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1974: Massillon 24, Cleveland Benedictine 0

October 4, 1974August 4, 2017
by Eric Smith

Tigers outside game beats Bennies
Shaky start but the ending turns out okay

By CHUCK HESS, JR.
Independent Sports Editor

The end was okay but the start was a little shaky Friday night at Tiger Stadium as the Tigers took step number one on their way back to respectability.

An uninspired Orange and Black team shut out an unusually poor Cleveland Benedictine team 24-0 before 8,989 fans, the season’s smallest crowd, to raise their record to 2-3 and break a two-game losing steak. Benedictine, defending Blass AA state champion, dropped to 1-4.

THE TIGERS had problems moving the ball in the first half and looked listless, but head coach Chuck Shuff had a few well chosen words for his crew at halftime and they played better football in the third quarter. The reserves were in for most of the fourth stanza.

“We told the fellows they had to go out and play better football,” Shuff said. “We were not up for the game and we played like we practiced. Our workouts were mediocre this week, not spirited. I would hope that we didn’t look at this game as one against a team with a 1-3 record because we were only 1-3.”

The Tigers were too quick around the ends for the Bennies with options and pitch sweeps. With Benedictine playing a 6-1 defense it opened the way for 34 and 32-yard pass catches by senior split end Eddie “Tinker” Bell and a 14-yarder by senior tight end Thee Lemon which set up two of the touchdowns and Lemon’s eight-yard touchdown catch.

“We had good sweeps and options tonight and hit Harmon inside a couple of times in the second half and kept them honest,” Shuff said. “With Benedictine playing six linemen and only one linebacker we wanted to try to get the ball in the air a little more. I thought we hit more than five of 13, but we got our highest yardage of the season.”

One of the things which made the option plays go so well was senior quarterback Greg Wood’s faking at attackers, springing senior tailback Mark Streeter and junior tailback Tom Grizzard effectively.

“OUR DEFENSE came along real well and held them to 118 yards on 46 attempts,” Shuff said. “That’s pretty good.”

Because the Tigers moved the ball so well, they had 18 more plays than the Bennies. That always helps.

Augie Bossu, veteran Benedictine mentor, agreed, “The Tigers were quicker than we were and hurt us around the ends. Harmon kept us honest up the middle. You also hurt us with your passes and were quicker than we were.”

Senior middle guard Gary Waldrop picked off a Benedictine fumble at the Bennies’
29-yard line in the first quarter and four plays later the Tigers had a TD, set up by Streeter’s 15 and 11-yard pitch runs. Junior fullback Bill Harmon bulled over the one but Dave Dowd’s conversion kick was wide.

Near the end of the quarter junior punter Todd Keller’s fumble gave Benedictine the ball on the Massillon 38. Two plays later senior line backer Tim Gutshall pounced on senior fullback John Colagiovanni’s fumble at the 40 and the Tigers were off for what looked like another TD drive.

STREETER GALLOPED 33 yards around end on a pitch to the Benedictine 33, but misplayed a pitchout from the seven on the first play of the second quarter, senior halfback Bruce Kniola recovered for the Bennies.

Bell intercepted a Herb Wilborn aerial on the Tigers’ 29 later in the second quarter to put the Orange and Black on the prowl again. In five plays the Obiemen had their second score as Bell and Lemon handled the aforementioned pass receptions and Wood added a 15-yard end run. Greg tried to hit junior swingback Keith Harmon for the conversion after Lemon’s TD catch but senior halfback Tome St. John knocked the ball down.

Lemon almost got the Tigers a TD on the final play of the first half when he intercepted a pass on the Benedictine 26 and run back to the one.

The Tigers took over on their 17 after a third quarter punt and in 11 plays had their third TD. Bill Harmon’s 17-yard run through the center and Bell’s 32-yard pass reception on the three were keys. Streeter scored three plays later from the nine after an offside penalty had robbed Harmon of a TD. “Streets’” run featured a beautiful second effort to him into the end zone on the pitchout.

St. John knocked down Wood’s pass for Lemon on the conversion try.

THE TIGERS gained possession later in the stanza after a poor punt gave them the ball on their 42. Harmon went off tackle for 18 yards to the 40 and Streeter 20 yards on an option during the seven-play drive. Wood sneaked in from the one for the score but Dowd’s kick attempt was wide.

In the fourth quarter senior linebacker Brandon White hopped on Wilborn’s fumble at the Benedictine 31. Six plays later the Tigers lost the ball on downs at the Benedictine eight.

The Tigers stopped a Benedictine threat at the Orange and Black 42 in the fourth quarter, Shuff put in the reserves with 9:30 left and that was it.

BENEDICTINE – 0
Ends – Washington, Davis.
Tackles – Adnrassy, Conwell, Farris, Stevelak, Glowik.
Guards – Singer, Cooper, Caputo, Berdysz.
Center – Gaines.
Quarterbacks – Wilborn, Kniola, Shults.
Halfbacks – St. John, Deininger, West, McCloy, Charles.
Fullbacks – Colagiovanni, Hill.

MASSILLON – 24
Ends – Bell, Lemon, Bammerlin, Conley, Coates, T. Gutshall.
Tackles – Matie, Lauber, Easter, Genet, Rich, Rambaud.
Guards – Parrish, White, Lightfoot, Bricker, Dowd, Snell, Schumacher, Christoff, K. Waldrop, Brand.
Centers – Nagle, Mitchael.
Quarterbacks – Wood, Keller.
Halfbacks – Pifer, K. Harmon, Streeter, Grizzard, Ellis, Simpson, Dorsey, Herring, Stewart, Robinson.
Fullbacks – B. Harmon, Lab.

Massillon 6 6 12 0 24
Benedictine 0 0 0 0 0

SCORING SUMMARY
M – B. Harmon, 1 run (kick failed);
M – Lemon, 8 pass from Wood (pass failed);
M – Streeter, 9 run (pass failed);
M – Wood 1 run (kick failed).

OFFICIALS
Referee – Fred Vicarel.
Umpire – Bill Kulich.
Head Linesman – Jack Werkowitz.
Field Judge – Dick Creed.
Back Judge – Tim Murray.

ATTENDANCE – 8, 989.

GRIDSTICK
M B
First downs – rushing 16 4
First downs – passing 4 1
First downs – penalties 0 1
Total first downs 20 6
Yards gained rushing 316 94
Yards lost rushing 53 23
Net yards gained rushing 263 71
Net yards gained passing 106 47
Total yards gained 369 118
Passes completed 5-13 4-14
Passes intercepted by 2 0
Yardage on passes intercepted 31 0
Kickoff average (yards) 5-41.6 1-43.0
Kickoff returns (yards) 22 42
Punt average (yards) 3-38.3 6-36.8
Punt returns (yards) 35 0
Had punts blocked 0 0
Lost fumbled ball 2-6 3-3
Yards penalized 4-40 3-31
Touchdowns rushing 3 0
Touchdowns passing 1 0
Total number of plays 64 46
Possession Time 24:58 23.02

1974: Massillon 16, Niles McKinley 21

September 28, 1974August 4, 2017
by Eric Smith

Tigers need not be ashamed, say Shuff

By CHUCK HESS, JR.
Independent Sports Editor

Psalm 31 says, “Be strong and take courage.”

Tiger coach Chuck Shuff put it another way, as his charges alighted Saturday night from the busses which returned them from Niles.

“KEEP YOUR heads up,” the Tiger skipper said. ‘You have nothing to be ashamed of.”

The Orange and Black indeed have nothing to be ashamed of. “Tiger Pride” is still there and Shuff has every reason to believe that it will bring the Obiemen back from one of their worst starts ever. Not since 1907 have the Massillon gridders had three losses in their first four games.

The 1974 Tigers’ third defeat came before 13,000 Saturday night at Riverside Stadium in Niles as Steve Ziegler raced 88 yards with the kickoff following the Tigers’ go-ahead touchdown to score the Red Dragons’ winning tally.

Massillon has won only one game. Niles is 4-0.

The game was the All-American Conference opener for both teams and the loss puts the Tigers in the cellar with Alliance and Steubenville.

The Obiemen have lost two of five games played at Riverside and both times a Ziegler was responsible. John scored the winning TD on a pass reception in the waning seconds of 1966. He is no relation to Steve.

SATURDAY’S WINNING tally came with less than 2:50 remaining in the game, according to back judge Dr. Larry Glass of Youngstown. Because the Riverside Stadium clock was inoperable in the second half, Glass kept the time on the field and said his watch showed 2:50 when Keith Harmon booted the ball.

“I had no thought of having Keith squibb kick the ball,” said Shuff. “We would have run a high chance of kicking it out of bounds. That would have given him the ball on the 40.”

“There are times when you wonder what you have to do to win,” Shuff said. “Our kids gave us an all-out gutty performance. When they put two-point conversions in when they had to, they sure deserved more than they got in playing against a fine Niles team.”

Shuff thinks the Tigers will be all right morale-wise.

“These kids are Massillon Tigers,” Shuff said. “It takes an awful lot to take the pride out of a Tiger.”
THE FIRST test will be if the Orange and Black can start to swing the pendulum the other way Friday night when Cleveland Benedictine (1-3) comes to the “House of Champions.”

