Akron Rubber Bowl Archives - Page 2 of 3

1987: Massillon 34, Barberton 28

September 26, 1987August 17, 2017
by Eric Smith

Strange magic shades Tiger victory
Rubber Bowl ‘goblins’ emerge in Barberton comeback

By STEVE DOERSCHUK
Independent Sports Editor

AKRON ‑ Rubber Bowl goblins howled in record decibels Saturday night, but through the chaotic uproar John Maronto could hear the victory bell.

“Anybody who has been in coaching for a while will tell you a win is a win is a win,” said Maronto, whose Massillon football team won 34‑28 over Barberton in front of 8,000 fans. About 2,000 stragglers remained at the end. They learned that the way to a win is a maze with a billion possible courses.

Or, considering Barberton’s comeback from a 34‑7 deficit against Massillon’s second and third units, perhaps a billion‑and‑one. In this case, the Tigers won only after Barberton running back Jim Ferguson scored three touchdowns on short sweeps in the final three minutes of the game. The segment left the Tigers with two key injuries.

“Our guys played like little tigers,” said elated Barberton head coach Don Ault, whose assistants were telling the players, “We’re going 8‑2! We’re going 8‑2!” in the background. The loss dropped the Magics to 2‑2.

Massillon Tiger fans began seeking the path back to S. R. 241 soon after senior tailback Jerome Myricks capped the latest of his spectacular nights, sweeping right and breaking tackles until he broke clear along the sideline and finished off a 43‑yard touchdown run on the second play of the second half.

The run was at once a comment on Myricks’ ability and on the domination the Tiger first string imposed on the Magics. Sprawled flat either by textbook blocks or tackles broken by Myricks were Barberton defenders at the 47, 40, 35 and 30 yard lines. At the end of the connect‑the‑dots run, Lee Hurst booted a P.A.T. kick and the Tigers led 34‑7.

Myricks, a 5‑11, 181‑pounder with 4.5 40 speed and a rare slithering sense that makes tacklers miss, also scored on runs of 34 and 54 yards en route to rushing 190 yards in just 10 carries.

The Tigers won their third straight game, heading into Friday’s grudge match against Austintown‑Fitch, and improved to 3‑1. In the four games, Myricks has rushed 51 times for 466 yards at a science‑fiction 9.1 per carry. He has scored nine touchdowns, seven on the ground and two on passes.

Opponents are starting to look at Myricks and say, “Phone home, Jerome.” Except for sporadic bouts with the dreaded fumblitis, he’s been out of this world.

Ault, Barberton’s 57‑year‑old, first‑year head coach, called Myricks one of the nation’s best high school backs. And then he called attention to the fact the Tigers substituted with their second and third units after it was 34‑7.

“I want to thank Massillon and Coach Maronto for what they did for us,” Ault said. “That’s nothing but a classy operation.” Translation: Ault was elated his team could avoid a demoralizing blowout.

Myricks’ final touchdown lifted Massillon’s edge in net offense to 303‑92 at that point of the game.

“We asked our second and third teams to hold the lead,” Maronto said. “Some strange things happened, but they did hold the lead.”

In a bit of foreshadowing, four of the first eight plays of the fourth quarter resulted in one team recovering the other team’s fumble. The latter three fumbles occurred consecutively, and the last was Magic fullback Pat Robertson’s bobble that gave the Tigers possession at midfield. After three plays and a punt. Barberton took over at its own with seven minutes left in the game.

One of an endless stream of flags (the Tigers were penalized 14 times for 106 yards; the Magics lost 96 yards on 11 infractions) advanced the ball to midfield on an illegal block. Scrappy little Barberton quarterback Butch Momchilov, ineffective to that point, suddenly got hot. The 5‑foot‑10 junior delivered a strike over the middle to 6‑2 senior Jim Bell, who was tackled on the 6.

On the next play, Ferguson, a 6‑foot speedball, sprinted around left end and went untouched into the left corner of the end zone. Dan Dimick’s kick made it 34‑14, but only 2:53 remained.

Seconds later the Magics regained possession on a fumble 32 yards away from the goal line. Momchilov quickly passed over the middle again, this time to Ferguson at the 9. At that point, the Tigers sent their first unit back on the field.

But Ferguson scored again anyway on the same play that had got him the previous touchdown. Again he easily found the left corner of the end zone.

It was a costly play for the Tigers. Co‑captain John Miller, who had checked back into the game at inside linebacker, re‑injured a sprained ankle that sidelined him during much of the pre‑season.
“It looks like John’s ankle is going to keep him out a while,” Maronto said solemnly.
Attendants formed a human seat to carry Miller off the field. Dimick then kicked another P.A.T. and it was 34‑21 with 1: 37 left.

The Magics’ luck hadn’t run out. Barberton sophomore Mark Jung dove on the ensuing onside kick, which had squibbed all the way to the Massillon 36‑yard line. Momchilov again heaved a bomb over the middle to Ferguson, who caught the ball at the 5. The Magics called their second time out, then threw an incomplete pass, then turned Ferguson loose on the by‑now familiar sweep left. He scored again, Dimick made the kick ‘ and suddenly the Magics were within a miracle of victory with 28 seconds left in the game.

Barberton players turned to the few hundred fans left on the home side of the Rubber Bowl, exhorting them to get up and holler. Even though the Tigers got the ball when the ensuing onside kick went out of bounds, and sat on it until the clock expired, the Magics hollered off into the night as if something wonderful had happened.

In the Massillon camp, there was concern over injuries to Miller and to defensive tackle James Bullock, who also re‑injured an ankle during one of the late defensive stands.

The Tigers had established their dominance early. Barberton received the opening kickoff and punted after three plays. Massillon unleashed several of its weapons on a 10‑play, 75‑yard touchdown march. Runs by Myricks, Stafford and Vernon Riley and passes from quarterback Erik White to Wrentie Martin and Gerald Pope systematically moved the ball from the Tiger 30 to the Magics’ 34.

The Tigers were so confident they could move the ball that they went for it on fourth and inches from their own 39. White sneaked for the first down. On second down from the 34, Myricks followed fine blocking on an apparent 10‑yard gain up the middle. But using his surprising power, he exploded out of a three man pack to streak into the right corner of the end zone. The point‑after kick failed and it was 6‑0.

The Tigers forced another punt then had to punt themselves, but got the ball back when Magic return man Erik James fumbled. Jason Relford pounced on the ball at the Barberton 34.

White drilled a rocket into the end zone that Craig York couldn’t contain. It became fourth and four, when the bench sent in a play that worked beautifully, the old bootleg. Martin went in motion right, influencing the Magic defense in that direction. White deftly faked a handoff right to the fullback and tucked it in his gut while whirling around the left side. The 6‑51/2 senior weaved his way into the end zone on a 27‑yard run. A two‑point run failed and it was 12‑0 with 10:17 left in the first half.

“The Tiger defense again stopped Barberton on three plays. Massillon took over on its own 46 after the punt. On the first play, Myricks followed good blocking over the right side then popped outside to where he had clear sailing for a spectacular 54‑yard touchdown run. Lee Hurst’s kick made it 19‑0 with 8:23 left in the second quarter.

The Tigers would have had good field possession again moments later but Myricks, playing deep man on the punt, fumbled and the Magics’ instead got the field possession at their own 46. Aided by two personal foul penalties, they moved 54 yards in six plays, capped by a 4‑yard run by Ferguson, who started left on a sweep then made a quick cutback and scored easily.

Late in the half, the Tigers mounted another running passing drive that resulted in a score. They covered 63 yards in seven plays, with Miller, playing running back, bolting over from the one. Riley ran for a two‑point conversion and it was 27‑7 with 1:37 left in the first half.

Stafford wound up with another good night at fullback, gaining 78 yards in only eight carries.
Ferguson carried 15 times for 103 yards. Robertson, the brother of NBA point guard Alvin Robertson, carried 19 times for 70 yards.

White completed four of 10 passes for 40 yards before being relieved early in the second half by Hurst. Momchilov finished with nine completions in 18 throws for 111 yards.

In Rubber Bowl games against Barberton, the Tigers lost 9‑7, in 1977, won 21‑6 in 1979, lost 26‑24 in 1981, won 38‑7 in 1983, and came from behind at halftime to win 30‑20 in 1985.

Meanwhile, most of the Massillon‑Barberton games played in Paul Brown Tiger Stadium have been Tiger romps, including last year’s 56‑0 blowout.

The Tigers now turn their attention to Austintown Fitch, which desperately needs a win after its 2‑2 start. Fitch leads the all‑time series with the Tigers 2‑0, having won in 1985 and ’86. Fitch’s head coach is former Massillon player David Hartman.

Asked about getting ready for Fitch, Maronto said, We have a lot of work to do. We have to reshuffle our thoughts a little bit and make a decision on what the best course will be.”

MASSILLON 24
BARBERTON 28
M B
First downs rushing 13 9
First downs passing 0 5
First downs by penalty 1 2
Totals first downs 14 16
Yards gained rushing 320 202
Yards lost rushing 2 8
Net yards rushing 318 194
Net yards passing 33 130
Total yards gained 351 324
Passes attempted 12 19
Passes completed 4 10
Passes int. by 0 0
Times kicked off 6 5
Kickoff average 56.0 29.8
Kickoff return yards 24 29
Punts 2 6
Punting average 25.0 29.3
Punt return yards 5 4
Fumbles 6 4
Fumbles lost 5 3
Penalties 14 11
Yards penalized 106 96
Number of plays 41 61
Time of possession 19:02 28:58

Attendance 8,000

Massillon 6 21 7 0 34
Barberton 0 7 0 21 28

First quarter
M ‑ Myricks 34 run (kick failed) 5:51. Drive covered 75 yards in 10 plays.
Second quarter
M ‑ White 27 run (pass failed) 10:17. Drive covered 33 yards in 4 plays.
M ‑ Myricks 54 run (Hurst kick) 8:23. Drive covered 54 yards in 1 play.
B ‑ Ferguson 4 run (Dimick kick) 4:26. Drive covered 54 yards in 6 plays.
M ‑ Miller 1 run (Riley run) 1:37. Drive covered 63 yards in 7 plays.
Third quarter
M ‑ Myricks 43 run (Hurst kick) 10:57. Drive covered 63 yards in 3 plays.
Fourth quarter
B ‑ Ferguson 6 run (Dimick kick) 2:53. Drive covered 81 yards in 10 plays.
B ‑ Ferguson 9 run (Dimick kick) 1:37. Drive covered 32 yards In 2 plays.
B ‑ Ferguson 5 run (Dimick kick) 0:28. Drive covered 36 yards In 5 plays.

History

1985: Massillon 30, Barberton 20

September 28, 1985August 15, 2017
by Eric Smith

Fabianich: “We’re a team”
Tigers bounce back in Rubber Bowl vs. Magics

BY STEVE DOERSCHUK
Independent Sports Editor

AKRON ‑ Maybe Saturday night’s 30‑20 victory over the Barberton Magics doesn’t mean it’s time for fans of the Massillon Tigers to get carried away.

Or maybe it does.

“I can feel McKinley week coming on,” tailback Michael Harris said in the locker room at the Rubber Bowl, where the gleeful Tigers were bouncing off the walls.

“This is the kind of game that gets you psyched,” said fullback Derick Newman, who scored three touchdowns and hammered out 123 rushing yards.

“This is the greatest feeling,” said quarterback Paul Fabianich, who engineered the Tigers’ march to a 4‑1 record, the same mark with which Barberton was left. “We’re a team. We’ve finally come together.”

Just when it looked as though the season was falling apart.

The first half had the orange army in the east stands feeling blue. Barberton scored touchdowns with 31 seconds and 14 seconds left in the half to take a 20‑9 lead.

The pleasant autumn evening which drew 12,500 to the Rubber Bowl seemed to belong to the Barberton offense.

A rerun of 1981 was developing. That season, Barberton handed the Tigers their second loss, putting the season on the skids.

In the bowels of the Rubber Bowl, Tiger head coach John Maronto did a “gut check” while the bands blared away on the artificial rug outside.

“Coach told us to keep our heads up, and we had ‘em up,” Newtown said.

“We worked to hard all summer to be down,” added Wes Siegenthaler. “We knew at halftime that we had to come together and beat somebody’s butts as a team.”

The road back took most of the third quarter to bear fruit. With 3:41 left in the period, Fabianich sneaked in on first and goal from the one. Newman took a quick handoff and went straight up the middle on a two point conversion run.

Now it was 20‑17.

Barberton wasn’t dead.

A 40‑yard kickoff return set up the Magics in good field position. They made a first down as they crossed midfield. But on first down, Tiger tackle Duane Crenshaw sacked Magic quarterback Joe Underation, setting up a Barberton punt.

