Tag: <span>Niles McKinley</span>

Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

1970: Massillon 22, Niles McKinley 3

‘Tiger Pride’: Oh, how sweet it is!

By CHUCK HESS, JR.
Independent Sports Editor

You don’t hear much from senior first-year tackle Manny Turley, but this time he said a mouthful!

“We played the second half on ‘Tiger Pride!’” he said, as he and his fellow gridders boarded buses for the return trip to Massillon Saturday night
* * *
COACH BOB Commings had a different description, “Courageous,” for his charges’ play in their comeback 22-3 All-American conference victory before a near capacity crowd of 14,500 at newly remodeled Niles Riverside stadium.

Program Cover

The Tigers, (4-0) share first place in the AAC with Canton McKinley after handing Niles its first loss in four outings.

Commings added, “We got over a big hurdle! It was a great team effort!”

It all amounts to the same thing. The Tigers appear to be back in business, playing tough in the clutch – a trademark of Washington high teams down through the years, but not consistently there during the last few seasons.

Another echo of the past was the Tigers’ taking advantage of Niles’ second half mistakes to score.

“When you give the ball to a good team, you’ll lose,” Niles Coach Bob Shaw commented.
* * *
THESE ARE the marks of a state champion. These are the things which will put the Orangemen back in the Ohio throne room after a five-yard absence. But the Tigers must continue to play this way for the remaining six games which start Friday when Toledo Whitmer begins a three-game home stand.

The WHSers had some real adversity as All-Ohio hopeful Mike Mauger banged an ankle with about six minutes left in the first period and didn’t return until about the 7:05 mark of the second stanza. Even then the senior tailback’s running was not right and didn’t look good until trainer Mike Internicola removed tape from Mauger’s ankle at halftime and replaced it with elastic bandage. The tape had been putting pressure on Mike’s ankle.

For awhile, Niles had “The Mailman’s” special deliveries pretty well stopped, but when the Tigers resorted to their pitchout game instead of their off tackle maneuvers, in the fourth quarter, things got back to normal. Mauger had a slight limp after the contest.
“Mike came back and played on shear guts,” Commings said. Mauger picked up 138 net yards in 18 carries. However, the AAC’s leading rusher and scorer crossed the goal line only once.

Senior quarterback Dennis Franklin scored two touchdowns and had another called back. Senior wingback Larry Harper, playing in his first contest since fracturing a collarbone a week before the opener, caught a Franklin pass for another.
* * *
FRANKLIN PICKED up valuable yardage on the bootleg play which Commings said “helped bail us out.” His 37 yards in 11 carries, added to Co-Captain and senior fullback Tom Cardinal’s 48 in 14 helped keep the WHS attack going at critical times.

But the Tigers were in trouble in the first half due to a tailback shortage. Fourth-string junior Rick Weise was inserted for Mauger.

The No. 2 man, junior Larry McLenndon, was not in uniform because of disciplinary problem. Junior Hank Nussbaumer, just back after a knee injury suffered the second day of practice, could be used only defensively.

The scope of the Tigers’ second half bounce back can be seen by the fact that they picked up 168 total net yards after the intermission, compared to 80 before and added 13 first downs to three.

Meanwhile, the Massillon “Attack Pack” held the Red Dragons to 23 net yards in the second half compared to 109 during the first 24 minutes. Niles managed only six net rushing yards in the last half, compared to 66 and two first downs to six in the first half.
* * *
“WE JUST made mistakes that will kill you,” Shaw said. “Our offense has been inconsistent all season. We felt Mauger’s off tackle runs were the play we had to take away to have a chance, but he came back and ran well. They hurt us around the ends.”

The Tigers made some mistakes, too, losing three TD opportunities in the first period. Mauger broke off a 45-yard run on pitchout on the third play with safety Jim Stringer’s tackle saving a TD, but a holding penalty and a pass interception by safety John James on succeeding plays stopped the threat.

The Orangemen ran out of downs on Niles’ 16-yrd line just after Mauger was injured.

End Bob Stephan recovered tailback Jim Stringer’s fumble on the Niles 13, but James intercepted another pass on the one after a clipping penalty had nullified Franklin’s bootleg TD. It was James’ fifth steal of the season, Saturday night’s two coming on overthrows.