“Massillon did a great job offensively and defensively and we were lucky to pull it out,” said Niles coach Tony Napolet. “I credit a great runback by Ziegler. I remember seeing a boy on the 20-yard line who I thought was going to put him down, but Steve out ran him and got to the end zone.”

Zielger was spun around on the 40 on his trek downfield.

Shuff wasn’t the only one crediting the Tigers with some real gutty play. Napolet called it “taking a lot of nerve” when the Tigers gambled on a third and five situation on their
68-yard, first quarter touchdowns drive and a fourth and two situation on their 87-yard fourth quarter drive.

The Tigers got a 12-yard runback from junior Jeff Lab following Niles’ kickoff after its second quarter TD and used eight plays to go the distance. Senior Keith Herring, son of the famous Edgar “Echo” Herring, subbing tailback for senior co-captain Mark Streeter who had a pulled groin muscle, skirted end for 15 yards on a pitchout, to get a first down on the Niles 36.

SENIOR SWINGBACK Mark Pifer followed with a counter run for 26 more to the 10 and two plays later junior fullback Bill Harmon powered over off tackle from the five. Senior quarterback Greg Wood slanted off tackle for the conversion.

In the fourth quarter it was fourth and one on the Tigers’ 45 when Wood hit senior split end Eddie “Tinker” Bell with a 10-yarder for a first down on the Niles 45. The Orange and Black then picked up the second of two personal foul penalties for a first down on the 29. After a motion penalty, Streeter picked up 10 to the 24 and Wood cut loose with a corner pass to Bell who stumbled, made the grab and went into pay dirt.

Grizzard made a great second-effort run on a pitchout for the conversion.

Niles scored at the beginning of the second quarter with sophomore tailback Phil Chelsea (89 yards in 25 carries) whom Napolet called the greatest back he’s ever coached, blasting off tackle from the one. The eight-play drive was a 55-yarder which came after a 30-yard interception return by Greg Joseph for a first down on the Niles’ 45.

Denny Severin kicked the conversion.

THE DRAGONS scored at the beginning of the fourth quarter on a 19-play, 80-yard drive following a Tiger punt. Chelsea went through the center from the one on fourth down.

Senior Dirk Abernathy, switched back to quarterback from tailback to make use of his speed, option ability and passing, hit Severin for the conversion. The Tigers later stopped Dirk’s effort to add two points to Ziegler’s game-winning TD, but his passing helped to keep both Niles TD drives going.

Ziegler’s Kickoff Return
Powers Red Dragons
To Win Over Tigers

NILES – Nearly 13,000 spectators watched Steve Ziegler return a kickoff 88 yards with about 3:00 left in the game Saturday night as Niles McKinley defeated Massillon Washington 21-16 in a seesaw All-American Conference scholastic football game.

The loss was Massillon’s third in four games – the worse Tigers’ start since 1907 when that year’s club tied its opening game foe before dropping four successive games. The win upped Niles’ record to 4-0.

Ziegler’s return came in the wake of Massillon’s uphill struggle to take the lead for the second time when swingback Ed Bell took a 24-yard pass from quarterback Greg Wood and tailback Tom Grizzard added the bonus points.

Greg Joseph set up Niles’ first TD when he picked off a Wood pass and the Red Dragons drove 85 yards. Fullback Phil Chelsea went over from the one early in the second quarter to end a drive Niles started in the first period.

Massillon gained an 8-7 halftime edge when fullback Bill Harmon tallied on a five-yard run and Wood kept for the two points.

Niles launched an 80-yard march late in the third canto and went ahead 15-8 as Chelsea again went over from the one and this time Denny Severin took a pass for the extra points. Severin had converted by placement after the Dragons’ first TD.

Niles finished with a 54-45 advantage in total plays, but Massillon showed a 227-193 margin in total offense, with the Tigers’ edge coming via a 192-119 difference in rushing yards.

Massillon completed four of 12 passes for 35 yards and Niles was 7-for-17 for 74 yards.

Massillon was penalized nine times for 114 yards and Niles six for 63 in a game in which the scoreboard clock was out of order in the second half.

NILES McKINLEY 0 7 0 14 21
MASSILLON 0 8 0 8 16

SCORING SUMMARY
N – fb Phil Chelsea 1 run (Denny Severin kick).
M – fb Bill Harmon 5 run (qb Greg Wood run).
N – Chelsea 1 run (Severin pass from qb Dirk Abernathy).
M – sb Ed Bell 24 pass from Wood (fb Tom Grizzard run).
N – Steve Ziegler 88 kickoff return (run failed).

Tiger, Niles lineups
MASSILLON
Ends – Lemon Bell.
Tackles – Lauber, Easter, Greshen, Rich, M. Matie.
Guards – Lightfoot, Bricker, Parrish, Schumacher, Dowd, Rambaud, Christoff, Snell, Brand.
Centers – Nagle, Peters.
Quarterback – Wood.
Halfbacks – Herring, Streeter, Grizzard, Pifer, Dorsey, Robinson.
Fullbacks – B. Harmon, Lab, Waldrop.
Kicker – K. Harmon
Punter – Keller.

NILES
Ends – Severin, Braun, Zielger, Woodford, Gatin, Blair.
Tackles – Hojnik, Miller, Blair.
Guards – Accordino, Klendovic.
Center – Ledenko.
Quarterback – Abernathy.
Halfbacks – Arnold, Chelsea, S. Russo, P. Russo, Salerno.
Fullbacks – Pallante, Tolver, Gillipsie.

Weight comparsions:
Tigers
offense – (line 187; backfield 180; overall 184).
defense (line 191; backfield 156; overall 179).
Nile
offense (line 193, backfield, 167; overall 184).
defense – (line 190; backfield 169; overall 169).

Series:
Massillon 11-3.
Points scored:
Massillon 311; Niles 112.

Weather: 70 percent chance of rain.

ATTENDANCE – 13,000.

OFFICIALS
Referee – Steve Nagy.
Umpire – Brenton Kirk.
Head Linesman – Tom Coleman.
Field Judge – Fred Vicarel.
Back Judge – Dr. Larry Glass.

GAME STATISTICS
M N
First downs – passing 2 5
First downs – penalties 3 1
Total first downs 11 13
Yards gained rushing 205 136
Yards lost rushing 13 17
Net yds. gained rush. 192 119
Net yds. gained pass. 35 74
Total yds. gained 227 193
Passes com. 4-12 7-17
Passes inter. by 1 2
Yd. on passes inter. 18 32
Kickoff ave. (yds.) 3-41.0 4-37.0
Kickoff ret (yds.) 43 126
Punt ave. (yds.) 4-41.3 5-32.0
Punt ret. (yds.) 5 4
Had punts blocked 0 0
Lost fumbled ball 1-1 0
Yds. penalized 9-114 6-63
Touchdowns rushing 2 2
Miscellaneous 0 1
Total no. of plays 45 54

To the Editor of The Evening Independent
It’s amazing how one’s perspective changes when you’re a parent of a Tiger team member. Maybe it’s because you are aware of the hours of blood, sweat and tears that go into football and the respect that the boys have for their coach, Chuck Shuff. Or maybe it’s because you know that this coach is not only a teacher of skill, but a character builder, which is of equal importance in a young man’s life. These boys are giving all the ability and God-given talent they have to offer.

Win or lose – get on their side and off their backs, Tigertown. Your example is so very important to these boys – they deserve your encouragement and support. Please don’t let them down.

Proud Tiger Mom
Massillon, Sept. 30.

To the Editor of The Evening Independent
A week or 10 days before the opening of the local football season, a mother of a Washington High School football player wrote a Letter to the Editor in which she extolled the virtues of the new football coach. She praised the coach’s feeling and consideration for the spirits and well-being of each individual player.

That letter prepared me to accept without shock the results of the 1974 season to date.

Nice guys do not produce championship football at Washington High School.

L.F. Milligan
Massillon, Sept. 29

Hard times for
Tiger footballers

By GEORGE STRODE

COLUMBUS (AP) – Mighty Massillon has fallen on hard times.

The Tigers, 13 times champions of Ohio high school football, are off to their worst start since 1907. They have won but one game in four.

CHUCK SHUFF, the new Massillon coach, had been in rebuilding phases in his first seasons at Oak Harbor and Fremont Ross.

“I came into Massillon anticipating a good start because of its tradition. It’s very disappointing,” said Shuff, a Mount Vernon native and University of Cincinnati graduate.

Shuff blames the slow start on injuries and inexperience.

“We had 15 lettermen, but only four of them were regulars,” he said via telephone.

And two of the regulars, Co-Captains Joe Studer and Tim Gutshall, are out with injuries. Studer, a center-defensive end, has a heart murmur, Gutshall, a two-year linebacker, knee problems.

MASSILLON DROPPED its opener 14-6 to Youngstown Ursuline. Then came a 67-0 rout of Cleveland East, followed by losses to Upper Arlington 31-14 and Niles McKinley 21-16.

With such a start, Tiger faithful have grumbled.

“Sure, there is some unhappiness,” said Massillon Independent sports Editor Chuck Hess, Jr., a team chronicler for 14 years. “But the fans have treated Shuff pretty well.”

