1923: Massillon 46, Columbus Aquinas 0

AQUINAS TAKES 48 TO 0 DUBBING FROM MASSILLON
OHIO CAPITAL GRIDDERS ARE EASY VICTIMS

Opening football relations with Coach David B. Stewart’s aggregation of husky warriors of Washington high school Saturday afternoon on the Pearl Street gridiron did not prove a very pleasant pastime for athletes of Aquinas high of Columbus. The green clad Catholics from the Buckeye capital, in their first appearance on a local scholastic athletic schedule, took a 48 to 0 drubbing from the Massillon steam roller which had little difficulty gaining ground with any kind of any attack.

The Columbus eleven, which last season went through without a defeat and which this fall had won three out of five games prior to its Massillon invasion, was no match for Coach Stewart’s smoothly working gridiron machine which romped through the visitors at will. Aquinas put up a scrappy fight but it was outclassed. It was outweighed and it had no forward wall of defense equal to the task of holding in check the orange and black line which tore great gaping holes into the visiting eleven.

Neither did Aquinas have an offense that could compare with the brilliant machine like play of the Massillon eleven. Aquinas seemed to have nothing more than fighting spirit and even this could not stand up under the constant hammering of the orange and black and finally it gave way as the local steam roller, gaining momentum with each succeeding touchdown, finished the contest by charging through the visitors for three sets of counters in the final quarter, the last of these being made with many substitutes in the lineup.

It was the destructive defensive work of Captain Pflug and Miller, Massillon’s stalwart guards, and Bill Edwards, equally brilliant center, that put an effectual quietus on Aquinas’ attempts to score. The entire Massillon line played scintillating football but these three warriors time after time crushed the hopes of the Catholics to gain by driving through the visiting line and nailing the runner with the ball before he could get up to the line of scrimmage. No greater defensive work has been seen this fall than that put on exhibition by the sturdy orange and black forward wall.
How Orange And Black
Turned Back Columbus Invaders

FIRST QUARTER
Aquinas won the toss and received, defending the west goal. Pflug kicked off to Goldsbery who fumbled, Edwards covering the ball on the visitors’ 19-yard line. Schrader went through for six. Borza made three at center and came back on the next play taking the ball to the seven yard line for the first down. V. Define made four at right tackle, Borza crashed through for two and on the next play Schrader rammed through from the two yard line for a touchdown. Pflug kicked goal.
SCORE: MASSILLON 7, AQUINAS 0.

Aquinas received and Farley was tackled on his 22 yard line. Edwards stopped Farley after a gain of three. Farley made one on the next play before being dropped by McCarthy and Pflug. Albanese punted to Grant in midfield. V. Define hit left tackle for three and Grant made six around right end. Then Schrader plunged through for eight and first down. After Borza was stopped without a gain V. Define passed to Fletcher for 10. Schrader rammed a big hole in the Columbus line but Massillon was penalized 15 for holding. V. Define made three. Fletcher dropped a pass from V. Define. Schrader made five and then Pflug’s attempted drop kick from the 35 yard line went wide and it was Columbus’ ball on the 20. Aquinas couldn’t do a thing with Massillon’s line and Albanese punted out of bounds in midfield. V. Define went around end for a first down. Grant skirted left end for five but on the next play Borza dropped a pass from center and Columbus covered on Massillon’s 39 yard line. The visitors failed in three attempts to gain and Albanese punted out of bounds on Massillon’s 18. V. Define and Borza made a first down in two plays. Grant hit off left tackle for 18. V. Define, Borza and Schrader made another first down but Massillon then fumbled on the 45 yard line and Columbus covered. Burns fumbled on the first play but Aquinas covered on the 42 yard line as the quarter ended.
SCORE: MASSILLON 7, AQUINAS 0.

