Tag: <span>Mansfield Senior</span>

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

1994: Massillon 21, Mansfield Senior 13

Tigers have to scrap to top Tygers

A much-improved Mansfield Senior squad pushes Massillon to the brink of defeat

By JOE SHAHEEN
Independent Sports Editor

If Mansfield Senior was to serve as the Massillon Tigers’ whipping boys after last week’s tough loss to Akron Garfield, someone forgot to tell the Ty­gers.

Program Cover

After turning the ball over to their hosts on an interception on the second snap of the ball game ‑ a turnover that led to the Ti­gers first touchdown ‑ Man­sfield turned things around and played an inspired four quar­ters, before falling 21‑13 at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, Friday.

The contest began as if it would be no contest. Brennan Rohr’s interception near mid­field gave Massillon superb field position before many fans had settled into their seats.

The Tigers moved the ball methodically, with quarter­back Willie Spencer doing most of the damage on keepers around the Mansfield flanks. The senior pitched to fullback Vinny Turner on an option play around left end for a three‑yard touchdown with less than four minutes gone in the game.

Nick Pribich’s kick made it 7‑0 and visions of a rout began to dance in the heads of the Tigers and the hometown partisans.

“We got the turnover, went right down and scored and I think we thought, ‘Here we go. We’re going to rack up another 50 on them,”‘ said Tigers coach Jack Rose. “That’s a maturity thing with this team. They have to understand they’re going to have to fight for everything they get. Hopefully they’ve learned that lesson.”

Certainly Mansfield did its best to get the message across. The Tygers, beginning their ensuing possession at the 20‑yard line, began controlling the line of scrimmage. Junior Michael Jackson and sophomore Kenyonnah Rife took turns run­ning the football and suddenly Mansfield was near midfield.

Then quarterback Deondre Jones hit tight end Clarence Jacocks for 25 yards to the Mas­sillon 28.

Six plays later, Jones kept the ball on a quarterback sneak to culminate the 13‑play drive with a one‑yard touchdown plunge. The conversion kick made it a 7‑7 game at 1:47 of the first quarter.

Neither team could get much going in the first half of the second period. A Massillon punt gave Mansfield possession at the Tyger 41 with 8:00 until the band show. Rife ran the ball on the first three plays, moving it to the Massillon 43.

On second‑and‑five, Jones called the triple option and kept the football around right end. The Tigers had the play smelled out, so Jones changed direction and found no one at home for Massillon on the left side. He ran free to the Tiger 10, where he cut inside a tackler and into the end zone and the visitors led 13‑7 with 6:34 to go in the second.

Massillon gave the ball right back to their guests on a fumble at the Tiger 42. But the home team defense bowed its neck and forced Mansfield to punt af­ter three snaps.

Then the Tigers found their groove, driving from their 18 to the Mansfield end zone in 11 plays. Leon Ashcraft accounted for 31 of those yards on a picture perfect draw play around right end. Spencer hit sophomore wideout Devon Williams for 20 yards along the left sideline for a key first down at the Man­sfield 18.

Spencer capped the drive with a sneak from the 1. Pri­bich’s boot made it 14‑13 Tigers at halftime.

Fumbles and illegal motion penalties plagued Mansfield throughout the second half. But Massillon was unable to take advantage, failing to get a first down until less than two mi­nutes remained in the third period.

Massillon put Mansfield away with a clutch scoring drive that began midway through the fourth quarter at the Tiger 29. On first down, Spencer kept the ball on a boot­leg around left end, picking up 14 yards. It was a sign of things to come.

“We began kicking the out­side linebacker out with the full­back and having the guard pull through so Willie could carry it through there,” Rose said.

Up until that point, Spencer seemed to hesitate on the pass-­run option, giving the Mansfield defense time to react.

“We told him to just run it,” Rose revealed. “We told him to pull it down and go. He really did a nice job reading the blocks and the guards got up in the hole and the fullback did a good job kicking out the end.”

After a pass interference call against Mansfield gave the Ti­gers a first down at the Tyger 40, Spencer took off on the boot­leg run again, picking up 20 yards around left end to the 20.

Ashcraft found a small hole over left guard for six yards and Spencer picked up seven more around right end to the seven yard line.

Three snaps later, Spencer scored his second TD of the night on a quarterback sneak. Pribich’s PAT with 4:11 to play concluded the scoring.

Mansfield made one more run at the Tigers, but Lavell Weav­er jarred the ball loose from Rife at the Massillon 40 and Heath Manson outfought the Tygers for the loose pigskin.

“we had some illegal motion penalties that hurt us,” said Mansfield coach Stan Jeffer­son, “but there were some other things that I felt were out of our control in terms of some things chat were called on us.

“I don’t care what anybody from around here says, we play­ed them tough all the way to the end. If we cover the one fumble, who knows.”

“The key was the drive right before half that put us ahead 14­-13,” observed Rose. “We had chances in the second half. We had one bust in the line of scrimmage that whole third quarter and that screwed our whole … we pretty much had them figured out as far as what we had to do. Then we made the adjustment on the boot run.

“That was a big win for us coming off of last week. The kids really spilled their guts out last week. Now we have to re­group and get ready for Fitch.”

Spencer had by far his biggest night of the season, rushing for 148 yards and two touchdowns in 21 carries. He also completed four passes for 36 yards.