Shuff, who doubles as the school’s athletic director, is working on a three-year contract. Therefore, he isn’t reaching for the panic button.

“The coaches have told our seniors we are not giving up on them,” Shuff said. “In a lot of situations like this, coaches will go with younger players. We’re sticking with out seniors.

“I think we have our kids in pretty good mental shape for the rest of the season,” he said.

MASSILLON’S SCHEDULE may be the roughest in the state each season. Remaining in 1974 are games with Cleveland Benedictine, the 1973 state playoff champions; Steubenville, Columbus Marion-Franklin, Warren Harding, Alliance and Canton McKinley.

One thing in Shuff’s favor: He knows adversity in the first season at a school.

His opening 1965 team at Oak Harbor went 5-7. Two years later, it was 8-2.

In his first season at Fremont Ross, Shuff posted a 1-9 mark. The last three teams all compiled 9-1 records before Shuff departed for Massillon, replacing Bob Commings, now at the University of Iowa.

1974: Massillon 14, Upper Arlington 31

September 20, 1974August 4, 2017
by Eric Smith

Arlington rolls over Tigers 31-14
Bears too quick and too physical for WHS

By CHUCK HESS, JR.
Independent Sports Editor

It wasn’t a pretty sight for the Tiger faithful Friday night at Upper Arlington Memorial Stadium. In fact, it was a downright humiliating sight.

The Tigers got pushed around pretty good by a Golden Bear team which head coach Pete Corey said gave its best team effort in many years. When the Bears got through pushing, the Tigers were on the wrong end of a 31-14 score and went down to their second loss in three games while Arlington notched its third straight victory.

NOT SINCE 1910, under Ralph Fugate, when the Tigers lost their second and third games to Cleveland Shaw and Akron Central have the Orange and Black come up with one win and two losses in their first three games – by losing the third game.

Under Elmer McGrew the 1930 Tigers were 1-2 after beating Conneaut in the third
game – the first night game ever played here.

In 1931, after losing to a Jimmy Aiken-coached Toledo Scott team, in the third game, the Orange and Black were 0-1-2.

In 1923 Dave Stewart had an experience familiar to present head Coach Chuck Shuff’s when his team lost at Harrisburg, Pa., Tech 26-0 after having trounced Salem 82-0 in the second game the week before. The Tigers barreled Cleveland East 67-0 last week.

Playing inspired football the Bears rolled up net ground 277 net yards rushing to the Tigers’ 219. However, the overall yardage was only 354-332 in favor of Arlington. The Tigers got 133 yards in passing in the second half to Arlington’s 38 to give the Tigers a
251-206 total yardage figure after the intermission. The Orange and Black had picked up no air yardage in the first half.

FOR THE second time in three games the contest was lost in the trenches. The Arlington offensive and defensive lines out-muscled the Tigers’ line, were quicker than the Orange and Black and out finessed them.

The Bears were successful on eight of 13 third-down conversion attempts. The Tigers capitalized only four of 12.

“I look at those kids on the Massillon team and I can’t believe that we handled them like we did,” Corey said.

“They were quick, they were physical, they were bigger than we were,” Shuff said. “They controlled the line of scrimmage. They put us in the hole from the start. When you have to play catch-up football you have a rough way to go.” The counter play really hurt us. Coach Corey said this was the best he’s ever seen an Upper Arlington team prepared mentally for a game.”

SHUFF CONTINUED, “We can’t panic at this point. We’ve just got to pull together and make the kids realize we have a lot of that season ahead of us.”

The Tigers put forth a tremendous goal line stand in the first quarter and it looked as if this might spur them on, but it wasn’t to be. The stand came after Arlington soccer style kicker Dave Goldthwaite had tried a 26-yard field goal, made it, but the Tigers had roughed Goldthwaite.

The Bears decided to take the penalty and try for the touchdown from the 2y yard line but senior fullback Rod Gregory was stopped.

The Tigers didn’t score until the third quarter when junior tailback Tom Grizzard capped an 80-yard drive after the kickoff with a 15-yard run around end off a pitchout and was literally knocked end over end into the end zone. His conversion run was short.

Senior swingback Mark Pifer scored on a 57-yard pass-run from junior quarterback Todd Keller on the final play of the game. Pifer ran the last 30 yards and senior tailback Keith Herring ran the conversion on a pitch over tackle.

PIFER RAN kicks back 20 and 26-yards. One set up a second quarter drive which ended on fourth down on the Arlington 22. The other started the drive which led to his touchdown. Pifer also was on the receiving end of 18 and 24-yard passes from senior quarterback Greg Wood which helped set up Grizzard’s score.

He was interfered with on a third-down pass on that drive and the Tigers got the ball on the Arlington 19 and scored three plays later.

The Tigers had a pass intended for Pifer, who became the prime receiver because split end Eddie Bell lost a contact lens before the game and couldn’t see well enough to operate efficiently, intercepted by senior halfback Jon Tenuta and he ran it back 32 yards to the Tigers’ 48 as the first half ended.

In the third quarter Grizzard had made a first down on the Tiger 40 as the Orange and Black got rolling after Bill Harmon had recovered a fumble by the Bear’s Bryan Johnson on the Massillon three. However, a holding penalty killed that drive and there were no more.

Wood, trying hard to get the ball to his receivers, went from sprint out to drop back passes in the third quarter, but just wasn’t consistent enough. He did carry the pigskin for nine attempts, netting 71 yards.

ON ONE carry, on some excellent reverse field running, a 29-yard to the Arlington 29, ‘Woody” suffered an ankle cramp and had to leave the game.

Junior halfback Scott Straker scored two TDs for Arlington, one of them on a third quarter five-yard pass from senior quarterback Gary Ginther, the other in the second quarter on a three-yard pitch run around end. Ginther skirted end for five yards in the third quarter.

Junior fullback Ben Tenuta dove over the center of the pack from the one in the fourth quarter.

Goldthwaite kicked four conversions, one of them from 35 yards away due to an illegal participation penalty, and kicked a 24-yard field goal.

Ginther’s 21-yard pass to Tenuta set up the field goal and his 18-yard pass and 25-yarder on a pass-run to end Mark Moorehead set up Ginther’s score.

SENIOR WINGBACK Greg Amicon’s counter runs were devastating. His 45-yard set up Staker’s first TD.

His 17 and 30-yarders took the Bears to the Massillon seven where they lost the ball which Harmon recovered on the three. He also had a 14-yarder which helped start Arlington on its way to if final TD drive.

By the Tigers bench was Obie V’s empty cage, containing the players, coaches’, trainers’, and managers’ Obie buttons on shoe laces. The Upper Arlington administration still would not permit Obie V to be taken into the stadium. So he stayed home.

Before the game the Tigers watched the 1971 Orange Bowl film, featuring Louisiana State University. Head Coach Chuck Shuff hoped that the players, watching several shots of LSU’s live Tiger mascot on the sidelines, would help them remember Obie’s absence. The team normally watches a movie before a game.

CO-CAPTAIN Mark Streeter led the team through the pre-game hoop which said “In Massillon We Love Tigers” and the Arlington team ran through a square which said, “Tigers, beware. This is Bear Country.”

Tiger junior tackle Mark Matie received a cut under one eye that required four stitches to close. Co-Captains Tim Gusthall re-aggravated his knee injury and came home on crutches.

Junior fullback Bill Harmon got banged soundly in the first quarter, but came out of it okay and returned to the game.

Senior halfback Kyle Mercer of Arlington twisted a knee badly in the second quarter.

UPPER ARLINGTON – 31
Ends – Partenchuk, Sorrell, Hyatt, Gray, Wolford, McKee, Moorehead, J. Tenuta, Stentz, Taggart.
Tackles – Stephan, Olson, Sublett.
Guards – Vaughan, Keitz, Boggs, Thompson, Lewis, Mason, Soloman.
Center – Green.
Quarterbacks – Ginther, Knisley.
Halfbacks – Mercer, Staker, McCabe, Hodson, Bowman, Amicon.
Fullbacks – Johnson, Gregory, B. Tenuta, Lestock, Drake.
Kicker – Goldthwaite.

MASSILLON – 14
Ends – Lemon, Coates, Bell.
Tackles – Rich, Matie, Lauber, Rambaud, Eastern, Greshen.
Guards – Bricker, Lightfoot, Dowd, Parrish, White, Christoff, Schumacher, Snell, Brand.
Center – Nagle.
Quarterbacks – Wood, Keller.
Halfbacks – Pifer, Streeter, Grizzard, K. Harmon, Herring, Dorsey, Robinson.
Fullbacks – B. Harmon, G. Waldrop, Martin, Hoffner, Lab.

SCORING SUMMARY
A – Dave Goldthwaite, 24 field goal;
A – Scott Staker, 3 run (Goldthwaite kick);
A – Staker 5 pass from Gary Ginther (Goldthwaite kick);
M – Tom Grizzard, 15 run (run failed);
A – Ginther, 5 run (Goldthwaite kick);
A – Ben Tenuta, 1 run (Goldthwaite kick);
M – Mark Pifer, 57 pass-run from Todd Keller (Herring punt).

