Tigers Beat Alliance 48-14 Before 15,604 Massillon Gridders Superior On Ground, Weak On Pass Defense
By LUTHER EMERY
That a good running attack is still superior to a good aerial barrage was demonstrated before 15,604 touchdown thirsty football fans in Tiger stadium Friday evening when the Washington high school Tigers downed the Alliance Aviators 48-14 in a game that was closer than the score indicates.
The victory avenged a 14-0 defeat sustained at the hands of Alliance last year, the only blemish on the 1948 schedule. It was the fifth of the year and the 10th in a row for the local team.
It was a hard fought contest with players of both sides bruising each other as evidenced in the locker rooms after the game.
The Tigers came out with one casualty, Don James, who sustained a possible separation in the left shoulder, which may bench him for a period. Ronald Patt rammed a tooth almost through his lip, but the injury was not of the type that should keep him out of uniform.
Hard, clean football, you can call it, and while Tiger backs got away for a number of long runs, the major credit should go to the line and in particular to Jim Reichenbach, junior guard, who played a whale of a game and who had the wind knocked out of him on one occasion doing it. * * * THE LINE ripped apart the Alliance forward wall to get the Tiger backs away to touchdown runs and did a pretty good job of stopping the Aviator backs.
But don’t be surprised if future Tiger opponents try to shell the locals with footballs. Alliance found a weakness in the Massillon pass defense tossed the ball twice for touchdowns and gained 196 yards in that matter.
Not every team, however, will have a thrower like John Borton, the cool Aviator junior quarterback who took his time picking his receivers, was accorded good protection and hit the bull’s-eye on virtually every occasion.
That Borton did not complete more than 14 passes out of 31 attempts can be attributed principally to inability of his receivers to hang on to the ball. On at least six occasions, Alliance boys dropped passes right in their arms which would have been good for yards.
But the Tigers’ running attack was superior to the Alliance running attack and therein is the reason for the Aviators’ defeat.
Ace Crable’s crazy legs propelled him to three long touchdown dashes of 31 yards, 28 yards and 38 yards respectively. Clarence Johnson carried over for two touchdowns, Dick Jacobs for one and Crable passed to Don Slicker for 41 yards and another.
Long plays for touchdowns do not figure as first downs, which is the reason Alliance outdid the locals in this department of the statistics, 18 to 11. But the Tigers had the most net yards gained from scrimmage, 401 to Alliance’s 152. * * * AS EXPECTED, the Tigers found Alliance to be the toughest opponent they have met this season and as a result Coach Mather played his first team the greater part of the game. Only 26 local players saw action as compared with the three or more teams that have been competing in previous games.
Fumbles hurt the Alliance cause, three costing them the ball and one giving the Tigers a first down on the six-yard line, and eventually leading to their third touchdown.
Coach Chuck Mather was quite elated with the victory, but warned his players after the game that next Friday they have Mansfield to play here, a team that beat Alliance 28-14. Last night’s game and victory was his first in the northern Ohio Scholastic conference, which began operations this year.
While Tiger ball carriers were frequently stopped, they likewise often got away to sizeable gains, particularly on end sweeps where the blockers threw everything but the goal posts at their opponents.
In fact one of the finest runs of the evening, though not for a long gain, went for naught when a Tiger player was charged with clipping. The Massillon fans booed the decision lustily for they thought it a clean block, the last of a series that had set Crable free when he reversed his field after being bottled up, and kept him from being thrown for a terrific loss. * * * THE GAME was not very old until you could see which was the better team. The Tigers were out-charging the Alliance linemen. The local team received, gained 25 yards on an exchange of punts when Jacobs kicked beautifully 50 yards to the six-yard line where the ball rolled dead. Alliance’s return kick went out on its 31, and on the very first play Crable broke through for a touchdown and Krisher kicked the seventh point.
A 65-yard drive after getting the ball on a punt produced the locals’ second touchdown, Johnson nosing it over from the one foot line and Krisher again booting the extra point. Score 14-0.
The Tigers grabbed their third score in the first minute of the second period when the Aviators’ Dolly Gray fumbled the ball and Patt recovered on the Alliance six. It took four downs to get it over, Jacobs finally diving the ball across and Krisher’s kick going wide of the uprights. Score 20-0.
Trailing 20 points, the Alliance aerial circus appeared and aided by some good running on the part of Larry Shells and Gray, took the ball to the six-yard line where on fourth down Borton tossed to Shells for six points and then kicked the seventh himself. Score 20-7. * * * THE HALF was in its last minute before the Tigers could again score. They marched the ball 85 yards to the three where with time running out they didn’t take time to huddle on third down but went straight into the T and banged over the goal with Johnson lugging the leather across and Krisher again kicking the extra point. Score 27-7.
The third period was an even scrap with the Tigers scoring the only touchdown of the quarter after stopping a determined Alliance drive on the nine. Jacobs’ 19-yard run and tow long passes, a Jonson to Joe Gleason heave of 32 yards and a Crable to Don Slicker toss of 41 yards concluded a 91-yard drive. Again Krisher kicked the extra point. Score 34-7.
Alliance was well on its way to its second touchdown when the quarter ended however and on the third play of the period which incidentally was fourth down, Borton caught the locals flatfooted with a pass into the deep flat to Gray who raced over for the six points. Borton booted the seventh. Score 34-14.
The Tigers retaliated with two quick touchdowns. Don Slicker brought the kickoff back to his 45 and only two plays were required to score. Johnson reeled off 27 and Crable went the remaining distance. Krisher placekicked the following point. Score 41-14.
The Tigers kicked off to the Aviators and two plays later Gray fumbled and Massillon recovered on the Alliance 43. James was tossed for a 14-yard loss trying to pass but he got all of it and more back on a pitch to Gleason. Crable streaked through for the last 38. Score 48-14.
Thrice thereafter Alliance worked the ball deep into Tiger territory, losing it on the 15 when Dick Shine intercepted Borton’s pass and again on the nine where Ernie Russell intercepted another pass. They were the only passes intercepted by the Tigers all evening. The game ended with Alliance completing a long forward and again knocking inside the 15.
Referee – Gross. Umpire – Russ. Field Judge – Hamill. Head Linesman – O. Williams.
Statistics Of The Game MASS. ALL. First downs 11 18 Passes attempted 6 31 Passes completed 4 14 Had passes intercepted 0 2 Yards gained passing 106 196 Yards gained rushing 328 152 Total yards gained 434 348 Yards lost 33 36 Net yards gained 401 312 Times punted 5 4 Average punt (yards) 37 27 Yards punts returned 20 21 Times kicked off 8 3 Average kickoff (yards) 47 42 Yards kickoffs returned 53 116 Times penalized 6 3 Yards penalized 40 15 Fumbles 3 4 Lost ball on fumbles 1 3
Tigers Roll Over Steubenville 63-0 Long Runs, Dazzling Passes Feature Locals’ Fourth Victory Of Year
By LUTHER EMERY
The Washington high school Tiger bared its fangs at Steubenville Friday evening and the Big Red football team was clawed 63-0 under the most potent attack unleashed by the Massillon team this season.
As a result, Massillon Coach Chuck Mather was a rather unpopular fellow today in the place he once called home. Steubenville fans from their booing in the stands accused him of trying to run up a score, though he used 36 players in the game, experimented with passes throughout the third period and played a second, third and part of a fourth team the last quarter.
It was the 13th game of the present Massillon – Steubenville series, which began in 1937, and the Tigers 12th victory. The 1945 game ended in a tie score. Prior to 1937, Steubenville won twice, in 1930 and 1931.
For the greater part of the first period of last night’s game it appeared that a spirited but lighter Steubenville team might make a game out of it as the Big Red drove to a first down on the Tiger 15-yard line , but when the locals braced, stopped the threat and scored a touchdown, the spark began to disappear and left completely after the second TD.
After the second touchdown it was just a question how large the score would be and by the end of the half it had already mounted to 35-0. * * * MATHER used his second team on defense throughout the last two periods, while his first team did offensive duty the third period but experimented with passes which also scored touchdowns and when the second team finally took over the offense, in the fourth quarter, it maneuvered to the final points of the game.
The Tigers ran and passed for the distance last night which will account for their being short in only one department of the statistics – first downs. They only made nine to Steubenville’s 11, but you do not count touchdown runs of 40 and 50 yards as first downs. They show up in the yardage where the locals were overwhelmingly superior, gaining 180 by passing and 399 by rushing for a total of 579. They lost but 11, giving them a net offense from scrimmage of 568 yards to Steubenville’s net of 188 yards.
Seldom has a Massillon team flashed on offense like that seen last night, and best of all, not one player but every member of the backfield had a hand in it. Ace Crable went 33 yards for one of his two touchdowns; Clarence Johnson ran 44 and 33 yards for his two and threw a 57-yard pass to Don Slicker for another; Dick Jacobs scooted 57 yards for one of a pair and Don James fired a long one to Joe Gleason good for 56 yards and a set of points. The final score coming with every position filled by a member of the second team was turned in by Freddie Waikem on a 15-yard right end jaunt on a double handoff. * * * AS THOUGH sensational runs and passes were not enough, the locals also set what probably was a record for kicking points after touchdown by ganging nine in a row without a miss through the uprights. Jerry Krisher booted seven and Clarence Johnson two.
Maybe it was only a coincidence but the kickers for the first time were using a tape made famous by Lou (The Toe) Groza, specialty kicker of the Cleveland Browns. They got it Thursday, practiced one evening and came through with out a miss last night.
It was too bad Ray Hoyman, former Tiger football player and head coach of the Big Red had to be the victim of the Tigers’ sharpest attack of the year. It couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.
The Steubenville folk didn’t like it too well either. Every time the Massillon first team took over on offense the second half, a hoot went up from the stands. But Chuck had some pass plays he wanted his varsity to try out against competition for future games and it was unfortunate for Ray that they worked. * * * IT WAS HIS intention to do some experimenting the second half, which ordinarily slows down a game, but last night the Tigers were on, and everything they tried seemed to work, while the Big Red after a fast start, ran into a series of disheartening fumbles that gave the Tigers the ball six times.
That’s the kind of a game it was – the limit on everything. A team ordinarily recovers some of its fumbles, but not for the Big Red last night. It lost the ball on every bobble.
