left tackle and McCants made it first down on a spinner on the 27-yard line.

Tigers Score Again
The Tigers took time out for a few minutes and renewed their offensive. Shrake sifted through left tackle for three yards and picked up three more at left end. McCants was stopped without gain, but on the fourth down Krier circled right end and carried the ball to a first down on the 17-yard line. McCants made two yards at center and Shrake struck out around left end for a 15-yard touchdown run. This time Krier kicked the extra point.

An entire new Massillon team faced Niles at the next kickoff. The Massillon subs once had the ball on the 12-yard line but lost a chance to score when a fumble set them back seven yards. They came back again to the 25-yard line but lost the ball on downs. Once again they drove back to the 10-yard line when another fumble set them back 10 yards and at the end of the game they were hammering away only six yards from Niles’ goal line.

Massillon showed the only offense of the afternoon, for the Tigers completely stopped every effort of the Niles team to carry the ball. Niles made its only first down early in the first period. Infante recovered a Tiger fumble on the 35-yard line and the Tigers were penalized five yards for being offside on the next play. Gales in two plays made it first down on the 25-yard line and that’s as far as Niles got with the ball.

Stop Niles Threat
Other than that, Niles threatened but once. One of Gales’ punts rolled near the goal line. Since the end zones are not deep at Niles, Massillon was granted five yards by Niles to give it sufficient room to punt. McCants got off a poor one, however, the ball going out of bounds on the 14-yard line.

Niles immediately took the five yards back it had previously given the Tigers, which placed the ball on the nine-yard line. Three plays only advanced the pigskin six yards, however and an attempted pass on the fourth down was grounded behind the goal line to end Niles only real scoring threat of the game.

Perhaps the most sensational dash of the game was that Mellinger in the fourth period when after apparently being stopped 10-yards back of his goal line, he shook off half a dozen or more tacklers and dug his shoes into the sod in a fast dash along the sideline. It had the fans a screaming, but Niles had the last laugh for Mellinger fumbled when tackled after a run of 30 yards and the opponents recovered the ball.

McCants’ first two punting efforts were fine boots but he dubbed the next two. Chovan, sub wingback got off several pretty punts.

Niles watched Krier closely and the 175-pound halfbacks gained very few yards. McCants and Shrake were the most dependable ground gainers Saturday.

At least half of the crowd of 3,000 that attended the game must have been Massillon fans. It gave the local school a fine cheering section.

Line up and summary:
MASSILLON Pos NILES
Lohr LE Lewis
Birkish LT Pavalik
Porter LG Regazzo
Monore C Litvin
Snavely RG Matteo
Buggs RT Tricomi
Heisler RE Dixon
Shertzer QB Infante
Shrake LH Horniak
Krier RH Reese
McCants FB Gales

Score by periods:
Massillon 6 0 7 0 13

Substitutions:
Massillon – Mellinger, rh; Wolf, lt; Mansbury, fb; Chovan, lh; Dutton, qb; J. Schimke, g; G. Schimke, e; Cary, e; Dietz, e; Hutsell, lh; Molinski, rg; Smith, lg; Morningstar, c; Peters, rt.
Niles – McMurray, g; Brutz, g; Waters, e; Korance, hb; Scanlon, c.

History

1933: Massillon 39, Akron St. Vincent 0

September 22, 1933May 21, 2017
by Eric Smith

WASHINGTON HIGH SHOWS POWER IN CRUSHING AKRON ST. VINCENT’S 39-0
FORWARD WALL RIPS IRISH LINE TO BITS AS TIGER BACKS ROMP

By LUTHER EMERY

One for the money, two for the show, three to make ready and – whoopee! Three touchdowns in the last period. That’s the way it went for 5,000 fans last night when Washington high school’s 35 Tigers opened the 1933 football season in a very suspicious manner with a 39-0 victory over the fighting Irish of Akron St. Vincent’s high school.
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Scoring a touchdown in each of the first three periods, the Massillon team waited until the final quarter to make a complete route of it and then it was the second stringers and not the regulars that put the finishing touches to the crushing defeat.

Linemen Actually Won Game
Though the backfield men showed their dash and color, football games are won and lost on the line and that’s where Friday evening’s victory was made possible.

Weighing 170 pounds from tip to tip and supported by two young giants at tackle, the forward wall was impregnable on defense and blasted big holes in the Saints line when the Tigers took the offense. The wave of interference that bowled over would be Irish tacklers was the finest Tiger fans have seen in a long time. The linemen and blockers opened wide paths for the ball carrier in off tackle smashes and threw everything but the goal posts at the ends when they circled the wings of the Irish line.

Without a line in front of him, a backfield man can do nothing. Henry Krier got nowhere as a ball carrier with last year’s light forward wall to support him, but he could not be stopped last night when the heavy Massillon boys cut him a path.

Tigers Too Heavy For Saints
St. Vincent’s had a scrappy team but was out weighed eight pounds to a man. A good little man can frequently whip a big slow man but a good little man has little chance or no chance against a big fast man and that about sizes up the helpless condition of the Saints last night. The Tigers are not only big, but are fast. Their line averages 170 pounds and their backfield 166 pounds and Krier and McCants, the heavy weights of the raiding foursome can run neck and neck with Shrake and Shertzer, the smaller boys. Furthermore Steve Birkish, the heaviest man on the team, 207 pounds, surprised fans with his speed in the opening minutes of the game when he went down under the first punt to tackle the safety man just as he caught the ball.

A sweeping victory was just what the Tigers needed, in the opinion of the high school’s board of strategy for confidence is what an inexperienced team needs and five of the six players that started last night were playing their first varsity game. Furthermore, several of the substitutes looked every bit as good as their hand picked brothers that started the game and this will create greater rivalry within the team itself.

There was no stopping the Massillon eleven last night and St. Vincent’s has only three fumbles and a penalty to thank that two or three more touchdowns were not scored against them. Once the Tigers fumbled ad lost the ball after Sharke had carried it to the five-yard line on a brilliant dash of 35 yards, the prettiest run of the game. He might have carried it over, for there was no one between him and the goal posts but he became overbalanced sidestepping the safety man and fell. On another occasion McCants raced 24 yards around right end and across the goal but the ball was brought back and Massillon penalized 15 yards for holding. On two other occasions the Tigers fumbled a triple pass within the
20-yard stripe after determined marching down the field.

Pass, Saints Only Weapon
Where the Tigers relied on power plays and end runs for gains and tried but two forward passes one of which was completed for a gain of 34 yards, St. Vincent’s found the forward pass its only offensive weapon and pegged the ball 17 times. On five occasions the ball fell into the arms of a receiver for a total gain of 69 yards.

Massillon’s drive netted 18 first downs to seven for the Irish.

Most remarkable of all was the condition of the Massillon team. Only twice during the game was time taken out for a Massillon player, Krier and Shrake each having the wind knocked out once.

