Tag: <span>Cincinnati Elder</span>

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

2005: Massillon 35, Cincinnati Elder 31

TIGERS SIGNATURE WIN COMES AT PRICE

By JOE SHAHEEN
Joe.Shaheen@IndeOnline.Com

When the Massillon Tigers return to the gridiron Friday against the Mansfield Tygers, they will do so with a 2-0 record, the knowledge they have knocked off one of the very best big school programs in the state and – in all likelihood – without the services of starting defensive end Dirk Dickerhoof and starting outside linebacker Quentin Paulik.

Dickerhoof and Paulik, both seniors, suffered injuries to the shoulder/collarbone area in the Tigers’ 35-31 upset of Cincinnati Elder on Saturday at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. Both had their arms in a sling in the second half of the game, though head coach Tom Stacy did not immediately know the extent of their injuries. It is feared Dickerhoof may have a separated shoulder.

While the loss of two of the Tigers’ top defenders did not put a damper on Massillon’s stunning performance in the third game of the Prep Classic, the way the game went after the locals took a 35-7 lead into the fourth quarter nearly gave Stacy and his coaching staff a group coronary.

Elder scored three touchdowns in the final stanza – two within a span of 40 seconds – to make what appeared to be a Tiger blowout victory into a nailbiter that went down to the final play.

“We’ve got to finish,” Stacy said shaking his head. “We didn’t finish last week and we didn’t finish this week. Now, we got two wins and that’s the positive part. But when you continue to play good teams like we play down the road and you get in this situation, we better learn to finish it off.”

Leading 35-14 midway through the fourth quarter, the Tigers were knocking on the door but failed to score from point blank range.

“The fact we didn’t finish it off is the offense’s fault,” Stacy said. “We get down there on the one-foot line, we’ve got to stick it in and finish the game off and we didn’t do that. It darn near cost us. That’s on the offense. That’s on me as the offensive coach. We’ve got to get that corrected.”

Compounding the Tigers’ failure to find the end zone one final time was an unsportsmanlike conduct call against them after they were stopped by the Elder defense.

“We lost our composure,” Stacy said. “You can’t lose your composure. It’s something we’ve been trying to work on during camp, during two-a-days. We have to continue to work on it. We can’t lose our composure.

“Our kids are really, really competitive and they play really hard. There’s a lot of pressure on them to win at Massillon. But that doesn’t give them an excuse to lose their composure. We’ve got to get that corrected as a coaching staff.”

Even senior cornerback Troy Ellis, who set a Massillon Tiger single game record with five – that’s right, five – interceptions, was disconsolate about how the game nearly got away from the Tigers.

“When Elder recovered the first onside kick, it was like a heart job,” he said. “It was scary but we pulled it out.

“This win is real big. The last two years we started 0-2 and 1-1. Now we’re 2-0 and it gives the team a lot of confidence.”

As for his thievery, which included a fumble recovery and 20-yard return for a touchdown to open the scoring on the afternoon, Ellis admitted he had no premonition he was going to have the game of his life on such a grand stage.

“I had no clue this was going to happen. No clue,” he said. “The coaches put me in a position to make plays. They gave me great coverage calls and I was just back there playing the ball. It was fun throughout the whole game. It was fun all the way around.”

Ellis was voted the game’s Most Valuable Player for the media.

Tiger junior tailback Brian Gamble must have been a close second in the voting after rushing for 173 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. His first score of the afternoon came in the first minute of the second half on an off tackle run that appeared to be bottled up. But Gamble turned to his right, found the Elder defense out of position and bolted 60 yards to the end zone to put the Tigers up 21-0.

“That was a great run,” Stacy said. “It was just a power off tackle play and Brian Gamble broke it.”

Gamble refused to take any credit for his heroics.

“It’s not me,” Gamble said. “Our line has been blocking excellent and we’ve got Lanale Robinson running the football, too.”

Now, Gamble says, people around Ohio are going to sit up and take notice of the Massillon Tigers once again.

“That put us on the map,” he said. “It will get us a lot of respect. People were underestimating us and I think we came out here and proved what we had to prove.

“The way it ended teaches us a great lesson. Come playoff time or big games we have to learn to finish, to suck it up. Hopefully we’ll do a better job next time.”

After Ellis’ fumble return put the Tigers up 7-0 at 5:57 of the first quarter, the Elder offense was unable to get anything going and was forced to punt.

A 37-yard Gamble burst on the second play of the drive moved the ball to the Elder 33. Six plays later, junior quarterback Bobby Huth ran the bootleg keeper around the left end and galloped into the end zone. Steve Schott’s point after made it 14-0 Massillon at 1:18 of the first quarter, leaving the purple-clad Elder throng in stunned silence.

Elder marched from its 28 to the Massillon 22 on its next possession and appeared to have regained the momentum. But on second-and-two, Ellis made his first interception of the day at the 4-yard line, then returned it to the 17 to give the Tigers some breathing room.

