Tag: <span>James ‘Jimmy’ Aiken</span>

History

1935: Massillon 6, Canton McKinley 0

TIGERS BEAT BULLDOGS TO WIN STATE TITLE
MASSILLON TEAM ENDS UNDEFEATED SEASON BY TAMING OLD RIVAL 6-0

Bob Glass Plunges Over Canton Goal From Three-yard Line in Third Period To Score Only Touchdown of the Game; 12,000 See Battle

By LUTHER EMERY

The Tigers are champions! Champions of Stark County! Champions of Ohio! Only two teams can challenge their title, Steubenville and Sandusky. Both have refused post season games. The Tigers are champions.

The role of David and Goliath was re-enacted Saturday afternoon before 12,000 fans who crowded Lehman stadium, Canton to the corners, when the Tiger eleven, picked from an enrollment of 1,100 rose up and slew the Canton Bulldogs selected from a school of 5,000.

Waited Four Years for Victory
Four years, Massillon fans had waited for that moment and when fullback Bob Glass, in the third quarter, poked his 176 pounds through the Bulldog line for the one and only touchdown of the game, pandemonium broke loose in the Tiger stands and a shout went up that could be heard miles away. A disappoint sigh followed a moment later when Jake Gillom was hit hard in an unsuccessful left end sweep for the extra point, but it mattered not in the end, for those six points were sufficient to beat Canton and victory was what Massillon fans had been waiting for.

They swarmed out of the bleachers at the end of the game, kept their hands on the horn button the eight-mile stretch to Massillon, fell in behind the Tiger band as it marched down Lincoln Way and shouted and blew horns again with delight as the band marched round and round the public square.

Their Tigers were champions. The county championship was their first in 11 years. The undefeated season was their first since 1922 and it was their first state championship in 13 years.

It was the 14th knot the Tigers had tied to the Bulldog’s tail since 1909, five more than Canton and most pleasing of all it conquered the jinx Lehman field has been to Massillon teams. Never before had a Massillon eleven won on that gridiron.

Game Hard Fought
It was a battle from start to finish, the Tigers glorious in victory, the Bulldogs gallant in defeat.

Old grads scratched their heads afterward and wondered if the scrap had ever been duplicated. It was a vicious game, charged with an undercurrent of bitter rivalry that electrified teams and spectators.

Never did the Bulldogs play as they did Saturday. Oak Park and Steubenville beat Canton, but Oak Park and Steubenville didn’t play the same team the Tigers defeated Saturday. It was a fighting eleven super charged with the pointing of Coach Jimmy Aiken and the latter at the conclusion of the game, heaped words of praise on his boys. “They even surprised me,” he said, “I never saw them fight that way before.”

Cold figures even game the Bulldogs an edge in offense. They made more first downs, gained more yards from scrimmage and staged the longest sustained drive, 75 yards, but the Tigers, playing a conservative game, braced when the Bulldogs ripped into dangerous territory and repulsed both of its attempts to score.

The eight-man line did it. Massillon fans booed when Coach Brown yanked his second stringers and put in his first string men to stop New Philadelphia’s goal line thrust two weeks ago. He did it for experimental purposes with an eight-man line. It turned back New Philadelphia and it beat Canton Saturday, turning the Bulldogs back twice, once on the seven yard line and once on the three-yard stripe.

Tigers Capitalize on Break
Favored to win by two or three touchdowns, the Massillon eleven took no chances with the slippery ball and treacherous field. Denied a touchdown in the opening minutes of play when Jake Gillom was downed two inches from the goal the Massillon team capitalized on its second break of t he game early in the third period when Charley Anderson, alert and steady, pounced on Sabin’s fumble on the 21-yard line. Jake lugged the leather around right end for three yards and Dutton drove through for two at left tackle. Then the ball was given to Glass. It was only the fifth time in the game that he had been given the pigskin.

He plowed through for five yards and a first down on the Canton 11. Again Glass took it and this time went four yards forward to the seven-yard line. Dutton hit his left tackle for two and it was third down with the ball on the five-yard line and four yards needed for a first down. Glass was the logical choice and he bored at the Canton line again and put the ball on the three-yard line; fourth down, three yards to go for a touchdown and the Canton secondary hugging the line of scrimmage.

What to do was Quarterback Howard Dutton’s problem. He had faced the same problem earlier in the game and thought he would cross the Bulldogs up by sending Gillom through right tackle. The strategy had failed. He decided to shoot Glass through the center once more on a power play and called upon every man to give that extra energy necessary for this one big push. It was a perfect play. Glass’ line charged and the Tiger ball carrier pumped his feet into the ground and drove his way over the goal by a foot.

Jake Gillom was tackled viciously as he unsuccessfully tried to sweep left end for the extra point.

In the lead by a slim six points and nearly half the ball game yet to be played, the Tigers remembered the counseling of their coaches who told how a great undefeated Massillon team in 1915 was whipped 7-6 by Canton on an intercepted forward pass.

A conservative game was ordered by General Dutton, as he scrapped his forward pass which has been 50 percent of the Massillon offense this season.

Canton Scares Fans
Relying on a running attack, the Massillon eleven set about to successfully protect its lead, but not without one big scare that carried the Bulldogs to the seven-yard line.

It was toward the close of the third period that Canton got a break somewhat similar to that which paved the way for the Massillon touchdown.

Stopped on their own 40-yard line when Pete Ballos in an almost super human effort dove over Eddie Molinski and tackled Charley Anderson for a two-yard loss just when it appeared Charley would get loose, the Tigers were forced to punt. Big Don Scott smashed through and threw himself at the ball just as it left Dutton’s toe. He blocked the kick and pounced on the ball, back on the Tiger 25-yard line. It was McKinley’s big moment and it appeared the Bulldogs would make the most of it when Bill Adams passed to Jack Young for a first down on the Tiger six-yard line.

Tigers Check Advance
Massillon went into its eight-man line. Sabin whirled off tackle but failed to gain. Adams tried to circle left end but he too was stopped without gain. Here the period ended and the crowd at the west-end of the field which got more breaks than both teams together for most of the play was in that section of the lot, had a chance to see the Bulldogs’ make their last desperate onslaught.

Sabin tried to carry again, but this time the Massillon eleven moved in on him and set him down for a one-yard loss. It was evident that McKinley could not gain through the Tiger line. A pass was the only thing left, for it was fourth down. Risoliti faded back and threw toward the left corner. Two Tigers were there to bat down the ball, but Schultz slipped, the ball hit the ground and the Bulldogs’ last thrust was repelled.

The Tigers took possession of the ball and hammered their way to three consecutive first downs and would have had another had not a 15-yard penalty for holding stopped the effort. In that last march, Dutton again demonstrated his generalship. The ball was on the 28-yard line, it was fourth down and a yard to go. To control the ball and consume time was his bet. He couldn’t afford to punt and give Canton the ball furthermore the kick might be blocked. He gambled and taking no chances, carried the leather himself, right through left tackle to a first down.

Two long runs by Ballos and Sabin put Canton in the ball game again and brought the pigskin to the 30-yard line where the Bulldogs went into a spread formation and Risoliti passed to Scott to the 15-yard line, but Canton was offside on the play and punted on fourth down. The Tigers drove back from their 20-yard line and were traveling past midfield at the final gun.

Players Exhausted
After such desperate goal line stands and smashing offensives, it was no wonder that the teams at the end moved somewhat in slow motion like the fatigued boxer who can hardly lift his arms dangling at his sides. It was no wonder that Ed “Echo” Herring, who entered the game in the last two minutes nearly got away twice and it was no wonder that when the final gun released the tension and brought relaxation that several players of both teams crawled up the steps to their dressing rooms on hands and knees, completely exhausted from their efforts.

That is why the game ranks with the greatest Canton-Massillon games ever played – a swift moving panorama filled with hard football capably officiated and dramatic in excitement and color.

Massillon won because it had the better team, not as superior Saturday as many Tiger fans had wagered, but still good enough to beat the Bulldogs who in one afternoon had climbed to super heights.

Massillon won because it had the stronger defensive team and because it had the punch when it needed it. The breaks were even, but the Tigers capitalized on theirs while the Bulldogs failed.

While statistics show the Bulldogs made more yards from scrimmage and more first downs than the Tigers, the conservative game of the local eleven checked its own offense. Only three passes were attempted. Two were completed for gains of seven and two yards while one was batted down.

Canton used a shovel pass to success and gained 33 yards. Two passes were intercepted and six others batted down or grounded.

Tigers Get Kickoff
That both teams were in there to hand out punishment was evident from the start. Capt. August Morningstar won the toss and elected to receive, defending the east goal.

