Part 6 of the series presents a look back at all of the football stadiums that the Massillon Tigers have called home over their 130+ year history. Six different venues were used, some more than once, before settling on Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.
1891 (Unknown field)
Massillon’s first school building was opened in 1848. Called The Union School, it housed all of the educational grades, from primary through high school. In 1854 the primary students were relocated to a new facility. But by 1879, The Union School was no longer suitable to handle the growing enrollment and it was replaced by North Street School. Located at North Street and 5th St. NE, the property was later and for many years the site of Longfellow Junior High. More recently, it was sold to the Salvation Army and they have their main office there.
North Street School was also home to the first Massillon high school football team, which was fielded in 1891. Although there is no record of the squad having played its two home games there that year, it is certainly in the realm of possibility, since games were documented as having been held there several years later. The other potential site is Russell Park.
North Street School and Football Field (1903, 1907-14)
1893-94 (Russell Park)
Older Massillon fans remember that the land on which the Meadows Plaza currently sits, home to both Target and Giant Eagle, was previously the site of a golf driving range. And it was often referred to at various times Driving Park. But in 1893 it was Russell Park. Game stories from 1893 and 1894 show that the Tigers played several home games there.
Russell Park is historical in that Massillon played its first ever game against Canton, in 1894. Unfortunately, the local team lost, 12-8. Here’s an interesting quote from the game story: “Class spirit and inter-urban rivalry ran high and fierce at Russell Park on Saturday afternoon. The Massillon high school football eleven had undertaken a large and difficult contract and were abetted by numerous charming young women, whose umbrellas, hats and coats were decorated with yellow and black and who did not hesitate to indulge in a very fetching yell when matters progressed their way.” Note that Massillon’s original colors were yellow and black.
Game stories from 1895, 1896 and 1899 (no games were recorded for 1897 and 1898) do not identify the home field. But it is believed that these games were also at Russell Park. By 1899 Massillon was able to assemble its first significant schedule, which listed seven different games, six of which were at home.
Russell Park (1893-94)
1900 (Sante Fe Park)
Sante Fe Park was primarily a baseball field and was accessible from a trolley that ran the length of Lincoln Way. Fans simply needed get off at 16th St. NE and walk up the hill to the field. The grounds were also large enough to hold football games and the high school team relocated there in 1900. Today, the Park is a residential neighborhood.
Trolley on Lincoln Way with a sign pointing to Sante Fe Park (1900, 1904-06)
1903 (North Street School / Sante Fe Park)
There were no games recorded for 1901-02 and in 1903 the team played at North Street School.
1904-06 (Sante Fe Park)
After one year at North Street, the team went back to Sante Fe Park for the next three.
1907-14 (North Street Field)
In 1907 the Massillon team returned to North Street Field and remained there through a portion of the 1914 season. The best run during that stretch was in 1909 when Coach Hap Fugate led his squad to a 9-0-1 record and captured Massillon’s first state championship. During the season they won a pair of games against Canton by scores of 6-2 at home in front of 1,500 fans and 11-6 on the road.
1914-16 (Driving Park)
Midway through the 1914 season, the team left North Street Field and finished the home slate at Driving Park (previously named Russell Park). They remained there for the next two years. John Snavely was the head coach for all three seasons and he enjoyed great success at that time, fashioning a combined 24-3 record. In fact, his 1916 team was 10-0 and was named state champion, Massillon’s second crown.
1917-19 (Massillon Blues Athletic Company)
Yet another move came in 1917 when the Tigers relocated to the Blues Field, where the semi-professional Blues played football for a time. Later it was known as Central Steel Field. But locals today always recall it as The Agathon, which over many years hosted the Agathon baseball team and later a multitude of recreational softball games and tournaments. Today the site is occupied by the Massillon Recreation Facility.
The Massillon football team played there for three years. John Snavely was again the coach and his record was 17-5-2, with a 10-2-1 mark at home. One of those home games was a 7-6 victory over Canton Central, a school that would be renamed Canton McKinley the following year, in 1918.
Massillon Blues Athletic Company (1917-19)
1920-24 (Pearl Street)
Pearl Street was the location of Jones Junior High. But adjacent to it was Jones Field that the Tigers used for five years. Elmer Snyder was the head coach for one season and then Dave Stewart took over, fashioning a 31-7 record, including an undefeated state championship team in 1922. In addition, his record against the Bulldogs was 4-0.
Jones Field on Pearl Street, with Jones Junior High in the background (1920-24)
1924-38 (Massillon Field)
In 1924 Massillon completed construction of its first real stadium, just in time for the annual game against McKinley. The facility was located at what is currently called Shriver Park, at Shriver and 3rd St. SE, in the southeast part of town and just blocks from Pearl Street. It was considered at the time as the finest high school stadium in the state, with field lights for night games and a seating capacity of 6,500.
The big game that year drew 8,000 fans, which was the largest crowd for the rivalry game to date. The event also involved an elaborate dedication, led by Superintendent H. R. Gorrell, who spoke through a doubled-barreled megaphone. The guest speaker was Congressman John McSweeney of Wooster. Following an invocation by Rev. F. B. Hax of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and a speech by WHS senior Louise Hunter, the field was officially christened likening to a newly launched ship when Miss Hunter broke a bottle filled with water against the south goal post. The ceremony concluded with a rousing display of fireworks.
The game itself was played in a quagmire of a field owing to a rain deluge the previous day. Nevertheless, Massillon’s Elwood Kammer found some footing in the first quarter and returned a pass interception 65 yards for a touchdown. So, at the half, the Tigers led 6-0.
At the break, the students of the two schools sang their respective alma maters and then the two bands joined to entertain the crowd. Halftime wrapped up with the Massillon American Legion Post 221 presenting an American flag to the school for use at the facility. The flag was accepted by E.P. McConnaughey and then the combined bands performed the National Anthem as the flag was raised.
With the field conditions being nearly unplayable, there was no scoring the second half and the 6-0 lead held up for the Massillon victory. It was Head Coach Dave Stewart’s fourth win over the Bulldogs in four tries. The captain of the Massillon team was future Wall of Champions inductee Bill Edwards. Noteworthy was that Paul Brown was a junior on the squad. Fifteen years later Brown, now as coach of the Tigers and having won four state titles on Massillon Field from 1935-38, abandoned the facility in favor of a newer and larger stadium.
Massillon Field (1924-38)
1939-present (Paul Brown Tiger Stadium)
In 1938, construction of the present football facility got underway. It came about as a result of the demand for tickets on account of the success that Paul Brown achieved as he developed his storied program. The stadium was partially funded by the federal government’s Works Project Administration (WPA), which was designed to create meaningful jobs during the depression era of the 1930s at a total cost of $246,000. Originally named “Tiger Stadium,” it was renamed in 1976 as “Paul Brown Tiger Stadium” in honor of Brown, who later coached Ohio State and the professional Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals.
Whereas Massillon Field was not deemed adequate enough for expansion, a new stadium was commissioned on a 5-acre track located within South Sippo Park, which was owned by the City of Massillon. Employing a land swap, the school took possession of the stadium plot and the City took over the Massillon Field land, which is today called “Shriver Park.”
During construction, the home stands of Massillon Field were dismantled and relocated to the visitors’ side of the new stadium. The roof was also taken down and installed on the home side to shelter a portion of those stands. When completed, the stadium seated 12,000 patrons, 7,650 on the home side (40 rows) and 4,250 on the visitors’ side.
Tiger Stadium; darkened stands were relocated from Massillon Field
The stadium was dedicated in 1939 and the Massillon players initiated it with a 40-13 shellacking of Cleveland Cathedral Latin, breaking their 17-game winning streak. Halfback Tommy James scored the first two touchdowns in the new facility on runs of 39 yards and 31 yards. With the score sitting at 33-0 midway through the third quarter, Brown removed his starters for the rest of the night.
Since that time there have been several major upgrades, including the following:
Additional seating added to increase the capacity to 22,500
Construction of permanent end zone seating and elimination of track seats, which reduced the capacity to 16,884
1955, 1989 – Installation of new lights (relocated behind the stands in 1989)
1967, 1982, 2005 – Replacements of scoreboards, the last one being massive and all digital
1989 – Installation of Omni-Sand Turf (first artificial playing surface)
1989, 2023 – Upgrades of the sound system
1990 – Construction of the east side press box (loge box, meeting rooms and rest room facilities)
2019 – Third replacement of artificial playing surface
2020 – Rebuild of the structural support steel on the home side and replacement of fiberglass seat benches on both sides
The stadium has held up fairly well during its 84 years of use, although preservation efforts for the national historical site are always underway. Through the 2023 season, the home record stands at 526-90-6 (.850). In addition, 18 different state champions have made their mark on the field, including the 2023 Massillon Tigers. In addition, the facility over the years has been host to many OHSAA state championship games, Ohio North-South All-Star Games, band reviews and July 4th fireworks displays.
Tiger Stadium under construction
Tiger Stadium, 1940 game against Canton McKinley with extra seating added in the end zones
Tiger Stadium with a grass playing surface and larger capacity end zone seats (circa 1970s)
TIGERS BEAT BULLDOGS 12-0 TO WIN STATE CHAMPIONSHIP CROWD OF 18,000 GETS THRILL AT MASSILLON DEFENSE ON GOAL LINE
Bulldogs Turned Back Three Times In Bid For Touchdowns; Snyder And Zimmerman Score For Massillon; Band Sparkles In Snappy Drill
By LUTHER EMERY
The Ohio scholastic football championship stays in Massillon for a fourth straight year and any of the 18,000 or more fans who saw the Massillon high Tigers put another twist in the tail of the Canton Bulldog Saturday will tell you here is where it belongs.
Two powerful offensive marches in the second period moved forward over the Canton goal to give the Massillon gridders a 12-point lead and they protected it with three gallant goal line stands in the second half that could never be surpassed for sheer courage and grit.
Four In a Row Over Canton The 12-0 triumph was the 10th of the season for the Tigers, their fourth in a row over Canton McKinley, their 13th straight triumph and their 47th in their last 50 games. They were last beaten by Canton in the finale of the 1934 season and after undefeated years in 1935 and 1936, finally dropped a game to New Castle and were tied by Mansfield in 1937.
This fine record and the music and pageantry of Saturday’s classic is another reason why Massillon is recognized as the capital of Ohio scholastic football, even though the state has several other undefeated high school teams.
There was no doubt as to the Tigers’ superiority Saturday. They had three opportunities to score, all in the first half, made good on two and lost on the other on two unfortunate breaks. Canton had three opportunities to score, all in the second half, but failed each time, because it could not penetrate a Tiger line that summoned super-human courage when forced back to its goal. Praise the Line Every credit is due the backfield but give extra praise to the linemen, who too often are forgotten when the praises of victory are sung.
The Massillon trenchmen badly out charged the Bulldog forward wall the first half. They stopped Canton’s famed Marion Motley, something no other team has done this year and they refused to back up any further when thrice the Bulldogs advanced the ball to within the eight-yard line.
Those three courageous goal line stands were the climax of the ball game. Massillon fans didn’t think they could do it and Canton fans couldn’t understand it, but the greatly outweighed Tiger linemen had 12 precious hard earned points to preserve and they smote down everything that came their way.
The Bulldogs did not have Motley to hurl into the Tiger forward wall on any of their touchdown bids. He was a party to the first march that began in midfield, but Lynn Houston tackled him so viciously on the 10-yard line that Motley left the ball game, never to come back again. Tip Lockard, who learned his first football at Longfellow junior high before moving to Canton, carried the ball to the three-yard line in two plays, but on fourth down Marantides tried to flip a pass over the center to Nick Roman and found Freddie Toles was where Nick should have been and Canton’s first touchdown effort ended with Massillon getting the ball on the 20-yard line.
The Bulldogs, who produced all the offense of the second half, charged back twice more in the fourth quarter. A pesky shovel pass, Marantides to Athie Garrison that sent the latter through the weak side, bothered the Tigers throughout the second half and was good for 23 yards and a first down on the Massillon eight-yard line.