On Elder’s next possession, following a Tiger punt, the Panthers drove from their 35 to the Massillon 5. But the Tiger defense stiffened and Elder turned the ball over on downs late in the second quarter.

Massillon then drove to the Elder five before time ran out in the first half.

Gamble opened the second half with his long touchdown run.

After a Massillon offside penalty on a punt gave Elder a new set of downs, Ellis made his second interception of the afternoon and ran the ball back to the Elder 12. Junior fullback Quentin Nicholsen went over left tackle on first down and found the end zone to break it open at 10:13 of the third quarter. Schott tacked on the point and Massillon was running away at 28-0.

Massillon’s final touchdown was set up by yet another Ellis pickoff. Six plays later, Gamble went in from the two and Schott’s conversion closed the Tigers’ scoring … but not the excitement.

GAME STATS

Antonio James
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

1956: Massillon 27, Cincinnati Elder 12

Tigers Beat Cincinnati Elder 27-12
Massillon Gridders Win Fourth Straight In Spite Of Mistakes

By CHARLIE POWELL

It was a good thing our Tigers weren’t playing Canton Lincoln or Alliance – and we’ll throw in power-laden McKinley – last night.

They simply had too many weapons for a big and stubborn Cincinnati Elder team, which put up a ding-dong scrap for almost three-quarters. They dominated the statistics and impressed with three long touchdown drives but there were too many mistakes in that
27-12 victory.

It was Massillon’s fourth straight triumph of the season and marked the second year in a row that Elder became a cropper to the locals, who won’t get the chance to play the Panthers the next couple of years.

With the clock reaching zero for the last time of the chilly evening, the two-year contract with Elder had elapsed. It is a fact that Massillon wants to continue playing the club from the Queen City but they are having trouble getting together on dates.
* * *
ALTHOUGH ELDER fared badly in the second and third periods and didn’t score its second touchdown until after the Tigers had four, it was anybody’s ball game until the last 12 minutes.

This might be hard for some people to believe but the Tiger coaches and the players themselves realize probably more than anybody that the performance wasn’t as sharp as it might have been. Too many times the ball carrier was afforded little in the way of blocking, too many times the defense appeared sluggish and all in all there were just too many of those little mistakes that could ruin you against tougher opposition.

Looking at the situation from another angle, it was the opposition, which slowed up the Tigers at times. The Panthers, backed vocally by their band and about 200 fans, were a pretty tough nut to crack.

Pre-game dope had it that Elder was big, rough and ‘higher than a kite” for Massillon, and the scouts were right again.

Virgil Scardina thought his charges might have played better ball but wasn’t taking anything away from the boys. He had a big line, which the locals had a rugged time moving on occasions, and his backs, especially fullback Ronnie Reisz, weren’t spectacular but they could get the job done.

In the Tiger dressing room after the game there wasn’t too much celebrating, Apparently the Tigers were in opinion that their play wasn’t up to par.
* * *
COACH LEE TRESSEL was relaxed after experiencing some pre-game nervousness. Lee doesn’t get jittery, usually, but last night was an exception.

“It was an easier one (meaning Lincoln and Alliance were more formidable) but we never had much of a chance to let up” he said after it was all over.

The Tiger coach opined that Elder’s defense was a rugged one and this fact, along with the two fumbles which Elder recovered, and some missed assignments, slowed his team up. Defensively the Tigers were “a little better,” according to Tressel.

The Tiger relied on their running game and again Ivory Benjamin, Mike Hershberger, Chet Brown and “Chuck” Beiter gave the enemy fits.

Brown, the big boy with the odd gait who really roars once he gets warmed up, and Hershberger, who does everything well, scored two touchdowns apiece and the latter, after little Davie Richardson got banged on the head following the initial Tiger tally, took over the place-kicking duties and toed three straight conversions between the uprights.
* * *
BROWN LUGGED the leather seven times and averaged over 15 yards a trip with his touchdowns being chalked up on neat 27 and 38 yards runs. Benjamin, who averaged eight yards for 15 carries, set up Chet’s 38-yarder with a scoot of 22 and Brown’s other
six-pointer climaxed a 94-yard march.

Hershberger capped drives of 58 and 78 yards with one-yard blasts. Mike carried 15 times and averaged over four yards a crack (he hit the middle more than anybody) and his punting was again nothing short of terrific. He kicked twice, once for 51 yards and another time for 50 but the latter punt actually went 29 yards officially because it rolled into the end zone.

All this running accounted for a net of 314 yards on the ground and Massillon gained 31 more yards on three completions in six attempts while Elder came out of it with a net of 75 yards rushing and 60 on three-for-12 in the air game. The Orange line, anchored by Tom Heine, Tom Meldrum, Dick Whitfield and Jim Mercer with some good end play from Chet Brown, tossed Elder backs for losses totaling 51 yards. The Tigers also had 16 first downs to the losers’ 10.