Adams kicked to Anderson, who headed up the alley but was tackled in a big pile up on the 29-yard line after a 19-yard return. Gillom made five at center. Glass hit for four and Gillom made it first down on the 42-yard line. Dutton picked up two yards and Gillom on a delayed buck only got one. Gillom barely picked up a scant three on a right end sweep and Dutton kicked a beauty out of bounds on the 14-yard line.

Ballos plunged for two yards, but when he tried to go through Buggs he was stopped without gain. Risolitie dropped back to punt and Don Voss broke through, blocked the ball and recovered it on the Canton nine-yard line. Dutton failed to gain on a spinner, but Gillom got five yards on a right end sweep. Dutton carried the ball to the one yard line and it was fourth down and a yard to go. Dutton decided to send Gillom to the right. Jake ran hard but the Bulldogs ganged him at the goal line. At first Referee Dave Reese raised his hands to signal a touchdown, but Head Linesman, Hummon said that the ball did not go over and when the pile was uncovered the nose of the sphere was two inches short of the chalk line.

That bolstered McKinley and temporarily upset the Tigers and the red and black got a break a moment later when Gillom fumbled Risoliti’s punt and Sabin recovered on the Canton 34-yard line. Massillon took time out. Ballos made four at left tackle and Sabin four at right tackle. Ballos plunged for a first down on his own 47. Adams made a yard at left tackle and Sabin three at right end. Third down and six to go and Gillom intercepted Adams’ pass on the 38. Gillom made three at center, but lost a yard at right end. Dutton lost two at right end. Dutton punted to Sabin, who slipped and fell after catching the ball on the 16-yard line.

Ballos made one-half yard at center. Morningstar charged through and put Ballos down for a three-yard loss as the quarter ended with the ball on the 13-yard line.

Second Period
Risoliti kicked, Sabin downing the ball on the Canton 41-yard line. Gillom passed to Dutton for seven yards. Glass made a yard at center and Dutton bucked for a first down on the Canton 31-yard line. Scott knocked down Dutton’s pass intended for Anderson who was 10 yards in the clear. The pass, was short. Glass failed to gain. Gillom made six at right end. Fourth down and four to go and Gillom missed a first down by a yard on the 22-yard line and Canton took the ball.

Sabin found a big hole at right tackle and wormed through to a first down on his 38-yard line. Adams made five at left tackle and Ballos four at center. Adams got through for a first down on his own 49. Sabin made a yard. Risoliti’s pass to Ballos was grounded. The Tigers took time out. A shovel pass to Sabin gained a first down on the Massillon 40-yard line. Adams failed to gain. Sabin got through right tackle again for a first down on the Tiger 29-yard line. Ballos made four yards and the Tigers were penalized 15 yards when Molinski roughed Ballos on the play. It gave Canton a first down on the 12-yard line. Sabin hit right tackle for two yards. Sabin broke through the same spot for six yards and put the ball on the four-yard line. The Bulldogs needed but two yards for a first down and had two chances left. Ballos hit the line but failed to gain. He got barely a yard the next time and the Tigers took the ball on their own three-yard line.

Dutton kicked back to Sabin who carried from the Tiger 43 to the 32-yard line. Ballos made three at center. The Bulldogs tried a pass, but Canton was offside and a Massillon player interfered with the receiver. Risoliti tried to pass again but the ball was grounded. Sabin made five at tackle and Adams attempting to plunge for a first down was stopped with a one-yard gain.

The Tigers took the ball on their own 22-yard line. Dutton made two yards at right end. Glass picked up three. Gillom made a yard and there the half ended with the ball on the Massillon 28-yard line, fourth down coming up.

Third Period
Glass kicked off to Sabin who fumbled but recovered on his 13. Ballos made four yards at right guard. Sabin swept right end for three yards. Sabin was given the ball again but he fumbled and Anderson and Buggs hopped on the pigskin on the Canton 21-yard line.

Gillom whirled around right end for three yards. Dutton made two at left tackle. Glass went through for five yards and a first down on the Canton 11. Glass plunged through left tackle for four. Dutton hit the same spot for two. Glass put the ball on the three-yard line. Glass went over for the touchdown. Gillom failed to make the extra point on a wide end sweep. Score: Massillon 6; Canton 0.

Glass kicked off to Adams who caught the ball on the 21 and brought it back to his 29-yard line. Ballos made three at left tackle. Ballos picked up two at right tackle. A shovel pass, Risoliti to Sabin netted a first down on the Canton 45. Ballos hit center for two yards. Morningstar batted down Risoliti’s pass and nearly intercepted. Adams lost a yard at left end. Risoliti kicked to Gillom who returned six yards to his own 32. Dutton made eight yards at left end. Anderson on an end around play was thrown for a two-yard loss by Ballos in a remarkable tackle. Glass got two yards at center. Scott blocked Dutton’s pass and recovered on the Tigers’ 25-yard line.

Sabin failed to gain at right tackle. Ballos drove through for five yards. Ballos failed to gain; Adams passed to Young for a first down on the six-yard line. Sabin failed to gain and Adams running from a triple reverse was stopped without gain as the third period ended with the ball still on the six-yard line.

Fourth Period
It was third down and goal to gain. Sabin coming around the right side of his line was tossed with a one-yard loss, being hit hard by Buggs. Risoliti’s pass to Schultz hit the ground and it was Massillon’s ball on the seven-yard line.

For the only time during the game, Molinski hit center for three yards. Gillom picked up two and Glass rammed through left tackle for a first down on the 18-yard line. Dutton ran over Held for four yards and Glass followed the big Tiger lineman through for two more. Dutton hit to his right for three yards and it was fourth down with a yard to go. Gambling, Dutton carried again and easily made his yardage, a first down on the 29. Anderson picked up eight on a reverse around right end. Glass plunged behind Woods for three yards and a first down on the 40. Dutton barely missed a first down on a left end reverse. Gillom drove past midfield but the ball was called back and the Tigers penalized 15 yards for holding. It put the ball on the Massillon 37-yard line. Dutton made two yards. When Gillom failed to gain, Dutton wisely kicked out on the Canton 37.

Ballos was 15 yards to the Tigers 48. Sabin raced through for 13 more and first down on the Massillon 35. He was tackled by Glass, Sabin failed to gain and a check of time showed five minutes left to play. Adams made five yards on a shovel pass taking the ball to the 30-yard line. Canton tried a spread formation and a pass was completed to Scott who had hopped into the secondary, but Canton was offside on the play and was penalized five yards. Risoliti’s pass was grounded. Risoliti got off a pretty punt that went over the Tiger goal line by a couple of inches and Massillon took the ball on its own 20.

Herring substituting for Gillom, made one at right guard. Dutton made five at left tackle and Glass three more. Dutton kicked out on the Canton 40. Canton attempted a spread formation. Risoliti’s pass to Schultz was grounded. Sabin made five at right end. On the third down, old Jim McDew dropped back with Schultz and ended Canton’s hopes by intercepting Risoliti’s pass intended for the Bulldog left end. Herring made two yards and then raced around left end for seven more. Glass plunged for a first down on the Canton 44 as the ball game ended.

It would be difficult to pick an outstanding star on the Massillon team. The line from Capt. Morningstar on one end to Anderson on the other played a great game, while the backfield struck when a big push meant points.

Ballos A Great Player
Pete Ballos was the outstanding performer offensively and defensively for the Bulldogs. Little Ray Sabin, played a fine game at halfback, gained many yards, but unfortunately his fumble in the third period was costly.

Both coaches relied on their first stringers to carry on. Coach Aiken didn’t make a substitution, while Coach Brown made two. He sent Mike Byelene in for one play in the second period when he took Dutton out to give him advice and he put Herring in Gillom’s place in the last two minutes of play when the first string halfback was exhausted.

There were no injuries on either team, something unusual for a Massillon-Canton game. Though hard played, it was cleanly contested with but few exceptions. Massillon was penalized twice for 30 yards; Canton once for five yards.

The game definitely closed the season for the Tigers. They will not play a post season game. The Massillon eleven had received an offer of $5,000 to meet New Castle at Youngstown, but the game fell through. Akron North’s championship ambitions having been blasted by Toledo Devilibiss Saturday, only two logical post season game contenders remain, Steubenville and Sandusky, and neither will play.

Quiet Saturday Night
It was quiet in Massillon Saturday night. Students and townspeople trod the streets looking for a celebration but there was none to be found.

The only celebration was that staged by the Tiger band after the game when the young musicians climbed out their buses at the top of Lincoln Way East hill and marched through the business district, stopping at Lincoln Way and Erie to drill.

