Tag: <span>Canton Lincoln</span>

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

1949: Massillon 60, Canton Lincoln 0

Tigers Defeat Canton Lincoln 60-0
40 Massillon Players Given Opportunity To Compete In Grid Game

By LUTHER EMERY

Displaying power to spare, the Tigers of Washington high school slapped Canton Lincoln down 60-0 in Tiger Stadium Friday evening and there’s scarcely a person among the crowd of 11,366 but who would tell you that the score could have been much higher had Coach Chuck Mather wanted it to be.

The Tigers combined a hard running attack with improved passing to roll up their sixth victory over Lincoln in seven games, and score more points than were made in the 1947 and 1948 games combined.

Program Cover

The Lions, who have yet to beat the local team, managed to hold the Tigers to a scoreless tie in 1945 when they had the best eleven in the history of the school and one that earned a share of the state championship.

It didn’t take the Massillon juggernaut long to get rolling last night, and after scoring twice in the first period on a forward pass, Don James to Don Slicker, and a 27-yard run by Dick Jacobs it was evident that a lot of substitutes were going to get an opportunity to play a lot of football.

They did.

Coach Mather didn’t clean off the bench, for his sophomores have a game today here with the Warren reserves, but he did give 40 boys an opportunity to get a taste of the leather and that is a lot of substituting.
* * *
THE TIGERS’ 60 points are reflected in the statistics where they made 16 first downs and gained 556 yards, 394 by carrying the ball and 162 by use of the forward pass.

Possessing a weight advantage, the Massillon gridders hit hard, blocked well, and scored almost at will. They kept Lincoln in its own backyard, save for one occasion when the Lions drove to the Tiger 25-yard line only to lose the ball when John Francisco, Massillon’s sophomore quarterback, covered Jack LeBeau’s fumble.

Chuck Mather was well pleased with the performance of his players, but wouldn’t commit himself as to whether he considers this year’s team better than that of last year. “We’ll wait until Nov. 19 to answer that,” he said.
He had a lot to be thankful for too. None of his players was injured seriously. Clarence Johnson was touched up a bit on the hip, but went back in for a few plays after being pulled because of the injury. He only played a few minutes of the game, however.

Lincoln players escaped serious injury too. They carried Guard Waldo Cross off the field on a stretcher when he complained of his back hurting him, but examination by a physician revealed that it was only a bruise and not serious.
* * *
IN GIVING his younger players an opportunity to perform, Mather found several boys who showed they had it in the clutch. Freddie Waikem, substitute halfback, ran hard with the leather as did Glenn, “The Tank”, Tunning. Jim Corbett, fourth string end, showed he knew how to catch a forward pass.

The substitutes, in fact, rammed over three of the touchdowns and the regulars got the other six.

While Lincoln was unable to make much of a contest out of the game, the fans got their money’s worth watching Massillon’s offensive efforts, for the Tigers did most everything – scored on long runs, tossed short and long passes and pulled the old Statue of Liberty play out of the bag for six points.

It was possibly the best executed play of the game, Dick Jacobs taking the ball off the palm of Quarterback Don James and racing 34 yards to score. Longest pass of the game was a 42-yard Big Bertha, Clarence Johnson to Don Slicker that actually traveled 52 yards through the air, considering that Johnson was 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage when he threw the ball.
* * *
THE TIGERS punted but once all evening, Freddie Close getting off a nice kick good for 54 yards, the only time the locals had their backs far enough to the wall to force them to boot the ball.

Mather started Ray Lane at fullback in place of Crable because the Ace was tardy for an afternoon meeting of the squad. Lane played good ball on both offense and defense and scored one of the Tigers’ touchdowns.

In fact six different players shared in the scoring, which speaks well for the team. Slicker, Jacobs, Crable, Waikem, Ernie Russell and Jerry Krisher all got points. Krisher made his six on kicks from placement after touchdowns.

The Tigers scored the first two times they got the ball. Lincoln through winning the toss, elected to kickoff and Clarence Johnson lugged the leather back 11 yards to his 38. Penalties fizzled the Massillon attack until interference was ruled on a James-Joe Gleason pass that produced a first down on the locals’ 47. Lane and Jacobs went to work and moved the ball to the 26 where James rifled it to Slicker for the first points of the game.

The second touchdown came three minutes later when Lincoln, held for three downs, punted out its own 38. Crable moved the ball up 11 yards and on the next play Jacobs went the remaining 26 around right end.
* * *
THE LIONS stopped the Tigers next time the locals got the ball, but Crable wheeled over for six points on the third play of the second quarter, with a dash of 46 yards. Lincoln received the kickoff, punted out on the Tiger 30, and on the first play from scrimmage, Crable scampered for 70 yards and another TD.

Mather sent in his substitutes after that and the first time they got the ball they marched it 52 yards with Waikem taking it over form the seven after he and Tunning had lugged it most of the way.

That ended the touchdown parade for the first half.

The Lincoln goal was crossed three times in the third period with the Tigers marching the kickoff back from their 30 to pay dirt. The payoff was a 15-yard run by Crable, but the ball was placed in position for the score on Johnson’s 42-yard throw to Slicker.

Recovery of a Lincoln fumble on the Tiger 43 by Chuck Vliet, paved the way for the next points in two plays. Crable tossed to Slicker for a first down on the Lincoln 34 and Jacobs went the rest of the way on a Statue handoff from James.

With the lineup replenished with substitutes, the Tigers again forced Lincoln to punt the ball going out on the Lions’ 31. Lane scampered 26 to the four-yard line and went over for the score.
* * *
WITH THIRD and fourth stringers being rushed into the game, the locals scored but once in the final period. Jerry Howe set the substitutes in motion when he pounced on a Lion fumble on the latter’s 24-yard line. Two plays later Ernie Russell was traveling 18 yards for the last points of the game.

The score was more than twice as great as any previous victory the Tigers had registered over a Lincoln team in the seven games played between the two schools. The largest previous score was the ……unreadable…..Lions in 1946. Last year the Tigers won 25-0.

Mather will meet with his coaches Sunday to plan the strategy to be followed next week in preparing for the game with Barberton to be played Friday in the Akron Rubber Bowl. Barberton beat Akron South 27-12 last night and South a week ago measured Mansfield 34-27.

The lineups and summaries:

MASSILLON
ENDS – SLICKER, GLEASON, Studer, W. Brenner, Corbett, Houston, Murray, B. Brenner.
TACKLES – KRISHER, SCHUMACHER, Stanford, Roderick, Gibson, Duke, Kalleker, Shilling.
GUARDS – SHINE, REICHENBACH, Kracker, G. Howe, Laps, Grunder, Turkal.
CENTERS – PATT, Dowd, Martin, Vliet.
QUARTERBACKS – JAMES, Close, Francisco.
HALFBACKS – JACOBS, JOHNSON, Waikem, Russell, Tunning.
FULLBACKS – LANE, Crable, R. Howe, F. Grier, Stoner.

LINCOLN
ENDS – HALTER, BUSH, Bleahu.
TACKLES – BACHTEL, GROETZ, Malloy.
GUARDS – DRUNKENBROD, CROSS, Flick, Malhiero, Rich.
CENTER – CAIRNS.
QUARTERBACKS – LeBEAU, Boldt.
HALFBACKS – SCHOEPPNER, DUELL, Dugoli, Greenwald.
FULLBACK – CORY.

Score by periods:
Massillon 14 20 20 6 60

Touchdowns:
Massillon – Slicker; Jacobs 2; Crable 3; Waikem; Russell; Lane.

Points after touchdown:
Massillon – Krisher 6 (placekicks).

Referee – McPhee.
Umpire – Boone.
Head Linesman – Gross.
Field Judge – Jenkins.

Statistics Of The Game
Mass. Lincoln
First downs 16 7
Passes attempted 17 11
Passes completed 7 1
Had passes intercepted 4 1
Yards gained passing 162 22
Yards gained rushing 394 118
Total yards gained 556 140
Yards lost 15 22
Times kicked off 9 2
Average kickoff (yards) 49 34
Returned kickoffs 9yards) 11 138
Times penalized 10 1
Yards penalized 60 5
Times fumbled 2 5
Lost ball on fumble 0 4

C.J. Johnson
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

1948: Massillon 25, Canton Lincoln 0

18,000 See Tigers Beat Stubborn Lincoln Lions 25-0
Touchdowns Come Hard For Washington High In Hard Fought Game

By LUTHER EMERY

The Washington high school football team whipped Canton Lincoln 25-0 before 18,000 in Fawcett stadium Friday evening, but Massillon’s sizeable delegation scratched heads and wondered if the Tigers were really as strong as they thought they were while Coach “Chuck” Mather, the gleam gone from his eye, shook his head and said, “We were not sharp.”