The boot pinned the Tigers at their own 15 with the third quarter running out.

Things didn’t look good when tailback Mike Norris was thrown for a yard loss. But the Tigers came right back to Norris on a pitch left, and he broke into the clear for a 55‑yard gain that may have been the game’s biggest play.

Norris’ run served as a comment on the Tigers’ depth at running back. Norris was in the game because Harris had suffered a hand injury on the previous series. Harris started the game because Cornell Jackson remained sidelined while recovering from knee surgery.

The 55‑yard gain was followed by a no‑gain play to Crenshaw.

The second and 10 pickle spawned another big play.

Fabianich rolled right and looked for split end Bart Letcavits, who broke wide open on a flag pattern near the right corner of the end zone. A well thrown ball and a lunging catch resulted in a 30‑yard gain and a first down at the 1.

Crenshaw flew into the end zone on the next play. The PAT kick failed, but the Tigers led 23-20 with 10:39 left in the game.

Massillon got the ball back two plays later on Ettore Scassa’s fumble recovery at the Barberton 41. The Tigers stalled and had to punt, setting up Barberton’s chance for a last hurrah.

The Magics took over on Massillon only punt of the night at their own 17 with 5:40 left. They needed three to send the game into overtime and a TD for the win.

Pat Boone, a speedball tailback, immediately rushed 13 yards to the 30. But then Boone was stuffed for no gain, and Underation threw incomplete.

On third and 10, Underation bee-lined a strike to Charlie Ries over the middle, but the ball hit Ries in the chest and bounced away incomplete at the 45.

The Magics had to punt, and that’s bad news just about any time Siegenthaler is on the receiving end.

Siegenthaler turned what looked like nothing into a 26‑yard punt return, and the Tigers set up camp on the Barberton 36 with four minutes left.

Tigers bounce back, win

Newman plowed for two short gains before taking a third‑and‑five pitch over the right side for 31 yards and a touchdown.

Todd Manion’s kick made it 30‑20 at the 2:34 mark, and those wearing purple jackets started a mass exodus.

They missed out on some mass confusion. With less than half a minute left, Siegenthaler was roughed up after carrying for a yard. He came up, swinging, touching off a wild brawl that carried on for three minutes.

“They were taking their shots, and one guy chopped me in the throat and kicked me in the stomach after the tackle had been made,” Siegenthaler explained. “I got up, and people were coming from everywhere.”

When the smoke cleared, the officials wisely elected to end the game even though there were 10 seconds left.

In the end, there was no love lost between the teams. The players were ushered off the field, but some of the coaches stuck around to shake hands. When two Barberton coaches refused to shake hands with two Massillon coaches, angry words exchanged by the rival brain trusts.

“It was an unfortunate way for the game to end,” said Barberton head coach Jack Foltz. “But these two teams have been meeting for a long time. Feelings can run pretty hot.”

The brawl seemed to heighten the ball the Tigers had in the locker room.

The noise was deafening.

“We made a couple of bad mistakes in the first half,” Moronic said. “But we stuck with the game plan. We never compromised, and we got some tremendous efforts.

“I knew that if we were going to be a good football team we’d have to show a lot of maturity, and we showed that tonight.”

Barberton lived up to advance bill as an outstanding offensive team early, driving 71 yards in eight plays for a score after taking the opening kickoff. A fake kick backfired, and the missed PAT left the score at 6-0.

Bart Letcavits’ interception set up a 56‑yard Massillon march that produced a 23‑yard field goal by Manion on the final play of the first quarter. The score stood at 6‑3.

The Magics then started on their own 20 but were stuffed and had to punt from the 10. Siegenthaler’s 16‑yard return gave the Tigers the ball on the Magics 32. Seven runs by Newman and Harris punched the ball into the end zone, Newman going in from the one. Manion’s PAT kick was wide right, but the Tigers led 9‑6 with 7:36 left in the half.

The Magics then launched an impressive, 77‑yard drive that took 16 plays and ended with a five‑yard TD pass from Underation to Boone. Underation’s kick made it 13‑9 Barberton with just 31 seconds left in the half.

Disaster struck as Siegenthaler fumbled while returning the kickoff, giving Barberton the ball at the 21. On the first play, Underation zipped a perfect pass to Ries in the end zone.

Underation’s PAT boot gave Barberton a stunning 20‑9 lead with 14 seconds left in the half.

The Tigers dominated the statistics, leading 314‑210 in total yards, 13‑9 in first downs and 284‑97 in rushing yards.

The rushing total was a reflection of the Tigers’ offensive line playing its best rest game.

The beneficiaries were Newman, who gained his 118 yards in 23 carries, Harris, who rambled 78 yards in 14 carries, and Norris, who traveled 75 yards in seven trips.

Boone picked up 69 yards in 16 carries and fullback Roy Ferguson added 50 yards in 12 totes for Barberton.

And now, the schedule gets interesting.

The Tigers face a four‑game home stretch against Austintown‑Fitch, Cleveland St. Joseph, Akron St. Vincent‑St. Mary and Perry, then head to Fawcett Stadium to take on McKinley.

The win over Barberton was electrifying.

But the Tigers will need to produce some magic of their own to keep their loss total at “l” when McKinley week arrives.

Massillon beats Barberton

Massillon outscored Barberton 21‑0 in the second half to gain a come‑from‑behind, 30‑20 non‑league victory in high school football Saturday night at the Rubber Bowl.

The Magics, ranked third in the Beacon Journal’s Division I‑II poll, suffered their first loss of the season after four victories. Massillon, ranked 10th in the poll, is also 4-1.

Barberton took the opening kickoff and drove 63 yards touchdown on a 4‑yard run by Pat Boone.

The Tigers came back for a 9-6 lead on a 23‑yard field goal by Todd Manion and a 1‑yard touchdown ran by Derick Newman.

Barberton regained the lead when quarterback Joe Underation threw a 5‑yard touchdown pass to Boone with 39 seconds left in the first half. The Tigers fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Barberton’s Jeff Graves recovered at Massillon’s 21‑yard line.

The Magics capitalized the next play with a 21‑yard touchdown pass from Underation to Charlie Ries with 14 seconds left, giving Barberton a 20-9 halftime lead.

However, Massillon took control of the game in the second half. Tigers quarterback Paul Fabianich scored on a 1‑yard run in the third quarter, and Newman rushed for two TDs in the fourth quarter. Newman rushed for a game‑high 118 yards on 23 carries.

History

1983: Massillon 38, Barberton 7

October 15, 1983August 13, 2017
by Eric Smith

Magics won’t be pushovers – Currence

By MARK ESTEP
Indpendent Sportswriter

MASSILLON – “We don’t expect this to be an easy task. It’s another year and they’ll remember last year.”

Mike Currence told the Tiger Touchdown Club Monday that the 1983 Barberton Magics are a lot different than last year’s version which the Tigers beat soundly 43-0.

“This is a very strong Barberton team,” he said. “Our scouts said that this may be the best offensive team that we’ve seen since Garfield. They know how to move the ball and they scored against Moeller a couple of weeks ago.

“In fact, they had Moeller on the ropes,” Currence continued. “The score was only 14-7 in the fourth quarter and if Barberton hadn’t turned the ball over, it could have stayed that way or gotten even closer.”

Currence said that the staff was dismayed when the Magics dropped their opener to Akron Garfield 48-7.

“We thought Barberton was going to be down this year, but then we found out how good Garfield was.”

It will be a veteran Magic team that the Tigers face in the Rubber Bowl Saturday night. Seven offensive starters return from last season, including quarterback Ken Rector and tailback Greg Butcher. Four starters return on the offensive line including tackle Ken Adams, guard Curt Rafferty, center Dennis Meachan and right end Mike Babbin.

“A season can make a difference with an offensive line,” he said. “You can move the ball better with a seasoned line.”

Defensively, the Magics have four returnees. Adams plays defensive tackle and Mike Keim will alternate with Joel Hurst at defensive end. But the key players are the two
linebackers, — junior Bill Livingston and senior Dan Jones.

“They are the biggest linebackers we’ve seen,” said Currence. “They are the strength of the defense.”

Currence added that Adams and Mike Fields (split end-defensive back) are the only
two-way players on the team.

“They play two-platoon football so most of their players can rest. They should be rested for us.”

The Tigers will be playing on a new turf at the Rubber Bowl, installed this past spring after constant use beat up the old rug.

Going back to the Gonzaga game, Currence felt that the defense played superbly, but the offense made some mistakes.

“Mistakes hurt us,” he said. “That’s why we didn’t’ score more. They put pressure on us and dared us to throw the ball. Gonzaga wasn’t a bad team. Their defense gave us some problems.

“We made enough mistakes for the rest of year on offense,” he said. “We dropped a lot of passes that were right on the mark and other things. Hopefully, we’ll work those out.”

Tigers hope ‘bowl’ magic
is all theirs

By STEVE DUNGJEN
Independent Sports Editor

MASSILLON – Playing Barberton in recent years has been no bucket of joy for Tiger football teams.

Only one team has beaten a Mike Currence-coached Massillon squad more often than Barberton, and than stalwart opponent—nemesis is none other then Cincinnati Moeller.

Moeller, a perennial state powerhouse, has beaten Currence’s Tigers in all three meetings. Barberton has two wins, like Canton McKinley, over Massillon.

The fact that Barberton went 1-9 a year ago and suffered a humiliating 43-0 setback at the hands of the Tigers, should be treated with disdain.

For one thing the Magics of this year do not resemble last year’s unit in any way. Barberton, which had an idle week, brings a 3-2 record into tonight’s clash at the Rubber Bowl in Akron.

“Barberton has just played some great football up there against us,” noted Currence about the Magics’ ability to beat Massillon in the Rubber Bowl. “They seem to get really excited.”

Although the road game will be the first for Massillon this season after six home frays, Currence doesn’t expect that to be any factor against Barberton.

“We’ve played scrimmages on the road this year,” he said. “Barberton has been a thorn in our side, no doubt about that. Why, it’s not even their home field and they play us tough there.”

Currence recalls the 1981 game when Barberton pulled out a spine-tingling 26-24 win at the Rubber Bowl with anything but fondness.

“We had that game won and a kid runs back a kickoff after we had scored to beat us,” he said. “That Barberton team of 1977 (which won 9-7) was a great football team; they had more Big Ten college-caliber kids than we did.”

For the first time this season, and for the first time in some while against Barberton, the Tigers will be at full strength. All-everything Chris Spielman, though, is still nursing a bruised leg, but is expected to see his usual share of playing time.

“We are going in healthy. This is one game I wanted to go into with a completely healthy roster,” Currence said.

“Our scouts think they (Barberton) have got the best offense we’ve seen, and for our scouts to come back with that type of report is something else.

“Our defense will get a real challenge up there, I can tell you that much,” Currence said.

One thing the Tigers will have to adjust to is the artificial surface inside the Rubber Bowl. Due to the synthetic fiber, Massillon will wear either tennis shoes or turf shoes. The Rubber Bowl has a ‘shoe bank’, but Currence said members of the team have their own gear.

Magics’ enthusiasm keys grid fortune

By STEVE DUNGJEN
Independent Sports Editor

BARBERTON – Jack Foltz likened Barberton to the community of Massillon – places where people like their high school football nearly as much as they do weekly pay checks.

“You have to realize that Barberton is very similar to Massillon,” Foltz, in his first year of directing the Magics, said. “The kids are winners, and they want to win. They love to play football.

“If something happens in the community pertaining to football you can bet it’ll get back to me,” Foltz said. “I may be the last to hear about it, but I’ll hear about it.”

Folts, who is a disciplined class instructor, hopes he can take what he preaches in the class room onto the football field Saturday night when his Magics (3-2) meet Massillon (5-1) in the Rubber Bowl.

“Our kids appreciate what we’re (the coaching staff) is trying to do,” Foltz said, noting the Magics have rebounded well from last year’s 1-9 record. “We didn’t get as much leadership last season as we expected. Hopefully, we’re turning things around.”

Both of Barberton’s losses have come at the hands of highly rated teams – Garfield (48-12) and Cincinnati Moeller (28-7).

“Our kids just seem to get up for the big games,” Foltz said. “I’m looking forward to the same type of attitude for this one.”

Foltz said his Magic unit has been diversified on offense, mixing the run with the pass.

“We do try to mix it up,” Foltz noted. “We do have a good dose of passing and we have a good dose of running. We’ll do what we have to.”

Main cog in Barberton’s offensive attack has been quarterback Kenny Rector, who Foltz said is extremely intuitive. Rector, the Magic grid boss pointed out, ranks 15th in his senior class in terms of grades.

Barberton and Massillon have played each other 37 times, with the Magics on the short end of a 29-7-1 record. The first time the two teams met was in 1904 when the Tigers won 15-0.

