Category: <span>History</span>

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo

1978: Massillon 31, Cleveland Benedictine 0

Tigers’ late surge buries Bennies 31‑0
Defense brilliant in logging first shutout

By DENNY J. HIGHBEN

Between the Benedictine offense and the Tiger defense, Massillon had ample opportunity to put Friday night’s game on ice in the first half.

But it took a second half offensive surge and a continuing stellar performance by the Tiger defenders to white‑wash Cleveland Benedictine, 31‑0.

“The defense saved us again when we were sputtering,” Tiger coach Mike Currence said after his team chalked up its fifth straight win and first shut‑out of the season.

The Beanies lost four fumbles in the first half, two deep in their own territory, but the Tigers could take advantage of only one. That was recovered in the Massillon end one by defender Jamie Schlegel for a touchback.

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Three plays later senior halfback Jeff Beitel took off on a sweep, picked up some excellent blocks and charged down the sideline 68 yards for the Tigers’ only touchdown of the first half. Ron Wright’s kick was no good, and the score was 6-0 with 9:08 remaining in the half.
Schlegel’s key recovery in the end zone was just the beginning of a great performance by the junior defensive halfback. He picked off a pass on Cleveland’s first play of the second half and a few moments later brought the crowd of over 10,000 to its feet with one of the most exciting punt returns in many a‑game at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. The return set up another Tiger score.

The Tiger offense had its problems in the first half and most of the credit for those problems has to go to the talent and size of the Benedictine defensive backs and linebackers.
“It’s real tough throwing over those tall guys!” Currence exclaimed after the contest. The Bengals’ defensive line had some tall trees that blocked Tiger Quarterback Brent Offenbecher’s view. And the secondary was even taller.

Sixteen of Massillon’s 31 first‑half plays were completed. Offenbecher usually found his target in the first two quarters, and a big Bengal usually found the target too just in time to break up the play.

In all, Offenbecher finished the night with 12 completions in 30 attempts for 167 yards and three interceptions.

“Two of those interceptions were my fault,” Currence said, noting that his strategy backfired a couple times when his foe, Benedictine Coach Augie Bossu, changed his defensive procedures.

The Tiger mentor praised Bossu’s ability as a coach and added the two have had a rivalry ever since Currence was the field general at Lakewood St. Edward’s.
“We didn’t get to use as many of our players as we wanted to, because Angle always keeps his starting team in. He doesn’t substitute,” Currence added.

“And with about eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, and only up 24 points, you can’t ease up against him,” Currence said.

Although Benedictine picked up 222 yards in the game, the Bennies only knocked on Massillon’s door once. They marched downfield early in the second period and had a second‑and‑three situation at the Tiger 10‑yard line.

Sophomore halfback Don Cline carried the ball into the line, was hammered by linebacker Richard Cleveland and, as he tried to twist and squirm for more yardage, lost the ball which Schlegel recovered in the end zone.

Though the Tiger defense recovered fumbles at the Bennies’ 29 and 18 yardlines after the score, the offense couldn’t reach the promised land again in the first half.

However, things were different in the second half. Senior Curtis Strawder returned the kickoff 24 yards and the Tigers went to work from their 43 yard line.

Beitel ran his trademark sweep ‑ a play that is fast becoming the Tigers’ bread and butter on the ground for 10 yards. Fullback Tom Gehring went up the middle for two yards and then Offenbecher found Beitel open and connected on a nine-yard gainer. Junior Bill Beitel squirmed through the line for another 10 yards and then brother Jeff was off‑and‑running again.

Behind some powerful blocks, Jeff swept down the hometown sideline for a 25‑yard touchdown scamper. Offenbecher tried to pass for the extra points, but the ball fell incomplete and the Tigers were on top 12‑0 with 10:35 remaining in the third quarter.

Cline returned the kickoff to the Benedictine 40, but quarterback Dale Horton’s pass on the first Play was picked off by Schlegel.

Offenbecher started marching the Tiger’s downfield, but a third‑and‑six pass was picked off and the Bennies had the ball at their 10‑yard line. The Tiger defense gave up five yards on three plays, and the Bennie’s punted to Schlegel.

Defense brilliant in logging first shutout
Schlegel caught the punt and ran a country mile for what turned out to be a 40‑yard return. He caught the ball at ratified on the east sideline, ran backwards about 15 yards to avoid tacklers while he crossed the field and zoomed down the west sideline to the 10 before being hauled down from behind.

Two plays later Gehring rammed through the center of the line for his first of two touchdowns. The conversion pass was broken up and, with 5:49 remaining in the third period, the score was 18-0.

Benedictine failed to get a first down on the next series, punted, and Darren Longshore ran it back 65 yards for another TD, only to have it called back on a clipping infraction.
The Tigers had to start at their 21, and “Mr. Clutch” came in at quarterback to give Offenbecher, who had been sprinting left and sprinting right all night, a breather.
“Mr. Clutch,” as Currence calls him, is Wright – split end, kicker, and quarterback.
Wright didn’t waste any time showing his talents to the Bengals. After four running plays, that gave Massillon a second‑and‑14 at the Tiger 31, Wright connected with Gehring on an 18‑yard gainer, Two plays later he fired on a run to junior end Marty Guzzetta, who battled for some extra yardage of the ball on Benedictine’s 20 ‑ a play good for 31 yards.

The Bennies’ defense slammed the door on Massillon’s running game again, and on fourth-and-10 Wright went back to Guzzetta for a 15‑yarder and with a whistle on Benedictine for a late hit, Massillon had a first‑and‑goal at the three. Gehring barged over the line for his second TD, Wright’s conversion pass was incomplete and it was 24‑0 with 11:43 remaining to play.
Massillon’s defense again held the Bennies at bay, but a booming punt by 6-4 Dave Marshall, one of those trees on defense, put the Tigers on their 20.

Offenbecher returned to action, with the nod from Currence to call his own game.
“When Brent went out he was determined to take it all the way,” Currence said.
He did ‑ with a little help from the defense.

The offense ran two plays and got a 15-yard holding penalty in the process, putting the ball back at the 13. Two plays later Offenbecher got hit as he threw the ball and Scott Modzelewski intercepted at the Benedictine 48. The Beanies went to the air right away and Horton connected with 6‑6 end Joe Mincek. The tall guy ran for some good yardage but fumbled when he was tackled and Cleveland recovered for the Tigers at Massillon’s 22.
So Offenbecher went to work again. He hit Strawder and Bill Beitel on consecutive passes, threw an incomplete pass, then rolled to his left and picked up 12 yards an his own. He got steamrollered when he was already out of bounds, which gave the Tigers an additional 15 yards.

With a second‑and‑one on the Bennies’ 21, however, Massillon returned the yardage on an illegal receiver penalty. That infraction made it second‑and‑16 at the Cleveland 36, but a hard run by Sam Hill and a pass to Guzzetta made it first‑and‑10 at the 15. Offenbecher hit junior end Scott Gehring at the three, and kept the ball on three successive plays until he punched into the end zone with 3:01 remaining.

“Yeah, the fumbles sum hurt us,” Bossu said after the game. “Our defense was on the field longer than it should have been, and Massillon has an awfully strong offense,” he added.
Thinking of those fumbles and interceptions, Currence said, “I have to apologize to our defense. We should have scored so many more times.”
So, what‑the‑heck; 31‑0 isn’t bad at all.

M CB
First down, rush. 9 4
First downs pass. 12 4
First downs pen. A 2
Total first down 21 10
Yards gained rushing 221 130
Yards lost rush. 48 5
Net yds. gained rush. 173 125
Net yds. passing 241 97
Total yds. gained 414 222
Passes att. 34 11
Passes completed 15 5
Passes intercepted 3 3
Yardage on passes intercepted 20 4
Times kicked off 6 1
Kickoff ave. 46 42
Kickoff returns 25 93
Times punted 2 6
Punt average 25 34
Punt returns 45 0
Punts blocked 0 0
Fumbles 1 7
Lost fumbles 1 5
Penalties 5 3
Yards penalized 74 24
Touchdowns rushing 5 0
Total number of plays 73 55
Time of Poss. 25:03 22:57

BENEDICTINE 0 0 0 0 0
MASSILLON 0 6 12 13 31

M ‑ Jeff Beitel 68 run (Ron Wright kick fail);
M ‑ J. Beitel 25 run (pass fail);
M – Tom Gehring 4 run (pass fail);
M – T. Gehring 3 run (pass fail);
M – Brent Offenbecher 1 run (Wright kick).

lineups

TIGERS

Offense
QUARTERBACK: 14 – Brent Offenbecher (Sr., 6‑1,175);
FULLBACK: 49 ‑ Sam Hill (Jr., 5‑6,160), 43 ‑ Tom Gehring (Sr., 5‑10. 171);
HALFBACKS: 45 ‑ Jeff Beitel (Sr., 5‑7 158), 22 ‑ Bill Beitel (Jr., 5‑7, 148);
ENDS: 42 – Curtis Strawder (Sr., 5-10, 153), 13 ‑ Ron Wright (Sr., 5-9,173), 25 Marty Guzzetta (Jr., 5-9, 160);
TACKLES: 67 – Doug Wood (Sr., 6‑2, 191), 76 ‑ Mark Kircher (Jr., 6‑1, 212);
GUARDS: 69 ‑ Jim Horton (Sr., 6-0,177), 65 ‑ Larry Massie (Jr., 5‑7, 195);
CENTER: 51 Scott Kasunick (Sr., 5‑9, 181).

Defense
ENDS: 81 ‑ Bruce Solinger (Sr.. 6-0, 175), 88 ‑ Kent Wilson (Sr. 6-0, 182);
TACKLES: 72 ‑ Harry Foster (Sr, 6‑2, 222), 71 ‑ Jeff Pedro (Sr., 6‑3, 204);
MIDDLE GUARD: 55 ‑ Bob Simpson (Jr., 5‑11, 190);
LINEBACKERS: 28 ‑ Dick Cleveland (Sr., 5 11,188), 38 Kevin Harris (Sr. 5‑10, 182);
MONSTER BACK: 11 Darren Longshore (Sr., 6-1, 175);
SAFETY: 21 – Jamie Schiegel (Jr., 5‑11, 160);
HALFBACKS: 34 – Jeff David (Sr., 5-9, 188), 12 ‑ Dan Venables (Sr., 5‑10, 160)
KICKERS: 13 ‑ Wright (punts, extra points), 86 ‑ Mike Hodgson (Jr., 6‑5. 194) kickoffs.

BENGALS

Offense
QUARTERBACK: 10 – Dave Horton (Jr., 5‑8, 124);
FULLBACK: 21 Mark Mariani (Sr., 6-0. 186);
HALFBACKS: 22 Don Cline (Soph., 5‑10, 160); 95 – Joe Mencek (Sr., 6‑6, 186);
ENDS: 85 ‑ Dave Marshall (Sr., 6-4, 188), 81 ‑ John Goode ( J r. , 6-2, 192);
TACKLES: 72 ‑ Dan Cash (Jr., 6-2, 190), 71 ‑ Tom Glowik (Sr., 6‑4, 215);
GUARDS: 61 ‑ Greg Shenedy (Sr., 5‑9, 166), 66 ‑ Joe Buerger (Jr., 5-11, 179), 63 – Dan Frate (Sr., 5-11, 178 ), 60 – John Savage (Jr., 5‑10, 177);
CENTER: 55 – Mike Shantery (Jr., 5-11, 175).

Defense
ENDS: 64 ‑ Willie Tucker (Sr., 6‑1, 191), 57 – Tony Pletka (Sr., 6-0, 176);
TACKLES: Jim Urda (Sr., 6-3, 210) , 70 ‑ Jim Kutka (Soph., 5-11, 175);
LINEBACKERS: 50 – Ted Chiudioni (Sr., 5-9, 164), 90 – Derick Dove (Sr., 6-2, 185);
OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS: 60 – John Savage, 85 ‑ Dave Marshall;
HALFBACKS: 30 ‑ Hugh Evert (Sr., 5‑10, 155), 32 – Scott Modzelewski (Jr., 5-10, 166);
SAFETY: 95 – Joe Mincek.
KICKER: 57 ‑ Tony Pletka.