Hershberger’s first punt, which barely rolled into the end zone, came on the 10th play of the encounter (played to 9,758 paid fans) and after the two clubs exchanged fumbles. The ball was brought out to the 20 and Elder took on the appearance of an array to be reckoned with. The Panthers went all the way but they had to get a “break” on a fumbled hand-off.

After they made one first down to the 35, an errant pitch-out, with the ball striking the shoulder of halfback Jim Vogt, set the visitors back on the 23. A pass was incomplete and quarterback Paul Umberg booted. Benjamin grabbed the ball on the Massillon 40 but it was dropped as he attempted to give it to Dick Brenner. And Elder had possession on the Massillon 39 as tackle Ray Herzog covered the pigskin.
* * *
ELDER MOVED for a first and 10 on a pair of six-yard runs by Ron Wainscott and Dave Wittrock and Vogt and Reisz carried to the 18. With a fourth and one situation, Reisz drove behind a wedge at the right side, slipped past the line of scrimmage, twisted out of the grasp of one defender and much to the surprise of just about everybody (it looked like he was a dead duck at the 15) zipped past the final stripe. Guard Frank Koehne’s placement was wide but Massillon was behind.

Reisz scored with 2:25 remaining in the period and it didn’t take the locals long to tie it up. Benjamin, Brown and Hershberger accounted for 18 yards before the initial quarter came to a close and Benjamin’s 10-yarder featuring a nice stop-and-go overture by the trick junior halfback, came on the opening play of the second panel. Hershberger gained seven in two tries at left tackle before Rinehart hit Benjamin with a pretty running pass. Ivory was downed after a 12-yard pick-up to the one and on the next play Hershberger banged through right tackle to make it 6-6 at 10:36. Richardson was hit hard after his boot went low of the posts.

There wasn’t much to write home about until the first half was almost over. An Umberg punt was grounded at the Tiger 40 from which point Benjamin, on a double reverse,
high-tailed it 22 yards to the Elder 38. Then Brown, racing into the clear at the 20, lumbered the rest of the way untouched. Hershberger’s kick put the Tigers in front 13-6 with 2:30 remaining in the half.

After Hershberger got off his 51-yard punt early in the third quarter, Umberg retaliated with a 42-yarder and Massillon started clicking from its own 23.

Before the end of the quarter the Orangemen had tacked up five more first downs. It was Hershberger, then Benjamin, Hershberger then Benjamin for a total of nine plays, which netted 60 yards. The Tigers decided to go to the air on the first down at the 17 but a Rinehart pitch was dropped in the end zone and on the last play of the period Brown fought his way for 15 yards.
* * *
WITH THE OVAL on the two, Hershberger’s off-tackle slant put it a yard away on the first play of the final canto and on the second the same hustler hit the same spot for Massillon’s third touchdown of the night. He converted to make it 20-6 at 11:26.

Two penalties helped stymie Elder after the kickoff but Larry Washington, the alert defensive halfback, hurt the Panthers more. He intercepted Umberg’s toss at the Tiger 35 and dashed to the Panther 46.

However, the Tigers were penalized for illegal use of the hands and on the next play were assessed 15 additional yards, this time for holding. The ball was back on the six but the Tresslemen had another touchdown in them.

Brown bolted off tackle for 19 and Beiter, who had broken into the starting lineup for the first time, returned to gain 11 yards on a sweep. Attempting to pass, Rinehart was nailed for an eight-yard deficit but still the locals moved. Beiter got seven and then Hershberger 12 before Mike hauled in a Rinehart aerial for 12 yards to the 35. Washington ran once for four, ditto for Benjamin and from the 27 Brown saw to it that the drive wasn’t going to be in vain. He found a hole at the middle, veered to his left and chugged to pay dirt unmolested. Hershberger again split the uprights. Thus the score was 27-6 with four minutes and 10 seconds of play remaining.

Elder took the kickoff at its 32 and went on to score a second time. Passes to Wittrock and sub Jerry Drew were the chief gainers to the Tiger 36. From that point Umberg threw again. Drew again was the receiver, taking the oval on the 15 and going in standing up. Dan Bushman tried to run across the extra point but was stopped short.

Elder tried an onside kick but the ball was covered only five yards away and on the second kick-off Beiter returned eight yards to the Orange 38. Rinehart lost four attempting to pass after a delay-of-game penalty and then end Jim Mullin intercepted a Rinehart pitch at the Tiger 39 and raced to the five before he was flopped by Rinehart. Wittrock ran for four and that was it.

The Tigers came out of the fray in good shape, except for a few cuts and bruises. Elder lost sub center Bob Maegley in the second half and six stitches were required to close a wound over an eyebrown.

Fourth Straight

MASSILLON – 27
ENDS – Brenner, Elavsky, Walls, Mays, Childers, Hagan.
TACKLES – Whitfield, Mercer, Slaybaugh, Halter, Ortiz, Brownlee.
GUARDS – Meldrum, B. Brown, Heine, Heimann.
CENTERS – Krier, Kiplinger, Swartz.
QUARTERBACKS – Rinehart, Stewart.
HALFBACKS – Benjamin, Hershberger, Richardson, Washington, Pledgure, Bivings, Lawson.
FULLBACK – Beiter, C. Brown, Reese.