Ashcraft was held under 100 yards for the first time in three weeks, but just varely. The senior tailback rushed for 98 yards in 21 carries, including that key 31‑yard scamper on the Tigers go‑ahead touchdown drive.

MASSILLON 21
MANSFIELD 13
M 0
First downs rushing 16 14
First downs passing 1 2
First downs penalty 2 0
Total first downs 19 16
Net yards rushing 263 264
Net yards passing 33 50
Total yards gained 296 304
Passes attempted 11 10
Passes completed 4 3
Passes int. 0 1
Times kicked off 4 3
Kickoff average 42.3 37.3
Kickoff return yards 44 47
Punts 4 4
Punting average 33.8 27.3
Punt return yards 1 7
Fumbles 1 5
Fumbles lost 1 2
Penalties 2 10
Yards penalized 18 60
Number of plays 60 54
Time of possession 23.36 24.24

MASSILLON 7 7 0 7 14­
MANSFIELD 7 6 0 0 13

SCORING SUMMARY

First Quarter
Mass. ‑ Turner 3 run (Pribich kick)
Mans. ‑ Jones 1 run (VanDine kick)

Second Quarter
Mans. ‑ Jones 38 run (kick failed)
Mass. ‑ Spencer 3 run (Pribich kick)

Fourth Quarter
Mass. ‑ Spencer 1 run (Pribich kick)

FINAL STATISTICS

Rushing:
Massillon
Spencer 21‑148, 2 TDs;
Ashcraft 21‑98;
Turner 5‑17, 1 TD;
Fraelich 2-0.
Mansfield
Rife 13‑90;
Jones 13‑77, 2 TDs;
Jackson 13‑57;
Bessick 5‑30.

Passing:
Massillon
Spencer 4‑11‑36.
Man­sfield
Jones 3‑10‑30, 0 To, 1 int.

Receiving:
Massillon
Williams 2‑25;
Griffith 1‑7;
Shanor 1‑1.
Mansfield
Jacocks 1‑25;
Grose 1‑12;
Jackson 1‑13.


Leon Ashcraft

History

1993: Massillon 46, Mansfield Senior 6

Tigers rebound: maul Mansfield

Walsh Jesuit next hurdle

By JOE SHAHEEN’
Independent Sports Editor

Yes, Virginia, those were the same Massillon Tigers thrashing Mansfield 46-6 Saturday in Parma as the squad that fell to Canton McKinley 21-13 seven days ago.

And, while Mansfield isn’t McKinley, neither is the artificial turf of Byers Field comparable to the muck and mire that is the Fawcett Stadium playing surface.

Now Massillon gets a Walsh Jesuit team that is peaking after an impressive 19-0 victory over McKinley. The Tigers and Warriors will do battle at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Akron Rubber Bowl.

One play underscored why the Tigers are among Ohio’s elite high school football teams when the playing surface isn’t a factor in the contest. It came in the second quarter, about 5½ minutes before halftime. Mike Danzy tried to execute the option around the right side of the Tiger offensive line on second-and-32 from the Massillon 27.

Mansfield got excellent penetration and had the play defensed. So Danzy reversed course in the backfield, looking for some daylight around left end. A wall of blockers formed and Danzy found a seam to the 51-yard line as the pursuit closed in on him.

But the Tigers’ 1993 Most Valuable Player wasn’t satisfied. He cut back against the grain at midfield, leaving a host of defenders grasping at air in his wake. Danzy turned on the afterburners and sprinted to the Mansfield 7-yard line before one of the Tygers’ track stars pushed him out of bounds.

It was the type of play that cannot be scripted, but one which Danzy and several of his teammates are capable of making at any time. Such plays are a big reason the Massillon offense is so explosive.

“You just cannot make that run on a muddy, sloppy field,” Jack Rose said of Danzy’s highlight file scamper.

The Massillon offense, paced by a line that gouged huge holes in the Mansfield defense front and the determined running of Leon Ashcraft (80 yards, three touchdowns), functioned like a well-oiled machine.

But it was the defense that limited Mansfield to a paltry 2.7 yards per rush and 144 yards of total offense that made a statement. The Tygers came into the game averaging more than 30 points per start. Yet Massillon shut the speedsters down, permitting just one meaningless score in the fourth quarter after the issue had long since been decided.

“The defense really was swarming to the football,” Rose said. “We looked quick tonight. That’s the way we looked all year. We were on the right surface. It was good to get on a good playing surface.”

There was more to the way the defense performed than just the playing surface. There seemed to be a higher than usual level of intensity.

“We were pretty disappointed with the way things went last week,” said Tiger tackle B.J. Payne, “and I think we turned that disappointment into anger. Mansfield just happened to be the opponent and they had to deal with it.”

Still, Payne loves playing on the fake grass.

“It helps a lot because we are more of a quick team,” he said. “On turf, we don’t have to worry about the mud making us look like we’re on a roller skates.”

Mansfield played the first half as if it was on roller skates, fumbling four time and losing three to the opportunistic Tiger defense. The first turnover came on a bad punt snap on Mansfield’s first possession. Geoff Osborn recovered at the Tyger eight, and after a penalty Ashcraft plowed into the end zone from four yards out on the first snap and Randy Endsley’s PAT made it 7-0 with just over two minutes elapsed in the game.