The Tigers escaped with only the injury, Jerry Krisher sustaining a bruised hip, which did not appear serious. Richard Davison, Steubenville tackle, was carried off the field on a stretcher, but an examination in the dressing room revealed that he had only received a painful shoulder separation which should not keep him out more than a couple of weeks.
Mather was pleased with the improved showing of his forward pass weapon which hasn’t been too potent this year. The percentage of completions wasn’t too good, five of 15, but that was more than made up in the 180 yards gained.
Steubenville presented a sharp running attack to start the evening with its twin halfbacks, Larry and Parry Jeter and Freshman Fullback Bennie Bunch, shoving the Tigers back on their heels. * * * THE BIG RED likewise stopped the local team the first time it got the gall when Bunch intercepted Don James’ pass.
It was different the next time the pigskin changed hands, however. Dick Jacobs ran 62 yards to a touchdown but the ball was called back and the Tigers penalized 15 yards for Johnson’s needless clip. On the next play Johnson made up for it by lashing out around his left end in a 44-yard dash to pay dirt.
The quarter ended without further scoring, but the Tigers made it 14-0 early in the second period when Krisher covered Harry Thompson’s fumble on the Big Red 33-yard line. On the first play Crable scooted around his right end, twisting away from several groups of tacklers, for the six points.
An intercepted pass by Dick Shine who ran the ball back to his 43-yard line set the stage for the third touchdown, which came three plays later with Jacobs running beautifully for 57 yards and the score mounted to 21-0.
A fumble by Larry Jeter on the first play after the following kickoff was covered by Waikem on the Big Red 36. The Tigers maneuvered to a first down on the 13 and Crable on fourth down carried seven yards across the goal. That and the extra point swelled the total to 28-0. * * * THE SCORE mounted to 35-0 when the Tigers got the ball on their own 35 through a punt, lugged it to the Big Red 33 where Johnson shot through left tackle on a quick opener for the remaining distance.
Mather decided to experiment the second half and that he did. The Big Red kicked to Johnson who got back to his 43 and on the first play he started out as through to run his left end, cut back and when he was just about to be surrounded, fired a long pass up the field that Slicker took on the dead run and went over. The ….(line is unreadable)…air. Johnson throwing it five yards behind the line of scrimmage and Slicker gathering it in on the 15.
Steubenville again gave the ball to the Tigers on a fumble covered by Bob Howe on the 29. James’ pass to Jacobs put it on the three-yard line and three plays later, Jacobs went around right end to score and bring the total up to 49-0.
Another fumble by Larry Jeter, covered by Craig Kelly on the Tiger 44, got things in motion for the eighth touchdown of the game. It only took one play to get it, James tossed to Gleason for the remaining yards.
The Tiger second and third teams played the entire fourth quarter and scored one touchdown with Waikem carrying over from the 15 after he, Lane and Glenn Tunning had advanced the ball on a march of 65 yards.
Power To Spare MASSILLON ENDS – SLICKER, GLEASON, Studer, W. Brenner, Houston, Corbett, Murray. TACKLES – KRISHER, SCHUMACHER, Stanford, M. Roderick, Duke, Gibson. GUARDS – SHINE, REICHENBACH, Laps, Kelly, Gibson. CENTERS – PATT, Turkal, Vliet, Martin. QUARTERBACKS – JAMES, Close, Francisco. HALFBACKS – JOHNSON, JACOBS, Waikem, Lane, B. Brenner, Tunning, Russell, Woolbert. FULLBACKS – CRABLE, F. Grier, R. Grier, Howe.
Tigers Beat Barberton 34-6 Crowd of 22,576 Sees Massillon Cop Verdict In Rough Football Game
By LUTHER EMERY
The Washington high school Tigers trimmed Barberton 34-6 Friday evening in the Akron Rubber Bowl and are happy that game is behind them.
A crowd of 22,576 fans saw some excellent football and some of the sloppiest that could possibly be played, as the Massillon gridders out fumbled but also outscored their Barberton opponents. It was the Tigers’ third victory and Barberton’s first loss of the season.
“I’m glad I got out of that one as well as I did,” said Massillon’s coach, Chuck Mather, as he hastily checked members of his squad after the game. “I don’t like to play that brand of football. It’s so easy for somebody to get hurt.”
Mather was referring to the piling on in scrimmages that increased in intensity as the game progressed. A survey of the team, showed plenty of combat scars, but only one injury that might prove a bit serious.
Co-Captain, Dick Jacobs, shifty halfback, sustained a painful charley horse that might keep him on the bench for a week or more.
There were other minor injuries, worst of which was an injured foot sustained by Freddie Waikem, substitute halfback, who was limping badly after the game.
Waikem was taken to the Massillon city hospital and was released after being treated for a cut on the right leg. * * * TO GIVE you a blow by blow account would require more space than has been allotted to this story, for there was considerable punching in the pile-ups, much of it hard to see, although considerable bumping took place in the open.
Jerry Krisher and a Barberton player had a personal duel on every kickoff until Jerry lowered the boom at the start of the second half and took some of the gusto out of his opponent. But the flare-up that could have reached serious proportions, occurred in the third period when Ace Crable and a Barberton tackler, got into a mix-up after Crable was tossed out of bounds on a 40-yard run.
As Crable and the Barberton player began mixing it, several other players squared off. In a flash the player benches were emptied, and irate fans raced across the field. But cooler heads prevailed, and the officials, who were a bit tardy arriving on the scene, grabbed the first two Massillon players they came across, namely Ronald Patt and Don Slicker and ejected them from the game. The original offenders were permitted to continue in the game and no Barberton player was put out of the contest. After the game Crable swore he was “out of his head” and couldn’t remember what had happened. * * * THE FLARE-UPS of tempers caused the players to battle each other more from a standpoint of desire than football technique the rest of the way which helps to account for the low brand of ball put out by both teams in the second half of the contest.
The Tigers, for instance, were guilty of 12 fumbles, losing the ball on six occasions while Barberton fumbled five times and lost it twice.
Loose ball handling was responsible for some of it – hard tackling more so.
One-half of the points of the game were scored before many thousands of fans, caught in traffics jams, were able to work their way into the stadium as the Tigers blasted the Magics apart in the first period.
Three bolts of lighting took all Magic out of the Magicians as Jacobs raced 54 yards for a touchdown, Crable 60 for another and Clarence Johnson 18 for a third. * * * THE GAME was only one minute and 27 seconds old when Jacobs crossed the Magics goal on the third play from scrimmage and only five minutes had expired when Crable fumbled a Barberton punt on his 40, picked up the ball and then did a fancy bit of running into the Promised Land.
Johnson’s touchdown came late in the period on a drive of 72 yards.
Fans who missed the quarter thus missed most of Massillon’s fancy Dan stuff. From there on points were harder to get as Barberton played the role of Tiger tamer at times.
The locals scored touchdowns in each of the second and third periods, but couldn’t get the ball over in the fourth.
Their second period touchdown came with only two seconds of the half remaining. Johnson going over from the two-yard line after a 77-yard march.
Substitute Halfback Waikem scored the Tigers’ final points late in the third period when he went over from the five after a march of 41 yards.
Barberton, which managed to get the ball in Tiger territory once in each period, put it over the goal on the first play of the fourth when Fullback Bob Stimac passed to End Dick Fletcher behind the goal line for the Magics’ six points of the game.
The Tigers were suckers for the pass, for their secondary was operating only a few feet behind the line of scrimmage. * * * BARBERTON’S rushing ends who flanked what amounted to an eight-man line with its backer-uppers playing against the forward wall, continually bothered the Tigers’ offense. The line made it difficult for local linemen to carry out their offensive assignments and the fast charging Magic ends had Quarterback Don James in misery all evening. He was rushed every time he tried to pass and as a result his percentage of completions, three out of 12, was low.
Normally, a good passing attack is the best threat against an eight-man line, but the Tigers couldn’t harness the air last night.
Their three completions gained 71 yards, only a fraction of their total offense which produced 416 yards, 345 from ball carrying.
Barberton gained 81 yards by completing six passes in 22 attempts, and 124 yards carrying the ball, for an offensive total of 205 yards gained. First downs were 16 to eight in the Tigers’ favor.
While the Tiger first team did not play as a unit to any great extent, Mather used groups of first stringers as a nucleus around which to give substitutes an opportunity to gain experience. All told, 31 local players got into the game, or two short of three teams.
Barberton didn’t substitute as freely, though Coach Ferrall kept alternating several members of his squad on offense and defense.
The Magics presented a fancy stepping back in Charlie Mitchell, who gained most of their yards from scrimmage. He knocked himself out tackling Jacobs when the latter was returning a punt in the third period. He played with an injured thumb which was aggravated in the collision with the Tiger halfback. It was this tackle that sidelined Dick with a charley horse.
Jim Schumacher was the Tigers’ first casualty. He suffered a case of indigestion.
Points after touchdown: Massillon – Krisher 4 (placekicks).
Referee – Joe Merbita (Carnegie Tech). Umpire – Ray Scherrer (Muskingum). Head Linesman – Horace Rainsberger (Mt. Union). Field Judge – Bob Oldfather (Heidelberg).
Statistics Mass. Barb. First downs 16 8 Passes attempted 12 22 Passes completed 3 6 Had passes intercepted 0 1 Yards gained passing 71 81 Yards gained rushing 345 124 Total yards gained 416 205 Yards lost 22 21 Net yards gained 394 84 Times punted 1 5 Average punt (yards) 26 41 Returned punts (yards) 114 0 Times kicked off 6 2 Average kickoff (yards) 54 45 Returned kickoffs (yards) 10 112 Times fumbled 12 5 Lost ball on fumbles 6 2 Times penalized 12 3 Yards penalized 70 25
Tigers Defeat Canton Lincoln 60-0 40 Massillon Players Given Opportunity To Compete In Grid Game
By LUTHER EMERY
Displaying power to spare, the Tigers of Washington high school slapped Canton Lincoln down 60-0 in Tiger Stadium Friday evening and there’s scarcely a person among the crowd of 11,366 but who would tell you that the score could have been much higher had Coach Chuck Mather wanted it to be.