Last year Barberton suffered a 43-0 setback, but since Mike Currence has directed the Tiger grid fortunes Massillon owns a 4-2 record over the Magics.

Only one team – Moeller – has managed to beat a Currence-led team more times. Both of Massillon’s losses to the Magics have occurred at the Rubber Bowl, by a 9-7 score in 1977 and 26-24 in 1981.

The Magics have beaten Cuyahoga Falls (13-3), Akron East (35-12), and Lancaster (24-13).

Tigers holding statistical
edge over opponents

By The Independent Staff

MASSILLON – Heading into Saturday night’s Rubber Bowl game against Barberton, the Tigers hold wide margins of difference in team statistics over their opponents.

Massillon has totaled 95 first downs for an average of nearly 16 per game, while the opposition has just 46 total.

In total yardage the Tigers hold a huge 1,926 to 829 advantage. Rushing wise Massillon has 1,219 yards as opposed to 481, while passing favors the local unit 707 to 348.

The number of plays from scrimmage also favors Massillon 337 to 292. Average gain per down finds the Tigers at 5.7 and their foes at a paltry 2.8.

Individually, Craig Johnson is an offensive leader in three categories. The senior has gained 661 yards rushing on 89 carries for an average 7.4 per tote, while scoring 72 points and returning four kick-offs for 74 yards.

Senior Chris Spielman is the top punt returner with an average of 14.9 with 13 come-backs for 194 yards.

In the receiving department, both Bruce Spicer and Johnson have nine receptions. Spicer’s yardage gained stands at 130.

Quarterback Brian Dewitz is completing 48 percent of his passes, connecting on 24 of 50 tries for 442 yards and four touchdowns.

Punter Tom Gruno is averaging 39.1 yards per boot.

On defense, Robert Neff has two fumble recoveries to lead that category while Steve Walterhouse and Spielman share the top spot in interceptions with three.

Spielman leads the defense in tackles with 41 and assists with 23, but Neff is right behind with respective totals of 38 and 18. Gruno is next at 34 and six.

Johnson’s TD ramble of highlight quality

By STEVE DUNGJEN
Independent Sports Editor

AKRON – If Massillon Tiger football had a highlights film at season’s end, Craig Johnson made a strong bid for squatter’s rights to the opening scene.

The 5-foot-10 inch, 185-pound senior displayed more moves than a belly dancer on a 47-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Brian Dewitz.

Johnson’s razzle-dazzle TD scamper came on the first play of the fourth period of Saturday’s 38-7 win over the Barberton Magics at the Rubber Bowl.

“That was the best reversed-field run I’ve seen in a long while,” Tiger head coach Mike Currence said of the spectacular dash. “I had already grabbed someone by the shirt on the sidelines to send him in with our next play.”

“I thought Johnson was going to be tackled,” he added. “I asked Craig if he was down and he said ‘No, coach.’”

The TD pass-run occurred one play after Cornell Jackson picked off the fourth Barberton pass of the game. On the first play following the theft, Dewitz hit Johnson on the right sideline near the Magic bench.

Johnson was hit, grabbed by another would-be tackler and spun around. Massillon’s leading ground gainer took it from there, running parallel to the end zone to the left sidelines and eventually to pay dirt.

“I was wide open, caught the ball and a guy grabbed me by the shirt and spun me around in the right direction,” Johnson said. “I just saw things opening up from thee.”

Johnson, who also gained 69 yards on 12 carries for two touchdowns, is a newcomer to Tiger football. He transferred from Canton Timken, and ran track as a junior.

“It was kinda hard at first,” Johnson said. “I couldn’t open myself up the way I wanted to. I already knew quite a few of the guys on the team from track last season.

Currence said Johnson has had no trouble adapting to his teammates this season, though he said the senior has made great strides in learning the system.

“The thing about Craig is that he gets along well with everybody. He has such a pleasant personality,” Currence said. “Nearly all the kids on the team have been under the system for eight years, and they know it almost was well as the coaches.

“Yeah, it’s been tough on Craig from that standpoint the Tiger grid boss said. “He was going both ways, but we decided to have him concentrate on offense. He’s a great kid.”

History

1982: Massillon 31, Berea 0

November 20, 1982August 10, 2017
by Eric Smith

Berea bombed; Moeller last step

By MIKE HUDAK
Independent Sports Editor

AKRON ‑ Was Massillon head coach Mike Currence kidding?

After Saturday’s 31‑0 thrashing of Berea, Currence commented, “We were lucky tonight. We got some big breaks.”

The only response to that comes from “The Sports Writer’s Bedside Companion of Cliches and Alliteration” ‑ a good team makes its own breaks. Perhaps in this case, a great team made them.

Berea entered the game having allowed only 36 points in 11 contests. The Tigers almost matched that in a single night; no other team had ever even scored twice on the Braves.

The Braves were allowing barely 100 yards a game defensively. On the Tigers’ second possession, they marched 99 yards Braves for the first score of the game, eating up almost eight minutes of the clock.

Berea was expected to struggle offensively; a shutout certainly concedes the point. With star running back Rod Witlow hobbled, the Braves’ running game was nonexistent. Passing wasn’t much better, as Berea quarterback Bill Davis completed only eight of 30 attempts as the Tigers’ hard‑hitting and strong rush resulted in a flurry of hurried passes and some ill‑timed drops.

A crowd of 15,250 showed up at the Akron Rubber Bowl. Conditions were less than perfect; an intermittent drizzle fell from the heavens while a steady wind made the temperature seem colder than it was.

The Tigers received the opening boot but had to punt. So did Berea, with quarterback Davis’ kick downed at the Tiger one‑yardline.

Led by the big, bad boomers known as the Massillon front line, the running combination of junior Chris Spielman and senior Jim Bushe ground out steady chunks of yardage.

It took the Tigers’ 12 plays to move the length of the field.

The only pass was a 22‑yarder from quarterback Brian DeWitz to Spielman to end the first quarter. The score came on a three‑yard linebuck by Spielman with 8:44 remaining in the half. Bronc Pfisterer added the conversion kick.

Berea was forced to punt again, and this time the Tigers moved 60 yards to score in eight plays. The capper came on a first‑and‑23 play following a holding penalty. DeWitz stepped back and unleashed a perfect strike to senior receiver Gary Conley, who enjoyed his greatest night as a Tiger. The perfectly‑executed 28‑yard scoring play ended with the Tigers leading 14‑0.

With 1:42 left in the half, Conley’s receiving and defensive backfield cohort, senior Jim Geiser, intercepted a halfback option pass and returned it deep into Berea territory at the 21.

With 13 seconds remaining in the half, DeWitz fired over the middle to Conley, who put on the best open‑field running exhibition of the year in sidestepping defenders en route to a 13‑yard touchdown. Pfisterer’s kick made it 21‑0 at halftime.

Berea received the second half kickoff, but Tiger linebacker George Ziegler got the ball right back with an interception, returning the ball to the Berea 31.

The Tigers’ advanced to the Berea six, but played it safe and relied on the steady foot of Pfisterer for a field goal. The 23-yarder made it 24-0 with 6:23 left in the third period.

The only downer of the night came on the Tigers’ next possession when DeWitz took a vicious blindside hit and fell unconscious to the ground. Serious injury was feared, but he left the field under his own power and later returned for a punt. Brad Offenbecher and Pfisterer split quarterback duties the rest of the way.

Whether the injury caused a lapse of concentration or not, the Tigers lost a quick seven on the very next play. Spielman took a pitchout and launched a wobbly‑but‑on‑target strike to a wide‑open Geiser, who lost control of the ball. It was a rare miss for Geiser, noted for his glue hands.

The Tigers’ final score came with 3:52 remaining in the game. Conley capped his sensational night with an interception and 37‑yard return for a touchdown. Pfisterer’s kick climaxed the 31‑0 barrage.

The Tigers, still perfect at 12‑0, dominated most statistical categories. Massillon led in total yardage 245‑116 and in time of possession, 28:03 to 19:57.

Individually, Spielman carried 16 times for 56 yards, while Bushe carried 11 times for 49 yards. Jeff Boerner carried twice for 18 yards in a good late showing, plus lost a big‑gainer to a penalty flag.

DeWitz finished with a stellar night, completing nine of 14 passes for 112 yards, including two TDs and no pickoffs. Conley caught four passes for 72 yards while Geiser caught three for 31 yards.

“Jubilant” would be the proper word to describe the post‑game lockerroom.

Two‑way lineman Tim Sweterlitsch summed up everybody’s feelings.

“You bet I’m excited about playing Moeller. That’s what we’ve been working all year for.”

The hard work has paid off.

Massillon romps
into state finals
By Milan Zban
Beacon Journal staff writer
It didn’t take Massillon long Saturday night at the Rubber Bowl to soil Berea High’s reputation as a defensive giant.

The Tigers scored three times in the second quarter en route to a 31‑0 victory in the semifinals of the state Division I playoffs before 15,520. The victory advances Massillon to Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. championship game against Cincinnati Moeller at Ohio Stadium.

Berea came into Saturday’s game with an unblemished 11‑0 record and a defensive yield of little more than three points per outing.

But Massillon drove the ball 99 yards on its second possession with tailback Chris Spielman going the final 3 yards for the game’s first score. Bronc Pfisterer kicked the first of three conversions to give the Tigers a 7‑0 lead.

Then wide receiver Gary Conley and quarterback Brian DeWitz took over.

DeWitz and Conley collaborated for touchdown passes of 38 and 13 yards before the half to put the Tigers on top 21‑0.

After Pfisterer booted a 23‑yard field goal in the third quarter, Conley scored again, this time intercepting a Bill Davis pass and returning it 37 yards for his third score of the night.

CONLEY, who had never scored three times in a single game before, credited DeWitz with throwing perfect passes for his two scoring receptions.

“He just laid the ball up there. All I had to do was run under it,” Conley said.

Conley did a bit of fancy shimmying on his second TD, eluding two Berea tacklers just outside the goal line before he stepped across.

Of his interception, Conley said: “I was playing the outside and he (Davis) just hung the ball out there. I got a couple of nice blocks and took it in.

“This is one heck of a team,” Conley said, “we can hurt you running or passing.”

DEWITZ, who took a solid hit by Berea tackle Ted Thompson in the second half, said he hit his head on the AstroTurf on the play and was dazed for awhile. But the game already was in Massillon’s pocket.

“I was trying to set up and got blind‑sided,” DeWitz said. “But I’ll be all right for the finals.”

DeWitz, who wears No. 13, was asked if he was superstitious.

“No, I’m not. My brother Brent wore No. 12 and I wanted the same number, but it wasn’t available, so I went one number higher.”

DeWitz’ passing numbers included 9‑for‑14 for 117 yards without an interception. He also punted three times for a 42.7 yard average.

Conley bad four receptions for 73 yards.

MASSILLON coach Mike Currence, whose Tigers are 12‑0, said the 99‑yard drive was the pivotal point in the game.

“It was a long time for their defense to be on the field,” he said. “You have to remember we got a couple of breaks on that drive. You have to have a couple of breaks to win in a game like this.”

The big break was a facemask call against the Braves after Spielman had dashed 6 yards to the Braves’ 49. DeWitz then completed a 22‑yard pass to Spielman to the Berea 25 and six plays later the Tigers had their first score.

“You have to have the big play,” Currence repeated, “and it was Conley who got it for us.

“Usually we don’t throw long because the longer the pass the lower the percentage it be completed,” he said.

“Now, we can talk about Moeller,” said Currence, who had been asked about the perennial state title contenders week in and week out.

“I don’t think anybody can hit as hard as Berea, but I think Moeller is much quicker than Berea. We’re going to have to play a super game and get some breaks.

“Right now, we’re hot. I just hope we can stay that way.”

BEREA coach Tom Madzy said he had no regrets. His team had had a fine season.

“If anything, that second touchdown (Conley’s 38‑yard reception) is what really hurt us. Our defense won us a lot of games this year, but they were on the field for an awfully long time tonight and so we came out on the short end of the score.”

Berea also was hurt by the inability of speedster Rod Whitlow to go at full speed. An ankle injury sustained several weeks ago sidelined him. He played only sparingly and finally, in the last quarter, limped off the field.

Spielman was the game’s top rusher with 61 yards in 17 attempts. Jim Bushe added 47 yards in 11 carries.

For Berea, Mike Kostyack gained 25 yards in eight tries.