The Tygers marched from their 17 to Massillon’s 27, but Tim Menches recovered quarterback Effie James’ fumble to set up the Tigers’ best sustained march of the night. The locals drove 79 yards in 14 plays. A 15-yard Danzy to Greg Merchant pass and Mike Paul’s 22-yard burst highlighted the sequence, which was capped by Ashcraft’s 5-yard TD run behind the blocking of Trevor Paisley and Mark Fair on the left side. Endsley’s boot made it 14-0 at the :43 mark of the first period.

Christmas continued to come six weeks early for the Tigers. On Mansfield’s next play from scrimmage, James’ bad pitch was caught in mid-air by Massillon’s Matt Robinson at the Tyger 16. Three plays later, Paul went in untouched – some trick for a fullback in a goal line situation – and Endsley made it 21-0 at 11:18 of the second quarter.

Massillon scored twice more in the half, on a five play, 71-yard drive keyed by Danzy’s spectacular ad lib run, and on a 12-play, 63-yard march that featured Ali Dixon, who caught a 5-yarder for the TD to make it 34-0 at halftime.

The Tigers drove 52 yards with the second-half kickoff, capped by Courtney Herring’s 2-yard touchdown run at 5:08 of the third period.

Herring’s 53-yard burst over left tackle highlighted Massillon’s final scoring drive. The junior tailback scored from the 2 to make it 46-0 after three periods.

Mansfield head coach Stan Jefferson attributed the outcome more to his team’s errors than anything the Tigers did in the playoff opener.

“we did the damage to ourselves,” Jefferson said. “We had the bad snap. Then we fumbled. Then we had another fumble. I mean, that’s 21 points we gave right now. It was nothing Massillon did to us. It was self-inflicted wounds.

“When we came out there and saw (Massillon) today, they didn’t look as big as the first time we saw them. We felt coming in anything could happen.

MASSILLON 46
MANSFIELD 6
M O
First downs rushing 17 5
First downs passing 1 1­
First downs penalty 2 1
Total first downs 20 7­
Net yards rushing 379 131
Net yards passing 25 70­
Total yards gained 395 14
Passes attempted 6 13
Passes completed 3 3
Passes int. by 0 0
Times kicked off 8 2
Kickoff average 39.6 18.5
Kickoff return yards 0 31
Punts 1 3
Punting average 5.0 44.7
Punt return yards 58 0
Fumbles 2 5
Fumbles lost 2 3
Penalties 5 11
Yards penalized 57 71
Number of plays 70 40
Time of possession 30:03 17:57
Attendance 10,312

MANSFIELD 0 0 6 0 6­
MASSILLON 14 20 12 0 46

SCORING SUMMARY

First Quarter
MASS ‑ Ashcraft 4 run (Endsley kick)
MASS ‑ Ashcraft 5 run (Endslay kick)

Second Quarter
MASS ‑ Paul_2 run.(Endsley kick)
MASS ‑ Ashcraft 2 run (Endsfoy kick)
MASS – Dixon 5 pass from Danzy (kick failed)

Third Quarter
MASS ‑ Herring 1 run (kick failed)
MASS ‑ Herring 2 run (kick failed)

Fourth Quarter
MANS ‑ Lawrence 50 pass from Jones(run failed)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING
Massillon
Danzy 8‑86;
Ashcraft 16-80, 3 TDs;
Herring 8‑77, 2 TDs;
Dixon 11-44;
Paul 6-38, 1 TD;
Turner 7-21;
Laughlin 4-16;
Fraelich 2-8;
Hiegl 1-3.
Man­sfield
James 6‑50,
Fountain 8‑39,
Barber 5‑6,
Jackson 4‑9.

Mark Fair
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

1993: Massillon 53, Mansfield Senior 22

Tigers move to 4-0 with lopsided win

By MIKE KEATING
Independent Sports Writer

It had been nearly two years since the Massillon Tigers last won a football game away from Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

Last fall, the Tigers lost at Austintown Fitch and at North Central Indianapolis (Ind.).

That is one reason why Jack Rose felt relieved after Massil­lon defeated Mansfield Senior on its home grass 53-22 before 8,000 fans at Arlin Field Friday night.

Program Cover

“I kept bearing it around town how long it had been since we last won a game on the road,” sighed Rose, the second­ year Massillon head coach. “So, yes, winning on the road was a big concern coming into the game.”

The last time the Tigers won a regular season road game was 42‑13 over McKinley in the 1991 finale.

“The coaches told us the dimensions on their (Man­sfield’s) field were the same as ours,” added linebacker Joel Smith. “We just had to go out and play football.”

The fourth quarter has be­longed to Massillon all season. The Tigers had outscored Alliance 20‑0, Grove City and Akron Garfield by a combined 56‑7 in the final period.

It was more of the same against the Tygers. Massillon scored 26 unanswered points in the fourth quarter ‑ 20 within the first 4:30.

Conditioning has been a fac­tor for the Tigers in those final eight minutes.

“We work hard on condition­ing in practice,” said tight end Isaiah Jackson. “That’s to our advantage.”

“We don’t practice long,” added Smith. “But we have very intense practices. It has helped pay off in the games.”

It appeared Mansfield was going to send the game to the wire after its second touchdown in the third quarter, a 66‑yard run by tailback Charles Foun­tain down the left sideline.

That score and subsequent extra point brought the Tygers to within 27‑22 at the 5:32 mark.

“I was nervous then,” admit­ted Smith, a 5‑11, 181‑pound senior. “But our offense just came back and pounded it right at them, like it had the whole game.”

The Tigers had the ball for nine series. The offense scored six touchdowns and had two other drives stopped after reaching the Mansfield nine.