Hope rose in the breasts of Canton fans and Massillon hearts beat heavy as the Tigers moved into an eight-man line to stop the threat.
Marantides tried to skirt his right end but wound up five yards behind where he had started. The Bulldogs tried to cross the Tigers with another shovel pass, but this time Garrison was flopped without gain. Toles Bats Pass Down Marantides faded back and fired a long pass to the southeast corner of the field. Tony Fehn was out there trying to get it and got behind Toles, the defending halfback, but Freddie leaped at the right time and tipped the ball just enough to knock it out of Tony’s reach. It would have been a touchdown had he caught it. A Massillon fan was so elated at Toles’ deflecting the ball that he reached out over the guard rail, grabbed Toles and patted him on the back, until Freddie finally broke away and got into position for the fourth down.
Marantides tried the only thing he could, another pass, this one intended for Nick Roman, his lanky end, but the ball was batted down and the Tigers took it on their 14-yard line, six yards back from where Canton started.
The Bulldogs still weren’t through. Whatever kind of a “pep-hyp” Coach Johnny Reed shot into his boys between halves, was lasting and the closing minutes of the fourth quarter again found them knocking at the Massillon goal.
Two well executed passes, a 21-yard circus catch by Roman followed by a 33-yard toss to Fehn, gave the Bulldogs a first down on the Tiger five-yard line.
Here the Massillon forward wall gave its greatest demonstration of courage. Lockard smashed through center for three yards and put the ball on the two-yard line. He hit the same spot again, but little Bud Lucius, who covered himself with glory, submarined under the pack, grabbed all the legs he could get hold of and was found hanging on to one of Lockard’s when the pileup was finally untangled. Tip only advanced the ball a yard on the play but was within a yard of the goal with two downs still to make it in.
Again Lockard was given the ball. This time he tried to dive over the line, but Sophomore Gene Henderson rose up to meet his flying body and smite him down for a loss of one-half yard.
Still another down remained and the ball was only a yard and a half away. This time the Bulldogs sought to work a cutback with Garrison carrying the ball. The Tigers were not to be fooled, however and Athie was thrown for a one-half yard loss and the Tigers took possession of the pigskin. Horace Gillom punted out to the 20-yard line and when Marantides tried to pass on third down, Capt. Red Snyder hauled in the leather behind the goal for a touchback.
That is why Canton failed to make good on its opportunities. Tigers Have Extra Punch Where Canton dominated the offense the second half, but lacked the punch to cross the goal, the Tigers summoned the same extra courage and strength that enabled them to shove over two touchdowns the first half to collar and stop the Bulldogs in the last two periods.
It took only a few minutes after the kickoff for the Tigers to show they really meant business. Stopped after receiving the kick for a net gain of eight yards on three downs, Gillom lofted a beautiful high punt that Motley took on his 20-yard line. When Bud Lucius met him as soon as he caught the ball and single-handed flopped him for no return, it was evident that Motley was in for a bad afternoon. The Dogs couldn’t gain and punted back to Capt. Snyder, who returned 17 yards to the Canton 47. Slusser and Getz were tossed backward five yards in two plays and the Bulldog fans were jubilant.
Into his bag of tricks reached Capt. Snyder for what is known as a delayed deep weak side reverse. The ball sent to Slusser and he swept wide to his right. As he cut in toward the line of scrimmage, however, Slusser slipped the ball backward to Getz who swept hard toward the left. Getz just got up momentum when he bumped into Referee Dave Reese. The collision spun him around but he kept on going. Tony Fehn took after him but was leveled to the ground by Jim Russell. Motley tried to reach him, but found Toles in the way and when Nick Roman tried to down him, he was met by Earl Martin.
Getz was finally bumped out of bounds on the 18-yard line after a run of 34 yards. He probably would have reached the goal line had he not bumped into the referee. It was an error for which Referee Reese apologized not only once but many times after the game. But why blame him when 11 members of the Canton team and most of the crowd of 18,000 didn’t know where the ball was?
Slusser smashed for eight yards and Getz on a cut back, the same play that fooled Canton a year ago, ran to the four-yard line where he fumbled when tackled and of all players, Bill Lee, a former member of the Massillon squad recovered for Canton.
That ended the Tigers’ first threat and after an exchange of punts they came hammering back again. Snyder brought a punt back to the Massillon 44 from which point the march started. Getz, Slusser and Snyder in turn carried the ball to a first down on the Canton 45.
Getz lost a yard on a mouse trap, but on the next play caught the first pass thrown by Slusser for a gain of 17 yards and a first down on the Canton 27.
To the disappointment of those folks at the north end of the field, the quarter ended here. It took four hard smashes at the Bulldog line to get another first down on the Canton 14. Snyder had made it on his fourth try, but Canton was offside and a five-yard penalty advanced it a couple of yards nearer the goal than it otherwise would have been.
Slusser in two plays made nine yards and Zimmerman sneaked through for another yard and a first down on the Canton line. Snyder Goes Over Here the Bulldogs dug their cleats into the goal line and the Tigers summoned the extra courage and punch the Canton gridders could not collect in their second half efforts. It was Red Snyder three times in a row. He gained two yards and the first time, another yard the second and with the ball a yard short of a touchdown dug his head into the tummy of Emil Kamp, while his line moved forward to send him sprawling over the goal. A terrific roar went up from the Massillon stands. The Tigers were ahead 6-0.
They had the Bulldogs fooled completely on the try for point, but Slusser was off balance and couldn’t reach Snyder’s pass into the end zone. Nobody was near him.
Getz kicked off to Motley who got back to his 27-yard line where Toles met him solidly. Getz tossed Jackson for a nine-yard loss and after Motley had gained but two yards at right end, Getz broke through again to toss Roman for a 10-yard loss after he had taken a lateral from Motley.
Roman tried to cross the Tigers up and run the ball form punt formation with fourth down coming up and some 27 yards to go. He got back 23 yards but was dumped on the 31-yard line where the Tigers took over the pigskin. In four plays they failed to make a first down by a yard and Canton got it on the 22.
On the very first play, Motley was hit so hard that he fumbled and Toles was Johnny on the spot and covered the leather on the Canton 27.
Slusser shot his second pass of the day and Horace Gillom made a sensational catch between two Canton secondary for a first down on the 15-yard line.
It was slam-bang from there on. It was Snyder for four yards. Getz for three, Getz for two and Snyder for a first down on the four-yard line.
Getz tried a left end sweep but was downed without gain. Then came Bill Zimmerman’s big moment. The blocking halfback who seldom carried the ball, but sacrifices stardom and showmanship to help his fellow backs gain ground and the limelight took the ball on a sneak play and went through left guard with such momentum that he hurtled over the goal line with a yard or more to spare. It was his first touchdown and what a spot for it. When Getz tried to kick the extra point, the Bulldog line broke through to block the kick and the score remained 12-0.
In fact that’s where it stood the rest of the half and the game.
Garrison brought the kickoff after the second touchdown back to the 42-yard line and Tip Lockard broke through on a fake kick to carry the ball to a first down on the Tiger 46. It was the Bulldogs’ first, first down of the game and the first time they had penetrated into Massillon territory. The half ended three plays later with Canton in possession of the ball on Massillon’s 42-yard line.
The play was so one-sided the first half that few expected the Bulldogs to comeback with the offensive rush they showed the last two periods. Massillon Protects Lead Their ability to penetrate into Massillon territory immediately after the third period kickoff, kept Massillon in dangerous territory and when the Tigers did have the ball they were afraid to play anything but straight football. Canton knew that and moved its secondary close to the line of scrimmage. In possession of a 12-point lead, the Massillon eleven would not take any chances with forward passes and with the Bulldog secondary massed near the line of scrimmage, the ball carriers were unable to gain ground. Coach Brown had warned his team not to get reckless with passes unless it gathered a three-touchdown lead.
Well, the Tigers never got that far ahead so they played it safe the second half and preserved their 12-point lead. Furthermore, their passer, George Slusser was forced out of the game in the third period when he was bumped in the head while tackling Motley head on. Zimmerman, Slusser and Toles were binged in a row by Motley, but only Slusser was injured seriously enough to force his removal from the game. He didn’t know what it was all about even after the final whistle. He’s all right today, however and he will be back again next year.
When Motley, in the second half began trying to butt the boys out of the ball game with his head, it spelled trouble for him.
He only got rid of Slusser, but binged Toles and Zimmerman badly. He barreled into Gillom too along the east side line and the Tiger end whispered into his ear that it had better be the last time.
But before Gillom could get revenge, Lynn Houston met Motley squarely on the 10-yard line. It was a terrific low tackle that the Bulldog ace never got over. He limped off the field and was lost to Canton for its three pointless drives.
The Bulldogs’ second half rush enabled them to tie the Tigers in the matter of first downs. Each team made nine.
The Massillon eleven out gained the Bulldogs rushing but Canton gained the most yards passing and totaled more yards from scrimmage than the local team, 174 to 146.
Gillom gave a beautiful exhibition of punting. Only a misplaced coffin corner kick that was only good for two yards, kept his average below that of Nick Roman. Gillom’s punts, however, were lofty and gave the ends plenty of time to get down under them. As a result only 13 yards were made by Canton in returning punts.
The Tigers received a 15-yard penalty once when Lucius dropped Marantides after the latter had signaled for a fair catch. Bud didn’t see the Canton safety man put up his hand as a signal. A Clean Game All in all, it was one of the hardest fought yet cleanest Canton-Massillon games ever played. The lines fairly rattled when they crashed together and yet not a penalty was called for unnecessary roughness, holding, clipping or roughing the kicker. The Tigers were penalized three times, for a total of 25 yards and Canton twice for 10 yards.
It would have been interesting to have seen how well the Massillon passing attack would have worked had the Tigers cut loose as they have in many other games this season. They only attempted two from scrimmage and completed both for a gain of 30 yards. A third one on a try for extra point was grounded.
Canton tried 18 passes of all varieties and completed nine for a gain of 106 yards. Many of these yards were picked up on a shovel pass from Marantides to Garrison or McFarland. The Tigers had set up a defense for just such a pass, but the Bulldogs didn’t run it at the same spot as in past games and shot it inside of Martin. The one time Garrison ran to the usual spot and that was near the goal line, Martin smeared the play for no gain.
Trying to pick an individual star is hardly justifiable to the other 10 boys on the team. Every fan had his favorite. The spectacular work of Lucius, 142-pounder and the smallest man on either team, had many tongues a wagging. Time and again he smashed through to drop Motley and other ball carriers for no gain and losses and frequently he was the first player down under punts.
But don’t overlook the other linemen, Bill Croop, for instance. He went into the game at Henderson’s tackle to give more weight to the Tiger line. He not only had the weight, but he played a brilliant game. Nothing came through his side and he helped in the softening up process. Henderson Stops Lockard Henderson was sent in for the last two goal line stands, however and the way he rose up to smite Lockard down in Canton’s last great effort must have caused some proud father to swell his chest and say, “that’s my boy.”
The Tiger line was like a stone wall. Jim Russell, Lynn Houston and Earl Martin smashed and tore with all they had in them. On defense Ray Getz played a great game and his ball carrying was of the best. He and Gillom caught the only two passes thrown by Slusser. Gillom and Toles were in the thick of the backing up and saw to it that no one got loose. Toles was hurt when Fehn got around him to snare a pass from Marantides for Canton’s third touchdown bid, but he was on the job two other times and intercepted one pass and knocked down another that had points written all over them for Canton.
Not a poor pass did Martin make all day and the performance of Slusser and Zimmerman inspires high hopes for next season, for both will be back.
As for Rocky Red Snyder, it was his last game and that’s one thing for which every Massillon fan is sorry and every Canton fan glad. It was the third straight year that Capt. Snyder had played every minute of the Canton game and the Tigers won all three years. He gained more ground than any other player, 62 yards, was never thrown for a loss and made most of them the hard driving way.
Only three substitutes were used by Coach Brown. George Fabian replaced Slusser in the third quarter and though he didn’t do much offensively played a good defensive game and intercepted a Canton pass near the goal line just as the game ended.