MASSILLON 31, BEREA 0

MASSILLON 0 21 3 7 31
BEREA 0 0 0 0 0

MASSILLON ‑ Spielman 3 run (Pfisterer kick)
MASSILLON ‑ Conley 38 pass from DeWitz (Pfisterer kick)
MASSILLON ‑ Conley 13 pass from DeWitz (Pfisterer kick)
MASSILLON – Pfisterer 23 FG
MASSILLON – Conley 37 run with pass interception (Pfisterer kick)

Mass Berea
First Downs 16 7
Yards Rushing 126 45
Yards Passing 121 73

Tigers bomb Berea
on way to finals

History

1981: Massillon 24, Barberton 26

October 10, 1981August 10, 2017
by Eric Smith

Magics’ Johnson, Breitenstein star
Mistakes hurt Tigers in 26‑24 defeat

By ROLLIE DREUSSI
Independent Sports Editor

“God bless Melvin Johnson,” said a Barberton football player in the jubilant Magic lockerroom after their 26‑24 win over the Massillon Tigers Saturday night in the Akron Rubber Bowl.

Johnson had just erased a 24‑20 Massillon lead by returning a kickoff 75 yards for his third touchdown of the game with 2:48 remaining, sending the Tigers down to defeat for the second time in six games before approximately 15,000 fans. Barberton is now 5‑1.

But Johnson wasn’t the only Barberton player who seemed blessed Saturday night. Quarterback Bryan Breitenstein hit 14 of 18 passes for 295 yards and three scores ‑ two to Johnson and one to Randy Usko.

Despite Barberton’s inspired play, the Tigers were their own worst enemy. Their numerous mistakes kept them from putting the game away early, and even aided Johnson on his kickoff return that won the game.

Twice the Tigers moved inside the Barberton five and failed to score, missing a field goal one time and losing the ball on downs the other time.

And a penalty on the Massillon bench for charging onto the field after Gary Conley caught a 56‑yard touchdown pass from quarterback Rick Spielman to put the Tigers ahead 24‑20 hurt plenty. It forced Tim Manion to kick off from his own 25, and that’s the kickoff Johnson turned into the game‑winner.

All in all, it was a wild and exciting game, with three touchdowns being scored within a 49‑second span late in the game. It was a game that left Barberton coach Rudy Sharkey ecstatic and Tiger coach Mike Currence numb and pale.

“It’s a fantastic win, a great effort,” Sharkey said. “It was a great ball game, I suppose the fans went nuts with that ball game.”

“I don’t know what to tell you guys,” Currence said to the reporters after the game. “We just got beat. That’s all I can comment on. I have no other comments I can make on this team.

“I thought if we had the ball with two minutes to go we could score again. But we put it in the air and it got picked off,” he said.

That was following Johnson’s TD when Barberton’s kickoff went out of bounds and the Tigers got the ball at their own 40 with 2:46 to play.

Spielman went back to pass, scrambled to the left and threw long down field where Scott Murphy intercepted the ball at the 21 yard line. Murphy is the player Conley had beaten on his game‑tying TD play.

“It was a hard game to lose, we had it won three or four times,” Currence said. “We could have won the game, let’s just leave it at that.”

When told by a reporter that it was an exciting game, Currence said: “We’re always a good show, unfortunately we didn’t win tonight. I hope I never see this place again until the playoffs,” he added.

With a 4‑2 record, the Tigers’ playoff hopes are almost nil. And with undefeated Akron St. Vincent coming to Paul Brown Tiger Stadium Saturday, the Tigers stand a chance of losing two straight games for the first time since Currence’s first two games as Tiger coach in 1976.

It didn’t start out looking like the Tigers would lose this game, as they took the opening kickoff and marched 78 yards in 17 plays ‑ all running plays ‑ and scored on a three‑yard run by fullback Greg Grimsley with 7:56 gone in the quarter. Manion’s extra point kick was wide right.

But the Magics struck back on the accurate arm of Breitenstein who kept finding wide open receivers all over the Rubber Bowl’s artificial surface.

The Magics traveled 62 yards in five plays with Breitenstein hitting Johnson with a 23‑yard scoring strike. Jeff Sharkey’s kick was wide left and it was 6‑6 with 1:48 to play in the quarter.

A key play in that drive was a 16‑yard pass from Breitenstein to Josh Ferguson. The Magic tailback had leaped high into the air to catch the pass and was hit hard by a Tiger defender from behind almost as soon as he caught the ball. He seemed to lose control of the ball on the way down, but the officials ruled it neither an incomplete pass or a fumble (a Massillon player recovered the ball). They called it a completion, and two plays later Barberton scored.

Massillon got a break when Johnson fumbled a Manion punt at his own 14 early in the second period. The Tigers drove to the Magic three yard when Spielman bootlegged for a first down on a fourth‑and‑two play.

But he was stopped for no gain on a keeper on the next play, and a high pitch to halfback George Roknich resulted in a fumble and an eight‑yard loss. The Tigers ended up trying for a 33‑yard field goal, but Greg Radtka’s kick was wide left with 7:28 on the clock.

Barberton then drove 80 yards in 12 plays with Breitenstein hitting Randy Usko with a two‑yard TD toss at 1:52, Johnson swept left end for two points and a 14‑6 Magic lead.

That drive was aided early on when Massillon’s Sam Clark was called for a personal foul on a dead ball penalty. It gave Barberton 15 yards following a 13‑yard pass completion game. Clark was ejected from the game.

Massillon put together a drive of its own before halftime, as Spielman came out throwing and found halfback Larry Newman for 18 yards and 19 yards. The Tigers had the ball first‑and‑10 at the Barberton 34 with one minute left.

A long pass down the middle to a wide‑open Bob Catlin was slightly underthrown. Catlin slid to make the catch but the ball bounced off his chest, incomplete at the three-yard line.

The Tigers finally settled for a 29‑yard field goal by Manion with 11 seconds on the clock, cutting Barberton’s lead to 14‑9.

Murphy got off a 19‑yard punt the first time the Magics got the ball in the second half, and the Tigers took over at Barberton’s 48.

This time the Tigers struck like lightning, as Roknich followed some great blocking around right end and hotfooted it all the way for the TD with 9:30 to play in the third quarter. Spielman bootlegged left for the conversion and a 17-14 Tiger lead.

Another Magic punt gave the Tigers the ball at the Barberton 45 and they drove to a first down at the Magic four with 4: 10 to play in the quarter.

Grimsley gained three yards to inside the one and it looked like the Tigers might be ready to apply the KO punch.

But Grimsley was stopped for no gain and Spielman got nothing on a third‑down carry. On fourth down, Spielman started moving before he got the snap, and his one‑yard sneak for a TD was negated by a five‑yard penalty.

On fourth‑and‑goal from the six, Newman was stopped after a two‑yard gain.

Following an exchange of punts, Johnson hauled in a 24 yard scoring pass from Breitenstein with 3:37 to play in the game. Sharkey’s PAT kick was short and Barberton led 20‑14.

Newman returned the kickoff 31 yards to his own 44 and Spielman hit Conley with a 56‑yard touchdown pass on the next play with 3:00 remaining. That’s when the Massillon players illegally ran onto the field. After Jim Bushe booted the conversion, the Tigers had to kick off from their own 25.

That’s when Johnson did his thing.

Following Spielman’s interception, the Tigers looked as though they would get the ball back one last time, albeit with 18 seconds remaining and no timeouts left.

In an effort to block the Barberton punt, the Tigers sent in all their fastest players. However, they sent in one player too many, and Newman’s return to the Tiger 40 was negated by a penalty that gave Barberton the ball back and a first down and insured their second upset of the Tigers in four years. They defeated Massillon 9‑7 in the season opener in 1977 in the Rubber Bowl.

History

1981: Massillon 6, Cincinnati Moeller 24

September 19, 1981August 10, 2017
by Eric Smith

Crusader defense keys 24‑6 victory
Moeller too much for Tigers to handle

By ROLLIE DREUSSI
Independent Sports Editor

AKRON ‑ For slightly more than three quarters Saturday night, the Massillon Tigers played almost as good as the best high school football team on earth.

Unfortunately, they were playing the team that is not only the best on our planet, but is out of this world: Cincinnati Moeller.

So to many it seemed like whistling past the graveyard for the Tigers to challenge this powerhouse loaded with big, strong, quick, highly skilled players. The Tigers not only challenged, they threatened.

Even the 23,950 who packed the Akron Rubber Bowl to see Moeller win its 36th straight game, 24-6, saw a glimmer of hope when the Tigers trailed only 10-6 at the half.

They had about given up the ghost when Larry Newman, with his team trailing 17-6, returned a punt 39 yards to the Moeller 33. That was the first time the Tigers started a drive outside their own 29 all night.

With 8:34 to go in the game, the fans were on their feet. The Tigers came out in the shotgun formation. But alas, Moeller would have none of this. Quarterback Rick Spielman’s pass into the right flat for Jim Geiser, was intercepted by Moeller’s Mike Plummer.

The game Tiger defense held, but a punt by Moeller’s Ken Harper bounced down the artificial surface to the one yard line. Spielman tried to sneak the ball out for some running room, but the Crusaders’ tough defensive line jarred the ball loose and linebacker Mike Harmeyer ‑ who caused the Tigers trouble all night ‑ recovered at the one.

Hiawatha Francisco, who gained 123 yards in 22 carries, scored on the next play and Moeller had its second straight victory over Massillon.

While Gerry Faust had his Notre Dame football team stung by Michigan 25‑7 Saturday, the program he built carried on nicely under the guiding eye of his successor, Ted “Baci” Bacigalupo.

The jubilant Moeller players, long after the game was over, stole their coach from a group of reporters and carried him off to the showers, chanting “Baci, Baci, Baci!”

In the quiet Massillon lockerroom, Tiger coach Mike Currence was asked the inevitable question: did he think there was any other team around that could beat Moeller?

“I haven’t seen anybody that could beat them,” he said.

For not only does Moeller have a great defense and a rugged, ball‑control offense, it has Harper. He not only boomed three kickoffs into the end zone and averaged 47.7 yards per punt, he kicked a key 36‑yard field goal with 27 seconds left in the first half to boost Moeller’s lead from 7‑6 to 10-6.

As much as any of the Crusaders, he was responsible for doing in the Tigers. His foot kept the Tigers deep in their territory all night. And against an excellent defense like Moeller’s, you just don’t drive 80 yards for a touchdown every time.

“Every drive we started with. bad field position,” Currence said. “Then we finally got good field position and we made a mistake. We had one good drive and we had them worried a little, but field position hurt us. We have to get out there where we’re not afraid to use our whole offense. Our defense was on the field too long and they were able to wear us down. Our defense played well enough to win the ball game, but you’ve got, to give Moeller credit,” he said.

Though the score was similar to last year’s state title game (won by Moeller 30‑7), the Tigers were not blown out, nor were they embarrassed. They were just outmanned. Moeller was too big and too good.

But the Tigers took the game to them. A fierce hitting defense held the Crusaders at bay in the first quarter and into the second, stopping Moeller’s first four drives.

Massillon’s fine defensive play made Moeller gamble early in the second quarter. With the ball on the Tiger 19, Tim Manion dropped back to punt on fourth-and-nine Moeller decided it needed a big play and massed 10 players on the line to go for the block.

They didn’t get. it, and instead were called for roughing the kicker. However, Massillon was called for illegal procedure on the play, and instead of a first down, they just ran the play over.

Moeller took over at the Massillon 45 and six plays later halfback Jeff Clouse broke through the left side of the Tiger defensive line and scampered 19 yards for a touchdown. Harper’s kick made it 7‑0 with 5:36 left in the half.

The Tigers took over at their own 20, and were facing a third‑and‑10 after an incomplete pass a screen pass to Michael Moore (which gained nothing because Harmeyer smelled it out and made the tackle).

But Spielman found Dan Ricker open and hit him for 11 yards and a first down and the Tigers had some confidence. Robert Oliver took the next pass for 18 yards and first down at the 49.

On third and 14, Spielman threw down the middle and George Roknich made a fine catch, hanging onto the ball after a hard hit by Moeller’s Rob Brown. The fans came alive as Massillon had a first down at Moeller’s 31.

Spielman hit Bob Catlin for six yards to the 25, then passed to Roknich down the right side. Roknich broke two tackles and scored with 2:53 on the clock. Pandemonium reigned in the stands. Bob Larkin broke “through to block Manion’s extra point kick, and Moeller clung to a 7‑6 lead.

Spielman’s passing was almost all of Massillon’s offense, as he completed nine of 21 for 100 yards. The Tigers totaled only 19 yards rushing.

The Crusaders then started a drive at their own 25 and picked up two quick first downs, the second on a roughing the passer penalty that moved the bell to the Tiger 46.

Massillon’s defense stiffened, and Moeller faced a third‑and‑10 situation. Mike Willging, who completed only three of 12 passes in the game, hit Clouse for 23 yards and a first down at the Tiger 23.