Fullback Mike Paul helped prolong drive after drive with hard running between the tack­les. Paul, a 6‑0, 217‑pound senior, wound up with a game­ high 132 rushing yards in 18 car­ries.

After Fountain excited the home folks with the big play, the Tigers just methodically drove the ball upfield. Nine running plays moved it to the Mansfield 29.

Paul carried the ball five times for 30 yards in that drive.

Then quarterback Mike Danzy rifled a strike to Jackson, a 6-3 226-pound senior, who made a one‑hand grab on the slant play and turned the play into a 21‑yard gain.

“If you ask me,” Rose said, “that was the key point of the game.”

“It was just an instinctive catch,” grinned Jackson.

Three plays later, halfback Ali Dixon bulled into the end zone from two yards out. Danzy optioned right for the two points and the Tigers led 35‑22 with 10:32 to play.

Mansfield had responded af­ter Massillon built leads of 21‑7 and 27‑15, but the Tigers dug in defensively and forced a punt.

It was time for the special teams to deliver, as Kevin Buckland snared the punt at the Massillon 30, broke to the out­side and raced to the Mansfield 40, where it appeared he would be stopped. Buckland kept his legs moving and used every ounce of his 150-pound frame to shake off the would‑be tacklers and race to the end zone that made the score 41‑22.

The back breaker for Man­sfield occurred on its next series, when quarterback Effie James, who fired several pas­ses on the mark only to be bet­rayed by some slippery‑handed receiver, tried a hitch to wideout David Lawrence.

Massillon cornerback Lonnie Simpson, who was playing the receiver, immediately turned when the pass was released, caught it at the Tygers 35, stop­ped on a dime and returned the interception untouched into the end zone. That score with 7:40 remaining made it 47-22 and the Mansfield fans started heading for the exits.

Simpson had given the Tigers their first lead when he got be­hind the Mansfield secondary, hauled in a Danzy pass in full stride and turned it into a 33­-yard touchdown play with 4:20 left in the first quarter.

Fountain scored on a one-­yard plunge at the 2:21 mark of the first quarter and Mansfield had caught the Tigers at 7‑7.

But Danzy and Jackson teamed up to give Massillon the lead for good in the second quarter.

The senior quarterback rol­led left and hit an unguarded Jackson in the back of the end zone for a four‑yard touchdown strike. Randy Endsley kicked the P.A.T. and Massillon led 14-­7 with 11:06 left in the half.

Mansfield never caught the Tigers again, but they provided a scare, until the fourth quarter.

“They were the best team that we played,” said Smith. “They were so fast.”

“They came well‑prepared and were well‑coached for us,” Rose added. “They threw deep early (an incompletion) and stretched us out.

“We didn’t play a real good first half. We had two drives stopped when we got inside the scoring zone. Our goal is to score everytime we get inside the scoring zone.”

The Tigers have not opened with four consecutive wins since 1988, when Lee Owens’ first team accomplished that feat.

The streak was stopped at four by Austintown Fitch ‑ the Tigers’ next opponent.

Fitch will travel to Massillon with a 4‑0 record.

Fitch has played plenty of football inside Paul Brown Ti­ger Stadium within the last year. The Falcons defeated Perry and Pickerington in post­season tournament games be­fore losing to Cleveland St. Ignatius.

MASSILLON 53
MANSFIELD 22
M 0
First downs rushing 20 5
First downs passing 4 1
First downs penalty 1 0
Total first downs 25 6
Net yards rushing 381 170
Net yards passing 94 26
Total yards gained 475 196
Passes attempted 9 9
Passes completed 6 1
Passes int. by 1 0
Times kicked off 9 4
Kickoff average 42.6 49.8
Kickoff return yards 83 174
Punts 1 5
Punting average 33.0 38.2
Punt return yards 74 -3
Fumbles 2 1
Fumbles lost 1 1
Penalties 3 4
Yards penalized 15 25
Number of plays 64 36
Time of possession 30:31 17:29
Attendance 8,000

MANSFIELD 7 0 15 00 22
MASSILLON 7 7 13 26 53
MASS ‑ Simpson 33 pass from Danzy (En­dsley kick)
MANS ‑ Fountain I run (kick good)
MASS ‑ Jackson 4 pass from Danzy (Endsley kick)
MASS ‑ Paul 8 run (Endsley kick)
MANS ‑ Fountain 25 run (Lawrence pass from James)
MASS ‑ Paul 9 run (pass failed)
MANS ‑ Fountin 66 run (kick good)
MASS ‑ Dixon 2 run (Danzy run)
MASS ‑ Suckland 70 punt return (run failed)
MASS ‑ Simpson 34 pass interception (kick failed)
MASS ‑ Ashcraft 13 run (kick failed)

RUSHING
Massillon
Paul 18‑132,
Ashcraft 13‑96,
Dixon 13‑71,
Danzy 8‑39;
Mansfield
Foun­tain 10‑121.

PASSING
Massillon
Danzy 6‑9‑94, 2 TDs;
Mansfield
James 1‑9‑26‑1.

RECEIVING
Massillon
Jackson 3‑36,
Simp­son 1‑33,
Dixon 1‑17,
Merchant 1‑8;
Mansfield
Barber 1‑26.