The football team dressed in Canton and returned to Massillon to have dinner at the Silver Maples. Exhaustion did not check the boys’ appetites and they were a happy bunch of fellows. Capt. August Morningstar lost no time getting to Referee Reese after the game. He wanted the ball and got it. He turned it over to Coach Brown who carried it around all evening like a pet poodle. The ball will be lettered and placed among the souvenirs.

The Washington high band staged a colorful drill before the game and at the intermission. The young women drum majors carried large bouquets of yellow mums, the gift of Kester Bros. The Canton band likewise gave a fine exhibition.

Among the spectators was B.F. Fairless, president of the Carnegie-Illinois Steel Corporation who came from New York for the game.

There was a scuffle in front of the Canton bench late in the game that few Massillon fans could see. Jim McDew tackled Sabin hard and tossed him into the lap of Coach Aiken. Aiken shoved McDew off, rather roughly, the Massillon player throught and he and Anderson cocked their fists, but before anything came out of it other Tiger players pulled back their teammates and no blows were struck. It was only an outgrowth of the great tension of the game.

Massillon fans, unaccustomed to the Canton bleachers dropped many blankets on the ground. The McKinley management, however, had made provision for such instances and had men ready to pick up all fallen blankets and place them in a room in the Lehman school. At the end of the game, there must have been 100 in the pile. Blankets were returned as rapidly as identified.

The game will be played and replayed tonight at the Tiger Booster club meeting in the Washington high school. It probably will be the biggest meeting of the year. Plans also will be discussed for the annual football banquet Dec. 11 at the Republic Steel office building. Noble Kizer, Purdue coach will speak.

The Tigers Rule
Massillon Pos. Canton
Anderson RE Schultz
Held RT Scott
McDew RG Angelo
Voss C Rice
Woods LG Virdo
Buggs LT Wortman
Morningstar LE Young
Dutton QB Risoliti
Gillom LH Sabin
Molinski RH Adams
Glass FB Ballos

Massillon 0 0 6 0 6

Touchdowns:
Massillon – Glass.

Substitutions:
Massillon – Byelene, qb; Herring, lh.
McKinley – none.

Referee – Dr. David Reese (Denison).
Umpire – C.J. Graf (Ohio State).
Head Linesman – J. M. Hummon (Wittenberg).

Game Statistics
McKin. Mass.
First downs, rushing 10 8
First downs, passing 1 0
First downs, penalties 1 0
Yards gained, rushing 151 143
Yards gained, passing 13 6
Yards lost 5 8
Yards gained, total 159 141
Passes attempted 9 2
Passes completed 1 2
Passes incomplete 6 1
Passes intercepted by 0 2
Punts 6 6
Punts, average yards 33 33
Punts blocked by 1 1
Punts returned by 11 10
Fumbles 1 1
Own fumbles recovered 0 0
Opp. Fumbles recovered 1 1
Kickoffs 1 2
Kickoffs, average yards 50 43
Kickoffs returned 11 20
Penalties 5 30

First Undefeated Season
For Tigers Since 1922

By FRED J. BECKER
Independent Sports Editor

Undefeated in 10 games, with a record of 483 points to their credit and only 13 scored against them, the Tigers of Washington high school today can lay claim to the scholastic football championship of Ohio. Few there are, who will dispute their right to be recognized as the best school boy gridiron aggregation within the borders of the buckeye state.

The crowning achievement to the most successful football season Washington high school has had since way back in 1922 came last Saturday afternoon at Lehman stadium, Canton, when the rampaging Tiger, hungry for just one more victory, smacked down its perennial enemy, the Bulldogs of Canton McKinley, 6 to 0, in one of the greatest scholastic contests ever witnessed by the 12,000 shouting fans who packed every available inch of space in the Canton enclosure and the hundreds of others who hung from windows in buildings, tree tops and telephone poles in the immediate vicinity of the battle ground.

When husky Bob Glass, 185-pound Massillon fullback, cracked through the center of the Canton line late in the third quarter and drove across the goal line for the touchdown that eventually brought victory to the orange and black he brought joy to the hearts of thousands of local fans who were in the stands and despair to the thousands of Canton supporters who had prayed and hoped that their beloved Bulldogs would be good enough to come through with another victory over the old enemy.

Won 10 Straight In 1922
Way back in 1922 a team of mighty Tigers, coached by David D. Stewart, now football tutor at Sharon, Pa., high school, roamed the scholastic gridirons of Ohio sweeping aside all opposition to travel undefeated through a 10 game schedule, winding up with a magnificent 24 to 0 conquest of Canton.

From 1922 until this fall Washington high has had some prosperous years on the gridiron and some that were quite lean but not until 1935 was it able to turn loose another football juggernaut able to sweep everything before it and finish unbeaten and untied.

For three years, prior to this fall, it bowed in defeat before the devastating attack of powerful Canton McKinley machines.

But this year Massillon came back into its own. A dashing gallant and courageous band of youthful gridiron giants stormed the heights to glory. When they started their campaign back in September they were aiming for an undefeated season but more than anything else they wanted to defeat Canton.

Every day on the practice field and in every game they played prior to last Saturday that thought was uppermost in their minds. “Beat Canton!” That was their goal and they achieved it. Now they are contest.

The young man who last Saturday watched the machine that he and two able assistants had fashioned through hours of hard work, crash through to its greatest triumph, was a football pupil under the coach who gave Massillon its undefeated team in 1922.

“Kids” Come Through
That young man was Paul Brown, who has completed his fourth year as football tutor of the youthful Tigers and who Saturday saw the “kids” score their first victory over Canton since Jimmy Aiken was brought to the east end city from Toledo to pull Canton McKinley out of the football mire.

The game Saturday was the 25th in the series between the ancient scholastic rivals since 1909. Of those 25 battles 14 have been Massillon victories, nine have gone to Canton and two ended in ties.

Prior to Saturday Canton had won three straight times. The last beating a Tiger team administered to a Bulldog outfit was in 1931 by a 20 to 6 count, being the third in a row for Massillon. But from then on until this fall, McKinley reigned supreme, winning 19 to 0 in 1932, 21 to 0 in 1933 and 21 to 6 in 1934.

But the reign of the Bulldog was snapped Saturday and to Massillon at least, the 1935 Tigers of Washington high are the scholastic champions of Ohio.

The victory over Canton was a fitting climax to a brilliant season but it was not achieved without a struggle – a desperate struggle all the way in which individual brilliance and equally brilliant team play on the part of both aggregations made it one of the games that long will be remembered.

Thrills Aplenty
Three great goal line stands, one by Canton and two by Massillon provided the great outpouring of fans with enough thrills to last them until another football season rolls around.

It was a break of the game that decided the issue in Massillon’s favor. A fumble by Sabin of Canton on McKinley’s 22-yard line paved the way for the Tiger touchdown march.

Earlier in the first quarter the battling Bulldogs stopped the Tigers inches away from the goal but this time the orange and black was not to be denied and steadily it marched toward the Canton goal never to be halted until Bob Glass plunged through for the points.

Canton fans probably will gain some measure of solace from the fact that a fumble paved the way for Massillon’s victory. But it was Massillon’s hard, clean tackling and the alert manner in which every member of the local team followed the ball that made it possible for the local lads to pave the way for that break and then cash in on it for all that it was worth.

Such breaks occur in every football game but they mean nothing to a team unless it has the punch necessary to put the ball back on an opponent’s goal line. The Tigers had that punch and that’s why they won.

Twice Canton was inside Massillon’s 10-yard line. Once it got there through a march that came after blocking a Massillon punt. The other time it reached scoring territory by a brilliant and steady 72-yard march down the field but neither time was Canton able to cash in on its opportunity. When disaster threatened those Tigers just dug their cleats a bit deeper into the frozen turf and tossed back the Bulldogs with ferocious charges and deadly tackling.

Massillon fans expected the Bulldogs to put up a sturdy battle and they were not disappointed. In fact the Bulldogs played their greatest game of the season. Followers of the sport who had seen Canton in action before last Saturday declared the Bulldogs Aiken trotted out against the Tigers played better football than at any time during the campaign.

Inspired Canton Team
That was to be expected. Aiken, one of the shrewdest high school coaches in the state, knew how to prime his boys for the Massillon conflict and it was an inspired team that trotted out to meet the rough riding boys from Massillon. The 11 Canton boys who started the game were in there at the finish, not one substitution being made for the red and black. Massillon made three. Byelene was sent in for Dutton just as the second quarter needed but after the first play in the third the clever Massillon quarterback was rushed back into the fray. Near the end of the game Herring replaced Jake Gillom.

A few Massillon fans; probably, may be a bit disappointed because the Tigers did not win by a larger score. Days before the game some of he more enthusiastic Massillon supporters were predicting a local victory by two, three, four and even more touchdowns.