ELDER – 12
ENDS – Roth, Mullin, Reinstartler, Ludwig, Wegman, Flanigan.
TACKLES – Herzog, Farrell, Worss, Marx, Halloran.
GUARDS – Lebring, Brown, O’Neill, Nethaus, Keehne.
CENTERS – Maegley, Jertvorth, Westendorf.
QUARTERBACKS – Umberg, Bushman.
HALFBACKS – Luenberger, Wittrock, Wainscott, Carmisino, Vogt, Drew.
FULLBACK – Reisz.

Scoring by quarters:
Massillon 0 13 0 14 27
Elder 6 0 0 6 12

Massillon scoring:
Touchdowns – C. Brown 2 (runs of 38 and 27 yards); Hershberger 2 (two 1-yard plunges).
Extra points – Hershberger 3 (placements).

Elder scoring:
Touchdowns – Reisz (run of 18 yards); Drew (pass play covering 36 yards).

OFFICIALS
Referee – Paul Robin Tobin.
Umpire – Earl Schreiber.
Head Linesman – Walter Grysks.
Field Judge – Harvey Hodgson.

STATISTICS
Mass. Opp.
First downs rushing 15 8
First downs passing 2 2
First downs by penalties 0 0
Total first downs 17 10
Yards gained rushing 333 126
Yards lost rushing 19 51
Net yards rushing 314 75
Passes attempted 6 12
Passes completed 3 3
Yards gained passing 31 60
Net yards gained 345 135
Times kicked off 5 3
Average kickoff return 6 18
Yards kickoffs returned by 18 89
Times punted 2 5
Average punts (yards) 40 42
Yards punts returned by 0 0
Had punts blocked 0 0
Total fumbles 3 3
Times lost ball on fumbles 2 2
Penalties 4 3
Yards penalized 40 35

Mike Hershberger
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

1955: Massillon 26, Cincinnati Elder 7

Tigers Beat Elder 26-7 On Sloppy Field
Massillon Team Gets Touchdowns In First And Fourth Quarters

By LUTHER EMERY

CINCINNATI – A slippery ball and a stubborn Cincinnati Elder football team proved a hard combination to beat Friday evening, but the Massillon Tigers finally succeeded and rolled to their fourth victory of the season by a score of 26-7.

Nine times the Tigers fumbled the slippery ball and three times they lost it, but they hung on to it long enough on four occasions to score two touchdowns in the first quarter and two in the fourth.

Elder got its lone score in the second.

Not until Dave Canary blocked an Elder punt in the fourth quarter to get the Tigers the ball on the Cincinnati 27 was victory assured.

Up to that time the score was only 13-7 in Massillon’s favor and there was the ever present danger of a fumble setting up another score for the Cincinnati team.
* * *
BUT WHEN CANARY blocked Tom Groh’s punt (and he had been asking for it all evening), the Tigers rolled again, Charlie Brown setting up the T.D. by carrying to the one yard line and Johnny James lugging it over around right end on a keep play after Dave Archibald had been stopped twice without gain.

The game was finally put on ice about the same way a few minutes later, only this time Groh, attempting to punt on fourth down, juggled the ball and was thrown for a 10-yard loss on his 10 before he could get the ball away. Willie Long immediately toured his right end for the score and that was it.

The Tigers probably got their two touchdowns in the first period too easy. Winning the toss, they chose to receive and marched from their 36 to the Elder goal with James going into the end zone from four yards out. Archibald had set it up with a 41-yard jaunt. Only four minutes of the game had expired, and it took but another three minutes to get the second T.D. James tossing to Brown for it. The play was good for 50 yards.

From that point on into the fourth quarter the Tigers continually fumbled the ball, due both to the slimy leather and also to poor timing caused by a slippery field.

It had rained all Thursday night and all day Friday up until 3:30 p.m. and water was standing on the field in some places.

Elder scored its T.D. with seven minutes and 10 seconds remaining in the second period after covering a fumble on the Tiger 30. Halfback Jerry McDonald did most of the leather lugging, going the last 15 on a double reverse that completely caught the Massillon defense off guard, Mike Honold kicked the extra point.
* * *
IT WAS ELDER’S only serious threat. It had difficulty moving the ball. In fact it gained only 112 yards from scrimmage, seven through a completed pass, and lost 56 yards for a net of 56.

The Tigers gained 278 yards on the ground, completed one pass for 50 yards for a total of 328 yards gained and lost 30 for a net of 298. First downs were 15 to 6 in the Massillon team’s favor.

Leading ground gainer for the Tigers was Archibald with 88 net yards in 15 carries. Brown gained 81 in eight and Duke 42 in seven; Long gained 28 in five.