The fact is the local eleven, with two of last week’s regulars sidelined, were not sharp and caught Lincoln on a night when the Lions were giving all they had in an effort to score their first victory over a Massillon eleven.

Program Cover

Most fans expected a river of touchdowns from the Massillon team and it started that way when Al Brown romped 21 yards to score on the first play from scrimmage, but thereafter they were hard to get.

You can compile a lot of reasons why the score was not larger, penalties, injuries, and frequent substitutions, but likewise do not overlook the determination of the Lincoln team, which greatly out-weighed the Tigers from guard to guard and forced the Massillonians to rely on sweeps for their gains.

True the Tigers missed several touchdowns because of penalties and probably could have rolled up more points had Coach Mather elected to play his first stringers more, but with it all, the locals were not “high” so to speak, for the game.

“We tried to get them up there,” Mather said after the contest, “but we had a hard time getting coordinated for this one.”
* * *
WHAT’S MORE, the Tigers couldn’t get Lincoln lined up very often for a good punch. The Lion ends rambled around, and tacklers, according to the boys, frequently turned their backs on the Massillon interference just as the latter were throwing their blocks. This resulted in numerous clipping penalties which upset the locals’ offense and nullified a couple of fine runs for touchdowns.

Program Cover #2

The boys, however, were not blocking with the same vicious precision that enabled them to walk away with Cathedral Latin 44-13 last week in their opening game of the season, and judging from Mather’s remark after the contest, “We’ve got a lot of work to do,” there will be some long sessions on the practice field next week.
* * *
DEFENSIVELY, the local team played a better game than it did last week against Latin. Whereas Latin gained 322 yards, Lincoln was held to 163. The Tigers actually gained more yards than they did against Latin, 352 to be exact compared with 332, but there wasn’t as much oats in the nose bag.

No doubt Mather made little effort to run up a large score, or else he would not have substituted so freely or experimented with some forward passes when his backs could have swept Lincoln off the field.

He used the contest to test a number of things as well as give a lot of boys a chance to get game experience and 31 of them profited because of it.

Statistically the game was as much in his favor as the number of points scored. The passing attack left much to be desired but the locals did manage to complete four of 14 for 90 yards and held Lincoln to one completion out of 12 attempts for 33 yards. Two Lion passes were intercepted. First downs were 16 to 6 /in the locals’ favor despite 90 yards lost through penalties. Lincoln wasn’t penalized a yard. In fact the officials only called two penalties on the Lions, both for being in motion, and the Tigers refused both. Twelve penalties were called on Massillon, Lincoln refusing four, including a 15-yarder.
* * *
THE WAY the game started off it looked as through the Tigers would make a runaway of it. They stopped Lincoln after the kickoff and Ray Lane broke through to block John Mallcheck’s punt which Roderick covered on the 21. On the first play Al Brown swept right end for a touchdown as Tiger blockers lowered the boom on would be tacklers.

The locals had to score their second one twice before they could keep it. Brown went 14 yards for it the first time but the ball was called back on a clipping penalty. Four plays later, Edie Bush swept his right end for the six points and Clarence Johnson booted the extra point from placement.

Program Cover #3

That ended the scoring for the half with neither team threatening seriously. The Tigers once were down to the 15 but were set back on penalties while Lincoln in its only offensive outburst of the two periods, lost the ball on a fumble on the Tiger 27.

The third period was almost over before the Tigers could score again and then it took a blocked kick to do it. The locals marched the second half kickoff back to the Lincoln
10-yard line where the Lions took the ball away from them on downs. The Tigers held, however and when Mall check attempted to punt, Roderick broke through and blocked the ball. It rolled to the one yard line where Lincoln covered but it was fourth down and Massillon’s ball. Brown knifed through the left side of the Lincoln line for the touchdown to bring the score to 19.

On the first play of the fourth period, Brown went 63 yards for another touchdown which was not allowed because of a clipping penalty, and the Tigers were forced to punt, Don Studer getting off a beauty to the Lion 35. From this point Lincoln staged its best offense of the evening and moved the ball through a Massillon team filled with second and third string men to the 14-yard line where the drive petered out and the Tigers took over. A couple of passes thrown by Brown and Jack Hill helped take the ball to the 13-yard line where Johnson lugged it over on a reverse for the last points of the game.
* * *
THE VICTORY was the Tigers’ fifth over Lincoln in the last six years; one game that of 1945, ended in a tie score. The 25 points were four short of the 29-0 victory tabulated by the locals in 1946.

While the Tigers were not brilliant in victory, there were bright spots in their lineup. Coach Mather was pleased with the running of Capt. Brown and the defensive work of Johnson, “I felt they were outstanding in these departments,” he said after the game. “We can tell more once we have had a chance to look at the pictures.”

He was noticeably disappointed at the failure of some of his players to “tee off” when blocking Lion tacklers, for there were numerous instances when a good block would have turned a ball carrier loose for many more yards than he otherwise gathered because of a teammate’s mediocre effort.

The Tigers played the game without the services of two regulars, Mike Takacs, who suffered an attack of appendicitis and Irvin Crable, the sophomore flash, who failed to report for practice Thursday without notifying anyone, in violation of a strict coaching rule. He was in uniform, but his position was filled by Eddie Bush who was groomed for the spot during the former’s absence. Art James filled Takacs’ shoes.

After the game there wasn’t the hilarity in the Tiger dressing room such as greeted the conquest of Cathedral Latin last week. The boys knew they hadn’t played the brand of football they put out a week ago and were thinking it over among themselves.

However, they had their customary dinner after the game and returned to Massillon at midnight, ready for a weekend of rest before starting preparations for their third contest of the season next week with Youngstown South high.

VICTORY NO. 2

MASSILLON
ENDS – RODERICK, HOUSTON, Streeter, Gleason, Studer, Slicker.
TACKLES – A. JAMES, JONES, Stanford, Pizzino, Schumacher.
GUARDS – REICHENBACH, MORROW, Paul, DeWalt, W. Houston, Laps.
CENTERS – MCVEY, Krisher, Patt.
QUARTERBACKS – HILL, James.
HALFBACKS – BUSH, JOHNSON, Grier, Shine, Crone.
FULLBACKS – BROWN, Lane Ebbert, Howe.

LINCOLN
ENDS – LOVE, MOORE, Halter, Bush.
TACKLES – MALLCHECK, WINTERS, Ferrall.
GUARDS – STEWART, BACHTEL, Drunkenbrod.
CENTERS – MALLOY, Cairns.
QUARTERBACKS – NEEL, LeBeau.
HALFBACKS – DUELL, BREMKAMP, Toy, Schoeppner, Poffeh.
FULLBACKS – DIUK.

Score by periods:
Massillon 13 0 6 6 25

Touchdowns:
Massillon – Brown 2; Bush; Johnson.

Points after touchdown:
Massillon – Johnson (placekick).

Referee – Russ.
Umpire – Gross.
Head Linesman – Hodnick.
Field Judge – Schlemmer.

Statistics Of The Game
Massillon Lincoln
First downs 16 6
Forward passes 14 12
Passes completed 4 1
Had passes intercepted 0 2
Yards gained passing 90 33
Yards gained rushing 262 130
Total yards gained 352 163
Net yards lost 19 14
Net yards gained 333 149
Punts 2 5
Punts blocked 0 2
Average punt (yards) 41 22
Yards punts returned by 10 12
Kickoffs 5 1
Average kickoff (yards) 50 50
Kickoffs returned (yards) 25 77
Penalties called on 12 2
Times penalized 8 0
Penalties refused by 2 4
Yards penalized 90 0
Fumbles 1 4
Lost ball on fumble 0 1

Jack Hill

 

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

1947: Massillon vs. Canton Lincoln 7

Tigers Come From Behind To Beat Canton Lincoln 13-7
Forward Passes Turn Defeat Into Victory For Massillon Eleven

By LUTHER EMERY

Two frantic fourth period passes turned defeat into a 13-7 victory for Washington high school over Canton Lincoln here Friday evening and brought the Tigers their second triumph of the season.

The chips were down and the crowd of 16,000 was almost ready to concede the Lincoln Lions their first triumph in five years of Tiger competition when Sophomore Fullback Clarence Johnson stole the ball from Nelson Robertson, Lincoln fullback to give the Tigers the pigskin on the Lions 37-yard line.

Five minutes of the game remained and Lincoln was leading 7-6. Few in the stands expected the Tigers to come through for they had already passed up an opportunity to go ahead when they were thrown back after having a first down on the four-yard line.

The clock was clicking off precious seconds as Quarterback Jack Hill dropped back and fired a pass to End Ben Roderick who caught the ball on the 22-yard line and slipped to a knee just as he was about to break away.