But in making their predictions they didn’t take into consideration this one important fact: never attempt to predict a Massillon-Canton game on the basis of what the two teams have done prior to that all-important contest. It just can’t be done with any degree of accuracy.

Massillon won – and that is all that is necessary. One of the greatest Tiger teams in local history conquered a worthy, hard fighting foe, an enemy that resisted stubbornly to the last and one that had its moments of greatness.

The Tigers received their stiffest test of the season Saturday – and they came through. Victory is the thing. Points are secondary. A triumph by six points is just as sweet as one by 20 or 30.

The Tigers conquered their old rival. They finished their season undefeated. They are as good, if not better than any high school football team in the state.

All the glory that comes to an undefeated team belongs to those stalwart lads and their coach, Paul Brown and his assistants, C. Widdoes and Hugh McGranahan.

Our hats are off to them.

Long may the Tiger rule!

Augie Morningstar
History

1934: Massillon 6, Canton McKinley 21

CANTON McKINLEY TRIMS WASHINGTON HIGH 21-6 TO WIN STATE GRID TITLE
BULLDOGS’ SECOND HALF ATTACK SINKS RIDDLED TIGER TEAM

By LUTHER EMERY

Washington high’s hope for an undefeated season and state championship, that rose in a crescendo of nine straight victories, faded under an avalanche of red and black Saturday afternoon when Canton McKinley climbed to the pinnacle of fame by defeating the Tigers 21-6.

Twenty-thousand fans looked on from bleachers that circled the entire field. It was the largest crowd ever assembled to witness a sports event in Stark county and the first half produced two periods of the finest football every played on a gridiron.

Two Touchdowns in Five Minutes
It was an offensive battle from the opening kickoff and twice in the first five minutes the ball was carried across the goal. McKinley received and never stopped in a relentless march until it had scored the first seven points of the season on the Tigers.

Credit: CantonMcKinley.com

What would Massillon do when scored on – fold up? It was uppermost in the mind of everyone of the 20,000 and the Tigers answer was a march of 64 yards from the kickoff to the McKinley goal. Massillon missed the extra point when Hank Krier was bottled up trying to carry it across and the score stood 7-6 throughout the remainder of the period and the first half.

The same offensive battle might have been staged in the second half were it not for a series of bad breaks that wrecked both offense and defense of the Tigers, causing a breaking down of morale and a necessary shift in the defensive setup that could not cope with the powerful attack of Jimmy Aiken and his Canton Bulldogs, who romped on to two more touchdowns.

Fumble Costly Break
The first bad break that preceded the turning point in the game came when the Tigers, in possession of the ball for the second time of the afternoon, marched from their own 23-yard line to a first down on the Canton 22.

They had the Bulldogs on the run and it looked line a certain touchdown until D.C. McCants fumbled on a reverse and Dick Miller, McKinley end, pounced through and recovered the ball.

Canton lashed back with another ferocious drive that put Dutton out of the game, with two probably cracked ribs. He was hurt when he blocked out a Canton receiver just as Lohr intercepted Zazula’s pass. Interference was called and the pass was declared completed. McCoy was sent in to pass for McKinley, but Lohr was again on the job and pulled down a pass on the nine-yard line. Krier was carried off the field with a badly wrenched ankle on the first play hereafter.

Loss of Krier Weakens Team
The Massillon ball carrier, ace scorer in Ohio who in the first quarter had increased his record for the season to 149 points with a 37-yard dash through the center of the Canton team, was ganged as he hit the line. Frigley jumped on his neck and underneath the pile Haas twisted the ankle that had been injured in practice earlier in the week.

Krier was out. His ankle puffed up as though inflated with air and he had to be carried by his teammates to the Massillon bench. That was the third bad break for the Tigers and with it went all hope for a Massillon victory. Up to that time Massillon looked the better team on both offense and defense.

Only close followers of the Tiger team know the importance of Krier to the Massillon lineup. First of all he is the punch of the backfield. That he displayed prior to his injury when only on one occasion did he fail to gain and statistics will show that his average gain until taken out was 11 yards, which passes the individual record of any other player on the field.

Important Defensive Man
But Krier is just as important defensively. He plays a guard position on the line and has greater penetration than either Snavely or Molinski. He demonstrated that once in the second period when he broke through and sat Jim Huff on the grass for a 10-yard loss.

With Krier and Dutton on the bench, Coach Brow had to change his entire lineup. He sent Edgar Herring, a 127-pounded, in at halfback. His blocking power against a 200 pounder was nil. The biggest shakeup, however, had to be made defensively. Snavely went into the line, a position he played last year but had not attempted to play before Saturday. Lange was called in to back up the line in place of Snavely. Snavely does not have the penetrating power of Krier at guard and Lange is not the vicious tackler that Snavely is.

It was the turning point of the game. The half ended three plays later and the Tigers were licked in the dressing room when it became apparent to all that their inspiration and main cog, Hank Krier, would be unable to play any more. He sat on the bench throughout the last two periods but could not re-enter. He was taken to the city hospital after the game for an examination and X-ray pictures will be taken today. He is hobbling around on crutches.

Canton Superior Team Second Half
It was all Canton the second half. The Tigers were never in the race the last two periods. They fought back but got nothing save a severe body beating that would cause any weak liver to give up the football forever, but not the Massillon Tigers. They battled to the end and in the last few minutes began handing back medicine they had been taught not to prescribe.

McKinley added 14 more points to its score over the weakened Massillon team and could have kept piling more on the heap had not the game ended when it did.

The Tigers experienced their first bad luck at the start when they lost the toss and had to kickoff to the Bulldogs. It paved the way for the first Canton touchdown and the first points scored on Massillon this year.

Krier got off a poor kick and Zazula returned to the 35-yard line. Huff made seven at right end and ran to a first down on the 50-yard line. Halter got three at left guard and Huff raced to another first down on the 33-yard stripe. Ballos made six at center and Halter a yard. McKinley was penalized five yards. Dutton nearly intercepted Zazula’s pass but fumbled. Huff almost thrown twice, got away for a dash to a first down on the 17-yard line. Halter took it to the eight-yard line and Massillon called for time. Halter went to the five-yard line. Two plays only netted the Bulldogs two yards but the Tigers were penalized for being offside giving Canton the ball on the one-yard line. Halter wiggled across the goal and Huff carried it over for the extra point. It was 7-0 Canton.

Tigers Strike Back
Lange received the following kickoff and was downed on the 36-yard line. D.C. MCCants playing his best and last high school football game smashed through left tackle for six yards. Shertzer was unable to hold Dutton’s pass. Krier raced through to a first down on the Canton 46-yard line and the glee on the east side was throttled. Dutton passed too far for Shertzer to receive, but he smashed through left tackle for nine yards. Third down and two to go and Krier took the ball through center on a fake. A huge gap opened in the Canton line between none other than Lewis Young and Tut Allen, the giants of the McKinley team. Through it Krier raced, cut to his right and out sped the McKinley secondary, including 10-second Huff in a 37-yard run for a touchdown.

For a moment it was feared play would be called back but the violation was for Canton being offside and the touchdown was allowed. The Massillon fans thundered their approval, but their joy partially diminished when Krier was thrown in his tracks trying to run the extra point across.

Canton received but its offense was checked by the Tigers who took the ball on their
23-yard line and began another drive toward the Canton goal. They had the Bulldogs on the run, as Krier hit for 19, McCants three, Dutton four, McCants three, Krier one, Dutton nine, McCants six, Krier 1, McCants eight, Krier one and a first down on the McKinley
22-yard line. Then came the fumble and the Bulldogs charged back only to be stopped with Lohr’s interception of McCoy’s pass on the nine-yard line. There followed Krier’s injury, three plays a punt and intermission.

Bulldogs Score At Start of Third
The Bulldogs duplicated their first kickoff performance by taking Morningstar’s boot at the start of the third period and marching 62 yards. Huff made four, Ballos five, Ballos one, Halter four, Huff three and a first down on the Tiger 35. Then came squatty Red Halter around left end behind a wave of Crimson interference that bowled everybody out of the way until someone nailed the red head on the Tigers’ four-yard line. It took McKinley three plays to get it over, Huff carrying it across on a right end sweep. Haas kicked goal. Canton 14, Massillon 6.

Canton had another chance when Lange fumbled the kickoff and Allen recovered on the Massillon 34. McKinley’s chances faded, however, when Referee Eddie Howells twice caught Haas holding and the Bulldogs were penalized 30 yards. The Tigers took the pigskin but unable to make their yardage, kicked to the Canton 30. The Bulldogs charged back to the Massillon 37 where they were stopped by the Tigers who again took possession of the ball. Halter quickly got it back for McKinley, however when he intercepted Dutton’s pass and ran it back to the Massillon 37.