The Tigers let it be known from the start that they meant business. Shrake was downed with the kickoff on the 20-yard line and there the march got underway. Shrake made three yards at left end and McCants plunged for five. Krier made it first down on the Massillon 35-yard line. McCants failed to gain but Sharke hit through left tackle for seven yards and McCants picked up 11 more for a first down on the Saints’ 47-yard stripe. It was a spinner play. St. Vincent’s was penalized five yards for offside. McCants made three yards at left guard and then waded through a pileup for a first down on the Saints 31-yard line. St. Vincent’s took time out. Play was resumed with Shrake circling left end for five yards. He then came around left end on a reverse for a 14-yard dash to the 12-yard line. Krier hit right tackle for seven yards and made it first down with two yards to go. On the next play, McCants plunged through center for the first touchdown and Krier placekicked the extra point. That ended the scoring of the first quarter.

Krier Runs 25 Yards
The last two plays of the first period paved the way for the second touchdown of the game. Porter was downed with a St. Vincent’s punt on the Saints’ 34-yard line. McCants tore through center for nine yards on a delayed buck. Here the period ended. With the ball on the 25-yard line, Krier circled right end for a touchdown on the first play of the second quarter. He also placekicked the extra point.

It was in this period that St. Vincent’s got nearest the Massillon goal. The Saints gained the ball through a fumble on their own 33-yard line. Aided by a 36-yard pass, Krasowski to Zeno, the ball was carried to the Tigers’ 11-yard line, where Zeno’s pass on the fourth down was wide and Massillon took possession of the ball. The half ended with the score
14-0 in favor of the Tigers.

Monrie and Lohr got the ball in position for the Tigers to score their touchdown of the third period when they blocked a punt on the Saints’ 35-yard line. The pigskin was no more than put into play until Krier again raced 35 yards on a reverse around right end for a touchdown. He was given excellent interference on this play, McCants alone seemingly mowing down half a dozen Akron players. Krier’s attempted placekick was wide. The third period ended with the score 20-0.

Subs Produce Points
Touchdowns came in rapid succession in the fourth quarter, a steady stream of substitutes seeming to propel rather than retard the Massillon offense.

McCants on the opening play of the fourth quarter skirted right end for a touchdown but the ball was called back and Massillon was penalized 15 yards for holding. Back to the
40-yard line, the Tigers set out to make up the loss. Shertzer’s pass was wild but Shrake scampered around left end to the 20-yard line where he was downed out of bounds under a pileup of Irishmen. The Saints were penalized for this and the ball was put in play on the five-yard stripe. McCants went over on the first play for a touchdown and Krier placekicked the extra point.

With Mellinger downed with a punt on the Saints’ 45-yard line, Willie Hutsel, the smallest of the team broke loose for three runs that carried the ball to the 29-yard line. Mellinger made six on a double reverse and Mansbury took it to the 16-yard line for a first down. He made six more yards on a center plunge and on the next play went over on a spinner for a touchdown. A poor pass from center hurried his attempted placekick that was blocked by the Saints’ players.

Mellinger Returns Punt 30 Yards
Mellinger’s 30 yard return of a punt placed the ball on the six-yard line in position for the sixth and next touchdown of the game. Mansbury went over on a plunge through center for the score. His attempted placekick was wide of the goal posts.
Both coaches used every member of their squads in the game, Coach Paul Brown giving
35 players a chance to perform.

There was color and plenty of it last night and the remodeled stadium with its heavy green turf and painted bleachers brought forth words of praise everywhere. The finest high school field in this section was the usual comment, and that’s just what it is, barring none.

Never before has a Washington band been given an ovation like that accorded the local musicians when they swept by the Tiger stands dressed in their neat and flashy uniforms with a drum major at the head that many a college would like to have. The band played and played well, the fruit of many nights of “vacation” rehearsals.

The new turf, though torn up considerably will have three weeks to take root again, and groundskeepers are not worrying over its condition for the next home game Friday evening, Oct. 13 with New Philadelphia. The refreshment stand did a rushing business from its new location and the score board kept the crowd informed as to score, downs, minutes to play and yards to go.

The line up and summary:
Massillon Pos St. Vincent’s
Lohr LE J. Roach
Birkish LT Sutter
Porter LG G. Siegferth
Monroe C Suscinski
Snavely RG Ahern
Buggs RT Yenchik
Heisler RE Holt
Shertzer QB F. Siegferth
Krier LH Krasowski
McCants FB Walsh
Shrake RH Zeno

Score by quarters:
Massillon 7 7 6 19 39

Substitutions:
Massillon – Hutsell, lh; Chovan, lh; Cary, le; Mason qb; Dietz, le; Dutton, qb; Mellinger, rh; Smith, lg; Sladovic, fb; McDew, re; J. Schimke, rg; Peters, rt; Russ, lg; Greenfelder, re; Toles, rh; Price, lt; Wolfe, rt; Graybill, c; Willison, rt; L. Russ, qb; Molinski, c; Morningstar, c; G. Schinke, re; Mansbury, fb.
St. Vincent’s – O’Nell, t; Carano, g; L. Gorbach, c; Tardo, g; La Presti, t; Juhass, hb; Maker, fb; Mattucci, hb; V. Blandin, qb; McGinnis, qb; Mundy, e; T. Roach, e; Richards ,e.

Touchdowns:
Massillon – McCants 2; Krier 2; Mansbury 2.

Points after touchdown:
Massillon – Krier 2 (placekicks).

Referee – Jenkins (Akron).
Umpire – Watkins (Wooster).
Head Linesman – Kelly (Kenyon).

History

1932: Massillon 0, Canton McKinley 19

November 19, 1932May 19, 2017
by Eric Smith

FANS MAKE MERRY AS DOGS TRIUMPH 19-0 IN FOURTH QUARTER

By LUTHER EMERY

GIVEN their first opportunity to “rub it in”, in four years, Canton McKinley football fans continued to make merry today over their successful 19-0 conquest of Washington high before 4,000 fans on Massillon field, Saturday afternoon.

Wearing down the lighter Massillon team by its superior weight advantage, McKinley earned its victory in the fourth quarter when it outplayed the fighting Tigers for the first time in the game. True, McKinley had a 7-0 lead throughout the first three periods, but it was more the result of dame fortune than downright football ability that a blocked pass bounded into the hands of Jim Huff, McKinley end, allowing him to scamper 18 yards unmolested for a touchdown, in the first three minutes of the game.

Tigers In Great Defense Stands
That gave Canton the jump on the Tigers and the seven points looked all the larger to Massillon players as well as fans as the teams battled furiously through the remainder of the period and the next two quarters with neither enjoying any material advantage.

The fourth quarter McKinley rally which resulted after three of Massillon’s best defensive men had been removed from the game because of exhaustion could not entirely eclipse the brilliant defensive exhibition displayed by the Tigers the first three periods of the game. During much of the second period and throughout the third quarter, the light Bengals not only stopped Canton’s crack offense dead, but frequently carried the game to the red and black. In the second and third periods they had a shade on the visiting Bulldogs, but their early efforts sapped their strength and the fourth period found them without sufficient vitality to continue to hold the red and black in check.

