1923: Massillon 29, Wooster 7

ORANGE and BLACK WINS OPENING TILT 29 to 7
INITIAL CONTEST BRINGS VICTORY OVER WOOSTER 11

Again the crushing steam roller of the Orange and Black of Washington high school is in motion.

Facing a schedule of 10 hard games with the strongest scholastic elevens in the state and Harrisburg Teach, of Harrisburg, Pa., gridders of the South Mill street institution, Saturday, began their defense of gridiron laurels heaped upon the orange and black in 1922 when the eleven went through a schedule of 10 conflicts without a reverse.

With a line as strong and heavy as that of last fall and a backfield equally as fast and speedy as that of the undefeated aggregation of 1922, Coach David B. Stewart’s protégés of moleskin tossers came through their first game with the Orange and Black flying high and a 29 to 7 victory over the highly touted Wooster high eleven.

Although the initial win was decisive, it was war from an easy task that the schedule-maker of the local school mapped out for the opening fray. The athletes of the Wayne county school, slightly outweighed, were a most formidable foe for the fall opener. It must be remembered that the Wooster school held the Washington high championship outfit of a year ago to a 19 to 0 score after the Orange and Black steam roller had gained mid-season form. Saturday practically the same team that represented the Wayne county institution in 1922 took the field against the local eleven, with several green men filling vacancies caused by the June graduation.

The Orange and Black squad made a most pleasing impression upon local fans and followers of the eleven, but it still appears to be a diamond in the rough. There were numerous defects that cropped out against Wooster, but with a week’s hard drill under Coach Stewart’s capable training, these rough edges are bound to be smoothed before next Saturday when Salem high plays here.

Displaying an abundance of speed and with a set of backs all of whom can hit the line like a battering ram, hopes of orange and black adherers were boosted to believe that another championship eleven is in the making. New men appearing in the lineup showed up exceptionally well, and no doubt will make the local supporters forget the shining lights of a year ago before the present season is far underway.

Coach Stewart sent practically his entire first string squad into the fracas and every one distinguished himself nobly. They showed plenty of fight and spirit which in itself is essential to a good gridiron outfit.

But not only did the local gridders show true football spirit, but also the visitors. Although trailing and fighting mostly a defensive battle, the brown and blue never gave up and their spirit finally was rewarded in the fourth period when Captain Fritz, of the Woosterites, crossed the orange and black goal line for a touchdown.

The orange and black gained the jump on its adversaries from the very outset of the 60 minutes of strife. After Edwards had kicked off to Wooster, a Massillon lineman blocked an attempted Wooster punt on the second play of the game, the orange and black covering, within Wooster’s 40-yard zone. Wooster held for three downs and on the fourth play Edwards stepped back for a drop kick, but the attempt of the husky East Greenville youth fell short by five yards.

Mowery punted for Wooster and after being held for three downs, Edwards again missed a try for a goal. Mowery again punted and Borza made a return of 22 yards before being down on the 35-yard line. Five crashes at the Wooster line by Schrader, the plunging halfback from Canal Fulton, and Borza, regular of the last season, gave the local squad two first downs, with goal to gain.

Here the Woosterites braced and four smashes at the Brown and Blue line failed to score for Massillon, Wooster gaining the ball on the one-foot line. Mowery kicked out of danger but a pass, Price to Potts, was good for 15 yards and placed the ball on the 27-yard line. Schrader and Borza again battered their way through the visitors’ line to the five-yard line with four downs to cross the line. Price lost one and Schrader made two yards as the period ended. On the second play of the second period, Borza and Price successfully manipulated a double pass and Price scored. Edwards’ attempt at goal was blocked.

After the kickoff and exchange of punts and a 25-yard return by Price, the Orange and Black elusive pivot man, advanced the oval to Wooster’s 30-yard line. But Massillon was penalized 15 yards for holding and was forced to punt. An exchange of punts found Massillon in possession of the spheroid on the 30-yard line. A pass V. Define to Rohr netted eight-yards and Boerner plunged for three yards and a first down. J. Define circled Wooster’s right end for nine and Boerner made it first down and goal when he plunged for three. Two plays and V. Define scampered across the coveted line. Attempt at goal failed. This concluded the scoring of the period.

The Wayne county gridders play took on a different aspect in the final half. They launched an attack of open plays in the third period that carried the oval into Massillon territory, the first time in the entire game. Massillon registered twice in this period but the Wooster team showed up better than it did earlier in the game.

The Orange and Black possessed the oval on the 45 yard line after an exchange of punts. From there they marched up the field for the third touchdown. A 15-yard pass, Price to Define, and a steady pounding off tackle by McCarty and Borza registered three Orange and Black first downs and carried the ball to the three yard line, where Borza registered. Edwards kicked goal, giving Massillon a total of 19 points.

Wooster then began its best offensive with King, colored star of the visiting eleven, skirting Massillon’s ends and hurling passes with Lehman and Jolliff on the receiving ends. They registered three first downs and had advanced the ball 50 yards before Fletcher, rangy center, who hails from Canal Fulton, intercepted a pass on his own 25-yard line. This was the first time play was in Massillon territory.

Massillon punted and Captain Pflug, of the Orange and Black covered a fumble on Wooster’s 40-yard line, from where the local squad marched to its fourth and final touchdown, Borza crashing across from the four-yard line. Pflug kicked goal. The period ended without further scoring.

In the final quarter King again led an offensive, this time that resulted in a touchdown. The Wayne county athletes led by their dusky warrior marched 45 yards for a goal, Fritz going around Massillon’s left end for 11 yards and touchdown. Gould kicked goal. This ended the scoring until near the close of the game when Captain Pflug dropped back and booted a drop kick between the goal posts from the 31-yard line, boosting Massillon’s total of points to 29 against 7 for Wooster. This was the way the score stood at the final whistle.

All in all Coach Stewart has the makings of another wonderful eleven. In Price, V. Define, McCarty, Schrader, Harris and Fletcher, all newcomers to the Washington institution, Coach Stewart has six players, who although green, promise to develop into stars. In addition, Brooks, Ries and Hise, substitutes of the 1922 eleven and Murdock, Grant, Thomas and Quigley, of last year’s second team, show topnotch caliber, while the veterans of the squad displayed the same ability a year ago.

Starting Right
WOOSTER MASSILLON
Russell L.E. Potts
Lippert L.T. Edwards
Stoll L.G. Miller
Ernest C Fletcher
Mowery R.G. Pflug
Dunn R.T. Brooks
Jolliff R.E. Rohr
King Q Price
Lehman L.H. Boerner
Fritz (c) R.H. Schrader
Gould F Borza

Score by periods:
Massillon 0 12 14 3 29
Wooster 0 0 0 7 7

Substitutions:
Massillon – J. Define for Schrader, V. Define for (unreadable), R. Grant for Price, McCarty for Boerner, Harris for Brooks, Schrader for J. Define, Borza for V. Define, Price for Grant, Potts for Flectcher, Fletcher for Potts, Hise for Potts, Thomas for Rohr, Brooks for Edwards, Ries for Price, Murdock for McCarty.

Wooster – R. Hallerna for Lippert, Carson for Jolliff, Swigert for R. Hallerin, Lippert for Stoll.

Touchdowns – Fritz, Borza 2, Price, V. Define.

Goal from Field – Pflug.

Goals from Touchdowns – Edwards, Pflug, Gould.

Referee – Maurer, Wooster U.
Umpire – Bletzer – Mt. Union.
Head Linesman – Wilson.

Time of Periods – 15 minutes.