As the second period was coming to an end, Niles drove 63 yards, had a player line up offside on a second down TD run and guard Jerry Masciangelo kicked a 25-yard field goal, the first ever that anyone can remember in a Dragon game. Four seconds remained.

Fullback Joe Lucariello fumbled the second half kickoff. Pete Jasinski, who played his first game as middle guard well as a sub for McLenndon, recovered for the Tigers on the Dragon 30. Massillon scored in seven plays with Franklin sneaking over from the one on third down with 8:25 left. Mauger blasted off right tackle for two more points.
* * *
A 64-YARD drive after “The Attack Pack” held on the WHS 36 early in the fourth quarter netted the Tigers’ second TD after 11 plays. Mauger carried the mail six times behind sharp blocking by “The Iron Curtain,” as the Orangemen got the benefit of a personal foul call.

Franklin sneaked over from the two on second down with 6:28 remaining. “The Menace” was short on the conversion run.

“The Attack Pack” held again – on the Niles’ 48. Eight plays later, following a 30-yard run by Mauger, Franklin found Harper on the one from the 12 on first down and “The Scooter’s” great second effort brought the pigskin home with 28 seconds remaining. Junior split end Willie Spencer made a great catch in the middle of the end zone light up the final points.

MASSILLON – 22
Ends – S. Luke, Spencer, Stephan, Perry.
Tackles – Strobel, Ridgley, Weirich, Heat.
Guards – Kulik, Jasinski, Sims, J. Nussbaumer, Groff.
Center – Studer.
Quarterbacks – Franklin.
Halfbacks – Harper, Mauger, B. Luke, Weise, H. Nussbaumer, Sullivan, Wonsick, Thompson.
Fullbacks – Cardinal, Fletcher.

NILES – 3
Ends – Cranston, Lewis, Williams, Collings, Glowacky.
Tackles – Sipusic, Shehy, DeMast, Boyle.
Guards – DeChristofaro, Mahoney, Cajcco, Masciangelo.
Centers – Schuller, Augusta, Wilson.
Quarterbacks – Ciminero, Andrews.
Halfbacks – Stringer, James, Ciletti, Simeone.
Fullbacks – Mones, Lucariello,

MASSILLON 0 0 8 14 22
NILES 0 3 0 0 3

SCORING
N – Masciangelo (25-yard field goal);
M – Franklin, 1 run (Mauger run);
M – Franklin, 2 run (run failed);
M – Harper, 11-yard pass-run from Franklin (pass Franklin to Spencer).

THE GRIDSTICK
M N
First downs – rushing 14 5
First downs – passing 1 2
First downs – penalties 1 1
Total first downs 16 8
Yards gained rushing 253 99
Yards lost rushing 16 27
Net yards gained rushing 237 72
Net yards gained passing 13 60
Total yards gained 240 132
Passes completed 1-7 5-15
Passes intercepted by 0 2
Yardage on passes intercepted 0 5
Kickoff average (yards) 4-49.3 3-35.0
Kickoff returns (yards) 25 91
Punt average (yards) 4-38.0 5-38.0
Punt returns (yards) 18 19
Had punts blocked 0 0
Lost fumbled ball 0-2 2-2
Yards penalized 6-70 5-45
Touchdowns – rushing 2 0
Touchdowns – passing 1 0
Touchdowns by interception 0 0
Total number of plays (unreadable)

OFFICIALS
Referee – James Keffer.
Umpire – Bob Bodner.
Linesman – Fred Vicarel.
Field Judge – Larry Glass.

Tigers lose No. 1 ranking
to Bears

By the Associated Press

A familiar name crept back into the first place spot in the Class AAA standings in this week’s Associated Press high school football poll.

The Golden Bears of Upper Arlington, in second position since the first poll of the year, moved ahead of Massillon by ten points – 192-182 – to claim the top spot.

UPPER ARLINGTON 4-0-0 sailed past Portsmouth 27-0 Friday night, while Massillon
4-0-0 topped Niles McKinley 22-3 Saturday.

CLASS AAA
School W. L. T. Pts.
1. Upper Arlington 4 0 0 192
2. Massillon 4 0 0 182
3. Canton McKinley 4 0 0 150
4. Sandusky 4 0 0 134
5. Columbus Eastmoor 4 0 0 95
6. Lancaster 3 0 1 68
7. Niles McKinley 3 1 0 44
8. Akron Garfield 4 0 0 40
9. Cincinnati Moeller 3 1 0 39
10. Cincinnati St. Xavier 3 1 0 37

Other Schools receiving 10 or more votes: Warren Western Reserve; Marion Harding; Delaware Hayes; Findlay; Elyria; Beavercreek; Sidney; Lima Shawnee; Canton Central; Walsh; Cuyahoga Falls; Hamilton Baden’; Cleveland Shaw; Wintersville.