The Tigers combined a hard running attack with improved passing to roll up their sixth victory over Lincoln in seven games, and score more points than were made in the 1947 and 1948 games combined.
Program Cover
The Lions, who have yet to beat the local team, managed to hold the Tigers to a scoreless tie in 1945 when they had the best eleven in the history of the school and one that earned a share of the state championship.
It didn’t take the Massillon juggernaut long to get rolling last night, and after scoring twice in the first period on a forward pass, Don James to Don Slicker, and a 27-yard run by Dick Jacobs it was evident that a lot of substitutes were going to get an opportunity to play a lot of football.
They did.
Coach Mather didn’t clean off the bench, for his sophomores have a game today here with the Warren reserves, but he did give 40 boys an opportunity to get a taste of the leather and that is a lot of substituting. * * * THE TIGERS’ 60 points are reflected in the statistics where they made 16 first downs and gained 556 yards, 394 by carrying the ball and 162 by use of the forward pass.
Possessing a weight advantage, the Massillon gridders hit hard, blocked well, and scored almost at will. They kept Lincoln in its own backyard, save for one occasion when the Lions drove to the Tiger 25-yard line only to lose the ball when John Francisco, Massillon’s sophomore quarterback, covered Jack LeBeau’s fumble.
Chuck Mather was well pleased with the performance of his players, but wouldn’t commit himself as to whether he considers this year’s team better than that of last year. “We’ll wait until Nov. 19 to answer that,” he said. He had a lot to be thankful for too. None of his players was injured seriously. Clarence Johnson was touched up a bit on the hip, but went back in for a few plays after being pulled because of the injury. He only played a few minutes of the game, however.
Lincoln players escaped serious injury too. They carried Guard Waldo Cross off the field on a stretcher when he complained of his back hurting him, but examination by a physician revealed that it was only a bruise and not serious. * * * IN GIVING his younger players an opportunity to perform, Mather found several boys who showed they had it in the clutch. Freddie Waikem, substitute halfback, ran hard with the leather as did Glenn, “The Tank”, Tunning. Jim Corbett, fourth string end, showed he knew how to catch a forward pass.
The substitutes, in fact, rammed over three of the touchdowns and the regulars got the other six.
While Lincoln was unable to make much of a contest out of the game, the fans got their money’s worth watching Massillon’s offensive efforts, for the Tigers did most everything – scored on long runs, tossed short and long passes and pulled the old Statue of Liberty play out of the bag for six points.
It was possibly the best executed play of the game, Dick Jacobs taking the ball off the palm of Quarterback Don James and racing 34 yards to score. Longest pass of the game was a 42-yard Big Bertha, Clarence Johnson to Don Slicker that actually traveled 52 yards through the air, considering that Johnson was 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage when he threw the ball. * * * THE TIGERS punted but once all evening, Freddie Close getting off a nice kick good for 54 yards, the only time the locals had their backs far enough to the wall to force them to boot the ball.
Mather started Ray Lane at fullback in place of Crable because the Ace was tardy for an afternoon meeting of the squad. Lane played good ball on both offense and defense and scored one of the Tigers’ touchdowns.
In fact six different players shared in the scoring, which speaks well for the team. Slicker, Jacobs, Crable, Waikem, Ernie Russell and Jerry Krisher all got points. Krisher made his six on kicks from placement after touchdowns.
The Tigers scored the first two times they got the ball. Lincoln through winning the toss, elected to kickoff and Clarence Johnson lugged the leather back 11 yards to his 38. Penalties fizzled the Massillon attack until interference was ruled on a James-Joe Gleason pass that produced a first down on the locals’ 47. Lane and Jacobs went to work and moved the ball to the 26 where James rifled it to Slicker for the first points of the game.
The second touchdown came three minutes later when Lincoln, held for three downs, punted out its own 38. Crable moved the ball up 11 yards and on the next play Jacobs went the remaining 26 around right end. * * * THE LIONS stopped the Tigers next time the locals got the ball, but Crable wheeled over for six points on the third play of the second quarter, with a dash of 46 yards. Lincoln received the kickoff, punted out on the Tiger 30, and on the first play from scrimmage, Crable scampered for 70 yards and another TD.
Mather sent in his substitutes after that and the first time they got the ball they marched it 52 yards with Waikem taking it over form the seven after he and Tunning had lugged it most of the way.
That ended the touchdown parade for the first half.
The Lincoln goal was crossed three times in the third period with the Tigers marching the kickoff back from their 30 to pay dirt. The payoff was a 15-yard run by Crable, but the ball was placed in position for the score on Johnson’s 42-yard throw to Slicker.
Recovery of a Lincoln fumble on the Tiger 43 by Chuck Vliet, paved the way for the next points in two plays. Crable tossed to Slicker for a first down on the Lincoln 34 and Jacobs went the rest of the way on a Statue handoff from James.
With the lineup replenished with substitutes, the Tigers again forced Lincoln to punt the ball going out on the Lions’ 31. Lane scampered 26 to the four-yard line and went over for the score. * * * WITH THIRD and fourth stringers being rushed into the game, the locals scored but once in the final period. Jerry Howe set the substitutes in motion when he pounced on a Lion fumble on the latter’s 24-yard line. Two plays later Ernie Russell was traveling 18 yards for the last points of the game.
The score was more than twice as great as any previous victory the Tigers had registered over a Lincoln team in the seven games played between the two schools. The largest previous score was the ……unreadable…..Lions in 1946. Last year the Tigers won 25-0.
Mather will meet with his coaches Sunday to plan the strategy to be followed next week in preparing for the game with Barberton to be played Friday in the Akron Rubber Bowl. Barberton beat Akron South 27-12 last night and South a week ago measured Mansfield 34-27.
Points after touchdown: Massillon – Krisher 6 (placekicks).
Referee – McPhee. Umpire – Boone. Head Linesman – Gross. Field Judge – Jenkins.
Statistics Of The Game Mass. Lincoln First downs 16 7 Passes attempted 17 11 Passes completed 7 1 Had passes intercepted 4 1 Yards gained passing 162 22 Yards gained rushing 394 118 Total yards gained 556 140 Yards lost 15 22 Times kicked off 9 2 Average kickoff (yards) 49 34 Returned kickoffs 9yards) 11 138 Times penalized 10 1 Yards penalized 60 5 Times fumbled 2 5 Lost ball on fumble 0 4
Tigers Open Season With 40-6 Victory Over Latin Massillon Team Displays Ability In Registering Win Before 13,257 Fans
By KEN HARTWICK
Any team that can score six touchdowns in 21 plays is all right with Massillon football fans so local grid enthusiasts should be and undoubtedly are well satisfied with Coach Charles Mather’s 1949 Tiger varsity which did just that at Tiger stadium Friday night in defeating a respectable Cleveland Cathedral Latin eleven by a 40-6 score in its season’s debut.
Displaying an ability common with the great Tiger teams of the past to explode for long touchdowns on almost any offensive thrust, the new Orange and Black eleven last night before 13,257 fans drove to two touchdowns in each of the first two quarters and one in each of the two concluding periods while allowing the visitors to tally their lone marker in the third stanza.
Program Cover
On a basis of its play in its first game of the season, the 1949 Tiger team isn’t going to be content to do its gaining a few yards at a time but is going for the distance on every attempt.
Certainly, that is indicated by the fact that only one of last night’s six touchdown plays was for less than 13 yards and that one short gain, a one-yard smash by Clarence Johnson for touchdown No. 6 late in the third quarter, was preceded by two end runs which totaled 36 yards.
To score their first touchdown the Tigers moved 45 yards in exactly two plays and on their next drive to the Latin goal line they traveled 72 yards in seven thrusts.
Then came the prize play of the session, a 68-yard return of a punt by Irvin Crable, and shortly thereafter the crowd was thrilled by one of the neatest aerial advances of the contest, a pass from Don James to Dick Jacobs good for 42 yards and the marker which, after Jerry Krisher made his second successful kick of the evening, gave the home team a 26-0 edge at the half. * * * JOHNSON’S one-yard plunge through the center of the Latin line ended a drive of 45 yards which required seven plays and to wind things up the Tigers in the concluding period moved 38 yards in three thrusts with Crable being broken lose for the last 27 yards.
Almost the only satisfaction the Latin players got out of the game was the fact that they scored against the Tiger first stringers even though the marker was set up against substitutes. With all the Tiger starters on the bench, the Latins late in the third stanza started a drive which advanced the ball from their own 16 to the Massillon 19 in six plays.
At that point the first stringers went back into the game and one the very first play against them Quarterback Pete Ghirla shot a short pass to Fullback John Nieser who outraced several potential tacklers on a run around left end and scampered over for the visitors’ lone touchdown.
Dick Shine hit Nieser as he reached the goal line but both fell into the end zone and it was a touchdown for Latin. * * * UNFORTUNATELY the prettiest play of the game and possibly of the entire season will never go into the record books because it was nullified by a penalty.
It was a pass by Johnson to Don Slicker which traveled 55 yards in the air, from the Massillon 15 to the Latin 30, before Slicker pulled in the ball, tucked it under his arm and carried it over.
All that went for naught, however, because the play was called back and the Tigers penalized 15 yards for holding.
The way the Tigers started the first time they gained possession of the ball a lot of fans undoubtedly figured they were going to see a replica of last year’s Massillon-Latin game in which the Orange and Black gridders scored four touchdowns in five plays from scrimmage in the first quarter.
Latin’s initial offensive bid netted a total of five yards in three plays so Left Half Tom Marko punted with Crable receiving on his own 47 and moving to the Latin 45.
The ball was handed to Johnson on the first play and he raced far around left end and straight down the sideline to the Latin 13 before being stopped. He shook off several potential tacklers but finally was grounded by three opponents. * * * DICK JACOBS was the ball carrier on the next play and he went right into the Latin line, found himself a hole and moved goal ward. He was hit as he went over and the ball rolled away but right there to fall on it was Don Studer and fall on it he did, thereby receiving credit for the touchdown. Krisher’s kick was unsuccessful so it was Massillon 6, Latin 0.
Any similarity between last night’s game and that of a year ago ended for the time being a short line later as the Tigers suffered a short-lived case of fumbleitis which twice lost them the ball fairly deep in their own territory.