OFFICIALS
Referee – Paul Askins.
Umpire – Dan Moore.
Head Linesman – Don Miller.
Field Judge – John Pollis.

GAME STATISTICS
Mass. UA
First downs – rush. 10 1
First downs – pass. 4
First downs – penal. 2
Total first downs 16 1
Yds. Gained rush. 222 25
Yds. Lost rush. 3 1
Net yds. gained rush. 219 277
Net yds. gained pass. 133 6
Tot. yds gained 352 354
Passes attempted 16
Passes completed 6
Passes inter. By 0
Yd. on passes inter. 0
Times kicked off 2
Kickoff ave. (yds.) 28
Kickoff returns (yds.) 55
Times punted 3
Punt ave. (yds.) 31
Punt returns (yds.) 0
Had punts blocked 0
Fumbles 2
Lost fumbled ball 1
Penalties 6
Yds. Penalized 45
TDs rushing 1
TD pass 1
TD by inter. 0
Misc. 0
Tot. no. of plays 56
Time of possession 23:36

1974: Massillon 67, Cleveland East 0

September 13, 1974August 4, 2017
by Eric Smith

Streeter, Harmon lead Tiger rout
WHS effort best ever over a Cleveland team

By CHUCK HESS, JR.
Independent Sports Editor

If you’re the type who likes football with a lot of offense, you got your money’s worth Friday night at Tiger Stadium – if you were among the 9,048 fans who sat in on the worst slaughter ever administered a Cleveland football team by a Tiger team.

The Orange and Black took advantage of an early Cleveland East (0-1) mistake and went on to manhandle the Blue Bombers 67-0. They have yet to score against a Tiger team in four tries.

THE LAST time the Tigers clobbered a Cleveland team so unmercifully was in 1935 when Paul Brown’s charges rolled 66-0 over East Cleveland Shaw on Massillon field. The last time a 67-0 score cropped up was when Sid Jones’ Massillonians turned the trick against Dover in 1913 on North Street Field.

Senior tailback and Co-Captain Mark Streeter and junior fullback Bill Harmon led the onslaught behind some beautiful blocking and senior quarterback Greg Wood’s faking. “Streets” scored four touchdowns and a conversion while carrying the ball 11 times for 110 yards (no losses). “The Big Bear” scored a touchdown while carrying the pigskin 18 times for 153 yards (no losses).

Streeter and Harmon’s efforts helped the Tigers roll up 417 net rushing yards, losing only seven and 27 first downs. East’s run and shoot offense was short circuited by the Obiemen’s defense and got only 51 net yards, losing 25 and our first downs.

The only place where East got the better of it was in the passing department, connecting on 11 of 23 for 69 yards, mostly on running tosses into the flat. The Tigers hit on two of seven tries for a TD and 41 yards.

“Anybody running behind a line which opened up holes like ours – it was just beautiful,” Streeter said. “It was like heaven compared to last week.” (The Tigers lost 14-6 to Youngstown Ursuline in their opener.)

“OUR LINE did a tremendous job for Mark and me tonight,” Harmon said.

Bill had had some trouble with his blocking last week but said it came along better this time. He threw a lulu for Streeter which opened the way for his second TD.

“I made a lot of mistakes last week and worked real hard in practice this week to get my blocking down,” Harmon said. “I feel I did a little bit better.”
East fumbled the opening kickoff, Jim Hoffner recovered on the “Bombers” eight-yard line Streeter scored over right tackle from the four three plays later and ran the conversion.

Thee Lemon intercepted an East pass on his 14 and the Tigers drove 75 yards in nine plays with Streeter going around end from the 18 on the block by Harmon for Streeter’s second TD. Wood ran the conversion.

IN THE second period Streeter put the finish to an 82-yard, seven-play drive with a
nine-yard end run . Wood ran the conversion.

Harmon recovered a fumble on the East 25. Four plays later junior tailback Tom Grizzard went off tackle from the five. Wood’s pass to Eddie Bell missed the conversion.

The Tigers took over on the Bombers’ 15 after a low fourth down snap prevented a punt. Four plays later Harmon bulled in from the two. Dave Dowd booted the conversion.

The Orange and Black took the second half kickoff and rolled 86 yards in 12 plays for a score with Streeter racing over tackle from the 13. Tiger head coach Chuck Shuff called on “The Barrister” for another conversion kick effort and Dowd socked it through for a 42-0 score.

After a punt the Tigers rolled 72 yards in seven plays. Junior fullback Jeff Lab lugged the leather four yards for the six points. Dowd’s kick was off to the right.

KEITH HERRING grabbed off a fourth quarter East pass on his 24 and raced 50 yards to set up the Tigers’ next score. Junior quarterback Todd Keller passed to junior split end Bill Bammerlin for 29 yards on a sprint out pass for the TD on the next play. Bammerlin made a stumbling catch going into the end zone. Dowd’s kick made it 55-0.

Senior line backer Dennis Bricker recovered an East fumble on the Bombers’ 10. Two plays later junior tailback Dennis Simpson went around end from the three for another score. On a fake conversion kick senior holder Mark Pifer tried to pass to Grizzard unsuccessfully.

Keller intercepted an East pass on the Bombers’ 46 and returned 37 yards to East’s nine, but a 15-yard penalty sent the Tigers back to the 33. Six plays later junior fullback Al Martin went off tackle from the one for the final score. Enzo Fatigati’s attempted conversion kick was low.

Another bad snap on fourth down enabled the Tigers to nail the punter on the East 16 with 11 seconds left in the game, but the block ran out mercifully for the Bombers.

“We made a mistake early, they kept piling up on us and Massillon kept hitting us hard,” East head coach Joe Pledger said. “They have a fine team.”

“THE KIDS went out there and went after people,” Shuff said. “When you go out after people, you don’t make mistakes. The defense looked real good. With East’s type of offense you have to make some small adjustments. The kids did a good job of adjusting.”

EAST – 0
Ends – Jones, Fitzgerald, Whatley, Turner, Reeves, Wallace, Franklin.
Tackles – Pickett, Dunham, Jones, Seay, Aldridge, Twiggs, Wade.
Guards – Dunham, J. Jones, Pollard, Ross.
Centers – Foster, Valentine.
Quarterbacks – Kizer, Holman.
Wingbacks – Hector, Yarborough, T. Jones, Daniel, Gue, Hunter.
Fullbacks – Crowell, Rogers, Sutton.

MASSILLON – 67
Ends – Lemon, Gutshall, Bammerlin, Conley, Coates.
Tackles – Matie, Lauber, Rambaud, Easter, Rich, Goff, Greshen, Drobney, Genet, Glick, Wilson, Johnson.
Guards – Lightfoot, Bricker, Parrish, White, Dowd, Christoff, Schumacher, Snell, Bettilyon, Venables, Brand, K. Waldrop, Ramsey.
Centers – Studer, Nagle, Mitchell, Peters.
Quarterbacks – Wood, Keller, Smith, Arner.
Halfbacks – Streeter, Grizzard, Pifer, K. Harmon, Butterfield, Simpson, Dorsey, Shilling, Herring, Stewart, Robinson.
Fullbacks – B. Harmon, A. Martin, Rogers, Hoffner, Lab, Waldrop.
Kicker – Fatigati.

MASSILLON 16 19 13 19 67
EAST 0 0 0 0 0

SCORING SUMMARY
Massillon
Mark Streeter, 4 run (Streeter run);
Streeter, 18 run (Greg Wood run);
Streeter, 9 run (Wood run);
Tom Grizzard, 5 run (pass failed);
Harmon, 2 run (Dowd kick);
Streeter, 13 run (Dowd kick);
Jeff Lab, 4 run (kick failed);
Bill Bammerilin,29 pass from Todd Keller (Dowd kick);
Dennis Simpson, 3 run (pass failed);
Al Martin, 1 run (kick failed).

OFFICIALS
Referee – Jack Werkowitz.
Umpire – Henry Mastrianni.
Head Linesman – Henry Armstead.
Field Judge – Richard Creed.
Back Judge – Ron Giacomo.

GAME STATISTICS
M E
First downs – rushing 23 1
First downs – passing 2 2
First downs – penalties 2 1
Total first downs 27 4
Yds. Gained rushing 424 51
Yds. Lost rushing 7 25
Net yds. Gained rush. 417 26
Net yds. Gained pass. 41 9
Total yds. Gained 458 95
Passes completed 2-7 1-23
Passes inter. By 3 0
Ydge. On passes inter. 62 0
Kickoff ave. (yards) 11-44.5 1-44.0
Kickoff returns (yards) 3 153
Punt average (yards) 0-0 6-20.6
Punt returns (yards) 8 0
Had punts clocked 0 2
Lost fumbled ball 1-6 3-6
Yards penalized 3-35 18-108
TDs rushing 9 0
TDs passing 1 0
Tot. number of plays 62 39
Time of possession 26:15 21:45

1974: Massillon 6, Youngstown Ursuline 14

September 6, 1974August 4, 2017
by Eric Smith

‘Have to come back next week’ – Shuff

By CHUCK HESS, JR.
Independent Sports Editor

Anytime you lose it’s tough to take. For Chuck Shuff it was 10 times as agonizing Friday night when he became the third first-year coach in the 80-yard history of Tiger football to lose an opener.