Henderson replaced Croop at the start of the fourth period and Bill McMichael, who had not played a minute since laid low by a charley horse at Alliance, Oct. 14, was put in with two minutes of the game to play.
How well the Tigers stopped Motley, the statistics show. He gained 35 yards and lost seven for the net total of 28. Lockard was the Bulldogs’ best ball carrier. He gained 33 and lost one for a total of 32. Getz with a gain of 41 yards was second only to Capt. Snyder.
It was the last high school game not only for Snyder but for Toles, Lucius, McMichael and Houston. The other boys including the substitutes will be back again next year. Band Gets Big Hand There was color and humor to the game.
That Massillon band was given almost as big an ovation as the touchdowns. Canton fans were liberal in their applause of the Tiger musicians. They folded into a block like the bellows of an accordion and came out of it into an McK. They did the “Bugle Call Rag,” the “Lambeth Walk,” “Flat Foot Floogie,” and the “Parade of the Wooden Soldier,” to special dance steps that brought loud applause.
Assisting them in their performance was Pep Paulson as Obie the Tiger, who donned skirt and hat for the Flat Foot number. The band’s performance was concluded with the singing of “Alma Mater Massillon” by the fans and with their team 12 points ahead, they really made themselves heard.
The Canton band gave a military drill, forming McK, a ring, a large M and spelling Tiger. The bands were liberal with their music throughout the game.
Both schools presented acrobatic cheerleaders. The Massillon youngsters had more opportunities to cheer and do their flip-flops as a result of their team’s two touchdowns.
B.F. Fairless, president of the United States Steel Corp., was among those who sat on the Massillon bench. He made it his business to shake hands with Coach Brown after every goal line stand.
Nearly 10,000 words on the game were sent out form the press box over four telegraph wires. Station WHBC with Vic Decker at the microphone, also gave a play-by-play description to an unseen audience which undoubtedly numbered many times the thousands who actually witnessed the game.
The Tiger Booster club served the newspaper guests hot chocolate and sandwiches between halves. “That’s more than you get at most college games,” one Cleveland scribe announced.
A telegraph operator, who incidentally was from Canton, got so excited on one of the goal line stands that he spilled his hot chocolate over his instrument, shorted it, and had to send out a call for another. Crowd Exceeds 18,000 Schools officials estimate the crowd was between 18,000 and 19,000. More inches per person were allowed spectators this year than two years ago, which accounts for the crowd not being as large as some of former years. However, if you include those standing on the hills and the usher force, the crowd probably reached 19,000.
As it was the field was dry, thanks to the thoughtfulness of those who had it covered early last week with a tarpaulin. The last strip was removed an hour before the game and nature cooperated by not drenching it with any more rain.
As a whole, the crowd was orderly and well handled – congratulations to Earl Ackley and Russell Zepp, to whom the Massillon-Canton game is one big headache. It is their job to look after the many little details and see that everything moves along without a hitch. It did and they can now breathe a sigh of relief.
The Massillon victory will be celebrated by the Tiger Booster club tonight. Coach Paul Brown will be present and will tell of preparations his team made for the game. Brown did not attend last week’s booster meeting since it is not customary for him to do so the week before the Canton game.
The booster will also discuss plans for their annual banquet, Dec. 12 at the Swiss club. Lou Little, Columbia university coach, will be the principal speaker. Dramatic Finish Massillon Pos. Canton Toles LE Fehn Lucius LT Kamp Russell LG Rotz Martin C Lee Houston RG Prusser Croop RT Mack Gillom RE Roman Slusser QB McFarland Getz LH Goodman Zimmerman RH Motley Snyder FB Lockard
Score by periods: Massillon 0 12 0 0 12
Substitutions: Canton – Ondo for Mack; Savage for McFarland; Jackson for Goodman; Mack for Ondo; Marantides for Jackson; Garrison for Fehn; Zugrave for lee; Fehn for Garrison; Garrison for Motley; Lee for Zugrave, Savage for Garrison; Zugrave for Lee. Massillon – Fabian for Slusser; Henderson for Croop; McMichael for Henderson.
Touchdowns: Massillon – Snyder; Zimmerman.
Officials: Referee – Reese (Denison). Umpire – Jenkins (Akron). Head Linesman – Graf (Ohio State). Field Judge – Lobach (F. & M.)
Statistics Mass. Canton First downs 9 9 Yards gained rushing 137 98 Yards lost rushing 21 32 Net yards gained 116 68 Passes attempted 2 18 Passes completed 2 9 Passes intercepted 0 3 Yards gained passing 30 106 Total yards gained 146 174 Punts 6 4 Average punts yards 31 44 Punts returned yards 51 13 Kickoffs 3 1 Yards returned kickoff 23 50 Times penalized 3 2 Yards penalized 25 10 Fumbles 3 4 Lost ball on fumble 1 1
INDIVIDUAL BALL CARRYING Massillon PLAYER GAINED LOST TOTAL Snyder 62 0 62 Getz 41 0 41 Slusser 24 6 18 Zimmerman 10 0 10 Toles 0 10 -10 Fabian 0 0 – 5 Totals 137 16 116
Canton Motley 35 7 28 Lockard 33 1 32 Roman 20 8 12 Marantides 8 7 1 Goodman 2 0 2 Jackson 0 9 9 Totals 98 32 68
Tigers Showed Real Courage Tough Break For Official Little Bud Lucius Real Hero
By FRED J. BECKER Independent Sport Editor
And what did you think of Saturday’s football game?
So do we.
And how about those three goal line stands in the third and fourth quarters.
Pretty nifty, eh ! Quite an exhibition of red-blooded courage, or something, if you ask us! Great opportunity there for some one with a pen that drips high sounding adjectives to write a thrilling story about how those Tiger kids, with their backs to the wall, three times repulsed a big, touchdown hungry foe. And how they repulsed them! What did you say Canton? * * * * One guy we really felt sorry for during that ball game was Dr. David Reese, Dayton dentist and former Massillon man who ranks as one of Ohio’s best football and basketball officials. It was unfortunate that he had to be in the way when Ray Getz, fleet-footed halfback, took the leather early in the first quarter and set sail for Canton’s goal. It looked like the perfect touchdown play and probably would have proved so had not that unfortunate collision between Reese and Getz occurred back of the line just as the Tiger flash took the ball on as brilliant a reverse play as we have ever seen.
Dr. Reese probably didn’t know that play was coming any more than Canton and one can’t blame him too much for being right in the middle of it. Look what it did to those 11 Canton boys. It certainly pulled them right away from the spot where Getz was going to run and had he not been slowed up momentarily by that collision Getz probably would have romped unmolested across the Canton goal. Bumping into the referee threw Getz off stride just long enough to permit Canton’s secondary to get its bearings and scamper back across the field to knock him out of bounds on the Canton 18-yard line. * * * * Despite that unfortunate occurrence we still believe Dr. Reese is the best qualified official available in Ohio to officiate at such an important contest as a Massillon-Canton battle. He knows the game from A to Z. He is absolutely impartial and he never lets the game get away from him. And don’t forget that officiating in such a contest as Saturday’s is a responsibility If you don’t believe it try it sometime. Dr. Reese has been referee in the last four Massillon-Canton shindigs and Massillon has won them all. The work of all the officials was first class and the game, as hard fought as it was, was remarkably free of dirty work. * * * * Dr. Reese said after the game that in all years he has been officiating he only has been bumped by players on three occasions. Two of them occurred here Saturday. The first was the collision with Getz, the other came a few minutes later when Fred Toles, on a wide sweep around end, smacked into the official. In case you don’t know it, Dr. Reese is a former Massillon high football and basketball star and while attending Denison University was one of the state’s outstanding football centers and basketball forwards. * * * * Better blocking, charging and tackling probably have never been put on display by any Tiger team than those Washington high lads showed Saturday. When they blocked out a Canton foe he stayed blocked out. Teeth shattering blocks is about as good a description for them as any. The tackling also was hard at all times and that orange and black line out charged the Canton forward wall so fast, especially during the first two quarters, that those in the stands thought the Bulldogs were spiked to the ground. * * * * And now a few words about the gentleman who has made all those Massillon victories over Canton possible. We mean Coach Paul Brown. We know we are covering a lot of ground and we may have to eat our words but somebody will have to do a lot of convincing to make us retract the statement that the Washington high school football mentor is the most successful coach, in either high school or college, in the state of Ohio. Any man who can turn out football teams such as the one which mopped up on the Bulldogs Saturday knows football from every angle and knows how to impart it to his athletes. We were for “Brownie” long before he was named coach at the local school and we’ve been for him ever since. He’s only a kid himself but he knows how to teach football – the kind of football that wins games. How long we’ll keep him here is a question. The Booster club might organize a vigilance committee to shoo away any strangers coming to town making inquiries about the Tiger mentor. * * * * But Brown is not alone in deserving credit for Massillon’s splendid scholastic football record over the last four or five years. Paul has instituted the system that produces the athletes you see romp over Canton McKinley each fall but he has been aided by some very capable assistants. Take those three gentlemen who spend their week days helping Brown coach the Tigers and then never see the team play a game until the final of the season, because they are out on the road scouting future opponents. We mean C.C. Widdoes, Hugh McGranahan and Fred Heisler. They not only do a lot of mighty fine coaching but they also know their business when it comes to scouting a future opponent. * * * * And then don’t forget the boys who are handling football in the junior highs. That’s where the Tiger stars of today were given their initial training and that’s where the future Tiger stars will come from. The junior high coaches are Elwood Kammer and James Hollinger at Lorin Adnrews, Bud Houghton and Roy Woods at Longfellow and Mel Knowlton and Francis Baxter at Edmund Jones. They are teaching their boys the football system Brown uses at the senior high school and it’s no wonder the boys know what it is all about when they get down to Washington high. * * * * Oh yes, we almost forgot – or did we – about that Tiger band. Did they march and play Saturday? What do you think? They’re the nuts and no fooling.
With Paul Brown turning out football teams and George Red Bird turning out bands what more could you want? * * * * And who would you nominate as the outstanding hero of Saturday’s game?
Well our vote goes to Bud Lucius, as game a little fighter as one would want to see. Weighing only 142 pounds, soaking wet, this little Tiger lineman was in the thick of every play. He was a decided pain in the neck to Mr. Marion Motley, Canton’s ace backfielder, all during the time Motley was in the game and when the big Negro limped off the field in the third quarter he probably was thinking anything but kind thoughts of Lucius and Lynn Houston. It was Houston who nailed him out in the open just when Motley thought he was going somewhere – said somewhere being in the general direction of Massillon’s goal line. And did you notice that in about 75 per cent of the pileups the last guy to be dug out from the entwined arms and legs was little Bud. No wonder those Tigers couldn’t be beat – not with a kid with that kind of fight in him in the line up. * * * * Those Massillon goal line stands were really beauties. Canton, after looking woefully weak in the first half, came out with a real display of fight and this combined with its great advantage in weight slowly but surely took its toll on the lighter Massillon team but the Tigers never quit fighting. They might have been pushed around a bit in midfield and they might have been mystified for a time by Canton’s shovel passes, the Bulldogs’ best play, but when it came right down to the point where the Tigers had to dig in and show their stuff to escape being scored upon they had what it takes and plenty of it. In fact they had so much that on the last stand inside the five yard line one almost gained the impression that Canton realized it couldn’t get the ball over that final white line and was ready to run up the white flag of surrender.
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.
MASSILLON HIGH RUNNING ATTACK CRUSHES McKINLEY 14-6 CLEVER TIGER BACKS CRACK BULLDOG LINE DURING FIRST HALF
Canton Miscues, However, Lead To Both Orange And Black Scores
PUPS TALLY IN FINAL QUARTER
Hartsel’s Accurate Passing Has Opponents Worried In Second Half
By CLAYTON G. HORN
THE Bulldogs of McKinley High school owned an excellent and impressive 1930 football record until they ran the gauntlet of county competition. Now it is merely good. Alliance erased the impressiveness of it eight days ago, but only yesterday Massillon reduced it to just a mere shadow of its former brilliance.