Those two fumbles gave Latin a pair of golden scoring opportunities to take advantage of them. The first time Nieser was hit so hard that he lost seven yards and fumbled himself and the next time, after the visitors went through the right side of the Massillon line to move from the Tiger 31 to the 12, Nieser again was tossed for a loss after which Ghirla tried a southpaw pass into the end zone which was incomplete with the Tigers taking over on their own 18.
It was from that point that they moved to their second touchdown with the drive featuring a 31-yard run by Jacobs and a couple of (rest of paragraph missing) * * * TO START THE second period Quarterback Don Buynak shot a pass to Nieser which was good for 30 yards and that apparently made the Tigers somewhat peeved because on the next three plays Ronald Patt, Johnson, Ray Lane and Jim Schumacher tossed the Latin ball carriers for successive losses totaling 17 yards and one of those plays was a successful pass which, believe it or not, lost three yards.
The worst, however, from a Latin standpoint was still to come and it came as Marko punted to Crable on his own 32. The fleet-footed Tiger fullback started down the west sideline at full speed and he didn’t stop until he was over the goal line.
Joe Gleason deserves an assist on that touchdown because he came to Crable’s rescue as he appeared to be boxed in one the Latin 25 and sent two enemy players sprawling with a mighty block which left nothing but thin air between Irvin and pay dirt. Krisher’s kick was blocked and the score stood at 19-0.
Shortly thereafter came the Johnson to Slicker pass which didn’t count and only seconds were left in the half when Massillon took the ball on downs on the Latin 42.
Apparently figuring that there wasn’t much time to be lost, James dropped back on the first play and lofted the ball to Jacobs who took it on the 15 and went over unmolested. Krisher’s kick made the score 26-0 and 17 seconds later the half ended. * * * THE OPENING kick of the second half was taken by Crable on his own 10 and returned to the Latin 45 from where the Tigers drove to their next touchdown. They didn’t do so good on their first few plays but with the ball on the Latin 37 Johnson sped around left end to the 14, on the next play Crable went around the other end and was run out on the one-yard line, and then Johnson cracked the center of the Latin line for the marker. Krisher’s boot was good and the Tigers led by 33-0.
An exchange of punts with the Tigers seconds in the game resulted in Latin getting the ball on its own 16 from where the visitors drove for their touchdown, the important plays being a pass from Ghirla to Nieser good for an even 50 yards and an aerial from Ghirla to Sub Right Half Bill Tighe good for 13.
That latter play put the ball on the Massillon 19 and after an incompleted pass the Tiger first stringers went back into the game only to have Ghirla toss to Nieser for the touchdown play.
The final touchdown was scored about midway in the final period Crable setting it up by returning a Latin punt from midfield to the visitors’ 38.
Crable gained six yards around end, Jacobs carried to a first down on the 27 and then Crable moved quickly through the Latin line, cut sharply to the left and went the distance. Krisher’s kick made the Tiger total an even 40.
During the remaining time a couple of losses put Latin back on its own 10-from where Ghirla punted to Ernest Russell who returned from the Cleveland team’s 45 to the 22. A couple of offside penalties stopped a scoring bid by the Tigers and Left Half Steve Horvath finally intercepted a pass by Fred Close just before the game ended. * * * COACH MATHER was pleased by the Tigers’ victory and was particularly happy about the hard playing of his gridders but, “we still have a lot of rough edges to smooth out.”
The fact that the Tigers registered only nine first downs isn’t particularly surprising because most of the ground they gained was on long advances and, of course, all their long touchdown runs didn’t count in the first down total. At that, they got four more first downs than their opponents.
A gross yardage of 292 and a loss of 36 yards gave the Tigers a net of 256 yards. A fast charging Tiger line and exceptionally good work by the players backing up the line limited Latin to a gross of 166 yards and a net of 101.
Although they didn’t do much in the way of passing except for that one James to Jacobs touchdown aerial, the Tigers showed potentialities of developing a devastating passing attack with several boys able to toss the ball through the air with the greatest of ease.
The Orange and Black gridders blocked and tackled well with some of their blocks and tackles being so vicious that the spectators cringed in sympathy for the Latin boys on the receiving end.
All in all, the playing of the Tigers foretold of greater things to come in the future as the Massillon team goes up against opponents which likely will be somewhat tougher than was the Latin eleven.
Tigers Beat Bulldogs 21-12 To Win State Championship Massillon Gridders Outclass Heavy Canton Eleven All The Way
By LUTHER EMERY
The old adage “ox cannot lick tiger” was proved conclusively again Saturday afternoon in Tiger stadium before a crowd of 22,000 spectators as the Washington high school Tigers defeated the Canton McKinley Bulldogs 21-12 to win the mythical Ohio high school football championship. Today still found Massillonians and students celebrating the fruits of victory.
Hats off to Chuck Mather and staff and their Tiger football players! Battling against tremendous odds in weight they out generaled and out charged the McKinley Bulldogs as they sped to their ninth victory in 10 games, their first victory over Canton since 1943 and their first state championship since that same year.
Program Cover
Rolling to touchdowns in three of the four periods, and narrowly missing a couple of others, the Tigers demonstrated to the spectators their right to claim the state title as they handed the vaunted McKinley team its first loss of the season. The Bulldogs were ranked No. 1 in the Ohio scholastic football poll last week and Massillon No. 2. The order should be reversed this week.
It was asking a lot and it took hearts on the part of the Tiger players to overcome the 15-pound per man weight advantage of the Canton team, but the Massillon gridders played courageous football and dented the anatomies of the Bulldogs as they beat the Cantonians to the charge.
Just for example, little Bill Morrow a 153 pounder was pitted against 200 pound John Kostas and moved him around at will most of the afternoon. And there was Pat Ebbert , 155 pounds, getting a head start on every defensive play, smashing through the center of the Bulldog line from his line-backing position to stack-up McKinley ball carriers.
Booster Club Rally Tonight
Bob Willison, president of the Tiger Booster club, has called a meeting of all Booster club members for 8 o’clock tonight in the Washington high school auditorium to celebrate the Tigers 21-12 defeat of the McKinley Bulldogs Saturday and the winning of their first state championship since 1943.
Coach Chuck Mather will be present at the meeting and will show motion pictures of the game.
In fact, a couple of pinch-hitters, Ebbert and Irvin Crable were most important cogs in the Tiger victory. Pat went in to fill limping Jack McVey’s shoes on defense and Crable replaced the injured Clarence Johnson at right halfback and roared to all three of the Tigers’ touchdowns. * * * BUT YOU couldn’t pick any two guys out of Saturday’s game and say they carved the bacon. Give credit to the whole team, and to Capt. Al Brown, who played his heart out in what was the greatest game of his three years of football, and who fell hysterical on the sidelines when removed in the last minute of the contest. Al and the other seniors wanted to have a victory over Canton McKinley written in the records of their high school athletic careers and they gave their all to accomplish it in their last chance Saturday. That goes for Mike Takacs, Bill Paul, Ben Roderick, Joe Jones, McVey, Jack Houston, Jack Hill, Art James, Eddie Bush, Jim Campbell, Chuck Crone and other seniors who didn’t get into the contest, but who wound up their high school football careers with the defeat of Canton and the winning of a state championship.
No wonder hysteria broke loose in the Tiger dressing room after the game. It began when substitutes at the crack of the final gun streamed from the bench to the playing field to embrace other members of the squad and join them in hoisting Coach Mather to their shoulders and carry him to the dressing room. You could hardly get into the room as fans streamed in – proud fathers to congratulate their sons; Boosters with broad smiles and hoarse voices; old alumni, including many former Tiger players now in college; as well as former Massillon men who are coaching in other cities and who arrange their schedules so that they can be home for the annual Canton-Massillon classic. Signs reading “state champs”, printed in advance, were hoisted immediately in the dressing room to resounding cheers.
Mike Takacs runs the ball
It was an outpouring of spontaneous enthusiasm such as this city hasn’t seen in a long time and a deserving recognition to a great team. The classy Tiger gridders were into the game up to their necks every minute, but as it turned out, they had the victory all the way. They controlled the ball, rolled up more yards, made more first downs, scored more points, gave Canton McKinley but two scoring opportunities both of which the Bulldogs cashed in on, and they were hammering at the red and black’s goal line all afternoon, narrowly missing two other touchdowns, one by a step and the other by a trip.
As Dave Stewart, who himself coached Washington high to a state championship in 1922, said after the game, “That’s one of the finest Massillon teams it has been my privilege to see.” Dave came over from Sharon, Pa., for the contest. * * * MOST OF all the victory was a tribute to the coaching of Chuck Mather and his assistants, Paul Schofer, Carl Schroeder, Lauri Wartiainen, and Dave Putts, who have scouted McKinley every game, who figured out the Bulldog’s weaknesses and how to take advantage of them both on offense and defense.
They met Canton’s vaunted power with a four-man line which looked like a five-man line with Ebbert as a crashing line backer, who got a head start on most every play.
They went through the Bulldog defense through the execution of reverses and trap plays that drew the red and black out of position and permitted ball carriers to get into the secondary time and again. * * * THE TIGERS won without the ball carrying services of Clarence Johnson, their leading ground gainer of the season who has averaged almost three more yards per try than McKinley’s John Colceri, who likewise was unable to lug the leather because of injuries. Johnson got in only to kickoff a couple of times and boot the Tigers’ three points from placement.
McKinley undoubtedly would have had more offense with Colceri in the backfield, but whether he would have made any difference in the outcome of the game is a subject for folks to debate the next 12 months of the year.
The breaks of the game were fairly even. The Tigers recovered two McKinley fumbles and intercepted on pass, but the Bulldogs got the biggest break of all when Ben Roderick after leaping high in the air to snare a pass, came down with a foot out of the end zone that cost the Tigers a fourth touchdown.
The local gridders lost what might have been a couple of others when in the second quarter with the ball on the 13-yard line, Crable tripped over Jack Hill’s foot on a statue play and fell with an open field ahead of him on his left flank. Again in the third period he picked up a bounce fumble of his own and ran 25 yards to the McKinley 17 where he was ticked on the leg by a Canton tackler that threw him just enough off balance to cause him to stumble and fall. No one was between him and the goal posts. * * * THOUGH STATISTICS were 18 first downs to 11 in the Tigers’ favor and yards gained 317 to the Bulldogs’ 185, the outcome was hanging in the balance until the Tigers’ scored their third touchdown with only one minute and 36 seconds left to play.
