History Archives - Page 114 of 142

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

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)

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).

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.

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).

1932: Massillon 12, Akron South 6

August 4, 1932May 19, 2017
by Eric Smith

TIGERS DEFEAT AKRON SOUTH 12-6 IN HARD EARNED VICTORY VICTORY
IS FOURTH STRAIGHT TRIUMPH FOR LOCAL ELEVEN

By LUTHER EMERY

CENTERING their entire offense in two mighty thrusts, the Washington high school Tigers drove through Akron South Saturday afternoon to a 12-6 victory, their fourth consecutive triumph of the season.

Presenting a deceptive offense and a lateral pass off a pivot that especially bothered the Tigers, South gained far more ground from scrimmage than did the Massillon team, but with one exception, faltered when within striking distance of the goal line and either lost the ball on downs or fumbled.

Straight Football Brings Scores
Washington high on the other hand put on but two offensive exhibitions and both resulted in touchdowns, earned touchdowns, not the result of breaks but long drives up the field with nothing but straight football resorted to.

The Tigers had several other opportunities to score but fumbles set them back for losses and ended the threats. The game proved to be another thriller making three in a row of the hair raising type for the Massillon fans. South in fact injected the spice into the game when with Massillon leading 12-0 at the end of the third period, the Cavaliers came back with a rally that scored one touchdown and had every Massillon fan waiting with abated breath, fingers crossed, pulling for the Tigers to stop a second offensive that did not end until a South fumble was recovered on the 11-yard line.

South was driving for its second touchdown when the fumble occurred. But even had Williams, Cavalier ball carrier held the pigskin when brought to earth it still would have been fourth down with five yards to go and the unusual would have been necessary to have kept the Tigers from regaining possession of the ball.

Tigers Badly Crippled
South’s fourth period rally, however, came with the Tiger team badly riddled with injuries. Both ends were out, as was Krier, guard while Monroe and Amic were none too strong because of injuries sustained earlier in the game. Likewise Schimke, regular guard did not play which meant that only three of the regular linesmen were on the forward wall to stave off the South thrusts.

The Cavaliers however had to fight for every inch of ground they gained in scoring their first touchdown and then barely pushed it over on the third down by inches.

Kester gave the fans a thrill early in the game when he grabbed the first Akron punt on his own five-yard line and raced back to the Akron 39-yard line before being tackled. He was caught from the rear when he slowed up in an effort to get around the Akron safety man. A Massillon player was behind the Akron man but was unable to spill him for fear of penalization for illegal clipping. The Tigers worked the ball down to the 30-yard line where Kester kicked outside on the five-yard stripe. South returned the kick and soon the Massillon team was again down on the 23-yard stripe with a first down when Kester muffed a pass from center that was slightly off direction for a loss of 18 yards. That ended this threat.

Start Touchdown Drive
Following an exchange of the ball, Shrake intercepted Anderson’s pass on the Massillon
45-yard line and raced back to South’s 35-yard stripe before being tackled. Shrake made three yards and Amic a first down in two off tackle smashes. He cracked left tackle for two more before the period ended with the ball on the 20-yard line.

The Tigers became touchdown hungry and South could not stop them. Shrake picked up a yard, Knowlton two yards and Amic hammered through for a first down on the 12-yard line, Amic hit his left guard for four yards on the next play and two more on another attempt, placing the ball on the six-yard line. Behind big Burkish he plowed through from this point for a touchdown. Krier’s attempted kick was low and wise.

The half ended with the score 6-0, neither team getting near their opponent’s goal the remainder of the period.

The second half brought forth more action. South staged the first rally, carrying the ball from its own 39-yard line to the Massillon 18-yard stripe where it surrendered the pigskin on downs. Massillon then put on a rally which carried the ball straight up the field 82 yards for a touchdown. Knowlton, Amic and Shrake were principal gainers in advancing the ball to their own 41-yard line. Knowlton then got off to a jaunt on a spinner that brought a first down on the Cavaliers’ 42-yard stripe. Amic gained five yards in two plays and Knowlton wiggled through for a first down on the South 35-yard line. Amic made three yards through center. Then it was that Shrake provided the most sensational run of the day when he took the ball on a reverse and circled his left end for a touchdown. He appeared to be stopped momentarily by three Akron players but he pulled out of the group and pranced on for his six points. Heben failed to make the extra point by inches.