Mark Fair
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

1982: Massillon 37, Mansfield Senior 14

Tigers breeze past Mansfield 37‑14
Preliminaries’ over as Massillon coasts 37‑14

By MIKE HUDAK
Independent Sports Editor

MASSILLON ‑ “Everything up to this point has just been a preliminary drill for next week,” said Massillon head coach Mike Currence. “Next week’s Massillon McKinley game is … well, it’s the season.”

Not only the season, but the final roadblock to a perfect 10‑0 regular slate and a sure trip to the post‑season playoffs.

Friday night’s game against Mansfield Senior at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium indeed amounted to a drill, and for the invading Mansfield Senior Tygers, a drilling.

Program Cover

The final 37‑14 score was hardly indicative of the one‑sided nature of the contest. As the visiting scribe from Mansfield pointed out, the Tygers may have had a 6‑2 record, but their victims had amassed only 10 wins among them going into Friday night.

It was obvious within seconds that this wasn’t going to be a repeat of 1949, when Mansfield, coached by 1945 wartime Tiger coach Augie Morningstar, defeated mighty Massillon 16‑12. (Making Morningstar the only former Tiger coach to ever defeat his old team.)

Massillon recovered an opening on‑side kick attempt on its own 30 after it squibbed through the first two lines of the Massillon specialty unit.

On the first play, Chris Spielman broke off a 15‑yard run through the right side of the Mansfield fine. On the second play, Jim Bushe went through the left side and raced 55 yards for a touchdown, with 11:18 still showing on the clock. Bronc Pfisterer who enjoyed a big night of his own ‑ added the extra point and, the rout was on.

Mansfield promptly used the famous “Cha‑Cha Offense” ‑ one, two, three, kick ‑ and this time the Tigers used the airwaves to score, moving 67 yards in five plays.

Quarterback Brian DeWitz started the drive with passes of 25 and 12 yards to fullback Tom Gruno. On the following play, Gary Conley turned the defensive back around in the end zone but couldn’t contain the ball. But after a short running play, DeWitz tossed a short pass over the middle to Bushe, who glided through the defense for a 25‑yard score. After the kick, Massillon led 14‑0 with 7:37 remaining in the quarter.

After forcing another Mansfield punt, the Tigers tried to be charitable as Spielman failed to see a teammates’ fair catch signal and fumbled the kick away. But Mansfield tried to pass on first down, only to have it picked off by Tommy Manion and returned to the Massillon 35.

The Tigers scored in four plays this time. A 24‑yard pass from DeWitz to Conley set up the ball at the six, with Spielman breaking through the line for the score on the next play. Pfisterer’s kick again split the uprights, and Massillon led 21‑0 in the first quarter.

It stayed that way until early in the second quarter ‑ a point of time which also marked the first trickle of a never‑ending flow of Tiger reserves for the remainder of the game.

Senior Jeff Boerner set up the next Tiger tally with a 30 yard run on the first play of the second quarter, and finished the drive with an eight‑yard burst up the middle with 9:50 left in the half.

The Tigers’ next possession saw Brad Offenbecher at the controls. Massillon started on its own 25‑yardline and marched all the way to Mansfield’s two before settling on a 20‑yard Pfisterer field goal, making the score 31‑0.

Pfisterer’s kick set a Tiger record for field goals in a season, four. The previous mark was three held by five former Tigers, including Tim Manion last year.

The half ended with a Spielman interception which he almost returned for a touchdown.

At halftime, the Tigers held a 341‑54 advantage in total yards, including 102 yards in the air, all in the first quarter and the reserves had already played half a period!
Tygers learn ‘y’ Tigers 9‑0
Mansfield was able to rack up some yardage in the second half as the Tiger youngsters gained valuable experience for the future. The visitors scored on their first possession of the quarter as a 43‑yard run by Pete Webb set up a 10‑yard scoring run by Bobby Taylor, with quarterback Craig Leedham’s kick good.

But the Tigers came right back again with Pfisterer, a junior, at the controls, and he provided one of the night’s most spectacular moments.

After a flurry of penalty flags, the Tigers found themselves in a third‑and‑30 situation on the Mansfield 36. Hopeless? Not for Massillon!

Pfisterer hit Boerner with a screen pass, and the fleet running back raced through the defense for the final Tiger touchdown with 10:38 left in the game.

It was a big night for Boerner, who led Tiger rushers with 97 yards in 10 carries, plus made the big touchdown catch.

“That was the most playing time I’ve gotten yet,” he said afterwards. “The running play that I had success running was the counter‑6 and counter‑7 play; it seemed to work every time. It all boiled down to our line just blowing out their line.” (But give Boerner an inch of daylight, and he has the raw speed to cover quite a distance quickly, which he proved more than once Friday.)

In the end, Massillon outgained Mansfield 477‑221 in total yardage. Boerner’s rushing totals were tops, but Bushe and Spielman both helped their averages, as Bushe ran three times for 68 yards and Spielman toted the leather four times for 46 yards. Junior Mark Smith added 65 yards in seven carries. Vernon Hairston led Mansfield with 64 yards in 16 carries.

DeWitz was five‑of‑seven passing for 102 yards, giving him 68 completions on the ‘Year, just one short of fifth place on the all‑time Tiger single‑season completion list behind Chris’ older brother, Rick Spielman. The receiving was spread out as Tom Grotto caught two passes for 44 yards, and seven other receivers caught one each.

“Mansfield’s not quite as tough as some of our other foes, but they put up a good fight,” said a generous Currence afterwards.