Again Canton threatened but was stopped on the nine-yard line. Byelene tried to make a yard on fourth down but was nailed with inches to go and Canton got the sphere on the
15-yard stripe.

A five-yard penalty helped stop this threat on the 13-yard line. Dutton kicked back to his own 46 and again the Crimson surged forward. Halter in two attempts raced in to the Tiger 25. Huff went through for 14 yards to the 11. Halter made six. Huff four and Halter knifed through for the final touchdown. Haas kicked the 21st point.

There was nothing much to it thereafter. The Tigers tried to pass for a touchdown but Halter was always in the way and intercepted two in a row.

In the final minutes of play, Haas was put out of the game for slugging and Canton was penalized 25 yards.

Then McCants came into a pileup and was charged with unnecessary roughness and Massillon was penalized 15 yards. Only the gun saved further scrapes as the teams took their final fling at each other.

15 First Downs For Canton
Statistics show Canton as making 19 first downs to seven for the Tigers. Neither team completed a forward pass, remarkable in view of the fact that passing has been a consistent ground gainer for both teams in past performances.

Canton gained 315 yards from scrimmage to the Tigers’ 143 yards but Massillon with Krier in the first half gained 126 yards to 123 for Canton and Canton in the first half lost seven yards from scrimmage while the Tigers didn’t lose a yard.
Massillon was penalized three times for a total of 25 yards and Canton nine times for a loss of 85 yards.

Two of the McKinley penalties were for holding and one for Haas’ slugging of Lohr.

Massillon fans did a lot of talking Sunday. They were particularly concerned over noticeable holding and slugging in the McKinley line and the shouts of glee that went up from the east side of the field when Krier was carried off.

Canton’s joy at seeing Krier out of the game, maybe attributed to the high strung enthusiasm that causes one to yell first and think after. Massillon fans might have given the wild whoop had Huff been ganged. In any event it is not good sportsmanship.

As to the holding and slugging there was many a Massillon fan hoping some Tiger would cut loose with a left and right to the jaw and mid-section.

It raises an old question. Is it more advantageous to teach your linemen to hold and chance getting away with a large percentage of violations or is it better to play the game within the rules and avoid penalties.

Seven members of the starting Massillon eleven, played their last football for the Tigers Saturday. They were Wendell Lohr and Bob Shertzer, the ends; Don Wolfe, left tackle; Cloyd Snavely, right guard; D.C. McCants, fullback; Henry Krier, left halfback and Jack Lange the blocking halfbacks.

The other four will be back again next season. They are August Morningstar, center; Neri Buggs, right tackle; Eddie Molinski, left guard and Howard Dutton, quarterback. Mike Byelene, Jake Gillom and Edgar Herring the other trio to see service will be back next year.

Both Coach Brown and Coach Aiken, were concerned over the time of the first two periods. A check from the Massillon bench showed they were only of eight minutes duration instead of 12, and a review of the game, reveals that each team had the ball but three times in the entire first half. Massillon kicked to McKinley and it made a touchdown. McKinely kicked to Massillon and the Tigers made a touchdown. The Tigers kicked to McKinley and forced the Bulldogs to punt. Massillon carried back to the 22-yard line and fumbled and Canton was stopped with an interception on the nine-yard line. Three plays later the half ended.

Lineup and summary:
Massillon Pos. Canton
Shertzer LE Miller
Wolfe LT Frigley
Molinski LG Allen
Morningstar C Young
Snavely RG Wertman
Buggs RT Haas
Lohr RE Green
Dutton QB Zazula
Krier LH Huff
Lange RH Halter
McCants FB Ballos

Score by periods:
Canton 7 0 7 7 21
Massillon 6 0 0 6 6

Substitutions:
Massillon – Byelene, qb-lh; Herring, lh; Gillom, fb.
Canton – McCoy, qb; Daniels, lh; Fryer, rg; Mentzer, g.

Touchdowns:
Canton – Huff; Halter 2.
Massillon – Krier.

Point after touchdown:
Canton – Huff (carried); Haas 2 (placekick).

Referee – Howells.
Umpire – Shafer.
Head Linesman – Barrett.
Field Judge – Smith

Game Is Still The Big Topic
Police and City Officials
Praise Spectators for Orderly Behavior;
Seller of Alleged Bogus Tickets Under Arrest

With the gridiron classic staged by the Bulldogs of McKinley high school, Canton, and the orange and black Tigers of Washington high school, Saturday, still the principal topic of conversation in schools, city hall, stores and on street corners, police authorities and
non-partisan fans today sung highly the praises of the general orderliness and conduct of the spectators’ before, during and after the contest.

True, there were some fights among the rabid fans liquor flasks were titled frequently, ticket scalpers were present selling bogus tickets and some confusion in the reserved seats sections was the result, but all in all Stark county’s greatest sports spectacle will go down in history as one of friendly rivalry in which the throng of 20,000 spectators was well and efficiently handled by Massillon police, state highway patrolmen, deputy sheriffs, Canton school zone police and members of Massillon Post, No. 221, American Legion.

Leo Sabroglia, of 1737 E. 19th Street, Cleveland, was arrested at the field by police after he is alleged to have sold three bogus tickets for $3 to Homer Arnold. He was jailed on a suspicion charge, but an affidavit charging him with obtaining money under false pretenses had been drawn up this morning by Prosecutor Lewis C. Wiggins. Signature of one of the city school authorities to the affidavit was awaited. He probably will be arraigned in municipal court this afternoon or tomorrow morning.

Police said Sabroglia was in possession of several bogus tickets and $6 when taken into custody. Several other persons were said by police to have been selling bogus tickets at the field but they were not apprehended.

Washington high school was broken into Saturday evening, a woman had her pocketbook stolen and a Canton man had his pocket picked at the game, police were told.

Belief was expressed today that two men who escaped guards stationed at the high school had broken into the school thinking possibly that proceeds of the game were in the board of education office.

Pocket Is Picked
A window in the rear of the building was forced open. The pair was seen in a corridor approaching the board of education office. They escaped through a door they had opened when chased by guards. A crowbar and club were left behind by the men when they fled.

Charles E. Trew, of 1000 Arlington Street S.W., Canton, reported to police today that his pocket was picked of $46 while he watched the game. A pocketbook containing $6 and 10 dance tickets was snatched from Mrs. D.H. Volzer, of 1233 Cleveland Avenue N.W., as she was leaving the game.

While Homer Eicker, of R.D. 2; Bowdil, watched the game, his auto a 1928 Chevrolet sedan bearing license E46-741, was stolen from Edwin Avenue S.E. The car had not been recovered this morning.

Chief of Police Edward M. Ertle today expressed his appreciation of the conduct of the fans. Despite the intense rivalry, Massillon was quiet Saturday evening. Students and the older fans abided by the pleas of Mayor William Limbach and police for orderliness.

Chief Extends Thanks
Thanks were extended by Chief Ertle to officers of the highway patrol for the efficient manner in which they directed traffic at important street intersections near the athletic field, the deputy sheriffs, Canton police, local patrolmen and legionnaires and all others who aided in handling the crowd.

Police of Massillon and Canton today were searching for a gang of hoodlums, believed to have been from Canton, who Friday evening severely beat Kenneth Greenfelder, 17, of 229 State Avenue N.E. and Earl Clifford of 606 Guy Street N.W. Washington high school students; abducted Greenfelder and took him about six miles from the city where they sheared off part of his hair with clippers before turning him lose.

It was said today several other Massillon boys were abducted by a Canton gang and submitted to hazing. No reports of the cases had been made directly to police, however.

A bunch of keys were found at the south end of the football field and turned over to Desk Sergeant Daniel Brady. The owner may secure them at police headquarters upon identification.

20,000 WATCH HIGH SCHOOL BOYS STAGE EPIC GRID CONTEST

By FRED J. BECKER
Independent Sports Editor

The big game is over – but not forgotten. It will be the subject of discussion for many weeks to come.

Another chapter has been written into the history of Massillon-Canton athletic rivalry by a group of valiant young warriors, who if they seek knowledge of the beginning of this rivalry, must thumb the pages of history or learn about it from old timers.

Twenty thousand spectators, in a friendly holiday mood, saw this latest chapter of Massillon-Canton gridiron rivalry go into the page of history Saturday afternoon on Massillon field.