The Tigers were penalized six times for 50 yards and Elder five times for 33 yards. The Massillon eleven escaped without serious injury to any player. Linebacker Bob Cocklin sustained a charley horse and guard Gary Ertle was knocked out when he collided with an Elder player but both appeared OK after the game.

The Tigers tried only three passes, completing one for a touchdown and having one intercepted. Elder tried 14, but most of the time the passer couldn’t get the slippery ball near the receiver. Two were completed for a net gain of five yards.

The Tiger band scored a terrific hit with the fans even though its black lights wouldn’t work. Elder fans shouted for more at the end of the show. The Massillon football special reached Cincinnati at 5 p.m.

MASSILLON
ENDS – Houston, Canary.
TACKLES – Graber, Maier, Kreiger, Schumacher, Hofacre, Whitfield.
GUARDS – Fisher, Roan, Tracy, Kasunick, Ertle.
CENTER – Spicer.
QUARTERBACKS – James, Brenner.
HALFBACKS – Duke, Brown, Long, Washington, Benjamin, Herring, Cocklin, Butcher, Radtke.
FULLBACKS – Archibald, Chet Brown.

ELDER
ENDS – Groh, Westendorf.
TACKLES – Metz, Elsacsser, Wanstradt, Brockhuls.
GUARDS – Bleh, Kreiner, Koehne, Glatthaar.
CENTERS – Cumwaldi, Luken.
QUARTERBACK – Bushman.
HALFBACKS – Birri, Mcdonald, Bolihauer, Fieldkamp, Pashka.
FULLBACKS – Honold, Kilvert, Vogt.

MASSILLON 13 0 0 13 26
ELDER 0 7 0 0 7

Touchdowns:
Massillon – James 2, Brown, Long
Elder – McDonald

Points after touchdown:
Massillon – Duke, Brown (carried).
Elder – Honold (placekick).

Officials
Referee – Dan Tehan.
Umpire – Jim Beiernsdorfer.
Head Linesman – Bud Meyer
Field Judge – Jack Schultz.

Jim Houston
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

1952: Massillon 33, Cincinnati Elder 0

Long Runs Spark Tigers’ 33-0 Win At Cincy
Traylor Returns First Kickoff 85 Yards As Massillon Wins No. 2

By LUTHER EMERY

Coach Chuck Mather of Washington high school dealt a pair of “Jacks” to Cincinnati Elder Friday evening and their long runs brought down the cheers from an almost full house of 9,000 fans who saw the champion Tigers roll to their second victory of the season by a score of 33-0.

The “Jacks” were Johnny Traylor and Johnny Francisco, lightweight ball carriers who ran 85 and 88 yards respectively for touchdowns.

Traylor got his by grabbing the opening kickoff and going almost the length of the field. The scoreboard showed just 15 seconds of the game elapsed when he crossed the Elder goal.

Francisco got his with two minutes of the second period expired. He burst up the middle to race through the entire Elder team.

Lee Nussbaum went half as long for the last TD of the game and his second when he circled right end for 43 yards after juggling a pitchout. He had previously gone over standing up from the one-yard line for No. 2 of the game. Traylor also scored twice, getting his second from five yards out.
* * *
ONE THAT didn’t count and one of the prettiest of the game was a long pitch from Quarterback Bob Misere to End Sam Williams, good for 64 yards in the second period. But Massillon was declared offside on the play and the score was not allowed.

Fortunately for the Tigers, they rolled up 19 points the first 14 minutes of competition, for Elder was tough to crack.

The Cincinnati boys had size, tackled yard and played a Massillon team which was apparently tired from a six-hour bus ride.

The Tigers were not sharp and their passing was not as good as hoped for, though their percentage of completions would have looked better had not a couple been called back because of penalties.

However, they had the edge in most of the statistics, gaining 346 net yards, 67 on passes to Elder’s 122 yards, 72 of which were made on aerials. First downs were 13 to 10 in the local team’s favor. Massillon tried 11 passes and completed three. Elder completed half of its 14 attempts.
* * *
THE LOCALS lost 30 yards in penalties. Elder none.

Massillon had a good-sized delegation of fans in the stands to cheer Traylor in his first touchdown bid. He grabbed the kickoff on the 15 and ran straight down the alley, without a hand being placed on him. Tom Boone added insult to injury by booting the extra point squarely between the uprights. By the time the period was much older, Massillon had another.

This one came after Boone, playing safety, had flopped on Mike Bachman’s fumble on the Elder 23. Traylor got 18 yards in two tries and after Francisco had lugged the leather to the one, Nussbaum crashed through center standing up for the score. Boone’s kick was wide.

Elder roared back with the kickoff and got down to the Tiger 24 before the latter braced. Boone intercepted Quarterback Tom Malone’s pass on the 12 after Traylor deflected it. That gave Francisco his chance and on first down he cut loose with his 88-yard run. Boone’s kick was again wide.