SECOND QUARTER
Albanese punted out on the 39 yard line. V. Define and Borza made six in two plays and Define punted to Aquinas’ 40 yard line. The visitors were penalized 15 for clipping. Massillon’s line held Columbus safe and Aquinas punted to Grant in midfield. V. Define made two at left guard. Price hit for five through left tackle and Schrader made it first down. On the next play Schrader went through for eight. V. Devine failed to gain and Price was thrown for a five yard loss. On a fake play Schrader went through the center of the line to the 20 yard line and a first down. V. Define fumbled but Miller covered on Columbus’ four yard line. Schrader hurtled through the center of the line for a touchdown. Pflug missed goal.
SCORE: MASSILLON 13, AQUINAS 0.

Massillon kicked off to Aquinas, Farley being downed on his 25 yard line. Pflug tackled Burns without gain. Fletcher tackled Maher after the latter had made five. Albanese then punted to V. Define who was tackled on the 45 yard line. Schrader did not gain and Pflug punted to Goldsberry who was tackled on his 30 yard line. Miller tackled Maher after a gain of three and Price rushed in and tossed Maher on the next play for a loss of four. Pflug stopped Goldsberry without gain and Albanese punted to V. Define who made a pretty return of 35 yards taking the ball to Aquinas’ 40. V. Define passed to Price for five and then went off left tackle for four. Schrader went through the line for 15. V. Define made nine at the line. Schrader fumbled but Pflug covered on the six yard line. With just three seconds remaining in the quarter Schrader made a desperate lunge into the line for a touchdown but was stopped without gain.
SCORE: MASSILLON 13, AQUINAS 0.

THIRD QUARTER
Aquinas received and punted to Price who was tackled in midfield. Borza hit right tackle for eight. Schrader made it first down. V. Define made five and Borza three before Schrader again went through the Columbus line for a first down. Borza made five, V. Define three, Schrader one and Borza plugged through for a first down. Borza was tackled hard and partly dazed but revived quickly. Schrader then rammed through the visitors for his third touchdown. Pflug kicked goal.
SCORE: MASSILLON 20, AQUINAS 0.

Massillon kicked off to Albanese who was tackled on his 25 yard line. Burns and Farley made nine in two downs and Albanese punted out of bounds on the 40. Price hit off right tackle for 12, V. Define skirted right end for 13. Borza went around left end for 28 yards and a touchdown. Pflug kicked goal.
SCORE: MASSILLON 27, AQUINAS 0.

Aquinas again received but could not gain and punted out of bounds in midfield. V. Define returned the punt and Maher was dropped in his tracks by Potts on his 25 yard line. Albanese went around left end for nine yards and Columbus’ longest gain of the day only to be stopped by Potts when the two came together in a head on collision. Both players were laid out by the force of the crash which was plainly heard over the field but Albanese was hurt the most. He stuck gamely to his post after being revived but had to leave the game a short time later. After play was resumed Edwards and Miller tackled Farley without gain and Burns punted to Price who was tackled on his 40 yard line. Borza dashed off right tackle, then reversed his field and ran to his left, clearing the visitors and scampering 30 yards to the 30 yard line before being tackled. V. Define made five through the line as the quarter ended.
SCORE: MASSILLON 27, AQUINAS 0.

FOURTH QUARTER
Massillon fumbled and Aquinas covered. The visitors punted to V. Define who returned the ball 25 yards to the visitors’ 39 yard line. V. Define passed to Fletcher for 12 and on the next play Borza dashed through the line for 25 yards and a touchdown. Pflug kicked goal.
SCORE: MASSILLON 34, AQUINAS 0.