South Scores
South began to threaten in the last period. The Cavaliers started their first march when they took the ball on Knowlton’s punt on the Massillon 34-yard line. The Tigers had been set back to the five-yard stripe because of a 15-yard penalty for using the hands on offense. Neidert got five yards in two attempts and Williams on the clever lateral circled his right end for 14 yards and a first down on the 14-yard line. Neidert failed to gain but picked up three yards on a second attempt. Williams then went around left end on the same lateral for six yards. Kotch picked up the yard needed for a first down on the Massillon
three-yard line.

Kotch failed to gain, but Neidert picked up two yards placing the ball within a yard of the Massillon goal. Neidert then dove over for the touchdown. Anderson’s attempted dropkick was low and wide. South’s next offensive began on the 40-yard line and did not end until Williams’ fumble was recovered by a Massillon player on the 11-yard line. He had again attempted to circle the left end on the lateral pass but this time the Massillon defense was waiting for him and a hard tackle by Shrake upset him so badly that he muffed the ball on the way down and a Massillon player quickly pounced upon it. Shrake got away to a 15-yard dash around his left end to give the Tigers a first down and take the ball out of danger.

The Tigers were not at their best Saturday and it appears did not care to be. They resorted to little more than straight football and frequent substitutions kept the personnel of the Massillon lineup changing continually. In brief the Massillon team appeared to be under cover. Kester played little more than a full quarter and Heben’s only efforts were off tackle smashes which gained but a few yards.

South Leads In First Downs
South made 13 first downs to Massillon’s nine and tried four passes one of which was intercepted. Massillon tried but one pass which was grounded. South was penalized
15 yards and Massillon 40 yards.

Massillon probably had 700 fans among the crowd of 2,000 spectators who attended the game. The Tigers next opponent will be New Philadelphia which will be played Friday evening at New Philadelphia.

Lineup and summary:
Massillon Pos. Akron South
Lohr le Kapper
Burkish lt Wonn
Krier lg Sekerich
Hoyman c Kalgreen
Critchfield rg Hyschak
Monroe rt Sahur
Brunker re Geissinger
Knowlton qb Anderson
Kester lh Lee
Shrake rh Neidert
Amic fb Kotch

Score by periods:
Massillon 0 6 6 0 12
Akron South 0 0 0 6 6

Substitutions: Massillon – Heben, lh; Swihart, le; Mansbury, fb; Snavely, rt; Adams, rt; Jones, rt; Keller, re; Bray, lt.
Akron South – Rozuk, re; Williams, lh; Rechnor, rh.

Touchdowns:
Massillon – Amic; Shrake.
Akron South – Neidert.

Referee – Shazer (Case).
Umpire – Morgan (Youngstown).
Head Linesman – Kester (Mt. Union).

1932: Massillon 8, Niles 0

August 3, 1932May 19, 2017
by Eric Smith

WASHINGTON HIGH CAPITALIZES ON BREAKS TO DEFEAT NILES 8-0
SAFETY AND FUMBLE PAVE WAY FOR THIRD CONSECUTIVE VICTORY

By LUTHER EMERY

Making the breaks by fast rushing and taking advantage of them, Washington high school won its third victory of the season on Massillon Field Friday evening, defeating a stubborn, fighting Niles’ eleven 8-0 in an N.E.O. league encounter.

It was not an upset, though the Tigers can consider themselves fortunate that they pulled through with a victory, for Niles, it seems could have won just as well, but lacked a little something, perhaps alertness and fly paper, to keep in the running.

Races 55 Yards For Touchdown
With 5,000 people in the stands and on the sidelines, the two teams put up a great battle, the score being in doubt for three and one-half periods until Krier picked a fumbled pass out of the air and raced 55 yards for a touchdown while the crowd roared and Niles groaned. That gave the Tigers six points and brought their score to eight, they having tallied a safety in the second period when in a mix-up in signals the Niles center passed the ball over the goal line where it was downed by Petty with Brunker and Lohr, Tige ends on top of him.

Fast charging on the part of the Massillon team helped to make those breaks and alertness on the part of the Tiger players took advantage of them. They were always on the ball.

Heralded as a veteran and powerful team, Niles came to Massillon Friday evening fresh from an 18-0 conquest of Salem last week and feeling confident that the pelt of the Tiger would be back in Niles today.

Start Early Drive
The visitors even looked their part the first time they secured possession of the ball and drove two wedges into the Massillon line for first downs. Then the local team braced. From then on until the fourth quarter Niles had to fight for every yard and failed to make a first down again until the fourth quarter when it rolled up four of them, two on forward passes.

The ability of two backfield men, Woods especially and Antennuci, veteran of last year, made the visitors threat from start to finish. Frequently on the first down, one of the two would get away for a five to seven yard gain, but the second or third down invariably found a Massillon player crashing through to toss the ball carrier for a loss of several yards forcing his team to punt.