There was no more scoring until the fourth quarter. The next came with 9:30 left of the period on a drive that started from the Elder 43 at the tail-end of the third. A 12-yard run by Nussbaum and an 11-yard pass from Misere to Bob Khoenle helped to set it up. Traylor carried it over from the five.
* * *
THE FINAL points you already have. Nussbaum’s 43-yard jaunt came after interception of an Elder pass by substitute Halfback Roland Miller. The Tigers were after another and had the ball on the seven when Elder intercepted a pass.

Coach Chuck Mather stuck largely to his first offensive team, but played around a lot with his defensive setup to stop Elder’s split-T formation.

Jim Geiser and Khoenle played fine defensive games for the Tigers and stopped most of Elder’s up-the-middle stuff. Elder gained most of its ground on passes and sweeps, but couldn’t get the ball over, although once in the third quarter it got down to the three-yard line before being turned back.

The game, which was ballyhooed Friday in all of the Cincinnati papers, one with pictures, another with a front page streamer, was played under perfect weather conditions.

The Tiger band was given a tremendous ovation by the crowd, and impressed one of the sports writers more than the team.

“This team may drop one along the way,” he said, “but that Massillon band will never be beaten.”

Hottest part of Elder’s band show was Frank Buttleworth, who twirled a baton tipped with two balls of fire and the hottest part of him was the seat of his pants, which became ignited from the baton and threatened to envelop him in flames – but he never missed a twirl as he spun the baton with one hand and beat out the flames with the other.

The play-by-play:
First Quarter
John Traylor took the opening kickoff on the Tiger 15, ran straight up field behind almost perfect blocking for 85 yards and a touchdown. Tom Boone kicked the extra point.
7-0
Jim Geiser’s attempt at a short kickoff was recovered by Cincinnati on the Elder 40. Don Beck got three yards through the center. Jim Vale picked up six yards around right end, then got three for a first down on the Tiger 48. Vale tried right end and was tossed for a seven yard loss by Geiser. Tom Malone got seven around right end Malone’s pass was incomplete and Bachman punted to Traylor on the 17.

Bob Misere lost two on a mix-up in signals, but John Francisco ripped off 15 to the 30. Traylor lost five on an end run. Francisco got three and Traylor 12, missing a first down by a yard, Traylor punted to the Elder eight.

After holding Elder on the 14, Massillon was offside on the punt and Elder had a first down on the 19. Bachman fumbled and Boone recovered for the Tigers on the 23. Traylor ripped over left tackle for a first down on the 12. He hit left tackle for six and Francisco bumped it to the one from where Lee Nussbaum went over standing up. Boone’s kick was wide.
13-0
Sam Williams tackled Vale on the Elder 28 on the kickoff. Vale got one and Bachman took a pitch out for eight. Ron Frey banged center for a first down on the 41. Malone passed 24 yards to Dan Boyle for a first down on the Tiger 36 as the quarter ended.
Second Quarter
After two short gains, Malone passed to Vale for a first down on the 24. Bob Khoenle dropped Malone for a five-yard loss. Malone passed deep and Boone intercepted on the 12 after Traylor tipped the ball. Francisco went up the middle on a trap for 88 yards and a TD. Boone’s kick was wide.
19-0
Elder returned the kickoff to the 35. Geiser threw Malone for a four-yard loss. A pass picked up four yards, but the next pass was snared by Boone, his second interception, and returned to the Tiger 37. Misere passed 64 yards to Williams for a touchdown, but the Tigers were offsides. Two passes were incomplete and Nussbaum made five before Traylor punted to Vale, downed by Khoenle on his 38.

Bachman got seven around end, Vale made a first down on the 48, Malone passed to Bachman for eight and Bachman got his first down on the Tiger 40. A fourth down pass was caught by Boyle for a first down on Massillon’s 24, a gain of 12 yards. John Climo knocked down an end zone pass and Malone dropped a sure TD toss from Bachman. John Tasseff spilled Bachman for a loss back to the 33 and the Tigers took over.
Williams dropped a long pass and another was incomplete. Nussbaum got a first down on the Elder 49, an 18-yard advance. Misere lost three on an attempted pass, but Nussbaum got nine on a pitchout.

Misere passed to Khoenle on the Elder 30, but the Tigers were penalized 15 for holding, putting the ball on their own 40. Nussbaum plowed for 10 as the half ended.
Third Quarter
Durbin kicked off to Nussbaum, who returned five to the Tiger 37, Francisco got three, but Nussbaum fumbled a pitchout and Karwick covered the ball on the Tiger 33.

Vale was stopped cold and Nussbaum threw Bachman for a loss of six yards. Malone passed to Boyle for 11 and then to Boyle for five and a first down on the Massillon nine. Vale got six to the three and Frey went to the two. Bachman lost two yards and Malone’s pass was broken up, the Tigers taking over on the six.

Francisco lost one, but Traylor turned left end for six. Traylor gained 14 and a first down on the 25. Nussbaum zoomed for nine up the middle. The Tigers fumbled on the next play but Khoenle recovered on the 45. Two passes were incomplete and Nussbaum gained five before Traylor punted to Malone, downed on the Elder 17.