That’s just another way of breaking the sad news that football as it is played by those Washington High Tigers who yesterday romped to a 14 to 6 victory over McKinley is still a bit too tough and complicated a solution for the Bulldogs. It was too much for them last year, too, and primarily because it was delivered by that same three-pointed weapon – Jack Kester, Glenn Williams and Jack Clendening.
Those three Tiger backs romped up and down the Massillon athletic field yesterday, even as they did at Lakeside stadium one year ago. But their thrusts on this occasion were deadened somewhat more effectively than they were in 1929 but only because they were running headlong into a team that refused to die or even wilt in the very path of complete destruction.
Yes, that combination of the best ball-lugging machinery Massillon has claimed in many a gridiron moon was prancing in true anti-McKinley form. There was Williams shooting off tackle with a viciousness that is unique in scholastic circles, there was Kester punting like his foot was mad at the ball and riddling the Bulldog line to shreds with his delayed bucks and last but not least there was Clendening, the ebony flash, circling the ends with a vengeance that left nothing to be desired.
That stellar brand of straight football execution, coupled with just one aerial, gave the Tigers an advantage in the first half that was nothing short of amazing. It left the Bulldogs in the lurch for an offensive of their own and shoved them in the shadow of their own goal post on no less than five occasions two of which were productive.
While their efforts, both offensively and defensively, were almost negligent during the first two quarters, the men of Dwight Peabody, profiting by a good tongue lashing during the recess period, came out to put on exhibition an entirely different brand of ball. Massillon continued to threaten and on one occasion carried the ball over only to have it called back for an offside penalty, but its charges met with a more stubborn resistance and its defense was put to test for the first time during the fuss.
Even though Massillon clearly outplayed McKinley, as the 18 to 10 advantage in first downs will indicate, both Tiger touchdowns came as the result of fumbles deep in Canton territory. The first, midway in the initial quarter, saw Hartsel bobble on his own 29. Captain Willison recovered for the Orange and Black, and the march, which was soon to produce the first score of the game was on with the very next play.
Williams smashed off tackle for eight yards and after Clendening had failed, Kester made it a first down on McKinley’s 17. Kester hit center for four more and a pass, Clendening to Hess, the first Tiger aerial of the game, was good for the touchdown. Clendening’s place kick was good for the extra point. Peculiarly enough, this drive followed two others that failed within the McKinley 10, the first dying on the half-yard line and the second fading on the nine when a pass was incomplete.
The second touchdown followed a fumble by Plaver when he foolishly attempted to scoop up a punt on his own 23. Massillon recovered. Kester picked up seven yards on two line plays and then Williams broke loose to the 14. An offside penalty placed the ball on the nine-yard line. Kester clicked three on a delayed buck and Williams added two on a pair of off-tackle smashes. Clendening went over for the touchdown when he cut between end and tackle. McKinley was offside on the try for the extra point. Before the half had ended, the Tigers again carried the ball to the McKinley one-yard line only to have the gun cheat them out of another probable score.
The Bulldogs unleashed a heavy overhead bombardment at the outset of the third quarter and for a time seemed destined to march the length of the field. It so happened, however, that they were stopped on the Massillon 17-yard line when Hartsel, who had thrown the ball with deadly accuracy on no less than four occasions, was forced to run when he found no eligible pass receiver open.
McKinley launched its touchdown march from its own 30 late in the third period. A pass, Hartsel to Clark, was good for 20 yards just as the quarter ended. At the opening of the final heat, Hartsel circled right end for nine and Clark made it first down on Massillon’s 30. Hartsel smashed right tackle for five and a pass, Hartsel to Clark carried the ball to the 17. Hartsel picked up five more on a fake play and Dick Miller carried it to the six on two thrusts. On the third play, Hartsel carried it over. Bob Schreiber was rushed in to dropkick for the extra point but his effort was blocked.
In addition to Kester, Clendening and Williams, Hess and Willison played stellar ball for Massillon. For McKinley, Buddy Hartsel stood head and shoulders above the backfield performers and Duffy, DeStefano, George and Billings looked good on the line.
What’s Wrong Massillon Pos. Canton Getz LE Forsyth Willison LT George Worthington LG Neil Hoyman C Billings Monroe RG Jones Price RT Duffy Hess RE Smith Kester QB Hodnick Clendening LH Brinson Singer RH Hartsel Williams FB Plaver
Substitutions: McKinley – DeStefano for Neil; Clark for Plaver; Black for Jones; Miller for Brinson; R. Schreiber for Forsyth; Gottsheck for Black. Massillon – Bordner for Hess; Hess for Bordner; Foster for Hess; Bordner for Singer; Snodgrass for Monroe; Mudd for Worthington; Schott for Hoyman.
Referee – Howells (Sebring). Umpire – Schaeffer (Akron). Head Linesman – Barrett (Ohio State).
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1930
Sidelights On Saturday’s Battle
It takes a game with Canton McKinley to bring out the best in a Washington high school football team. That was demonstrated Saturday when the Tigers mopped up the gridiron with the Bulldogs, winning 14 to 6. Coach Elmer McGrew’s boys did everything just about right.
Their fighting spirit was magnificent. Their offensive attack was pretty to watch. The interference for the first time this season was well nigh perfect. The blocking and charging also were good. And the tackling – well ask the Canton ball carriers how effective that was. Great holes were torn into the Canton line by the hard charging Massillon forwards. On end runs the backs came around like a streak to take out Canton’s secondary defense and open holes for the ball lugger.
The kind of ability the Tigers displayed Saturday night have put a blemish on the record of Steubenville’s great team had it been in evidence three weeks ago.
The crowd Saturday was a typical Massillon-Canton gathering. The enthusiasm was there and the cheering was plentiful. But it was an orderly crowd. Ten policemen and a corps of firemen worked diligently to keep some of the more enthusiastic rooters off the field and for the most part succeeded. About 6,000 paid to see the game. Another thousand saw it from a knoll just south of the field.
On form of greeting among the youngsters Saturday was, “How did you get in?” indicating that probably more than one youthful Tiger rooter climbed over the fence when a policeman’s back was turned.
The day was ideal for football, just enough snap in the air. The wind was a bit strong but it did not interfere with the punting.
It certainly looked like a big game along the sidelines. A flock of reporters were busy dashing up and down the field getting all the dope. Then a radio broadcasting company sent out details of the game over the air. Several special telephone wires also were in operation and the cameramen were there with everything from a pea shooter to a motion picture outfit. Amplifiers carried details of the game to the crowd.
The opening ceremony was the raising of the Stars and Stripes to the top of the flag pole at the north end of the field. The crowd stood bareheaded as the flag was run up the pole and the massed bands of Canton and Massillon played the Star Spangled Banner.
Canton McKinley’s band was in natty uniforms of red and black coats and white trousers. Massillon’s band was in civilian dress. Both furnished lots of music.
Just before the game started the Canton band lined up in the center of the field
CANTON DEFEATS MASSILLON IN ANNUAL TILT FORWARD PASSES WIN GAME AND TITLE FOR McKINLEY ATHLETES
By LUTHER EMERY
Picked to lose by three or four touchdowns, a fighting Washington high school football team smeared Canton McKinley during three and one-half quarters on Massillon Field, Saturday afternoon, and weakened only momentarily in the second period, when the invading bulldogs succeeded in pushing across a touchdown and kicking the extra point to win 7 to 0.
The gallant Massillon gridders were victorious in defeat, that is if there is such a thing as a moral victory, and it appears as though there is for every Massillon fan, in spite of disappointment, was more or less satisfied with the result. But moral victories do not win football games and bring county championships and as a result Canton McKinley retains the grid title and also gets another leg on the University trophy to be awarded to the team first to win the county title three times. Perfect Setting for Grid Classic With the crowded stands a mass of color, a warm sun driving away the cold and a light wind brushing the field, a perfect setting was given for the classic, and one that will be remembered for many years. It demonstrated the power of 11 fighting hearts and served to prove the uncertainty of scores in a Canton-Massillon game.
“Lindy” won fame by flying and Canton used the ozone to win the Stark county title. The widely heralded passing attack of the McKinley gridders which swept aside half a dozen teams this fall carried the red and black to its one and only touchdown. Canton Takes to Air. The bulldogs took to the air to work the ball into the local team’s territory, and when line plunges failed to bring yards, tossed, passes on fourth downs putting the once tough skin of a pig on the six-inch line where it was carried across in a pileup of players, that completely hid Nick Green, the ball toter, from view. That was the only touchdown of the game and the only time either goal was seriously threatened, but it was a mighty sweet touchdown for Canton and brought a howl from the McKinley stands and a sigh from the Massillon rooters. Defensive Game. Massillon played a defensive game, and Canton knew it. The east-enders found it difficult to penetrate the forward wall and only did so on formations of deceptions. But where Canton had an offense, the orange and black had none. The local gridders found it difficult to penetrate the forward wall of the Canton team and were completely smothered when they attempted to beat the Cantonians at their own game and toss passes. Not a Massillon back was able to gain consistently and first downs for the local eleven were as scarce as hair on a frog’s back. Canton, however, succeeded in making the required yardage on nine occasions and thus rightfully deserved the victory.
Standing out on the line, head and shoulders above the rest, both teams included, were Goodman and Buttermore, McGrew’s pair of tackles, who could be found hanging on to some part of the ball carrier’s body on practically every play. Captain Miller, of Canton, ballyhooed as one of the greatest linemen ever produced at McKinley high, was even over-shadowed Saturday by these two orange and black gridders. Play Even First Period. Play during the first period was practically even, with Massillon having the first chance to score when a Canton fumble was recovered on the 28-yard line. However, two plays failed to gain, and Watkin’s attempted place kick on the third down was low.
Canton’s first offensive drive started shortly before the end of the first period. Getting the ball on their own 38-yard line on a punt, the visitors started a series of line plays. Spretnak made a yard, and Green slipped through for eight more. Ferral then crashed through for a first down on the Canton 48-yard line. Canton Scores Touchdown. Here the quarter came to an end. Canton defended the north goal in the second period. Zagray made three yards at left end and Green drove around right end for a first down on the Massillon 38-yard line. Ferral made a yard at center, but Zagray lost one. Spretnak then stepped back and passed to Green for a first down on the Massillon 19-yard line. Spretnak made a yard, Ferral -two yards, and Green a yard, and on the fourth down, the little Canton quarterback hurled a pass to Nick Green that sailed through the arms of a Massillon player, and the Canton gridder was dropped on the six-inch line. Green took the ball over on the next play, and Spretnak drop kicked the extra point. Not long before the end of the second period, the orange and black got the ball on the Canton 20-yard line, but after two attempts to crack the line failed, the Canton gridders knocked down two Massillon passes and took the ball on downs. Just as the second period came to an end, Hug, Canton right end, pulled the most sensational play of the day by grabbing up a fumbled Massillon punt and, racing ahead of a string of gridders ran 40 yards and across the Massillon goal line. But the run was without result, for the ball was dead at the point of recovery, and the deafening cheer from the Canton bleachers was echoed in greater volume by the fans in the Massillon stands. Content With Lead. Canton apparently was content with the seven-point lead, for the visitors were careful with their passes in the second half, and relied on line plunges for gains. Play during the latter part of the third period was largely in Massillon territory as a result of John Kester’s only poor punt of the day, the red and black working the ball to the 19-yard line on one occasion, only to lose it on downs, when two passes were batted to the earth. The fourth quarter was largely a punting duel between Kester and Spretnak, the former having the better of the argument even though he was kicking against the wind. Neither team threatened and the game ended with the ball in mid-field. Plays With Broken Finger It takes good internal organs to stay in a game with a broken finger, and that’s what Fisher, Massillon guard, did. Brought to the sidelines by Captain Potts, and suffering considerable pain, Fisher protested against leaving the field. Coach Elmer McGrew surveyed his bench, failed to find a substitute of any value, taped up the injured player’s finger, and he went back into the game and made the tackle on the next play. Fisher’s courage, however, was just a visible sample of the play of the entire Massillon line, for these stalwarts of the front ranks, whose praises are seldom lauded, were really the ones who held Canton to the small margin of seven points. Kester, however, should come in for his share of praise, for his long punts in spite of the poor passes he received early in the game, kept Canton in her own territory most of the contest. Kester has finished a season of remarkable kicking for a sophomore, and in spite of the fact that he stands but nine yards back of the passer, he has not had a punt blocked on him this year. Captain Miller tried to do it and tried hard, for he has blocked punt after punt this year, but he tossed out his hands Saturday only to find that the ball had already left Kester’s toe and was sailing on its way down the field. Bands Stage Drill There was plenty of music on Massillon field Saturday, with both Canton and Massillon bands blaring away frequently. The two musical organizations paraded together between halves, the Massillon band forming a large “M” in front of the student bleachers, while the students sang their school song. The bands also played for the flag raising.