SERIES: 24th meeting, Massillon Holds hold’s 20‑2-1 edge.
LAST MEETING: 1977, Massillon 24, Benedictine 7.
POINTS SCORED BY: Massillon 131, Benedictine 45.
POINTS SCORED AGAINST: Massillon 22, Benedictine 23.

Curtis Strawder
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo

1978: Massillon 27, Niles McKinley 7

Longshore leads Tigers 27-7 victory

By KEN ZUERCHER

The skies opened up early and so did the Massillon offense, but it took the defensive wizardry of Darren Longshore to dampen the upset hopes of winless Niles McKinley Saturday night.

Longshore stated on a 64-yard punt return, set up a Tiger touchdown with an interception and took a TD away from Niles as Massillon raised its record to 4-0 by downing the Red Dragons 27-7 at Niles.

Despite a storm that delayed the start of the game by 55 minutes, Tiger quarterback Brent Offenbecher ignored the weather and concentrated on what he does best – throwing the football.

Offenbecher came out firing and connected on his first three passes as the Tigers marched for a 7-0 lead on their first possession, but their offense disappeared in the second quarter and the Dragons were able to knot the score shortly after halftime.

That’s when Longshore took over.

“I can’t say enough about Darren,” Tiger coach Mike Currence said of his senior defensive halfback. “He made the play of the game.”

The play occurred late in the third period when, with the Tigers clinging to a precarious 1.3 7 lead, Longshore fielded Niles punter Mike ­Kopetsky’s kick on the Massillon 36 yard line, broke a tackle at the 40 and sped down the right sideline behind a wall of blockers for six points.

Longshore helped provide more breathing room in the fourth period by picking off a Dragon pass and dancing 16 yards to the Niles 37. Four minutes later the Tigers had the game on ice.

Earlier, the Tiger defender made a touchdown saving tackle on Dragon workhorse Dave Negro, who had shaken loose for 20 of the 120 yards he would ramble for on the night.

Negro lugged the ball 2 times as the Dragons plugged straight ahead with a ground game that didn’t befit the 0‑4 team they were to become.

“We couldn’t stop them,” Currence said after his Tigers had captured their second All-American Conference win. “They ran power at us as well as any team can. We had to wait for mistakes to hurt them.

“But you have to give credit to our defense,” he added. “They took the ball away from them.”

The first theft came after Niles had taken the opening kick‑off and driven into Massillon territory on burst of 10, 10 and 12 by Negro. Dragon fullback Rick Kelsh fumbled, however, and Longshore was on the spot, as usual, to pick it up.

“The fumble hurt us. We had the momentum,” Dragon coach Tony Napolet noted. “We played very well the first half and controlled the line of scrimmage.

“But Massillon is so quick off the ball. They’re the best team we’ve played up to now,” Napolet said. “I thought we could get back in it, but that punt return was the turning point.

Neither coach thought that rain as a critical factor in the outcome.
Massillon dumps Niles for fourth straight win
It fell on both sides of the line,” Napolet said. “It didn’t inhibit what we wanted to do, and it sure didn’t stop them from throwing the ball.”

Offenbecher who hit on five of his first six aerial attempts, finished the night at 10 for 17, good for 119 yards.

“A wet field always limits you. You can’t try the fancy things. Bill this field wasn’t bad,” Currence said, “They have nice drainage.”

Jeff Beitel, who spearheaded the Tigers 115-yard ground attack with 69 yards unofficially on 15 carries, gave Massillon its quick lead on a 7‑yard touchdown run after his brother Bill grabbed a 31-yard pass from Offenbecher to set the stage.

The Tigers fashioned another first‑quarter drive that featured romps of 16 and 10 yards by Beitel, but it fizzeled four yards from paydirt when Dragon defensive end Chris Skocik trapped Offenbecher on a rollout on a fourth down play.

Niles took it from that point to the Massillon 45 with the help of a first down on fourth and a foot by Bob Rufh. The Tiger rejected Rufh, though, when the same situation arose on their 45 for a key defensive stand.

After a second period in which the Tigers could muster only a dozen yards, the Dragons threw a scare into their visitors, scoring on the first play from scrimmage of the third period.

The Tigers received the second-half kick-off and started from their 11 after being assessed half the distance to the goal for a clipping penalty.

The ball squirted out of Offenbecher’s hands, then out from under a pack of would-be recoverers and into the Tiger end zone, where Niles’ Harry Nidel tracked it down for a touchdown.

“They never should have scored,” said Currence, who blamed himself for the turn of events. “I made a mistake. We should have kicked off the second half, too. On a night like this, field position is more important than the ball. Let this be a lesson to me.”

The Tiger bounce back from the sudden tie for a sustained drive of 69 yard, keeping the ball for 6:24 before Bill Beitel knifed into the end zone from nine yards out for a 13‑7 lead.

Then came Longshore’s key punt return to increase the margin to 19‑7 and his in interception that set up a 37‑yard Tiger scoring drive which ended with a 3-yard keeper by Offenbecher.

Jeff Brief tossed a halfback pass to Ron Wright for the two point conversion to complete the scoring. Wright also accounted for the only other Tiger extra point with his boot after the first TD.

Niles air game wasn’t nearly as successful as its ground attack. Quarterback Dean Clark, who entered the game second to Offenbecher in AAC passing statistics, completed only 3 of 12 aerials for 20 yard.

Tiger defensive end Bruce Solinger found Clark as many times as the Dragon QB found his receivers. Solinger accounted for three sacks that set the Dragons back a total of 32 yard.

MASSILLON 7 0 12 6 27
NILES 0 0 7 0 7

M ‑ Jeff Beitel 7 run (Ron Wright kick);
N ‑ Harry Nicer recovered fumble in end zone (Rick Phillips kick);
M ‑Bill Beitel 9 run (kick felt);
M – Darren Longshore 64 punt return (kick fail);
M ‑ Brant Offenbecher 3 run (Wright pass from J. Beitel).

M IN
First downs rushing 7 7
First downs passing 6 0
First downs penalties 0 1
Total first downs 13 8
Yards gained rushing 132 126
Yards lost rushing 17 30
Net yards gained rushing 115 96
Net yards gained passing 127 20
Total yards gained 242 116
Passes attempted 21 12
Passes completed 12 3
Passes intercepted by 2 1
Yardage on passes intercepted 10 0
Times kicked off 5 2
Kickoff average (yards) 48.6 47.5
Kickoff returns (yards) 22 89
Times punted 2 4
Punt average (yard) 31.5 33.7
Punt returns (yard) 111 11
Had punts blocked 0 0
Fumbles 1 3
Lost fumbled ball 1 2
Penalties 9 3
Yards penalized 61 15
Touchdowns rushing 3 0
Touchdowns passing 0 0
Touchdowns by interceptions 0 0
Miscellaneous touchdowns 1 1
Total number of plays 54 52
Total time of possession 25:22 22:38

Massillon gambols pat Niles by 27-7

NILES ‑ Darren Longshore scored on a 62‑yard punt return and intercepted a pass that set up another touchdown Saturday in leading Massillon to a 27‑7 All‑American Conference football victory here Saturday night.

The win pushed the Tigers to 4‑0 overall and 2‑0 in the AAC. Niles’ record is just the opposite: site; 0‑4, 0‑2. The game was delayed more than 30 minutes because of lightning.

Longshore’s punt return broke open what had been a close game, giving the Tigers a 19‑7 edge midway through the final period.

On Niles next possession, Longshore picked off a Dean Clark pass and returned it 11 yards to the Niles 37. Eight plays later, quarterback Brent Offenbecher scored on a 3‑yard sneak.

Curtis Strawder
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo

1978: Massillon 40, East Liverpool 7

Tiger aerial game buries Potters 40-7 with 33 second‑half points

By ROLLIE DREUSSI
Independent Sports Editor

The Massillon Tigers finally found their passing game and exploded for 33 second‑half points as they handed the East Liverpool Potters a 40-7 pasting Friday night at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

The 11,510 fail saw the Tigers sleepwalk through the first half as the Potters controlled the ball and took a 7-0 lead in the second quarter.

A fumble recovery 55 seconds before intermission woke the Tigers up, however, and they drove 44 yards to tie the score 12 seconds before the band show.

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Brent Offenbecher then cranked up the passing game and East Liverpool coughed up the football as the Tigers scored 12 points in the third quarter and 21 in the final period. Unofficially Offenbecher finished with 189 yards on 12 of 21 passes and two TDs.

“We weren’t ready to play football the first half,” happy Tiger head Mike Currence said after the game.

“We were walking around before me game watching the tiger, looking at the cheerleaders, saying to mom and dad in the stands,” Currence said, tongue in check. “We thought it was going to be a nice night.”

“The best thing that happened was we got back on the field and did our two minute drill,” he pointed out, referring to the Tigers 42 second drive just before the half ended.

“We were cautious. Then when we found out we had to sprint ‑ and did it ‑ it gave us confidence. We knew we could go back out the second half and throw.”

A little pep talk at halftime also helped wake the Tigers up, Currence admitted.

“’They scored first and that shook us no quite a bit,” Currence said.

The Potters score came on a one‑yard run by Less Browne following a 69‑yard drive that consumed 8:20 of the second quarter.

Potter coach Ted Maley said after the game that controlling the ball was the game plan.

“We weren’t going to come in here with 50 new
plays or anything,” Maley said. “We had to do the things we do well, we had to execute well. And we did it for a half.

“After a couple of breaks, mental lapses set in and that’s when (Massillon’s) tradition came in,” Maley explained.

‘The end of the first half wasn’t the turning point, though the kids thought about that coming out. The two quick touchdowns did it,” he added.

It was Offenbecher’s sharp passing that got the Tigers moving in a hurry.

“Brent’s back in form and I’m glad he is,” Currence said.

After a scoreless first quarter, East Liverpool started the second period at their own 31 and embarked on the 16‑play drive that ate up 8:20 on the clock.

Some short out passes by junior quarterback John Talbot and hard running by Less Browne ‑ who gained 29 yards on eight carries and picked up four first downs during the drive ‑ helped the Potters take command of the game at that at point.

Browne scored from a yard out and Mark Crawford booted the extra point to put the Potters out front 7‑0.

The Tigers got the ball and went to the air as Offenbecher hit Curtis Strawder – wno had 6 receptions for 71 yards (unofficially) ‑ with a pair of down and out passes for 14 and 11 yards.

Following a run for no gain, the next three passes fell incomplete and East Liverpool had the ball back at their 35 yard line with 2:37 left in the half.

East Liverpool started driving again, picking up two first downs and moving into Massillon territory when Jeff Pedro recovered, a Potter fumble in the backfield at the East Liverpool 44 yard line with 55 seconds to play in the half.

Offenbecher hit Strawder for 16 and 19 yards and an interference penalty against East Liverpool made it first and goal just inside the five. Offenbecher ran a keeper left to the one and sneaked over on the next play with 12 second remaining. Ron Wright tied the score with his placement.

East Liverpool took the second half kickoff, got one first down and punted with the Tigers taking over at their own 24.

Offenbecher hit Strawder for seven yards, then threw an incompletion and limped off the field favoring his knee. Wright took over for two plays as Jeff Beitel gained four yards and Sam Hill five.

Offenbecher came back in and hit Bill Beitel with a 12 yard pass good to the Potter 48. Following a incompletion, he found Bill Beitel again, this time wide open on the left sideline. The junior halfback caught the ball and raced to the Potter two where he was finally hauled down.

His brother Jeff carried it over for the score with 6:23 to go in the quarter. The extra point kick failed and the Tigers led 13‑0. The drive covered 76 yards in 8 plays and lasted 2:05.

Currence explained that Offenbecher came out of the game because his knee popped out.

“But that Ronnie Wright is a cool cucumber. He goes right in and no mistakes,” Currence said.

East Liverpool then fumbled the ball away on another pitch out on its next possession and defensive halfback Jeff David recovered the ball at the Potter 49.

Five plays and a minute and 50 seconds later Offenbecher found Jeff Beitel open over the middle on a quick pass and the senior speedster throw one fake and was gone for a 24‑yard scoring play.