Then it was that Coach Brown was forced to remove two of his heaviest men, Willie Bray, end and Henry Krier, fullback, and then it was that McKinley began to ride to victory.

Canton Scores Twice
Perhaps it was the sight alone of these two boys leaving the field that inspired the Bulldogs to new heights but whatever it was, the invaders began to click for the first time in the game and mowed down the Tigers for two touchdowns before the final gun ended hostilities with Canton the victor for the first time in four years, 19-0, and incidentally the largest score ever made by the red and black in a Massillon-Canton game.

The first touchdown of the fourth period came with lightning rapidity. In the closing minutes of the third period, Knowlton’s pass was intercepted on the Canton 40-yard line, Shipley and Frye managed to gain five yards between them before the period came to an end with the ball on Canton’s 45-yard stripe.

Massillon fans were not worried. Their team would easily force Canton to punt; but not this time. Shipley, who had lost more ground than he had gained, was suddenly turned loose around left end. Behind a wave of interference he moved out to the line of scrimmage. The end was brushed aside and he opened the throttle wide as he tore by the secondary and down the east side of the field toward the south goal. But little Andy Heben was on the 22-yard line as safety man and on the 22-yard line Shipley stopped, the victim of as pretty a tackle as you’ll ever see. It was the second time during the afternoon that the little safety man had prevented a touchdown and he nailed the Canton runner a third time before the end of the game.

Frye Scores
With the ball on the 22-yard stripe, McKinley took on new life. Kopache hit for three yards and Frye picked up three more. A shovel pass gained a first down on the 12-yard line. Kopache, sent back into the game at the start of t he fourth period plunged for eight yards through the center of the line and Frye drove over for a touchdown on the next play. Birkish blocked Ondrejas’ attempted place kick with his nose and Canton was out in front 13-0.

The Tigers received and attempted to open up with an aerial attack but found every receiver covered, forcing Knowlton to punt on third down to Doll in midfield. Again Shipley swept the Massillon right flank and again was stopped by Heben on the 26-yard line. Aided by a five-yard penalty inflicted on Massillon for too many times out, the red and black carried the ball to the eight-yard line where the Tigers braced and recovered the pigskin on downs, but Heben’s punt against the stiff wind only traveled to the 35-yard line, leaving the red and black in position to score a third touchdown.

Kopache plunged for a first down on the 25-yard line and Shipley skirted left end for eight yards, leaving Kopache to plunge through for another first down by inches on the 15-yard line. Frye wormed his way through for three yards. Doll aimed a perfect pass to Shipley which would have meant a touchdown but the Canton player juggled the ball and it fell to the ground incomplete. Kopache with knees working like a trip hammer plowed through to the four-yard line for a first down. Frye made a yard and Kopache placed the ball within inches of the goal line, leaving it to Frye to take over for the touchdown. A swarm of Massillon players again blocked Ondrejas’ attempted placekick.

Canton Scores On Blocked Pass
These were Canton’s earned touchdowns. The first seven points were scored only a few minutes after the start of the game. Canton made a break for itself the first time the Tigers gained possession of the ball when Heben’s punt was blocked by Huff and Miday recovered for McKinley on the Massillon 18-yard line. Frye in two attempts made a first down on the seven-yard line. Here the Tigers showed their courage just as they did time after time during the game by stopping the McKinley ball carriers and recovering the pigskin. A stiff wind was blowing, however and Heben, punting from the end zone found the ball stopped by the gale on the 17-yard line. Twice McKinley tried to gain but found itself pushed back two yards in the attempts. Then it was that doll stepped back and aimed a pass at Huff. The Massillon secondary was on the job, however and knocked the ball down, but Huff scooped it up before it could touch the ground and scampered along unmolested for a touchdown. Ondrejas placekicked the extra point. It was a lucky break for Canton and although it did not discourage the Tigers at the moment, its effect became disheartening the longer the game progressed.

Play was largely confined to what might be called no man’s land throughout the rest of the first period and the second quarter, but in the third period the Tigers backed Canton into its own territory and had much the better of the argument, scoring two first downs and stopping the McKinley offense dead. McKinley had the wind in its favor in the fourth period however and this helped the Bulldogs in their touchdown drives.

Massillon threatened but once, that in the first period when Monroe recovered a Canton fumble on the 25-yard line. A five-yard penalty for offside advanced the ball to the 20-yard stripe, but Massillon was offside on the next play and the ball was brought back. Forward passes failed and Knowlton’s punt rolled over the goal line and stopped a foot beyond the stripe.

McKinley Defense Strong
The McKinley defense presented a stiff problem to the Massillon ball carriers; Huff, colored end, playing an exceptionally brilliant game for the red and black. Heben and Knowlton did most of the ball carrying. Knowlton getting away for 15 yards the longest run of the game from scrimmage for Massillon.

Wilson Frye rated himself a place on the All-County team by his fast cutting off-tackle slants. Only once did he get loose but Heben was on the job to cut him down before he could get a clear path to the goal. The heavy field slowed up his brilliance, but then again it also hampered the Tigers’ open play.

Canton presented a fine assortment of plays but found most of them stopped by the alert Massillon defense. Krier and Hoyman were on the job to turn back the spinner and off tackle thrusts while Bray stopped practically everything around his flank and more than once slipped over to help out Monore, tackle, who likewise was exhausted and taken from the game as the Canton attack got underway.

Schimke Plays Great Game
Aside from Bray and Krier, there was another member of the Massillon squad whose defensive performance was worthy of note Saturday. Anyone who attended the game need not be told who this lineman was. It was Louis Schimke, 148-pound guard, who time and again worked his way through the McKinley line to nail the ball carrier for a loss. Schimke was exceptionally brilliant in the first half. In the second period he was blocked out more successfully, all because Jimmy Aiken, Canton coach, went after his linesmen with loud and vehement words during intermission for allowing the Massillon youngster to break up his plays before their deceptive methods could be executed.

All told Canton made 16 first downs to Massillon’s six. Each team made six first downs the first three periods, but McKinley reeled off the 10-yard distance 10 times in the last period while the Massillon gridders failed to gain a single time.

Massillon’s passing attack was stopped completely, six being grounded and three intercepted while McKinley completed three including two shovel passes for a total of 23 yards. Two were intercepted and another knocked down. Each team was set back 50 yards in penalties.

The crowd was probably the smallest to witness a Massillon-Canton game in years. Cold weather, heavy field and price of tickets were all advanced as reasons for the small attendance. Perhaps 4,000 saw the game, 3,500 in the field and 500 or more on the outside.

The mud prevented the bands from maneuvering on the field and they had to content themselves with music from the stands.

Line up and summary:
Massillon Pos. Canton
Lohr le Huff
Birkish lt Miday
Snavely lg Shopbell
Hoyman c Ostergard
Schimke rg Wildman
Monroe rt Wyandt
Bray re Ondrejas
Knowlton qb Doll
Heben lh Frye
Schenke rh Shipley
Krier fb Kopache

Score by periods:
Canton 7 0 0 12 19

Substitutions:
Massillon – Amic, fb; Jones, t; Brunker, e; Williams, c; Hutsell, hb; Williams, fb; Swihart, e; Critchfield, g; Ripple, t; Chovan, e.
Canton – Abu, fb.