Moeller pushed the ball down to the 19, and Harper split the uprights from 36 yards out with just 27 seconds on the clock.

“That field goal hurt,” Currence said. “And the interception that set up their score hurt. We lost a little confidence in our ability to win the game after that.”

The interception he was talking about came on the third play of the second half. On third‑and‑eight at his own 31, Spielman scrambled away from the Moeller rush and threw long down the left sideline. Brown intercepted the ball at his own 38 and returned it 26 yards to the Tiger 36. Nine straight running plays produced a touchdown as Dave Springmeier covered the last four yards. Harper’s kick made it 17‑6 with 6:21 on the third‑quarter clock.

Moeller got the ball back following a punt and drove deep into Tiger territory again. They made their only big mistake of the night when Clouse fumbled the ball and Grady Robinson recovered for Massillon at his own 12.

Manion got the Tigers out of a hole with a 70‑yard punt that rolled dead on the Moeller nine. The Crusaders punted, and Newman returned it to the Moeller 33. That’s when the shotgun misfired and Plummer intercepted on first down to knock the wind out of the Tigers.

The Crusader defense proved too much for Massillon in the second half, denying the Tigers a first down. Their fierce pass rush kept Spielman scrambling all night.

“In the second half, we just didn’t execute well and the kids lost a little confidence in winning the ball game,” Currence said.

I’m still proud of the way we played against them,” Currence said. “We played like Tigers. We just made some mistakes.”

And even a Tiger can’t afford mistakes when its playing the best high school team in the universe?

Moeller 24
Massillon 6
M C
First downs rushing 0 13
First downs passing 5 2
First downs by penalty 0 1
Total first downs 5 16
Yards gained rushing 28 257
Yards lost rushing 9 14
Net yards rushing 19 243
Net yards passing 100 37
Total yards gained 119 280
Passes attempted 21 13
Passes completed 9 4
Passes intercepted by 0 2
Yardage on pass interference 0 27
Times kicked off 2 5
Kickoff average 51.0 56.0
Kickoff return yardage 32 32
Punts 7 6
Punting average 42.4 47.7
Punt return yardage 46 7
Fumbles 3 1
Fumbles lost 1 1
Penalties 2 2
Yards penalized 30 10
Touchdowns rushing 0 3
Touchdowns passing 1 0
Number of plays 39 66
Time of possession 18:16 29:44
Attendance 23,950

MOELLER 0 10 7 7 – 24
MASSILLON 0 6 0 0 – 6

Mo ‑ Jeff Clouse 19‑yard run (Ken Harper kick)
Mass ‑ George Roknich 25‑yard pass from Rick Spielman (kick failed)
Mo ‑ Harper 36‑yard FG
Mo ‑ Dave Springmeier 4‑yard run (Harper kick)
Mo ‑ Hiawatha Francisco 1‑yard run (Harper kick)

History

1980: Massillon 21, Willoughby South 6

November 14, 1980August 10, 2017
by Eric Smith

“A lot of heart, a lot of pride’
Final hurdle for Tigers Saturday in Dayton

By ROLLIE DREUSSI
Independent Sports Editor

“These kids have a lot of heart and a lot of pride,” Massillon Coach Mike Currence said after his team became the first in Tiger history to advance to the playoff championship game.

The Tigers, defeated Willoughby South 21‑6 in a semifinal playoff game Saturday night in the Akron Rubber Bowl before 16,410 fans.

Tim Manion after win vs. Willoughby South

Now, they will meet four‑time champion Cincinnati Moeller Saturday night at 8 in Dayton’s Welcome Stadium, which seats only about 12,000.

The Tigers took command of the game early, scoring the first two times it had the ball for a 14‑0 first‑quarter lead.

The Tigers’ passing game came up with the big plays in those two drives, then the Massillon defense took over and stifled the Rebels the rest of the way.

The great team effort raised the Tigers’ record to 10-1-1 and set up the match with Moeller that Massillon fans have been waiting too since the middle 70s. Moeller has won the state title four of the past five years (missing only in 1978).

“We’re real happy to be in the hall game with Moeller.” Currence said. ”You know when you’re on the field you’ve got a chance to win. We won’t have any trouble getting up for Moeller. How we’ll play, I don’t know.

“Moeller presents the ultimate challege. Right now they’re the No. 1 team in the nation. How do you complete against them? You just have to play a great game against them.

“We think we’re back where we should be.” Currence said of the Tigers’ football program. “whether we beat Moeller has yet to be decided. I don’t know if anyone can beat Moeller. But these kids have a lot at heart.”

The Tiger defense, especially, showed a lot of heart for the second week fit a row. They played perhaps their best half of the season against South, holding them to minus 7 yards rushing and only 25 yards total in the first half. South netted only 104 yards for the whole game. After averaging over 30 points a game through its first 11 contests.

“The whole group just played as a team.” said Jim Letcavits, the Tigers defensive coordinator. “And the last two weeks, (defensive end) Paul Spinden has done one heck of a job.”

Spinden keyed a ferocious Tiger pass rush that sacked Regel quarterback Dan Smierciak five times for 31 yards in losses. Spinden had two sacks, linebacker Tim Manion and end William Askew had one each, and tackle Ed Newman and middle guard Jeff Grove shared a sack.

The Tigers also made four tackles for 10 yards in losses. Linebacker Rick Spielman had two of the tackles, Grove had one, and he and Manion shared one.

The Tiger offense also turned in a fine performance, at least for the most part. Quarterback Dave Eberhart said he thought the offense played excellent football for about 1 1/2 quarters. After the Tigers took their 14‑0 lead, he said, the offense got a little “lackadaisical.”

But the offense came up with the big plays in that first quarter, as Eberhart pulled the trigger on the run-and‑shoot.

Massillon kicked off to start the game, and following a Rebel punt the Tigers marched 52 yards in seven plays for a touchdown.

The drive had bogged down on the South 34, and Eberhart and Company faced a fourth‑and‑four. He passed over the middle to Mike Reese, who caught the ball at the 20, slanted to the right sideline and out streaked the coverage to the end zone. Eberhart’s kick was wide left and Massillon led 6‑0 with 7:59 to play fit the first quarter.

South was forced to punt again, and the Tigers took over on their own 34‑yard line. Eberhart went straight to the air, hitting Jeff Elliott with a perfect pass at the South 40, and Elliott raced all the way to the 17 to complete a 49‑yard play.

Long‑awaited clash to decide state title
Tigers, Moeller
to meet a year early
By ROLLIE DREUSSI
Independent Sports Editor

“It looks like its going to be a year early.” Cincinnati Moeller coach Gerry Faust said immediately after he watched the Massillon Tigers beat Willoughby South 21‑6 Saturday night in the Akron Rubber Bowl.

The win advanced the Tigers to Saturday’s Division I state playoff championship game against Faust’s Crusaders, the Class AAA defending champions.

The Tigers are scheduled to play Moeller early next season in the Akron Rubber Bowl, but by virtue of their two playoff wins will now tangle with the four‑time state champs in Dayton’s Welcome Stadium Saturday night.

“Massillon is a good football team,” Faust said after the game. “They have a lot of enthusiasm.”

That enthusiasm was rampant as the Tigers took the field in quest of their first semifinal playoff victory. Twice before ‑ in 1972 and 1979 ‑ they had failed pass this hurdle.

This time, there was no denying them.

Despite two back‑to‑back, emotion‑packed games against Canton McKinley, the Tigers were really psyched up for this game.

“We were just happy to be here,” quarterback Dave Eberhart said in the happy Massillon lockerroom after the game. “I didn’t know if we could get up again, but this was it. There was no second chance like against McKinley.”

‘The Tigers had lost to McKinley in the season finale, but turned around and beat the Bulldogs in the regional playoff title game.

Massillon coach Mike Currence said his team won’t have any trouble getting up for one more game. Not when the team they are playing is Moeller.

“Making the playoffs was our first goal of the season,” Eberhart said, noting that getting to play Moeller in the finals was the second goal.

The Tigers know they face an uphill battle against Moeller, who will be a heavy favorite to win their second straight state crown, and their fifth in the past six years.

“We’ll have to play four perfect quarters to stay in the game. If we play like tonight ‑ only good for a quarter-and‑a‑half we’ll get blown out. We got up (on Willoughby South) and then we eased off some.

“We had two good quarters where we handled them in the trenches, then we got lackadaisical the other two. We can’t do that if we want to give Moeller a good game.”

And while a lot of people aren’t giving the Tigers much of a chance against Moeller, Massillon coach Mike Currence put it this way: “You know when you’re on the field you have a chance to win.”

Currence said his team displayed “a lot of heart and a lot of pride.”

The Tiger offense came up with the big play and the defense turned in one of its most impressive performance of the season to hand South its first loss in 12 games.

The Tigers are now 10‑1‑1, marking the second straight season they have won 10 games. The two playoff wins so far this year also raise the Tigers’ postseason record to 2‑2 since the playoffs started in 1972, Massillon lost that year, and again last season.

This Tiger team has shown tremendous character in coming back from its season‑ending loss to Canton McKinley. Thanks to the expanded playoff format and Lakewood St. Edward’s loss to Cleveland St Joseph ‑ the Tigers piled up enough points to finish second in the Region 3 computer rankings and get another shot at McKinley.

They responded like true Tigers, topping the Pups 14‑6 in Canton ‘s Fawcett Stadium. They rode the momentum of that victory into the Rubber Bowl Saturday night and simply didn’t give the South Rebels a chance. They dominated the game both offensively and defensively.”

Rebel coach Jim Chapman said his team may have been bothered by the large crowd, most of whom were screaming, orange‑clad Tiger fans.

Once we settled down, we started playing some good ball. After the first quarter we played well. But we didn’t do a very good job of pass blocking.” he added.

The Tigers put on a fierce pass rush the whole game, sacking South quarterback Dan Smierciak five times.

One play that upset Chapman came in the second quarter with South behind 14‑0. With the ball at the Tigers’ 26 yard line, Smierciak hit Irv Tarrant with a screen pass, and Tarrant broke through the Tiger coverage and scampered all the way to the end zone. However, a clip at the 16 behind the runner brought the play back to the 31 and this time the Tiger defense held.

Chapman criticized the officials’ call.

“I’m upset with the officiating,” he said. “Obviously the calls hurt us. I’m not using that as an excuse though. Massillon deserved to win. Their first‑quarter execution was excellent.”

Mark Eberhard, South’s center and defensive tackle, left the game in the first quarter with a bruised eye and was unable to return.

The Tiger coaching staff did a good job of preparing the team for South. The defense was not surprised by anything the Rebels threw at them, and the play calling when the Tigers had the ball was excellent.

Now they must prepare their Tigers for the long awaited duel with Moeller. And they don’t mind that it’s one year earlier than planned .

TIGER GRIDSTICK

First downs rushing 8 6
First downs passing 6 3
First downs by penalty 0 0
Total first downs 14 9
Yards gained rushing 190 83
Yards lost rushing 22 60
Net yards gained rushing 168 23
Net yards gained passing 135 81
Total yards gained 303 104
Passes attempted 11 18
Passes completed 6 6
Passes intercepted by 0 0
Yardage on passes intercepted 0 0
Times kicked off 4 2
Kickoff average 51.7 46.5
Kickoff return yardage 46 31
Punts 4 6
Punting average 30.0 40.3
Punt return yardage 29 0
Punts blocked 0 0
Fumbles 4 3
Fumbles lost 2 2
Penalties 7 2
Yards penalized 50 20
Touchdowns rushing 2 1
Touchdowns passing 1 0
Touchdowns by interception 0 0
Miscellaneous touchdowns 0 0
Total number of plays 56 53
Total time of possession 26:13 21:47
Attendance 16,410

WILL. SOUTH 0 0 0 6 ‑ 6
MASSILLON 14 0 0 7 ‑ 21

MASS ‑ Mike Reese 34‑yard pass from Dave Eberhart (kick failed)
MASS ‑ Mike Jones 6‑yard run (Eberhart run)
SOUTH ‑ Irv Tarrant 4‑yard run (run failed)
MASS ‑ Eberhart 3‑yard run (Eberhart kick)

It’s Tigers,
Moeller in finale
By BOB STEWART
Repository Sports Editor
AKRON ‑ The Massillon Tigers scored the first two times they had the ball and roared into the finals of the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division I playoffs by whipping the Willoughby South Rebels 21‑6 before a crowd of 16,401 at the Rubber Bowl here Saturday night.

The victory upped the Tigers’ record to 10‑1‑1 and puts them in the championship game against defending title holder Cincinnati Moeller.

Moeller won its semifinal game Friday night 36‑0 over Upper Arlington. The site for Friday night’s championship game will be determined this afternoon at a meeting of OHSAA in Columbus.

