1943: Massillon 46, Canton Timken 0

Tigers Score 7 Touchdowns To Trounce Timken 46 – 0

EIGHTH WIN FOR LOCAL GRIDDERS

Flashy Aerial Attack In First Half And Brilliant Running Attack In Second Gives Orange And Black Wide Margin Over Cantonians

By FRED J. BECKER
Independent Sports Editor

Rolling up seven touchdowns three of them within the space of a little more than four minutes at the start of the third quarter, the Washington high school Tigers Friday night buried Canton Timken under a 46 to 0 score at Tiger stadium as a crowd of nearly 10,000 watched Coach Elwood Kammer’s youngsters chalk up their eighth straight victory of the season in their final night encounter of the 1943 campaign. The conquest of Timken equaled exactly the 46-0 drubbing the orange and black handed Akron St. Vincent’s in the third game of the season and which, until last night, had been the highest total made by Massillon against any opponent.

While the Tigers were making merry at the expense of Canton Timken another game of interest to Massillon fans was taking place in eastern Stark County where the Canton McKinley Bulldogs were humbling the Alliance Aviators 31 to 0. It was McKinley’s seventh triumph in eight starts; the only blot on the Bulldogs’ record being a 13-13 tie with Warren defeated 20 to 0 a week ago by Massillon.

Capacity Crowd Is Certain

The Tiger and Bulldog meet in two weeks in their annual rumpus at Fawcett stadium, Canton, and already a capacity crowd of more than 22,000 is assured. Practically every ticket already has been sold.

In defeating Timken 46 to 0 Coach Kammer’s lads failed to equal the score made by McKinley against the same team, the Bulldogs trimming the Timkenites 54 to 12 early in the season and in conquering Alliance 31 to 0, the Bulldogs outstripped the Tigers who three weeks ago were able to edge the Aviators by only a 12-0 margin.

Offense Ragged In Spots

While they rolled points against Timken almost at will, once they got started, the Tigers last night were rather ragged in spots, particularly early in the contest and their performance indicated they still will have to improve if they hope to take the Bulldogs into camp in two weeks. In smearing Timken the orange and black registered its second victory of the season over a Canton opponent, having defeated Canton Lincoln 15 to 0 in the season’s opener but the triumph over a Canton foe they desire and Massillon fans want them to score is still to be registered and the Bulldogs will be as always, the toughest foe the Tigers face. The orange and black will have to have a much sharper and better functioning offense than it showed against Timken if it hopes to avenge the 35-0 shellacking McKinley plastered on Massillon a year ago.

The Tigers last night scored touchdowns in every quarter, one in the first, two in the second, three in the third and one in the fourth. Penalties robbed them of at least two others and an offense that bogged down when it was most needed prevented them from scoring several others.

Every member of the Tiger squad saw action last night, the second stringers taking over after the score had mounted to 39 to 0 early in the third quarter and the third team relieving them in the fourth period and finishing the game.

It had been expected all week that Timken would attempt to turn back the Tigers with a forward passing attack but instead it was the Massillonians who went in for aerials in a big way. The Tigers, particularly during the first half, kept the air filled with footballs and cut loose with more passes than they have attempted at any other time this season.

All told the Bengals attempted 25 passes, completing eight for 224 yards, an average of 28 yards for each successful heave. Timken intercepted one Massillon aerial. The visitors tried only seven aerials and completed none with the Tigers intercepting three.

Stonewall Defense

As usual Coach Kammer’s aggregation displayed a stonewall defense, effectively smothering all of Timken’s attempts to score. It was not until late in the fourth quarter with the third team in the game that the visitors were able to work their way inside Massillon’s 20 yard line, getting as far as the 17 before they were stopped. It was the only time Timken made any serious threat to score.

Standing our prominently on defense last night was big Bob Williams, Massillon center, who plays a tackle position on defense, steadily improving in every game Big Bob last night turned in his best job of the season as he smeared Timken ball toters with his deadly tackling. The balance of the Tiger forward wall also played good ball, but had its troubles with Angelo Sanchez, Timken’s ace backfielder and probably the most versatile ball lugger the Tigers have seen all season.

Sanchez was easily Timken’s outstanding star. On offense he piled up a lot of yardage on the Tigers by his clever running and his defensive play, particularly against Massillon’s ball carriers kept the Tigers from running the score close to the century mark.