The air was tense when the Bulldogs struck back after each Massillon touchdown to match the Tiger’s goal line efforts, and Massillon fans grew uneasy while Canton partisans’ hopes were buoyed as Quarterback John Rogers pitched a fourth-down touchdown pass to End Elijah Lipkins to bring the score to 14-12.
Coach Mather sent in his offensive substitutes but before doing so wrapped a big arm around Capt. Brown. “Al, you gotta hold that ball. Anytime Canton gets it we might lose this game. You gotta go all the way, Al, all the way.”
Here the Tigers demonstrated their greatest courage of the game. Against a suddenly inspired McKinley team they took the kickoff on their own 20 and methodically pounded all the way to their third touchdown. They used up six minutes and 47 seconds in the drive, and crossed the Bulldog goal with only a minute and 36 seconds remaining to be played.
That last touchdown drive was a clear cut demonstration of the championship caliber and determination of the Massillon team.
There were those at the half who thought Bulldog power and weight would surely be a deciding factor before the end of the contest, but in the Tigers final march to points, they actually beat the Cantonians down to their size and appeared the stronger team at the final gun. * * * DESPITE the hard play of members of both teams, none was seriously injured. Members of the local eleven came out of the contest in as good a condition as they entered it.
Dick Jacobs took as hard a beating as anyone, and several times was the victim of a pileup that knocked the wind out of him.
Both teams were strictly offensive minded all afternoon and as a result each punted only once. The Bulldogs in their desperation to catch the Tigers were thrown back once on fourth down when they failed to make yardage on the Tiger 39. But on another occasion while back in their own territory and 11 yards needed for a first down, they caught the Tigers napping and fired a long pass that started them on the way to their second touchdown. * * * THE TIGERS appeared tense when the game got underway. They won the toss and elected to receive, but the Canton kickoff bounced around through the Massillon team and Capt. Brown fumbled on his first attempt to pick up the ball. When he finally did get it, Canton tacklers were upon him and he was downed by Mariano on the two-yard line.
Massillon folks breathed heavily, but Al on second down got out to his 13 for a first down which at least gave Jacobs some room to punt when the Tigers gained only seven yards. Dick, booting against the wind, got the ball to his 39-yard line where it rolled dead.
Then the Tigers got a break that made up for Al’s fumble of the kickoff. Mariano, on first down fumbled and old reliable Mike Takacs pounced on the ball for the Tigers.
The Tigers launched their first touchdown march. After Brown got but two yards at right end, Hill dropped back and shot a long pass that Ben Roderick took to the Canton 38. Jacobs came right back to circle his right end for another 13 yards and a first down on the Canton 25, McKinley took time out but it did no good, for on the next play Jacobs again wormed through for a first down on the Bulldog 12. Crable got four, but Brown failed to gain. Then the Tigers came up with their double reverse that has thrown other opponents out of position this season. It worked perfectly and Crable, led by a wave of blockers, cut to his left and raced down the sideline for six points. Johnson went into to blast over the extra point. * * * THE BULLDOGS took the kickoff and came roaring back for six points themselves. With Mariano and Tony Ranalli doing most of the leather lugging, they started from their 33 and 12 plays later were on the one foot line as the quarter ended.
Came the second period and on the first play, Rogers bucked the ball through center for six points. Ernie Ghezzi tried to kick the extra point but missed and the Tigers led 7-6.
The Massillon gridders took the kickoff and struck back into Bulldog territory. Starting from the 34, Jacobs went for 10 yards and a first on his 44. When two plays gained but a yard, Hill pitched the ball to Jacobs for a first down on the McKinley 44. Brown went through on the next play for another first on the 32 and Jacobs on a trap went on to the 20. Hill lost four yards when a play backfired, but Jacobs went to the 13. With third down coming up and three yards to go, the stage was set perfectly for a statue play. The entire Bulldog team was sucked out of position, but in the handoff, Crable tripped over Hill’s foot and fell for a seven-yard loss. Not discouraged Hill shot a pass to Roderick in the end zone on fourth down that Ben took in a leaping catch, but when he came down his foot was out of the end zone and the Tigers had lost a touchdown. * * * McKINLEY took over on the 20 and got by the midfield stripe before Crable intercepted Rogers pass on his own 31. Three plays later the Tigers had a first down on their own 45 and when two plays only gained five yards, Brown passed to Eddie Bush for a first down on the Canton 22. The Tigers thought a double reverse might fool McKinley more than a forward pass in the final seconds but Crable was caught as the half ended.
McKinley received to open the third period, Mariano making a great return of the kickoff and almost getting away to take the ball to the Tiger 48. Three plays gained seven yards and the Bulldogs tried to run the ball on fourth down. The Tigers were equal to the occasion, however and Ranalli was thrown before he could make the necessary yardage.
Taking the ball on their own 39, Crable went for eight yards and Brown made it first down on the Canton 43. Crable dribbled the ball but picked it up and got to the Canton 17 where the safety man barely ticked his foot enough to throw him off balance and he fell with an open field ahead. The Bulldogs threw the Tigers back two yards on the next four plays and took over on the 19. The locals held and forced Mariano to punt. Jacobs caught the ball on the run and made a fine 22-yard return to the Canton 23-yard line. Roderick was stopped without gain, but Crable was turned loose for a touchdown and Johnson kicked the extra point to make the score 14-6.
Canton took the kickoff and assisted by a 15-yard penalty and a 10-yard run by Mariano got to its own 42 where Rogers’ fumble was recovered by the Tigers. On fourth down, Brown got loose for a first down on the Canton 21, but the Tiger attack was stopped again by the Bulldogs who took over on their 24 and began a touchdown drive of their own. They got up to their 44, where they were stopped cold for three downs. Behind by eight points, they gambled on fourth down with 11 yards to go and won. Rogers shot a long pass to Louis Scrimo who got to the Tiger 29. Mariano immediately got loose to the six-yard line and the Tigers put eight men on the line of scrimmage. The Bulldogs failed twice on line plays and a pass was batted down. On fourth down, however, Rogers tossed quickly over the line of scrimmage to Lipkins for the red and black’s second touchdown. Ghezzi again failed to kick the extra point and the Tigers led 14-12. * * * EIGHT MINUTES and 23 seconds of the game remained to be played when Mariano kicked off to Massillon. Brown brought the ball back to his 20 and the Tigers began their determined and deliberate 80-yard touchdown march. Crable went for six yards and Jacobs moved for 18 to a first down on his 44. Crable made two and Brown bulled his way to a first on the Bulldog 43. Jacobs got eight yards at center and then piled through for three more and a first on the Canton 32. Crable made eight at left tackle and t hen was freed through center for a first on the McKinley 19. Hill, Crable and Brown carried to another first down on the nine-yard line.
The Massillon captain struck for five more to put the ball on the four-yard line and hit again only to have the ball called back and the Tigers penalized five yards and back to their nine for being offside.
That didn’t stop Brown. Mather had said, “all the way” and that’s the way it was going to be. He smashed through for four yards and on the next play Crable ran his right end for the final touchdown of the game.
Johnson missed his first try for the extra point but Canton was offside so he booted it over in a second attempt to bring the final score to 21-12 with a minute and 36 seconds remaining to be played.
Krisher kicked off to Canton’s Sam Parks who came back to his 31. Rogers tossed to Scrimo for a first down on the 50, but another attempt was grounded and he was hit hard by a flock of Tiger tacklers for a 13-yard loss when he tried another pass. He tossed one to Scrimo on his 42 as the last seconds of the game expired.
State Champs
MASSILLON ENDS – RODERICK, HOUSTON, Slicker. TACKLES – KRISHER, TAKACS, Jones, Schumacher, A. James, Campbell. GUARDS – MORROW, REICHENBACK, Paul, Ebbert. CENTER – McVEY. QUARTERBACKS – HILL, D. James. HALFBACKS – JACOBS, CRABLE, Johnson, Bush, Crone. FULLBACKS – BROWN, Shine.
McKINLEY ENDS – WEBER, LIPKINS, Mozaco. TACKLES – GHEZZI, O’BROVAC, McCullough, Scrimo, Ripper. GUARDS – JOHNS and JIM KOSTAS, Byers. CENTER – PUCCI. QUARTERBACKS – ROGERS, Prandine. HALFBACKS – RANALLI, MARIANO, Parks. FULLBACKS – STOSIC, Palombo.
Points after touchdown: Massillon – Johnson 3 (placekicks).
Referee – Titus Lobach. Umpire – C.W. rupp. Head Linesman – Verlin Jenkins. Field Judge – Ralph Shafer.
Statistics Of The Game Mass. Canton First downs 18 11 Passes attempted 6 6 Passes completed 3 3 Had passes intercepted 0 1 Yards gained passing 59 52 Yards gained rushing 285 164 Total yards gained 344 216 Yards lost 37 31 Net yards gained 317 185 Times punted 1 1 Average punt (yards) 20 32 Times kicked off 4 3 Average kickoff (yards) 47 51 Yards punts returned by 22 0 Yards kickoffs returned by 39 70 Times fumbled 1 2 Lost ball on fumble 0 2 Times penalized 3 1 Yards penalized 25 2
INDIVIDUAL MASSILLON Carried Gained Lost Net Brown 22 105 1 104 Jacobs 11 90 10 80 Crable 17 112 10 102 Hill 3 3 5 -2 Roderick 2 1 0 1 _____ _____ _____ _____ TOTALS 55 311 26 285
Tigers Defeat Barberton 28-0 Before 13,000 Fans Three Players Hurt In What May Prove To Be A Costly Victory
By LUTHER EMERY
The Washington high school Tigers chalked up their eighth triumph in nine games before 13,000 fans in Tiger Stadium Friday evening, as they defeated the Barberton Magics 28-0, but it was a costly victory, for three Massillon regulars were removed from the game with injuries that may slow them for next week’s bread and butter game with Canton McKinley high school.
The three injured were Jack McVey and Clarence Johnson, regular center and right halfback, respectively and Ben Roderick, who plays left end and right halfback.