Elder was held on downs and punted to Traylor who returned 10 yards to the Elder 43. Nussbaum took a pitchout for nine yards, then got three more for a first down on the 31. Quarter ends.
Fourth Quarter
Misere passed to Khoenle for 11 and a first down on the 20. Two end runs by Francisco netted one and four yards. He got four more before Traylor went off left tackle for six and a first down on the Elder five.

Traylor slipped over left tackle for a touchdown. Boone’s kick was good with 9:30 minutes left.
26-0
Elder was held for downs after the kickoff, but the Tigers had too many men on the field on the punt play and the home club had a first down on the 32. Massillon again held and Elder punted to Francisco, who came back to his own 47, a 27-yard return.

Lucas blocked Misere’s pass and Traylor was thrown for a 13-yard loss on a reverse. Khoenle trapped Misere’s pass and Traylor punted high to Boine on the Elder 39.

Roland Miller, intercepted Malone’s pass and came back to the Elder 43. Nussbaum juggled a pitchout, but held it and went all the way for the TD. Boone kicked the point.
33-0
Richter returned the kickoff to the Elder 28. The Tigers held and Bachman punted to Miller on his 39. Tasseff lost three, but Misere threw a 41-yard pass to Khoenle on the Elder 22. Another pass to Khoenle gave Massillon a 15-yard gain and a first down on the seven. Misere’s third pass in a row was intercepted by Massma on the goal line and returned to the 29. Elder ran one play before the game ended.

MASSILLON
ENDS – S. Williams. Khoenle, Crone, Letcavits.
TACKLES – Younkers, Beiser, Rubio, Schram, Gumpp, R. Williams.
GUARDS – Fabianich, Kraus, Clinage, Agnes, Shilling.
CENTERS – Corral, Kimmins.
QUARTERBACK – Misere.
HALFBACKS – Traylor, Francisco, Boone, Climo, Tasseff, Miller, Longshore.
FULLBACKS – Nussbaum, Stewart, Boone.

ELDER
ENDS – Boyle, Junker, Merrill, Aug.
TACKLES – K. Bachman, Fuller, Lucas, Wolf, James, Kelly.
GUARDS – Durbin, Kroth, Bender, S. Bachman.
CENTER – Massa.
QUARTERBACKS – Malone, Richter.
HALFBACKS – M. Bachman, Beck, Vale, Bell.
FULLBACK – Frey.

Massillon 13 6 0 14 33
Elder 0 0 0 0 0

Touchdowns:
Massillon – Traylor 2; Nussbaum 2; Francisco.

Points after touchdown: Massillon – Boone 3 (placekicks).

Bob Khoenle
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

1951: Massillon 42, Cincinnati Elder 6

Tigers Defeat Cincinnati Elder 42-6
Long Runs And Sharp Passes Produce 16th Straight Grid Triumph

By LUTHER EMERY

Southern Ohio football was given a jolt before 13,005 fans here Friday evening when the Washington high school Tigers administered a 42-6 licking to Cincinnati Elder, 1950 champion of the Queen City.

You would have thought the blow severe enough to make the visitors holler, but they took the defeat gracefully, expressed their thanks for being able to play here, hoped they could be just as good a host when the Tigers go to Cincinnati next fall and departed with the words that they would be better competition in 1952.

Though they scored the same number of touchdowns a week ago in their opener against Toledo Libbey, the Tigers were a smoother football team last night and might have rolled up a considerably higher score had not Coach Chuck Mather substituted freely. He used 44 players, the equivalent of four teams, in an effort to give many of his younger players the benefit of game experience.
* * *
THREE of the touchdowns produced a bit of the sensational while two long passes helped to electrify the fans.

The cheering all came from the Massillon side of the field, for Elder, like Libbey, did not have a band and no more than a handful of rooters accompany it to Massillon.

It didn’t take the Tigers long to impress Elder with the style of football played in northern OhIo. Only four minutes and 34 seconds of the first period had expired when Ace Grooms raced 13 yards for the first score. An Elder fumble had given the locals the ball deep in Cincinnati territory.

From that point on the Tigers managed to shove over at least one touchdown a period. They got two in the second and fourth; while Elder’s lone score came in the last 32 seconds of play.

The Queen City Panthers had threatened on one other occasion, losing the ball on first down on a fumble in the first period on the Tiger 12-yard line.
* * *
THE VICTORY was the Tigers second of the season and their 16th of a string that started in the middle of the 1949 season.

From the score one would be inclined to believe that Elder had little in an offensive way, but the Panthers managed to roll up 13 first downs to the Tigers’ eight and push the locals back 240 yards from the line of scrimmage. The Massillon team gained 354 from scrimmage.