But Shuff may have had a harder task in winning than either John Atkinson or Elmer McGrew for Chuck had to pit his new system against a tough revenge-minded team in Youngstown Ursuline.

THE WORDS came hard as Shuff, slowly and softly following the Tigers’ 14-6 loss to Ursuline before 12,395 fans, recounted his post-game speech to his squad.

“We have to come back next week,” Shuff said. “We can’t drop our heads. We have to have a lot of Tiger pride. We have to put the pieces together. We have to re-evaluate some things.

“We must stick together as a family. One individual does not lose a ball game. The whole family loses the game.”

While the Tigers had the upper-hand in the statistics, that’s no consolation. They came out second best in a real head knocker between linemen, with Ursuline getting revenge for a 6-2 defeat administered here last year.

“When you bring in a new system, things are going to be a little different,” Jim Maughan Ursuline head coach said, remembering the 21-0 defeat administered his team here in 1972. “We felt if we had a shot at them this would be the time. Fortunately things worked out that way. It was a real team effort.

“THEY HAVE a fine team. They came back and had us on the ropes in the third quarter. I was really worried, but Lady Luck happened to be with us tonight.”

The Irish won the game with some outstanding interior line play which opened gaping holes in the Tigers’ defense in the first half for backs Larry Fontanarosa, Eric Darby and Pat Durina. Tackles Fred David and Jim Dunlea, guards Mike Cizmar and Tim Rice and center Dave Porter did the bulk of the work.

The Irish ran from 16 different sets, according to Maughan and threw in some misdirection tactics from the wing-T which could have contributed to the Tigers’ woes.

“In the second half we weren’t doing anything differently defensively,” Shuff said. “We had a little more pursuit. I felt our kids were awfully tight at the beginning of the game and that’s when you make a lot of fundamental mistakes. Our offensive line looked better as we went along. Our defense improved but we couldn’t put it together.”
While Ursuline picked up 100 net yards rushing in the first half, the Irish got only 32 in the second half. The Tigers picked up 119 yards in the first half and 68 in the second half.

The Tigers moved the ball well but killed themselves at key times with fumbles – even the three of five which they didn’t lose.

IN THE first half Ursuline got some tremendous field position form kick and punt runbacks.

They tied the game on an eight play, 59-yard drive started by Durina’s 32-yard runback of the kickoff following the Tigers’ only touchdown.

Quarterback Mike Fagert went through the center from the two with 1:19 left in the first quarter. He tried to pass to end Gary Zamary for the conversion but threw the ball into the south stands.

Ursuline forced the Tigers into a punting situation, with Todd Keller booting from the north end zone in the second quarter. Darby ran the pigskin back 45 yards to the Massillon two and ploughed through the center on the next play for the TD with 1:44 remaining.

He tried to run the conversion, got hit, the ball popped into the air and Dunlea grabbed it in the end zone.

The Irish got deep into Tiger territory only one other time, but were halted on the Tiger six earlier in the second quarter by Tom Grizzard and Bill Harmon.

THE OBIEMEN’S lone score came after a first quarter punt on a seven-play, 70-yard drive highlighted by Harmon’s 42-yard jaunt around end to the Ursuline 24. But the Irish had “the big bear” in their sights the rest of the game.

Two plays later tailback Mark Streeter took a pitch from quarterback Greg Wood and skirted the right side from the sixth with 6:31 remaining. His attempted pitch to Streeter for the conversion hit an Ursuline player.

The Tigers took the second half kickoff and rolled 37 yards in nine plays to the Ursuline 19 for a first down, but junior fullback Jeff Lab lost the ball on a blast through the center and the Irish’s Dunlea recovered. Lab had started the drive by running kickoff back 24 yards to the Tigers’ 46.

In the fourth quarter the Orange and Black rolled from their 20 to their 46 in six plays following a punt, but Wood fumbled the snap and the Irish’s Sam Lamancusa recovered.

Then the Tigers nailed punter Fontanarosa on the Ursuline 28 following his snap fumble. However, a broken play killed their chances.

IF WHS quarterback Greg Wood can get improved protection, he and end Eddie “Tinker” Bell and wingback Mark “Midget” Pifer could become a good passing combination. One Tiger drive broke down in the second stanza when Wood, throwing under duress, couldn’t hit Bell on fourth down from the Ursuline 14.

A 32-yard kickoff runback by Streeter to the Massillon 46, Wood’s 14-yarder to Bell and junior tailback Tom Grizzard’s 21-yard, off-tackle run and a seven-play, 42-yard drive went for naught.

URSULINE – 14
Ends – Zamary, Jernan, Montana.
Tackles – Beshara, Cardon, Alexander, Dunlea, David.
Guards – Cizmar, Julian, Rice, Lamancusa, Cardarelli, Hunsbarger.
Centers – Davanzo, Porter.
Halfbacks – Rebraca, Darby, Durina, Joyce.
Fullbacks – Fontanarosa.

MASSILLON – 6
Ends – Lemon, Bell, Gutshall.
Tackles – Matie, Mike Lauber, Rich, Nagle.
Guards – Lightfoot, Bricker, Dowd, Christoff, Snell, Venables, Brand, White, Parrish.
Center – Studer.
Quarterback – Wood.
Halfbacks – Streeter, Grizzard, Pifer, K. Harmon, Dorsey, Stewart.
Fullbacks – B. Harmon, Waldrop, Lab, Hoffner.
Punter – Keller.

Ursuline 6 8 0 0 14
Massillon 6 0 0 0 6

SCORING
M – Mark Streeter 6 run;
U – Mike Fagert 2 run;
U – Eric Drobney 7 run (Jim Dunlea fumble recovery).

OFFICIALS
Referee – Hugh Davis.
Umpire – J. Donald Miller.
Head Linesman – Fred Vicarel.
Field Judge – Ted Humphrey.
Back Judge – Chet DeStafano.

GAME STATISTIS
M U
First downs – rushing 10 8
First downs – passing 3 0
First downs – penalties 1 1
Total first downs 14 9
Yds. Gained rushing 202 150
Uds. Lost rushing 39 18
Net yds. Gained rush. 163 132
Net yds. Gained pass. 24 19
Total yds. Gained 187 151
Passes completed 4-11 3-4
Passes inter. By 0 0
Ydge. On passes inter. 0 0
Kickoff ave. (yards) 2-49.0 3.39.0
Kickoff returns (yards) 70 73
Punt ave. (yards) 3.41.3 4-38.8
Punt returns (yards) 19 43
Had punts blocked 0 0
Lost fumbled ball 2.5 0.1
Yards penalized 4-30 5-25
TDs rushing 1 2
Total number of plays 49 45
Time of Possession 24.00 24.00

1973: Massillon 0, Canton McKinley 21

November 10, 1973August 15, 2017
by Eric Smith

It’s one of Tigers’ bluest Mondays

By Chuck Hess, Independent Sports Editor

This is one of the bluest Mondays in Tiger gridiron history.

Item: Cardinal Mooney High School, from Tiger head coach Bob Commings’ home town of Youngstown, will be in the state playoff at Cincinnati Friday instead of Washington High School.

Item: Last Saturday, Canton McKinley’s Bulldogs, under the direction of John Brideweser—with Bill Michaels as an assistant coach—handed Commings the worst shellacking of his four-year career here manhandling the Tigers 21-0 before 20,148 chilled fans at Canton’s Fawcett Stadium. Both Brideweser and Michaels are former Commings aides.

Item: It was the first time McKinley had shut out the Tigers since a 14-0 affair at Fawcett Stadium in 1947.

Item: The Tiger loss forced the first triple tie for a championship in the 10-year history of the All-American Conference (AAC). Massillon, McKinley and Warren Harding are the kingpins, each with 4-1 records.

Brideweser came to the aid of his former boss.

“I’ve gone through this three times in a row,” Bridey said. “You have one tremendous coach and group of boys over there. Tell those clowns to say off his back.”

HE WAS reminding the Tiger faithful that Commings had guided the Orange and Black to an 8-1-1 record after a miserable start and an unbelievable series of injuries. He was reminding Massillonians that Tiger teams have a habit of picking up the pieces and coming back to greatness.

Statistics tell the story. The Bulldogs rolled up 280 yards to the Tigers’ 79 and 18 first downs to the Tigers’ five, capitalizing on nine third-down and two fourth-down situations. The Bulldog defense, which both coaches said was changed very little for this game, held the Orange and Black to no rushing yards in the first half.

McKinley junior tailback Jonathon Moore, the AAC’s overall rushing leader, netted 78 yards in 24 arrives on the outside. McKinley Senior fullback John Thompson netted 72 in 14 attempts on the inside.

Line blocking by the Pups was superb, especially from center McKinley Smith and guards Herb Greene and Charles Cochran who opened gaping holes.

The Bulldogs had the ball for 69 plays to the Tigers’ 40 with elapsed time being 31:13 to 15:47. The Orange and Black never had a chance to get its offense into high gear.

McKinley was stopped at the Massillon seven in the first quarter when one Tiger end, Rusty Venables, jarred the ball loose from quarterback Garland Burns and another end, Vince DiLoreto recovered. Playing with a broken wrist, DiLoreto grabbed the pigskin, but couldn’t right himself, stumbled to the 27 and fell with a wide-open field ahead of him.