Johnson and McVey sustained leg injuries while Roderick suffered a hip bruise. The three injuries bring to four the number of cripples on the Tiger team, for Jack Houston, regular right end has been hobbling around all week on a leg injured in last week’s game with Toledo Waite high school.
Coach Chuck Mather and Dr. Merle Singer, are hoping none of the injuries will be serious enough to keep the boys out of next week’s all important contest, but as Dr. Singer said after the game, “You just can’t tell the extent of the injuries now.”
Coach Mather used 43 players in the contest and the free substituting had everyone confused including the players, fans and himself, but a lot of boys managed to get in their lick and may become better football players some day because of it.
The free substituting undoubtedly held down the score, which gives the lie to first downs, for the Tigers only made six to Barberton’s 11 while gaining 244 yards to Barberton’s 180.
It was a screwy and uninteresting game for the most part with play frequently interrupted because of penalties and substitutions. The officials walked off 75 yards against the Tigers, and twice penalized the locals for having too many players on the field. * * * THE TOUCHDOWNS, all of them, were, on the other hand, of a sensational variety and furnished most of the excitement. Capt. Al Brown, who had done a lot of long running this season, got two on runs of 55 and 21 yards, Irvin Crable scored on an explosion run of 19 yards through center and Bill Morrow pulled a Notre Dame stunt by scoring the first points of the game as he snared Mark Scarr’s lateral to Bob Yoak and went 46 yards for his only points in his three years of varsity competition. He was perhaps the happiest “kid” in the dressing room after the game for a touchdown is a touchdown to a backfield man but to a guard it’s a TOUCHDOWN.
While the Tigers frequently bogged down offensively, the shining light in their performance last night was the work of their defense. They tackled harder than at any time this season and gave the opposing ball carriers a heavy shoulder when brining them to earth.
The defensive spirit of the team reached its peak in the second quarter when the cats bristled over a 15-yard penalty that gave Barberton a first down on the Massillon three-yard line. Bob Confer on first down took it to the one, but thereafter there was no Magic in the Barberton attack. In three plays the visitors were thrown back 25 yards to their 26-yard line where the Tigers took over.
Barberton had but one other touchdown opportunity, that on a Tiger pass thrown short in the flat. Mike Kulcsar had a chance for an easy interception with a clear field ahead of him, but he bobbled the ball and dropped it.
The defensive play of Bill Paul and little Eddie Bush, were outstanding contributions to the Tiger victory. Both socked their opponents regularly and helped to set them back for losses. The Tigers will need that kind of hard hitting next Saturday if they hope to tame the McKinley Bulldogs. * * * THE LOCALS only completed two of eight passes but with better receiving could have made good on 50 percent of their throws. One of the passes was a 42-yarder from Al Brown to Don Studer that moved the ball into position for the last touchdown of the game. It put the ball on the Barberton 19, and Irvin Crable went through like a rifle shot on the next play for the remaining distance.
Brown’s 55-yard run for the second touchdown was the prettiest piece of footwork seen all evening. He was given a lot of good blocking, but he likewise had to run right over three Barberton tacklers while doing a right wire walk along the side line to keep from going out of bounds.
Barberton presented a smooth running team, that might have caused the Tigers some difficulty on one or two nights this season, but which went up against the locals when the latter were at their best defensively.
The Magics early in the game confined their efforts to running the ends, but ball carriers were frequently tossed for big losses, especially after the second period 15-yard penalty that was slapped on the local team for defensive holding. It appeared to arouse the Tigers to play a better brand of football. It also irked Coach Mather, who argued long and hard with the officials over the decision, contending the penalty should have been five yards and first down. The penalty for offensive holding is 15 yards.
Local fans also didn’t like a 15-yard penalty slapped on the local team for unnecessary roughness when tackling a Barberton passer and throwing him back on his own five-yard line. He still had the ball when downed. * * * THE FIRST period was nearly half over before the Tigers scored their opening touchdown. The locals for the second straight week elected to kickoff after winning the toss. The Tigers stopped Barberton on its first series of plays and the latter halted the locals on their own 40-yard line. Then on third down and the ball on the 46-yard line, Scarr attempted to pitch out a lateral to Yoak. Morrow came busting through from his guard position to grab the ball and run unmolested for a touchdown. Johnson placekicked the extra point.
The Tigers scored the next time they got the sphere, with Brown going 55 yards for his sideline run on the first play from scrimmage. Johnson again kicked the extra point.
Neither team threatened in the second quarter until Barberton got a Tiger punt on its own 41 and began a drive which with the aid of 20 yards in penalties brought a first down on the Massillon three. * * * CONFER hit center for two, and then the Tigers got mad. Stimac was tossed for a nine-yard loss, Confer for a nine-yard loss and Cain on an end around play for a seven-yard loss to end the threat and gain the ball for the locals on the Massillon 26-yard line.
The Tigers’ third touchdown came the first time they got the ball in the second half. Jacobs brought a Barberton punt back to his 46, Johnson ran to the Barberton 35 and Jacobs and Brown produced another first down on the Magics’ 21. Brown went through for the remaining distance and also kicked the extra point.
The drive for the last touchdown began late in the third quarter from the Massillon 28 and ran into the fourth period. Brown and Dick Shine, who replaced the injured Johnson, carried to a first down on the Tiger 39. There Hill pitched a lateral to Brown who drifted back and fired a long pass that Studer caught on the 19. On the next play Crable went through for the final points of the game and Krisher kicked the extra point. Neither team threatened again.
Points after touchdown: Massillon – Johnson 2 (placekicks); Brown (placekick); Krisher (placekick).
Referee – George Brown. Umpire – George Ellis. Head Linesman – Lawrence Gilboy. Field Judge – R.E. Petrequin.
Statistics Of The Game Mass. Barb. First downs 6 11 Passes attempted 8 18 Passes completed 2 5 Had Passes intercepted 1 2 Yards gained passing 59 28 Yards gained rushing 185 152 Total yards gained 244 180 Yards lost 2 65 Net yards gained 242 113 Times kicked off 6 0 Average kickoff (yards) 48 — Yards kickoffs returned by — 59 Times punted 2 6 Average punt (yards) 19 29 Yards punts returned by 49 0 Fumbles 2 1 Lost ball on fumbles 2 0 Times penalized 9 2 Yards penalized 75 20
Tiger Gridders Whip Toledo Waite In Deep Mud 19-7 Massillon Team Scores First Three Times It Gets Hands On The Ball
By LUTHER EMERY
The Washington high school Tigers beat Jupiter Pluvius and the Toledo Waite football team 19-7 before 12,000 dripping fans in the Lucas county city Friday evening to score their seventh victory in eight games.
Qualifying as worthy seamen for the way in which they sailed their ship of victory around the Toledo ends, the Massillon gridders triumphed against odds as great as those overcome by President Truman in his ballot box sweep last Tuesday.
On a dry night, they could have named their score, as far as we are personally concerned, but it was a wet night and the word cannot properly describe it.
In fact you have to feel kind of sticky and wacky, with mud oozing from your shoes hair hanging around your ears and clothes faded on your underwear, to get into the spirit of this little ditty.
The Massillon gridders wanted a dry field. They feared what would happen on a wet gridiron and they didn’t dare give thought to a quagmire such as developed before the game was more than a few minutes old.
Waite evidently wanted a wet field, and Jupiter Pluvius was on its side, for the rain poured and poured, but the tarpaulin that could have been rolled over the gridiron was left beneath the grandstand where tarpaulins shouldn’t be. * * * THE TIGERS were magnificent as they overcame Waite’s 20 or more pound average per man to push over three first half touchdowns, (that’s as many times as they had the ball) while holding the Toledoans to one – a questionable score that came after the end of the second period.
The locals made two touchdown efforts the second half, and both were called back for violations, one of the two nullifying a brilliant 54-yard run by Capt. Al Brown for what would have been his third touchdown of the game.
He was also part loser on the other when he ran from his 13 to the Waiter 37 where he pitched the ball out to Clarence Johnson who went the rest of the distance. Handkerchiefs were thrown all over the field on this play. To start with, Waite was offside and the officials said Brown’s attempted lateral to Johnson went forward. They ruled the one infraction cancelled theother and the ball went back to the 13.
The Tigers as a whole played it safe the second half, punting once on third down and not chancing tricky ball handling.
The game was the rough and bruising affair it was expected to be and at times almost threatened to turn into a free for all. It was virtually impossible to identify players, by number, face or otherwise, and most of the time they looked like someone emerging from a clay massage or models for a plaster cast. They staggered around blinded by mud, and with the supply of towels exhausted, officials eventually used their red handkerchiefs to wipe the ooze from the eyes and mouths of members of both teams so that they could see in which direction to run. * * * THOUGH it was muddy from the start, the Tigers scored their three touchdowns the first three times they got the ball when the mud was only ankle deep and ‘twas well they did for they found it hard to move in the later stages of the game when it looked as though they were running around on stumps.
The difference in statistics was not as great as the score, and yet it could just as well have read 31-0 instead of 19-7. First downs were the same, 10 for each team, and the locals only gained 201 yards to Waite’s 189. Because of the slippery ball, both teams feared to throw and only three passes were attempted all night, the Tigers trying one and Waite two. None was completed.
Some idea of what might have happened on a dry field was unfolded in the first period and a half when the Massillonians rolled to their three touchdowns. It took only three plays to get the first score.