Touchdowns:
Canton – Huff; Frye 2.

Point after touchdown:
Canton – Ondrejas (placekick).

Referee – Howells.
Umpire – Shafer.
Head Linesman – Barrett.

History

1932: Massillon 0, Dover 18

August 9, 1932May 19, 2017
by Eric Smith

KELKER BROTHERS WHIP WASHINGTON HIGH TIGERS 18-0 AT DOVER
COLORED BOYS STAR BEFORE LARGE CROWD WITH BRILLIANT RUNS

By LUTHER EMERY

Doc and Spider Kelker, of the Dover high school football team, almost single handed defeated the Washington high Tigers 18-0 Friday afternoon before an Armistice Day crowd of 3,000 at the Dover fair grounds.

The celebration angle was taken out of the game for the Massillon boys as the Crimson romped to a touchdown in the first quarter and struck back to score again in the third and fourth periods.

Run 67 and 80 Yards For Scores
It was the stalwart work of the colored brethren that gave the Crimson the advantage. Doc Kelker romped 67 yards to a touchdown in the double reverse end around play which was heralded before the game but which other elevens besides Massillon have been unable to stop and Spider after getting away for several long gains, finally snared a Massillon pass and twisted his way for a run of 80 yards and a touchdown.

Dover’s offense was built around these two boys and their defensive playing likewise twice stopped possible Massillon touchdowns when they brought down Andy Heben, Tiger halfback, after he had eluded all others with his fleet footwork.

As has been the case in most instances this season, the Tigers lacked drive hear the goal line and saw two good scoring chances fade away as Dover held for downs. The power just wasn’t there.

With the Kilkers lugging the ball most of the time, Dover unleashed its withering attack in the second half after being played on comparatively even terms the first two periods.

Dover Scores Early
In fact the showing of the first stringers against the Crimson in the first half, led many Massillon fans to believe the Tigers would come back after intermission to win the game in the third period. Just the opposite occurred, however, and the hopes of the Massillon supporters faded as Dover cashed through for a touchdown in the first few minutes of the quarter.

Dover’s score in the third period came almost as suddenly as its initial marker in the first quarter, when a fleet of Massillon substitutes were in the game.

Coach Brown decided to try a bit of strategy yesterday and started his substitutes expecting to wear down the Crimson to the point where the regulars could go in and crash through for a touchdown.

The subs, however, though warned repeatedly, allowed Dover’s double reverse with Doc Kelker coming around from his end position to fool them and the elongated, long stepping wingman ambled 67 yards for a touchdown. Less than half the period had expired when the score was made. In went the Massillon regulars and neither team threatened throughout the remainder of the half, though Andy Heben nearly got away once, dashing around left end from midfield to Dover’s 22-yard line.

Punt Causes Trouble
A poor punt against a high wind that went to Dover on the Massillon 35-yard line placed the Crimson in position for its rapid thrust of the third quarter.

Doc Kelker on the double reverse end around play carried for a first down on the Massillon 19-yard line. Spider lost a yard and a half. Don Godfrey hit for three yards and Spider came back to wiggle through within six inches of a first down. Maurer plunged through for a first down on the Massillon eight-yard line. On the first play, Godfrey plunged to the one-yard line from which point he went over for a touchdown. He attempted to pass for the extra point but it was knocked down by Knowlton.

Heben brought the Tiger fans to their feet in the fourth period with the longest Massillon run of the day, when he scooped up a Dover punt, emerged from a huddle of players and dashed up the sidelines 48 yards before being brought down 24 yards short of the Dover goal. Heben struck through right tackle for seven yards and Krier plunged for a first down on the 14-yard line. Krier carried on the next four attempts and failed to make a first down by a foot; Dover getting the ball on its own four-yard line.

Spider Intercepts Pass
Dover punt out safely to its own 35-yard line and Knowlton stepped back to shoot a pass in an attempt to score, but Spider Kelker was on the job snared the ball and set sail along the south sideline for the longest and prettiest run of the day. Catching the ball on his own 20-yard line he slipped along the sideline until near midfield when he reversed his field and aided by fine interference, outran the Massillon team to cross the goal line in the northwest corner of the field. The attempted kick for the extra point was wide of the posts.

The victory was Dover’s eighth of the season and 16th consecutive triumph, the team havhing closed its 1931 season with eight in a row.

The Crimson would only be another football team without the Kelker brothers, but with the Kelkers appears to have the second best eleven in the N.E.O. Big Ten league, with Alliance its only superior.

The Crimson made 13 first downs to Massillon’s eight and completely stopped the Tigers passing attack. Only one Massillon pass was completed and that as a result of interference on the part of the Dover secondary, a Dover man grabbing Bray by the arm to keep him from snaring a pass from Knowlton. The umpire caught the violation.

Line up and summary:
Massillon Pos. Dover
Brinker le Mason
Bray lt Dale Godfrey
Snavely lg Mizer
Hoyman c Rose
Critchfield rg Benfer
Monroe rt Seibert

History

1932: Massillon 0, Warren Harding 12

August 8, 1932May 19, 2017
by Eric Smith

WARREN WHIPS TIGERS 12-0
TWO WELL EXECUTED PASSES OPEN WAY FOR TOUCHDOWNS

By LUTHER EMERY

TWO well executed passes off the same formation, coming when passes were expected, enabled the Presidents of Warren high school to down the Washington high Tigers in the second half of Saturday afternoon’s 12th encounter between the two schools by a score of 12-0. The victory was Warren’s fourth in the 12 years of rivalry. Massillon has won the other eight.

Their string of victories brought to a halt at Alliance a week ago, the Tigers did not play with the same old snap Saturday that character-have taken something out of them, something which they must regain if they have any hope of winning Friday’s battle at Dover and the following traditional classic with Canton McKinley Saturday, Nov. 19.

Warren Disappointing
From the spectators’ standpoint the Warren team was a disappointment. Hailed as a powerful football outfit by virtue of its perfect record save for the one defeat by the Martins Ferry juggernaut, Warren looked slow and sluggish, Saturday, anything but a fast and alert football team. Furthermore there was little deception in its attack.

Had Massillon met Warren earlier in the season and Warren played the type of ball it did Saturday, the Tigers would have won. The light Massillon team, however, has depended almost entirely on deception to overcome its lack of weight and from game to game opposing coaches have gotten wise to the Massillon system, information has been exchanged and as a result the Tigers have little left with which to fool the enemy and lack the power to force their plays for gains.

It is difficult for a team of light weights to stand up under a training grind week after week and take a battering on successive Saturdays without a breather and that probably accounts for the lack of zip and alertness shown by the Tigers Saturday.