Niles had a fine line drive and from the start of the game it appeared as though the visitors would aim their attack on the center of the Massillon forward wall. Fairly successful at first they found the Tiger forwards getting down low and grabbing them by the shoe tops as they came though.

Touchdown Not Allowed
The Niles offense actually crossed the goal line before the Tigers succeeded in stopping them, but the ball was called back for an infraction of the rules, using the hands on offense and the touchdown was not allowed and a 15-yard penalty inflicted on the visitors.

Niles had gained the ball on a punt, a 15-yard penalty inflicted on the Massillon team for tackling a runner after he had signaled for a fair catch, advancing the pigskin for first down on the Massillon 15-yard line. Three plays gained but four yards and on the fourth down a triple pass, Antennuci to Woods to Petty sent Petty around the Massillon left end for a touchdown. The play was not allowed however, for Referee Jenkins caught a Niles player using his hands illegally on the offense and the ball was brought back and Niles was penalized 15 yards. The visitors never succeeded in getting that near the Massillon goal the remainder of the game.

The same triple pass was in the process of execution when Krier slipped through to snare the ball and race 55 yards for the only touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter. The ball was on the Massillon 45-yard line with third down coming and four yards to go when Quarterback Infante called for the triple pass. Antennuci took the ball and swung around toward his left end but when he attempted to hand it to Woods who was circling toward the right end, Woods bobbled the ball and as it popped out of his hands Krier, Tiger guard came crashing through to snare it before it could touch the ground and race unmolested 55 yards for a touchdown. Had the ball touched the ground before being recovered by the Massillon player it would have been first down at the point of recovery. A runner cannot recover a fumble that has touched the ground and run for a touchdown. Krier’s attempted placekick for the extra point went wide of the goal posts.

Niles Threatens in Fourth
Niles’ only threat after the first period came late in the fourth quarter. Getting the ball on their own 19-yard line the visitors came tearing back with a determination for a score that carried the ball to a first down on the 27-yard line. Two passes, one for 16 yards and another for 15 yards were largely instrumental in advancing the ball. From the 27-yard line, however Niles began to move backward. Antennuci received a bad pass from center and was tossed by Brunker for a 13-yard loss. Burkish batted down Antennuci’s pass and grounded resulting in two five-yard penalties for two successive incomplete passes, the Tigers securing possession of the ball on the 50-yard line. The game ended a short time later.

If there were any outstanding performers they were Andy Heben, the half-pint halfback who filled the shoes of Bo Kester and Brunker, right end.

With Kester kept on the bench because of an injured shoulder, Heben broke into the game and played every minute, running back punts and flashing around the ends with the speed expected of him. Brunker, several times broke through to toss Niles ball carriers for big losses. Burkish and Monroe tacklers likewise played a good game on the line. While Foster did little in any offensive way, his punting kept Niles back in its own half of the field. He likewise placed two balls outside back of the 20-yard line and only a bad bounce kept a third from going out on the one-yard line.

The size of the crowd undoubtedly the largest that has seen Washington high play in three years, was a manifestation of the interest shown in this year’s team and conclusive evidence that Massillonians will turn out to see football when football is played. The Tigers are not loafing on the job. They tackled and blocked with ferocity last night, forcing Niles to take time out five times for injuries while the local team never once stopped the game for that reason.

Niles made six first downs to Massillon’s four and completed three passes out of nine attempts for a total gain of 40 yards. Massillon’s two pass attempts were incomplete. Niles was penalized 65 yards and Massillon 60 yards.

Line up and summary:
Massillon Pos. Niles
Lohr le Fasanelli
Burkish lt Gales
Krier lg Predika
Hoyman c Ragazzo
Schimke rg Kovalik
Monroe rt Kramer
Brunker re Snowball
Knowlton qb Infante
Schrake lh Woods
Heben rh Petty
Foster fb Antennuci

Score by periods:
Massillon 0 2 0 6 8

Substitutions:
Massillon – Brinker, le; Jones, rt; Amic, fb; Snavely, lg; Mansbury, lh; Keller, re; Bray, lt.
Niles – Naples, lh; Hess, rt; Knight, lg; Honiak, qb.

Touchdown:
Massillon – Krier.

Safety – Petty (tackled by Brunker and Lohr).

Referee – Jenkins (Akron).
Umpire – Michaels (Ohio State).
Head Linesman – Soller (Akron).

Time of periods – 12 minutes.