A pass for the points after failed and the Tigers led 19‑7 with 2:23 left in the third quarter.

East Liverpool took the kickoff and drove out to their own 30 as the quarter ended.

On the first play of the fourth period, monster back Darren Longshore made a spectacular one‑handed interception at the Potter 30 yard line and scampered into the end zone. Wright ‘s kick made it 26‑7 Tigers.

East Liverpool took the kickoff and drove out to its 36 where it had to punt on fourth and two. The snap from center sailed over Lou Ward’s head and defensive end Kent Wilson covered him at the Potter 11.

Jeff Beitel swept right end to the three and Offenbecher found Strawder open in the left flat of the end one for another TD with 9:12 to go. Wright’s kick was good and the Tigers had opened up a 33‑7 lead and opened the door for the substitutes.

Later in the quarter, Len Robinson intercepted a Talbot pass at the Tiger 15. The Tigers had to punt but guard Eric Barnard recovered a Potter fumble on the play at the East Liverpool 49.

Junior Bill Scott then drove the Tigers to their final score by hitting Bill Burkett with an eight‑yard TD pass with 13 second to go in the game.

Scott set up the play with a 27-yard pass to Burkett and a 10‑yard aerial to Greg Evans. Jeff Fry converted on the point after kick to close the scoring at 40‑7 and leave the Tigers at 3‑0 and the Potters at 1‑3.

In addition to Offenbecher and Strawder’s stats, Wright caught one pass for 16 yards, Bill Beitel caught four for 78 yards, Jeff Beitel caught one for 24 yards, Burkett caught two for 35 yards and Evans had one for 10 yards.

Sam Hill, who had a 70‑yard run against Perry called back in the opener, had an 86‑yard touchdown run called back because of an legal procedure penalty.

The Tigers’ explosiveness was evident not only from the points scored, but from the fact they scored 40 points while having the ball for just 17:46. The Potters had the ball for 30:14.

The Tigers travel to Niles McKinley next Saturday night for their second All-American Conference game.

M EL
First downs 3 10
First downs passing 12 1
First downs penalties 2 2
Total first downs 17 13
Yards gained rushing 95 139
Yards lost rushing 11 41
Net yards gained rushing 84 98
Net yards gained passing 236 46
Trial yards gained 320 144
Passes attempted 27 11
Passes completed 15 7
Passes intercepted by 2 0
Yardage on passes intercepted 38 0
Times kicked off 7 2
Kickoff average (yards) 39.1 41.5
Kickoff returns (yards) 29 96
Times punted 3 4
Punt average (yards) 33.3 26.2
Punt returns (yards) 0 0
Had punts blocked 0 0
Fumbles 1 5
Lost fumbled ball 1 3
Penalties 8 7
Yards penalized 40 75
Touchdowns rushing 2 1
Touchdowns passing 3 0
Touchdowns by interception 1 0
Miscellaneous touchdowns 0 0
Total number of plays 50 61
Total time of possession 17:46 30:14

E. LIVERPOOL 0 7 0 0 7
MASSILLON 0 7 12 21 40

TIGERS
Offense
QUARTERBACK: 14 Brent Offenbecher (Sr., 6‑1, 175);
FULLBACK: 43 Tom Gehring (Sr., 5-10, 171);
HALFBACKS: 45 Jeff Beitel (Sr., 5‑7, 158), 22 Bill Beitel (Jr., 5‑7, 148);
ENDS: 42 Curtis Strawder (Sr., 5‑10, 153), 13 Ron Wright (Sr., 5‑9, 173), 25 Marty Guzzetta (Jr., 5‑9, 160);
TACKLES: 67 Doug Wood (Sr., 6 2, 191), 76 Mark Kircher (Jr., 6-1, 212);
GUARDS: 69 Jim Horton (Sr., 6‑0, 177), 79 Eric Barnard (Sr., 6‑2, 215);
CENTER: 51 Scott Kasunick (Sr., 5-9, 181).

Defense
ENDS: 81 Bruce Solinger (Sr., 6-0, 175), 88 Kent Wilson (Sr., 6-0, 182);
TACKLES: 72 Harry Foster (Sr., 6-2, 232), 71 Jeff Pedro (Sr., 6‑3, 204);
MIDDLE GUARD: 55 Bob Simpson (Jr., 5-11, 190);
LINEBACKERS: 28 Dick Cleveland (Sr., 5‑11, 188), 38 Kevin Harris (Sr., 5-10, 182);
MONSTER BACK: 11 Darren Longshore (Sr., 6-1, 175);
SAFETY: 21 Jamie Schlegel (Jr., 5‑11, 160);
HALFBACKS: 34 Jeff David (Sr., 5‑9, 188), 12 Dan Venables (Sr., 5‑10, 160).
KICKERS: 13 Wright (punts, extra points), 86 Mike Hodgson (Jr., 6-5, 194) kickoffs.

POTTERS
Offense
QUARTERBACK: 7 Pat McNicol (Jr., 6-0, 160), 18 John Talbot (Jr., 6-1, 150);
FULLBACK: 3 Ed Pack (Sr., 5‑10, 180);
HALFBACKS: 5 Less Browne (Sr., 5-10, 170), 41 Larry Laneve (Jr., 5-10, 145), 30 Joe Anderson (Sr., 5-10, 160);
ENDS: 85 Kevan Merriman (Sr., 5‑10, 170), 80 Mark Crawford (Jr., 6‑2, 185);
TACKLES: 65 Dan Nizer (Sr., 5-10, 195); 74 Joe Porter (Sr., 6‑2 250);
GUARDS: 66 Chuck Stephenson (Sr., 5-10, 185), 61 Mike Tice (Sr., 5‑10, 166);
CENTER: 50 Mike Blaner (Jr., 6‑1, 220)

Defense
ENDS: 83 Brad Goodballet (Sr., 6‑1, 180), 40 Lou Ward (Sr., 5-11, 215);
TACKLES: 74 Porter 50 Blaner;
OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS: 85 Merriman, 21 Steve Banfield (Sr., 5‑9, 150);
INSIDE LINEBACKERS: 30 Crawford, 34 John Ferlaino (Jr., 5‑11, 170);
HALFFBACKS: 30 Anderson, 12 John Judy (Jr., 5-9, 150), 27 Tim Kelly (Jr., 5‑11, 155);
KICKERS: 80 Crawford (place kicker), 40 Ward (punter).

SERIES: 2nd meeting, Massillon holds 1-0 edge.
LAST MEETING: 1960, Massillon 42, East Liverpool 0.
POINTS SCORED BY: Massillon 64, East Liverpool 29.
POINTS SCORED AGAINST: Massillon 8, East Liverpool 52.

Curtis Strawder
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo

1978: Massillon 37, Alliance 2

Tiger defense destroys Aviators 37‑2

By ROLLIE DREUSSI
Independent Sports Editor
The Massillon Tiger defense scored two touchdowns and set up the other three to spark a 37‑2 win over Alliance in an All‑American Conference game at Mount Union Stadium Friday night.

“The defense shines tonight,” head coach Mike Currence said in the Tiger lockerroom after the game.

“My defensive people are real proud,” Currence noted, amid shouts of “defense” from his players. “They came up with the big play.”

Indeed they did, seven times to be exact, including four interceptions and three fumble recoveries.

Program Cover

It was the defense that came to the rescue of a struggling Tiger offense in the first quarter when Kent Wilson scooped up an Aviator fumble at the Alliance six yard line and took it in for the first score of the game.

An interception, a good punt return and a fumble recovery set up the next three Tiger scores as the offense had to go only 29, 32 and 28 yards to find paydirt each time.

The fifth TD was on a 30‑yard interception return by linebacker Tim Reese after a fine one‑handed catch.

The big plays by the a Tiger defense were needed as Alliance’s defense played hard‑nose football, almost shutting down the Tiger air game completely.

“We played give away football.” Aviator head coach Julius “Juice” Tonges said of the game afterwards.

“Our defense didn’t play too bad. We went after them defensively, we were aggressive. But when you give them field position and touchdowns and keep your defense out there all night they get tired,” Tonges added.

“Offense is discipline, and apparently we don’t have enough self discipline,” he said.

Currence had praise for the Aviator defense also, “They did a good job defending us,” he said. “I knew he would, Juice always does.

“We just couldn’t throw. He changed up on us and went with a 50 defense,”

Currence pointed out. “We were expecting a 4‑4.”

The 50 defense enabled the Aviators to get a strong pass rush, which gave Brent Offenbecher little time to throw.

“But they made the big mistakes and gave us a couple of touchdowns. We had to grind it out to score though, because they shut down our offense.”

Currence did admit that his offense, didn’t commit the penalties and mistakes it did in the opener last week against Perry.

Alliance made a mistake on the opening kickoff the Aviator, tried for side kick. The ball ? three yards and the Tigers took over at the Aviators ?.

A drive to the 12 when Offenbecher threw Curtis Strawder in the left corner of the end zone a fourth and three play.

The teams exchanged punts, with Alliance getting the ball on its own 1? line. On first down, Clay Brown fumbled the handoff from quarterback Dhayer and Tiger defensive end Kent Wilson scooted the ball at the six and went in for the first score of the game. Jeff Fry booted the point after and Massillon led 7‑0 with 2:10 to play in the first period.

Following a punt by Alliance, Massillon drove from its own 46 to the Aviator 25 where Jeff Beitel fumbled and Alliance’s Stuart Tolle recovered.

The teams exchanged punts again, with Alliance getting the ball on its own 18. On second and seven, Brown tried a halfback pass which was intercepted by Jamie Schlegel at file Aviator 45 and returned 16 yards to the 29.

The Tigers drove to the Aviator seven yard line, mostly behind the running of fullback Sam Hill (who was subbing for the injured Tom Gehring).

On first down of the seven, Offenbecher’s pass for Strawder was almost intercepted in the end zone. Currence then sent linebacker Dick Cleveland in to play fullback and Jeff Beitel followed his block to the one yard line and then into the end zone on the next play.

Alliance was called off side before the kick attempt, so the Tigers went for two from the one half yard line.

Once again Jeff Beitel followed Cleveland into the end zone behind right guard Eric Barnard and the Tigers led 15‑0 with 1:29 left before the half.

Alliance ran three plays and punted to open the second half and Offenbecher’s pass for Strawder three plays later was intercepted by Ray Phillabaum at the Aviator 13.

The Tiger defense held them at the 12 (thanks in part to an offside penalty against the Aviators and a punt by Tim Graybill was fielded at the 40 by Schlegel’ and returned eight yards to the Alliance 32.

On fourth and four at the 26, Offenbecher went left on a keeper and came up short of the first down, but a defensive holding penalty on Alliance gave the Tigers a first down at the 11.

Jeff Beitel went through the right side of the line, broke three or four tackles and then danced through three Aviator defenders before crossing the goal line standing up.

Alliance was offsides again on the kick attempt, so the Tigers went for two and Jeff Beitel once again shimmied through the Aviator line for the conversion. With 6:02 left in the third quarter, the Tigers led 23‑0.

Following another exchange of punts, the Aviators took over the ball, on their own 30. On first down, Tiger defensive tackle Barry Foster batted down a pass at the line and on second down he put a hard hit on Aviator running back Oliver Scott. Scott coughed up the football and Wilson recovered his second fumble of the game (He also ran this one into the end zone but the play had been blown dead).

Offenbecher finally started to find the range (on short, quick slant‑in patterns that didn’t need much pass protection), hitting Marty Guzzetta for 11 yards and Strawder for six.

On third and goal from the three, Bill Belief took a quick handoff around left tackle for a TD. The play completely faked out the Alliance defense, which was looking for Bill’s brother Jeff to crack the right side again.

Fry booted the point after and Massillon had a 30‑0 lead, With 41 seconds left in the third quarter.

The Tigers final score came when linebacker Tim Reese made a one‑handed interception of a Jerry Latimore pass and returned it 30 yards for a store. Ron Wright kicked the point after for a 37‑0 margin with 10: 22 remaining.