“Massillon’s just a first class outfit, what can you say?” said second‑year Mansfield coach Harold Dean. “They’re just a good, good team. About the best you can say for us is that we didn’t quit the second half; we kept plugging away.”

Needless to say, next Saturday’s contest will have a bit more intensity than Friday’s “controlled scrimmage”.

MASSILLON 37
MANSFIELD 14
M 0
First downs rushing 13 9
First downs passing 7 2
First downs by penalty 0 1
Totals first downs 20 12
Yards gained rushing 314 204
Yards lost rushing 10 13
Net yards rushing 304 191
Net yard. Passing 173 30
Total yards gained 477 221
Passes attempted 13 11
Passes completed 8 4
Passes int. by 2 0
Yardage on pass int. 49 0
Time. kicked if 7 3
Kickoff average 49.4 33.7
Kickoff return yards 25 137
Punts 1 6
Punting average 30.0 27.3
Pont return yard 28 0
Punts blocked by 0 0
Fumble 3 4
Fumbles lost 1 0
Penalties 6 3
Yards penalized 80 15
Touchdowns rushing 3 1
Touchdowns passing 2 1
Miscellaneous touchdowns 0 0
Number of plays 52 45
Time of possession 23:32 24:28
Attendance 8,454

Massillon 21 10 0 6 37
Mansfield 0 0 7 7 14

M ‑ Bushe 55‑yard on (Pfisterer kick)
M ‑ Bushe 25‑yard pass from DeWitz (Fosterer kick)
M ‑ Spielman 6‑yard ran (Pfisterer kick)
M ‑ Boerner 8‑yard ran (Pfisterer kick)
M ‑ Pfisterer 20‑yard field goal
Mn ‑ Taylor 10‑yard run (Leedom kick)
M ‑ Boerner 35‑yard pass from Pfisterer (kick failed)
Me ‑ Webb 25‑yard pass from Leedom (Leedom kick)

Jeff Boerner
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

1981: Massillon 40, Mansfield Senior 9

Senior QB passes for 316 yards in 40‑9 win
Spielman’s record night paces Tigers

By ROLLIE DREUSSI
Independent Sports Editor

“Did you get the gist of our offense tonight?” asked Massillon assistant coach Charles “Sonny” Spielman after the Tigers blitzed Mansfield Senior 40‑9 Friday night in Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

“Pass, pass, pass.”

Spielman was referring to the school levy which will be voted on Tuesday. Massillonians haven’t passed a school levy since 1969.

Program Cover

But if Tigertowners take their cue from senior quarter­back Rick Spielman, son of Sonny, the levy will be a cinch.

The younger Spielman became the first quarterback in the history of Massillon football to pass for more than 300 yards.

He completed 15 of 24 passes for 316 yards and three touchdowns, and got a standing ovation from the crowd of 7,863 when the feat was announced over the public address system.

The Tigers’ team total of 348 yards passing is also a record, and it was the first time in Tiger history that two players each gained over 100 yards in pass receptions.

Junior wide receiver Jim Geiser hauled in six passes for 111 yards and a TD and halfback George Roknich caught four passes for 108 yards and a TD.

Halfback Robert Oliver had four catches for 78 yards and a touchdown, and also scored on a one‑yard run. Fullback Greg Grimsley tallied twice on two‑yard runs.

The Tigers, leading only 7‑3, blew the game open late in the second quarter with a pair of touchdowns to take a 20‑3 halftime lead.

They then added three more scores in the third quarter en route to piling up a season‑high 466 yards in total of­fense.

“Well we said we’d throw, but we didn’t think we’d throw that much,” Tiger head coach Mike Currence said afterwards.

“But they had seven guys on the line and they kept blitz­ing,” he explained.

And since the Tiger offensive line was able to pick up the blitz, Spielman had receivers open all over the field, though he did complete several key passes on the run.

Spielman took his feat in stride.

“If it wasn’t for my offensive linemen and receivers I wouldn’t have done it,” he said.

“I wanted 1,000 yards going into the McKinley game (he needed 148), but I didn’t expect to get as much as I did.

Asked why he went to Geiser so frequently, he said: “We made adjustments at halftime according to their defense, and he was the guy open.”

Geiser had only caught three passes for 50 yards and a TD going into the game. His effort helped him become the sixth Tiger this season to top the 100-yard mark in pass receiving.

Roknich, meanwhile, takes the team lead in receiving with 14 catches for 339 yards and four touchdowns.

Spielman’s stats on the season going into Saturday’s game in Canton against McKinley are: 62 completions in 127 attempts (49 percent) for 1,168 yards and 11 touchdowns.

That would place him third on the all-time regular season list behind Brent Offenbecher’s yardage totals of 1369 in 1977 and 1,322 in 1978.

We really wanted to get Rick over 1,000 yards so he wouldn’t have to worry about it next week,” Currence said, referring to the McKinley game.

“And if he gets 300 yards next week and we get 400 on the ground we’ll be alright,” Sonny Spielman pitched in.

“The most exciting week of the season is here,” Currence said. “We’ve got to start out by passing the levy on Tuesday, then we’ll have the parade on Friday and we have to beat McKinley on Saturday.

“We have to continue to think pass,” he added, getting back to the levy, which has already been turned down twice by voters in the past year.

“If we don’t get the levy, they’ll probably cut our supplemental contracts. People think I can do the job with five or six assistant coaches. Most people don’t know the Booster Club raised $8,000 to pay for six junior high and three varsity coaches,” he said.