1932: Massillon 7, Akron East 6

August 2, 1932May 19, 2017
by Eric Smith

WASHINGTON HIGH DOWNS AKRON EAST
PLACEKICK AFTER TOUCHDOWN ENABLES TIGERS TO WIN 7-6

By LUTHER EMERY

That old adage that an ox cannot lick a Tiger was once again proved conclusively before 2,500 fans on Massillon Field Saturday afternoon when 11 fighting young Bengals of Washington high school defeated a beef trust sent down by Akron East high 7-6.

Outweighed at least 30 pounds to the man and appearing like a band of David’s alongside an army of Goliaths the Tigers gave everything they had and that was plenty as one glimpse at the Akron team limping off the field revealed.

It was Massillon’s first victory in seven years over the Akron team and though the margin was small just as it has been in other years since the Tigers decisive triumph in 1925, it was a satisfactory one, very much so when one stops to think that just a few days ago they were picking East to win by five touchdowns.

A weight advantage such as Akron possessed was something for a high school team to overcome, but the Massillon gridders did it with hard tackling and blocking and the fans went home satisfied that Washington high has a team this year that will play every ounce of football that is in it.

Hefty Giants
Few there were who would have picked Massillon the winner when the Orientals trotted out on the field led by Captain Owens, their young giant, who balances the scales at 247 pounds and who sails up the field at surprisingly fast speed. And few would have picked the locals the winner once the two forward walls lined up against each other. But the Massillon midgets played under the East linemen’s chins and though it would have taken two men and a derrick to have hoisted Owens out of the road and a man on stilts to get over him even when prostrate on the ground, the Tigers somehow or other refused to be outplayed on the line and handled the boys roughly.

They were a sorry looking lot when they left the field badly battered at the end of the half. Spirited by a touchdown in the closing minutes of play, however, they made a somewhat better appearance at the end of the game..

Oddly enough though Massillon had hoped to hold Akron, get a break and take advantage of it to win the game, yet the locals did not make use of their breaks Saturday. Instead they passed up three opportunities for touchdowns after breaks and as though for the purpose of making their victory more convincing, scored their touchdown after a 40-yard march down the field.

Failure of either team to score earlier in the game, when within the shadow of each other’s goal posts, led fans to believe another scoreless tie such as that of 1931 was in the making.

In fact the closing minutes of the third period were being ticked off when one of Hinkle’s kicks went out of bounds on the Akron 40-yard line. Kester hit tackle for five yards and Shrake slipped around right end on a double pass for a first down on the six-yard line. Foster crashed through for six yards but Akron was offside and Hoyman, acting captain, wisely took the penalty leaving it first down with five yards to go. Kester picked up three of the five and Foster in two drives made it first and 10 on the 18-yard line. Shrake skirted left end for seven yards but lost a yard on his next effort. Kester picked up three yards putting the ball on the 10-yard line and Foster crashed through for a first down on the eight-yard line. Kester went through for four yards, but Akron was penalized five yards for being offside, placing the ball on the four-yard line. Foster hit for two yards and then picked up another before the gun ended the period, much to the disappointment of a couple of youngsters in the pop-priced bleachers at the south end of the field. The teams reversed the field and Foster on the first play of the fourth quarter, crashed over the north goal for the touchdown. Krier placekicked the point that actually proved to be the margin of victory.

East Picks Up
That touchdown seemed to put new fire in East or was it the replacement of Brown with Caudriet that set off the sparks? Anyway, East suddenly found new power and with Caudriet carrying the ball most of the time, began to wear down the Massillon line until toward the close of the period, Akron got the ball on its own 45-yard line and through passes and runs by Caudriet, carried the ball to the five-yard line where Caudriet fumbled, Knowlton recovering for the Tigers. Six yards were picked up before Scott as caught pushing and the Tigers were penalized back to the one-yard line. Kester got off a good punt to the 25-yard line, but Garcia, on the first play, stepped back and hurled a perfect 15-yard pass to Hinkle who took it out of the arms of two Massillon players and galloped for a touchdown.

Then came the big break of the game. The teams lined up and Garcia elected to run with the ball for the extra point. He took it over, but Kesselring, East left end, was offside and Akron was penalized five yards and given another chance. This time Garcia’s pass was grounded behind the goal. Ten seconds later the game was over.

While all of the scoring took place in the fourth quarter, the game was chuck full of action from start to finish, so much so that every fan talking football Saturday evening made the expression that he had witnessed an honest to goodness game.