Willoughby South unbeaten before it tangled with the Tigers, bowed out with a 12‑1 mark.

Massillon held the Rebels after the opening kickoff and then on its first possession drove 52 yards in 7 plays, saving the big play for last in the drive.

Facing a fourth‑and-4 situation at the 34, Massillon’s All‑County quarterback Dave Eberhart found split end Mike Reese open over the middle and tossed him a bullet, which Reese grabbed at full speed at the 25 and outran the Rebel secondary to complete the 34‑yard touchdown play.

Eberhart missed his placement and the Tigers led 6‑0 with only four minutes gone in the game.

After the ensuing kickoff, the Rebels managed one first down but again had to punt it away and the Tigers started on their own 34. This time the first play was the big one.

Eberhart went back to pass for only the second time of the game and completed a 48‑yard bomb to end Jeff Elliott, putting the ball at the 17.

Mike Jones gave the Tigers 7 yards in two rushes, then after Bob Oliver rushed for a first down at the 6, Jones slipped off the right side and dove into the end zone for a 6‑yard scoring jaunt.

Eberhart then converted a two pointer by rolling to his right and scampering into the corner of the end zone to make it 14-0 with 2:13 left in the first period.

South mounted its only threat of the first half early in the second period when it drove to the Tigers’ 25 before turning the ball over on downs.

The Rebels had an apparent touchdown pass nullified by a clipping penalty two plays before they gave up the ball. Quarterback Dan Smierciak hit halfback Irv Tarrant, who got loose on what looked like a 36-yard TD, but a clipping penalty brought the ball back to the Tigers 31 and the Rebels couldn’t get a first down.

Massillon thwarted another threat just before the half when Eberhart’s pitch missed its mark and South’s Pave Orahoske covered the ball on the Tiger’s 29.

On the first play, Ed Newnan broke through to sack the quarterback and three pass incompletions after that gave the ball to Massillon with 50 seconds left and the Tigers ran out the clock to end the half.

The Tigers took the second‑half kickoff and marched the ball deep into South territory.

Eberhart came out throwing, hitting end Mike Feller with a 13‑yard pass on the first play of the third quarter. Then Eberhart scrambled for 17 yards to put the ball at the South 38.

Two plays later Eberhart hit Oliver for a 16‑yard completion, but three plays after that Eberhart’s attempt at a 37‑yard field goal missed by a mile.

After an exchange of punts, South caught fire early in the fourth period. Smierciak ignited the Rebels with a 35‑yard pass completion to split end Brian Huff, and with Tarrant ripping holes in the Tiger’s line, South put the ball in the end zone with 8:11 remaining in the game.

Tarrant’s 4‑yard touchdown run capped the 84‑yard, 10‑play drive in which he personally gained 26 yards in five carries.

On the conversion attempt, after the Tigers drew a half‑the‑distance penalty for encroachment, the Rebels lined up as if to kick the PAT. But holder Rob Hehr rose and rolled to his right, looking for a receiver. When he couldn’t find one he tried to run it in but was buried by several Massillon defenders.

The Tigers seemed stunned by the effrontery of the score and moved the ball from their own 37 to the South 31, with Jones breaking gallops or 17 and 11 yards. But a fumble turned the ball over at the Rebel 26.

Four plays later the Rebels punted from their own 21 with the roar of the Massillon crowd in their ears after a superb defensive job by Tiger linebacker Jeff Grove.

With just over five minutes remaining, the Tigers mounted their final scoring drive as Jones dashed 19 yards to put the ball at the Rebels’ 28. Six plays later Eberhart sneaked into the end zone from 3 yards out, then kicked the placement that wrapped up scoring and the game with 1:23 left.

The Tigers wound up with it 303‑104 edge in total yards for the game, piling up 14 first downs to South’s 9. Eberhart completed 6 of 10 passes for 135 yards. Jones gained a net 91 yards rushing in 19 attempts.

South managed a mere 23 yards net rushing. The Rebels were 6 of 8 in passing for 81 yards. Tarrant carried 18 times for a net 35 yards for the Rebels.

Massillon ran 56 plays to South’s 53, but held a time advantage over South, keeping the ball 26:13 to 21‑47.

Massillon was penalized seven times for 50 yards, while South suffered twice for 20. Massillon fumbled four times. South three times, and each team lost two of them.

Massillon converted on 7 of 12 third‑down situations, including 4 of 6 in the first half, while the Rebels could convert only 4 of 13 third downs.

The Tigers’ tenacious defense was led, not only by Grove, but by halfback Jeff Spicer, who broke up several passes and linebacker Rick Spielman.

History

1979: Massillon 0, Parma Padua 12

November 17, 1979August 6, 2017
by Eric Smith

Padua crushes Tiger state title dreams

By ROLLIE DREUSSI
Independent Sports Editor

Tiger cheers turned to tears Saturday night in the Akron Rubber Bowl, and there will be no state football championship in Massillon this year.

The much ballyhooed showdown between Cincinnati Moeller ‑ king of the computer ‑ and Massillon former AP poll king ‑ will have to wait until another day.

The Parma Padua Franciscan Bruins outplayed the Tigers in the Class AAA semifinal game Saturday night and emerged as an unexpected 12‑0 victor.

“We knew who Massillon was but I don’t think they knew who we were,” Padua coach Tom Kohuth said following his team’s win in its first playoff appearance.

The Bruins failed to be intimidated by the large, boisterous Tiger following that began filling the stands two hours before game time, cheering and waving their orange “Tiger Bags” and thoroughly enjoying their first playoff game since 1972.

The Bruins also failed to be intimidated by the Tigers’ defense – as halfback Dave Kaminski scored two touchdowns and quarterback Dan Schodowski continually came through with key first downs on third‑and-fourth down situations.

The offense exhibited a knack for controlling the ball that proved terribly frustrating for the Tiger defense.

And the Tiger offense staggered by the loss of starting quarterback Bill Scott ‑ suffered its first shutout in 38 games (the last one being a 10‑0 loss to Gahanna Lincoln in the second game of the 1976 season).

Tiger coach Mike Currence offered no excuses.

“We were not looking ahead (to Moeller),” Currence said. “We just didn’t play a good ball game. We did not play with a lot of emotion. If we could have gotten a couple of the big plays it would have helped.

“But they just didn’t make any mistakes against us.” he added.

The difference was that Padua made the big plays ‑ both offensively and defensively ‑ and played a very emotional game.

The Bruins gained momentum early when they stopped the Tigers on a fourth‑and‑goal situation at the six‑inch line on the Tigers first possession when a sneak by quarterback Bill Scott fell short.

The Tigers got the ball back after a Padua punt at the Bruin 34 yard line, but on third‑and‑four from the 28, Scott’s pass for Bill Beitel was intercepted by Joe Bush at the 13 and he returned it 43 yards to the Tiger 44.

The real damage on that play was Scott injuring his knee while trying to make a tackle. Dave DeLong took over at quarterback, but he could not help the Tigers put any points on the board.

The Padua defense didn’t help matters much, harassing him with strong pressure when he tried to throw.

“When Scott sprained his knee, that hurt,” Currence said of the effect on his team of the injury to his starting quarterback. “He’s been our best passer, and we couldn’t throw the way we wanted to.”

Currence agreed that the Bruins’ goal line stand turned the tide of the game.

“We had momentum. We should have scored. But we didn’t and the momentum turned the other way. You can’t make those mistakes and win.

“And our defense got frustrated because we couldn’t stop, them. Our linebackers were gambling, trying to create a turnover of some sort.

“We had estimated their strengths quite well: Kaminski and (Ed) Murphy running the ball and Schodowski to (Tom) Hardy.

“They had the biggest offensive line and the biggest running back (Kaminski) we faced all year. And you have to give their passing game credit too.

“They had a lot of quickness on defense. There were some things we thought we could do, but they would make the tackle and drop us for a loss.

“Our kids just got beat. What do you do? You just tell them to back out and try harder.”

Kohuth had a simple explanation for his team’s victory: “We made the big plays when we had to. This was our toughest game all year. They have the toughest defense we faced all year. But in key situations, we were able to control the line of scrimmage.”

The Bruins first touchdown was set up by a big play. It was a 56‑yard pass from Schodowski to Hardy that was the Bruins only completion in the first half.

Padua faced a third‑and‑13 at its own 13 yard line with 3:17 left in the first half when Schodowski found Hardy wide open down the right sideline. The play carried to the Tiger 31.

Murphy then broke a sweep around right end for 26 yards to the Tiger five. Two plays later Kaminski scored from a yard out with 2:11 left in the half. The Bruins tried a flea‑flicker on their two‑point attempt but it failed.

On their first possession of the second half, Schodowski came up with another big play.

On fourth‑and‑15 at the Tiger 32 yard line Schodowski was chased from the pocket and he sprinted for the right sideline, just barely making the first down.

Six plays later, on fourth-and‑goal inside the one, Kaminski banged over for his second score of the night. The two‑point conversion pass failed and Padua led 12‑0 with 4:15 left in the third quarter.

The Tigers never penetrated farther than the Padua 30 yard line the rest of the game, however, and the Bruins won the right to meet Moeller (a 31‑7 winner over Toledo Whitmer) in the Class AAA championship game Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in the Rubber Bowl.

“It hurts a lot,” Currence said of the Tigers’ loss. “We really wanted to get into the finals and get a shot at Moeller. It’s going to be a good game (the championship contest). Unfortunately, I’m going to have to buy a ticket to get in.”

FINAL STATISTICS
MASS OPNT
First downs:
Rushing 5 7
Passing 5 4
Penalty 0 0
Total 10 11
Yds gain rush 89 140
Yds lost rush 30 37
Net yds rush 59 103
Net yds pass 79 99
Total yds gain 138 202
Pass attempted 21 13
Pass completed 8 5
Pass int by 1 2
Pass int yds 14 43
Kickoffs 1 3
Kickoff 54.0 46.0
Kickoff ret yds 46 20
Punts 4 4
Punt ave 37.2 31.2
Punt ret yds 0 5
Punts blocked 0 0
Fumbles 2 1
Fumbles lost 0 1
Penalties 8 8
Yds penalized 63 53
TDs rushing 0 2
TDs passing 0 0
TDs by int 0 0
Other TDs 0 0
No. of plays 52 58
Time of poss 20:52 28:08
Attendance 20,061

PADUA 0 6 6 0 12
MASSILLON 0 0 0 0 0

Pad ‑ Dave Kaminski 1 run (run fail)
Pad ‑ Kaminsi 1 run (pass fail)

Unheralded Bruin’s win playoff semifinal 12-0
Tiger, Bruin lineups

TIGERS
Offense
Quarterback: 10 ‑ Bill Scott (Sr., 6‑1, 170), 15 Dave DeLong (Sr., 5‑10, 169);
Fullback: 49 ‑ Sam MeDew (Sr., 5‑7, 167):
Halfbacks: 22 ‑ Bill Beitel (Sr., 5‑7, 162), 31 Bill Burkett (Sr., 5‑11, 162):
Ends: 25 ‑ Marty Guzzetta (Sr., Sr., 5‑11, 165), 87 ‑ Greg Evans ‑Sr., 5‑10, 168), 42 ‑ Paul ‘Turner (Jr., 6‑1, 158):
Tackles: 76 ‑ Mark Kircher (Sr., 6‑2, 218), 74 Gerald Wesley (Sr., 6‑0, 233);
Guards: 65 ‑ Larry ‑Massie (Sr., 5‑7, 206), 66 ‑ Wally Neff (Sr., 5‑9, 175):
Center: 51 ‑ Andy Weber (Sr., 6‑0, 190). 53 Doug Eberhart (Jr., 5‑10,” 191).
Defense
Ends: 80 ‑ Tom Mummertz (Sr., 6‑5, 190), 86; Mike Hodgson (Sr., 6‑6, 208);
Tackles: 77 Dave Geschwind (Sr., 6‑0, 200), 44 ‑ Bryant Lemon (Sr., Sr., 5‑11, 215);
Middle Guard: 55 ‑ (Sr., 6‑0, 205); Monster Back: 23 Jim Blogna (Sr., 5‑10, 176);
Safety: 21 ‑ Jamie Schlegel (Sr., 6‑0, 170) ;
Halfbacks: 27 ‑ Len Robinson (Sr., 5‑!0, 153), 24 ‑ Dan DiLoreto (Sr., 5‑9,162).
Kickers: 20 ‑ Jeff Fry (Sr.. 6‑0, 180), placements; 86 Hodgson, punter.