Then came the payoff. Without hesitation, Hill called for another pass and picked out Al Brown in the end zone as the receiver. The Lions appeared to have Al well covered but he leaped high between two of them came tumbling down with the ball in his arms for the winning touchdown. Only four minutes and 15 seconds remained to be played and as it turned out it mattered naught that Gene Schludecker kicked the extra point from placement.

The pass brought a thrilling climax to a game that otherwise was very much on the dull side for all of three periods, since neither team up to that time had shown any great offense.
* * *
THE PASS even sparked Lincoln to a new effort for it came back with the kickoff in an effort to ram a touchdown right down the throat of the Tiger and it looked as though it would succeed as the ball was marched back 57 yards to a first down on the 13. But Hill ended the threat when he intercepted Jack Christianson’s pass behind the goal for an automatic touchback that brought the ball into possession of Massillon on its own 20. The game ended one play later.

The best of the football game was packed into the last five minutes of competition, and save for a goal line stand by each team and a second period touchdown by each, fans on either side had little to cheer about, for the defense of both elevens outshone their offense, and that never makes for an exciting ball game.

Lincoln lost the game but beat the Tigers in the statistics. The Lions made seven first downs to Massillon’s four and gained the net total of 177 yards from scrimmage to the Tiger’s 149 yards.

The Tigers spent most of the evening trying to move the ball between the Lincoln tackles. They had very little success for the sum total of their efforts was 72 yards gained and nine lost. Not an end run was attempted. “Lincoln played its end too wide for us to try any sweeps,” Houghton said after the game. The Tiger coach was pleased with the sudden turn of events in the fourth quarter, saying “that will give Hill a lot of confidence in his passing.” He praised the Lincoln team for its defensive ability. “Lincoln was really keyed up,” he said. “And played a lot better brand of ball against us than it did against Canton Timken.” (The Lions beat Timken 13-12 two weeks ago in their opening game the only engagement played prior to last night.)
* * *
THOUGH Lincoln’s hopes for registering its first victory over the Tigers in five years of competition were blasted, the Lions salvaged some consolation out of the contest, for it was the first time they had ever scored on the local team.

Hurled back once in the first period after covering a Tiger fumble on the three-yard line, Lincoln reached the Promised Land on the first play of the second period when Christianson fired a 30-yard pass that End Bruce Mase caught on the 10-yard line and raced over the goal. He also kicked the extra point and the visiting fans were delirious with joy.

The Tigers struck back with determination, however as Dick Jacobs returned the following kickoff 31 yards to the midfield stripe. Hill gained a yard on a sneak and then tossed to Jacobs for a first down on the 11. Brown tried right tackle for a yard and Hill only picked up a yard on a sneak. On third down he pegged the ball to Jacobs who took it in the end zone for the touchdown. The try for the extra point was missed when the pass from center was low and the ball dropped, before it could be put in position for Schludecker to kick.
* * *
NEITHER team threatened thereafter until the third period when Julius Wittmann blocked Dwight Beatty’s kick and Morrie Eberhardt pounced on the ball on the Lions four-yard line. The blow from the ball forced Wittmann’s removal from the game. Mike Takacs plunged for two yards in a crack at the Lion nine, and through Clarence Johnson and Brown were both free the next two plays the passes to them in the end zone were a little off the mark, thereby spoiling an opportunity for a touchdown. Brown was thrown back trying to carry the ball on fourth down and the Lions took over on the three-yard line.

The goal line stand by Lincoln was almost identical to a similar stand made by the Tigers the first period, when big Tom Seaman pounced on John Badarnza’s fumble on the
three-yard line. Christianson made a yard at center and Robertson picked up another. Robertson tried again but Lincoln was offside and was penalized five yards. Beatty made two before being tackled by Jacobs and fumbled on fourth down, the Tigers taking over on the four-yard line.

While the Tigers were naturally happy over the sudden turn of events in the fourth quarter, the narrow escape is just another indication of the long road ahead of the team this season.

On the bright side of the ledger was the aggressive spirit of the players, their defensive ability and the improvement in their passing attack. They completed four of 10 for 86 yards and two touchdowns, whereas last week they failed to complete a pass.
* * *
ON THE DARK side was the absence of deception and a solid running attack. Ball carriers were stopped time and again without gain and made but two first downs on the land. Lincoln too often out-charged the lighter Massillon line and the local team’s passing attack might have been even more successful had not the passer been rushed so badly at times.

The fanciest run of the game was Jacobs’ return of the kickoff that followed Lincoln’s touchdown. Taking the ball on the 19-yard line, he stepped along the west sideline to midfield before being downed.

The Tigers emerged from the game without any serious injuries, and it is well that they did for they have an even greater test coming up next Friday evening at Steubenville.
Thrilling Finish
Massillon Pos. Lincoln
Johnson le Love
Jones lt Griffiths
Williams lg Seaman
Schludecker c Gellenbeck
Houston rg Manful
Wittmann rt Maggiore
Roderick re Mase
Resh qb Christianson
Jacobs lh Beatty
Brown rh Randall
Takacs fb Robertson

Score by periods
MASSILLON 0 6 0 7 13
LINCOLN 0 7 0 0 7

Substitutions:
Massillon – Olenich, c; Badarnza, qb; Resh, rh; Farris, rg; Eberhardt, lt; Morrow, lg; Edie, rt; Hill, qb; C. Johnson, fb.
Lincoln – Miller, rg; Stephanic, qb; Neel, rh; Baxter, le; Means.

Touchdowns:
Massillon – Jacobs and Brown.
Lincoln – Mase.

Points after touchdown:
Massillon – Schludecker (placekick).
Lincoln – Mase (placekick).

Referee – Russell Rupp.
Umpire – V.P. Jenkins.
Head Linesman – O.V. Boone.
Field Judge – Ralph M. Shafer.

Statistics
Massillon Lincoln
First downs 4 7
Yards gained rushing 72 127
Passes attempted 10 12
Passes completed 4 4
Passes had intercepted 1 1
Yards gained passing 86 61
Total yards gained 158 188
Yards lost 9 11
Total net yardage 149 177
Times kicked 3 2
Average kicks (yards) 45 49
Times punted 8 10
Average punts (yards) 30 28
Average return of kicks 25 12
Fumbles 1 2
Fumbles recovered 0 1
Fumbles lost 1 1
Times penalized 6 3
Yards penalized 40 22

Tony Uliveto
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

1946: Massillon 29, Canton Lincoln 0

Tigers Show Power As They Crush Lincoln Lions 29-0
Zorger Sparkles Behind Brilliant Line Play And Fine Downfield Blocking

By LUTHER EMERY

A snarling Washington high school Tiger met a vicious Canton Lincoln Lion before a record throng of 24,000 people in Fawcett stadium, Canton, Friday evening and the Tiger won 29-0, after 48 minutes of the roughest football that has been played on a Stark county gridiron in a long time.

The Tigers ended Lincoln’s undefeated string at 16 games, while chalking up their first victory of the season, but they lost the services of two quarterbacks; Chick Cary and Al Brown, for possibly one or more weeks and had two other players jolted out of their senses.
Important Victory
It was give and take all the way with both teams doing plenty of both, the Tigers winning the ball game but sustaining more casualties for their efforts.

The victory was important from a Massillon standpoint. The Tigers needed it to bolster their own morale as well as that of their public after suffering their first defeat in an opening game in 16 years to Cathedral Latin last week.

Lincoln wanted a victory as the 17th link in its undefeated chain and to press its claim for another state championship which it had a hand on last year.

That’s why the game meant much to both teams and that’s why it turned out to be the kind of hard-fought battle everyone expected — a revival of the old knock’em down, drag’em out contests of the roaring ‘teens.
Surprised Followers
The Tigers surprised the most optimistic of their followers. Few conceded them more than seven points in the betting, but they won by 29, through spirited line play and excellent down field blocking.

The Massillon linemen tore up the Lincoln forward wall like the best teams did in the Tigers’ state championship years, and it has been a long time since fans of either school saw blockers cutting down would-be tacklers in the open field like the Tigers did last night. They saw their men quickly and got them.

The score does not tell how thoroughly Lincoln was outplayed. Neither does it give any hint of the general roughing both teams handed out to each other.

Massillon’s superiority can be found in the statistics: 14 first downs to the Lions’ eight; 335 net yards gained to the Lions’ 133 and one blocked Lion punt.

It was evident from the first couple of minutes of play that the game would be rough and that Massillon had the heavier wallop.

On second down of the first series of Massillon plays, Cary was forced out of the game with a puffed right knee, and Brown took his place.

Brown did an excellent job of calling plays until an injured right ankle put him on the bench with a third of the second period remaining to be played. Dan Byelene, himself suffering from injuries sustained last week, finished the game at the signal barking post.