Both schools had their mascots “Obie”, the Washington high tiger, was carried up and down the sidelines by the cheer leaders while over on the Canton sidelines a bulldog snarled his viciousness.
Canton was penalized 80 yards to Massillon’s 40, the penalties being for holding and offside principally. The McKinley gridders completed four passes for a gain of 40 yards. Four were incomplete, and one intercepted. Massillon failed to complete a pass in four attempts. A Perfect Day The weather probably was the best ever for a Massillon-Canton game. Although the top of the field was slightly loose, slowing up the runners somewhat, yet it was much better than it has been for years. As for temperature, it too was right. Just cold enough to make the blood tingle in the spectators, and not too warm to interfere with the play of the teams.
A crowd of approximately 6,500 attended the game. All bleachers were filled and the sidelines jammed, and the crowd was probably the most orderly of any of the many large Canton-Massillon crowds.
Had Massillon possessed a fair offense, the local team probably would have pulled through on top. The youthful tigers had the ball in Canton territory on several occasions, once as close as the 20-yard line, but every attempt to advance the ball was met by a host of Canton tacklers and the ball was lost on downs. Newspapers Busy Three telephones on the field flashed the news of the game back to newspapers, and there were nearly as many cameramen as players on the field.
As a result of the Canton victory, the county seat team and the orange and black each have two legs on the University cup, the winner of which probably will be decided in 1929. With good material coming from the junior high schools, the Washington high students are already talking about how they are going to even matters up next fall and win the cup.
Lineup and summary: Massillon Pos. Canton Houriet LE Rich Slinger LT Miller Garland LG Miday Buttermore C Tracey Blatz RG Culp Goodman RT Zeren Schnierle RE Hug Hess QB Spretnak Kester LH Hutchinson Hollwager RH Green Watkins FB Ferral
Score by periods: Canton 0 7 0 0 7
Substitutions: Massillon – Fisher for Garland, Potts for Buttermore, Buttermore for Slinger, Lewis for Watkins, Slinger for Buttermore, Buttermore for Hollwager. Canton – Zagray for Hutchinson, Cordrey for Culp, Rudy for Green, Green for Rudy, Lieber for Ferral, Ferral for Rich, Hutchinson for Zagray, Walker for Cordrey, Kirk for Hutchinson.
Touchdown – Green Point after touchdown – Spretnak (drop kick).
Referee—Lobach (F. & M.) Umpire—Morgan (Youngstown). Headlinesman—Shafer (O. S. U.) Time of periods—15 minutes.
WASHINGTON HIGH BATTLES CANTON M’KINLEY TO SCORELESS TIE OLD RIVALS GET EVEN BREAK IN THRILLING DUEL
COMING through with the greatest exhibition of fighting spirit it has shown all season Coach John H. Atkinson’s orange and black eleven of Washington high school last Saturday afternoon held the powerful red and black aggregation of McKinley high, Canton, to a scoreless draw in their annual battle on the snow-covered gridiron at Massillon Field. About 8,000 spectators, the largest crowd to ever witness a scholastic football duel in Massillon, were on hand to see the fall classic and were treated to a spectacular contest in which both teams distinguished themselves by their hard but clean playing.
And once again the old dope bucket was given a wallop in the solar plexus. Entering the fracas as the under dog with Canton McKinley ruling the favorite because of a long string of impressive victories behind it, Coach Atkinson’s boys flung back at their critics the charges that they lacked fighting spirit and uncovering as much grit and courage as any Massillon eleven in the past, came within one yard of scoring a touchdown that would have brought victory over their ancient rival.
Only a desperate fighting Canton eleven, that was battling with all its strength to stave off defeat, kept Massillon from shoving across a touchdown in the third quarter when two blocked Canton punts, the first to be flocked on the east enders this year, gave Massillon the ball deep in Canton’s territory. The last blocked punt gave Massillon the ball on Canton’s four-yard line but four smashes into the line failed to take the oval over, although the orange and black had lugged the ball to Canton’s one-yard line before fourth down.
It was the best chance either team had to score. Canton launched its strongest attack in the first half and in the second quarter twice advancing the ball inside Massillon’s 20-yard line but was never equal to the task of pushing back a determined orange and black eleven that bristled with courage and gameness when its goal line was in danger. Massillon held the upper hand throughout most of the second half, throwing more than one scare into the hearts of Canton rooters. FEW CHANGES Nine of the eleven Massillon players who started the game were still in the lineup when the final whistle blew. Massillon made but two substitutions, Dave Smith replacing Mauger in the line in the first quarter and Easterday going in for Spencer in the last few minutes when the big guard was injured after playing a whale of a game throughout. Injuries couldn’t keep the Massillon regulars out of the contest. Several of them were hurt and had to take time out but not a one of them would give up. All of which indicates that the orange and black Saturday had plenty of fighting spirit and physical fitness, the two things which worried local fans considerably before the game.
Canton sent quite a number of players in to the game. At the start of the third quarter Coach Peabody had three fresh halfbacks and two new ends in the lineup, saving his regulars for a late spurt. But the regulars did not get much of a rest. They were rushed into the battle again in a hurry after Massillon had blocked two of Holmes’ punts and was driving through the Canton eleven toward the east enders’ goal line. Only Peabody’s quick action in jerking his replacements kept Massillon from scoring.
Snow fell during most of the game. Both teams were hampered by the wet condition of the field. A slippery ball made it difficult for both teams to do much with the aerial game, although Canton uncovered quite a puzzling forward pass attack that succeeded in registering numerous gains.
So far as ground gaining was concerned Canton held a big edge on the Massillon lads making 11 first downs to one for Massillon but while Canton could gain on passes and end runs in midfield it never was able to do much against the fighting orange and black eleven once it had worked the ball into Massillon territory.
Despite the slippery condition of the ball fumbles were very scarce. Both teams played cleanly throughout and few penalties were inflicted by the officials. FOX, BENSON, PRICE STAR Massillon’s line came through in great shape, Saturday, every lad on the forward wall giving a good account of themselves but the heroes of the conflict were Sam Benson, center, and Fox, left tackle. Both played brilliant defensive games and it was their hard charging that enabled them to burst through the Canton line at the start of the third quarter and block two of Holmes’ punts.
Fox, a lad who has played a steady game all Fall, rose to heights of greatness Saturday by his wonderful performance. He was in practically every play, tackled hard and blocked the punt that gave Massillon the ball on Canton’s four-yard line. Benson also distinguished himself by his playing. The Massillon center was pitted against Ballard, captain of the Canton team and one of the best lineman the east end school has ever had but he met more than his match Saturday in Benson and was badly outplayed by the Massillonian. It was Sam who crashed through the Canton line to block a punt in the third quarter, gaining the distinction of being the first player of the year to block a kick on Holmes, the Canton punter.
Assisting Benson and Fox in their star defensive game was Captain Bill Price, the Brewster Welshman. Price’s work in the secondary defense was brilliant throughout. He was all over the field and tackled like a demon. Dave Smith, Ott and Spencer also played good games. Gump and Fulton on the ends had a busy day as Canton depended a great deal on end runs for its gains. They had difficulty stopping the Canton charges in the first half but both played strong games in the last two quarters.
Massillon’s offense, however, was not equal to its defense. This was largely due to the strong defensive games played by Canton. The best offensive game was played by “Whitey” Laughlin who never failed to gain a yard or two on his smashes into the Canton line. Courtney Smith also played well but McConnell and Price had difficulty gaining. Canton knew the ability of both of these lads and watched them closely. McConnell, however, got away for the longest gain of the game at the start of the third quarter when he went through Canton’s left tackle for 28 yards, having cleared the entire visiting eleven except Holmes, the safety man, who brought him down on Canton’s 22-yard line. McCONNELL OUT PUNTS HOLMES It was in punting that McConnell did his best work, Saturday. His exhibition of kicking was one of the best of the season and he clearly out-punted Holmes, Canton’s backfield star, gaining considerable yardage for the orange and black by his long and well placed punts.
Canton as usual depended largely upon Holmes for its offensive strength but outside of several brilliant returns of punts the Canton quarterback was held in check. He tossed several neat forward passes but most of the Canton gains were made by Hodnick, Clark and Taubensee on plunges through the line or dashes around the ends. FIRST QUARTER Massillon received to open the game and punted on third down. Holmes immediately launched an aerial attack and after his first pass had failed, tossed to Ritterspaugh and Kaufman for gains of seven and 15 yards. Canton then shifted to line plays and end runs and worked the ball to Massillon’s 34-yard line where the orange and black held for downs and took possession of the leather.
Then followed an exchange of punts, before Hodnick went through the line for eight yards before being tackled by McConnell. SECOND QUARTER A 25-yard return by Holmes of McConnell’s punt gave Canton the ball on Massillon’s 45-yard line early in the second quarter. After three plays had failed Holmes skirted right end for 11 yards and a first down before being chased out of bounds by Fulton. This put the ball on Massillon’s 32-yard line. Holmes was hurt but continued in the game. Hodnick hit the line for three and Holmes then passed to Hodnick for eight.
This gave Canton a first down with the ball on the 19-yard line. Kaufman was stopped without gain but Taubensee and Hodnick made seven in two plunges. On fourth down Holmes passed to Hodnick but the Canton receiver caught the ball out of bounds and it went to Massillon on its 13-yard line. McConnell punted out of danger but Massillon was penalized 15 yards for holding and the ball was back on Massillon’s 22-yard line.
The orange and black, however was equal to the occasion and held the red and black getting the ball on its 15-yard line. McConnell again punted and Holmes brought the ball back to Massillon’s 35-yard line. Four plunges gave Canton a first down. Only a few seconds of play remained in the second quarter and Kaufman dropped back to the 32-yard line for a field goal but his kick was short. THIRD QUARTER Canton received at the start of the third quarter but after Goss had been tossed for a four-yard loss Holmes punted to midfield. Then McConnell ripped through Canton’s left tackle for 28 yards taking the ball to the Canton 22-yard line. Three attempts to gain netted only four yards and McConnell attempted a drop kick from the 30-yard line. The pass was low and his kick was blocked by Ritterspaugh who was downed on his 35-yard line.
Canton failed to gain and Holmes dropped back to punt. But his kick never got across the line of scrimmage. Big Sam Benson breezed through the line and threw himself in front of Holmes, blocking the punt. The ball rolled back toward the Canton goal line and McConnell fell on it on Canton’s 22-yard line. After two attempts at the line had failed McConnell passed to Price for five yards. He then attempted a pass to Smith but the ball was grounded and Canton took it on its 15-yard line.
Holmes dropped back for another punt but this time Fox crashed through and blocked the kick and Gump dropped on the ball on Canton’s four-yard line. Canton’s regulars were coming back into the game as fast as Coach Peabody could send them in.
That blocked kick gave Massillon its best chance to score. McConnell failed to gain at right tackle. Laughlin made two yards at the line.
Smith made yard, taking the ball to the one-yard line but on the next play McConnell failed to get through the line and Canton got the ball on its three-yard line. Holmes then punted from behind his goal line to Smith who was downed on Canton’s 37-yard line.