The Tiger defense dug into stop the Pups at the Massillon 34, 33 and 22-yard lines in the third-quarter. The clock ran out in the fourth quarter with the Bulldogs on the Tiger two.

THE BONE rattling Bulldog defense, led by its powerfully charging line of Lee Geiselman, Jerry Debos, Gordon Cook and company, allowed the Tigers out of their own territory only in the second stanza. But on that occasion Geiselman tossed quarterback Greg Wood for a 12-yard loss to the McKinley 45, forcing a punt.

In the third quarter, Cornerback Tim Cook threw Tiger wingback Mark Streeter for a safety with 6:88 remaining, after halfback Fred George had downed a Burns’ punt on the Massillon one.

“They were some football team,” Commings said of McKinley. “Their physical strength, our poor field position and their good field position were the stories. We could never call the game we wanted to call. That’s what football is all about. Make the other guy do something they don’t want to do. They did it to us and we couldn’t do it to them.”

After the Bulldogs had been turned back on the game’s first series, they forced the Tigers to kick and marched 70 yards in 14 plays with Thompson skirting left end of fourth down from one yard out for the score. An 18-yard pass from Rock Hontas to Gordon Cook startled the drive, which ended with 11:58 remaining in the second quarter.

The conversion came on Ken Bush’s kick.

THE BULLDOGS came back 52 yards in nine plays, after forcing a Tiger punt at the end of the next series, and scored with 4:04 left. Thompson ploughed through the center on third down from the two. Dave Pfeiffer knocked down a pass to end Reuben Floyd on the conversion attempt.

The final TD came on a 51-yard, 11-play fourth quarter drive. Halfback Jap Jeter took a pitchout and charged over left tackle on third down with 6:14 reminding in the fourth quarter. Linebacker Tim Gutshall and cornerback Terry Henderson kept Jeter from crossing the goal line for two more points.

“I don’t know what happened,” Brideweser said, when reflecting further on his victory. “All I know it was a total team effort. The kids played as well as they could. I knew they were up and wanted to play. We thought if we could control the ball we could control the game.”

The Bulldogs came back from last week’s 19-7 loss at Warren to make it an 8-2 season.

M McK
First downs rush

First downs pass

First downs penal

Tot. first downs

Yds gained rush

251

Yds lost rushing

Net yds gained rush.

215

Net yds gained pass.

Tot yds gained

280

Passes completed

5-12

3-6

Passes inter by

Yd on passes inter

Kickoff ave (yds)

1-51.0

4-50.2

Kickoff returns (yds)

Punt ave (yds)

6-27.0

2-31.5

Punt returns (yds)

Had punts blocked

Fumbles lost

1-1

Yards penalized

3-31

3-15

TDS rushing

Misc

Tot no of plays

Elapsed Time

15:47

31:13

Massillon—0

Ends—Huffman, T. Gutshall, Matie DiLoreto, Venables.

Tackles—Csonka, Lee. Rich, Chapman

Guards—Schumacher, Fenton, Graber, A. Lemon, White

Center—Studer, Nagle.

Quarterback—Wood, Bickford.

Halfbacks—Danzy, Streeter, Henderson, Herring, D. Gutshall, Mayor, Pifer, Lentz, Dailey, Pfeiffer, T. Lemon.

Fullbacks—Harmon, Waldrop.

Punter—Keller.

McKinley—21

Ends—Bush, Floyd, Hill, G. Cook, Pringle.

Tackles—Dubose, Geiselman, Obrovac, Jenkins.

Guards—Cochran, Greene.

Centers—Smith, Weber, Terrell

Quarterbacks—Burns, Hontas.

Halfbacks—Moore, Jeter, Lewis Bernardo, Taylor, T. Cook, George, Weatherspoon.

McKinley 0 13 2 6 21

McK—John Thompson 1 run (Ken Bush kick); McK Thompson 4 run (pass failed); Mck—Tom Cook tackled Mark Streeter for safety: McK—Jeter 5 run (run failed).

Referee—Chuck Lorenz; Umpire—Bobbie Brown; Head linesman—Herb Nissbaum; Field Judge—Nick Costello; Back judge—Steve Nagy Jr.

1973: Massillon 54, Alliance 0

November 2, 1973August 4, 2017
by Eric Smith

Tigers Gain Sole AAC lead

By CHUCK HESS JR., Independent Sports Editor

The Tigers didn’t forget about a letdown the last time they played a team with a non-impressive record, took charge form the start and rolled over a hapless Alliance Aviator squad 54-0 on a windy, rainy Friday night at Tiger Stadium.

The score was the largest of the season the 32-0 halftime bulge and 9,905 fans—the season’s smallest crowd—witnessed the Orange and Black move into undisputed possession of first place in the All American Conference and put the Aviators in the cellar all alone.

THE WASHINGTON High squad upped its league record to 4-0 and its overall mark to 8-0-1. Alliance is 0-4 in league play and 2-7 overall.

The Tigers increased their league win streak to 11 and their regular season unbeaten mark to 21 and now must face arch-rival Canton McKinley, which lost 19-7 to homestanding Warren Harding Friday night, next Saturday afternoon in the season finale at Fawcett Stadium in Canton for the right to advance to the Class AAA state playoffs for a second consecutive year.

The Bulldogs’ loss gave the Tigers some vitally needed third-level points in their race to overtake leader Youngstown Cardinal Mooney and runnerup Akron Garfield in computer Region 3.

So devastating was the Tigers’ win that they amassed 475 total yards while holding Alliance to 38, throwing the Aviators for 52 yards in ground losses, allowing a net four yards rushing. The Carnation City team got out of its own territory only twice.

Three of the Tiger touchdowns were of the big-play variety which had hurt Alliance all season. Tailback Charles Danzy took a pitch and went 27 yards around right end off fullback Bill Harmon’s block in the first quarter. He rolled 62 yards around right end in the second quarter and wingback Mark Streeter took a pitch around the right side for 53 yards in the third period.

DANZY TOTALED 127 yards in nine carries, losing none. Quarterback Greg Wood started the scoring off in the first quarter, sneaking two yards through the middle, after he had passed 30 yards to split end Jeff Huffman to set up the tally.

Harmon went one yard through the middle after the Tigers had taken over on a bad punt snap which Keith Herring recovered on the Alliance eight-yard line. Later in the period Wood throwing from the three, hit his favorite target, Huffman again, in the right corner of the end zone, for their seventh TD effort in four games.

Fullback J. J. McGuire bulled his way over from the two in the third period and tailback Ted Dailey raced over right tackle from the five in the last stanza.

Only once did the Tigers start behind their 40-yard line in driving for scores and only twice did they fail to get one.

Punter Todd Keller was used for the first time in the last three games. Wood, wingback Johnny Mayor and McGuire ran conversions. Wood also passed to Huffman for one. Allan Binks kicked a PAT but also missed one, breaking his string of 11 straight.

“I’M VERY pleased that our kids understood what they had to do and did it,” Tiger head coach Bob Commings said. “We’re thrilled that we got a chance to play everybody.”

“There are better things to come,” Graham said. “We got beat by the little mistakes that have plagued us all year.”

1 st downs—rushing

1 st downs—passing

1 st downs—penal

Total 1 st downs

Yds. Gained rush

407

Yds. Lost rushing

Net yds gained rush

399

Net yds. Gained pass.

Tot. yds. Gained

475

Passes completed

5-8

3-11

Passes inter. by

Yd. on passes inter.

Kickoff ave. (yds)

9-42.1

1-50

Kickoff returns (yds)

Punt ave. (yds)

1.33

7-26.7

Punt returns (yds)

Had punts blocked

Fumbles lost

0-1

1-1

Yards penal.

10-90

4-33

Tds rushing

Tds passing

Tot.no.plays.

Elapsed Time

26:32

21:28

1973: Massillon 34, Warren Harding 18

October 26, 1973August 4, 2017
by Eric Smith

Tigers win offensive battle 34-18 over Warren

Could be key computer victory

By CHUCK HESS JR. Independent Sports Editor

If the Tigers get into the state football playoffs next month for the second consecutive year, it may be because they had the upper hand in one of the greatest two-fisted offense football shows ever seen at Tiger Stadium

Before 13,659 Friday night the Orange and Black combined three offensive elements to spell 34-18 victory. The devastating combination running attack of senior tailback Charles Danzy and sophomore fullback Bill Harmon and the passing and receiving wizardry of junior quarterback Greg Wood and senior split end Jeff Huffman helping Washington High School up its regular season unbeaten streak to 20.

JUNIOR MARK Streeter’s spot offense running effort and his long kick runback also played an important part.

Neither Danzy, running off tackle, nor Harmon, always carrying live men with him through the middle or over guard, lost yardage. Danzy carried 17 times for 142 yards and Harmon 19 times for 138.

Harding’s junior fullback Kelton Dansler also didn’t lose any yardage, building off tackle and through the middle, picking 138 yards in 13 carries.

“They had a good offense. We had a great one!” tiger Head Coach Bob Commings said. “Our passing was great, the running was unreal, and we were firing off the ball well. I don’t think any place we attacked that we didn’t get good results.