Twenty thousand fans saw the great Bulldogs of Canton McKinley high school plunge and dash their way through the great, but not quite great enough, Tigers of Washington high school for a 21 to 6 victory that brought to the Bulldogs recognition as Ohio scholastic champions and a string of 11 straight victories in 1934. It brought joy and rejoicing to all of Canton, particularly to Jimmy Aiken, McKinley coach and his intrepid gladiators. They stand out as the high school champions of Ohio, probably of the nation. They have a great team; they proved it in the heat of conflict against their oldest enemy.

In Massillon there is no rejoicing for the mighty Tigers lost the game they wanted to win more than any other on their schedule. It was their first defeat in 10 battles; the first time during the season they had seen an enemy march across their goal line. Certainly Massillon is sad but it took its beating standing up. No one can blame Paul Brown and his courageous Washington high lads if they were downhearted Saturday night but their heads were not bowed in humiliating defeat.

They gave the best they had, they went down fighting, they never gave up. They were conquered by a superior enemy, a foe that struck with the swiftness and deadliness of lighting. Even in defeat those orange and black clad lads came off the field with the praises of the multitude ringing in their rears. They had fought a good fight even in defeat and they deserve a lot of credit for it.

TWO COSTLY BREAKS HURT TIGERS
Of course the game is over, Canton won a well deserved victory and a state championship that it merited, but one can not help but wonder just what the ultimate result of that great battle would have been had not the two most costly breaks in the contest gone against the youthful Tigers.

Had they not occurred the final outcome might not have been changed but no one can deny that Massillon was not the equal if not the superior of the vaunted Bulldog until those breaks popped into the picture to ruin what looked like a fine opportunity for Massillon to pull the Bulldog’s fans for the first time in three years.

Both those breaks came in the second quarter. The first occurred when D.C. McCants, powerful Negro fullback, fumbled the ball on Canton’s 26-yard line, the Bulldogs recovering and halting a Massillon march that seemed destined not to end until the Tigers had placed the ball back of Canton’s goal.

The second break came a few minutes later when Henry Krier, Massillon’s great halfback, plunged through the Canton line, went down under a mass of Bulldog tacklers and never came back again to take part in that game. A severely twisted ankle forced Krier to the sidelines and out of the combat. He had to be carried off the field. He was severely wrenched by Canton tackles as he went to the ground.

With the loss of Krier went Massillon’s chances for victory. The loss of this great star was a severe blow but it seems as if the deciding turn in the game came when McCants fumbled.

A fumble may occur at any time and fate picked upon McCants, who had been playing a whale of a game, to be its victim It was a tough break for the boy – not only for him but for the Massillon cause. But that is football.

FIRST HALF A SPECTACULAR BATTLE
No more sensational game of football has ever been played anywhere than those stalwart teams unfolded before that huge crowd in the first half. It was as brilliant a spectacle of offensive performance as any one would want to witness.

So swiftly did both teams strike that fans were left almost breathless as they attempted to take it all in. Canton received and starting from its 35-yard line marched right down the field with Jim Huff, lanky Negro ace and Red halter, slashing midget halfback driving back the Tigers with vicious thrusts off tackle and around the ends, a drive which did not stop until Halter knifed his way though the line for a touchdown, the first scored against Massillon this year.

It all happened in less than five minutes. But what followed was even more breath-taking. Massillon received. The Massillon receiver was downed on his 35-yard line. Then like the th5rusts of a rapier Krier and Howard Dutton cut into that Canton line. Krier made a first down. A Tiger pass failed. Dutton slashed for eight. Another Massillon pass failed to connect. And then Krier brought the fans to their feet in a mad burst of cheering as he dashed through the Canton line, shook off Bulldog tackers as if they were paper dummies, ran by the astonished and fleet Jim Huff as if he were standing still and raced unmolested across 38 yards of turf for a touchdown – a truly great feat.

Massillon failed to make the extra point but the Tigers were just coming into their own. A few minutes found them again in possession of the ball and once again they began cracking great gaping spaces in that Canton line as Krier, McCants and Dutton paraded steadily down the field toward the Canton goal.

Yard after yard they pushed back the Bulldogs until they had the ball on Canton’s 26. On one of the plays Shertzer was knocked out but gamely stuck to his post. Then McCants darted toward the left side of his line. He reached for the ball but it bounced out of his outstretched hands. It rolled along the ground as players of both teams dove for it. But Dick Miller, Canton left end, was head of them all and it was Canton’s ball.

That break gave the Bulldogs new courage and when Krier was hurt a few minutes later they were on their way, not to be stopped again.

Canton was not the best team on the field in the first half but it was by far the best in the second half when it scored the two deciding touchdowns.

Two splendid ball carriers had a lot to do with Canton’s victory. They were Huff and Halter. The Tigers found them harder to stop than tax collectors but great as Huff and Halter are they probably wouldn’t have gone far had it not been for the brilliant interference they had all afternoon.

Not detracting at all from their great performance but any halfback even a six-year-old boy, could have gained ground Saturday with the interference the Bulldogs threw up to protect their ball toters. It was beautiful to watch even though destructive to Massillon hopes. Few high school teams have ever possessed the interference Aiken developed for his Bulldog ball carriers.

CROWD ORDERLY, WELL HANDLED
Although the crowd was the largest to ever witness an athletic event in Massillon or Canton, it was well handled and for that school authorities, police of Massillon, Canton, the state highway patrol and American Legion members deserve credit.

Every inch of space in the field was jammed with spectators. They started to come early and an hour before game time the park was loaded to the gunwales. Long lines of automobiles were parked all around the field for blocks in either direction. Sale of phoney tickets caused a slight stir early in the afternoon but this situation was soon remedied. Some people may not have gotten the seats they thought they bought but there were only a few instances of this.

It was a friendly crowd, too, in which a spirit of good feeling manifested itself throughout the afternoon. True there were one or two minor battles but these were quickly squelched by the strong arm of the law. A few fans, who had looked into the bottle that cheers, too frequently were evidenced but they were having a good time and so were the others who saw them.
After the game the crowd left the field in an orderly manner. Traffic away from the field in some instances traveled slowly and an hour after the conclusion of the game cars were still packing the streets leading from the field and the highways out of town particularly to the east.

The city, however, quickly settled back into its normal routine. Restaurants were busy at noon and in the evening. But Saturday night passed without any serious disorder, a situation which was feared by many. There were no snake dances, no free for all battles, in fact two hours after the game no one would have thought Massillon had been host to the largest crowd in its history.

The day went off without anything unusual, other than the huge crowd and great football game.

WEATHER IDEAL FOR FOOTBALL
Mother Nature furnished a perfect setting for the big day. It was cloudy in the morning but at noon the sun broke through and sent its rays earthward the remainder of the day. Ideal weather conditions existed. The air was snappy but not too cold to make it uncomfortable for spectators.

The crowd and field presented a colorful sight. Cheer leaders and bands of the two schools kept the vast throng entertained for two hours before the game. The bands of both schools drilled and played as they never have before and both were praised for their exhibitions.

Photographers, newspapermen and radio announcers were dashing here, there and everywhere. A Goodyear blimp soared over the field with a big banner with “Yea Tigers. Yea Bulldogs” streaming out behind.

Great cheers went up as the players came out on the field. Coaches and assistants first looked over the playing surface and then went back into the clubhouse to give last minute instructions to their warriors.

Canton was first on the field. Several minutes later the Tigers made their appearance. Photographers snapped pictures of the crowd, the cheer leaders, the mascots, the players, coaches and officials – in fact they were shooting right and left with reckless abandon.

The game was hard fought, at times it was rough. Earl Haas, Canton right tackle, finally was ejected by officials for his roughness. The cheer that came up from the Canton bleachers when Krier was carried off the field was not at all to the liking of many Massillon fans. To them it appeared a bit unsportsmanlike. Officials also were panned a bit for alleged laxness in enforcing penalties.

But those things are bound to happen in a rivalry such as Massillon and Canton have known for years.

From a Canton angle it was a perfect day in all respects. From a Massillon angle it was perfect except for one thing—the wrong team won but another year is coming.

Cloyd Snavely
History

1933: Massillon 0, Canton McKinley 21

CANTON WINS STARK GRID TITLE AS FORWARD PASSES DEFEAT TIGERS 21-0
MASSILLON UNABLE TO SOLVE BULLDOGS’ FINE AERIAL ATTACK

By LUTHER EMERY

A master passing attack that split the Tiger defense with its unerring accuracy carried the Canton Bulldogs through the air to a 21-0 victory over Washington high Saturday afternoon at Lehman field before a capacity crowd of 10,000 spectators.

In defeating the Tigers, the Bulldogs won their first Stark county title in years. From 1928 until 1932 they had not been able to beat either Massillon or Alliance. Canton was not emphasizing football.