Thrills From Start to Finish
There were thrills right at the start when East took the kickoff and tricked the Massillon team on spinner plays. Hinkle’s 27-yard run and Brown’s 20-yard dash giving the Akron school a first down on the Massillon five-yard line. Then and there the Tigers found themselves and realized they could cope with Akron’s weight advantage while the socking administered to the Orientals on the next four consecutive plays just about undid them for the rest of the afternoon. Four plays gained but that many yards East losing the ball on the one-yard line.

The threat over, Kester kicked back to the 27-yard line and two plays later, Shrake intercepted Garcia’s flat pass and dashed 72 yards before he was brought down on the eight-yard line. Akron braced, however and tossed back the threat, the Tigers losing the ball on the nine-yard line. East attempted to punt out of danger and once again fans got to their feet when Krier blocked the punt and East recovered after the ball had rolled halfway across the field and two Massillon players had failed to recover it though first on the ball.

Akron had but one opportunity to score in the first half, but the Tigers passed up two more chances before intermission. Brunker placed them in position once when he recovered Garcia’s fumble on the nine-yard line. Amic made a yard and Knowlton two and Kester carried to the one-yard line on a lateral before being downed. Amic failed to gain on the next play, however and the Tigers’ lost the ball. Again the locals took the pigskin on the 23-yard line on a punt, a 10-yard pass helping to gain a first down on the 10-yard stripe. Amic took it out for no gain. Kester made a yard and Amic five more but Knowlton made but a yard on the fourth attempt and the ball was lost on the four-yard line, the period ending before Akron could punt out.

First Downs Almost Even
Neither team gained any great amount of ground in the third quarter until the Tigers started their drive that ended in a touchdown. Then followed Akron’s touchdown and the end of the game.

The teams were comparatively even in first downs, Akron making 10 to Massillon’s nine.

Next Friday the Tigers will play their second N.E.O. league game, meeting Niles here in a night contest. Niles opened its season last Friday with a 12-0 victory over Salem. Niles should have one of the best teams in the league this year.

Line up and summary:
Massillon Pos. Akron East
Lohr le Kesselring
Burkish lt Owens
Krier lg Bell
Hoyman c Houston
Schimke rg Swiers
Monroe rt Little
Brunker re McComb
Knowlton qb Garcia
Amic fb Brown
Shrake hb Krino
Kester hb Hinkle

Score by periods:
Massillon 0 0 0 7 7
Akron East 0 0 0 6 6

Substitutions:
Massillon – Foster, fb; Scott, g; Snavely, g.
Akron East – Mostyn, c; Richards, hb; Caudriet, fb.

Touchdowns:
Massillon – Foster.
Akron East – Hinkle.

Point after touchdown: Massillon – Krier (placekick)

Referee – Wagner (Mt. Union).
Umpire – Rang (Akron).
Head Linesman – Ellis (Springfield).

1932: Massillon 20, Wooster 7

August 1, 1932May 19, 2017
by Eric Smith

CROWD OF 3,000 SEES WASHINGTON HIGH BEAT WOOSTER IN OPENING GAME
TIGERS FLASH NEAT OFFENSE IN WINNING LEAGUE CONTEST 20-7

By LUTHER EMERY

A green but peppy Washington high football team, underwent its first test successfully at Massillon Field last night, when it turned back a formidable N.E.O. league threat in the form of Wooster high school and crashed through for a 20-7 victory.

They played football last night and for that reason all hats were off today to the Washington high school boys. The 3,000 Massillon fans who gained admission to the field one way or another saw more offensive football last night than they were privileged to witness in any single Washington high game last year with the possible exception of the final encounter of the season with Canton McKinley high.

Offense Is Deceptive
Working spinners, lateral passes, end runs and off-tackle smashes, the Tigers crashed through Wooster for 10 first downs. Wooster by adopting the forward pass occasionally made the yardage nine times. In only one department of play did the Massillon team appear weak and that was in the forward pass. The locals tried passes three times but all were grounded by the Wooster secondary.

Wooster on the other hand made gains of 102 yards by use of the forward pass, having but three grounded by the Massillon defense.

With seven green men in the lineup, four of whom had never played varsity football before and three of them only portions of a couple of quarters, the Tigers uncorked an offensive in the very first period that signaled spectators they were going to see more football this year than in recent years.

Scores on Blocked Punt
The Massillon eleven in fact showed more ground gaining ability in the first period and a few minutes of the last quarter than it did at any other time during the game. Though the first drive did not net a touchdown, it did place the ball in position for Birkish to contribute his first bit to the team by throwing himself against the ball as Starr attempted to kick out of danger, the blocked punt rolling back of the Wooster goal line where Brunker dove for it as through it were a $5 gold piece and gathered it in where no one could steal it.