Holmes then intercepted McConnell’s pass and ran it back to Massillon’s 43-yard line. Holmes passed to Hodnick for 20 yards, putting the ball on Massillon’s 29-yard line but on the next play Hodnick fumbled and Fulton covered on his 23-yard line. FOURTH QUARTER A 25 yard penalty in Canton territory at the start of the fourth quarter put the ball on Canton’s 11-yard line. After several exchanges of punts Massillon got a break when Holmes punted out of bounds on his 19-yard line. Laughlin and Price made five in two plunges and McConnell dropped back to the 25-yard line for another shot at the Canton goal posts. The pass, however, was low and McConnell ran around Canton’s right end to the 12-yard line before being pushed out of bounds.
On the next play he tried another drop kick from the 22-yard line but the ball went wide and Canton put it in play on its 20-yard line.
Canton then began a determined march up the field and made two first downs before Massillon held and took possession of the oval in midfield as the game ended. A Good Finish Massillon – 0 Pos. Canton – 0 Gump LE Ritterspaugh Fox LT L. Miller Spencer LG Spence Benson C Ballard Mauger RG Carnahan Ott RT Esmont Fulton RE Sheets McConnell QB Holmes C. Smith LHB Clark W. Price RHB Hodnick Laughlin FB Kaufman
Substitutions: Massillon – D. Smith for Mauger, Easterday for Spencer.
Canton – Taubensee for Clark, Samuels for Spence, D. Miller for Carnahan, Goss for Taubensee, Brinson for Kaufman, Wilgus for Hodnick, Taubensee for Goss, Kaufman for Brinson, Hodnick for Wilgus, Carnahan for D. Miller, Clark for Taubensee, Jurevoki for Ritterspaugh.
MASSILLON SPRINGS UNEXPECTED, DEFEATS ERIE ACADEMY A STRONG ATTACK GIVES LOCAL “11” 26 TO 0 VICTORY
The orange and black flies high today, At the top of the mast it waves and flaps defiantly in the air. And why shouldn’t it?
Under these colors, the golden tornado of Washington high school swept Erie Academy into oblivion Saturday afternoon on Massillon field. Even the most optimistic of the loyal supporters who turned out, scratched their heads in surprise as the vicious orange wave moved up and down the field, smashing the Erie defense and sweeping every barrier aside to mass a total of 26 points while the battered Erie team could show no score.
It was a game comeback the local team made. Picked by many of the “wise guys” to win by three or four touchdowns, Erie Academy was swept completely off its feet and after the first touchdown; there was a little doubt as to which was the better team on the field.
So decisive was the attack of the Massillon gridders that they registered 16 first downs, a large number for any team to make. Only Erie’s plucky fight kept the score from being larger, for several times the locals were in striking distance of the Erie goal Truly, Massillon had the breaks, if an intercepted pass can be called a break, but it was the determined drive of the youthful Tigers that brought the coveted reward and set the football world a talking. And it is talking. The many “critics” who stayed away from the game because they “knew” the boys couldn’t play football and would be beaten by an overwhelming score, are beginning to question their criticism and withdraw all unfavorable remarks. Saturday evening, wherever there was a crowd of fellows, football was the subject and it’s beginning to look as through the old Massillon spirit will return and the bleachers will be packed when the orange and black makes its next appearance, October 23. CROWD SMALL Any team that plays football like those youthful Tigers played Saturday is deserving of a large crowd and loyal support and not the kind of a crowd that turned out Saturday afternoon to witness the first intersectional contest ever played in Massillon.
The crowd of more than 2,000 that did pass through the gates Saturday was a loyal crowd and all left satisfied that they had witnessed one of the best brands of football ever shown here.
It was the lightning like offense of the orange and black that turned back the favored Erie team. Laughlin and McConnell both showed wonderful ability at carrying the ball, while McConnell’s deadly accurate passes counted for many of the local’s long gains. It was a surprised little band of Erie rooters that watched its team being swept back toward its goal in the first quarter by a powerful Massillon offense, and it was an equally surprised and astonished Massillon crowd that saw the local team cross the Erie goal line, scoring the first points of the game.
To Price, husky guard, must go a lot of credit for the defense of the Massillon team. The center of the line was impregnable and at the bottom of most every pileup after an Erie gridder had driven into the line, could be found Price. He played the same hard game from start to finish, being taken out in the first half for a needed rest. “Fritz” Gump came back into his own and starred both offensively and defensively. Gump gave great interference on end runs and in the same manner broke up the interference on Erie dashes around his wing.
Though Massillon showed many stars, Erie had a player who was fast and classy and who several times during the fracas, pulled off exciting dashes that caused the Massillon fans to cease breathing until he was safely stretched out on the ground. This was Fuller, one of the few veterans from the Academy team of a year ago. The entire Erie attack was built around him, and he bore up well under his task. SCORE EARLY The orange and black scored in the first eight minutes of play. Erie was driving towards the Massillon goal line when McConnell intercepted a pass on the Erie 35-yard line. He carried the pigskin 10 yards before being tackled, placing the ball on the 25-yard line. Smith then hit off tackle for seven yards and Laughlin cut off two more, but Massillon was declared offside and was penalized five yards. McConnell failed to gain on a line plunge but on the next play he passed the oval 10 yards to Gump who raced the remaining 15 yards for a touchdown. Gump came near being tackled after catching the pass, falling to his knees, but he quickly pulled himself loose and continued over the goal line. McConnell’s toe failed to respond and the extra point was lost.
Shortly afterwards, Erie punted to the Massillon 47-yard line. On the first play, McConnell stepped back and hurled a pass to Laughlin who carried the ball to Erie’s 18-yard line before being downed. Foster then made a yard and McConnell narrowed the distance to the goal by six yards on a sweeping end run. He then struck through the line for three yards, making a first down on the eight-yard line. On the next play, Laughlin tore through for four yards, placing the pigskin on the four-yard line as the whistle blew announcing the end of the first quarter. On the first play in the second period, McConnell ripped around left end and over the goal line. His toe obeyed and added another point. The half ended with the score 13 to 0 in favor of Massillon. PASS BRINGS SCORE It was late in the third quarter before the local team could put across its third set of points. Again it was the forward pass that brought results. McConnell placed the local team in a position to score by intercepting an Erie pass in midfield and scampering back to the 28-yard line before being downed. On the next play he ripped off five yards, but Massillon was penalized five yards for being offside. A pass was batted down and on the next play McConnell hurled a short pas to Laughlin who ran 25 yards for a touchdown. McConnell kicked goal.
The last points were gathered late in the game and were accumulated as a result of the brilliant running of Bast, a substitute, who was playing his first game.
Bast returned an Erie punt 35 yards to the eight-yard line by a brilliant piece of open field running. Hax hit the line for a yard and on the next play Bast waded over the goal line. Hax failed to make the extra point.
Coach Atkinson’s men used the forward pass effectively Saturday. The aerial game was the big noise in the offense for it gained a total of 169 yards, 10 passes being completed, five incomplete and one intercepted by Erie. Erie was not so fortunate in its attempt to harness the air. The Erie gridders hurled 11 passes, completed three for a total of 35 yards, had four intercepted while four were batted down by Massillon players.
In the number of first downs the orange and black excelled, making the required yardage 16 times to 10 times for Erie.
McConnell made a beautiful catch when he intercepted Fuller’s pass in the third period to put the Massillonians in a position to score. “Mac” caught the ball over his shoulder while racing towards the Massillon goal. He pivoted quickly however and was about face shaking off tacklers as he headed toward the Erie goal, finally being thrown out of bounds on the 28-yard line.
The local team showed a wonderful defense against the forward pass, intercepting four Erie passes at critical moments, and batting down a like number.
Penalties were numerous during the game, both sides being setback often for breaking rules. However, both teams fought hard and clean and none of the penalties were inflicted for intentional rough playing. PLAYERS LOOK GOOD Atkinson’s reserve material showed up well Saturday. It was the Massillon mentor’s first chance to see his reserves under fire and all played capable. Bast grabbed much of the lime light with his brilliant open field running, while Hosso showed up well.
The Massillon backfield which started the game, Laughlin, Smith, Foster and McConnell worked exceptionally well together. Excellent interference was given the ball toter, one thing that was sorely lacking in the Akron game, and the runner was given good protection until he could get beyond the line of scrimmage. Just the Start Massillon – 28 Pos. Erie –0 Gump LE Erhart Ott LT Malthaner Spencer LG Wagner Potts C Parsons R. Price RG Ferrare Benson RT Temple Fulton RE Lewis McConnell QB Speicher Smith LHB W. Kinsinger Foster RHB Fuller Laughlin FB Weed
Score by quarters: Massillon 6 7 7 6 26
Substitutions: Massillon – Hosso for Laughlin, Carrol for Potts, Mauger for Price, Laughln for Hosso, Price for Mauger, Hax for Foster, Ressler for Fulton, Hosso for Laughlin, Easterday for Spencer, Mathews for Gump, Strong for Ott, Grant for Smith, Mauger for Price, Bast for McConnell, Schnerlie for Hax, Fox for Ressler.
Erie – Jennings for Erhart, Flint for Temple, C. Kinsinger for Weed, Tranis for Jennings, Schwartz for Lewis, Weed for C. Kingsinger.
FUMBLE PAVES WAY FOR AKRON EAST WIN OVER HIGH GRIDDERS VISTORS SCORE ONLY TOUCHDOWN IN 2nd QUARTER
Showing a decided lack of actual combat experience Washington high school’s orange and black football team Saturday went down to defeat before Akron East 6 to 0 in the opening contest of the 1926 scholastic campaign on Massillon Field. Cold winds and intermittent showers cut down the opening day attendance but the stands were fairly well packed when the rival aggregation took the gridiron for the initial whistle.
Scoring a touchdown late in the second quarter on a series of desperate line plunges after a Massillon fumble had put them within the local team’s 20-yard line Akron East’s gridders annexed the only points scored during the contest and romped off the field with a victory over Coach John H. Atkinson’s warriors. Outside of the time when Akron East scored neither team threatened the others goal line to any serious extent and the game for the most part was devoid of any thrills, both aggregations adhering largely to straight football.
The field was a bit soggy but the footing firm. The rain however, made the ball slippery and hard to handle and a strong wind, driving across the field from the north, made punting difficult for the team which was defending the south goal. Fumbles, blocked punts and penalties worked a hardship upon the inexperienced Massillon eleven, a fumble giving Akron East a chance to score while several 15-yard penalties halted Massillon’s offense on several occasions when it seemed the orange and black was on its way to points.
A defeat is always a bitter pill to swallow but when time is taken out to analyze the Massillon eleven which took the field Saturday against Akron East it can be seen that even in defeat the orange and black gave a good account of itself and displayed enough ability to indicate that it has good possibilities of being drafted into a formidable machine as the season progresses. TEAM IS GREEN The Massillon eleven which made its 1926 debut last Saturday was almost as green in actual playing experience as the grass under its feet. The team took the field with only two veterans from the 1925 aggregation in the lineup. And one of these did not become a regular until the last two games when an eligibility ruling knocked out several backfield stars and gave him a chance.
That player was Art McConnell who directed the team’s offense from the quarterback position. The other veterans, Fritz Gump at left end, acting captain in the absence of Bill Price who is laid up with a broken collar bone; “Whitey” Laughlin, plunging fullback, got into the game for a few minutes but was forced out with a bad knee which he had injured in practice last week.
With the exception of McConnell and Gump the team was made up of reserves from last year or players indulging in their first contest as varsity performers. And their experience weighed heavily against them. They fought gamely enough but fighting ability is not always enough. It was not Saturday. BILL PRICE MISSED Had Captain Bill Price been able to be in the game the line undoubtedly would have not wilted under Akron East’s pounding in the second quarter when the touchdown was scored. Price’s fighting spirit and his ability to plug up a hole in a crisis probably would have kept Akron from scoring but Bill, with his arm in a sling, had to watch the game from the bench. And if Laughlin had been at his best and able to stay in the game throughout a different offense also would have resulted.