Looking like an entirely different team from the one that faced Latin last week, the Massillon gridders scored in every period. From the T or the single wing, it made no difference, the ball carriers raced to long gains, but it was a 52-yard return of a punt for a touchdown by Gene Zorger that really brought the spectators to their feet and put a sprag in whatever hopes Lincoln had of keeping pace with the local team.

A safety in the first period and a touchdown by Zorger from the five-yard line combined with a placekick by Brown for the point after touchdown, had the Tigers leading 9-0 when Ray Keck booted the ball to the Massillon 48. The ball was rolling dead, and Byelene was making no effort to pick it up. Neither were two Lincoln players who were standing behind it as it rolled slowly toward the Massillon goal. Then up came Zorger to gamble on a running scoop up of the ball, right from under the noses of the two Lincoln players. He had tried the same stunt against Latin on the Tiger five-yard line last week and almost got away with it. Last night it worked. Zorger’s teammates immediately sensed their duties. As the Tiger halfback raced laterally in the field, his blockers went to work. They cut down Lincoln tacklers and Zorger reached the goal without a hand being laid on him. It was a great run and the suddenness of it all left the spectators gasping in just as much surprise as the Lincoln players.

It was the best of several runs turned in by Gene last night, his greatest night as a Washington high football player. Once he broke through from scrimmage to race 69 yards to the Lincoln 11 before being downed. On another occasion he was away to what would have been another touchdown dash, but his blocker missed the last Canton tackler who had a chance to get him and get him he did.

But while Zorger’s long runs stood out offensively for the local team, the Massillon eleven as a whole from end to end and from back to back played hard-nosed football.
The Line Was The Difference
The difference in the teams to a great extent was the Tiger line. From the time the Tiger forwards rose up to smite down Ray Keck’s attempt to punt from behind this own goal, blocked the ball and gathered two points on an automatic safety, the Massillon linemen were charging and ripping the Lion forward wall to pieces. It was the kind of charge Massillon fans used to smile at with satisfaction in the state championship years and the kind that makes an offense and a ball carrier look good.

The players showed the effects of it too. Julius Wittmann, starting his first game at right tackle, got such a wallop on the last play of the first half that he passed out in the dressing room and was out cold for 45 minutes. It was late in the fourth quarter before he completely regained his equilibrium.

His mother couldn’t have done a better job with a paring knife than a Lincoln gridder’s shoe did in taking the skin off Jim Young’s nose.

Three of the four members of the Tigers’ starting backfield were knocked out of the game. First came Cary, then Brown and finally Junior Pedrotty got such a wallop that he went haywire for a moment and began swinging at members of his own team. Zorger was the only backfield starter to come out unscathed.

Lincoln had its casualties too and its great little halfback, Ray Keck, who was forced to run laterally most of the time last night because of the charge of the Tiger line, was knocked out of the ball game on one occasion but, like Pedrotty, reentered following a rest.

Despite the roughing, only one player was tossed out of the game. Gordon Young, Lincoln right end was caught taking a swing at Pedrotty in the fourth period and was sent to the bench. His team was penalized half the distance to the goal line but it only meant five yards for the Tigers were within 10 yards of a touchdown when the fisticuffs occurred.

All in all, the Tigers scored a safety, four touchdowns and three points after touchdown. Quick on the takeoff, they were penalized many times for being offside or in motion, and that’s just as good as it is bad, for it indicates the anxiety to get the jump on the opposition. They lost 50 yards on penalties to Lincoln’s 40.

The Tigers scored their first two points on a safety in the first five minutes of the game.
Score On Safety
Neither team gained on the first exchange. The locals, in fact, wound up with fourth down coming up and 19 yards to go when Zorger was called to punt for the first time in his life. He got a good one off to the Lincoln 18-yard line, and it was here the Massillon line stepped into the cage in the role of Lion tamer. Keck carried twice and wound up 13 yards back of where he started. He dropped behind his goal line to punt and the Tiger line crashed through, Eberhardt knocking the ball before it went over the end zone for an automatic safety for Massillon.

Pedrotty brought the following free kick back to the Lions’ 45-yard line and the Tigers took off on a 55-yard touchdown march and had to overcome four different five-yard penalties to do it.
Brown hit right tackle for six and Zorger broke through for 18 more only to have the ball called back and a five-yard penalty inflicted for offside. It didn’t discourage the Tigers however and after Brown’s pass to Giloff traveled over the latter’s head. Zorger was again turned loose for a first on the Lion 32. Giloff made nine yards at guard and on a second attempt chalked up what would have been a first down on the 15, but again the Tigers were set back five yards for being in motion on the play.
Zorger Goes Over
That didn’t stop them, however, for on the next play, Brown tossed a lateral to Zorger who swept his left end for a first down on the 15. Pedrotty bucked through to the six and Brown was held for no gain but again the Tigers lost five yards for being offside. It didn’t stop them though, for Zorger banged his way through to within a foot of the goal. Brown went over but Massillon was called again for being offside and the ball was put in play on the five-yard line. Giloff picked up two yards and Zorger finally took the ball over for a TD that couldn’t be denied. Brown placekicked the extra point to put the Tigers ahead 9-0.

The Tigers’ second touchdown came in the opening minutes of the second quarter on Zorger’s long runback of Keck’s punt, the story of which has already been told. The Lions had the ball on their own 31 when they kicked it to Zorger who picked it up on his own 48 and reeled off 52 yards. Again Brown placekicked the extra point.

Neither team threatened until the closing minutes of the half when the Tigers drove 37 yards to the Lincoln 20.

The local eleven received the kickoff at the start of the third period and hammered its way 92 yards for a touchdown without surrendering the ball.

Giloff started with three yards and Zorger made it first on his 34. Byelene bootlegged for six yards. Zorger picked up three and Giloff made it first down on the Lincoln 46. Zorger went for nine yards at center and a five-yard penalty for offside moved the ball to a first on the Lincoln 32. Giloff made five at center and Zorger on a reverse ran to the 18. Byelene passed to Zorger on the goal line but the ball was called back and the Tigers were penalized five yards. Zorger and Giloff made it first down eight yards short of the goal. Zorger took the ball to the five-yard line but a five-yard penalty set the Tigers back on their heels again.

The Lincoln line appeared to brace as Giloff was held to two yards so Byelene tossed a well aimed pass to Zorger in the end zone for the Tigers’ third touchdown. This time t he ball was passed to Giloff who carried it over for the extra point.

The locals’ last touchdown came in the first five minutes of the fourth period. The quarter opened with the pigskin straddling the 50-yard line, and fourth down coming up for Lincoln. Keck punted and Zorger was downed on the 25. A five-yard penalty pushed theTigers back to their 20, and it was from this point that Zorger was turned loose for a dash to the Lincoln 11. He wheeled through left tackle, dashing forward for 15 yards before reversing his field and heading out to his right. He got by all the Lion players until Dwight Beatty hauled him down 11 yards short of a touchdown. Zorger made a yard at center, and Lincoln was penalized half the distance to the goal when its Gordon Young was caught taking a poke at Pedrotty. Byelene lost three yards, but tossed a strike to Jack Zeller on the next play for the final touchdown of the game. An attempted plunge for the extra point failed.
Lincoln’s two best offensive efforts came in the last period. The Lions shot the works after the kickoff as Beatty flipped a pass to Ted Resler who tossed a lateral to Ted (Thunder) Boldt, who raced 45 yards to the Tiger 16 before he was hauled down. The Lions only moved the pigskin three yards nearer the goal before the Tigers took it away from them on downs.

On the following series of plays, Ben Roderick, sophomore fullback got away for an
18-yard dash, but the Tigers lost the ball when Jack Stiner intercepted a Byelene pass on the Tiger 48. Lincoln managed to get back to the 14 before the game came to an end.

Lion Tamers
Massillon Pos. Lincoln
Zeller LE Mase
Young LT Seaman
Uliveto LG Little
Darrah C Gellenbeck
Brooks RG Rosenberry
Wittmann RT Rich
Eberhardt RE Young
Cary QB Mallett
Giloff LH Keck
Zorger RH Resler
Pedrotty FB Boldt

Score by periods
Massillon 9 7 7 6 29

Substitutions:
Massillon – Yost, fb; Schludecker, re; Johnson, lg; Brown, qb; Angstadt, g; Roderick, fb; Dowd, c; Badarnza, lh; Farris.
Lincoln – Griffith, lg; Norris, fb; Wayne, rg; Beatty, rh; Frank, qb; Baxter, re.

Safety – Massillon

Touchdowns:
Massillon – Zorger 3; Zeller.

Points after touchdown:
Massillon – Brown 2 (placekicks); Giloff (carried).

Referee – Earl Gross.
Umpire – Verlin Jenkins.
Head Linesman – Augie Zimmerman.
Field Judge – Dwight Peabody.