It was the Tiger defense’s second score of the night. The defense was so effective, live, it didn’t allow the Aviators a first down until 9:41 of the final period. That was on a 42‑yard pass ‑ the Aviators only completion of the night ‑ from Brown to Allan Williamson. The Aviators did manage one more first down on a run by Scott.

Alliance finally got on the board with 4:55 to play when Jeff Russell blocked a Dave Gibbs punt out of the back of the end zone for a safety.

The Tigers held the Aviators to just 34 yards total offense the first half and 113 for the game. The Tigers totaled just 202 for the game themselves.

Offenbecher was 2 of 9 the first half for 23 yards and finished the game with 4 of 13 for 40 yards. Sam Hill led the Tiger rushing attack with 72 yards in 12 carries Jeff Beitel gained 43 in 12 carries (and scored two TDs and two conversion runs).

Oliver Scott led Alliance with 60 yards in 20 attempts. The Aviators completed just one of 14 pass attempts.

The Tigers will play East Liverpool at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium Friday night. Cleveland Glenville, the original opponent, will be unable to play because of the Cleveland teachers’ strike.

The Tigers are now 2‑0 overall and 1‑0 in the All-American Conference, while Alliance drops to 0‑2 (0 1).

GRIDSTICK
M A
First downs rushing 8 1
First downs passing 3 1
First downs penalties 3 0
Total first downs 14 2
Yards gained rushing 179 76
Yards lost rushing 29 5
Net yards gained rushing 150 71
Net yards gained passing 52 42
Total yards gained 202 113
Passes attempted 17 14
Passes completed 5 1
Passes intercepted by 4 1
Yardage on passes intercepted 66 0
Times kicked off 7 1
Kickoff average (yards) 45.0 2.0
Kickoff returns (yards) 0 72
Times punted 4 5
Punt average (yards) 28.3 36.8
Punt returns (yards) 41 15
Had punts blocked 1 0
Fumbles 4 3
Lost fumbled ball 2 3
Penalties 6 10
Yards penalized 50 70
Touchdowns rushing 3 0
Touchdowns passing 0 0
Touchdowns by interception 1 0
Miscellaneous touchdowns 1 0
Total number of plays 61 47
Total time of 27:07 20 53

MASSILLON 7 8 15 7 37
ALLIANCE 0 0 0 2 2

AVIATORS
Offense
QUARTERBACK: 13 Mike Dhayer (Jr‑ 6-2, 184), 10 Clay Brown (J r. 5-9, 145)
HALFBACKS: 30 Oliver Scott (Sr., 5-10. 150), 40 ‑ Glenn Ford ( Sr.. 5-11, 155), 33 Lawrence Parsons (Sr. 6-2, 175);
WINGBACK: 25 Allan Williamson (Sr., 6-2, 170);
ENDS: 89 Scott Bell (Sr., 6-1, 190), 87 Joe Ailes (Sr., 6-0, 175), 80 ‑ Rich Summers (Jr., 6‑4, 188);
TACKLES: 68 Bob Slutz (Sr., 6-0, 240), 56 Craig Hoopes (Sr., 5-11, 218);
GUARDS: 50 Lou Cironi (Sr., 6‑3, 200), 66 William Cade (Sr., 5‑11, 195);
CENTER: 76 Barry Grimes (Jr., 6-0, 217 ).
Defense
ENDS: 83 Bill Collins (Jr., 6-0, 170), 80 Summers;
TACKLES: 79 Stuart Tulle (Jr., 6-3, 200), 68 Slutz;
OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS: 50 Cironi, 33 Parsons;
INSIDE LINEBACKERS: 60 Brett Amelung (Sr., 5‑8, 160), 21 Jeff Russell (Jr., 5‑8, 163);
SAFETY: 10 Brown;
HALFBACKS: 30 Scott; 34 Anthony Nelson (Jr., 5‑8, 150), 11Roy Phillabaum (Sr., 5‑9,135).

SERIES: 68th meeting, Massillon holds 56‑9 2 edge.
POINTS SCORED BY: Massillon 27, Alliance 0
POINTS SCORED AGAINST: Massillon 6, Alliance 20
LAST MEETING: 1977, Massillon 44, Alliance 0.

TIGERS
Offense
QUARTERBACK: 14 Brent Offenbecher (Sr., 6‑1, 175);
FULLBACK: 43 Tom Gehring (Sr., 5‑10, 171);
HALFBACKS: 45 Jeff Beitel (Sr., 5‑7. 158), 22 Bill Beitel (Jr., 5‑7, 148);
ENDS: 42 Curtis Strawder (Sr., 5-10, 153), 13 Ron Wright (Sr ., 5-9, 173). 25 Marty Guzzetta (Jr., 5-9, 160);
TACKLES: 67 Doug Wood (Sr., 6‑2, 191), 76 Mark Kircher (Jr., 6‑1, 212);
GUARDS: 69 Jim Horton (Sr., 6‑0 177), 79 Eric Barnard (Sr., 6-2, 215);
CENTER: Scott Kasunick (Sr., 5-9, 181).

Defense
ENDS: 81 Bruce Solinger (Sr., 6‑0, 175), 88 Kent Wilson (Sr., 6-0, 182);
TACKLES: 72 Harry Foster (Sr., 6‑2, 232), 71 Jeff Pedro (Sr., 6‑3. 204);
MIDDLE GUARD: 55 Bob Simpson (Jr., 5-11, 190);
LINEBACKERS: 28 Dick Cleveland (Sr., 5‑11, 188), 38 Kevin Harris (Sr., 5‑10, 182);
MONSTER BACK: 11 Darren Longshore (Sr., 6‑1, 175);
SAFETY: 21 Jamie Schlegel (Jr., 5‑11, 160);
HALFBACKS: 34 Jeff David (Sr., 5‑9, 188), 12 Dan Venables (Sr., 5‑10, 160);
KICKERS: 13 Wright (punts, extra points), 36 Mike Hodgson (Jr., 6‑5. 194) kickoffs.

Tigers to host East Liverpool
The Massillon Tigers will play East Liverpool Friday night at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

East Liverpool will replace Cleveland Glenville which will be unable to play because of a teachers’ strike.

The game was agreed to by the Potters at 3 p.m. Friday and a contract was supposed to be signed later that night or today.

The Tigers have played the Liverpool only once, winning 42-0 in 1960.

“I’ve been wanting to play them for a long time,” Tiger head coach Mike Currence said Friday night.

The Potters, who lost to Wintersville last week, were to play at Youngstown Cardinal Mooney tonight.

The game will not count in the computer rankings.

Curtis Strawder
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo

1978: Massillon 27, Massillon Perry 6

Wright keys Tiger win over Panthers
Massillon’s 27-6 victory hard fought

By ROLLIE DREUSSI
Independent Sports Editor
“Thank God for Ronnie Wright, because tie’s a winner.” sighed Massillon Tiger head coach Mike Currence Friday night.

And thanks to Wright, it was a sigh of relief from Currence, whose Tigers overcame a ragged Perry Panther team to win their first opener in three years, 27‑6.

”Mistakes, mistake, mistakes,” Currence moaned in the lockeroom at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium after the game. “If we would have made any more mistakes it would have been their game.”

Program Cover

“There isn’t one guy that didn’t make a mistake. We didn’t handle the emotional stress very well. Ronnie just seems to be able to handle the pressure.”

The game was a lot closer than the score indicates – with Perry missing a field goal in the first quarter and fumbling the ball away at the Massillon one‑yard line in the third quarter ‑ and it took a clutch second‑half performance by Wright to keep the Panthers at bay.

The kick failed and the score was 20‑6 at the half.

Perry took the second-half kickoff and drove to Massillon’s one‑yard line where Fink fumbled and Pedro came with his second recovery of the game.

Neither team could get a drive going and the third quarter ended with the score still 20-6.

Just before the end of the third quarter, Wright replaced Offenbecher at quarterback with the Tigers at their own four yard line following a great coffin‑corner kick of 37 yards by Fink).

Bill Beitel gained 11 and five yards, Sam Hill rushed for two and then caught a three‑yard pass from Wright for a first down at Perry’s 25.

Wright drove the team all the way to Perry’s 18 – completing two more passes for 27 yards along the way – before Paul White fumbled the ball and Vasiliades recovered.

But the drive got the Tigers out of a bad hole and kept the persistent Panthers at bay.

Asked why he switched quarterbacks, Currence said: “Brent was hurt all, week, I don’t know if people knew that. He did the best be could do I don’t even know if he could see out there (because of a swollen face).

“But Brent didn’t have the timing. He knew it and I knew it, and I didn’t want to throw anyway. I just wanted to drive it out of there and that’s what we did. Ronnie does a good job on the short pass and his faking and ball handling are excellent.

“It wasn’t Brent’s fault. Besides, we had bad field position all night. But when we had to call on Ronnie he came up with the big play,” Currence explained.

He came up with another big play when the Tigers got the ball back with less than two minutes to go in the game.

Offenbecher came back in at quarterback and hurled a perfect pass to Wright who made a fingertip catch and sprinted to the end zone to complete a 59‑yard scoring play. Wright added the extra point kick and the score ended 27‑6.

Despite the mistakes, it was a good way to start a rivalry (this being the first meeting between the two schools go the gridiron) and the Perry Panthers certainly gave the Tigers all they needed.

GRIDSTICK
M P
First downs – rushing 9 4
First downs – passing 1 7
First downs – penalties 0 1
Total first downs 15 12
Yards gained rushing 292 58
Yard, lost rushing 25 6
Net yards gained rushing 267 52
Net yards gained passing 153 139
Total yards gained 420 191
Passes attempted 15 31
Passes completed 8 15
Passes intercepted by 1 1
Yardage on passes intercepted 11 0
Times kicked off 5 2
Kickoff average (yards) 46.8 50 4
Kickoff returns (yards) 87 103
Times punted 4 6
Punt average (yards) 32.0 34.8
Punt returns (yards) 10 8
Had punts (blocked) 0 0
Fumbles 4 3
Lost fumbled ball 2 2
Penalties 7 10
Yards penalized 65 71
Touchdowns rushing 2 0
Touchdowns passing 2 1
Touchdowns by interception 0 0

TIGERS, PANTHER LINEUP

TIGERS
Offense
QUARTERBACK: 14 Brent Offenbecher (Sr., 6‑1, 175);
FULLBACK: 43 Tom Gehring (Sr., 5‑10, 171);
HALFBACKS: 45 ‑ Jeff Belief (Jr., 5‑7, 158), 22 ‑ Bill Beitel (148);
ENDS: 42 Curtis Strawder (Sr., 5‑10, 153), 13 ‑ Ron Wright (Sr., 5-9. 173), 25 Marty Guzzetta (Jr., 5‑ 9, 160 );
TACKLES: 67 ‑ Doug Wood (Sr, 6‑2, 191), 76 Mark Kircher (Jr., 6-1, 212);
GUARDS: 69 Jim Horton (Sr., 6‑0, 177), 79 Eric Barnard (Sr., 6-2, 215);
CENTER: 51 Scott Kasunick (Sr., 5‑9, 181).

Defense
ENDS: 81 Bruce Solinger, (Sr., 6 0, 175), 88 Kent Wilson (Sr., 6-0, 182);
TACKLES: 72 Harry Foster (Sr., 6-2, 232), 71 Jeff Pedro (Sr., 6-3, 204);
MIDDLE GUARD: 55 Bob Simpson (Jr., 5‑11, 190);
LINEBACKERS: 32 Dick Cleveland (Sr., 5‑11, 188), 17 ‑ Kevin Harris (Sr., 5‑10, 182);
MONSTER BACK: 11 Darren Longshore (Sr., 6‑1, 175);
SAFETY: 21 Jamie Schlegel (Jr., 5‑11 160) or 24 Dan DiLoretto (Jr., 5-8, 149);
HALFBACKS: 34 Jeff David (Sr., 5‑9, 188), 12 Dan Venables (Sr., 5‑10 160).
KICKERS: 13 Wright (punts, extra points), 86 Mike Hodgson (Jr., 6-5, 194) kickoffs.