The Tigers might have scored through straight football had not Andy Heben bobbled a pass from center just long enough to be tackled before he could get by the line of scrimmage on an end run.

An intercepted pass by Knowlton followed by a 35-yard run in which the little quarterback knifed this way by the Wooster secondary paved the way for the Tigers’ second touchdown, while the third was scored by “Bo” Kester after an advance of 27 yards in which Kester and Knowlton were important factors.

Wooster’s score came on a well executed pass with Starr hurling the ball to Mullen for 15 yards and the latter running 55 yards for the touchdown.

The head linesman blew his horn for offside just as the pass, was thrown and the Massillon safety man apparently heard the horn, and hesitated knocking down the pass.

Gun Ends Wooster Threat
Wooster was well on its way to score in the closing period and probably would have carried the ball over the goal line were it not for the timekeeper’s gun. Getting the ball on the Massillon 35-yard line, the visitors threw forward passes and an occasional line play carried it to the two-yard line with first down and goal to gain when the game ended.

Once in the second period the Wooster gridders also had the ball within four yards of the Massillon goal when they forfeited it to the local team on downs.

The Tigers, on the other hand, played much of the fourth period in Wooster territory, losing the ball several times within the 20-yard zone. This in fact appeared to be the only outstanding weakness on the part of the Massillon team – lack of punch at the goal line. The team does not have a plunger with the drive of Glenn Williams, fullback of the past three years, but someone may develop that punch within the next couple of weeks.

Many Substitutes Used
Coach Brown tossed so many substitutes into the game in the last half that it was difficult to keep track of all the players. It was the fist game of varsity football for all the subs and though they were weak in stopping Wooster’s passing in the last quarter, they offered almost as sturdy a forward wall as the starting linesmen.

Kester and Knowlton proved to be the best ground gainers for the locals last night. The locals made two first downs after taking the kickoff as a result of gains on end runs, one on a lateral by Kester. The first real drive, however, started about the middle of the period when the Tigers got the ball on a punt on their 42-yard line and carried it back to the three-yard line where it was lost on downs.

Knowlton was the chief factor in the advance, spinners, through the right side of the Wooster line enabling him to twice get away for gains of 10 yards. The advance had its effect on the Wooster team, however, for Birkish broke through to block Starr’s hurried punt and Brunker was on the ball immediately for a touchdown. Krier’s attempted kick from placement missed the posts.

Wooster showed its first offense in the second period when Taliaferro and Vitallo carried the ball from Wooster’s 45-yard line to the Massillon four-yard line where the ball was lost on downs. Massillon kicked back to the 26 and Wooster brought it back to the 15-yard line before again surrendering the ball on downs.

Knowlton gave the Tigers their second touchdown early in the third period when he snared Starr’s pass on the 35-yard line, midfield and cut to the east side, throwing the Wooster safety man off balance with a pretty side step as he raced over the goal. This time Krier’s placekick split the center of the posts for an extra point.

Wooster scored in the same period when Starr hurled a 15-yard pass to Mullen who took the ball on his own 45-yard line and ran 55 yards unmolested for a touchdown. Starr carried the ball over for another point. No more offense was shown by either team the remainder of the period.

Fourth Quarter Full of Action
The fourth quarter, however, was full of action, the Tigers once carrying the ball from their own 45-yard line to the Wooster 11-yard stripe and again advancing it another time from the Wooster 26-yard stripe to the six-yard line where a pass over the goal ended the threat.

Wooster’s last effort took the ball to the two-yard line with first down and goal to gain when the gun sounded. The Massillon ranks were filled with substitutes, however when this offensive was launched.

The attendance last night exceeded that of any home game last year. The bleachers were filled with spectators and a force of policemen kept the crowd clear between halves.

The Wooster band and the Washington high band were in the stands, while the drum and bugle corps of Massillon Post 221 drilled and played.

Lineup and summary:
MASSILLON Pos. WOOSTER
Lohr le Mullen
Birkish lt Campbell
Krier lg Drabenstott
Hoyman c Mathie
Schimke rg Sapp
Monroe rt Milham
Brunker re Fry
Knowlton qb Taliaferro
Kester hb Starr
Schrake hb Jolliff
Vitallo fb Foster

Score by periods:
Massillon 6 0 7 7 20
Wooster 0 0 7 0 7

Substitutions:
Massillon – Amic, fb; Heben, hb; Snavely, lg; Scott, rg; Bray, lt; Keller, re; Mansbury, hb; Brinker, le; Hutsell; Ripple; Silvis; Chovan.
Wooster – Hinderman, Zebra, re; Falvo, qb; Capolla, hb; Stoneburner, re; Heckbert, rt.