Aquinas received and after Fletcher had thrown D. Cannon for a loss of three Burns punted to Price who returned 20 to Aquinas’ 39 yard line. A pass failed and Zorn intercepted the next one on his 30 yard line. Edwards stopped D. Cannon after a gain of four and Burns’ attempt to punt was frustrated by a bad pass and he was thrown for a five yard loss by Flectcher, Massillon securing the oval on Columbus’ 34 yard line. J. Define missed a pass from center but recovered the ball after a loss of 10 yards. On the next play Grant passed to J. Define for a 20 and a first down. Another pass from Grant to Price made eight and Borza went through the line for six and another first down, taking the ball to the five yard line. Borza made three on the next play but dropped Edwards’ pass on the following play and lost three. Price then took a short pass from Borza and went around left end for a touchdown. Pflug kicked goal.
SCORE: MASSILLON 41, AQUINAS 0.

After receiving, Aquinas tried a forward pass which was intercepted by Reis on Columbus’ 31 yard line. Price lost 10 on a bad pass. Grant passed to Price for give and then punted out on the one yard line. Burns immediately punted and Price was tackled on the visitors’ 25 yard line. Murdock sneaked through the line for eight. Price made it first down. Reis carried the ball three straight times and on the third smashed through for a touchdown. Pflug kicked goal.
SCORE: MASSSILLON 48, AQUINAS 0.

Aquinas received and a pass from Burns to D. Cannon made eight. A penalty of 15 yards inflicted upon Massillon gave Columbus its first first down of the game. Hise intercepted an Aquinas pass in midfield as the game ended.
SCORE: MASSILLON 48, AQUINAS 0.

Easy Picking
Massillon – 48 Position Aquinas – 0
Fletcher L.E. Davis
McCarthy L.T. Verhoff
Miller L.G. J. Cannon
Edwards C Zorn
Pflug R.G. More
Brooks R.T. Vagnone
Rohr R.E. Beckwith
Grant Q.B. Goldsberry
Schrader L.H. Farley
V. Define R.H. Albanese
Borza F.B. Burns

Score by quarters
Massillon 7 6 14 21 48

Substitutions
Massillon – Price for Borza, J. Define for Grant, Harris for Pflug, Pflug for McCarthy, Borza for J. Define, Potts for Fletcher, Fletcher for Rohr, J. Define for V. Define, Grant for Schrader, Reis for J. Define, Hise for Edwards, Murdock for Borza, Schimke for Fletcher, Halco for Harris.

Aquinas – Leary for Moore, Maher for Farley, Moore for Leary, Leary for J. Gannon, Maher for Leary, D. Gannon for Albanese, Bart for Zorn.

Touchdowns – Schrader 3, Boraz 2, Price, Reis.

Goals after touchdowns – Pflug 6.

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

Time of quarters – 15 minutes.

AQUINAS STAR HURT
IN HEAD-ON CRASH;
TREATMENT PRAISED

No greater exhibition of gameness and courage has ever been shown on any football field than that exhibited here Saturday afternoon by Dominick Albanese, star halfback of the Aquinas high team of Columbus, who was knocked senseless in the third quarter in a terrific head-on collision with left end Harry Potts of the orange and black. The two players came together with a crash that was plainly audible over the entire field. It stretched out both lads and the coaches from both teams rushed on the field to render first aid to their injured players.

Albanese had not yet recovered consciousness when the Aquinas team left for Columbus Saturday night. He was delirious and it was feared he might have sustained a slight fracture of the skull. He was to receive an x-ray examination as soon as the homeward journey had been completed.

The crash occurred when Albanese carried the ball around Massillon’s right end for the longest gain credited to a Columbus player during the entire game. Potts from his position on the other side of the line cut across the field to head off Albanese. Both were running low and as Potts dived for the visitor their heads came together with a sickening thud. Albanese, one of Aquinas’ best players, has drawn the attention of Ohio State scouts by his playing.

Before leaving officials of the Aquinas team complimented local school authorities on the excellent treatment they had received here. They said they appreciated the sportsmanship of the local players and fans and had never been treated better anywhere. H.L. Martin, Aquinas faculty manager, told Principal H.R. Gorrell and Faculty Manager Hopper that Massillon’s sportsmanship excelled any Aquinas had ever seen.