The Tigers altered their defense from time to time during each series in an attempt to confuse the visiting team, but for the most part tossed the equivalent on an eight-man line against the Panthers. Several times visiting backs broke through the forward wall, but the Tiger halfbacks and safety men are fast, and one of the three always managed to tangle the runner’s legs.
* * *
FANS will chuckle all week over the three long passes caught by the local players last night and the two long jaunts for touchdowns. They were the classics of the game. One of the pegs, a 30-yard throw by Paul Francisco to Bruce Brenner produced the first touchdown. Another 45-yard shot from Grooms to Brenner placed the ball in position for another score, and a 50-yard heave by Grooms to Alex Matie in the final seconds of the game was all for nought as time expired before the ball could be put into play on the 20-yard line.

The two best runs of the night also produced touchdowns. Grooms wheeled 53 yards for one and Bobby Joe Johnson 60 yards for the other. Lee Nussbaum had one called back, a fine jaunt of 20 yards around left end, because one of his teammates clipped on the play. Also bulling his way along for a fine punt return was Willie Longshore.

Grooms was easily the leading scorer. Not only did he lug the leather for two touchdowns, but he also kicked six for six from placement from touchdown.

A week ago the movies showed Grooms looking up as he kicked the ball, and the result was three for six. The error was called to his attention. Last night he kept his head down like a good golfer and it paid off. The first five were dead center, the sixth, low and wobbly, but with enough impetus to clear.

There probably would have been more passing in the second period had not the lights gone out on the west poles. Players had a hard time following the ball until repairs could be made.

As it was the Tigers completed three of seven, which isn’t too good a percentage, but the average in yards gained, 42 per pass, is unusually high.

A fumbled Elder lateral covered by the Tigers on the 17-yard line on the first series of plays of the game, got the locals in position for their first touchdown. They moved to the eight, but a five-yard penalty for being offside set them back to the 13. On the first down Grooms romped for six points.

Another touchdown drive was well under way before the period ended. It started when Bob Khoenle intercepted an Elder pass on the latter’s 30. On the first play of the second period Francisco tossed a beauty to Brenner who went all the way for the six points.

A 32-yard punt return by Longshore set up the second touchdown of the quarter. Tom Straughn, Bob Grier and Lee Nussbaum moved the ball to the one where Straughn knifed through for the six points.

The half ended with the score 21-0.
* * *
THE TIGERS scored but once in the third period, and that came on Grooms’ 53-yard run on the first play that followed the kickoff.

A 45-yard pass, Grooms to Brenner, put the ball on the 10 as the third period closed and enabled Bob Grier to lug it over for the fifth T.D. of the game.

The final Massillon score came on Johnson’s very fine 60-yard run.

The Tigers made a gallant stand in the fourth quarter in an attempt to keep their goal line from being crossed for the first time this season. It took the visitors four downs to get across from the four-yard line and then they barely got the ball into pay dirt.

They tried to kick the extra point but Chug-Chug Stewart, of all persons, broke through and blocked the ball.
16th In A Row
MASSILLON
ENDS – Tasseff, Matie. W. Shilling, Brenner, Corbett, Keen, Tarrant, Allison, Sweasey.
TACKLES – Geiser, Kraus, Gibson, Strobel, Younkers, Takacs. Gumpp, Rubio.
GUARDS – Sapia, Khoenle, Tunning, Grunder, Stewart, Moyer, Crone, Snyder.
CENTERS – Roderick, Gable, Kinnins, Fisher, Fabinich.
QUARTERBACKS – Longshore, P. Francisco, Misere, Dommer.
HALFBACKS – Traylor, J. Francisco, Grier, Straughn, R. Johnson, Milncke, Williams.
FULLBACKS – Vilet, Nussbaum, Grooms.

ELDER
ENDS – Bender, James, Kelly, Junker.
TACKLES – Albers, Knowerzer, Burkhart.
GUARDS – Griffin, Durbin.
CENTER – Schiller.
QUARTERBACK – Bockenstette.
HALFBACKS – Caruso, Grainger, James, Sabino.
FULLBACKS – Bachman.

Score by periods:
Massillon 7 14 7 14 42
Elder 0 0 0 6 6

Touchdowns:
Massillon – Grooms 2; Brenner; Straughn, Grier; Bob Johnson.
Elder – Bockenstette.

Points after touchdown:
Massillon – Grooms 6 (placement kicks).

Officials
Referee – Dan Tehan (Cincinnati).
Umpire – Dr. Fred Heinold (Cincinnati).
Head Linesman – Jack McPhee (Poland).
Field Judge – Clyde Moore (Wooster).

STATISTICS
Mass. Elder
First downs 8 13
Passes attempted 7 14
Passes completed 3 2
Had passes intercepted 0 2
Yards gained passing 125 75
Yards gained rushing 229 165
Total yards gained 354 240
Yards lost 20 4
Net yards gained 334 236
Times punted 4 4
Average punt (yards) 32 29
Yards punts returned by 32 2
Times kicked off 7 2
Average kickoff 45 18
Yards kickoffs returned by 53 74
Times fumbled 0 3
Lost ball on fumbles 0 2
Times penalized 5 5
Yards penalized 40.5 35

Ace Grooms