Statistics
Massillon Lincoln
First downs 14 8
Passes attempted 7 13
Passes completed 3 5
Had passes intercepted 1 0
Yards gained passing 27 79
Yards gained rushing 351 80
Total yards gained 378 159
Yards lost 23 26
Net yards gained 355 133
Times punted 2 6
Average punt (yards) 29 25
Returned punts (yards) 93 11
Had punts blocked 0 1
Times kicked off 5 1
Average kickoff 48.4 60
Yards returned kickoffs 6 80
Fumbles 2 1
Lost ball on fumbles 0 0
Times penalized 10 6
Yards penalized 50 40


Merle Darrah

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

1945: Massillon 0, Canton Lincoln 0

Lincoln’s Scrappy Lions Hold Tigers To Scoreless Draw
Fumble Late In Fourth Period Costs Massillon Chance To Cop Contest

By FRED J. BECKER

That Sunday punch the Washington high school Tigers tossed at Weirton to blast the West Virginia Red Riders a week ago was missing Friday night when Coach Augie Morningstar’s gladiators tangled at Tiger stadium with Junie Ferrall’s up and coming Lincoln Lions and as a result the Massillonians finished in a scoreless deadlock with the east enders after 48 minutes of hectic battling. And because the Tigers mislaid their offensive wallop they were called out for a practice session this morning as Coach Morningstar and his assistants endeavored to rub out some of the defects that marred the orange and black’s exhibition and probably cost the local lads a victory.

The largest crowd of the season – 18,500 spectators jammed Tiger stadium – witnessed a hard, grueling battle between a pair of evenly matched teams. The game ended in a 0 to 0 tie because the Tigers, uncorking their only sustained offensive drive late in the fourth quarter, missed a touchdown through an unfortunate fumble inches away from the Lincoln goal line.
Tigers Suffered Letdown After Weirton
What happened to the Tigers last night was just what Coach Morningstar was afraid all week might happen and what he fought so hard to overcome – a natural letdown following last Friday night’s terrific shin-dig with Weirton. The Tigers certainly did not play the same kind of a game last night they did against the Red Riders, particularly on offense. Their defense was good enough to keep the Canton invaders well in hand throughout the game but when it came to moving the ball for any sustained distance the orange and black did not have the stuff to do it.

What the Tigers failed to accomplish in an offensive way, however, does not detract in the least from the splendid performance of the visiting Lions. A fast charging, rugged Canton forward wall that battered its way through the Tigers front line quite consistently might have had a lot to do with putting a damper on Massillon’s offense.
Lions Prove Their Worth
After soaking up two defeats in the past two years, one by a 15-0 score and the other by a 12-0 margin, the Lions last night proved their worth by stopping the Tigers dead in their tracks until late in the fourth period when the Massillonians clicked long enough to carry the ball from deep in their own territory to within scoring distance, only to lose their one and only chance for a touchdown through a fumble.

Tied to the ground in their efforts to move the ball on running and power plays, the Tigers had only one other offensive threat left and that was the forward pass but even their aerial game did not click until their sensational spurt and then it was a brilliant heave from Bert Webb to Jim Bishop, substitute end, that sent the Tigers deep into Lincoln territory and had them pounding on the touchdown door a few seconds later.

The Tigers gained their long awaited break in the fourth period when Harvey Neel’s dump pass over the line was intercepted by Don McGuire on Massillon’s 38. The Tigers drew a 15-yard penalty for clipping, taking the ball back to the 23. Two attempts to dent the Lincoln line netted two yards and then Webb cut loose with a long pass to Jim Bishop who was racing down the west side of the field.

Jim made a fine catch and set out under a full head of steam for the Canton goal line but he didn’t quite get by the last Lincoln player in his path. The lad was Harvey Neel. Bishop tried to cut Neel down with a stiff arm but it didn’t work and Jim was grounded on Canton’s 23-yard line. The pass and Bishop’s run netted the Tigers a gain of 52 yards and brought the fans to their feet in a frenzy of wild cheering

Webb tried a pass to McGuire that failed. He then went through the line for three. On the next play Webb tossed a nifty pass to Captain Fred Bonk who was nailed on the Lincoln seven yard line. It was good for a first down. McGuire smashed to the four and then battered his way to within inches of the goal line.
Webb Fumbles, Lions Recover
Webb had difficulty holding the ball on the next play but kept possession of it, being downed on the two-yard line. With fourth down coming up, Webb crashed into the left side of the Lincoln line. He was hit hard and the ball flew out of his grasp and sailed over the goal line where Lincoln covered it for a touchback. Webb was less than a yard from the goal line when he fumbled.

The Lions put the ball in play on their 20 and kept possession of it the remainder of the game, making two first downs to their 44 before the final gun sounded.

The statistics gave Massillon a slight edge over the Lions but they don’t pay off on statistics. The local gridders moved the 10-yard chain seven times while Lincoln had six first downs. Massillon gained a total of 181 yards from all types of plays and lost 23 for a net yardage of 158. Lincoln had a gross gain of 123 with a loss of seven for a net of 116.

The Tigers attempted 18 forward passes and completed four for 86 yards. They had three intercepted. Lincoln tried nine aerials, completing two for 18 yards. They had two intercepted.

Massillon fumbled seven times and recovered twice. Lincoln fumbled four times and recovered once.

There was little to choose between the two teams until the Tigers flashed their spectacular offensive splurge in the final period. That was the only serious scoring threat of the game.

The Tigers for a minute looked like they might be going somewhere in the second period when they dusted off the old Statue of Liberty play and drove to Lincoln’s 20 but their drive fizzled and Lincoln held for downs.

The Tigers gained the ball on Canton’s 46 when Bob Kendig fumbled and Bob Waltz recovered. On fourth down Webb faked a kick, Bob Richards coming around and taking the ball and dashing wide at right end, raced to the 20 before being pulled down.

The play was good for 22 yards.
Lions Drive To 18
Lincoln’s best scoring opportunity came in the third quarter. Webb took a punt by Neel and was downed on his 30. Here Coach Morningstar sent McGuire in to replace Webb and pulled out his entire first string line and shoved in his reserve line. On the first play McGuire fumbled and Bill Zettler covered for the Lions on Massillon’s 29. Ray “Rainbow” Keck, who was Lincoln’s offensive star, then raced wide around right end to Massillon’s 16 yard line for a gain of 13 yards and Coach Morningstar rushed in his first line in a jiffy. Keck was stopped. Then Neel fumbled and Gene Krisher covered for Massillon on his 18 yard line to wipe out Lincoln’s best chance to get within striking distance of the Tiger goal.

Sharing offensive honors with Keck were Don Bonevich and Neel while defensively Bruce Beatty, Lincoln’s veteran and brilliant end, was a decided pain in the neck to the Tigers all night. Beatty was all over the field, doing a lot of tackling and he was one of the main reasons Massillon’s aerial attack failed to click any better than it did. George Young, Bill Little and Roland Bowers also played good defensive ball for the visitors.

Massillon’s ground attack failed to function last night because adequate interference was lacking. A week ago against Weirton the Tigers did a right smart job of knocking opposing tacklers out of the road. Last night the orange and black ball carriers were given but little assistance in the way of interference.

Defensively the Tigers were as formidable as they were in their first two games. Their tackling was hard and accurate and they generally smeared Lincoln’s ball toters with sufficient force to stop them right where they were hit. Gene Krisher, Bernie Green, Bob Waltz and Tom Brooks did a lot of fine tackling with Captain Bonk leading the procession. The Tiger captain’s defensive performance last night was quite potent.
A Draw
Massillon – 0 Pos. Canton Lincoln – 0
Zeller LE Williams
Green LT G. Young
Waltz LG Little
Darrah C B. Boldt
Brooks RG Bowers
Krisher RT Zettler
Bonk RE Beatty
Edie QB Kendig
Webb LH-B Keck
Richards RH-B Bonevich
Zorger FB Neel

Substitutes:
Massillon – J. Young, rt; Giloff, fb; McGuire, rh; Uilveto, lg; Ceckler, lt; Johnson, re; Bishop, le; Piper, rg.
Lincoln – Criswell, rb; Malett, qb; T. Boldt, lh.

Referee – Gross.
Umpire – Rupp.
Head Linesman – McPhee.
Field Judge – Shafer.