“We didn’t play as good a defense in the first half as we like to. The second half we though we played a pretty good defense with the exception of a couple of plays. When the kids had to go play defense, they hung in there. The defense concept apparently was good but the execution wasn’t.”

THE TIGERS-after Streeter’s 25-yard runback-took the opening kickoff and went 68 yards in seven plays. The drive included a key eight-yard, third-down pass from Wood to Huffman and a 45-yard touchdown pass by the same combo with Huffman carrying the last 22 yards. Senior Allan Binks kicked the first of his four conversions.

Harding came right back after Ron Collins’ 24-yard runback-to go 64 yards in six plays, including Jimmy Richburg’s 43-yard aerial to split end Jackie Hudson. Both are juniors

Dansler went off right tackle from the three for the score. Kevin Henderson and Vince DiLoreto hauled down Richburg on a boot run on the conversion try.

The Tigers marched 59 yards in nine plays after the ensuing kickoff, with Streeter sprinting over right tackle from the five to complete the nine-play drive. Danzy and Harmon did the bulk of the running with Danzy springing 15-yard run through the center on second and 17 from the Tigers’ 34.

Richburg intercepted a Wood aerial in the second quarter, tackled in the second quarter, tackled on an 11-yard run and the Black Panthers went on a 57-yard, four-play scoring soiree. Dansler scampered 22 and 24 yards and capping things by scoring through the center from the nine

JUNIOR TAILBACK John Ziegler was stopped by Diloreto on a left side run over tackle trying for the conversion.

Intercepted passes by brothers Tim and Denny Gutshall on the Tigers’ 30 and six-yard lines halted other second period Warren scoring thrusts.

Charlie Swann intercepted a Richburg aerial in the third period and the Tigers went on a 60-yard, eight-play scoring romp. Wood passing nine yards to Huffman on third down. Harmon Sherman-tanked down his 22-yards to the one and dove over center on the next play for the score.

Following a punt, the Tigers drove 69 yard in seven-play. Included was better running by Danzy and Harmon and a 30-yard Wood to Huffman aerial with a jumping catch by Huffman. Harmon went over right guard from the three early in the fourth quarter for six points.

Cullins ran the succeeding kickoff back 16 yards to start a 70-yard, 11-paly scoring drive. Richburg went back to pass from the five on third down and got away to score.

Dansler’s 27-yard run through the center, after bouncing off the pack, and two Richburg to Dansler passes one a 17-yarder to the tree, helped set up the six-pointer.

STREETER’S 36-YARD runback of the ensuing kickoff staring a 61-yard, 10-play scoring march. Harmon’s 18-yard charge through the middle and Danzy’s 16-yard run, also through the middle, but on a counter trap, were the key efforts.

Danzy raced over right tackle from the five for the final score. Brad Limbach was wide right with the conversion try.

“I haven’t seen an offensive show like this in awhile,” rookie Harding Coach Ed Glass said, “but you just can’t beat a team when they have two backs over 100 yards. Their size and inexperience compared to our lack of size and inexperience was probably the key factor.”

The Tigers (7-0-1 and 3-0) knocked Harding (4-4, 2-1) out of a three-way tie for the All American Conference lead and share the top spot with archrival Canton McKinley.

First Downs rushing

First downs passing

First down penalties

Total first downs

Yards gained rushing

321

209

Yards lost rushing

Net yards rushing

314

187

Net yards gained passing

Total yards gained

404

261

Passes completed

4-6

4-9

Passes intercepted by

Yardage on passes inter.

Kickoff average

5-44

4-46.5

Kickoff returns

Punt average

2-36.5

Punt returns

Had punts blocked

Fumbles lost

1-4

1-1

Yards penalized

2-20

3-30

Touchdowns rushing

Touchdowns passing

Total number of plays

Elapsed time

26:26

21:34

Warren-18

Ends-Shunkwiler, Hall, Hudson.

Tackles-Angelo, Ahladis.

Guards-Rubesich, Butler, Zambelli, Yarvorsky.

Center-Day.

QuarterbackRichburg.

Halfbacks-Ziegler, Cullins, Hall, Hicks, Sassudakis.

Fullbacks-Dansler, Valentine.

Massillon-34

Ends-Diloreto, Venables, Huffman, T. Gutshall, T. Lemon, Robinson, Rollard, Venables.

Tackles-Rich, Chapman, Csonka, Lee, Bunting, George, Goff.

Guards-Schumacher, Fenton, Lightfoot, A. Lemon, Graber, Waldrop.

Center-Studer

Quarterback-Wood

Halfbacks-Danzy, Streeter, Swann, Mayor, Pifer, D. Gutshall, Lentz, Daily, herring, Henderson.

Fullbacks-Harmon

Placekickers-Binks, Lambach.

Holder-Bickford

Warren 6 6 0 6-18

Massillon 14 0 7 13-34

M-Jeff Huffman 45 pass-run from Greg Woods (Binks kick); W-Kelton Dansler 3 run (run failed); M-Mark Streeter 5 run (Binks kick); W-Dansler 9 run (run failed); M-Bill Harmon 2 run (Binks kick); W-Jimmy Richburg 5 run (pass failed).

Officials: Referee-Hugh Davis; Umpire-Art Cirelli; Head linesman-Laverne Haidet; Field judge-Warren Jones; Back judge-Dr. Henley Freeman.

1973: Massillon 52, Columbus Marion Franklin 19

October 19, 1973August 4, 2017
by Eric Smith

Tigers roar back for 42-19 victory

By CHUCK HESS JR. Independent Sports Editor

A strange monster isn’t the only thing throwing scares into Massillon these days. The Red Devils got in their bid Friday night at Tiger Stadium.

But the Tiger sloughed off the 13-7 Columbus Marion-Franklin first quarter lead and came back to hand the red Devils a 42-19 defeat before 10,741—the seasons smallest crowd here.

“I NEVER lost confidence in our kids or our ability to win the football game,” Tiger head coach Bob Commings said. “I was a little bit upset that Marion-Franklin got the go-ahead touchdown the way they did.”

Commings added, “Charles Danzy took the initiative in the second half as a captain should and led us on to victory.” The senior tailback scored a touchdown after the intermission and racked up 145 yards in 19 carries — losing none —during the game.

Marion-Franklin skipper Jim Harper thought the turning point came in the second quarter after Devil Wayne Hagwood’s diving try at an end zone pass interception was ruled no possession by head linesman Henry Mastriann. Back judge Warren Jones had ruled an interception but Mastriann’s decision stood because he was closer to the scene of the action.

The Tiger’s go-ahead TD followed.

“I didn’t think a team rated as Massillon is and which has the powerhouse they have would have to have homer officials,” Harper said.

“On the first fumble they didn’t have an official on the ball. I’m not taking anything away from Massillon because they can move the football.”

TIGER FULLBACK Bill Harmon fumbled and recovered on the Marion-Franklin 22 and the Tigers went on to their first TD.

“Massillon has 505 wins and we never beat anybody,” said Commings. “People come up with a once in a lifetime performance that they’re going to have, but the only way we ever beat them is by the officials, bad breaks or bad field position and I’m sick and tired of that.”

The latest win saw Harmon scoring twice, split end Jeff Huffman and quarterback Greg Wood combining for two more TDs and wingback Mark Streeter running for one to add to Danzy’s effort. Allan Binks kicked five conversions and Brad Limbach one.

Streeter got the Tigers started with a 34-yard punt runback and six plays later went over left tackle from the 11 with 6:53 left in the first quarter.

Marion-Franklin marched 52 yards in seven plays after Mickey Horn’s 15-yard kick runback and a facemask penalty. A Tiger offside infraction and quarterback Rocky Roddy’s 14-yard end run to the one were also thrown in.

RODDY SCORED from the one through the center with 3:02 left. Virgil Carreker booted the conversion.

Horn pounced on Harmon’s fumble on the Tiger 38 one play after the ensuing kickoff. On third down Roddy tossed to halfback Kevin Woods for 38 yards to the one and Roddy went through the center after a half-yard offside penalty with the clock showing 53 seconds. Carreker’s kick was wide right.

The Orange and Black rolled 49 yards after a punt for their next six-pointer. An 8-yard blast through the center by Harmon and a 20-yard power-pitch sweep around left end by Danzy made it first down on the seven.

Three plays later – after a half-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty by Harper for being on the field to argue about clock operation – Harmon bulled through the middle for six points with 2:52 left in the second stanza.

End Vince DiLoreto recovered Hagwood’s fumble on the Marion-Franklin 27. Danzy’s nine-yard pitch-sweep run to the left and Woods boot keeper to the right for 11 yards to the three set up a Wood to Huffman three-yard touchdown pass with 45 seconds left.

A 61-YARD, five-play drive after the second half kickoff started by John Mayor’s 13-yard runback and finished by Danzy’s 27-yard power pitch right end sweep with 10:13 left accounted for the next score. Danzy added nine and eight-yarder.

Harmon had the misfortune of having the ball bounce into the air from his hands on the 50 and end Robert Keyes scored a Devil TD, nullifying a DiLoreto fumble recovery. Time left after Roddy’s unsuccessful conversion pass to Woods was 4:31.