First Half Quiet
There was nothing to pant about in the first half. Massillon never got nearer than the Warren 40-yard line and Warren could only work the pigskin five yards nearer the Massillon goal. Play was largely confined to midfield as a result of poor punts, Sierra getting off two poor kicks for Warren and Knowlton booting one laterally for the Tigers.

The battle continued in no man’s land throughout most of the third period until Warren finally angled for a position, got it and marched to a score through a long forward pass.

A penalty that set the Tigers back to the one-yard line set the stage for the Warren touchdown. Heben was downed with a punt on the 10-yard line, but Schimke was caught using his hands on the next scrimmage and the Tigers were set back to the one-yard line. Heben standing on the end zone line had to kick quickly and hoisted a high one that only traveled out to the 11-yard stripe where it was downed by the Tigers. Davis tried to circle right end but was stopped without gain. Noland hammered center for a yard. H. Hartlett squirmed through to the five-yard line. Davis on the fourth down struck through right tackle for a first down on the one-yard line but the play was called back and Warren penalized 15 yards for holding.

Noland Scores
A forward pass seemed a certainty but the Tigers were caught asleep and Gisseralli was left wide open to snare Davis’ pass and was stopped a yard short of the Massillon goal, a first down by 18 inches. On his first attempt to carry the ball over, Noland was thrown for a one-yard loss. He went over the second time, however crashing through the left side of the Massillon line. Bray blocked Steele’s attempted drop for the extra point.

Warren scored again early in the fourth quarter. Backed up to his goal line, Knowlton punted to Davis who ran the ball out of bounds on the Massillon 35-yard line. Noland made two yards at right guard and Davis four more but Warren was declared offside and penalized five yards. Davis circled his right end for a 12-yard gain missing a first down by inches. Noland plunged through center for a first down on the 24-yard line. Noland lost a year on an end run but picked up seven on a spinner. Davis made three more but Warren was declared in motion on the play and was penalized five yards. Davis hurled a pass to Gisseralli for a first down on the 13-yard line. Noland waded through his left guard for two yards. H. Bartlett made four on a reverse. Davis lost a yard at right end. On the fourth down Davis hurled a pass to H. Bartlett who caught the ball on the goal line in the northwest corner of the field and fell over for a touchdown. Steele’s attempted drop kick for the extra point was low.

The Tigers opened up with a pass attack after the second Warren touchdown and succeeded in completing two before the alert hands of a Warren back intercepted one of Knowlton’s passes and the final gun found Warren again hammering away at the Massillon line, 17 yards short of the goal, third down and eight to go.

Massillon never had an opportunity to score. It never got closer toe the Warren goal than the 40-yard line and then only through a recovered fumble in the early minutes of the game. Warren’s pass defense completely stopped the Tigers overhead game on all but two occasions, two flat passes being completed, one for a gain of 18 yards.

Warren showed little more than a straight running attack depending principally on Noland for yards. Davis, however gained his share of ground for the visitors. Massillon made but three first downs during the afternoon while Warren made the distance 13 times. Massillon was penalized 25 yards, Warren 55 yards.

Line up and summary:
Massillon Pos. Warren
Lohr le Zoba
Burkish lt March
Ripple lg Hutchko
(Rest of line not available)

History

1932: Massillon 6, Alliance 30

August 7, 1932May 19, 2017
by Eric Smith

RECORD CROWD OF 10,000 SEES ALLIANCE DEFEAT WASHINGTON HIGH 30-6
VICTORS DISPLAY TOO MUCH MAN POWER FOR LIGHT TIGER ELEVEN

By LUTHER EMERY

AS brilliant as the stars overhead, Alliance’s vaunted running attack swept aside a light but scrappy Massillon line in Mount Union stadium Friday evening to pile up a 30-6 victory before the largest crowd ever to witness a football game in that city.

A cloudless sky and a snap in the air, added zest to a perfect setting for the midseason football climax. All roads led to Alliance last night and spectators not only witnessed a grid game but got a taste of football themselves as they rammed the line in a rush through the gates to gain admittance to the field where 10,000 fans gathered to see the amazing red and blue sweep on to the Stark county championship and leadership in the Northeastern Ohio Big Ten race.

Tigers Hold Until Late In Half
Subjecting the Massillon line to a continual hammering the big and powerful Alliance team threatened in the first quarter but the scrappy Tigers yielded ground only after a hard battle and succeeded in staving off a score through sheer grit, intercepted passes, a recovered fumble and a 25-yard penalty slapped on the Alliance team.

After the first quarter exhibition, few in the Massillon stands doubted that the Tigers would be able to stand up under the Alliance battery and as expected the big red clicked late in the second period and crashed through for a score, its only one of the half, though it made 15 first downs to Massillon’s one.

Then came the third period, disastrous and again encouraging for Massillon. Two fumbles, early in the quarter, gave the Aviators two chances for touchdowns and they made the most of their opportunities, Russell going over both times which added to Stump’s second period score brought the total number of points to 18 for Alliance.

Tigers Score
Then it was that the Tigers were given an opportunity to uncork the weapon which they had brought to Alliance, and which they had hoped would bring them victory – the forward pass, and they bombarded the Aviators with such skill that for a moment the entire Alliance team was up in the air, Massillon fans were on their feet, one touchdown was scored and another might have been save for what Tiger fans charge was an error on the part of the officials.

Alliance covered up after Knowlton had flipped the ball to Brunker for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter and from then on the Aviators had the best of it, an intercepted pass and the loss of the ball on downs giving the Aviators two more scoring opportunities in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, Russell going over for his third touchdown and Stump counting a second time.

There’s no denying Alliance has the better football team, as 23 first downs to nine attest, but the game was far more thrilling to the 10,000 spectators than 99 out of 100 encounters would be with a 30-6 score.

Alliance was for Alliance, Massillon’s 2,000 were 2,000 to the man for Massillon, but Alliance couldn’t restrain itself from offering a few cheers for the courage of the light Massillon team and its brilliant passing attack that opened up the game and time and again brought the cheering mob to its feet as an orange shirted youngster emerged from a huddle of red shirts and pulled the ball out of the air with amazing skill. It is not often a team will complete four passes in a row, or make a sustained drive for a touchdown with nothing but a forward pass as a weapon. Likewise fans seldom have the opportunity of seeing an eleven gain 165 yards from scrimmage through use of the forward pass. In other words the game was an unusual one, surprisingly fast and exceedingly interesting in spite of the one-sided score.

Up Against Good Big Team
A good little team can frequently defeat a slow big team but a good little team can hardly be expected to smite down a good big team. This in short sums up the reasons for the Tigers’ defeat last night. No alibis’ to offer, simply out-powered and outplayed, by a heavier team that played little more than straight football and supported the runner with brilliant interference.

Massillon, on the other hand found its running attack stopped completely by Alliance. The Tigers had hoped to run the ends ragged but this soon loomed impractical, for little 130 pounders like Brunker find themselves unable to take big 200 pounders like Pugh and Anderson out of the play and when ends can’t get the tackles, offensives on the flanks cannot be expected to gain ground. Then too, Alliance’s wingmen, Johnson and Karleski, were on the job, turning every side sweep into the tackles who could not be taken out by the light Massillon wingmen.