Statistics
Mass. Lincoln
First downs 7 6
Yards gained by rushing 95 105
Forward passes attempted 18 9
Forward passes completed 4 2
Yards gained by passing 86 18
Total yardage gained by 181 123
Yards lost 23 7
Net yardage 158 116
Passes had intercepted 3 2
Number of punts 4 6
Average distance of punts 33 29
Average return of punts 6 10
Number of kickoffs 1 1
Average distance of kickoffs 34 32
Average return of kickoffs 3 35
Number of fumbles 7 4
Times ball lost on fumbles 5 3
Times penalized 1 1
Yards lost by penalties 15 15

Fred Bonk
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

1944: Massillon 12, Canton Lincoln 0

Improved Tigers Hand Canton Lincoln 12-0 Shellacking
SECOND WIN FOR LOCAL GRIDDERS Overflow Crowd Of 17,500 Watches Washington High Gladiators Tally 2 Touchdowns In Hard Fought, Spectacular Clash

By FRED J. BECKER

Back again on the 1944 Football Victory train are those Tigers of Washington high school. Knocked off a week ago by the Cleveland Cathedral Latin Lions Coach Elwood Kammer’s gridiron gladiators Friday night climbed aboard the Football Victory express at Fawcett stadium, Canton, by mauling the Canton Lincoln Lions 12 to 0 before an overflow crowd of 17,500.

A lion – Cleveland variety – smeared the Massillon Tiger 6-0 a week ago. Last night another lion – Canton variety – waged a desperate battle in an unsuccessful effort to duplicate the feat of the Clevelanders. The Lincoln Lions, a powerful opponent, caught the Massillon Tiger on the rebound and the orange and black made the Cantonians their victims as they proved that a Massillon Tiger can take a lacing one week and come back stronger than ever the next.
Hard Fought, Spectacular Duel
In a hard fought and spectacular contest in which no quarter was asked and none given, the Tigers last night proved superior to the Cantonians for the second straight year. In 1943 the Massillonians edged the Lincoln Lions 15-0. The largest crowd to see a scholastic gridiron duel in Canton this season jammed Fawcett stadium to overflowing and was treated to a highly interesting battle as the Tigers proved to both Massillon and Canton fans alike that they have it when the chips are down and that they profited immensely from the bitter experience of defeat.

For Lincoln it was the first defeat in 3 games, the Lions having conquered Lima South and Akron Buchtel in previous duels. For Massillon it was the second triumph in 3 encounters, the Tigers lacing Akron West in their inaugural and then losing to Cathedral Latin last week.
Two Paying Forays
Three times the Tigers struck across the Canton goal line and into the heart of the Lincoln Lions stronghold.

Twice these forays paid off in points. The other time the touchdown was lost because of a 15-yard penalty inflicted on Coach Kammer’s lads for clipping.

On at least 3 occasions the Lincoln Lions struck deep into Tiger territory but on at least 2 of these attempts the Massillonians had what it takes to repel their adversaries when their goal line was threatened. On the other the Lions wiped out their own chances of scoring by failure to complete a forward pass, the Canton receiver dropping the pigskin right on the Massillon goal line.

A much-improved Tiger machine checked the victory march of Coach Junie Ferrall’s Lions last night – a Tiger machine that really functioned on defense with a hard charging line that smashed its way through the Canton forwards and, except for Lincoln flurries late in the third period and again early in the fourth quarter, overwhelmed the Canton adversary so thoroughly Lincoln found it virtually impossible to get its offensive attack rolling.

The most outstanding thing in Massillon’s play last night was its improved defense. A week ago the Tigers were torn apart by Cathedral Latin’s powerful smashes. Last night the Tigers smothered the best offensive attempts of a formidable Canton team, which in many respects was the equal, it not superior, of the Cleveland outfit.

Don’t think for a minute that the Tigers did not conquer a hard fighting and worthy foe last night. The Lions, yearning for victory and for the first time in 2 years seeing a chance to accomplish that goal, were in there fighting every inch of the way but pitted against an aroused Tiger they found themselves lacking the punch to drive across points and wound up on the losing end after a hectic encounter that was not in the bag for the Tigers until the closing minutes of the fourth quarter.
Tiger Aerial Game Off
Offensively the Tigers also showed improvement. Their running attack, which bogged down against Cathedral Latin, was again functioning with the elusive Bert Webb and the hard driving Vic Turkall carrying the brunt of the Massillon ground gaining drives. One phase of the Massillon offense, however, was not up to its early season standard. That was the forward passing department. The Tigers had plenty of opportunities to register gains in an aerial assault but most of the time the passers and receivers had difficulty establishing contact.

Shining in a defensive role was the entire Tiger forward wall which gave a vastly improved performance over that of a week ago. Standing out prominently was the improved play of big Jim Gibson at tackle and the steady and brilliant performance of Center Fred Bonk who had a hand in stopping almost every smash the Lions aimed at the line. Jack Zeller, sophomore end, who replaced the injured Bob Clark also did a good job, along with Co-Captain Bill Gable, Dick Ielsch and Bob Heltzel, Wilmer Luke, Webb, Turkall, Co-Captain Glenn Keller, Junie Pedrotty and Don Sedjo did a fine job in the secondary and Gene Krisher, another sophomore, rushed in for a defense role when the Lions became troublesome in the third and fourth periods, had a lot to do in checking the Cantonians and keeping them away from pay dirt.

Both Tiger touchdowns were scored by Vic Turkall. The first came in the second period, the Tigers marching 38 yards on 5 plays after recovering a Canton fumble and the second coming early in the third period when the Tigers took the kickoff and marched 66 yards down the field in 8 plays.

The Tigers held a 9-5 edge on the Lions in first downs, the Cantonians failing to make the necessary yardage at any time in the first half so stout was the Massillon defense. The Lions made their best offensive showing in the last 2 periods when the Tiger defense bogged down for a bit but each time the orange and black had what it takes when it was necessary to dig in and throw back their opponents to keep them away from scoring territory.

The Tigers had a net gain of 163 yards as compared to 93 for the Lions and completed 5 of 13 aerial attempts for 36 yards, having 2 intercepted. Lincoln tried 11 passes, completing 2 for 8 yards and having 1 intercepted.

Both teams had difficulty holding on to the ball, the Tigers fumbling 3 times and recovering only one while the Lions fumbled 4 times and recovered but once. The Tigers drew a total of 50 yards in penalties while Lincoln’s penalties added up to 40 yards.

Right at the outset of the game the Tigers defense had a chance to prove its mettle and did so with flying colors, turning back the Lions after a pass interception had given them the ball on the Massillon 7. It was Lincoln’s best opportunity of the game to score but an aroused Tiger rose up in all its might and smashed 4 straight attempts by Lincoln to carry the ball across the Massillon goal.
Keller Overhauls Permar
The Tigers kicked off to Lincoln and the Lions were held. Jack Permar punting to Massillon’s 38. Webb dashed wide at left end for 8 yards and Pedrotty rammed the line for a first down. Turkall failed to gain in an attempted end sweep. On a flanker play with Webb running out wide, Turkall passed to the little Negro halfback who sprinted down the field for 8 yards. On the next flanker play Turkall attempted a pass to Webb but the midget Massillonian fell in turning to receive the ball and the pigskin nestled into Jack Permar’s arms and the Lincoln halfback, with an almost clear field ahead, set out under full sail for the Tigers goal line from his 40-yard line.

It looked like a Lincoln touchdown for a few seconds as Permar shot by the entire Massillon team but racing across the field to cut him down – and we mean racing – was Glenn Keller and the Tiger co-captain caught up with Permar near the sidelines, lunged at him and pulled him down from behind on the Tiger 7 yard line. Permar had stepped off 53 yards before being overhauled by Keller and the Canton fans were in a state of wild enthusiasm.

Here it was, they said to themselves. Here was that Lincoln touchdown coming up – but they counted their points too soon – because the Tigers felt entirely different about the whole thing and in the next minute or two proceeded to prove it by smashing the Lions right into the earth as they attempted – and failed to score.
Tigers Halt Lincoln Splurge
Robertson, Lincoln fullback, rammed into the Tiger forward wall and gained exactly nothing. Permar also hit the line and picked up a yard before being set down by Dick Ielsch. Permar then tried his right end only to come smack up against Fred Bonk and down he went again, after gaining a yard. This brought up fourth down with the ball on Massillon’s 5. Here the Lions tried some masterminding. Coach Ferrall sending in Bob Horner, a big, fleet-footed halfback. Horner dropped back far out on the blank. Permar took the ball from center and attempted a lateral to Horner who dropped the ball and Luke covered on his 11 and it was Massillon’s ball and Lincoln’s bid for a touchdown had fizzled.

Early in the second quarter the Tigers got a break and struck quickly for a touchdown which was wiped out when a clipping penalty on Massillon nullified the score.

Turkall, whose punting throughout the game was splendid, kicked from his 32 yard line. The ball hit the ground and bounded against Ronie Bowers, Lincoln tackle. Before a Canton Lincoln player could get to the ball Bill Gable pounced on it on Canton’s 35 and the Tigers for the first time were deep in Lincoln territory. Turkall’s attempted pass to Luke failed but then Vic tossed a lateral to Webb and the dusky Massillon speedster ran and squirmed his way through the Lions and across the goal line on a brilliant run only to see his efforts go for naught when the officials spied a Tiger clipping on the 35 yard line, calling the ball back and inflicting a 15 yard penalty on Massillon, putting the leather back on 50.