Canton Now Stressing Football
A year ago, however, Canton decided to stress athletics and with the appointment of Jimmy Aiken as coach began to build its football machine. It succeeded in defeating Massillon
19-0 but was deprived of a county title when beaten by Alliance.

Additional material was recruited for this year’s team and the Bulldogs blossomed out with the finest eleven that has represented Canton on the football field in 13 years. It won nine of its 10 games and Massillon and Alliance, Stark county’s two leading Class A teams were numbered among its victims.

Now that McKinley has finally won the Stark county title it seems destined to retain it for a long time and why shouldn’t it?

Canton Should Continue to Rule
If Massillon, in addition to its own material, had Alliance, Barberton, Dover, New Philadelphia and Niles to choose from, it would have an even chance to defeat its own rival. The cities combined would have a population equal to that of Canton.

Sour grapes? Not exactly. It is a situation Massillon and Alliance will have to face year in and year out, for if McKinley continues to emphasize football at the present rate, an annual duplication of that which took place on Lehman field Saturday can be expected.

There will be an occasional off year when either Massillon or Alliance will wage a successful revolution but Canton with four times the talent to draw from should rule Stark county football in the future.

Massillon was simply outclassed Saturday as the Bulldogs set about to play their best game of the season. They did everything right and at the right time and played near perfect football. There wasn’t a bad punt. They fumbled but once and their great defense held the Tigers to one first down.

Passes Beat Tigers
But had it not been for the great aerial attack of the Canton team, the game might have ended somewhere in the victory of a scoreless tie. That Massillon would not be able to score was clearly demonstrated from the start of the game to the final whistle, but it is a question if Canton could have scored without the aid of a forward pass in advancing the ball.

Accurate pegs helped put the Bulldogs in position for two of their three touchdown drives and nearly produced a fourth score when Huff stepped out of bounds on the one foot line after snaring a pass in the fourth period. It was fourth down with goal to go and so McKinley lost the ball.

The Tiger line put up a fine defensive game. It stopped Wilson Frye, McKinley’s ace ball
carrier on most occasions and probably would have been even more successful had not the Bulldogs passing attack drawn the secondary back to a point where it was too many steps away from the line of scrimmage to be out of great value in backing up the forward wall.

Stop Touchdown Drives
The line, however, made many a valiant stand during the afternoon when backed up to its goal posts. Three times it hurled back the Canton challenge, twice on the one foot line. However, the local forwards were out-charged by their heavier adversaries when on the offensive and this largely accounts for the Tigers inability to gain ground.

The Canton tackles and guards zoomed forth with the passing of the ball while the ends laid back and smeared the hard off tackle smashes which Massillon hoped would bring it victory.

Martin Gylog, who plays left end for McKinley on defense was in Henry Krier’s way all afternoon. Only once did Krier gain ground and that contributed to the Tigers only first down. Running from punt formation, he found a hole in the left side of the Canton line that yielded nine yards. McCants in two attempts made it a first down by plunging through center. Only two other gains of any consequence were made by Massillon players. Shrake on one occasion dashed through Canton’s right tackle for six yards while Dutton passed three yards to Lohr in the closing seconds of the game. Lohr fumbled after making the catch, however and Canton recovered as the gun ended the game. It was Massillon’s only completed pass in six attempts. Two passes were intercepted. Canton on the other hand completed nine passes in 18 attempts for a total gain of 146 yards.

Canton Scores Early
Canton scored in the first six minutes of the game. Krier bounced the kickoff to Jurkovic who was downed on the 18-yard line after a three-yard return. Three plays advanced the ball six yards and there followed two exchanges of punts that left Canton in possession of the ball on Massillon’s 46-yard line. On the very first down, Jurkovic passed 27 yards to Halter who was downed on the 19-yard line. Frye crossed up the Tigers and ran his right end behind beautiful interference for a touchdown. Frye carried the ball across for the extra point.

The Bulldogs got the Tigers in another hole early in the second period when Haas recovered a fumble on the Massillon 27-yard line. The red and Black hammered to the eight-yard line but here its attack failed and McCants batted down Jurkovic’s pass in the end zone. The Tigers got the ball on their 20 and punted back to their 46 when they failed to gain. Again Jurkovic faded back and shot a 31-yard pass to Halter for a first down on the 15-yard line and once again the Tigers rallied and knocked down a pass in the end zone to end the threat. The local team secured the ball on the 20 and Frye immediately intercepted Krier’s pass on the 35. Jurkovic once more hurled the ball to Halter for a first down on the 16-yard line. Three running plays only gained two yards, but on the fourth down Jurkovic shot the ball to Huff who caught it on the goal line and fell over for a touchdown. Jurkovic placekicked the extra point and it was 14-0 in favor of Canton. The half ended with the ball in midfield.

McKinley scored its last touchdown in the third period after being thrown back once by a tight forward wall. Abdulla started it when he intercepted Shertzer’s pass on the Massillon 46-yard line. Here the red and black showed its best running attack. Abdulla made four yards, Frye 13 and Abdulla 19 more for a first down on the 10-yard line. Frye wormed through for six yards and then the Tigers braced. Halter got a yard, Abdulla two yards, but a shuttle pass to Abdulla failed to gain on fourth down and Massillon took the ball.

Krier was hurried on the punt and kicked back to the 19-yard line. Again Canton attacked. Frye made two yards and Abdulla was turned loose for a 14-yard sprint to the three-yard line. Halter placed the ball on the one-half yard line and Abdulla carried it over. Huff’s placekick produced the extra point.

Tigers Make Only First Down
Following the next kickoff Massillon made its only first down of the afternoon. Shrake brought the ball back to his 44-yard line. Krier made nine yards through right tackle and McCants plunged for a first down on the Canton 44-yard line. It was the first time in the game that Massillon was able to work the ball into Canton territory. There the attack ended, for Canton took the ball when Massillon clipped while the ball was in the air on a punt and a near touchdown resulted shortly thereafter. A pass to Huff made it first down on the Massillon 31. Frye after losing four yards was turned loose around his right end for a dash to the Massillon four-yard line. He was knocked out by McCants on the play, but continued to play after being revived. Halter was tossed by McCants for a six-yard loss. Lohr knocked down Jurkovic’s pass and Frigley gained but three yards at center, so Jurkovic stepped back and fired another pass at Huff who caught the ball on the one-foot line but stepped out of bounds, thus failing to make a touchdown. It was fourth down with goal to goal. Massillon took the ball and there ended Canton’s last threat.

It was the last game for four Massillon players, Bob Shrake, Fred Heisler, Carl Porter and Willis Monroe. All performed nobly, especially Heisler and Porter who played fine defensive games.

Against Massillon’s one first down, Canton made 15, three in the first period, six in the second, four in the third and two in the fourth.

Canton had 12 men on the field most of the afternoon. When it wasn’t an extra substitute it was Jimmy Aiken. The latter kept a steady stream of new blood flowing into his lineup throughout the last half of the fourth quarter.

Though bands do not win football games, Massillon can have the satisfaction in knowing that its musical organization performed every bit as good as the Canton band Saturday.

Both bands drilled on the field before the game and between halves and Myron McKelvey, Tiger drum major had it all over the Canton leader.

Lineup and summary:
McKinley Pos. Massillon
Huff LE Lohr
Wyandt LT Birkish
Gylog LG Porter
Shopbell C Monroe
Allen RG Snavely
Haas RT Buggs
Lancaster RE Heisler
Jurkovic QB Shertzer
Frye LH Krier
Halter RH Shrake
Frigley FB McCants

Score by periods:
McKinley 7 7 7 0 21

Touchdowns:
McKinley – Frye; Huff; Abdulla.

Points after touchdown:
McKinley – Frye (off-tackle); Frigley (placekick); Huff (placekick).

Substitutions:
McKinley – Abdulla, lh; Daniels, lh; Shipley, c; Green, re; Fry, c; Russ, lh; Baker, le; Wertzman, lt; Bartel, Glick, rt; Reed, rg; Dunbar, rt; Strauch, fb; Flagg, qb; Fonte, re; Swanson, rg; Swimmer, fb.
Massillon – Wolfe, lt; Dutton, qb; Molinski, rg; Morningstar, c.

Referee – Lobach (Franklin-Marshall).
Umpire – Shafer (Cleveland).
Head Linesman – Barrett (Sebring).
Field Judge – Howell (Beloit).

 

History

1932: Massillon 0, Canton McKinley 19

FANS MAKE MERRY AS DOGS TRIUMPH 19-0 IN FOURTH QUARTER

By LUTHER EMERY

GIVEN their first opportunity to “rub it in”, in four years, Canton McKinley football fans continued to make merry today over their successful 19-0 conquest of Washington high before 4,000 fans on Massillon field, Saturday afternoon.