He admitted passage of the levy would be a real boost to his team going into Saturday’s game against the undefeated Bulldogs, ranked first in the Division 1, Region 3 computer poll.

Spielman’s passing is also a boost, since it will give the Tiger offense some confidence. Of course, it will need more than confidence against the McKinley defense, which yielded its first two touchdowns of the season last week in a 23‑14 win over Warren Harding.

“I was pleased with the way we threw the football,” Currence said, “but that was all they left us. A lot of our game tonight was not sharp. I don’t think a game like this is really good for you. We’ve got to realize it’s not going to be as much of an offensive game next week.”

Actually, Friday night’s game didn’t start out as much of an offensive game either.

The Tigers drove 73 yards to a touchdown the first time they had the ball, with Grimsley scoring. Tim Manion’s kick made it 7‑0 with 6:30 left in the first quarter.

However, the next three times the Tigers had the ball they fumbled, punted and lost it on downs.

Following a 32‑yard field goal by Mansfield quarterback Jim Bishop with 4:34 left in the half, Spielman passed the Tigers 71 yards to another Grimsley touchdown.

Spielman hit three‑of‑four passes in the drive, moving the ball from his own 34 to the Tyger two on passes of 12 yards to Geiser, 31 yards to Roknich and 21 yards to Geiser, who made a great diving catch on the right sideline. Manion added the point after and Massillon led 14‑3 with 2:46 on the clock.

Bishop went to the air on second down, and linebacker Mark Haubert tipped the ball and halfback Dave Spuhler intercepted it at the Mansfield 24.

Spielman wasted no time getting another six points as he hit Oliver In the end zone with his first TD pass of the night. The kick failed and the Tigers led 20‑3 with 1:33 left in the half.

The Tigers took the kickoff to open the second half and went 66 yards in three plays with Oliver scoring from a yard out with 10:50 still on the clock.

How did they get to the one yard line so fast – Spielman’s right arm, of course. He hit Roknich over the middle with a pass and the senior halfback made a great run, turning it into a 37‑yard gain.

His next pass to Oliver covered 28 yards to the one. After the touchdown, Manion’s kick made it 27‑3.

It took the Tigers a whole five plays to score the next time they got the ball, with Spielman finding Geiser wide open in the right corner of the end zone.

The 78‑yard drive started out with Roknich ripping off 35 yards (he totaled 38 on three carries to lead the team).

On a third‑and‑six play, Spielman connected with Roknich on an 18‑yard completion to set up the TD toss to Geiser. The kick failed but the Tigers were out front 33‑3 with 6:33 left in the third period.

Mansfield scored its only TD of the night when Bishop hit wide receiver Chris Elswick with a 22‑yard scoring pass, capping a 65‑yard drive. A pass for the extra points failed.

Bishop completed 15 of 30 aerials for 158 yards, and almost all of that went to Elswick, who led all receivers with 10 catches for 116 yards.

The Tigers then finished off the scoring for the evening by traveling 60 yards in five plays. Spielman’s third completion of the drive, 23 yards to Roknich, produced the TD. Greg Radtka booted the point after for a 40‑9 lead with 1:55 left in the third quarter.

That was Spielman’s last action of the night, and when it was announced he had gone over 300 yards, Roknich and center George Nikitanko hoisted him into the air to acknowledge the standing ovation from the Tiger partisans.

So the Tigers finish the first season 7‑2. The second season ‑ McKinley Week ‑ is now underway,

A school levy and the Bulldogs in the same week is a tough schedule. And it’s going to take a heck of a lot of passing to pull through those two successfully.

MASSILLON 40
MANSFIELD 0
mas man
First downs rushing 5 4
First downs passing 15 6
First downs by penalty 1 4
Total first downs 21 14
Yards gained rushing 147 75
Yards lost rushing 29 24
Net yards rushing 119 51
Net yards passing 340 158
Total yards gained 466 209
Passes attempted 27 30
Passes completed 17 15
Passes int. by 1 0
Yardage on pass int. 4 0
Times kicked off 7 3
Kickoff average 45.7 36.3
Kickoff return yardage 31 81
Punts 2 8
Punting average 37.0 34.8
Punt return yardage 41 0
Fumbles 5 2
Fumbles lost 3 2
Penalties 5 4
Yards penalized 75 41
Touchdowns rushing 3 0
Touchdowns passing 3 1
Number of plays 52 60
Time of possession 20:37 27:23
Attendance 7,863

Mansfield 0 3 6 0 6
Massillon 7 13 20 0 40

MASS ‑ Greg Grimsley 2 run (Tim Manion kick)
MANS ‑ Jim Bishop 32 FG
MASS ‑ Grimsley 2 run (Manion kick)
MASS ‑ Robert Oliver 24 pass from Rick Spielman (kick failed)
MASS ‑ Oliver 1 run (Manion kick)
MASS Jim Geiser 21 pass from Spielman (kick failed)
MANS ‑ Chris Elswick 22 pass from Jim Bishop (Bishop kick)
MASS ‑ George Roknich 23 pass from Spielman (Greg Radtka kick)

Tim Manion
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

1912: Massillon 87, Mansfield Senior 0

MASSILLON HIGH
SWAMPS MANSFIELD
SCORE, 87 TO 0
Visitors Completely Outplayed
by Local Team
60 POINTS SCORED IN LAST HALF
Massillon Uses Forward Pass Successfully
Mansfield Makes Required Number of Yards but Twice
Visitors Played Off Their Feet

In a very lop-sided game Massillon high snowed Mansfield high under Saturday afternoon on the high school grounds by a score of 87 to 0. This score is probably the largest ever piled up by Massillon high.