PANTHERS
Offense
QUARTERBACK: 14 John Vasiliades (Sr., 6-0, 170);
FULLBACK: 32 Greg Grimsley (So, 6‑0, 195);
HALFBACKS: 35 Steve Fink (Sr., 5‑10.171), 23 Ronnie Wilson (Sr., 5‑8, 148);
ENDS: 83 Greg Janowicz (Sr., 6‑1, 188), 15 ‑ Scott Slicker (Sr., 5‑11, 163);
TACKLES: 72 Eric Ferguson (Sr., 6-1, 204), 77 ‑ Doug Lab (Jr., 6‑0 195);
GUARDS: 65 Rick Troxell (Sr., 5-8, 162), 61 Dennis Rollins (Sr., 5‑9, 165);
CENTER: 54 Jerry McCoy (Sr., 6‑1, 218).

Defense
ENDS: 86 Mike Daniels (So., 5-10 179), 83 Janowicz;
TACKLES: 77 Lab, 72 Ferguson;
OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS: 14 Vasiliades, 35 Fink;
INSIDE LINEBACKERS: 65 Troxell, 53 Do Gregoire (Jr., 6-1, 167);
SAFETY: 23 Wilson;
HALFBACKS: 15 Slicker, 49 Aubrey Trufont (Sr., 5-7, 148).

SERIES: First meeting.

Federal clubs command respect
By Bob Stewart
Repository Sports Editor
In this, the first full weekend of Ohio high school football, the Federal League lost some battles, but may have wond the war.

To be sure, it was not the best weekend Federal League football teams ever have encountered, with only Jackson and Marlington managing to whip the non‑league competition.

But then Perry dared to enter the Tiger’ lair, and GlenOak made it’s second annual opener at Fawcett.

And therein lies a tale.

The Federal League teams that tweaked the tails of the so‑called mighty Massillon and McKinley aggaggregations got bit, but not fatally.

Perry gave the Tigers a run for their money, and the Pups had to come from behind to put down the Golden Eagle upstarts.

Federal League football must rank with some of the beat played in Ohio, and while the entire loop may not be able to play week in and week out with the likes of a Cincinnati Moeller, well, who can?

The Federal loop has gained respect, and there is no justification for the fans to be maligning the Federal teams on the McKinley and Massillon scheduled.

The Massillon fans have been grumbling since last spring about the Perry and Jackson addition to the Tigers.

But you will see more and more matchups like them. You need only look to the bottom line of the summary, where it reads: Attendance ‑ 17,930. That translates into $$$$.

That’s the most in Tiger Stadium for an opening ball game for many a moon. There is no question it’s a lot more than Dayton Roth or Cleveland East turnover would have put there.

In addition to the clicking of the turnstiles, the Massillons add the McKinleys also will be waiting for the clicking of the computers as the Perrys and the GlenOaks knock off teams the rest of the session.

Of all the teams on Massillon’s schedule this year, Perry had the beat 1977 record, except for McKinley, which want to the state playoffs.

The two top items for high school football teams these days are money and computer points.

Massillon and McKinley are convinced Federal foes can provide both.

But the Federal League also can provide some tough competition, and one of these years it could be a Federal team riding the Massillon or McKinley points into the state playoffs.

Louisville and North Canton have been but a whisker away from the playoffs in the past, and the Federal footballers have served notice that they come to play. If you put them on your schedule, better button up your chin strap.

Curtis Strawder
Massillon vs. McK - Throwback (Large)

1977: Massillon 21, Canton McKinley 0

WHAT A DAY! Tigers romp 21-0

By ROLAND A. DREUSSI
Independent Sports Editor

The Massillon Tigers may not be going to the state football playoffs, but they’re number one in the hearts and minds of all their fans.

The Tigers simply tore apart the playoff-bound Canton McKinley Bulldogs by a 21-0 score before 20,339 snow capped fans Saturday afternoon on a muddy, waterlogged Fawcett Stadium field.

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A NEAR blizzard in the second-quarter threatened to turn the game into a “Snow Bowl,” but a flurry of passes from Tiger quarterback Brent Offenbecher and complete domination by the Massillon offensive and defensive lines simply turned it into a rout.

Offenbecher scored the Tigers first TD on the first play of the second quarter when he bootlegged 11 yards around right end and literally dove over a Bulldog defender at the goal line, falling into the end zone.

He then hit Curtis Strawder with a 50-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter and hooked up with Greg Carpenter for a 48-yard TD toss early in the fourth quarter.

Offenbecher finished the day with 7 of 9 passing for 162 yards on a field that no one thought he would be able to pass on. He ends the year with 1,369 yards passing on 84 of 146 passes, all Tiger records.

“Bridey (McKinley head coach John Brideweser) forgets he has to run in the mud when he lets the field get wet.” Tiger head coach Mike Currence chided in the jubilant Massillon lockerroom after the game.

HE WAS referring of course to the fact that Brideweser had declined to put the tarp on the field after the Tiger Booster Club brought it over Thursday.

Game Action Massillon vs. McKinley 1977

“The big thing,” Currence said on a serious note, “was that we were able to throw in the mud and that we controlled the line of scrimmage. They weren’t able to run in the mud and they couldn’t throw either.

“Our lines were super,” he continued. “We beat them on the line. Their backs ran hard but they had nowhere to go.”

Brideweser’s explanation was simpler.

“We just got our ass kicked,” he said. “They’re a good football team. They’re as good as anybody in the state. How they lost two games I’ll never know.”

BRIDEWESER said his players never thought about the computer poll even after Barberton eliminated itself completely by losing to Cuyahoga Falls Friday night, assuring the Bulldogs of a berth even if they lost to Massillon.

He did agree that the loss to the Tigers would make it tough for his team Friday night at 7:30 when the Bulldogs play Cleveland St. Joseph in the Class AAA semifinal game in the Akron Rubber Bowl.

The 21-0 score Saturday wasn’t indicative of the game the Tigers played. It could have been worse. Massillon completely outplayed the Bulldogs in every facet of the game, not even allowing a first down until 6:51 was left in the game, and not many McKinley fans left in the stands.

All the Tiger fans were there though. Glued to their seats – when they weren’t standing to cheer – by a performance many just hadn’t expected to see. Sure, they new the Tigers could win, but few expected such a performance.

The condition of the field before the game was so bad that you had to wonder if the Tigers’ run and shoot offense might not turn into a slip and slide. It looked like a defensive battle might be waged.

“AT THE beginning,” Offenbecher said, we came in and saw the field and thought there was no way we could pass. Then we got out there, and it was bad, but it wasn’t real bad.”

Offenbecher showed the Tigers weren’t afraid to pass when he threw twice in the first series. One was complete to Mark Pringle for the Tigers first first down of the game and the other fell incomplete. The first drive, which included a 13-yard bootleg by Offenbecher and some good running and blocking by his teammates, ended when Mark Westover’s 34-yard field goal attempt was wide left.

The Tiger defense forced the Bulldogs to punt and Mike Hickey returned the ball five yards to midfield with 5:38 to go in the first quarter.

After one first down, the Tigers faced a third and six at McKinley’s 39 yard line. Offenbecher found Pringle open for 11 yards and a first down.

The Tigers then stuck to the ground and an eight-yard run by Carpenter gave them a first down at McKinley’s five. He then lost six yards on the last play of the first quarter, and the Tigers faced a second and goal from the 11.

Offenbecher took to the air again, this time by running 11 yards around right end and diving over a Bulldog defender into the end zone. Westover’s kick was no good and the Tigers look a 6-0 lead.

Following another Bulldog punt, Massillon took over on its own 43. Offenbecher fooled everybody, including his coach, when be took the ball and ran 24 yards around a wide-open left end.

That gave Massillon a first down at the McKinley 33. The Tigers drove to the eight when Offenbecher was hit and fumbled the ball attempting to pass on third down. McKinley recovered and ran out the clock, trailed only 6-0 at the half.

The Tigers kicked off to open the second half and like clockwork, the Bulldogs punted four plays later.

The Tigers took over at their own 40 and after four running plays and an offside penalty, faced a third and 11 at midfield.

OFFENBECHER dropped back to pass and spotted Strawder cutting across the middle at about the 25. He threw him the ball and the junior sprinted to the zone untouched, after his defender fell down.

Offenbecher then rolled right and hit Pringle with a two-point conversion pass to make it 14-0 Tigers.

Following several punts by each team, the Tigers took over at the McKinley 49 early in the fourth quarter.

Following a holding penalty against the Tigers, a run for no gain and a 19-yard pass to Mike Grove, the Tigers faced a third and nine at the Bulldog 48.

Offenbecher dropped back to pass again and hit Carpenter on the left sideline at about the 25. The senior wingback then broke down the sideline and didn’t stop until he crossed the goal line. Westover’s kick was good and the Tigers had a 21-0 lead with 8:34 left in the game. Many McKinley fans headed for the exits.

IT WASN’T until 6:51 left that Rick Asberry broke off a 14-yard run for the Pups’ initial first down. They made three more in the drive, but Kevin Gowins kept them out of the end zone when he picked off a Mike Brown aerial inside the Massillon 10.

The Bulldogs, who lost 7 3 to Massillon last year, have yet to score a touchdown against Currence.

The statistics bear out the fact that it was a super team effort by the Tigers. They gained 162 yards passing and 115 rushing while allowing the Bulldogs 81 rushing (51 of which came in their last drive) and six passing.

GRID STICK

M C
First downs rushing 8 4
First downs passing 5 0
Total first downs 13 4
Yds. gained rushing 160 101
Yds. lost rushing 45 20
Net yds. gained rushing 115 81
Net yds. gained passing 162 6
Total yds. Gained 277 87
Passes attempted 9 5
Passes completed 7 1
Passes intercepted by 1 0
Times kicked off 4 1
Kickoff average (yards) 54 5 47 0
Kickoff returns (yards) 17 68
Times punted 2 7
Punt average (yards) 39.0 23.4
Punt returns (yards) 11 1
Fumbles 1 1
Lost Fumbled ball 1 0
Penalties 3 0
Yds. Penalized 25 0
TD’s rushing 1 0
TD’s passing 2 0
Total number of plays 52 47
Total time of possession 25:51 22:09

MASSILLON 0 6 8 7 21
McKINLEY 0 0 0 0 0

MASS – Brent Offenbecher 11 run (kick failed);
MASS – Curtis Strawder 50 pass from Offenbecher (Mark Pringle pass from Offenbecher);
MASS – Greg Carpenter 48 pass from Offenbecher (Mark Westover kick).

Attendance: 20,339.

Massillon upsets McKinley
despite snowy conditions

By MILAN ZBAN
Beacon Journal Staff Writer

CANTON – You’ll never convince Massillon football Coach Mike Currence or his quarterback Brent Offenbecher that foul weather is a passer’s worst enemy.

Offenbecher warmed up by throwing bullets through a snow storm before unloading two “bombs” of 48 and 51 yards as Massillon upset the state’s No. 2 – ranked and previously unbeaten Canton McKinley Bulldogs 21-0 at Fawcett Stadium Saturday.

Tim Daniels
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo

1977: Massillon 44, Alliance 0

Fired up Tigers Annihilate Aviators
Ground game clicks in 44-0 win

By ROLAND A. DREUSSI
Independent Sports Editor
“When them Tigers get mad they hit people,” head coach Mike Currence said after his Washington High gridders demolished Alliance 44-0 Friday night at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

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The Tigers used a bone-crunching ground game and a few timely passes as they rolled up 13 first downs and 244 total yards in the first half, scoring the first four times they had the ball to take a 28-0 lead into the locker-room at halftime.

“THAT WAS the first time we played four quarters of good football all year,” Currence said. “The way we were coming off the ball tonight nobody could have beat us.”

The Tigers’ offensive line opened gaping holes in the Aviator defense, and Alliance coach Julius Tonges said that was his team’s downfall.

“We expected our defense to be better,” Tonges said following the game. “We’re disappointed. We didn’t penetrate the way we had expected.

“Offensively, when we got behind we tried to throw. We threw a couple on the money but we didn’t catch them. The big thing was the defense. We just didn’t have it,” Tonges said.