The Tigers gained but little ground from scrimmage, while Alliance picked up practically all of its yards on a straight running attack.

Tigers Heavily Outweighed
Advance weights received from Alliance indicated that the Aviators out-weighed the Tigers 16 pounds to the man, but Coach George Wilcoxon, tutor of the Alliance team was himself responsible for the statement after the game that his team had a 30-pound advantage. Russell, listed at 175, actually is 15 pounds heavier. Willie Pugh tips the beams well above 208 pounds, his listed weight. Compare Russell’s 190 pounds with Willie Hutsell’s 121 pounds or Knowlton, Shrake and Hebe, 135 pounders and you have some idea of mountainous task before the Massillon team last night.

Massillon fans, as a rule, are first to criticize their team but all criticisms last night and today favor the Tigers. Spectators are convinced that the orange shirted boys gave everything they had and put up a great game in face of the overwhelming odds against them.

Alliance unleashed its first attack late in the opening periods when Bergwall intercepted Knowlton’s pass on his own 30-yard line. Through a straight running attack, the Aviators’ carried the ball to the 10-yard line where Heben intercepted Russell’s pass and carried back to the 25-yard line before being tackled. Again the Aviators took the ball in midfield on Knowlton’s punt and carried to the five-yard line but were set back 30 yards on a
25-yard and five-yard penalty. Getting the ball on their own 35, the red and blue struck back a third time carrying back to the four-yard line where Farmer’s fumble was recovered by a Massillon linesman. Knowlton punted back to the 25-yard line and there followed the first sustained march for a touchdown.

Alliance Scores
Bergwall gained six yards and Russell snapped a pass to Johnson for a first down on the 10-yard line. Russell picked up three yards and Stump sallied through the remaining seven for the score. Pugh had two chances to placekick the extra point when Massillon was offside, but missed the uprights both times. The half ended a few minutes later with the score 6-0 in favor of Alliance.

Two breaks in the third period paved the way for a pair of Alliance touchdowns. Heben received the kickoff and carried back to the 30-yard line where he was stopped by Johnson. On the next play, Karleski covered a fumble on the locals 20-yard stripe. Farmer and Russell got four yards in two attempts. Stump wiggled through a first down and Russell came right back to smash through to the two-yard line and score on the next play. Pugh’s kick was again wide of the posts.

Again the Tigers received, Knowlton fumbling the kickoff on the 35-yard line and Hudson recovering for Alliance, Stump gained a yard and Russell three yards in two attempts. A five-yard penalty advanced the ball enabling Alliance to drive through on the next scrimmage for a first down on the 20-yard line. Farmer made two yards and Stump six more through right tackle. Farmer hit the same spot for a first down on the 10-yard line. Russell went over for a touchdown in two plays. Stump tried to kick the extra point but it was wide.

Aerial Circus Staged
This set the stage for the aerial circus, Knowlton returned the kickoff to his 30-yard line. Heben lost three yards but Knowlton stepped back and passed to Lohr for a first down on the Alliance 45-yard line. A second pass to Schrake gained a first down on the 23-yard stripe but an official called holding on the play and the Tigers were penalized 15 yards. The ball for some reason known only to the officials was brought back five yards and Alliance was penalized another five yards for being offside on an incompleted pass. Two passes, Knowlton to Lohr and Knowlton to Brunker brought a first down on the 12-yard line. Alliance took time out. Here the Tigers resorted to a bit of strategy they had been planning for weeks but it failed.

Knowlton attempted a short underhand pass through t he line of scrimmage to Schrake. Schrake got the ball in his hands but muffed it and an Alliance man pounced on the pigskin. The officials erroneously, it seems, ruled the pass a lateral though it was a straight shot through the line of scrimmage. A lateral is a free ball and consequently the ruling gave Alliance the ball and ended a serious Massillon threat.

That did not discourage the Tigers, however, and they continued to fling passes every time they gained possession of the ball. Russell finally punted out on the 10-yard line and Knowlton uncorked a pass to Lohr for a first down on the 30-yard line just as the quarter ended. On the first play of the second period, a 25-yard peg to Schrake gained a first down on the Alliance 45 stripe. Knowlton had a pass grounded but on the next attempt he shot the ball to Lohr who took it from out of a huddle of players for a first down on the Alliance 20-yard line. Finding all players covered, Knowlton ran the ball back and gained a yard, but on the next play worked a pretty fake and shot the pigskin to Schrake for another advance of eight yards. A second pass was grounded but a long heave to Brunker, who crossed over from his right end to the left side of the field, gained a touchdown. Krier was rushed in to placekick, but booted low and wide of the posts.

Alliance Scores Again
Alliance offered a better defense to the aerial bombardment thereafter. Alliance received, but a 15-yard penalty forced the Aviators to punt the ball to Heben, who was stopped on its own 40. On the next play Karleski intercepted Knowlton’s pass and Bergwall plunged through for a first down on the Massillon 25-yard line. Stump picked up nine yards at left end and Russell made it first down on the 10-yard line. Stump whaled center for four yards and Russell in two attempts went over for the touchdown. His attempted pass for the extra point was knocked down.

Possibly confused on downs, Dietz, substitute quarterback, called for a running play on a fourth down with seven yards to go and Alliance took the ball on Massillon’s 46-yard line. Stump got loose and ran back to the 25-yard line and before being tackled. Russell made three yards and Alliance was set back five for being offside, but Bergwall found a hole for eight yards and a pass, Russell to Johnson, gained a first down on the five-yard line. Stump went over from this point. For the fifth time, Stump’s attempted placekick was low and wide and the score remained at 30-6 the rest of the way.

Line up and summary:
Massillon Pos. Alliance
Lohr le Johnson
Birkish lt Pugh
Krier lg Monti
Hoyman c Hudson
Schimke rg Andreanni
Jones rt Anderson
Brunker re Karleski
Knowlton qb Stump
Schrake lh Farmer
Heben rh Bergwall
Amic fb Russell

Score by periods:
Massillon 0 0 0 6 6
Alliance 0 6 12 12 30

Substitutions:
Massillon – Bray, lt; Brinker, le; Snavely, lg; Williams, fb; Hutsell, rh; Dietz, qb; Mansbury, lh; Swihart, e; Ripple,c.

Touchdowns:
Alliance – Russell 3; Stump 2.
Massillon – Brunker.

Referee – Mackay (Mount Union).
Umpire – Wagner (Mount Union).
Head Linesman – Gross (New Philadelphia).

History

1932: Massillon 0, Barberton 0

August 6, 1932May 19, 2017
by Eric Smith

NEITHER TEAM ABLE TO SCORE TOUCHDOWN IN THRILLING GAME
Washington High Tigers And Barberton Magics In Scoreless Tie

By KEN HARTWICK

PAUL Brown’s Washington high school Tigers and Jimmy Price’s Barberton high Magicians played a mighty interesting game of football at Massillon field before a large crowd Saturday afternoon, but failed to reach a decision, the fracas ending in a scoreless tie after four quarters of thrilling play.