Again the Tigers took to the air. Turkall tossed a long lateral to Chick Cary, playing for the first time since the opening game, out on the flank and Cary heaved a pass to Luke who made a valiant attempt to hold the ball but it slipped out of his grasp and into the waiting hands of Bruce Beatty, Lincoln end, on Canton’s 24.

After making 2 at left end, Permar fumbled when hit hard by Keller and the Massillon
co-captain covered on Lincoln’s 24. Sedjo smashed through right tackle for 6 but Massillon lost another scoring opportunity when again guilty of clipping on the next play and the 15-yard penalty took the ball back to the 30 and 3 attempts to advance the leather failed with the Lions gaining possession on their 48.

But once again, a Canton fumble gave the Tigers another chance and this time they took full advantage of their opportunity and did not stop until they had scored a touchdown, their first of the game.
Webb In 24 Yard Dash
On the third play after regaining the ball, Horner fumbled and Bob Heltzel covered for Massillon on Canton’s 38. On the final play the Tigers brought the old Statue of Liberty play out of moth balls and Webb, taking the ball from Turkall, poised as if to pass, raced wide around his left end and 24 yards down the field before being forced out of bounds on Lincoln’s 14 yard line. It was a nifty piece of stepping by the Tiger halfback.

Turkall then smashed through left tackle for 7 to the Lincoln 7. Webb picked up 2 more through the same spot and then Turkall raced around his right end and down to the 2 before being nailed. On the next play he bowled through right tackle and over for the first points of the game. Turkall’s attempted place kick was blocked by the Lions.

In the closing minutes of the second quarter Lincoln made a belated effort to score and covered a fumble by Turkall on the Canton 43. With the quarter about over Permar attempted a pass to Beatty but the Canton end dropped the ball with a clear field ahead as the gun sounded.

Coming out for the third period the Tigers received and without any wasted motion marched right down the field 66 yards for their second touchdown.

On Lincoln’s first kickoff the Tigers were offside and the ball was brought back with Oberlin kicking off a second time from the 45 yard line. Sedjo took the ball on his 16 and rammed it back to the 34 before being downed. Turkall swept left end for 4 and Sedjo cracked the line twice for a first down to his 45. Turkall breezed through left tackle for 8 and Webb dashed around left end for another first down to Lincoln’s 32. Turkall hit down to Lincon’s 32. Turkall hit right tackle for 4 and then Webb in the game’s most sensational display of open field running, dashed around left end and squirmed and sidestepped his way to the Lincoln 8 before being tackled, a gain of 20 yards on a splendid run.

Turkall took the ball on the next play and for a second it looked as if he was trapped far back of the line of scrimmage, but he ducked successfully out of reach of Bowers, Lincoln tackle, and set sail for the sideline, racing around his right end and across the goal line, shaking off several would-be Canton tacklers in his successful jaunt. Again his attempted place kick was wide when partially blocked by Canton.
Lincoln Bid Is Checked
Trailing by 2 touchdowns the Lions took the kickoff and uncorked their best offensive splurge of the game. Gable kicked to Pellegrino who returned 25 to the Lincoln 43. With Fullback Robertson doing most of the line battering the Lions clipped off 3 first downs and carried the ball to the Tiger 26.

Krisher was rushed into the Massillon secondary, replacing Sedjo in an attempt to bolster the Tiger defense and the Massillon sophomore was the right boy for the job. The Lions hammered their way to the Tiger 17 but here Bonk and Keller nailed Robertson on fourth down and halted the Lincoln march, the Tigers gaining possession of the ball when the Lions failed to make the required yardage.

After an exchange of punts, Webb fumbled early in the fourth quarter and Bill DeGarmo, Lincoln center, covered on the Massillon 42. Once again the Lions made a desperate try for points, making a first down to the Massillon 30. But once again the Tiger defense stiffened and Permar took to the air, hurling a beautiful long pass to…..REST OF ARTICLE MISSING.

More Like it
Massillon – 12 Pos. Canton L. – 0
Zeller LE Beattty
Ielsch LT Wilkins
Gable LG Zettler
Bonk C DeGarmo
Heltzel RG Bowers
Gibson RT Oberlin
Luke RE Bing
Keller QB Kindig
Turkall LH Permar
Webb RH Pellegrino
Pedrotty FB Robertson

Score by quarters:
Massillon 0 6 6 0 12

Touchdowns:
Massillon – Sejdo 2.

Substitutions:
Massillon – Sedjo; Cary; Krisher; McGuire; Edie; Bishop; Weekes; Waltz; Brooks; Green.
Lincoln – Horner; Benevich; Leahy; Gruber; Williams; Williams; Fitzpatrick; Neel.

Referee – Lobach.
Umpire – Rupp.
Head Linesman – Boone.
Field Judge – Welsh.

Statistics
Mass. Lin.
Total first downs 9 5
Yards gained by rushing 154 113
Yards lost by rushing 27 1
Net yards gained by rushing 127 112
Forward passes attempted 13 11
Forward passes completed 5 2
Yards gained by passing 36 8
Total net yardage,
rushing and passing 190 121
Passes had intercepted 2 1
Number of punts 6 6
Average distance of punts 33 32
Number of kickoffs 3 1
Average distance of kickoffs 35 40
Number of fumbles 3 4
Times ball lost on fumbles 2 3
Number of penalties against 6 6
Yards lost by penalties 50 40

Glen Keller
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

1943: Massillon 15, Canton Lincoln 0

Second Half Splurge

PELLEGRINI SCORES TWO TOUCHDOWNS

Washington High Football Team Scores Victory In First Game of 1943 Season Before Surprisingly Large Crowd Of Over 13,000

By Fred J. Becker
Independent Sports Editor

Rolling again are those Tigers of Washington high school. Kept away from pay dirt during the first two periods and rather badly jolted by a determined enemy offensive in the opening minutes of the battle, Coach Elwood Kammer’s young orange and black warriors came surging back in the final two periods Friday night at Tiger stadium to roll up two touchdowns, a point after touchdown and an automatic safety through the medium of a blocked punt to defeat a hard-fighting, courageous Canton Lincoln high team 15 to 0 in their opening combat of the 1943 scholastic football season before a crowd that passed the 13,000 mark.

Program Cover

It was a victory No. 1 in a string which Massillon’s young Tigers hope to roll up to 10 before the end of November and the start of a new series of triumphs which they hope will erase the memory of the Canton McKinley defeat last November when a Massillon streak that had mounted to 52 games without a defeat was snapped by a 35-0 Bulldog triumph.

Hard Fought Ball Game

It was a tough ball game from start to finish. Both teams put everything they had into it and not until the fourth quarter was well under way did the Tigers hold the upper hand and a margin sufficiently large to permit their supporters to take a free and easy breath. It was a well deserved victory for the Tigers and a defeat without disgrace for Junie Ferrall’s Lincoln Lions.

The lads from the city which annually produces Massillon’s biggest gridiron rivals fought their hearts out and the local lads will not meet many teams during the next two months able to match the Cantonians in defensive ability. A brick wall wouldn’t be much harder to dent than the defense which the Lions showed last night.

Those who witnessed the game know now that Coach Kammer was not just doing a lot of talking when he said the Lions would be about the toughest foe any Tiger team had ever been called upon to face in an opening engagement. The Lions proved Friday night that every word Kammer said was true.

Tigers Rough In Spots

They were hard to beat – mighty hard, in fact, and in chalking up a 15 to 0 triumph over the east enders the Tigers are deserving of a lot of credit. Only a hard-driving physically fit team could have turned the trick and the Tigers were that kind of a ball club last night. Sure they made mistakes, sure they didn’t complete one pass all night and both on offense and defense they were rough in spots but always remember that the Tiger team last night was one of the youngest to ever represent Washington high school, but they are youngsters with a mighty fine fighting spirit and now that they have had their baptism of fire they’ll be a better ball club and some of the mistakes made last night will not occur next week or in the weeks to come.

The Tigers very definitely have possibilities and they’ll get better as the season grows older.

A surprisingly big crowd, one which surpassed even the expectations of the Tigers’ most optimistic supporters, sat in on last night’s engagement and were treated to a really fine football game, a contest that was interesting all the way and a battle royal from the opening kickoff to the final blast of the referee’s whistle.

Two beautiful runs of 21 and 29 yards respectively by Romeo Pellegrini, a swarthy hard hitting junior, aided and abetted by splendid interference, brought home the bacon for the Tigers. Another two points were added on an automatic safety when quarterback Glenn Keller blocked a Canton punt, driving the ball back beyond the end zone.