‘They had to control the ball on us to win,” Currence pointed out, “and our defense kept giving the ball to us.”

ASKED IF the game planned called for more running, Currence said: “We planned on doing everything we could to win. The fact that we were blocking well is why we stayed on the ground. Also, Julius Tonges is a great coach and they took the pass away from us. They were on us like glue.”

When the Tigers did pass, it was reserve quarterback Ron Wright who did most of the throwing. Wright came in when Offenbecher was shaken up late in the second quarter and threw one touchdown pass and set up another TD with a pass.

He finished the night with five out of eight for 78 yards. Offenbecher, the leading passer in the All‑American Conference, finished ‘with two of seven for 31 yards.

“Ron did a super job,” Currence said. “I’ve been telling everybody all year that we have two great quarterbacks.”

Currence said Offenbecher got the wind knocked out of him when he was hit just after he released the ball.

“I JUST didn’t think he was as effective after that,” Currence said.

The Tigers took the opening kickoff and marched 77 yards in 12 plays with Richard Cleveland scoring on a seven-yard run with 6:58 left in the first quarter. Cleveland, who gained 39 yards in the drive, ran for the extra points and an 8-0 Tiger lead. Massillon rolled up four first downs in the drive.

Alliance then started a drive that carried into Massillon territory, but on a second and six at the Tiger 33, Tiger defensive tackle Tony Matie nailed Willie McCray in the backfield for a five-yard loss.

Following a 19-yard punt, the Tigers took over at their own 19 and marched 81 yards in nine plays with Greg Carpenter plunging one yard for the score with 11:30 to go in the second quarter.

CARPENTER HAD opened the series with a fine 24-yard run. On third and 12 at the Alliance 34, Wright threw down the middle to Tom Gehring. The pass was deflected by an Aviator defender and Gehring bobbled the ball but hung on for a remarkable catch and a first down at the Alliance one. Carpenter scored on the next play. Mark Westover’s kick was wide and the Tigers led 14-0.

Following another short Alliance punt, the Tigers took the ball at their own 40 and Carpenter scored his second TD of the game seven plays later on a five-yard run with 6:40 left in the half.

Westover hooted the point after and the Tigers led 21-0.

Yet another bad punt by Alliance gave the Tigers the ball at their own 40 and once again they used seven plays to score. On a fourth and three from the Alliance 10, Wright found Mike Grove open in the end zone for a touchdown. Westover made good on the conversion kick and the Tigers led 28-0 with 2:01 to go in me the half.

The Tigers almost scored again before the half when defensive tackle Jerry Shafrath recovered an Alliance fumble at the Aviator nine yard line with just over a minute showing on the clock. A halfback pass by Jeff Beitel on fourth down was batted down at the linem however, and Alliance ran out the clock.

IN THE second half, the Tigers stopped the Aviators cold following the kickoff, and took over at their own 42 yard line following a punt.

Massillon then drove to the Alliance 22 in 11 plays when the drive stalled. Westover came in and kicked a 40 yard field goal that cleared the crossbar with room to spare, giving the Tigers a 31-0 lead with 4:49 left in the third quarter.

Following an Alliance punt, the Tigers drove from their own 32 to paydirt in eight plays with Beitel making a slick run on a right sweep from nine yards out for the score. Westover split the uprights with his conversion kick add the Tigers led 38-0 with :08 left in the third period.

The big play in the drive was a 22-yard pass from Offenbecher to Eric Clendening. Clendening took a quick pass over the middle and made a good run, giving the Tigers a first down at the Alliance 12. Beitel’s score came two plays later.

The Tigers final tally of the night came after Kevin Gowins intercepted a pass at midfield and raced down the right sideline all the way to the Alliance three, carrying several tacklers along the last five or 10 yards.

JOHN WILKERSON scored off left tackle on the next play, despite a penalty against the Aviators, and Massillon led 44-0 with 52 seconds left in the game.

Wright, who had the only Tiger punt of the night, booted the extra point, but a holding penalty forced him to try it over from 35 yards out and the kick was wide.

The Tigers ground game accounted for 272 of 379 yards and 18 of 24 first downs. Cleveland led a balanced attack with 84 yards in 13 carries, while Grove added 77 on 12 carries and Carpenter had 69 on 12 carries.

This win, witnessed by 10,566 faithful, should give the Tigers some momentum for the grand finale next week against Canton McKinley. A win by the Tigers next Saturday will give them a share of the All-American Conference title they won outright last season.

GRIDSTICK
M A
First downs rushing 18 3
First downs passing 6 0
First downs penalties 0 0
Total first downs 24 3
Yards gained rushing 300 73
Yards lost rushing 28 31
Net yards gained rushing 272 42
Net yards gained passing 107 0
Total yards gained 379 42
Passes attempted 15 1
Passes completed 7 0
Passes intercepted by 1 1
Yardage on passes intercepted 48 7
Times kicked off 8 1
Kickoff average 55.6 45.0
Kickoff returns (yards) 9 67
Times punted 1 7
Punt average (yards) 38.0 28 0
Punt returns (yards) 5 0
Had punts blocked 0 0
Fumbles 3 1
Lost fumbled ball 0 1
Penalties 2 1
Yards penalized 20 15
Touchdowns rushing 5 0
Touchdowns passing 1 0
Touchdowns by interception 0 0
Miscellaneous touchdowns 0 0
Total number of plays 72 40
Total time of possession 30:05 17:55

Massillon 8 20 10 6 44
Alliance 0 0 0 0 0

M – Richard Cleveland 7 run (Cleveland run)
M – Greg Carpenter 1 run (kick failed)
M – Carpenter 5 run (Mark Westover kick)
M – Mike Grove 10 pass from Ron Wright (kick Westover)
M – Westover 40 FG
M – Jeff Beitel 9 run (Westover kick)
M John Wilkerson 1 run (kick fail).

Attendance 10,566

BEAT McKINLEY!!!

Tim Daniels
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo

1977: Massillon 21, Warren Harding 22

Panther QB ‘shotguns’ Tigers
Warren edges Tigers With fourth-period TD

By DENNY J HIGHBEN

“Maurice didn’t know the game was lost.”

That’s how Tiger coach Mike Currence summed up the surprising 22‑21 victory by the Warren Harding Panthers Friday night in Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

Program Cover

IN A phenomenal fourth quarter, Panther guarterback Maurice Hall pulled out the shotgun and blew the Tigers away. Out of that formation he directed two scoring drives that brought Warren from a 21-7 deficit to a spectacular victory.

The first drive covered 96 yards and Hall accounted for 70 of them yards running and passing. The winning drive went 64 yards and Hall passed or ran for 54 of them.

In all, he rushed 15 times for 102 yards and completed nine of 16 passes for 110 yards. He also scored two of Warren’s three touchdowns, passed for a two‑point conversion and kicked the other two. The final and winning point came with 37 seconds left on the clock.

“It was a nighmare,” a frustrated Currence said after the game. “I’ve never lost one like that before.”

Outside the visitors lockerroom, Warren coach Tom Ross said, “Maurice is a great kid … Boys state, National Honor Society … just great. He’s the kind of kid you want playing quarterback.”

And Hall proved why.

THE FOURTH quarter began with Warren 96 yards away from Massillon’s goal line and trailing by 14 points. Harding gained possession after Tiger quarterback Brent Offenbecher passed to Mike Grove for 34 yards, but Grove fumbled as he was tackled at the four and Harding’s Joe Varley recovered.

The Panthers sputtered on the first two plays and, after an illegal procedure penalty, were facing a third-and-eight from the six. Hall threw a pass that fell incomplete but the Tiger defensive back covering the intended receiver was flagged for holding. That gave Warren a first-and‑ten at the 21 yard line.

Tailback Don Henderson was dropped for a three-yard loss and, on second down, the shotgun appeared. That pass fell incomplete but on third-and‑13 Hall end cocked the shotgun and fired to Sherman Golden for 13 yards on the nose and a first down. Hall repeated the play for another 12 yards and then ran for 12 yards and a first down.

On second‑and‑10 he hit Golden for five yards, then ran for six and another first down. That put the ball at the Tiger 34 and Hall passed to his tight end, Stephan Smith, for 18 yards. Massillon was flagged for a personal foul and the ball went to the seven. Two plays later fullback Ralph Goliday crashed in from three yards out. Hall rolled right on the conversion attempt and hit his tight end for the two points, making the score 21‑15 with 6:13 left in the fourth quarter.

The Tigers started at their 19 after the kickoff, threw two incomplete passes, got penalized for illegal procedure and Offenbecher recovered his own fumble on third down at the seven yard line.

PUNTER MARK Westover had to kick from his own endzone and Warren went for the block. Westover ignored the pressure and came through with a remarkable 57‑yard punt that put Harding on its own 36.

But Hall was not to be stopped. He ran out of the shotgun three of the next four plays and got the ball all the way down to the Massillon 25. The Partners went into an “I” formation on third-and-four and Henderson ran six yards for the first down.

That set the stage for the dramatic finish.

0n first down Henderson was stopped for no gain. On second down Hall’s pass was almost intercepted . On third down Hall threw to Smith in the end zone but the ball was batted away by a Tiger defender.

Fourth down … 10 yards to go … 1:25 remaining…

HALL TOOK the snap in the shotgun, hesitated for a moment, then threw to Golden at the Massillon five for a first down. Henderson ran to the one and Hall kept the ball on the next play and went in for the touchdown to tie the score.

He kicked the ball through the uprights for the 22-21 lead with 37 seconds left.

The Tigers got the ball at their 35 after the kickoff and Offenbecher threw deep to Curtis Strawder, but Strawder had plenty of company and the pass was knocked away. With 20 seconds left Offenbecher threw again but the ball was intercepted by ‑ who else? ‑ Maurice Hall. He returned the ball to the Massillon 30 before being stopped and that play ended the game.

“Hall is so quick in the open field.” Currence said. “We had to drop people back into the pass patterns and the defenders left up front just couldn’t catch him.

“That was the first time they had used me shotgun all year. It was out of desperation. I’m sure they thought the game was lost except for Maurice.”

The teams went into the lockerrooms at the half tied 7‑7.

Massillon’s initial score came in the first period after Hall fumbled on his own 49 yard line and Marc Longshore recovered for the Tigers. Massillon advanced to the Warren 37 and from there Offenbecher completed a 12-yard pass to end Mark Pringle.

(THAT PASS completion made Offenbecher the second Tiger quarterback since passing stats have been kept to pass for over 1,000 yards in a season. He passed for a total of 180 yards in the game, which puts him on top of all quarterbacks with 1,177 yards.)

Five Plays later halfback Greg Carpenter charged in from three yards out. Westover made the conversion version and the Tigers led 7‑0 with 6:37 left to the first quarter.

Warren started a drive at the Panther 31 later in the first period and drove downfield only to have Goliday fumble and Tiger Gene Miller recover at the Massillon 16. But on the Tigers’ first play the ball got away from Grove and Varley recovered – the first of two fumble recoveries for him that would lead to TDs.

Varley recovered the ball on the 12 and Hall immediately rolled to his left and whizzed through the Tigers defense like lightning for a touchdown. He added the extra point to knot the score at 7-7.

Warren had one other scoring shot in the second quarter. Hall tried to kick a 47‑yard field goal but the kick was a bit too wide.

THE TIGERS came out roaring in the third period, marched for touchdowns on their first two possessions and by the end of the quarter it appeared the game was decided.

Offenbecher capped an 86‑yard drive with a 12-yard pass to Grove and Westover ‘s kick made it 14‑7 with 8:05 left in the third.

Warren was shipped cold after the kick‑off punted to Massillon and Marc Longshore made a fair catch at the Tiger 28. With a good mixture of passing and running the Tigers got to Warren’s three in seven plays. Grove ran wide left, got a tremendous double-team block on the Warren defensive end by fullback Richard Cleveland and guard Ken Nagle, and went in for the score. Westover added the conversion and it was 21‑7 with 3:04 to go in the third.

On the first play after the kick‑off, Henderson took off on a 26‑yard run, but two plays later Goliday fumbled and Massillon’s Jeff David recovered at the Tiger 37. That was the beginning of the end for Massillon, for seven plays later Varley recovered Grove’s fumble at the four Hall went to work.