Wearing down the lighter Massillon team by its superior weight advantage, McKinley earned its victory in the fourth quarter when it outplayed the fighting Tigers for the first time in the game. True, McKinley had a 7-0 lead throughout the first three periods, but it was more the result of dame fortune than downright football ability that a blocked pass bounded into the hands of Jim Huff, McKinley end, allowing him to scamper 18 yards unmolested for a touchdown, in the first three minutes of the game.

Tigers In Great Defense Stands
That gave Canton the jump on the Tigers and the seven points looked all the larger to Massillon players as well as fans as the teams battled furiously through the remainder of the period and the next two quarters with neither enjoying any material advantage.

The fourth quarter McKinley rally which resulted after three of Massillon’s best defensive men had been removed from the game because of exhaustion could not entirely eclipse the brilliant defensive exhibition displayed by the Tigers the first three periods of the game. During much of the second period and throughout the third quarter, the light Bengals not only stopped Canton’s crack offense dead, but frequently carried the game to the red and black. In the second and third periods they had a shade on the visiting Bulldogs, but their early efforts sapped their strength and the fourth period found them without sufficient vitality to continue to hold the red and black in check.

Then it was that Coach Brown was forced to remove two of his heaviest men, Willie Bray, end and Henry Krier, fullback, and then it was that McKinley began to ride to victory.

Canton Scores Twice
Perhaps it was the sight alone of these two boys leaving the field that inspired the Bulldogs to new heights but whatever it was, the invaders began to click for the first time in the game and mowed down the Tigers for two touchdowns before the final gun ended hostilities with Canton the victor for the first time in four years, 19-0, and incidentally the largest score ever made by the red and black in a Massillon-Canton game.

The first touchdown of the fourth period came with lightning rapidity. In the closing minutes of the third period, Knowlton’s pass was intercepted on the Canton 40-yard line, Shipley and Frye managed to gain five yards between them before the period came to an end with the ball on Canton’s 45-yard stripe.

Massillon fans were not worried. Their team would easily force Canton to punt; but not this time. Shipley, who had lost more ground than he had gained, was suddenly turned loose around left end. Behind a wave of interference he moved out to the line of scrimmage. The end was brushed aside and he opened the throttle wide as he tore by the secondary and down the east side of the field toward the south goal. But little Andy Heben was on the 22-yard line as safety man and on the 22-yard line Shipley stopped, the victim of as pretty a tackle as you’ll ever see. It was the second time during the afternoon that the little safety man had prevented a touchdown and he nailed the Canton runner a third time before the end of the game.

Frye Scores
With the ball on the 22-yard stripe, McKinley took on new life. Kopache hit for three yards and Frye picked up three more. A shovel pass gained a first down on the 12-yard line. Kopache, sent back into the game at the start of t he fourth period plunged for eight yards through the center of the line and Frye drove over for a touchdown on the next play. Birkish blocked Ondrejas’ attempted place kick with his nose and Canton was out in front 13-0.

The Tigers received and attempted to open up with an aerial attack but found every receiver covered, forcing Knowlton to punt on third down to Doll in midfield. Again Shipley swept the Massillon right flank and again was stopped by Heben on the 26-yard line. Aided by a five-yard penalty inflicted on Massillon for too many times out, the red and black carried the ball to the eight-yard line where the Tigers braced and recovered the pigskin on downs, but Heben’s punt against the stiff wind only traveled to the 35-yard line, leaving the red and black in position to score a third touchdown.

Kopache plunged for a first down on the 25-yard line and Shipley skirted left end for eight yards, leaving Kopache to plunge through for another first down by inches on the 15-yard line. Frye wormed his way through for three yards. Doll aimed a perfect pass to Shipley which would have meant a touchdown but the Canton player juggled the ball and it fell to the ground incomplete. Kopache with knees working like a trip hammer plowed through to the four-yard line for a first down. Frye made a yard and Kopache placed the ball within inches of the goal line, leaving it to Frye to take over for the touchdown. A swarm of Massillon players again blocked Ondrejas’ attempted placekick.

Canton Scores On Blocked Pass
These were Canton’s earned touchdowns. The first seven points were scored only a few minutes after the start of the game. Canton made a break for itself the first time the Tigers gained possession of the ball when Heben’s punt was blocked by Huff and Miday recovered for McKinley on the Massillon 18-yard line. Frye in two attempts made a first down on the seven-yard line. Here the Tigers showed their courage just as they did time after time during the game by stopping the McKinley ball carriers and recovering the pigskin. A stiff wind was blowing, however and Heben, punting from the end zone found the ball stopped by the gale on the 17-yard line. Twice McKinley tried to gain but found itself pushed back two yards in the attempts. Then it was that doll stepped back and aimed a pass at Huff. The Massillon secondary was on the job, however and knocked the ball down, but Huff scooped it up before it could touch the ground and scampered along unmolested for a touchdown. Ondrejas placekicked the extra point. It was a lucky break for Canton and although it did not discourage the Tigers at the moment, its effect became disheartening the longer the game progressed.

Play was largely confined to what might be called no man’s land throughout the rest of the first period and the second quarter, but in the third period the Tigers backed Canton into its own territory and had much the better of the argument, scoring two first downs and stopping the McKinley offense dead. McKinley had the wind in its favor in the fourth period however and this helped the Bulldogs in their touchdown drives.

Massillon threatened but once, that in the first period when Monroe recovered a Canton fumble on the 25-yard line. A five-yard penalty for offside advanced the ball to the 20-yard stripe, but Massillon was offside on the next play and the ball was brought back. Forward passes failed and Knowlton’s punt rolled over the goal line and stopped a foot beyond the stripe.

McKinley Defense Strong
The McKinley defense presented a stiff problem to the Massillon ball carriers; Huff, colored end, playing an exceptionally brilliant game for the red and black. Heben and Knowlton did most of the ball carrying. Knowlton getting away for 15 yards the longest run of the game from scrimmage for Massillon.

Wilson Frye rated himself a place on the All-County team by his fast cutting off-tackle slants. Only once did he get loose but Heben was on the job to cut him down before he could get a clear path to the goal. The heavy field slowed up his brilliance, but then again it also hampered the Tigers’ open play.

Canton presented a fine assortment of plays but found most of them stopped by the alert Massillon defense. Krier and Hoyman were on the job to turn back the spinner and off tackle thrusts while Bray stopped practically everything around his flank and more than once slipped over to help out Monore, tackle, who likewise was exhausted and taken from the game as the Canton attack got underway.

Schimke Plays Great Game
Aside from Bray and Krier, there was another member of the Massillon squad whose defensive performance was worthy of note Saturday. Anyone who attended the game need not be told who this lineman was. It was Louis Schimke, 148-pound guard, who time and again worked his way through the McKinley line to nail the ball carrier for a loss. Schimke was exceptionally brilliant in the first half. In the second period he was blocked out more successfully, all because Jimmy Aiken, Canton coach, went after his linesmen with loud and vehement words during intermission for allowing the Massillon youngster to break up his plays before their deceptive methods could be executed.

All told Canton made 16 first downs to Massillon’s six. Each team made six first downs the first three periods, but McKinley reeled off the 10-yard distance 10 times in the last period while the Massillon gridders failed to gain a single time.

Massillon’s passing attack was stopped completely, six being grounded and three intercepted while McKinley completed three including two shovel passes for a total of 23 yards. Two were intercepted and another knocked down. Each team was set back 50 yards in penalties.

The crowd was probably the smallest to witness a Massillon-Canton game in years. Cold weather, heavy field and price of tickets were all advanced as reasons for the small attendance. Perhaps 4,000 saw the game, 3,500 in the field and 500 or more on the outside.

The mud prevented the bands from maneuvering on the field and they had to content themselves with music from the stands.

Line up and summary:
Massillon Pos. Canton
Lohr le Huff
Birkish lt Miday
Snavely lg Shopbell
Hoyman c Ostergard
Schimke rg Wildman
Monroe rt Wyandt
Bray re Ondrejas
Knowlton qb Doll
Heben lh Frye
Schenke rh Shipley
Krier fb Kopache

Score by periods:
Canton 7 0 0 12 19

Substitutions:
Massillon – Amic, fb; Jones, t; Brunker, e; Williams, c; Hutsell, hb; Williams, fb; Swihart, e; Critchfield, g; Ripple, t; Chovan, e.
Canton – Abu, fb.

Touchdowns:
Canton – Huff; Frye 2.

Point after touchdown:
Canton – Ondrejas (placekick).

Referee – Howells.
Umpire – Shafer.
Head Linesman – Barrett.