BRUINS
Offense
Quarterback: Dan Schodowski (Sr., 5‑9, 165);
Halfbacks: 24 Dave Kaminski (Sr., 6‑0, 185), 42 _Ed Murphy (Sr., 5‑8, 180);
Flanker: 21 ‑ Ron Kornowski (Sr., 6‑0, 175);
Ends: 20 ‑ Tom Hardy (Sr., 6‑0, 190), 82 Tom Krukemeyer (Sr., 6‑2, no);
Tackles: 70 Tom Andrews (Sr., 6‑5, 230), 71 ‑ Jim Mio (Sr., 5‑10, 260);
Guards: 67 Greg Myles (Sr., 6‑0, 210), 66 ‑ Bob Hager (Sr., 6‑0, 180);
Center: Forrest Gregg (Sr., 6‑2, 220).
Defense
Ends: 46 ‑ Mike Gentile (Jr., 5‑10, 1.70), 35 Dennis Dunn (Jr., 5‑11, 180);
Tackles: 52 ‑ John Pavia (Jr., 5‑10, 185), 61 ‑ Joe Cassel (Sr., 6‑0, 230);
Middle Guard: Jim Liggett (Sr., 5‑10, 175);
Linebackers: 58 Tony Czacj (Jr., 6‑1, 215), 8 Rocl Miller (Jr., 6‑2,195) ;
Cornerbacks: 21 ‑ Kornowski, 7 ‑ John Adams (Sr., 6‑0, 185) ;
Halfbacks: 80 ‑ Joe Bush (Sr., 6‑2, 175); 20 ‑ Hardy.

Series: First meeting.
Records: Massillon 10‑0, Padua 9‑1.

History

1979: Massillon 21, Barberton 6

October 12, 1979August 7, 2017
by Eric Smith

Massillon defense smothers Barberton
Holds Magics to 64 yards in 21 ‑ 6 win

By ROLLIE DREUSSI
Independent Sports Editor

Massillon Tiger coach Mike Currence didn’t have too much. too say after his team’s game in the cold, wet and windy Akron Rubber Bowl Saturday night.

He didn’t have to.

The Tigers passed their toughest test of the season by beating the Barberton Magics 21‑6. That gives the Tigers a perfect 6‑0 record while Barberton falls to 5‑2.

The Tiger defense was outstanding, holding the Magics to a total 64 yards for the game and registering nine quarterback sacks.

The offense had a few problems, but Dave DeLong and Bill Scott managed to come up with enough of a passing game ‑ despite the miserable conditions ‑ to assure the Tiger victory.

“I’m just pleased with everyone,” Currence said afterwards. “I’m pleased that we can come up to the Rubber Bowl and play a great team like Barberton and come out a victor.

“It’s just too bad we can’t pat ourselves on the back and take a week off. We have to come back Monday ‑ and lose a day of rest and start preparing for Jackson (which comes to Paul Brown Tiger Stadium Friday night).

“I think I get about a five second high out of it,” he added of the Tiger victory which avenged a 9‑7 loss to the Magics two years ago.

“There’s a lot of determination on this ball club,” Currence said. “And it showed. Our kids played like they wanted it.”

That was almost an understatement. Except for a shakey start ‑ the Tigers fumbled four times in the first half but lost only one – the Tigers controlled the tempo of the game.

The Tiger defense held the Magics to 24 yards in the first half as Massillon took a 7‑0 lead. The Magics tried to use the shotgun in an effort to get their passing game going, but the Tigers consistently put a hard rush on quarterback Brian
Breitenstine.

“They threw a lot of people at us,” Magic coach Rudy Sharkey acknowledged after the game. “And we didn’t handle it well. We played well except on the offensive line.”

Sharkey was also upset at the officials ruling on a controversial pass play that set up the Tigers’ first score.

On a second‑and‑10 from the Barberton 46, DeLong threw a long pass to wide receiver Marty Guzzetta.

Guzzetta turned back and caught the ball ‑ despite being bumped by Magic defensive back John Verhotz – and he Verhotz tumbled to the turf. Verhotz came up with ball and Barberton fans thought they had an interception.

There was a pass interference penalty against Verhotz on the play, but the officials ruled simultaneous catch and the Tigers declined the penalty and took the ball at the Barberton five yard line.

On fourth‑and‑goal from there, DeLong ran a keeper around left end, hurtling over a Magic defender into the end zone for a 6‑0 Tiger lead. Jeff Fry’s kick made it 7‑0.

All this came in the second quarter, after the Tigers had fumbled away their initial possession of the game, and almost fumbled away the lead on their next possession.

The Tigers had taken the opening kickoff and marched to the Magic 35, where they faced a fourth‑and‑five situation. DeLong ran a keeper, but fumbled the ball over (Jeff Wade recovered) to the Magics at the 33.

Barberton drove to the ‘Tiger 41, but a 19‑yard punt gave the Tigers possession on their own 22.

They started another drive which reached the Barberton 42 when DeLong hit Mike Reese for 13 yards and a first down. On the next play, Mike Jones carried into the line and had the ball knocked from his arms into the air. Several Barberton players rushed for it, and knocked it even farther back while trying to pick it up.

Tiger tackle Gerald Wesley then fell on it, but it squirted away on the slippery artificial turf all the way back to the Tiger 35 where DeLong alertly recovered it (for a 23‑yard loss).

The Tigers had one more scoring threat in the second quarter, but it ended when Fry missed on a 43‑yard field goal attempt.

The third quarter started out with Len Robinson intercepting a Breitenstine pass on the third play from scrimmage. DeLong was then intercepted on a long pass to Guzzetta, with Verhotz picking the ball off at his own 18.

The two teams then punted the ball back and forth for the remainder of the third quarter. The Tigers started a drive near the end of the third period that carried to the Magic 27 as the quarter ended.

Scott ‑ who has been hobbled by a knee sprain – entered the game for the first time to start the fourth quarter. The Tigers faced a fourth‑and‑two situation, and Scott hit Guzzetta on a curl pattern for a first down at the Magic 20, Two plays later, however, Verhotz tipped Scott’s pass and Wade picked it off at the 19.

Breitenstine went to the air on the first play, and Tim Reese intercepted the ball at the Magic 31 and returned it to the 21.

Following three incompletions (one by DeLong), Scott hit Guzzetta on a fourth‑and‑10 play for 13 yards and a first down at the Magic 18.

On second‑and‑12 from the 20, Scott hit Bill Beitel for eight yards and then found Greg Evans open down the middle for the touchdown with 7:50 to go in the game. Fry’s kick failed and Massillon led 13‑0.

The Magics’ score was set up when Mike Hodgson took a low snap while attempting to punt and was forced to run with the ball, He almost got away, but was tackled for a two‑yard loss at his own 24.

Seven plays later ‑ on fourth‑and‑18 from the 20 – Breitenstine scrambled out of the pocket and hit Dave Carrell with a pass for the touchdown. Bryant Lemon sacked Breitenstine as he looked to pass for the extra points.

The Magics then tried an onside kick, but Guzzetta recovered the ball at his own 45 while sliding out of bounds with 1:25 left in the game.

Three plays later, Bill Burkett burst 56 yards through the Barberton line and crossed the goal line with :03 showing on the clock. DeLong hit Beitel with a conversion pass to cap the scoring.

DeLong finished the game with five completions in 14 attempts for 100 yards. Scott was 4 of 7 for 40 yards and one touchdown. Burkett topped the Tigers with 58 yards rushing in eight carries, while Sam McDew added 41 in 14 carries and Beitel had 36 in five carries. DeLong picked up 29 yards in eight carries.

Defensively, Bob Simpson led the Tigers with five quarterback sacks and one tackle for minus yardage. The Tiger middle guard also had nine solo tackles and five assists.

The Tiger defense held the Magics to a net total of 10 yards rushing.

The Tigers will play Jackson Friday at 8 p.m. in Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. The Magics will host Toledo Scott.

The win should put the Tigers at or very near the top of the Class AAA Region 3 computer rankings,

FINAL STATISTICS
MASS OPNT
First downs:
rushing 5 3
passing 8 2
penalty 0 1
total 13 7
Yds gain rush 187 57
Yds lost rush 42 47
Net yds rush 145 10
Net yds pass 140 54
Total yds gain 285 64
Pass attempted 22 16
Pass completed 9 6
Pass int by 2 2
Pass int yds 0 3
Kickoffs 4 2
Kick off ave 48.5 27.0
Kickoff ret yds 13 46
Punts 3 7
Punt ave 31.7 30.0
Punt ret yds 23 0
Punts blocked 0 0
Fumbles 5 0
Fumbles lost 1 0
Penalties 6 4
Yds penalized 79 21
TDs rushing 2 0
TDs passing 1 1
TDs by int 0 0
Other TDs 0 0
No, of plays 59 50
Time of poss 24:48 23: 12
Attendance 10,000

MASSILLON 0 7 0 14 21
BARBERTON 0 0 0 6 6

Mass ‑ Dave DeLong 5 run (Jeff Fry kick)
Mass ‑ Greg Evans 12 pass from Bill Scott (kick fail)
Barb ‑ Dave Carrell 20 pass from Brian Breitenstine (run fail)
Mass ‑ Bill Burkett 50 run (Bill Beitel pass from DeLong)

Massillon’s passing game
is too much for Barberton
Preps Milan Zban

It wasn’t Sunday and it wasn’t the National Football League, but Massillon and Barberton weren’t a bit bashful about putting the ball in the air.

In the 34th meeting between the two teams Saturday night at the Rubber Bowl, Massillon employed a two‑quarterback system and attempted 22 passes, completing nine for 145 yards.

The result was a 21‑6 win over the Magics before a chilled and wet crowd of about 10,000, most of whom left before the finish and failed to witness the game’s longest score, a 50‑yard sprint from scrimmage by Massillon’s Bill Burkett with just seven seconds to go.

The win kept the Tigers unbeaten through six games while Barberton slipped to 5‑2.

Barberton tried to match Massillon’s passing game, but the Magics’ offensive line couldn’t contain the Massillon defenders. Middle guard Bob Simpson sacked Magics quarterback Brian Breitenstine five of the eight times he was dropped.

MASSILLON coach Mike Currence used both Dave DeLong and Bill Scott, DeLong setting up the game’s first score with a 41‑yard pass and Scott throwing to tight end Craig Evans for a 12‑yard touchdown in the fourth period.

Barberton, whose deepest penetration had been to Massillon’s 42‑yard line in the first half, finally got on the board after trailing 13‑0 when Breitenstine, a sophomore, connected with tight end Dave Carrell for a 20‑yard scoring shot with 1:25 left in the contest.

Both coaches agreed it was Massillon’s pass rush that made the difference.

“Simpson had a tremendous game, but he plays like that all the time,” said Currence of his 6‑0, 205‑pound defensive lineman. “I think he’s the best in the state and when they had to double- and triple‑team him, that allowed our other linemen to seep through.

“This was a big, big game for us,” Currence added. “This should help us the rest of the way and put us in pretty good shape in the computer standings.”

Massillon, ranked atop the Beacon Journal’s Class AAA poll, is second in the Associated Press statewide survey and fifth in the computer ratings in Region 3.

Barberton, ranked fourth by the Beacon Journal and 17th by the AP, stood 13th in the computer ratings.

A DISILLUSIONED Barberton coach Rudy Sharkey allowed that Massillon’s ferocious pass rush sawed off his shotgun offense. “Massillon controlled the line of scrimmage and we couldn’t pass. When we can’t pass, we don’t go anywhere,” he said.

“The first touchdown was a gift by the officials,” said Sharkey, alluding to split end Marty Guzzetta’s controversial catch over Barberton defender John Verhotz, who had apparently intercepted the 41‑yard pass which set up the Tigers’ initial touchdown in the second quarter. “The rest (of the touchdowns) they earned.”

“That first score changed the complexion of the game. But from where we started the season (a loss to Buchtel), we’ve come a long way, so I guess I’ve no complaint.”

DeLong, who was five for 14 for 100 yards with one interception, set up the game’s first score with the heave to Guzzetta and later hit the end zone himself with a diving attempt from the four-yard line which made it 7‑0 at the half.

Then alternate quarterback. Scott came on the scene in the second half, throwing but seven times and completing four, including the 12‑yard touchdown pass to Evans in the fourth period.

After Barberton got on the board with 1:25 to go in the game, it appeared the Tigers would just run out the clock. That is, to everybody except Burkett, who bolted up the middle for 50 yards and the game’s final score with just seven seconds to go.

Massillon’s win was the 27th of the long series between the two schools. Barberton, which won the last meeting in 1977, 9‑7, owns six wins. One game ended in a tie.

History

1977: Massillon 7, Barberton 9

September 10, 1977August 6, 2017
by Eric Smith

‘Breaks, ‘Magics’ ball control stop Tigers
Barberton wins opener 9-7

By ROLAND A. DREUSSI
Independent Sports Editor
“I think we have as good a ball club as they do, but I just don’t think we got the breaks.”