Waite received to start the game and Clarence Johnson kicked a long floater that held Waite to its own 14-yard line. Failing to make more than seven yards in three attempts, the Indians punted to Irvin Crable who was downed on his 45. On the first play from scrimmage, Dick Jacobs, who substituted for Crable, broke away to his 25-yard line Johnson hit through tackle for one and the Tigers ambushed the Indians as Jack Hill tossed a pitchout to Al Brown who scampered for the remaining 24 yards and the first touchdown of the game. The attempt for the extra point went bad when Hill couldn’t hold on to a low pass and fumbled the ball. * * * THE TIGERS SCORED their second touchdown the next time they came into possession of the pigskin. It began when Ben Roderick covered a Waite fumble after the Indians had marched the ball from their own 20 to the Tiger 43. Brown scooted 24 yards to the Waite 33. Three plays failed to gain a yard but on fourth down, Brown reeled off 24 yards to a first down on the Waite nine. Hill lost two yards in recovering his own fumble, but Johnson made it up on the next play when he was turned loose around his left end for a touchdown. Brown carried the extra point over to make the score 13-0, just as the period ended. The Tigers marched to their third touchdown the third time they got the ball. Dick Jacobs put them in position with a brilliant 41-yard return of a Toledo punt, to the 31-yard line. Brown went to the 18 around his right end on the next play and here the Tigers got a series of breaks that helped them on their way. They fumbled and Waite recovered, but Waite was offside and penalized five yards. Brown ran to a first down on the five-yard line and another offside penalty against Waite put the ball on the one-yard line. Brown smacked through right tackle with room to spare for a touchdown. Hill tried to sneak through with the extra point but failed.
Waite took the following kickoff on the 37 and marched the ball the remaining distance of the field for a touchdown. Once the Tigers had the Indians apparently stopped on the locals’ 40-yard line, but an offside penalty against Massillon started Waite moving again. Using power plays on off tackle smashes, the Toledo boys bulled their way to first downs on the 38-yard line, 23-yard line and 11-yard line against a weakening Tiger. Here the Tigers made the mistake of taking time out with only 35 seconds left to play. A five-yard penalty for offside advanced the ball to the six and another offside penalty put it down on the one. The Tigers went into an eight-man line. Steve Katich plunged into the Massillon line but was thrown back. Waite took time out. Thomas hit center for no gain and Waite again was given a time out when two substitutes entered the game. As Waite came out of its huddle time was again started and apparently the half had expired before the ball was passed to Quarterback Bill White who sneaked it over by inches.
Coach Chuck Mather and assistants rushed on to the field to protest the stopping of the clock when the two Toledo substitutes entered the game prior to the last play claiming the Toledo team had already used its timeouts and should have been given a five-yard penalty.
The officials did not allow the protest.
Ronald Bedee placekicked the extra point and that wound up the scoring for the game at 19-7. As it turned out there was no need for the second half, for neither team was able to get the ball legally over the other’s goal line and players contented themselves with ramming faces into the mud. * * * THE NEAREST the Tigers came to the Waite goal the second half was the 18-yard line but the effort ended when Waite covered a fumble by Roderick on a double reverse. Waite likewise drove to the Tiger 13 in the fourth period but also lost the ball on the 13. The game ended with the Tigers marching 40 yards to a first down on the Toledo 25.
The victory was the Tigers’ seventh in eight games and also ended a 10-game winning streak for Toledo Waite that began in the later part of the 1947 season. Undoubtedly the local eleven will receive at least a fourth place ranking in the scholastic football polls next week, for it was tied with Waite for fourth in this week’s Associated Press poll and was two notches behind the Indians in a rival news poll, all of which shows that football polls are no more accurate than those of the presidential variety.
Because the Waite stadium does not have a dressing room, Tiger players dressed at their hotel and returned to it immediately after the game.
We hate to think what the hotel rooms must have looked line after the local boys got through taking off their dirty togs. They did take one precaution to try to keep the place clean – they had house slippers with them so they would not have to walk through the hotel lobby and halls in their muddy football cleats.
Jack Houston, was the only local player removed from the contest because of injuries. He suffered a strained knee.
Coach Mather used fewer players than at any time this season, with only 20 boys getting into the game.
The Tigers have two games yet to play. Next Friday they take on Barberton in the local stadium and once again have an old score to settle in that encounter, for Barberton, the 1947 state champion, was one of four teams to tie the Massillon Bengal down last year.
After the Barberton game comes the traditional daylight clash with Canton McKinley to be played Nov. 20 in Tiger stadium.
Touchdowns: Massillon – Brown 2; Johnson. Waite – White.
Points after touchdown: Massillon – Brown (carried). Waite – Bedee (placekick).
Referee – Paul Landis. Umpire – George Meulich. Head Linesman – Forrest Fordham. Field Judge – Frank Toth.
Statistics Of The Game Mass. Waite First downs 10 10 Passes attempted 1 2 Passes completed 0 0 Yards gained rushing 201 189 Yards lost 8 11 Net yards gained 193 178 Times kicked off 5 0 Average kickoff (yards) 53 — Yards kickoffs returned by 0 70 Times punted 1 2 Average punt 29 38 Yards punts returned by 54 0 Times fumbled 4 4 Lost ball on fumbles 1 3 Times penalized 8 4 Yards penalized 40 30
Tigers Whip Warren 39-14 For Sixth Victory Of Season Passes And Long Runs Provide Thrills For Father’s Night Crowd
By LUTHER EMERY
Writing their scores both in the sky and on the ground, the Washington high Tigers romped through Warren Harding, high here Friday evening for a 39-14 triumph and their sixth in seven games before a small crowd of 11,000 fans.
Uncorking a potent passing attack for the first time, the Tiger gridders showed off before their dads who were seated on the sidelines and who at the end of the game wore grins on their faces as big as the numbers on their backs.
It was Dads’ night and a good night for the Massillon gridders to perform. Because it was Dads’ night, Warren was undoubtedly saved from a more humiliating defeat for Coach “Chuck” Mather, eager to give every boy a chance to show his Dad how it is done, swept his bench of players and used all 44 uniformed men in the game, the greatest number that has ever participated in a Washington high school game, as far as we have been able to learn.
The Tigers took Warren to the races, with Tiger backs getting off to long runs for touchdowns. The only sad part of it all is that it had to happen to a grand guy like J.O. (Heinie) Beck, Warren coach.
It was a game in which the statistics belied the score. You don’t chalk up first downs when a fellow covers 60 yards for a touchdown. You give him six points instead and as a result Warren had 11 first downs to the Tigers’ six.
The yards gained tell the truer picture, however, for here the local eleven rolled up 480 to Warren’s 251. * * * THE PANTHERS scored as expected, causing Coach Mather his only concern of the game. “If we could only keep somebody from scoring,” he moaned after the contest while the public address announcement of Canton McKinley’s 46-7 victory over Alliance was still ringing in his ears.
The Tigers came out of the game in pretty good shape, though Jim Reichenback and Dick Jacobs were touched up with injuries which were not believed to be too serious.
The boys ran for the goal line like a colt for the oats bin, as they fattened the Tiger scoring column with points. Most of the local team’s scores, were on long thrusts. Clarence Johnson went 31 and 60 yards for two of the touchdowns and snared a pass from Jack Hill good for 34 yards and a third score. Irvin Crable scored from 14 yards out and Al Brown got away for jaunts of 60 and 47 yards.
Warren was stubborn the first half and the visiting linemen fought hard to trap Tiger ball carriers. They could be moved easier the last two periods, however, when the Tigers did most of their scoring. The Warren touchdown drives were unleashed with the Tiger second stringers in the game, though the first team line was on the field when a third period five-yard pass produced Warren’s first touchdown. * * * THE RUNNING of the Tiger backs was some of the hardest of the season, but when Coach Mather grades his pictures he will probably find the overall performance of the team was below that of the Mansfield game.
There were many hard blocks, some weak ones too, and many instances of tacklers sliding off Warren ball carriers when a good shoulder might have brought the runner to earth.
With it all the Massillon gridders score was 14 points better than that made by Canton McKinley against Warren, but the Bulldogs on the other hand held the Panthers scoreless.
Most pleasant part of the performance was the improvement in the Tiger passing attack. The team completed seven of 10 attempts for 183 yards, and climaxed the aerial works by going 87 yards for the last touchdown in two pass plays.
Passes also figured in other touchdown drives. Jack Hill was given the best protection accorded him this season, affording him every opportunity to pick out his receivers. * * * HERB EDINGTON, the guy who ran the Tigers wobbly at Warren last year, was once again the offensive star of the visiting team, though Teammates Bill Bevan and Williams were close behind.
Edington churned up the turf with his hard running and actually exploded through tackle in the fourth quarter to score the visitors’ second touchdown from 14 yards out.
The Tigers rolled to a touchdown the first time they came into possession of the ball. Only a few seconds more than four minutes of the first period had expired when on fourth down and a yard to go, Clarence Johnson was given the ball on a double reverse. The Warren team was completely fooled as he raced around left end for 31 yards and six points. Jerry Krisher placekicked the extra point.
Warren got to the 20-yard line toward the close of the quarter, its deepest penetration of Tiger territory in the entire first half, but lost the ball on a fumble. The Tigers took over and after an exchange of punts, launched a touchdown drive from their own 31. With the help of a 33-yard pass to Johnson and a 19-yarder caught by Roderick, they advanced the ball to the 14-yard line from where Irvin Crable went over on a double reverse. Two Warren tacklers sensed the play, but were taken out of Crable’s path by some timely blocking. * * * THE TIGERS shot the works in the third period and scored every time they came into possession of the ball. It didn’t take two minutes to get the first when on the fourth play of the second half, Johnson burst through the Warren line to run 60 yards for a touchdown.
Al Brown followed with another 60 yarder the next time he came into possession of the ball, and with a 26-0 lead, Coach Mather began sending in a steady stream of substitutes who soon found Warren was a pretty tough bunch to handle. The Panthers shoved the second string line backward and rolled 65 yards to the seven-yard line where Coach Mather decided to give his first string line a try at a goal line stand. Two plays later the visitors had their first touchdown on Robison’s peg to Manyak.
Only one minute and 43 seconds of the third period remained but it didn’t take the Tigers that long to get their next score as they took the kickoff, moved to the 47 where Al Brown was released for a dash into pay dirt that brought the score to 32-7.
Warren marched right back with the kickoff from the Panthers’ own 45-yard line to the 14 where Edington broke away for the visitors’ second touchdown.
The Tigers final score came the last time they managed to gain possession of the ball. They stopped a Warren drive on their own 18, were penalized five for being in motion, then took to the air for two plays and a touchdown. Johnson took a lateral, dropped back and fired a terrific pass that Jack Houston caught on the Warren 34, where he was downed in his tracks. Hill rifled the ball the rest of the distance to Johnson, who scampered over for the Tigers’ last points of the game.
In beating Warren 39-14, the Tiger players accomplished one of their objectives – that of whipping the Panthers by a greater score than that made by Alliance in a pre-season practice game which Alliance won 12-7.
