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1904: Massillon 0 Wooster 5

September 1, 1904July 6, 2017
by Eric Smith

STORY OF 1st actual game follows this story
Wooster vs. Massillon
(This Game Considered a Scrimmage or Exhibition)

THE FOOTBALL SEASON OPENED
High School is Defeated 15-5 by Rowdies
MANY STARS ARE DEVELOPED

Rowdies Too Heavy for High School Players,
but the Latter Fought a Brave Fight Against Big Odds
H.S. Gives Promise for the Coming Season
Sheehan Shows Good Points

The High School and Rowdy football teams made a march on the Tigers and Reserves Friday and ushered in the 1904 football season with the first practice game in this vicinity. The High School lads have been practicing for the past week and their formations went off well. The Rowdies, a team on which were two of last year’s Reserve team, played aggressively, but without team work, the score standing 15-5 in their favor at the end of twenty and fifteen minute halves.

The practice served to show up the strong and weak points of both teams and incidentally unearthed a player, heretofore unthought of, in the person of Sheehan, who played fullback for the picked team during the second half. Sheehan is a novice at the game. He weighs about one hundred and sixty pounds, and the way he tore the High School line to pieces on line bucks and broke up interference shows that he will be a valuable addition to the second team squad. On three occasions he broke up end runs and tackled Albright for losses of from ten to twenty-five yards.

Tim Nolan, another Reserve player, was a star of the game, his end runs, line bucks and tackles assisting his team to win. Pat Nolan, a younger brother to Tim, played like a little Tiger at end and tackled on numerous occasions for losses. With more weight young Nolan would be a valuable man to the Reserves.

For the High School Albright made the largest gains on the offense and his defensive work was up to the standard. B. McFarren ran the team in good shape from the quarterback position. Smith at left end for the High School made many star tackles on the defensive. Kirchhofer’s line bucks from the fullback position were surprisingly effective for one so light, and with practice the High School team promises to show well against the average high school teams of the state. Merwin looks well after the right end, tackling fiercely and stopping end runs effectively.

Nick Myers, captain of the Rowdies, began the game at the fullback position and played a hard game, sustaining a slight injury in one scrimmage which necessitated a change in the lineup, Lipps going to half and Myers to center, where he and Tucker battled royally for honors. Trotter, at right guard for the Rowdies, gives promise of developing into a valuable man for the Reserves. Burkle who played the quarterback position for the Rowdies, did some star tackling, on one occasion saving a touchdown after a long run by Albright. Another player who gives promise for the second team is Buchman, who played left halfback for the Rowdies.

The lineup with scored and summary was:
Rowdies – 15            Pos.        High School – 5
Lipps, Myers           Center                    Tucker
Hammer                    R.G.                 Ratchford
Trotter                      R.T.                     Pierson
Nolan                        R.E.                     Merwin
Slicker                      L.G.                 G. Kaylor
Fricker                      L.E.                        Smith
Meinhart                   L.T.                        Jones
Burkle                      Q.B.                 McFarren
N. Myers
Sheehan                    F.B.                Kirchhofer
Buchman, Nolan       L.H.                     Albright
List                           R.H.                   Burkhart

Referee – Stewart.

Time of halves – 20 and 15 minutes.

Score,
first half – 5 to 5;
final score – 15 to 5 in favor of Rowdies.

WOOSTER vs.
MASSILLON HIGH

This afternoon the Massillon High School and Wooster High School football teams open the season in Massillon. The new park grounds have been laid off in good shape by Manager Charles Breiter and the crowd of spectators will probably see a good game, unless the visitors come loaded with foreign talent.

The Massillon High vs. Wooster High School game Wednesday showed that the locals have some strong material for the season in spite of the handicap which they have to work against when pitted against such husky opponents as was their lot Wednesday. Wooster’s beef and brawn proved too much for the locals at times during the game. The score should have been 0-0, however, as the touchdown made by Wooster was a fluke pure and simple, a Wooster man making a thirty-five yard run for a touchdown on a fumble.

History

1903: Massillon 0 Canton Central 8

October 9, 1903July 6, 2017
by Eric Smith

CANTON H.S. – 8,
MASSILLON – 0.
High School Football Team Beaten

OUTWEIGHED BY MANY POUNDS

Showing of the Massillon Team Was Fine Considering Handicap Which They Were Forced to Give in Weight
A Touchdown, Goal and Safety Responsible for the Score

Although defeated by the Canton high school by the score of 8-0 in the game at Meyer’s Lake Friday afternoon the Massillon high school football team has every reason to feel proud of the showing made, in view of the great disparagement in the average weight of the two teams. After having held the heavy Cantonians to a 5-0 score on the Massillon high school grounds last Friday, the local students were inclined to feel that with more coaching and practice they would defeat their heavier opponents in the second game. It was impossible, however, for the lighter linemen of this city to push aside the heavy guards, center, tackles and ends of the Canton team for any substantial gains. On the other hand Canton was forced to abandon the end running game and resort to line bucking where their weight soon told on the light Massillon forwards and a touchdown was made, not, however, until after a stubborn resistance of every inch of territory on the part of Massillon’s plucky team. The touchdown was followed by a goal. Previously, the Canton team had carried the ball almost to the goal line of the Massillon players, where they were held and the ball went to Massillon. On a few attempted line plunges the locals were unable to score and were forced back for a safety, probably the first instance of the kind in this vicinity for several years. A safety counts two points for the opposing team, and this with the touchdown and goal made the score 8-0, all in the first half, no scoring being done in the second half.