Mansfield was outclassed in all departments and but twice made the required yards and this was at the beginning of the third quarter, when it surprised everybody, including itself, by a spurt. Massillon showed much improvement in working the forward pass and used it time and again for long gains and twice Johns received forwards and crossed the line for touchdowns. The Massillon backfield plowed through the opposing line at will and encircled the ends for big gains, while on the other hand the visiting backs found a stone wall defense when they struck the local line.

The entire Massillon team put up a good game. With Limbach, Smith and Johns on the ends the wings were guarded well and not a runner got past them. Wells and Becker played good, steady games at tackle and were on the job all the time. Baer and Theis made their opposing guards feel uncomfortable and the way they ripped up the opposing line was a caution. Rider at center, played his usual good game being here and there and everywhere when needed. Hollinger handled the quarterback position in good shape and ran the team well besides returning punts from 20 to 30 yards. Captain Miller was at his best Saturday. The opposing players could not stop him and he was good at any time for a gain of almost any distances. Rudy, the husky plunging half, tore holes in the opposing lines big enough for a water wagon to go through and also pulled off some long end runs. Kester, the big fullback, was always good for a gain and played in his regular old time form.
THE GAME
Mansfield kicked to Massillon and Hollinger returned the ball 20 yards. Mansfield held and Massillon lost the ball on downs and Mansfield lost it in the same manner. Massillon now began to warm up and a little later Kester went through the line for a touchdown. Kester kicked goal but it did not count as one of the Massillon men was out of position.
Score 6 to 0.

Mansfield received and was forced to punt. Mansfield got a Massillon forward. Massillon got the ball on a fumble. Johns received a forward from Hollinger and crossed the line for a touchdown. Kerster kicked goal.
Score 13 to 0. First quarter over.
Mansfield received and was forced to punt. Smith, who replaced Limbach at left end, received a forward and carried the ball to the 15-yard line. Johns put the ball on the 1-yard line and Rudy went around left end for a touchdown. Kester kicked goal.
Score 20 to 0.
Massillon received and Kester carried the ball to the middle of the field. Miller went around right end when the umpire’s whistle blew for an offside play on the part of Mansfield, but Miller kept on and crossed the line and Massillon did not take the penalty, thus scoring a touchdown. Kester kicked goal.
Score 27 to 0.
Mansfield received but Massillon got the ball on downs. Rudy gained 30 yards on a forward from Miller, Mansfield got a Massillon forward when the first half ended.
SECOND HALF
Limbach went to his old position at left end, replacing Smith. Mansfield received and on the first down Limbach got a forward and placed the ball on the two yard line and Kester bucked it over. Goal was kicked.
Score 34 to 0.
The Massillon team was now playing in whirlwind style. Mansfield received but Johns captured one of their forwards and tore down the field for a touchdown. Goal was kicked.
Score 41 to 0.
Hollinger received the kickoff and returned the ball thirty yards. Mansfield held Massillon for downs but Rider recovered the ball a minute later when he intercepted a forward pass. Rudy tore off a 30-yard gain and Miller circled right end for a touchdown. Goal was missed.
Score 47 to 0.
Massillon received and Hollinger returned the ball to the middle of the field. A forward to Limbach worked and another to Johns netted a touchdown from the 20 yard line. Kester kicked goal.
Score 54 to 0.
Mansfield received and punted 10 yards. Miller went around right end for a touchdown. Goal was kicked.
Score 61 to 0.
The Massillon team was now trying to run up a large score and was rushing the visitors off their feet. Third quarter over, with the ball in Mansfield’s possession. Mansfield fumbled and Massillon regained possession of the ball. A buck by Kester and one by Rudy carried the ball to the 10 yard line and Hollinger carried it across. Kester kicked goal.
Score 68 to 0.
Mansfield received and was forced to punt. Several plays placed the ball in Mansfield territory and Kester went through the line 15 yards for a touchdown. Goal was missed.
Score 74 to 0.

Massillon received. Rudy pulled off a 30-yard run. On the next play he went through the line 15 yards for a touchdown. Goal was missed.
Score 80 to 0.
Massillon kicked and Baer recovered the ball. Rudy went through the line and when tackled on the 1-yard line he fumbled the ball but Hollinger recovered it across the Mansfield line scoring a touchdown. Kester kicked goal.
Score 87 to 0. Game over.
The Massillon team ran up 60 points in the last half, the average time for a touchdown being a little more than 3 minutes.

Line up and summary
Massillon Pos. Mansfield
Limbach, Smith le Luthner
Wells lt Henry
Becker, Theis lg Van Allen
Rider, Theis c A. Remy
Baer rg Dodge
Becker, Rider rt McKee
Johns re Holstein
Hollinger qb Hart
Miller lhb Pecht
Rudy rhb Stander
Kester fb Kallmerter

Touchdowns:
Massillon – Miller 3; Kester 3; Johns 3; Hollinger 2; Rudy 2.

Goals:
Massillon – Kester 9.

Referee – Fugate.
Umpire – Blackburn.
Head Linesman – Yingling.

Timekeeper – Gorrell.

Time of quarters: Two 10 minute; Two 12½ minutes.