Streeter’s eight-yard kick runback, a face mask step off and another Danzy sweep – this one 15 yards to the six were included in the next scoring sequence. The drive covered 64 yards with 12 plays. Harmon carried through the middle again – from two yards out – to put on the clincher. Time left was 11:57 of the fourth quarter.

Danzy recovered Woods’ fumble on the Devil 26 one play after the ensuing kickoff. Wood threw a 26-yarder to
Huffman to complete the scoring with 11:04 left.

The Tigers are 6-0-1 and the Devils 3-4.

MASSILLON—42
Ends-DiLoreto, Huffman, T. Gutshall, McCauley, Rolland, Venables.
Tackles-Lee, George, Csonka, Rich, Chapman, Goff.
Guards-Schumacher, Bricker, A. Lemon, Fenton,Graber.
Center-Studer.
Quarterbacks-Wood, D. Gutshall.
Halfbacks-Swann, Streeter, Danzy, Pifer, Mayor, Dailey, Henderson, Herring, T. Lemon.
Fullbacks-Harmon, McGuire, Waldrop.
PlaceKickers-Binks, Limbach.
Holder-Bickford.
Punter-Keller

MARION-FRANKLIN-19
Ends-Brown, Mosley, Keyes, Walters, Mathis.
Tackles-Hunter, Goode, Jones, Engleman, Blount, Oates, Flemmings.
Guards-Douridas, Scior, Lanier, Brams, Jordan.
Center-Robers, Washburn, Johnson.
Quarterbacks-Roddy, Carse.
Halfback-Byrd, Hagwood, Woods, carter, McCoy, Billingslea.
Fullback-Williams, Miller, Horn.
Placekicker-Carreker.

Marion-Franklin 13 0 6 0-19
Massillon 7 14 7 14-42
M-Mark Streeter 11 run (Allan Binks kick); MF-Rocky Roddy 1 run (Carreker Kick); MF-Roddy 1 run (kick failed); M-Harmon 1 run (Binks kick); Huffman 3 pass from Greg Wood (Binks kick); M-Charles Danzy 27 run (Binks kick); MF-Robert Keyes 50 fumble recovery (pass failed); M-Harmon 2 run (Binks kick); M-Huffman 26 pass form Wood (Brad Limbach kick).

Officials: Referee James Keffer; umpire-Ted Deutsch; head linesman-Henry Mastriann; field judge-Fred Vicarel; back judge-Warren Jones.

M
MF
First downs rush
15
6
First downs pass
1
2
First downs penalties
1
0
Total first downs
17
8
Yards gained rushing
268
138
Yards lost rushing
4
10
Net yds. Gained rush
264
128
Net yards gained pass
37
46
Total yards gained
301
174
Passes Completed
3-13
2-4
Passes interception by
0
0
Kickoff average
7-46.6
4-29.7
Kickoff returns (yds.)
28
72
Punt average
1-46
2-33
Punt returns (yds.)
34
0
Had punts blocked
0
0
Fumbles lost
3-4
4-4
Yards penalized
5-45
3-20
Touchdowns rushing
4
2
Touchdowns passing
2
0
Miscellaneous
0
1
Total number of plays
57
51
Elapsed time
23:29
24:31

1973: Massillon 51, Steubenville 0

October 12, 1973August 4, 2017
by Eric Smith

Tigers get it together for 51-0 win.

By Chuck Hess Jr., Independent Sports Editor

The Tiger faithful must be as happy as near-sighted man who has found his spectacles.

The Orange and Black offense came out of hibernation Friday night, rolled up seven touchdowns, 550 yards, 22 first downs and literally clawed the Steubenville Big Red apart before 7,900 at Harding Stadium in the River City. Final score was 51-0 as the Tigers scored all but two times in which they had the ball.

The All American Conference’s defending champions continued to hold onto first place, along with archrival Canton McKinley and Warren Harding, stretching their regular season unbeaten streak to 16, their loop win skein to nine, their wins over Steubenville to 11 straight, their 1973 record to 5-0-1 and their league record to 2-0. In breaking their previous AAC victory streak of eight, the Tigers also set a league scoring record.

The previous record was 40 points set by Massillon against Steubenville in 1967, and a like total by the Steubers against Warren Harding in 1967. Friday’s score was the fifth highest Tiger point production in the Big Red series which stands 32-3-2 in the Orange and Black’s favor, including 13 shutouts (five straight).

The Big Red, which had won its first three games under rookie coach Tom Gardner, has now lost three in a row and dropped into the AAC cellar with Alliance and Niles, also 0-2.

AAC STANDINGS
Massillon 2-0, Canton McKinley2-0, Warren Harding 2-0, Niles McKinley 0-2, Alliance 0-2, Steubenville 0-2.

Tiger senior split end Jeff Huffman and junior and quarterback Greg Wood, who had previously had trouble making connections, go together for TD pass plays of 5, 40 and 26 yards. Wood ran 73 yards for another TD after being seemingly trapped on a pass play.

Senior wingback Johnny Mayor scored on a nine-yard off-tackle effort, senior tailback Charles Danzy on a 23 yard end run and sophomore quarterback Todd Keller on a half-yard sneak. Pifer had an aerial TD called back by a penalty as did sophomore right end Mark Matie.

SENIOR ALLEN Blinks kicked two conversions, senior Brad Limbach one. Junior wingback Mark Pifer, junior wingback Mark Streeter and senior tailback Terry Henderson ran two-pointers. Keller was corralled by Joe Brancazio when trying for the final points after.

“We’ve been saying for a long time we were going to put it together,” Tiger head coach Bob Commings said. “We had a great game against Niles now I want to see us go the rest of the season this way. Then we’ll know if we’ve got a great football team.”

Commings was extremely happy with the passing game.

“The protection was great,” he said. “We always knew we had the passer and receivers. It was a question of getting good protection and confidence and I think we accomplished that. Steubenville got behind and it was a son of a gun. We hit those bug plays on them. If we had been without out passing game, it would have been a dogfight.

“The passing game and Bill Harmon (fullback) will bring back out tailback game which is still the core of out offense.”

With the passing game going, the Big Red could not play its backers and secondary up tight, allowing the running game to function properly. Receivers ran such good patterns that they were as alone as a man who had done battle with a skunk and lost.

HARMON NETTED 73 yards on the ground in 10 tries and Danzy 55 in 11, losing only two before both left in the third quarter when Commings started to clear the bench.

The defense put in another great night, allowing only 68 yards rushing.

“We got behind and Bob got his offense going,” Gardiner said. “Your backs did a great job, broke tackles and that’s the story of the game. We knew you could throw, but we didn’t cover and you caught us with out pants down.”

M
S
First Downs- rush
16
3
First Downs- pass
6
1
First Downs-penal
0
1
Total first downs
22
5
Yds gained rush
388
96
Yds lost rush
5
28
Net yds gained rush
383
68
Net yds gained pass
167
54
Total yds gained
550
122
Passes com
9-12
6-12
Passes inerc by
2
0
Yd on passes interc
28
0
Kickoff ave (yds)
8-37.0
1-39.0
Kickoff ret (yds)
16
79
Punt ave (yds)
1-40.0
6-32.3
Punt ret (yds)
4
0
Lost fumbled ball
0
0-1
Yds Penalized
13-115
5-43
Touchd rush
4
0
Touchd pass
3
0
Total num of plays

Elapsed Time
61

28:24
44

19:36

MASSILLON—51

Ends — Huffman, T. Gutshall, Bell, Matie, Nestor, Robinson, Venables, DiLoreto.

Tackles — Csonka, Lee, Gresham, George, Nicewander, Rich, Chapman, Goff.

Guards — Graber, Fenton, Schumacher, A. Lemon, Lightfoot, Bricker, Moore.

Centers — Studer, Brand, Nagle.

Quarterbacks — Wood, Keller.

Halfbacks — Streeter, Danzy, Pifer, Dailey, Mayor, T. Lemon, Swann, Pfeiffer, Grizzard, Herring, Henderson.

Fullbacks – Harmon, McGuire, Waldrop, Snell.

Placekickers – Binks, Limbach.

Holder – Bickford.

Punter – Keller

STEUBENVILLE – 0

Ends – Williams, Jones, Price, Mavromatis, Medley, Jarvis.

Tackles – Shell, Quattrone, Brancazio, Cramblett.

Guards – Ossio, Moncilovich, Carney, Rohrey, Snyder.

Center – Sarap.

Quarterbacks – Repella, Bryan.

Halfbacks – Fletcher, Thuchowski, Edgar, Kunkle, Robinson.

Fullbacks – DeFrances, Christian, Runkel.

Placekicker – Medich,

Massillon 7 23 15 6 51

M – Jeff Huffman 5 pass fdrom Greg Wood ( Binks kick); W—Wood 73 run (Mark Streeter run); M – Huffman 40 pass from wood (Mark Pifer run); Mayor 9 run (Binks kick); Huffman 26 pass from Wood (Limbach Kick); Danzy 23 run (Henderson run); Todd Keller one-half, run (run failed0.

Officials: Referee – Charles Hinkle; Umpire – Wilson Murray; Head linesman—John Curenton; Field judge – Bill Paolisso