There were no outstanding stars on the Massillon team last night. Every boy gave the best he had while he was in the game. The Tiger line acquitted itself in fine shape. It had a hard customer to handle in Captain Mike Rejina of the Lions, a big, bruising back who could run and plunge and around whom the Canton offensive was built but they stopped Mike before he got too troublesome, even though in addition to his running ability he proved himself to be a capable southpaw passer and kicker.

Pellegrini Shines On Offense

Pellegrini spearheaded the Massillon attack. He got away for a lot of fine gains and his two touchdown gallops were beautiful to watch. Defensively such boys as Capt. Bob Wallace, Bob Williams, R.C. Arrington, and Henry Mastriann performed in a highly creditable manner.

Although its forward passing attack failed to click, not one in seven attempts being good, the Tigers held a 12 to 6 advantage over the Lions in first downs. The Tigers gained a total of 203 yards while the Lions were held to 146 yards. Lincoln completed four passes out of 11 for 59 yards and had one intercepted. The Tigers fumbled five times, and recovered two.

The Lions, fortified by three practice games with other schools, began to get troublesome right from the opening kickoff and threw a big scare into the orange and black camp before being halted on the Massillon 10.

Early Lincoln Splurge

The visitors received, Arrington kicking out of bounds with the Lions putting the ball in play on their 35.

Right away Capt. Rejina and Jim Watson began to make life miserable for the Tigers and in a series of end sweeps and line smashes carried the ball deep into Massillon territory. It looked quite dismal for the Tigers for a few minutes but they managed to pull themselves together and repel the invaders on the Massillon 10 yard line. Then the Tiger offensive began to move and three first downs in succession carried the ball to Massillon’s 45 yard line.

Here the march slowed down and Pellegrini attempted a pass. It was intercepted by Watson on the Lions’ 35. This time, however, the Tigers stopped young Mr. Rejina and he was forced to punt soon after the second quarter began. His kick went out on the Massillon 34 but the Tigers couldn’t go anywhere and Tom Jasinski booted one to Rejina who was downed on his 44. Once again the Tigers held and when Cheyney attempted a pass Don Willmot snared it on his 27.

Here it was that young Pellegrini shifted into high and turned loose an exhibition of running that before the evening was over was destined to bring victory to the Tigers.

Lugging the leather on smoothly working reverses around his right side, Pellegrini stepped off gains of 14, nine, 15, and 18 yards to carry the ball to Lincoln’s 12 yard line. Here the Tiger march bogged down and was wiped out completely when Glenn Keller fumbled and a flock of Lions covered the ball on the visitors’ 17. After making a first down Rejina was forced to punt and once gain the Lions got a break when Pellegrini fumbled the kick and Bill DeGarmo recovered for Lincoln on the Massillon 30. Massillon, however, held and took possession of the ball a few seconds before the second quarter ended.

Pellegrini Hits Pay Dirt.

Massillon received to open the third period and after an exchange of punts set in motion the offensive thrust that produced the first Tiger points. Rejina punted out of bounds on the Massillon 47. Mastriann hit the line for four, then made it a first down. Keller made two and Wallace one before Pellegrini set sail for six before being forced out of bounds. Mastriann made it a first down on Lincoln’s 21. Here the Lions took time out to talk it over but on the next play Wallace flipped the ball to Pellegrini on another reverse and the Tiger halfback, with good blocking ahead of him raced around Canton’s left end for 21 yards and into the promised land. He scored the extra point on a dash through the line and Massillon fans began to breathe easier and tell each other that it was a pleasant evening after all, even though a bit chilly.

The touchdown put new confidence into the Tigers and they began to smack Mr. Rejina around quite lustily, so much in fact that he began to lose some of his effectiveness. A fumble by Vic Turkall gave Lincoln the ball on its 21 but set the stage for the safety. Rejina lost 10 on a bad pass from center and when he attempted to punt his team out of danger, Glenn Keller broke through and blocked the kick, sending the ball beyond the end zone and giving Massillon two points on an automatic safety.

Canton kicked from its 20 and Turkall brought the ball back to the Lions 45 as the period ended. With Pellegrini, Mastriann, and Wallace sparking the Tigers in a steady march toward the Canton goal the Massillonian’s soon were within striking distance of another score shortly after the fourth quarter opened. But with their goal line threatened the Lions put on a brilliant stand that shattered the Tiger march inches away from the goal line.

With the ball on Canton’s seven yard line, Mastriann plunged to the one-yard marker. He was stopped inches away from the goal on his next try only to see the ball go back to the six because the Tigers were offside. Wallace was tossed for a one yard loss but Mastriann made two on his next try and Pellegrini drove to the one yard line with fourth down coming up. Mastriann tried for the score but was smothered without gain by the aroused Lincoln Lion line.

Prize Play Of Game

Then Rejina punted from behind his goal line and here came the prize play of the game and Massillon’s second touchdown. Taking the ball on Canton’s 29, Pellegrini twice eluded tacklers who had a hold of him but couldn’t floor him. Then the Tiger speedster set sail to his left, racing toward the sideline as a wall of interference, that formed, as if by magic and which must have included every member of the Tiger team, completely blotted out the white jerseyed Lions and permitted Pellegrini to scamper the remainder of the distance unmolested for the touchdown. Wallace’s attempted place kick failed.

With practically all Massillon second stringers in the lineup the hard-to-beat Lions made one more serious threat to score late in the quarter. It came when Rejina tossed a long pass to Lessig who was pulled down on the Massillon 40 after an overall gain of 40 yards. Kammer rushed his first stringers back into the battle and on the first play Willmot intercepted a Rejina pass to erase the Canton threat. The game ended shortly after with Lincoln again in possession of the ball but not going anywhere.

There may have been some of us in Massillon who thought the Tigers would be a better club with more speed but Junie Ferrall, the Lincoln coach, thinks they have plenty of speed. Chatting in the Canton dressing room after the game Ferrall declared the Tigers were faster than any team his Lions played last year, even faster, he said, than Lorain, the only outfit to halt the Lions in 1942.

Calls Local Team Fast

“That Massillon team looked awfully good out there tonight,” he said. “They handled the ball exceptionally well and they were plenty fast.”

None of his boys sustained any serious injuries. They were a bit downcast because they had their hearts set on whipping the Tigers.

Over in the Tiger dressing room a jubilant scene was taking place as the happy Tigers celebrated their initial triumph.

Of course Kammer was not surprised at the fight put up by the Lions. He had seen just that kind of a game coming up for the past two weeks and he was glad his boys were able to emerge on top.

“You kids played a credible game tonight,” he told the boys, “but you need lots more work. We didn’t complete a pass and we need a passing attack that will function if our ground offense is going to get anywhere. Your good physical condition was a big factor in your victory.

Victory No. 1

Massillon – 15 pos. Lincoln
Willmot L.E. Lessig
Arrington L.T. Wilkins
Tongas L.G. Manly
Williams C DeGarmo
Gable R.G. White
Berger R.T. Robertson
Jasinski R.E. Heckaman
Keller Q.B. Martelli
Pellegrini H.B. Watson
Wallace H.B. Cheyney
Mastriann F.B. Rejina

Score by quarters:
Massillon 0 0 9 6 – 15

Touchdown: Pellegrini, 2

Points after touchdown: Pellegine, (plunge)

Safety: Keller

Referee: Gross; Umpire: Graf;
Headlinesman Long; Field Judge Rupp.

Substitutes: Massillon – Profant, Heltzel, Belch, Turkall, Luke, Parsittie, Sedjo, Pedrotty, Clark, Green, Richards, Cicchinelli, Ielsch.
Lincoln – Beatty, P. Permar, Hartline, J. Permar, Shriver, Hayden, Pelligrino, Kendig, Oberlin, Miller, Latimer.

Statistics
Tigers Lincoln
Total first downs 12 6
Yards gained by rushing 232 87
Yards lost by rushing 32 28
Net yards gained by rushing 210 59
Forward passes attempted 7 11
Forward passes completed 0 4
Yards gained by passing 0 59
Total net yardage rushing &
passing 210 118
Passes had intercepted 0 1
Number of punts 5 7
Average distance of punts 34 28
Punts blocked 0 1
Number of kickoffs 3 2
Average distance of kickoffs 24 32
Number of fumbles 5 0
Times ball lost on fumbles 2 0
Number of penalties against 2 2
Yards lost by penalties 20 20

Open Meeting For Tiger Fan

The Massillon Tiger Booster club will
hold its second meeting Monday evening
at 8 o’clock in the auditorium of
Washington high school. It will be another
open meeting and all Massillon football fans,
men and women are invited to attend.

Because the Tigers won the opening game
against Canton Lincoln 15 to 0 Friday night,
the Booster club gathering will have cause for
celebration and a rousing meeting is in prospect.

Coach Elwood Kammer will be on hand to
give the fans a detailed report on the opener
and to tell them something about the team’s
plans for the Akron West game here next Friday.

R.C. Arrington