Touchdowns:
Massillon – Brunker; Knowlton; Kester.
Wooster – Mullen.

Points after touchdown:
Massillon – Krier 2 (kicks from placement).
Wooster – Starr (line buck).

Officials:
Referee – Jenkins.
Umpire – Wagner.
Head Linesman – Rang.

1931: Massillon 20, Canton McKinley 6

November 21, 1931May 18, 2017
by Eric Smith

Powerful Offensive Defeats Canton McKinley High 20-6
TIGER GRIDDERS PLAY BRILLIANT FOOTBALL TO DEFEAT OLD RIVAL

By LUTHER EMERY

WASHINGTON high school submerged Canton McKinley in the mud and water of Lakeside stadium, Canton, Saturday afternoon and carried off a 20-6 victory in as convincing a triumph as was ever chalked up by a Massillon football team over a Canton rival.

There was no luck in the Massillon victory. In fact the majority of the breaks went to Canton, but the Tigers showing the hidden power that has been buried in them all season, were so far superior to the red and black that they easily overcame the shortage of breaks falling to their lot and scored three touchdowns in the last two periods to decisively defeat the red and black for the 11th time in the last 19 games. Canton has won two games, two have ended in ties.

Fumbles Keep Score From Being Larger
McKinley, game as it was, can rejoice over nothing more than the satisfaction that it did not receive a worse beating. The Bulldog, tied securely in its kennel for another year, can scan the terrain of Lakeside stadium and that portion of the field around the north goal post and give thanks that it recovered three or four Massillon fumbles within the 25-yard line that halted prospective Tiger touchdown marches.

McKinley’s representative mascot with the battered nose while munching on its turkey day bones can also express delight that the referee’s whistle tooted when it did on a Canton fumble near the Massillon goal line else the red and black would have been whitewashed by the Tigers.

Yes, the breaks were against the Tigers and McKinley was fortunate that it scored on the local team, for the red and black fumbled on the 12-yard line and Williams recovered for Massillon. Though there was a diversity of opinion, Referee Shafer ruled that he had blown his whistle just as Doll fumbled the ball so Canton was given the pigskin at the point where Doll made his muff.

Dissention Cast To Winds
Anyone who had not seen the Washington high eleven in action before Saturday afternoon would have thought the Tigers unbeatable, for personal animosities and jealousies which were largely responsible for the disastrous season, were forgotten for the day, and the players imbued with the spirit of rivalry which goes with any Canton-Massillon game went out and played the kind of football they should have produced in all of the other nine games this season.

The line charged as it had never charged before, opening large holes for the ball carriers, Clendening and Williams, and when the holes didn’t open these two Tiger backs sank their cleats into the mud and drove wedges of their own into the red and black forward wall. With hands taped and heads lowered the gridders were off with the snap of the ball and so vicious were their assaults that one-half of the McKinley team and maybe an even greater percentage was exhausted and so battered up that it had to be replaced with reserve material. And some of the subs likewise went down before the rush of the Massillon gridders.

The first half score of 6-0 might indicate to the non-spectators that Canton outplayed the orange and black in the first two periods, but the fact of the matter was that Canton never had a chance. The red and black might have had a slight advantage in the first period, but from then on it was nothing but a parade of mud spattered orange and black toward the Canton goal line.

The only red and black offense of the day was uncorked in the closing minutes of the first period when McKinley after recovering a Massillon fumble in the danger zone made three successive first downs that netted a touchdown. J. Doll took the ball over on a spinner from the eight-yard line. Only one more first down was chalked up by the Bulldogs, that coming in the second half with the assistance of a five-yard penalty inflicted on the orange and black for offside.

Tigers Launch Attack
Canton’s touchdown instead of demoralizing the Tigers only served to bring out the best in the Massillon boys, for it was not until after the red and black had scored six points that the local gridders for the first time demonstrated the kind of football they could have played all season. They didn’t score in the second quarter but to the spectators it was a question of nothing more than how long the red and black could hold out against the Massillon attack and gain the breaks in the danger zone by recovering Massillon fumbles. Once the Tigers marched from their own 40-yard line to the Canton 25-yard line where Williams’ fumble was recovered by McKinley. After again gaining the ball on their own 40-yard line through a punt, they came right back to the Canton 25-yard line where another fumble was recovered by McKinley to end the threat. And once more before the half ended they worked the ball to the 18-yard line only to lose it on downs.