The local gridders will now turn their attention toward the invasion of Toledo Waite next Friday evening. The sophomores will go to Mansfield today for a scrimmage with Augie Morningstar’s youngsters. Smiles For Dads
Touchdowns: Massillon – Johnson 3; Brown 2; Crable. Warren – Manyake, Edington.
Points after touchdown: Massillon – Krisher 2; Johnson (placekicks). Warren – Bevan 2 (placekicks).
Statistics Of The Game Mass. Warren First downs 6 11 Passes attempted 10 17 Passes completed 7 10 Had passes intercepted 1 0 Yards gained passing 183 91 Yards gained rushing 297 166 Total yards gained 480 257 Yards lost 6 37 Net yards gained 474 220 Times punted 2 5 Average punt (yards) 33 35 Punts returned by (yards) 28 0 Times kicked off 7 3 Average kickoff (yards) 45 43 Kickoffs returned by (yards) 69 123 Times fumbled 2 4 Lost ball on fumble 1 1 Times penalized 7 2 Yards penalized 35 10
Tigers Smash Mansfield 33-7 Before 13,200 Fans Inspired Massillon Gridders Come From Behind To Win Game
By LUTHER EMERY
A spirited Washington high school football team regained its prestige in Ohio scholastic football circles at Mansfield Friday evening by walloping a highly regarded Mansfield Tyger 33-7 before 13,200 fans, the largest crowd ever to witness a football game in the Richland county seat.
It was an aroused Massillon Tiger that disposed of that of Augie Morningstar former coach, who transferred his football knowledge to Mansfield two years ago.
Program Cover
The local eleven, far from the passive team that dropped a 14-0 decision to Alliance last week clawed its way to victory in what was probably the cleanest game ever played between teams of the two schools. In fact the hard, gentlemanly play by members of both teams and the conduct of fans of the two cities vindicated the confidence of those individuals in the ability of the schools to carry on friendly relations after they had been almost strained to the breaking point last fall.
Mansfield, leaning over backward to be friendly and a good host, gave one of the finest half-time shows ever seen on any gridiron and showed Massillon what a well-lighted field looks like.
The Tigers, after trailing Mansfield 7-0 for one and two-thirds periods, scored two touchdowns in the last four minutes of the second quarter to lead 13-7 at the half. * * * MANSFIELD was not out of the ball game by any means when intermission was over, but Clarence Johnson broke its spirit in the first Massillon play from scrimmage in the third period when he ran 76 yards for a touchdown.
Morningstar’s team was never the same after that. It was broken in spirit, fought on, but weakened as the game progressed while the local gridders, sensing victory played harder ball with every passing minute.
They scored two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter to roll up a bigger score over their Mansfield opponents than any of their most loyal followers had ever dreamed of.
It was a case similar to that which took place at Alliance last week, only this time Massillon was the team that was fighting high, and Coach Morningstar said after the game, “I think you could have beaten anyone tonight, I hope you can stay right up there and win the rest.”
Augie tore across the field after the final gun to congratulate Coach “Chuck” Mather, who was being carried off the field on the shoulders of his players. * * * THE MASSILLON dressing room was a contrasting sight to that of last week. Instead of players sitting with their chins between their knees, there was singing in the shower room and everyone was happy. Quite a few fans barged in to congratulate players and coaches, who in winning the 13th game played between the two schools since 1936 had likewise shaken off the old hex number. The record in 13 games now stands at 10 Tiger victories and three ties. Mansfield has yet to win a game from the Tigers.
The local eleven was able to coordinate its offensive efforts for touchdown drives last night, though at first it appeared that the jinx would continue when the first couple of maneuvers were partially blocked by penalties. Once the Tigers got rolling, however they rolled off considerable yardage, most of it between the tackles, where scouting reports showed Mansfield to be weakest.
The ball carriers had a night for themselves but only Clarence Johnson and Irvin Crable were able to score. Fans have waited long for Clarence to come forth with a performance such as he did last night, and it was just as long a wait for him, but he ran as he is capable of running and got away for touchdown jaunts of 40 yards, 76 yards and 22 yards all on different types of plays. The first came on a statue, the second on a burst right through the middle of the Mansfield forward wall and the third on a double reverse.
Crable scored one from four yards out and the other from nine. Dick Jacobs returning to the backfield for the first time this season after having been sidelined with injuries, helped make the Tigers a better team. He ran well, punted, and played good defensive ball. * * * HIS LONGEST run of the game, a jaunt of 35 yards, set up the fourth touchdown with a first down on the nine-yard line, but he was knocked out when tackled. Fans feared for the worst but the blow only knocked Dick out of his head and by the end of the game he was begging Coach Mather to put him back in. So was Capt. Al Brown who was knocked out early in the second quarter by a similar blow and who did not play thereafter. Little Eddie Bush and Ray Lane carried on during the absence of the two players and did creditable pieces of work. In fact Bush almost got away for one touchdown jaunt.
The Tigers’ offense was effective and beat Mansfield in both score and statistics. First downs were 15 to 8 in the local teams’ favor and it also gained 461 yards from scrimmage to 190 for Mansfield.
Morningstar’s team made nearly half of its yardage on its first touchdown drive of 81 yards which was launched the first time it came into possession of the ball.
The Tigers had received the opening kickoff, had two first downs and would have had a third first down on the Mansfield 37, had they not been illegally in motion. Mansfield stopped the march, forced Dick Jacobs to punt, Tommy Tucker being downed with the return on his own 19. With big Charles Jenkins doing most of the ball carrying the Tygers slammed their way to five straight first downs as they ripped apart the center of the Massillon line to gain a first down on the 15. The locals threw their opponents back to the 19 but on third down Joe Miller whipped around his left end for the touchdown and Howard Tipper kicked the extra point. * * * MANSFIELD had moved so early through the local team that no one would have bet the touchdown was the Tygers’ last of the evening.
It gave them a 7-0 lead at the quarter, but the locals plugged the leak, and got a break on the last play of the period when Ben Roderick flopped on a punted ball fumbled by Tucker on the 24.
Three plays netted a first down on the 13 and when Jack hill attempted to pass on first down, Jenkins intercepted the ball near his goal line and charged back to the 50 where he was pulled down.
Mansfield got as far as the 30 where it lost the pigskin on downs and the Tigers took over to launch a 70-yard touchdown drive. They found a weakness in the Mansfield line and began making the most of it. Jacobs, Johnson and Crable carried for five first downs and put the ball on the four-yard line where Crable took it over on third down. What looked like an important point was lost when Johnson’s attempted placekick was blocked by Norbet Shibinski. * * * THE TIGERS only needed two minutes to score another as a result of a break in the game. Two plays after the kickoff, Roderick covered a fumbled lateral to Joe Miller on the Tygers 22. The Tigers were set back 15 yards for clipping but Johnson, taking the ball from Hill on a statue, went 40 yards for a touchdown and kicked the extra point to make the score 13-7 at the half.
An attempted on side kick went into the hands of a Mansfield player on the latter’s 48 as the second half got underway. The locals’ defense stiffened and forced the Tygers to punt, Crable bringing the ball back to his 24. On the first play Johnson exploded through the Mansfield line and given some good blocking ran 76 yards for a touchdown. He missed the kick for the extra point.
The teams exchanged punts and the Tigers got the ball on their own 20 just as the third period ended.
It was Johnson to his 33, Crable to the Mansfield 49, Jacobs to the nine-yard line and Crable around right end for the touchdown. Johnson’s extra point made it 26-7.
The final march began from an out-of-bounds punt on the Mansfield 48. A 37-yard pass to Don Slicker overcame a 15-yard clipping penalty and put the ball on the 37. Crable made it first on the 26 and Bush went to the 7. Hill was thrown for a big loss, but Johnson made up for it by loping in with a touchdown on a double reverse. He kicked this point too, the last of the game. * * * THE TIGERS’ defensive efforts to stop Miller, Tucker and Jenkins succeeded well in the case of Tucker, but both Miller and Jenkins ambled away to good gains.
Tucker gained a total of 14 yards and lost seven in six ball carrying attempts for a net gain of seven yards. Miller gained 44 and lost four for a net gain of 40 in seven attempts, while Jenkins rolled up 104 yards and only once was tossed for a loss of two. He played a great offensive game and carried the ball 17 times.
Johnson reeled off 207 yards for the Tigers in 14 tries. Crable 97 yards in 14 tries; Brown nine yards in four tries; Jacobs 92 yards in seven attempts and Bush 21 yards in two. Jack Hill made 15 yards the only time he went forward. He was twice tossed for losses of 13 and nine yards while attempting to pass.
Mather started off the game by playing a six man line for the first time this season but after Mansfield rammed through its touchdown, the Tigers dropped back into a five which throttled further efforts to score.
The victory was the local team’s fifth in six game. Warren, Toledo Waite, Barberton and Canton McKinley will be taken on in order for the next four weeks with all but the Waite game to be played here. The Booster club has chartered a special train to convey fans to the Toledo game. The Baltimore and Ohio railroad has promised to furnish air conditioned coaches. The fair will be $5.41 round trip including round trip bus tickets between the railroad station in Toledo and the football field. The tentative schedule calls for the train to leave at 3:30 p.m. Since it will be operating most of the way over the railroad’s main line, it is scheduled to arrive in Toledo not later than 7 p.m.
Touchdowns: Massillon – Johnson 3; Crable 2. Mansfield – Joe Miller.
Points after touchdown: Massillon – Johnson 3 (placekicks). Mansfield – Tippen (placekick).
Referee – Gross. Umpire – Brown. Head Linesman – Schaffer. Field Judge – Jenkins.
Statistics Of The Game Mass. Man. First downs 15 8 Passes attempted 9 6 Passes completed 1 2 Had passes intercepted 1 1 Yards gained passing 20 19 Yards gained rushing 441 171 Total yards gained 461 190 Yards lost 24 17 Net yards gained 437 173 Times punted 3 4 Average punt (yards) 32 35 Returned punts 41 30 Times kicked off 6 2 Average kickoff (yards) 43 44 Times fumbled 0 2 Lost ball on fumbles 0 2 Times penalized 8 4 Yards penalized 80 20