It was only during those few fatal seconds in the second quarter that the Massillon line wilted. During the rest of the game it out played the Akron forward wall and continually stopped the visiting backfield in its tracks. However, it needs to be more aggressive. What the local team’s offense would have accomplished had its attack not been cut down by penalties is a matter of conjecture.
It showed flashes of power both at line plunging and end running and several times opened up with well executed forward passes. It missed a chance to gain heavily in the fourth quarter when two well hurled passes by McConnell were fumbled by the lads on the receiving end. McConnell also lacked experience in directing the team but Art, having passed through the heat of one battle as field general, should develop rapidly.
A number of McConnell’s punts were blocked Saturday largely because he did not drop far enough behind his line when kicking. The inexperienced Massillon line was not able to hold out the rushing Akron warriors long enough for Art to get his kicks away from a short distance back of the center. PENALTIES HURT Massillon received to open the contest and from the way it started off it looked like curtains for Akron. One first down was made on an end run and an off tackle buck and the orange and black was driving up the field when a 15-yard penalty took the steam out of its punch. Then McConnell’s punt was blocked and Akron got the ball on Massillon’s 22-yard line. But East couldn’t gain and a field goal failed.
Once again Massillon’s offense started well. McConnell made six and then heaved a pass to Briggs for six more. Two more line plays netted five and then McConnell hurled a pass to Matthews for 26 yards but East stopped the drive by intercepting the next Massillon pass.
The orange and black however held and Akron punted. Again the local team started to travel up the field but a 15-yard penalty again halted the march.
Fumbles began to make their appearance in the second quarter and McConnell fumbled on an end run, Akron covering the ball on Massillon’s 28-yard line. But once again the green Massillon line could not be dented and another attempt by Akron to score through a field goal failed.
Massillon got the ball on its 20-yard line and on the first play fumbled. Crisp, of Akron, plunged on the ball on Massillon’s 17-yard line. Then came Akron’s best offensive of the game.
With Keeney, flashy Akron quarterback and the individual star of the game, smashing through the Massillon line or off tackle Akron carried the ball to the seven-yard line on four plunges. Akron kept hammering the inexperienced Massillon line which was slowly but surely giving ground and three more plays took the ball over, Keeney going through the center of the line for a touchdown. He failed to add the extra point.
Neither team was able to do much in the third quarter but when the final period opened the orange and black, six points behind, started off with a desperate drive that cracked the Akron team wide open. Getting the ball on Massillon’s 32 yard line McConnell and Briggs smashed through tackle and around the ends for three first downs in a row. It looked like the Massillon march could not be halted but a penalty had to bob up and a 15-yard loss stopped the rush.
However, the orange and black got a break in luck but it could not take advantage of it. When McConnell punted an Akron man held Gump while the ball was in mid air and the oval was given to Massillon on Akron’s 28-yard line where the penalty occurred. But by this time Akron had regained its breath and held the Massillon backs, getting the ball after Massillon failed to make the required yardage in four plays.
A short time later McConnell opened up with passes but Smith and Briggs fumbled two well heaved passes. Either one of them would have enabled Massillon to get deep into Akron territory. As the game ended Akron was once more hammering away at the Massillon line and had worked the ball within the Massillon 30-yard line.
Although defeated, Massillon out played its Akron rival. The local team made eight first downs to six for Akron and completed three passes while Akron completed but one. Three of Massillon’s passes were grounded while Akron intercepted on. Akron only tried three forwards. Erie Is Next Massillon – 0 Pos. Akron East – 6 Gump LE Porosky Ott LT Bell Spencer LG Crisp Potts C Wilson Price RG Bergey Benson RT Growden Fulton RE Morgan McConnell QB Keeney Matthews LHB Coudriet Briggs RHB Thomas Foster FB Johnson
Score by quarters: Massillon 0 0 0 0 0 Akron East 0 6 0 0 6
Substitutions: Massillon – Laughlin for Foster, Smith for Matthews, Foster for Laughlin, Carroll for Benson, Bickel for Briggs.
Akron East – Averitte for Porosky, Leibowitz for Johnson, Porosky for Averitte.
Touchdown – Keeney.
Referee – Maurer. Umpire – Jenkins. Head Linesman – Tompkinson
Record Turnout Sees Akron South Win Big Grid Tussle SCORE TOUCHDOWN IN 2nd QUARTER TO WIN BIG CONTEST
Outsmarted and outplayed from start to finish by an opponent that had speed to burn and was exceedingly wise in gridiron strategy, the orange and black football team of Washington high school last Saturday afternoon ran into its first defeat of the campaign when it was vanquished 7 to 0 by the powerful and undefeated South high eleven of Akron. The contest was played on Massillon field which had been turned into a veritable sea of mud and water by recent rains. The contest attracted a crowd of at least 6,000, the attendance being nearly on an equal with that of the annual battles between Massillon and Canton.
Only because of the fighting spirit of Coach David B. Stewart’s warriors was an even worse defeat averted. Had the local lads been less courageous Akron South probably would have won by a much bigger margin for practically all of the battle was waged in Massillon territory and twice the local warriors came through with game exhibitions of skill, holding the invading rubber city gridders on their one-yard line when it was fourth down and goal to gain.
Two great scholastic football machines tangled in that muddy encounter Saturday and the best team came off the field victorious. South clearly outplayed Massillon from start to finish, making 14 first downs to three for Massillon. It presented a well drilled, smart football machine and its speed was not hampered a bit apparently by the ankle deep mud for the Akronites out-charged the Massillon forwards and plowed their way through the orange and black line of defense with the ease which water goes through sieve. A DISAPPOINTMENT It was a big disappointment to the local team and its followers that it should be conquered by Akron South but the defeat was not a disgraceful one. Coach Stewart’s warriors have the satisfaction of knowing that they went down to their first reverse fighting gamely to the last ditch and the defeat, coming after the sensational victory of a week ago over Erie Academy high, should be beneficial. If nothing else it should serve to spur on the Massillonians to greater efforts in their remaining games on the schedule.
What would have been the outcome of the game had it been played on a dry field is a matter of conjecture. But from the style of game Akron South played Saturday it probably would have defeated the local team by a far greater margin. Coach Smiley Weltner of Akron South had his charges well pointed for the Massillon fray. He wanted to win and so did his boys and atone for the defeat Massillon handed South a year ago. South would have been a mighty hard team for Massillon to stop last Saturday under any circumstances and therefore to them must go credit for winning a splendid football victory through the medium of playing a better brand of the autumnal sport than their adversaries.
A well executed triple pass brought victory to South, resulting in the only touchdown of the game after a gain of 31 yards. South used this triple pass but once, but once was enough to spell defeat for the orange and black. The play came in the second quarter just a few minutes after the local team had made its first gallant stand in defense of its goal line, holding the visitors on the one-yard line. SOUTH TOO FAST Massillon’s vaunted offense was stopped in its tracks by the fast charging South forwards. The orange and black could not gain on line plays, end runs or through the air. The South gridders scrambled over the sloppy field like ants and were everywhere, busting through the Massillon line continually and stopping Massillon’s backs before they got started.
On offense South was well drilled, it was good on the running game, line smashes and forward passes. It had excellent interference and in Hench, Kroah and Arnette had a trio of backs that were versatile to say the least. They could run or plunge as the occasion demanded. Aultman at quarter was the brains of the visiting machine and a steady little field general he was. He was continually outsmarting Massillon; pulling a line play when an end run was expected or heaving a pass when some other form of attack was looked for.
But one of the biggest stars on the Akron team was right end, K. Sweet, a tow-headed lad, who was a bear on defense and a shining light on offense. South’s forward passes generally traveled from one side of the line across to the other side and it was generally Sweet’s job to get from his end, through the squirming mass of players to the opposite side to take Aultman’s passes and he generally did, getting away with one for a 42-yard gain, only being stopped from scoring a touchdown by Smith. KELLY IS BIG HERO Because of the fact that it was up against a superior team and was taking a drubbing, Massillon’s team as a whole did not show up very well Saturday. Nothing like it did in the first three starts when victory perched on the shoulders of the local warriors but there was one lad in the Massillon lineup Saturday who came out of the tussle just a short time before it ended covered with mud and glory. That was Leo Kelly, right guard. Had every man on the Massillon line played in the same smashing manner that Kelly did a different story might be told.
He was easily Massillon’s hero. He outshone all of his teammates, towering head and shoulders above them by his brilliant defensive work. But the terrific game Kelly played began to tell on him in the fourth quarter and Coach Stewart finally relieved him. He same plodding off the field nearly exhausted and fell in a heap in front of the Massillon bench but he had acquitted himself nobly, played so splendidly in fact that Akron South’s players congratulated him for his work.
Coach Weltner had his men well trained to stop Kammer, Define and the other Massillon backfield stars. South played such a rushing game that it was on the Massillon backs before they could lift their feet out of the mire. The orange and black never launched one serious threat to score in the entire game, seldom being able to get the ball in Akron territory. Massillon never was within South’s 30-yard line and play in the fourth quarter was almost continually inside Massillon’s 30-yard line with the local team being called upon to batter down and turn back repeated onslaughts of the Akron team.
South complete six out of 12 passes for a total gain of 103 yards. Four of its passes failed and Massillon intercepted two. The local team worked three passes for 27 yards, failing in three others and having Akron intercept three.
South began to show its power late in the first quarter when Aultman heaved a pass to K. Sweet for a 20-yard gain. Then Aultman came back with a heave to Arnette for 12 yards and the ball was on Massillon’s 20. Steady hammering at the line brought a first down and carried the oval to the eight-yard line. Three plays had been run off when the quarter ended and South had lugged the oval to the one-yard line with goal to gain on the first play in the second quarter. The orange and black was fighting desperately to stem the Akron tide.
Then as the second quarter opened the local team gave its first great exhibition of gameness by stopping Akron on its one-yard line. Hench carried the ball on a line smash. He hit the line with all his power but gained nary an inch. Smith immediately punted out of danger, the little Massillon kicker giving a good exhibition of punting on a muddy field. THE TOUCHDOWN But South was not to be denied. Getting the ball on Massillon’s 31-yard line Aultman began to open up. His first attempt to K. Sweet failed. Then he gave the signal for the triple pass, evidently worked out especially for the Massillon game. Snap, snap went the ball as it passed from the center to Aultman and then to Hench. Hench started out as if he was about to dash around Massillon’s right end. But instead he stopped, wheeled and heaved the ball over the tussling warriors into the waiting arms of Aultman who had dashed down the right side of the field. There was no one between Aultman and the Massillon goal except Captain Vince Define. The Massillon leader nailed Aultman as he reached the line and brought him to earth but the Akron quarterback was over and the game won for Akron.
Between halves both teams shed themselves of as much excess mud soaked rainment as possible. The Massillon backs came out attired in rubber pants while Coach Weltner had all his players remove their stockings, playing in bare legs. Both coaches wanted speed and the only way to get it was to lighten the equipment the players were carrying.
It was late in the third quarter that South made its next threat to score a touchdown. Play had been mostly in midfield until South secured the ball in the middle of the field on a punt. Then once again Aultman opened his aerial attack and heaved a pass to K. Sweet who snatched the water-soaked ball out of the air and ran 42 yards before being dropped on Massillon’s seven-yard line by Smith.
Massillon was then called upon to give another exhibition of gameness as Akron began to hammer away at the line in an effort to drive through for a touchdown. Three plays took the ball up to the one-yard line as the quarter ended. Massillon was giving up ground but not without a terrific battle.