Although not one touchdown, at least one that counted, was made during the game, it was anything but a dull affair. To be exact, “Jumping Joe” Williams, Barberton’s star, intercepted a Massillon pass on his 25-yard line and ran down the west side of the field to the Tigers’ goal line but he was called back to the Massillon 44 where officials ruled he had been forced out of bounds.

Ball Close Several Times
That was the only time the ball was carried over a goal line but on several other occasions it was so close that it seemed only a miracle or a bit of tough luck could prevent it from going across. No miracles occurred but several tough breaks in the form of fumbles and intercepted passes made their appearance and, as a result, there was no scoring.

Proof that the game was anything but a defensive affair is furnished in the fact that the Tigers ran up 13 first downs, enough to win several battles, while the Magics collected 10. Unfortunately most of them were made where they didn’t mean touchdowns and whenever the goal line was neared something happened to prevent a score.

Tigers Keep Fighting
Right at the start of the game the Tigers got two tough breaks in the form of 15-yard penalties which could have been enough to have ruined their morale, but that didn’t mean anything to the orange and black gridders. They kept fighting as hard as ever and were still fighting when the final whistle blew although several of them appeared to be dead tired.

The Tigers got what might be considered a minor good break shortly after the game began. Barberton kicked off and it was Massillon’s ball on its own 35-yard line. Two plays produced only four yards so the Tigers punted. The potential Barberton receiver touched the ball but failed to hold it and Hoyman recovered for Massillon on Barberton’s 40.

First down No. 1 was made immediately, Heben getting it on a nine-yard gain after one yard was made on the first play. A lateral pass, Schrake to Heben, produced six yards more but on the next play Massillon got its first 15-yard penalty. A pass was tried and it was intercepted by Sellers who returned to his own 32.

Their second long penalty was given the Tigers a few minutes later after Barberton tried two plays for two yards and punted to Massillon’s 45. Knowlton made three yards before the play which brought the 15-yard setback. The penalty necessitated a punt, which put the ball on Barberton’s 49-yard stripe from where the visitors made their first threat.

On the first play, Sellers, flashy right half, crashed through for about 16 yards and a first down. Williams swept around right end for six yards and Sellers went through again for seven, putting the ball on Masillon’s 21. Williams added four yards, a lateral produced no gain and Williams got four more making it fourth and one. Again Williams carried and made a first down on Massillon’s seven.

Fight Off Threat
With their backs to their goal, the Tigers fought off the threat, downing Williams on their four-yard stripe on the fourth play.

Barberton threatened again after taking Massillon’s punt on the Tigers’ 31 but this time they were not so successful in gaining and lost the ball on downs on the 28. A five-yard penalty for Barberton and a nice run by Heben gave the Tigers a first down but they couldn’t get another 10 yards and Heben punted out on Barberton’s four-yard marker. Williams and Sellers produced a first down as the quarter ended.

To start the second frame Barberton tried two plays with small gains before Williams punted to Massillon’s 48. At that point the Tigers started to go places. A lateral with Knowlton carrying produced seven yards and Amic added eight for a first down.

Heben, Knowlton and Amic gained 12 yards more on three plays and it was first and 10 on Barberton’s 19. Amic went through for five and Knowlton got two before Barberton put up a stone wall which resulted in no gain on the next play. With fourth down and two to go Amic fumbled and Letwak recovered for Barberton on his own 10-yard line.

The visitors tried two plays before punting, Massillon getting the ball on Barberton’s 40. Heben started around right end found a nice hole and picked up 12 yards. Amic went through for four, Knowlton added three on a spinner play and Amic produced another first down on Barberton’s 16. A lateral pass lost four, an attempted pass was no good and a spinner produced one before Burdette snagged a Massillon pass on his own 12.

Visitors Try Passes
After an exchange of punts Barberton took the ball on its own 20 and on the first play Williams brought the fans to their feet with a net run around the left side of the line. He was well on his way to a touchdown when Heben brought him down on Massillon’s 45. A 15-yard penalty for Barberton after a gain of five yards resulted in Barberton’s first attempted passing attack of the game. Williams hurled two long passes but his men could not get to them. Williams picked up about nine yards as the half ended.

Both teams played nice defensive ball to get the second half started. Both tried punt before Massillon started its new threat. To get it going Heben received a Barberton punt and returned 15 yards to Barberton’s 35. On a lateral pass he went around right end to the 24. Amic gained a yard through the line, Schrake was tossed back a yard and a pass was no good to make it fourth down and still about 10 to go. Right there the Tigers seemed to have outsmarted the visitors. Heben fell back and hurled a pass to Schrake which was good for 13 yards, putting the ball on the visitors 11.

Amic made a short gain and then added five more, putting the ball close to the goal line. No gain was made on the next play and on the fourth down Heben was stopped five yards from a touchdown.

It was Barberton’s ball and the visitors immediately made a first down aided by a five-yard penalty for the Tigers. They couldn’t produce another, however, and had to punt, Williams sending the ball out of bounds on his own 45. Heben and Amic picked up a first down and helped by a five-yard Barberton penalty, added another, putting the ball on the visitor’s 23. Heben gained three on the last play of the quarter. The opening play of the final stanza brought no gain but on the next Shrake took a pass from Knowlton on the 18 and carried to the eight.

Fumbles Near Line
Amic hit the line for two before Heben fumbled again and Campbell recovered for the visitors. It was a tough one for Heben as he got his fingerson the ball as a lateral pass was tried but could not hold it.

Williams picked up 12 yards for Barberton on the first play but the visitors were smothered on the next two plays and had to punt, Williams sending the ball out on the 50. An exchange of punts preceded the Tigers’ next first down. After Heben returned a punt 12 yards to Barberton’s 44, Knowlton and Schrake gained four yards and Heben crashed through Barberton’s line to the 27-yard stripe. Heben got another yard before a pass of his was intercepted by Williams who did some fancy stepping down the side of the field and carried the ball over the Massillon goal line.

The rejoicing of the Barberton fans was short lived, however, because the ball was called back to Massillon’s 44. The Magics were not disheartened, however, and, after Williams was thrown for a loss on the first play, he tossed a pass to Brooks, substitute end, who carried to Massillon’s 30. Williams produced five yards more, Weller found a hole for two more and Brunker tossed Williams for a two yard loss before Williams threw another successful pass, this one to Letwak which just was good enough for a first down on Massillon’s 20.

Barberton found a stone wall after that and Williams again resorted to long passes but two of them were incomplete and the Tigers took the ball on their 25. On the first play Hutsell fumbled and Werner recovered for Barberton on Massillon’s 29.

A five-yard penalty for Massillon and a gain by Williams made it first and 10 on Massillon’s 16. Williams crashed the line for six yards but on the next play he got a bad pass from center and was downed on the 26.