“It’s great to win when you’re a decided underdog,” Ross said after the game. “Now the kids know they can beat a tough team.”

HE SAID the Panthers went to the shotgun to better utilize their talent. “But plays and formations don’t win ball games. It was our players that got it into the end zone,” Ross added.

“We’ve got two real big ones left and we’re going to regroup.” Currence said. “The Tigers will come back.”

Hall appeared injured after running the interception back on the final play. He walked off the field with some assistance after a few moments. When asked if the “man of the evening” was hurt, Ross replied, “No, it was just a case of exhaustion and leg cramps. You know, he did a lot of running in the fourth quarter.”

And how.

GRIDSTICK
M W
First downs rushing 9 14
First downs passing 9 6
First downs penalties 1 1
Total first downs 19 21
Yards gained rushing 122 222
Yards lost rushing 12 13
Net yards gained rushing 90 209
Net yards gained passing 180 110
Total yards gained 270 319
Passes attempted 25 16
Passes Completed 14 9
Passes intercepted by 0 1
Yardage on passes intercepted 0 38
Times kicked off 4 4
Kickoff average (yards) 46.0 46.5
Kickoff returns (yards) 55 82
Times punted 4 4
Punt average (yards) 16.8 45.0
Punt returns (yards) 0 0
Had punts blocked 0 0
Fumbles 3 3
Lost fumbled ball 2 3
Penalties 5 2
Yards penalized 48 10
Touchdowns rushing 2 3
Touchdowns passing 1 0
Touchdowns by interception 0 0
Miscellaneous touchdowns 0 0
Total number of plays 54 62
Total time of possession 21:11 26:49

Massillon 7 0 14 0 21
Warren 0 7 0 15 22

M – Greg Carpenter, 3 run, (Mark Westover kick);
W – Maurice Hall, 12, run, (Hall kick);
M – Mike Grove, 12 pass from Offenbecher, (Westover kick);
M – Grove, 3 run, (Westover kick);
W – Ralph Goliday, 3 run, (Stephan Smith pass from Hall);
W – Hill, 1 run, (Hall kick).

Paid attendance: 10,662.

Tim Daniels
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo

1977: Massillon 30, Columbus Eastmoor 0

Tigers thump Eastmoor 30-0

By DENNY J. HIGHBEN

The Tigers gained their first shutout of the season by defeating the Columbus Eastmoor Warriors 30-0 before a homecoming crowd of 9,130.

“They have a good ball club,” Tiger coach Mike Currence said following the game. “Some people don’t believe that a team is good when we win like this, but it took a total team effort. Our defense did a great job containing their running backs, our kicking game was great and our offense did a good job.”

Program Cover

THE DEFENSE allowed Eastmoor only 44 net yards rushing in the first half and only 27 in the second half. Eastmoor’s quarterbacks were sacked three times and completed one of three pass attempts for nine yards.

Keith Griffin, the backbone of Eastmoor’s rushing attack, injured a knee in practice Thursday and didn’t play until the second half. He gained 39 yards on nine carries and both Currence and Warrior coach Bob Stuart commented the sophomore speedster.

“We hit him hard and still couldn’t get him down,” Currence said.

I think he did quite well, considering he was running on one good leg,” Stuart said. He said his team’s morale fell Thursday when Griffin was injured and his limited running hurt the Warrior’s offensive game.

Griffin was hit at or near the line of scrimmage on almost every one of his carries but showed the twisting, darting style of running that gained his brother, Archie, a pair of Heisman awards. His longest run was for 13 yards and he had a 14-yarder nullified by a holding penalty.

EASTMOOR’S defense put a lot of pressure on Tiger quarterback Brent Offenbecher in the first half and he connected on only four of 13 attempts and he was forced to run the ball several times. In the second half he was sacked twice.

“We got a little shook up in tile first half,” Currence said.

The Eastmoor defense was only part of the problem. The phone system between the sidelines and the coaches spotting from the roof failed, leaving the Tiger coaches on the field “blind.”

The Tiger, scored the second time they had the ball, on an 83-yard drive that took only five play.

Gerg Carpenter ran from Massillon’s 17 for nine yards on the first play, then Mike Grove charged through the right side of the line, broke two tackles and got to the Tiger 49 before being pulled down. Offenbecher passed to Grove on the next play for yards yards and Carpenter ran the ball 19 yards, to the Eastmoor 23.

FULLBACK Richard Cleveland got the handoff on the fifth play of the drive, side-stepped a mass of humanity at the line of scrimmage and rambled all 23 yards for the score. Mark Westover kicked the extra point and the Tigers led 7-0 with 5:41 left in the period.

The teams exchanged the ball for the rest of the first quarter and the Tigers got possession for the first time in the second period at their 20 after Warrior kicker Beros Kosovski punted into the end zone. Westover had to punt when the drive died on the Massillon 48, but the Eastmoor receiver fumbled the ball around the five yard line.

Several Tigers went for it as it bounded into the end, where center Dick Lutz recovered it for a touchdown. Westover was on target again and it was 14-0 with 4:36 left in the second period.

Ron Wright replaced Offenbecher at quarterback later in the second quarter and marched the team from the Tiger 35 to the Eastmoor 23 before the drive ran out of steam. Westover then kicked the ball from the 30 and it sailed through the uprights for a 40-yard field goal, making it 17-0.

Eastmoor started the second half on its own 11 and gained only four yards before punting. Massillon got the ball at the Warrior 45 after the punt and marched to the 11 yard line in seven plays.

OFFENBECHER found end Curtis Strawder open in the end zone on the next play and passed to him for score.

On the conversion attempt the snap from center was high and holder Jeff David was tackled trying to run for the extra points, so with 6:30 in the third period the Tigers had a comfortable 23-0 lead.

It looked like Eastmoor might get moving on the next series but Griffin’s 14-yard run was nullified by the holding penalty and on the next play defensive end Gene Miller sacked Warrior quarterback Scott Shaw for an eight yard loss.

On third and 34, Shaw got Eastmoor’s only completion but defensive halfback Mike Hickey tackled receiver Scott Williams as soon as he caught the ball and the gain was well short of the needed yardage.

The teams exchanged punts until midway through the fourth period, when the Tigers drove from their 25 to the Eastmoor six, only to be stopped short. Westover tried a 25-yard field goal but the attempt was wide.

WRIGHT CAME in on Massillon’s next possession, at the Eastmoor 41, threw an incomplete pass, then connected with Strawder for 11 yards and Eric Clendenning for seven yards.

Wingback Jeff Beitel ran to the seven yard line two plays later and Wright passed to Beitel on the next play for the final touchdown. Westover came through on the conversion to wrap up the scoring.

Eastmoor’s Coach said after the game, “We’re a little disappointed it wasn’t closer. We came up here thinking we could win and our kids hit and played good defense.”

The Eastmoor linebackers and secondary were exceptional on defense making a number of solo tackles in the open field to thwart plays that would have worked for long yardage.

It was the second defeat for the Warriors and the first time this season they’ve been shut out. Only once did they penetrate Massillon’s 40 yard line. They were on the Tiger 39 when Griffin made the 14 yard run that wiped out by the penalty.

Eastmoor is now 5-2 while the Tiger are 6-1. Massillon will host All-America Conference rival Warren Harding next Friday right.

M E
First downs rushing 10 4
First downs passing 8 0
First downs penalties 1 1
Total first downs 19 5
Yards gained rushing 220 109
Yard, lost rushing 32 38
Net yards gained rushing 188 71
Net yard called passing 150 9
Total yards gained 338 80
Passes attempted 25 3
Passes completed 12 1
Passes intercepted by 1 0
Yardage on passes intercepted 0 0
Times kicked off 6 1
Kickoff average (yards) 49.5 52.0
Kickoff returns (yards) 18 60
Times punted 3 7
Punt average (yards) 43.3 30.2
Punt returns (yards) 2 3
Had punts blocked 0 0
Fumbles 0 1
Lost fumbled ball 0 0
Penalties 4 3
Yards penalized 40 32
Touchdowns rushing 1 0
Touchdowns passing 2 0
Touchdowns by interception 0 0
Miscellaneous touchdowns 1 0
Total number of plays 64 45
Total time of possession 24:59 23:01

Massillon 7 10 6 7 30
Eastmoor 0 0 0 0 0

M – Richard Cleveland, 23 run (Mark Westover kick);
M – Dick Lutz, recovered fumble in endzone (Westover kick);
M – Westover, 40 yard field goal;
M – Curtis Strawder, 11 pass from Brent Offenbecher (kick foiled);
M – Jeff Beitel, pass from Ron Wright (Westover kick).

Paid attendance 9,130.

Tim Daniels
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo

1977: Massillon 41, Steubenville 22

Tigers crush Steubenville 41-22
Big Red scores on two blocked punts

By DENNY J. HIGHBEN
The Tigers blasted Steubenville out of its own stadium Friday, 41-22, in a game that wasn’t as close as the score indicates.

The Massillon air commandoes combined for 237 yards on 12 completions and two touchdowns and the ground attack accounted for 162 yards. Steubenville had a scant 15 net yards rushing and 99 passing – 64 of which came on a fourth-quarter touchdown pass that gave the Big Red its only offensive points of the game.

STEUBENVILLE’S two other touchdown came in the fourth period on runbacks of blocked punts.

Tiger coach Mike Currence was so pleased with the team’s performance even the blocked punts didn’t bother him to any noticeable degree. Only one thing got to Currence – a third-quarter brawl that eventually contributed to the blocked punts.

We did everything well except we didn’t hold our tempers well. That ruined my whole night,” he said, and added that he didn’t feel the fight was the fault of the Tigers but it still shouldn’t have occurred.

The brawl took place on the Tigers’ second possession of the third quarter. On the first play, from Massillon’s 27 yard line, quarterback Ron Wright threw an incomplete pass to end Mark Pringle and Pringle was roughed up out of bounds. The Big Red was tagged for a personal foul and on the next play, from the 32, halfback Mike Grove took a reverse ran to the left and a battle erupted on the right. Steubenville ‘s middle guard, Jerome Holmes, started some “unsportsmanlike conduct” with Tiger center Dick Lutz: Lutz retaliated and for a few moments many of the players and several officials were knotted up around Massillon’s 40 yard line.

The end result was that both Lutz and Holmes were ejected from the game and each team was called for a personal foul.

“HAVING LUTZ ejected definitely hurt us, and I thick Steubenville was offsides on both of the blocked punts,” Currence said.

The Big Red defenders were extremely fast in getting to the punter and the snaps from junior center Scott Kasunick were not as accurate as Lutz’s, slowing up the punter. The first punt, by Wright, was blocked with 9:18 left in the final period and Steubenville defensive back Buzz Bell scooped up the ball at Massillon’s 22 and ran it in. Quarterback Greg Taylor pitched to Chris Mills and he scored the two-point conversion, making the score 35-8.

Steve Michalak, Big Red’s kicker, put the ball in the end zone on the ensuing kickoff and the Tigers were stalled on their 29 after a penalty and two incomplete passes. Mark Westover attempted to punt but it was blocked and linebacker Selmond Johnson picked the ball up as it bounced backwards and trotted five yards for the TD. Taylor tried to run in for the conversion but was stopped short and the score was 35-14 with 7:04 left.

Grove then took the kickoff at Massillon’s nine and ran past the 25. As he was being tackled an enthusiastic teammate grabbed him and dragged him to the 32, and the Tiger were flagged for illegally advancing a runner.

Wingback Greg Carpenter and fullback Richard Cleveland ran the ball from the 17 to the 28 yard line. Wright passed to end Curtis Strawder for 13 yards but the play was wiped out by a procedure penalty.

WRIGHT THREW a pass over the middle on the next play to Grove. The pass was a bit too high but Grove made a fantastic one-handed catch to give the Tigers a first down on their 42 yard line.

Two plays later Wright found Carpenter open in the same area and connected on a pass that Carpenter carried down to Steubenville’s 19. Wright followed that up with a touchdown pass to Strawder in the deep left corner of the end zone. Wright’s pass for the conversion was no good and the Tigers were on top 41-14 with 3:14 left.