On the first play in the fourth quarter Akron started another line play but the ball slipped out of Hench’s fingers and Dommer shot though and pounced on it on the five-yard line, averting a touchdown. Then came a punt and an intercepted pass by Smith to give Massillon the ball to midfield. Here the orange and black in a last desperate effort to score opened up with passes but after making a first down Kammer fumbled on of Brown’s passes long enough to let K. Sweet intercept. McCoy then slipped around end for 20. A bad break for Massillon came a moment later when Define fumbled Aultman’s punt on his 10-yard line, Akron covering. But once again Massillon was able to stave off the visitors and after four plays had failed Massillon got the ball on its eight-yard line. The rest of the battle was fought out inside Massillon’s 40-yard line with Akron making a drive toward the local goal in the closing minutes when Arnette and Hench in two plays carried the ball from midfield to Massillon’s 10-yard line. But South was stopped on the three-yard line as the game ended. ********** Every available inch of seating space and all the standing room around Massillon Field was filled Saturday with spectators. Akron said it was going to send at least 1,000 to the game and from all appearances it did. The Akron South high band was on hand. The visiting rooters had a section on the east side of the field. The contest attracted one of the largest crowds in the history of scholastic athletics. ********** Nothing can be said for the condition of the field. It was a mass of mud and water which was soon churned into a sloppy mess after the first few plays. The contesting warriors were hardly distinguishable after the first few downs. ********** Massillon Field is not equipped with any underground drainage on the playing sector but it has a good base of gravel and sand which affords good drainage. The water which collected on the top of the field was surface water and probably would not have been carried away by underground tile. The surface was soft and slippery but the base was firm and the players did not sink very deep. Sad But True Massillon – 0 Pos. Akron South – 7 Gump LE Hirsman N. Harris LT Douglas Crone LG Stahl Price C Meidert Kelly RG Ports W. Harris RT N. Sweet Thomas RE K. Sweet Smith QB Aultman Kammer LHB M. Kroah Laughlin RHB Arnette Halpin FB Hench
Score by quarters: Akron South 0 7 0 0 7
Substitutions: Massillon – Define for Halpin, McConnell for Laughlin, Storrie for N. Harris, Brown for Smith, Smith for Define, Halpin for McConnell, Dommer for Crone, Storrie for Gump, Define for Halpin, Agler for Storrie, Storrie for Dommer, McConnell for Smith.
Akron – Sirela for H. Sweet, Popeka for Stahl, McCoy for M, Kroah.
Touchdown – Aultman.
Points after touchdown – Aultman.
Referee – Shafer, Akron. Umpire – Kester, Mount Union. Head Linesman – Bast, Massillon.
HIGH GRIDDERS, ON RAMPAGE, BURY ZANESVILLE; 48 – 0 Uncover Spectacular Aerial Offensive To Wallop Downstaters
Riddling their opponents with knife like thrusts through the line, speedy dashes around the ends and uncorking as brilliant and deadly an aerial attack as any high school team has shown in years, the orange and black pigskin chasers of Washington high school last Saturday afternoon buried the Zanesville high team under a 48 to 0 score on Massillon Field, registering their second successive victory of the 1925 campaign. The Muskingham county aggregation never had a chance.
The downstaters fought hard but they were completely out-classed, Coach David B. Stewart’s victory-hunting warriors simply mopped up the gridiron with their Zanesville opponents and then sending them back home to recover from one of the worst defeats ever inflicted upon the downstate school. The local team, slow to get started because of numerous penalties in the first half, reached the peak of its attack in the second half and from then on did about as it pleased.
It was a smooth working outfit which Coach Stewart presented Saturday. In the opening game with Akron East a week ago the orange and black looked a bit ragged but not so Saturday. In the Zanesville encounter the team stepped along like a well oiled machine, seldom failing to carry through to a successful conclusion any drive it started.
Seven touchdowns were rolled up by the Massillon gridders during the course of the afternoon’s melee. Three of these were hung up by Kammer, the line cracking fiend, two by Laughlin and one each by Halpin and Brown. Zanesville never once threatened the Massillon goal line. In fact it never got inside Massillon’s 40 yard line.
Only two first downs were credited to the visitors. One of these came through a 12-yard forward pass. The other resulted from a 15-yard penalty inflicted on Massillon. Coach Stewart’s warriors ripped and passed their way through the Zanesville team for 20 first downs. GREAT AERIAL ATTACK Everyone expected the local team to be able to gain a lot of ground on straight football but few looked for the orange and black to come through with such a well drilled and brilliant aerial attack. The local team worked seven out of 13 passes for a total gain of 123 yards. Five of its passes failed and Zanesville intercepted one. The visitors tried 18 passes, working but two for a total gain of 20 yards. Thirteen of their attempts failed while Massillon intercepted two.
It was Captain Vince Define and Paul Brown who successfully engineered the starting of the forward passing attack. Both showed great accuracy in heaving the ball into the arms of their teammates, although they have radically different systems for passing. Define is the type of passer who gets a lot of distance into his heaves, most of his passes traveling from 15 to 30 yards. Brown on the other hand, just takes the ball and flips it five or 10 yards into the waiting arms of a teammate. But both are cool, heady players, not the least bit inclined to get flustered and the type of performers who never shoot their passes until they see a man out in the open.
With these two lads continuing to direct the aerial attack with the same efficiency they displayed Saturday. Coach Stewart’s team is going to be mighty hard to stop. But not all the credit for the brilliant passing exhibition goes to Define and Brown. They did their part and did it well but credit also must be given to the lads on the receiving end, some great catches being made by Laughlin, Gump McConnell and Smith. Laughlin in particular made a beautiful catch of one of Define’s 30 yard heaves in the third quarter and it brought a touchdown, Laughlin plucking the ball out of the air just as he crossed the goal line, when it seemed that the ball would fall to the ground untouched. PLAYERS PERFORM WELL From the way the local team played Saturday it would be mighty hard to pick out an individual star. Coach Stewart used many players and they all performed well. The line completely outplayed Zanesvilles forward wall, never once being dented by the Zanesville backs for any substantial gains and opening big holes for the Massillon backs to play through. The Massillon backfield men all showed up well. Halpin probably showed the most improvement. This tall, rangy youth is coming along fast and is going to be heard from more than once before the season closes. Laughlin also looked much better than a week ago. The veterans – Devine, Kammer, Smith and Brown – played their customary good games. They have already proved their worth.
Zanesville showed only one out-standing performer. He was Bynum, a flashy Negro halfback, who was the most consistent gainer for the visitors.
He is fast and hard to stop but with the balance of his team so completely outclassed it was hard for him to do much. He was forced out of the game in the third quarter with an injury and with him gone Zanesville’s attack was a complete flop. SLOW FIRST HALF The battle started with Massillon receiving. The orange and black carried the ball up the field on steady line bucks to the 30-yard line. Then a series of penalties robbed the team of a chance to score. But after an exchange of punts Zanesville fumbled on its 31-yard line and Kammer pounced on the ball. Then on the next play he smashed through right tackle and dashed 31 yards for the first touchdown. Halpin kicked goal.
That was all the scoring in the first quarter but hear the middle of the second period Define carried a Zanesville punt back to the visitors’ 40-yard line. Then followed a 15-yard penalty on Zanesville and a 15-yard dash by Define around right end, taking the ball within the 20-yard line. Halpin inserted himself into the Zanesville line and gained three. Kammer bucked again and the ball was on the forward line. Then Define toted it to within inches of the goal line and on the next play Kammer went over. McConnell drop kicked for the extra point.
It was shortly after that Zanesville displayed its only real offensive thrust of the game when Bynum heaved a pass to Farmer for 12 yards and the visitors’ first first down. Another pass gave them eight more but they lost the ball on downs on Massillon’s 40-yard line. Define tore off 25 yards around right end and then heaved a 15-yard pass to Brown but the whistle halted hostilities, the half ending with Massillon leading 14 to 0. LAUGHLIN’S GREAT CATCH Things started off with a rush at the start of the third quarter and before the fans got settled Massillon had a touchdown, the result of a beautiful Define-Laughlin pass. Massillon received and Kammer went around end on the first play for 20 yards. Define, Laughlin and Kammer negotiated a first down in three plays and then Define grabbed the ball for a pass. The Massillon leader looked his field over well and then leaping into the air shot the ball down the field 30 yards to Laughlin who made a wonderful catch on the goal line and stepped over for the third touchdown. Price kicked goal.
That was the signal for quite a lot of Massillon scoring. Getting the ball in midfield on a punt, Define once more uncorked his aerial attack, this time heaving a 30-yard pass to Fritz.Gump who plucked the ball out of the air with educated fingers and was downed on Zanesville’s 17-yard line. Then Bullet Kammer was called on again and once more he delivered skirting Zanesville’s left end for 17 yards and the fourth touchdown. Price again kicked goal.
Another touchdown was to come before the quarter ended. Zanesville punted out on its 46-yard line. Halpin rammed through for 16 yards and on the next play made nine. Define made it a first down, taking the ball to the six-yard line. He made two on his next attempt and then Laughlin tucked the ball under his arm and went through for the fifth set of counters. Halpin kicked goal.
By this time Zanesville was desperate and ready to try anything and they opened the fourth quarter with a barrage of forward passes but none of them worked. Massillon finally came in possession of the ball on Zanesville’s 11-yard line and Define and Halpin carried it to the two-yard line from where Brown bucked it over. Halpin’s attempt to kick goal was blocked. BROWN FLIPS PASSES It was then that Brown began his forward passing attack. Halpin intercepted a Zanesville pass on the visitors’ 38-yard line and carried it back to the 29-yard marker. Brown flipped a pass to McConnell for nine and Halpin made a first down. Halpin made five on the next buck and then Brown tossed another pass to McConnell, this one being good for 11 and planting the ball on the three-yard line. McConnell bucked for two and Halpin went over. Halpin also kicked goal, bringing the Massillon total up to 48.
The orange and black was well on its way to another touchdown when the whistle blew, the ball being held for downs. Zanesville punted to Brown who was downed on his 30-yard line. Brown immediately flipped a pass to Fulton for nine and then Williams, who had just cantered into the tussle, ripped off two gains of 13 yards each on dashes around left end. Then came another first down on three line plays, the ball being on the 20-yard line. Brown called his forward passing machine into action and tossed to Williams for nine.
Two bucks carried the ball to the four-yard line as the game ended.
Besides showing general all around improvement in both their offense and defense the orange and black also showed that a week’s practice had done wonders to develop place kickers. In the first game the local team did not make a point after touchdown but Saturday it missed only one in seven attempts. Halpin, Price and McConnell showing up well in this department. Real Football Massillon – 48 Pos. Zanesville – 0 Fulton LE Atha W. Harris LT Watson Singer LG Jones Fricker C Sheridan Tipton RG Price W. Harris RT Williams Thomas RE Lowe Smith QB Bynum Halpin LHB Schultz Kammer RHB Farmer Laughlin FB W. Smith
Score by quarters: Massillon 7 7 21 13 48
Substitutions: Massillon – Crone for Tipton, Gump for Fulton, Define for Laughlin, McConnell for Halpin, Storrie for N. Harris, Dommer for W. Harris, Brown for P. Smith, Hummell for Kammer, Agler for Thomas, Price for Fricker, Laughlin for McConnell, Thomas for Agler, Kammer for Hummell, Smith for Brown, W. Harris for Dommer, Halpin for Kammer, Spuhler for Laughlin, Brown for Smith, Kelly for Washlick, Agler for Thomas, McConnell for Define, Dommer for Kelly, Williams for Spuhler, Spencer for Crone, Herbst for Gump, Fulton for Agler.
Zanesville – Batman for Sheridan, Morton for Watson, K. Sheridan for Farmer, Hinley for Williams, Maxwell for Jones, Botan for Atha, Allen for Lowe, Jones for Watson, Roberts for K. Sheridan, Hinley for Jones, Bynum for Schultz.
Touchdowns – Kammer 3, Laughlin 2, Brown, Halpin.
Points after touchdown – Halpin 3, Price 2, McConnell.
History 
In 1938, construction of the present football facility got underway. It came about as a result of the demand for tickets on account of the success that Paul Brown achieved as he developed his storied program. The stadium was partially funded by the federal government’s Works Project Administration (WPA), which was designed to create meaningful jobs during the depression era of the 1930s at a total cost of $246,000. Originally named “Tiger Stadium,” it was renamed in 1976 as “Paul Brown Tiger Stadium” in honor of Brown, who later coached Ohio State and the professional Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals.
e