But fumbles couldn’t stop the Tigers when the second half opened up and they lost no time tying and taking the lead away from their Canton opponents. Williams returned the kickoff from the goal line to the 30-yard stripe. In two plays, Clendenign and Williams carried the ball to the Canton 45-yard line. Williams crashed through for a 12-yard gain to put the ball 33 yards from the goal. The going got a little harder but the orange and black kept plodding forward. Williams smashed for six yards, two yards and then a first down on the 16-yard line.

Clendening waded through on his next effort to the five-yard stripe. Canton took time out to talk it over but it was for naught for the Tigers were not to be stopped and “Horse” Williams was having a nightmare. On the next play over he went. He plunged across from the three-yard line for the extra point and Canton was beaten then and there.

Penalty Ends Threat
Just a while later the orange and black again advanced to the 30-yard line where a bad pass from center was recovered by Canton. Failing to gain, McKinley attempted to punt out of danger but the Massillon guards broke through and blocked the kick, Adams recovering for Massillon on the 30-yard line. Three plays netted a first down on the
19-yard line but a 15-yard penalty on the Tigers ended their threat.

Kester by virtue of two nicely placed punts kept the ball in Canton territory until the Tigers could secure it in a dry spot that would enable them to launch another offensive drive. It was in the fourth quarter and the locals took a punt on the 33-yard line. In two plays Williams hammered his way to the 15-yard line and in three successive attempts gave the local team a first down on the three-yard line. Clendening put it on the one-yard line and then cracked through for a touchdown. Williams again plunged across for the extra point.

The last parade had its beginning on the Canton 44-yard stripe where the locals secured the ball on a punt. In two plays Williams was down to the 30. Clendening tore off six yards and Williams narrowed the distance by four more for a first down on the 20-yard line. Three plays netted a first down on the nine-yard line from whence Williams, Singer and Kester carried the ball to the one-yard line. Then to equalize the scoring, Kester was given the ball and he weaved through left tackle for the touchdown. Williams this time was stopped when he attempted to carry the ball over for the extra point.

Line Shows Drive
While Williams and Clendening were the offensive stars of the day, the unseen and less flashy performances of the linemen made it possible for these backs to get loose. The Tigers for the most part found their success in straight football. The field was too heavy for their reverses and most of these plays failed to gain any ground. They only value was to diversity the attack.

While Canton made but four first downs one as a result of a penalty, the Tigers made the distance 21 times, an unusually large number of first downs for any football team and especially for a muddy field. But the Massillon gridders seem to like the mid. In fact, had they been forced to play on soggy gridirons all season their record might have a more impressive appearance. Their only other victory scored over Tiffin Junior Home was made on a muddy gridiron.

Only one forward pass was attempted Saturday, Canton trying an aerial heave in the closing minutes of the game. It was intercepted by Massillon.

The bands of the two schools gave the 4,000 spectators plenty of music but the drills they had practiced were saved for another year because of the muddy condition of the field. In this the Massillon band members were disappointed for they had rehearsed for the game last week as strenuously as the football team and were prepared to put on a pin wheel maneuver and an emblem drill.

The Canton girl boosters used red and orange cards form their position in the bleachers to make M’s and C’s as gestures of welcome to Massillon and Canton fans.

Summary:
Massillon Pos. Canton
Getz LE Pirolozzi
Krug LT C. Sturrett
Adams LG De Stefano
Hoyman C Billings
K. Monore RG Jones
Price RT J. Sturrett
Gump RE Ondrejas
Singer QB Gift
Knowlton LH Kopache
Kester RH H. Wilson
Williams FB J. Doll.

Score by periods:
Massillon 0 0 7 13 20
Canton 6 0 0 0 6

Substitutions:
Massillon – Clendening for Knowlton; Shrake for Gump; Brunker for Shrake; Buhecker for Singer; Heisler for Getz; Schott for Price; Getz for Heisler; Singer for Buhecker; Ripple for Monroe.
Canton – R. Doll for J. Doll; Rowe for Jones; Scholl for J. Sturrett; Miller for De Stefano; Shopbell for Billings; Myers for Kopache; Gottsheck for C. Sturrett; Jones for Rowe; Reifer for Miller; J. Doll for R. Doll; Kovesci for Myers.

Touchdowns:
Canton – Gift.
Massillon – Williams; Clendening; Kester.

Point after touchdowns:
Massillon – Williams 2 (carried).

Referee – Shafer (Akron).
Umpire – Howells (Sebring).
Head Linesman – Barrett (Akron).

Category: <span>History</span>