Big Red ended the scoring when Taylor, on third-and-four at the Steubenville 36, couldn’t find anyone open downfield and passed to running back Terry McKinney at the line of scrimmage. McKinney weaved his way through Tiger tacklers and went the distance. Bernard Stevenson ran a sweep to score two points, making it 41-22.

Steubenville coach Bill Bohren said of the blocked punts. “We go after them all the time and we do it as good as anyone in the league. We’ve blocked four so far this year and had 13 last season.” He added that his charges were penalized six times for roughing the kicker in one game while trying to block punts. Assessing the entire game, he said, “it gave us a lift.”

The Tigers built a 35-0 lead before the fourth quarter fireworks. They got on the board before some Tiger fans had found parking spots around the stadium.

THE FIRST score came on a 60-yard drive that was highlighted by a 27-yard pass from Brent Offenbecher to Strawder and a 20-yard pass from Offenbecher to Grove. Five plays later Cleveland punched in from the three. Westover kicked the conversion and the Tigers were on top 7-0 with 8:27 left in the first period.

Stevenson ran the kick-off back to his 40 and the Big Red marched to the Tiger 27. On first down Stevenson was tackled for a two-yard loss, and Big Red was called for clipping. That put the ball on the 44 and Stevenson and Taylor were thrown for losses on the next two plays, which killed the only semblance of a drive Steubenville had all night.

The Tigers started from their 20 on the next series and after four plays and two penalties, were staring at a second-and-23 at their 12 yard line. Cleveland took the ball on a draw and rambled 29 yards and Offenbecher followed up with a 13-yard pass to Mark Pringle. Two plays later the junior quarterback hit Grove for a 43-yard scoring strike and Cleveland ran in the two- point conversion with 11:18 left in the second quarter.

Fifty-four seconds later, the Steubenville quarterback was hit as he pitched wide and defender Mike Hickey grabbed the ball and ran 22 yards for a touchdown. Westover’s kick made it 21-0.

The Tigers started their last scoring drive of the half on their own 32. They moved to the Big Red two yard line in seven plays, with Offenbecher hitting Pringle with two passes, Strawder with one, and Grove charging 26 yards on a double reverse. Carpenter took the ball in from the one with 2:23 left and Westover’s kick made it 28-0. The 28 points equaled the amount Steubenville’s defense had surrendered in the first live games of the season combined.

THE TIGER faithful got a scare on Massillon’s first possession of the first period when Offenbecher pitched to Cleveland and was flattened. He lay motionless for a few moments, then peeled himself off the turf and walked to the sidelines. Wright went in and handed off to Carpenter over right tackle and he went 26 yards for the score. Westover added the kick and with 7:11 left in the third and the score at 35-0, the stage was set for the wild fourth period.

Currence said Offenbecher appeared to be alright after a few moments but the coach decided to keep him out and Wright did a great job for the rest of the game. Offenbecher finished the night with eight completions on 12 attempts, 153 yards and a touchdown. Wright completed four of eight for 84 yards and a touchdown. Pringle and Grove each caught four passes, Strawder pulled in three and Carpenter caught one.

Currence also applauded the defense for an out standing job. “Our defense stopped them on that first drive and that gave us a psychological boost.”

And after that first drive, there were none. The Tiger defenders nailed Big Red runners for 50 yards in losses, Dan Venables intercepted a pass, Hickey returned a wayward pitch for a score and he also intercepted a pass, but the play was wiped out by a penalty.

Coach Brunei was impressed by the Tiger defense but he was overwhelmed by the offense. “That’s a super offense. If you don’t get to Offenbecher you’re done because he is a very skilled athlete and he has great receivers. I’d say Massillon has the best offensive football team in the state.”

MASSILLON, now sporting a 5-1 record, Bonds powerful Columbus Eastmoor next Friday night for the WHS homecoming. Steubenville 2-4 hosts city rival Steubenville Central next Saturday.

Friday’s contest was the second All-American Conference game for both teams. Massillon is 2-0 in the league and the Big Red is 0-2.

GRIDSTICK
M S
First downs rushing 10 3
First downs passing 10 1
First downs penalties 1 2
Total first downs 21 6
Yards gained rushing 178 65
Net yards gained rushing 162 15
Net yards gained passing 237 99
Total yards gained 399 114
Passes attempted 20 8
Passes completed 12 3
Passes intercepted by 1 0
Yardage on passes inter. 0 0
Times kicked off 7 4
Kickoff average (yards) 48.3 49.5
Kickoff returns (yards) 45 122

lineups

TIGERS
Offense
Quarterback: 14 – Brent Offenbecher (Jr., 6 0, 167);
fullback: 28 – Richard Cleveland (Jr., 5 11, 185);
halfbacks: 44 – Mike Grove (Sr., 5 9, 175), 33 – Greg Carpenter (Sr., 6 0, 208), 45 – Jeff Beitel (Jr., 5 7, 150);
ends: 20 – Mark Pringle (Sr., 6 1, 182), 80 – Curtis Strawder (Jr., 5 10, 147), 86 – Bobby Grizzard (Sr., 5 5. 150), 87 – Eric Clendening (Sr., 5 10, 174);
tackles: 75 – Tim Daniels (Sr., 6 8, 260), 78 – Mark Namany (Sr., 6 4, 210 ), 73 – Bob Kovacsiss (Sr., 5 11, 246);
guards: 65 – Bob Berquist (Sr., 5 10, 195), 61 – Toby Leonard (Sr., 5 8, 183), 66 – Ken Nagle (Sr., 5 10, 191);
center: 50 – Dick Lutz (Sr., 6 1, 212).

Defense
Ends: 85 – David Engler (Sr., 5 9, 190), 51 Frank Sweterlitsch (Sr., 6 1, 193);
tackles: 68 – Tony Matie (Sr., 6 1, 218), 39 – Jerry Shafrath (Sr., 6 1, 214);
middle guard: 59 – Carl Dorsey (Sr., 5 10, 192);
linebackers: 62 – Kurt Walterhouse (Sr., 5 11, 187), 47 – Steve Dottavio (Sr., 5 9, 212);
monster back: 27 – John Letcavits (Sr., 6 1, 173);
safety: 21 – Marc Longshore (Sr., 6 1, 182);
halfback: 22 – Mike Hickey (Sr., 5 10, 171), 11 – Darren Longshore (Jr., 6 0, 165).
Kicker: 75 – Mark Westover (Sr., 6 1, 218).

BIG RED
Offense
Quarterback: 9 – Greg Taylor (Sr., 5 11,185);
fullback 25 – Lennoe Brown (Jr., 6 0, 180);
halfbacks: 31 ‑ Bob Rush (Sr., 5 11, 190), 32 – Bernard Stevenson (Jr., 5 11, 170);
ends: 80 – Dan Constanitine (Sr., 5 11, 150), 81 – Mike Lockett (Sr., 6 3, 210);
tackles: 76 ‑ Mark Vulekic (Sr., 6 1, 230), 78 ‑ Bob Hays (Sr., 6 1, 253);
guards: 51 ‑ Rusty Lewis (Sr., 5 10, 180), 62 Sam Petrides (Sr., 5 11, 190);
center: 50 ‑ Frank Prolago (Sr., 6 0, 165).

Defense
Ends: 81 ‑ Lockett, 54 – Ken Wilson (Jr., 5 11, 185);
tackles: 78 – Hays, 75 – Bruce Biggio (Sr., 6 0, 220);
middle guard: Jerome Holmes (Jr., 5 11, 170);
linebackers: 60 – Anthony Baldin (Sr., 5 10, 175), 40 – Selmond Johnson (Jr., 6 0, 185);
safeties : 35 – Jimmy DeFrank (Sr., 5 10, 165), 14 – Brian Bell (J r., 5 9, 145);
halfback: 22 ‑ Terry Creech (Sr., 5 10, 160), 12 – John Maltese (Sr., 5 10,150)

Series:
41st meeting, Massillon holds 35-3-2 edge.

Points scored by:
Massillon 124,
Steubenville 54.

Points scored against:
Massillon 51,
Steubenville 28

Big Red Eyes Tiger Invasion

On Sports
By John Phillips

“Massillon does every everything well,” said Steubenville Football Coach Bill Bohren Thursday. “I don’t think there is a team in the state which could do as well as the Tigers.”

Bohren was asked to evaluate tonight’s All‑American Conference opponent at Harding Stadium. Massillon comes to Steubenville with a 4‑1 log while Big Red is 2‑3. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m.

“We’ve had a good chance to look at some films,” added Bohren, “and they don’t really have any weaknesses.”

Big Red has, as usual, been working hard all weak for tonight’s invasion by the Tigers, the rivals meeting for the 41st time with Massillon holding a commanding 35‑3‑2 edge in the series.

“I just look at the difference in that series and it really surprises me,” continued Bohren. “It shouldn’t be like that…but it is.”

The players are apparently looking at this game the same as they did any other this year. “In the past, the week of the game, the boys are usually jabbering away like crazy about the Tigers, but this week it seems to be a low‑key approach. Maybe that’s the way it should be. There’s no reason we can’t beat this team.”

There will be a few lineup changes for Big Red tonight, Dave LaRue, a 180‑pound junior, moves in as fullback for Lennie Brown while junior Terry Mckinney starts at one of the halfback slots opposite Chris Mills.

Asked if he planned anything different for tonight’s game , Bohren said no, “but, we would like to get a little more balance in our offense. We’ve got to make their defense respect us.”

As for Big Red’s defense, Bohren voiced pleasure with that group’s effort. “Our defense has been playing as well as we expected it to play,” continued Bohren. “They haven’t given up that many points. We’ll have to be alert tonight, though, to stop Massillon’s big play offense.”

“Our offense was expected to do great things this year,” said the Big Red mentor, “but it just hasn’t materialized. We need better performances from our line so that we can shake our backs loose.”

The usual large crowd is expected for tonight’s game. The only tickets available are general admission in the end zone for $3.

Pigskin Predictions

One only has to spend a few minutes answering my phone here on Tuesdays to find out things are getting fairly difficult in making these selections.

Just when it’s felt we’ve got everything figured out, there’s a few surprises along the way. However, we’re strugging now at a .723 percentage with 94 correct and 29 wrong. There’s been a few ties thrown in.

Just hoping to keep above the dreaded .700 level, here we go again.

GAMES TONIGHT

MASSILLON AT BIG RED ‑ Look for a hard‑hitting defensive battle between these rivals. I’d like nothing better than to see Big Red turn the trick here, but everything points to the Tigers. MASSILLON 14, Big Red 6.

Probable Lineups

Big Red
No. Wgt. POS.
80 Dan Costantini 145 SE
76 Mark Vukelic 230 LT
61 Kevin King 240 LG
50 Frank Prolago 165 C
62 Sam Ferrules 190 RG
78 Bob Hay 250 RT
81 Mike Lockett 210 TE
9 Gret Taylor 190 QB
21 Chris Mills 165 LH
10 Terry McKinney 170 RH
33 Dave LaRue 180 FB

DEFENSE
E –Luckett, 81, Wilson 54.
T ‑ Hays, 78, Pearce 74.
NG – Holmes, 66,
LB ‑ Johnson, 41, Baldwin, 60.
DB ‑ Bell, 14, Maltese, 12, DeFrank, 35, Creech, 22.

Massillon
Wgt. No.
150 Curt Strawder 80
210 Mark Namanny 78
180 Toby Leonard 61
212 Dick Lutz 51
195 Bob Berquist 65
260 Tim Daniels 75
196 Mark Pringle 20
170 B. Offenbecher 14
208 Greg Carpenter 33
176 Mike Grove 44
185 D. Cleveland 28

DEFENSE
E ‑ Sweterlitsch, 52, Engler, 85.
T ‑ Shofroth, 39, Matie 68.
NG – Dorsey, 59.
LB ‑ Dottavio, 47, Walterhouse, 62.
DB ‑ Letcavits, 27, Longshore, 11.
M.- Longshore, 21, Hickey, 22.

Tim Daniels