Steve Luke
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

1968: Massillon 16, Niles McKinley 8

TIGERS EYE 3rd SPOT IN POLL

By CHUCK HESS, JR.

Tuesday’s Associated Press gridiron poll should have some good news in it for the Massillon Tigers – a third place ranking.

The 13,000 who saw the Washington high eleven Saturday night rip apart Niles McKinley’s “Thunder Defense” with a powerful running attack and stymie a previously powerful offense would agree that a poll change was inevitable.
* * *
THE TIGERS – fourth ranked last week – should take over Niles’ third spot thanks to their 16-8 upset victory at the Dragon’s Riverside stadium. Niles had been undefeated in four games while Massillon had lost one.

Program Cover

The victory gave the defending champion Orange and black undisputed possession of first place in the All-American conference with a 2-0 mark. The Dragons are 1-1.

Niles hadn’t lost at home since 1959 – a stretch of 63 straight games. The Dragons had been averaging about 32 points per game and had allowed only one touchdown.

Massillon blasted out 231 net yards on the ground with four backs amassing over 40 yards apiece. Quarterback Marc Malinowski led with 82 yards, 70 on one run.

“Both of our fullbacks did a good job,” Seaman said. “Niles ignored them because they hadn’t been used much previously.”
* * *
THE BESPECTACLED Autrey and Streeter had good off-tackle holes through which to run. The left-side slant seemed to be Niles’ Achilles heel. It was here that Mike James,
Co-Captain George Whitfield and Ernie McGeorge did their blocking.

“They split an end out and pulled us outside,” Dragons Coach Fred Conti explained. “We shut off a bit in the second half but then they ran Smith in there and ran that sweep at us.”

Because Smith and the two fullbacks were able to run so well, it made Malinowski more dangerous off the fake. He also did some outstanding punting to keep Niles in the hole.

His out-of-bounds boot on the Dragons’ five-yard line midway in the fourth quarter when the Tigers bogged down on the Niles, 29, about clinched the upset because the Dragons had to kick from their end zone minutes later.

Seaman had said that the Orange and Black would win if there were no big errors. There was one – a first quarter motion penalty from the half-yard line which prevented the Tigers from scoring a touchdown.

* * *

BUT THE TIGERS forced the Dragons into five fumbles, picking up four – one in each quarter. The recoveries, in order, were by Dave Couto on the Massillon 24, Bill Dorman on the Tigers 37, Chuck Stoner on the Niles 46, and Gary Gamble on the Dragons’ 28.

After Couto’s recovery, Malinowski broke off his 70 yard run to the four where two of the fastest Dragons – Bob Henry and Rick Gales – brought him down. This was the series which was blunted by the motion penalty.

Massillon drove 64 yards following a second quarter punt for its first score. The key play was a 20-yard pass-run combination from Malinowski to tight end Tom Engler on third and 12. Streeter ran for 10 more and Smith ploughed through right tackle – from the four with 6:48 remaining.

Streeter converted on a pitchout to the left.

The other Washington high score came with 8:23 left in the last stanza after Niles failed to get further than its eight following a Malinowski put to the four. The Tigers moved in from the Niles 49 with Autrey’s 29-yard, off-tackle jaunt to the 20 setting up the six-pointer.

Smith scored over right tackle from four yards away and repeated the procedure for the conversion.
* * *
NILES’ TALLY came after a third quarter punt and Gales 20-yard runback to the Massillon 39. Gales threw a halfback pss off the pitch-out to end Randy Hardy on the eight. Two plays later Gales took a pitch-out and raced around end with 6:49 left, for the score.

Gales passed to end John DeCamp in the right corner of the end zone for the conversion.

Another Niles threat came about when Gales broke loose down the sideline from the Massillon 47 in the first quarter but was tripped up by Co-Captain Larry Shumar on about the 30 and knocked out of bounds by Chuck Stoner on the 24. Then came Conte’s recovery.