That statement by Massillon Tiger head coach Mike Currence pretty well summed up his team’s 9‑7 loss to the Barberton Magics in the Akron Rubber Bowl Saturday night before an estimated crowd of 18,000.

THE MAGICS used a ball control offense and a stiff defense to avenge a 21-0 defeat to the Tigers last season.

The Tigers suffered a couple of letdowns in their kicking game and fumbled the ball away, though one fumble was a very questionable call on the officials’ part that stopped the Tigers’ deepest drive of the second half.

Currence said he thought it was a bad call because the pass, to Curtis Strawder at Barberton’s 25 yard line, “touched his hands twice,” meaning he didn’t have possession.

Strawder was hit and the ball bounced away, with Barberton’s Stinker Webb recovering at the Magics’ 28 yard line.

“That was our best penetration of the second half,” Currence said. The play occurred with just over five ‘minutes left in the game.

“THE BREAKS weren’t with us tonight,” Currence said after the game. “We had the chances. We missed a field goal, we fumbled when we weren’t supposed to.You’ve got to give Barberton credit though, they hit us and hit us and hit us again. I didn’t think they could control the ball on us but they did. I was surprised,” Currence said.

The Magics had the ball for 18 of 24 minutes in the first half when they took a 9-7 lead. Final times of possession were 29:58 for Barberton and 18:02 for Massillon.

“We don’t think plays win football games, players do,” Barberton head coach Rudy Sharkey said when asked about the Magics’ offensive performance.

Referring to the Magics’ ball control offense, Sharkey said that hadn’t been his game plan.

“We have a slogan in our lockeroom that says ‘Whatever It Take,’ We were prepared to do what we had to, pass or run. But that defense of Massillon’s was tough,” Sharkey said.

“I FELT very good tonight about our running and passing balance,” he added. The Magics gained 146 yards rushing – 94 by Larry Ricks – and 65 yards passing. Most of the Magics’ passing yards came in key situations, and Barberton’s only score of the night came on a pass to wingback Terry Cameron.

The Tigers scored first in the game, getting the ball for the first time at Barberton’s 38 yard line after a 21-yard punt.

Following an incomplete pass, Richard Cleveland gained nine yards through a big hole up the middle Mike Grove swept left end for 24 yards and a first down at Barberton’s five yard line.

Cleveland carried over left guard to the three and Greg Carpenter went up the middle to the one yard line. Quarterback Brent Offenbecher then scored on a sneak.

Mark Westover booted the extra point and Massillon led 7-0 with 7:35 to go in the first quarter. The six‑play drive took only 1:50.

“I THINK we got a false sense of security,” Currence said, referring to the drive. “We scored so easily, the kids might have thought it was going to be an easy night. It wasn’t.”

Following an exchange of punts, Barberton took over at its 20 yard line with 2:55 to go in the first quarter.

They then drove 80 yards in 16 plays, using up 8:26 on the clock, as Cameron took a pass from quarterback Jeff Finley that was good for 16 yards and the score. Dennis Sellers was wide with the extra point and Massillon led 7-6 with 6:29 to go in the half.

During the drive, the Magics converted first downs three times on third down and once on fourth down.

Following a touchdown on the kickoff, Massillon. took over on their own 20. Offenbecher lost five yards attempting to pass and Cleveland lost a yard.

ON THIRD down and 16. Cleveland gained two yards on a draw but the Magics were called for a late hit and were assessed a 15‑yard penalty.

However, despite the fact that it was a dead ball foul and the Tigers’ did not get the down over, the officials stepped off the penalty from the line of scrimmage and did not count the two yards gained by Cleveland.

This proved crucial because it because it put the ball on the Massillon 29 and made it fourth and one. Had the Tigers been given credit for the two‑yard gain, it would have been a first down.

The Tigers elected to punt, and Westover kicked the ball off the side of his foot out of bounds for a net three‑yard punt.

Barberton took over at Massillon’s 32 and drove to the 23. On a fourth and one play, the Magics were called for offsides and they faced a fourth and six from the Massillon 28.

FINLEY THEN bit Dave Peters with a 12‑yard sideline pass to give the Magics a first down at the Massillon 16. Three plays later. Barberton called time out with 50 seconds left in the half. They faced a fourth and three situation at the nine yard line.

Sellers entered the game and split the uprights with a field goal from 27 yards out to give Barberton a 9 7 lead with :46 showing on the clock.

Following an 18-yard kickoff return by Tom Gehring the Tigers took over on their own 40.

Offenbecher hit Strawder with a 14-yard pass on second down to give Massillon a first down at Barberton’s 46 with :28 left. After a pair of incomplete passes, Offenbecher found Bob Grizzard at the Barberton five yard line and the Tigers called time out with three seconds to go in the half.

Westover attempted a field goal from the 12 yard line, but the kick was blocked.

BARBERTON’S ball-control offense and hard hitting defense made the 9-7 lead stand for thr rest of the game.

The Tigers did play the game without the services of Mark Pringle, their top receiver.

BREAKS…

“But we should be able to have depth enough to fill in,” Currence said.

“It was just a damn good ball club we played, You can’t expect to run over a team like Barberton.” he added.

Statistically. Barberton only outgained the Tigers 211-202 in total yardage and the Tigers had 12 first downs to 11 for the Magics.

HOWEVER, Barberton controlled the ball and made no turnovers, while Massillon lost two fumble, and one interception.

Ricks carried the ball 22 times for the Magics for a net total of 94 yards to take game rushing honors. That was 34 yards more than the entire Massillon team gained.

The Tigers will open their home season Friday night against Gahanna Lincoln at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

M B
First downs rushing 5 8
First downs passing 7 3
First downs penalties 0 0
Total first downs 12 11
Yard, gained rushing 96 155
Yards lost rusting 38 9
Net yards gained rushing 60 146
Net Yards gained passing 142 65
Total yards gained 202 211
Passes attempted 16 9
Passes completed 10 5
Passes intercepted by 1 0
Yardage on passes intercepted 0 0
Times kicked off 2 3
Kickoff average (yards) 45.5 42.3
Kickoff returns (yards) 26 0
Times punted 4 4
Punt average (yards) 36.5 25.8
Punt return (yards) 0 0
Had punts blocked 0 0
Fumbles 5 2
Lost fumbled ball 2 0
Penalties 4 9
Yards penalized 38 73
Touchdowns rushing 1 0
Touchdowns passing 0 1
Touchdowns by interception 0 0
Miscellaneous touchdowns 0 0
Total number of plays 42 55
Total time of possession 18:02 29:58

Bengals stumble 9-7

By FRED GERLICH
Repository Sports Writer
AKRON – “We got a slogan up in our locker room,” Barberton head football coach Rudy Sharkey said Saturday night.

“It just says, ‘Whatever it takes.’”

All it took against Massillon was a ball-control drive and a 27 yard field goal as the Magics pulled a 9-7 win out of their hats before 20,000 Rubber Bowl onlookers.

Asked what his team had in its arsenal to offensively combat Massillon’s “run and shoot” attack, Sharkey said, “We don’t think plays win games, players do and the players won tonight.”

Barberton controlled the ball for 29:56 of the contest, including 18 minutes in the first half when all 16 tallies were put on the scoreboard.

The Magics did it with a little bit of everything, outgaining the heralded .Tigers 146-60 and adding 65 more yards passing for a 211-202 total offense advantage.

Tailback Larry Ricks led all ground gainers with 94 yards in 22 carries, while Massillon’s Mike Grove gained 47 yards in six trips.

“I didn’t think Barberton could control the ball on us, I really didn’t,” Massillon Coach Mike Currence said.

“I was surprised.”

“We did so well in our scrimmages that it probably hurt us,” Currence added. “We got a false sense of security in our abilities.”

Poor punting accentuated first half play. Barberton received the opening kickoff and was stopped on downs by the Tigers. The Magics Ken Bates then lofted a 21-yard punt which Massillon’s John Letcavits caught at the Barberton 38.

After an uncompleted pass, Richard Cleveland bolted for nine yards and Mike Grove raced 24 yards to the Barberton five. Three plays later Brent Offenbecher vaulted in from one yard out for the initial score. Mark Westovers’ conversion kick made it 7-0.

The Magics showed great ball control in a 16 play, 80-yard drive that consumed 8:26 with qua, rterback Jeff Finley passing to Terry Cameron 16 yards to cut the margin to 7-6 as Dennis Sellers’ point after try was wide to the left.

Bengals

Sellers redeemed himself only after Westover shanked a three-yard punt off the side of his foot, landing out of bound on the Massillon 32. Seven plays later, Sellers booted a 27-yarder through the uprights for a 9-7 lead with 46 seconds left in the half.

But Offenbecher, who completed only one of 11 passes in part time duty as a sophomore last season, bettered his 1976 totals with a pair of passes for 55 yards that took the Tigers to the Barberton five with three seconds remaining.

But Westover’s 22-yard three point attempt was blocked and things remained as status quo.

In the second half, the Tigers advanced as far as the Barberton 38-yard line with 5:10 left when Offenbecher hit Curtis Strawder with a 10-yard pass reception. Hit hard, Strawder caughed up the football and it was covered by Booker Webb at the 38.

Massillon got a final opportunity with 2:35 remaining starting at its own 14.

Three completions by Offenbecher moved the ball to the Tigers’ 47. But on the third completion Grove fumbled and Karl Niehaus fell on the pigskin to douse the Tigers’ hopes of avoiding a second straight season-opening loss.

“The breaks weren’t with us tonight,” Currence remarked. “We had a call go against us on the pass to Strawder.

“It touched big hands twice, but the officials called it a fumble.”

Currence noted that the failure of the Tigers’ kicking game and pointed out the pregame loss of Mark Pringle affected the Tigers, “Although we should have had enough depth to fill in.”

“You have to give Barberton credit-they hit us and hit us again.” Currence stated. “We just got the jitters out there.”

Did the Tigers sustain any other injuries that would affect next week’s home game against Granaha Lincoln?

“Yes, our feelings are hurt,” Currence said solemnly. “We’ll have trouble trouble coming back next week,”

Tigers, Magics lineups

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

Defense
Ends: 85 David Engler (Sr., 5 9, 190), 52 Frank Sweterlitsch (Sr., 6 1, 193);
Tackles: 68 Tony Matie (Sr., 6 1, 218), 39 Jerry Shafrath (Sr., 6 1, 214);
Middle guard: 59 Carl Dorsey (Sr., 5 10, 192);
Linebackers: 62 Kurt Walterhouse (Sr., 5 11, 187), 47 Steve Dottavio (Sr., 5 9, 212);
monster back: 27 John Letcavits (Sr., 6 1, 172);
safety: 21 Marc Longshore (Sr., 6 1, 182);
halfbacks: 22 Mike Hickey (Sr., 5 10, 171), 11 Darren Longshore (Jr., 6 0, 165)
Kicker; 15 Mark Westover (Sr., 6 1, 218).

MAGICS
Offense
Quarterbacks: 7 Jeff Finley (Jr., 5 10, 168);
fullback: 42 Ron Gable (Jr., 5 10, 198);
Wingback: 48 Terry Cameron (Sr., 6 2, 167);
Tailback: 47 Larry Ricks (Jr., 5 10, 190);
Ends: 25 Dave Peters (Jr., 5 11, 158), 1 Booker Webb (Jr., 5 8, 144), 84 Brian Sutton (Jr., 6 0, 178);
tackles: 51 Tim Phillips (Sr., 6 2, 210), 74 Chuck Rowland (Sr., 6 6, 260);
guards: 69 Gary Bradford (Jr., 5 10, 172), 68 Joel Campbell (Sr., 6 1, 178), 67 Mark Friedman (Jr., 5 10, 185);
center: 50 Dan Ozbolt (Jr., 5 11, 182).

Defense
Ends: 44 Dave Wood (Sr., 5 11, 174), 80 Bob Genet (Jr., 5 11, 174);
tackles: 72 Mike Jones (Jr., 6 0, 205), 71 Bob Hill (Sr., 6 2, 197);
middle guard: 96 Robert Delaney (Sr., 5 8, 156);
linebackers: 61 Dan Baker (Jr., 5 11, 174) 43 Karl Niehaus (Sr., 6 2, 195);
free safety: 1 Webb;
strong safety: 48 Cameron;
defensive halfbacks: 37 Marcus McKinnie (Sr., 6 2, 182), 22 Tim Scott (Sr., 5 10, 158).
Kickers: 88 Dennis Sellers (Sr., 6 2, 195), 47 Ricks, 89 Ken Bates (Sr., 6 2, 182).

Series
33rd meeting, Massillon holds series edge with 26-5-1 record.

Tag: <span>Akron Rubber Bowl</span>