History

1932: Massillon 26, New Philadelphia 0

August 5, 1932May 19, 2017
by Eric Smith

LONG RUNS FOR TOUCHDOWNS GIVE WASHINGTON HIGH TIGERS 26-0 VICTORY
NEW PHILADELPHIA ROUTED AS SECOND STRINGERS IMPRESS

By LUTHER EMERY

Riddled by injuries and ineligibility, the Washington high school Tigers played inspired football before 3,000 fans at New Philadelphia, Friday evening, and whipped the Quaker Wildcats 26-0 in a game featured by long runs for touchdowns.

With Bo Kester, veteran and star backfield man of the team probably out for the rest of the season with an injured spine and Claire Foster, fullback, ineligible as well as three substitutes, the Tigers waded into their New Philadelphia opponents with a will last night, scored on the third play of the game and sparkled offensively for four complete periods.

No Effort For Large Score
The score might have been larger, but Coach Paul Brown did not care to make a complete route of it, and continually altered his lineup, using his complete strength but one full period of the game. An entire second team was sent in twice during the melee and the contest was concluded with a third team on the field battling the Wildcats to a standstill.

The rivalry between the two schools did not reveal itself to any great extent last night and tough the Wildcats occasionally showed bursts of offensive strength, they were unable to rise to the occasion as hoped by the home town fans in the booster game.

Only once did New Philadelphia threaten the Massillon goal line and then, unfortunately for the losers, the gun barked concluding the first half with the Wildcats in possession of the ball on the Massillon seven-yard line, first down and goal to go.

Tigers Constant Menace
The Tigers, on the other hand, were a constant menace to the Wildcat goal. There was Knowlton racing 38 yards on a deceptive spinner on the Tigers’ third play; there was Heben, racing around his left end for a 34-yard dash for a touchdown the second time the Tigers came into possession of the ball; there was Shrake intercepting a pass on his 30-yard line and running 70 yards for a touchdown behind perfect interference; there was Willie Hutsell, that new backfield find, getting off to long gains in a march up the field which did not end until he dashed over from the four-yard line and there again flashed Andy Heben, returning a New Philadelphia punt in a dazzling run of 60 yards only to be carried back by a ruling of the officials that the Massillon right end roughed the kicker.

It was these long runs that proved the undoing of the Wildcats last night and there seemed to be no letup whether varsity or subs were on the field. All played alike – snappy football.

The Tigers hardly gave the Wildcats a chance to catch their breath. Krier kicked off to the 10-yard line and Gopp immediately returned the punt to Knowlton on the New Philadelphia 43-yard line. Knowlton got two yards and Heben three yards. Knowlton then took the ball, faked, spun and turned clear around, dashing through the center of the New Philadelphia team for 38 yards and a touchdown. Krier placekicked the extra point.

Heben Goes Over
Massillon again kicked off. Krier hoisting the ball to Fisher, who took it on the 15-yard line and reversing his field, ran it back to the 34-yard stripe. Herron made six yards and Fisher two more at right tackle but Shively could only gain a yard at center.

Marshall fumbled on an attempted punt but recovered on the 34-yard line. It was fourth down, however, so the ball went to Massillon. On the very first play Heben circled his left end for a touchdown. Krier’s attempted placekick was wide and low.

The Tigers again threatened in the same period, carrying the ball to the 25-yard stripe where their scoring opportunity was lost on an intercepted pass. They scored but once in the second quarter. New Philadelphia gained the ball through a punt on its own 46-yard line and Johnson and Fisher made it first down on the Massillon 43. Gopp knifed through tackle for three yards, but Hoyman leaped into the air to bat down Herron’s pass. Gopp picked up two yards and on the next play attempted to pass to Herron, but Shrake came in fast to pull the ball out of the air. His interference formed quickly and New Philadelphia tacklers were cleared out of the way as the Massillon halfback dashed 70 yards for a touchdown. The attempted placekick was wide.

Gun Ends Wildcat Threat
New Philadelphia’s only scoring opportunity came in the closing minutes of the first half. Heben fumbled Gopp’s punt, Stein recovering for the Wildcats on the Massillon 28-yard line. Wolf hit his right guard for three yards and a pass, Gopp to Stein gained four yards. Another pass, Gopp to Zurcher, gained only one yard but a repetition of the play brought a first down on the Massillon seven-yard line. The gun ended hostilities before another play could be run off.

A complete second team scored the fourth touchdown. Brinker and Chovan were on the ends, Smith and Swihart on the tackles; Snavely and Critchfield, guards; Ripple, at center; Dietz at quarterback, Mansbury and Hutsell on the halves and Williams, fullback.

The subs were so impressive that many New Philadelphia fans thought the second team better than the first. The youngsters were a constant threat but only put on one touchdown march. That was in the third period. Hutsell was nailed with Gopp’s punt on the Wildcat’s 36-yard line. Hutsell stepped through right tackle for a gain of 20 yards and a first down on the New Philadelphia 16-yard line. Williams made four yards at left guard and Dietz picked up five on a spinner. Williams made it first down on the four-yard line. Hutsell squirmed through his right tackle for a touchdown and carried the ball over for the extra point.

Heben’s Long Run Called Back
Heben brought the fans to their feet early in the fourth quarter when he grabbed Gopp’s punt on the Massillon 40-yard line, made a dart between two tacklers, struck out along the sideline, cut across the field and spun through the last two tacklers for a 60-yard dash across the Wildcat goal. However, the play was called back, Referee Jenkins ruling that Gopp was bumped by Brunker, Massillon right end.

The Tigers threatened two other times in the fourth quarter but Coach Brown was more eager to give all of his boys an opportunity to play rather than score more touchdowns. As a result the Tigers after advancing the ball for a first down on the 11-yard line, were thrice penalized five yards in succession for taking too many times out necessitated by the injection of substitutes into the game. By t he end of the contest Coach Brown had his third stringers on the field.

Massillon made 11 first downs to New Philadelphia’s six.

The Wildcats have a band they can be proud of. The New Philadelphia high school band plays and drills better than most high school bands in this section of the state and demonstrated its brilliance between halves.

Lineup and summary:
Massillon Pos. New Philadelphia
Lohr le Stein
Burkish lt Stahl
Krier lg Earle
Hoyman c Carpenter
Schimke rg McIntosh
Monroe rt Mostako
Brunker re Riylee
Knowlton qb Marshall
Heben lh Herron
Shrake rh Fisher
Amic fb Shively

Score by periods:
Massillon 13 6 7 0 26

Substitutions:
Massillon – Brinker, le; Snavely, lg; Williams, fb; Mansbury, hb; Dietz, qb; Hutsell, hb; Ripple, c; Smith, lt; Critchfield, rg; Swihart, rt; Chovan, re; Toles, hb; Sidaway, qb; Adams, t; Mason; Price.
New Philadelphia – Gopp, fb; Johnson, qb; Wolf, hb; Zucher, hb;

Touchdowns:
Massillon – Knowlton; Heben; Shrake; Hutsell.

Points after touchdown:
Massillon – Krier (placekick); Hutsell (carried).

Author: <span>Eric Smith</span>