For Massillon Wert, Albright, Myers and Smith played the star game and were ably supported by the entire team. For Canton, there was no particular stars, the entire team playing steady, consistent football. No great variety of plays were tried, the Canton team contenting itself with line plunges, principally the “tackles over” formation, which was a good ground gainer. For Massillon, the quarterback tricks, end runs and line plunges were but partially successful. Wert and Kirchhofer ran the team in good shape at quarterback and easily out-generaled the captain of the other team, whose judgment was somewhat poor at critical times in the selection of plays. For the Massillon high school Smith, who has been playing left tackle, showed promise of developing into one of the most valuable men on the team. He was in every play, and showed that quality of “nerve” which is required in a successful football player.

Captain Albright, of the local team was also a star in many of the plays. It was his tackle in the first half which prevented another touchdown, after Canton’s right half had circled the end for a forty yard run, and was almost over the line. In line plunging Albright was at his best; although he is still inclined to hit the line a little high, his form was otherwise good.

For Canton, Captain Buckwalter, at quarter, ran his team in good shape, but was guilty of considerable fumbling at critical times. It is this feature which in all probability saved the locals from a higher score. The visitors had weight enough on the line to run up a much higher score under favorable circumstances, but lacked the spirit which characterized the play of the Massillon boys.

Line-up:

CANTON                      Pos.                MASSILLON
Lowman                          L.E.                              Smith
Marsh                             L.T.                          Limbach
Winger                            L.G.                             Stoner
Gibson                              C                              Tucker
Brambaugh                     R.G.                         Hollinger
Holl                                 R.T.                         Burkhart
Williams and                    R.E.                               Wert
Lowenstein
Buckwalter (capt.)          Q.B.                      Kirchhofer
Gould                             R.H.                            Kaylor
Kennedy                         L.H.                         Schnierle
Robb                              F.B.                Albright (capt.)

Officials:
Canton – Unfair.
Massillon – Markel; Willenborg; and Harrison.

NOTES OF THE GAME

In the last half it took the combined efforts of Chief Ertle and Officers Wittmann and Wissmar to keep the crowd back.

When Wert broke through the crowd in the last half it looked good for a touchdown, but he stumbled over the feet of Buckwalter, whom he had “stiff armed,” and fell.

Benny Gans, who was on the grounds ready to line up with the high school team, was barred by the vigorous kicking of Captain Buckwalter on the grounds that he was not a bona fide student of the school.

With Gans at the other end of the line to Wert, the Canton team would never have had a ghost of a show to score on ends runs.

About four hundred people witnessed the contest and evinced the utmost excitement at times. The principal “rooters” were the girls from Massillon and Canton high schools, who formed into “rooters” bands with horns and made considerable noise.

History

1903: Massillon 0 Canton Central 5

October 2, 1903July 6, 2017
by Eric Smith

September 24, 1903

The Massillon high school football players are beginning to organize and expect to turn out a strong team this season. According to the Canton schedule, published in the Canton papers some days ago, the first game of the season will be played against the Massillon team at Canton. If this is correct it would behoove the local high school stars to begin their work at once.

September 29, 1903

The Massillon high school football team held practice Monday evening on the high school grounds in anticipation of the game Friday afternoon against the Canton high school team, in Massillon. Placards advertising the coming game have been placed in conspicuous places about town and the management expects a large attendance. The local team is putting in some hard work at practice and expects to make a good showing.

CANTON WON
BY SMALL SCORE
Massillon High School Team Defeated 5-0

LOCAL TEAM WAS OUTWEIGHED

The Cantons Averaged
Twenty Pounds More Per Man Than the Local line
Wert and Albright the Stars for the Locals
Benny Gans Ruled Out as Ineligible

Although outweighed almost twenty pounds to the man, the Massillon high school football team succeeded in holding the strong Canton high school team down to a single touchdown in thirty-five minutes of play on the high school grounds Friday. This, too, was made after Massillon had been given the opportunity to boot the ball out of danger and only a short time before the first half was over.

In the second half, the Massillon team not only did the greater part of the work, but almost scored a touchdown within the last few seconds of play, on a beautiful fifty yard run by Wert, who was playing left end for the high school boys. Wert was easily the star of the game. His tackling and running with the ball were the best. At times when a few yards were needed on the last down, Wert could be depended upon to make the required distance.

History