Just to show you how well Massillon’s defense functioned, Dick Arrington, husky Negro tackle, at one time in the third quarter became the fifth man in the Timken backfield. Charles Neago, Timken fullback, received the ball from center on what apparently was to have been a reverse play. Arrington crashed through the Timken line and was in Canton’s backfield in a jiffy, so fast that Neago thought he was the Timken back who was to take the ball and turning shoved the ball into Dick’s hands. Arrington was so surprised by the sudden turn of events that before trying to get under way he was brought down by Timken tacklers.

The Tigers customary good blocking was not up to its usual efficiency last night and several times what might have been long Massillon gains were wiped out because Timken tackles were pushed rather than knocked out of the way.

Tigers Hold Big Edge

The statistics give the Tigers a big edge over the Timkenites with Massillon making 16 first downs to eight for Canton. The orange and black gained 224 yards on seven passes and 361 yards on rushing with a loss of 21 yards on rushing for a net gain on both passing and rushing of 564 yards. Timken made 160 yards rushing and had a loss of 32 for a net gain of 128 yards. The blue and gold failed to make a yard on passes.

The Tigers waded into scoring territory early in the contest but rather ragged playing kept them away from pay dirt until about the middle of the period.

Timken received and Sanchez, on a reverse, hoofed it 15 yards through the Tigers for Timken’s first first down, carrying to the Massillon 47 but here they were stopped and big Calvin Moore punted to Pellegrini on his 20. A Wallace to Pellegrini to Jasinski lateral with Tom skirting his left end made nine but another lateral from Wallace to Willmot with Willmot heaving a long pass intended for Jasinski failed. Wallace then plunged for a first down and Pellegrini heaved a long pass to Jasinski for a 41 yard gain to Canton’s 28. Tom’s good catch of the ball featured the play. Mastriann and Wallace picked up another first down to Timken’s 18 and Wallace skirted left end for seven more but here the attack bogged down and Timken held, finally taking the ball on its 15.

Pellegrini paved the way for the Tigers first touchdown when he intercepted a pass thrown by Timken’s George Stan on Massilon’s 35 and ran it back to the 50 before being forced out of bounds. Five plays later the Tigers had their first touchdown.

Mastriann made four at the line and Wallace in two dashes made it first down to Canton’s 40. Pellegrini’s pass intended for Willmot was incomplete but Romeo then pitched a long one to Jasinski that connected for 40 yards and the first Massillon counters. Tom took the ball on a good catch just over the Timken goal line. Mastriann missed on an attempted placekick.

Just before the first quarter ended Moore punted out of bounds to Massillon’s 40-yard line. Once gain Pellegrini attempted to hit Willmot with a pass and once again connections failed.

Eighty Yard Touchdown Play

Then on the first play in the second quarter, Pellegrini from punt formation sought to find a Massillon receiver out in the open but before he could find one he was nailed for a 20 yard loss being downed on his 20. But his loss was wiped out on the next play when Romeo, trying another pass, pitched a strike into Captain Bob Wallace’s hands on a 15 yard heave and the Tiger leader raced down field for 65 yards and Massillon’s touchdown. The overall gain was 80 yards and the touchdown came after three plays. Wallace took the pass out in the open and had clear sailing until near the goal line when he neatly sidestepped a lone Timken tackler and pranced unmolested into the end zone. Turkall, sent in to placekick, missed fire and the score was 12 to 0.

The Tigers missed another touchdown a bit later after gaining the ball on Timken’s 35 when Wallace partially blocked one of Moore’s punts; Mastriann getting the ball on the 40 and being downed on Timken’s 35. Pellegrini tried three passes and none worked when Massillon receivers were unable to hold the leather. Then on a fake punt formation, Glenn Keller took the ball from Jasinski and raced around right end for a first down. Another first down with Wallace making nine on one dash took the ball to the 10 but here the Tiger attack once again bogged down and Pellegrini was stopped in his tracks when he attempted to lug the ball over the one yard line on fourth down.

Timken was checked and Moore got away a good kick to Pellegrini who took the ball on his 48 and ran it back to Canton’s 46. Once again the Tiger offense functioned and in three plays the Tigers had chalked up their third touchdown.

Pellegrini passed for another seven and then pitched another strike to Wallace who raced 17 yards to Canton’s 23 before being overhauled. Again Pellegrini pitched a strike, this time to Jasinski and big Tom took the ball in the southeast corner and raced over for the score. Mastriann’s placekick was good boosting the count to 19.

The start of the third quarter, however, saw Massillon’s offense at its best and the Tigers rammed over three touchdowns in a hurry, two of them in the first two minutes of the period with the third coming after four minutes and 15 seconds of play.

Forsaking passes and resorting to the running game, the Tigers almost ran the Timkenites out of the park as they chalked up the three quick touchdowns.

Touchdowns Came Quickly

Massillon received and in two plays the Tigers moved 60 yards for a touchdown. The Tiger first stringers were still in the game with the exception of Keller who had been replaced by Wilbert Pedrotty and Bill Gable who gave way to Dick Richards.

Alonzo kicked out of bounds on Massillon’s 40. On the first play Pellegrini raced round right end and down to Canton’s 43. Then Wallace dashed around right end and into the clear, scampering all the way down the field on a pretty run for Massillon’s fourth set of counters. Mastriann’s successful placekick added the extra point.

In jig time the Tigers were back for another touchdown. Canton received and on the first play Arrington found himself a member of the Timken backfield as Neago handed him the ball. Dick was downed on Canton’s 35. Mastriann made six at the line and Wallace raced around left end and down to the Canton five before being forced out of bounds by Sanchez. The dash was good for 24 yards. On the next play Mastriann tore his way through the Timken forward wall for the touchdown. His attempted placekick, however, failed.

Once again Timken received and this time Wallace did the kick off. Bob’s boot, however, went only nine yards before going out of bounds, Canton getting the ball on Massillon’s 49. Williams, Richards and Arrington chased Sanchez toward his goal, finally nailing him for a 17 yard loss and Moore then punted, the kick being partially blocked by Larry Berger. Pedrotty got the ball on the 50.

Pellegrini made one at right end and then picked up 28 yards on his next effort, being chaed out of bounds on Canton’s 21. Once again Wallace turned loose his speed and dashing around left end went the remaining 28 yards for the sixth Massillon touchdown and the third in less than five minutes of play in the third quarter. Mastriann converted for the extra point and then Kammer sent in his entire second team.

The second stringers scored one touchdown but lost two others on penalties.

Early in the fourth period Vic Turkall intercepted a pass tossed by Neago on Massillon’s 29 and the second team moved toward pay dirt. Turkall, Don McGuire and Bertrus Webb raced the ball to Canton’s 10 with Webb clipping off a 40 yard run through left tackle, getting to the 10 before being forced out of bounds.

Penalties Halt Scoring

On the next play McGuire dropped the ball but Turkall picked it up and dashed across the line only to lose the points when the ball was called back and Massillon penalized 15 for offensive holding. But the Tigers roared right back with Turkall clipping off 17 to put the ball on the three from where Webb rammed through the line for what looked like another touchdown but once again the ball was called back and Massillon drew a five-yard penalty for offside.

Then Tomsho intercepted Pedrotty’s pass. Timken failed to get anywhere and Lucas punted to Turkall who was downed on Timken’s 20. Turkall heaved a pass to Wilmer Luke good for 11 yards and another to Pedrotty for five. Then Webb, on a neat bit of running, raced 16 yards around left end to Canton’s seven from where Turkall crashed through right tackle and over and this time the touchdown counted. Turkall made good on his placekick for the extra point, boosting Massillon’s total to 46 where it remained.

The entire third team took over at his stage and Timken carried the ball from its 40 to Massillon’s 17 before the game ended, the Tiger third stringers holding at his point and gaining possession of the ball as the final gun sounded.

Statistics
Tigers Timken
Total first downs 16 8
Yards gained by rushing 361 160
Yards lost by rushing 21 32
Net yards gained by rushing 340 128
Forward passes attempted 26 7
Forward passes completed 8 0
Yards gained by passing 224 0
Total net yardage rushing
And passing 564 128
Passes had intercepted 1 3
Number of punts 3 7
Average distance of punts 26 30
Number of kickoffs 8 1
Average distance of kicks 23 15
Number of fumbles 1 4
Times ball lost on fumbles 0 4
Number of penalties against 6 5
Yards lost by penalties 40 25