After the Dragons brought a Massillon 42-yard drive to a halt on the one with 1:53 in the game, quarterback Scott Conway tossed to Gales on the 20. Shumar intercepted, was hit immediately, fumbled and Gales recovered on the 25.

Conway lofted a desperation bomb, McDew intercepted on the Massillon 38 to end the game.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHHING
Massillon
Player Att. Net. Ave.
Malinowski 13 88 6.8
Streeter 11 44 4.0
McDew 5 9 1.8
Smith 20 51 2.6
M. Autrey 4 45 11.3

Niles
Player Att. Net. Ave.
S. Conway 11 36 3.3
Henry 12 54 4.5
L. Tabor 10 65 6.5

MASSILLON – 16
Ends – Engler, James, Cline, Dorman, Conley.
Tackles – Laase, McGeorge, Harris, Midgley, Doll.
Guards – Whitfield, Harig, Couto, Indorf, Arnott.
Center – Cocklin.
Quarterbacks – Malinowski, Fromholtz, Lombardi.
Halfbacks – McDew, Smith, Shumar, K. Autrey, Gamble,
Miller, Stoner, Hodgson, Sheaters, McLin.
Fullbacks – M. Autrey, Streeter, Johnson.

NILES – 8
Ends – Hardy, DeCamp, DeMont, N. Gatta, Joseph, J. Tabor.
Tackles – R. Santangelo, R. Sypert, Calderone, Rogers.
Gaurds – Joseph, D. Sypert, Hammel, Baragona.
Centers – Gaul, Rose.
Quarterbacks – S. and M. Conway, Fusco.
Halfbacks – Henry, D. Gatta, Gales, Pallante.
Fullbacks – L. Tabor, J. Santangelo.

Massillon 0 8 0 8 – 16
Niles 0 0 8 0 – 8

Touchdowns:
Massillon – Smith 2 (r-yard runs).
Niles – Gales (5-yard run).

Extra points:
Massillon – Streeter 2 (runs); Smith 2 (runs)
Niles – DeCamp (pass from Gales).

OFFICIALS
Referee – Ted Humphrey.
Umpire – Bob Bodnar.
Head Linesman – Paul Hoskins.
Field Judge – Tom Ascar.

AAC STANDINGS
Rec. Ovl. Pts. Opp.
MASSILLON 2-0 4-1 123 68
Niles 1-1 4-1 103 22
McKinley 1-1 4-1 91 29
Warren 1-2 3-2 100 40
Alliance 0-1 2-3 80 80
Steubenville 0-1 4-1 104 50

THE GRIDSTICK
Mass. Niles
First downs –rushing 14 7
First downs – passing 1 2
Total first downs 15 9
Yards gained rushing 252 135
Yards lost rushing 21 11
Net yards gained rushing 231 124
Net yards gained passing 23 34
Total yards gained 254 158
Passes attempted 2-5 2-9
Passes intercepted by 2 1
Kickoff average (yards) 3—46 2-31
Kickoff returns (yards) 18 23
Punt average (yards) 4-27.7 4-41.2
Punt return (yards) 39 19
Fumbles, lost 1-1 4-5
Penalties 5 1
Yards penalized 33 5
Touchdowns rushing 2 1
Total number of plays 61 52

George Whitfield
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

1967: Massillon 14, Niles McKinley 6

Tigers Gain Revenge, Incentive
Obies Rap Niles 14-6

By CHUCK HESS, JR.

If there ever was an example of good, hard basic football, it was played before 17,287 fans Friday night at Tiger stadium. Massillon and Niles McKinley spent 48 excruciating minutes banging away at each other on the ground with sheer brute force.

By the time the Tigers had won 14-6, the season’s largest crowd walked away with praise for both teams and the feeling that a horde of Draculas had been working on them.

In beating the Red Dragons, the Bengals got over a big hurdle and perhaps gained a big push for the last half of the season, wherein the Tigers will have to go against “5 of the toughest football teams any high school in the country will have to face, including 4 undefeated teams and 3 in the top 10 in the state,” as Coach Bob Seaman put it.
* * *

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THE VICTORY gave the Bengals revenge for a 20-12 defeat last year at Niles and a 1-0 record in the tough All-American Football conference. The Orange and Black are tied with Steubenville, also 1-0, for second place one-half game behind Canton McKinley (2-0).

Warren and Niles are both 0-2 with Niles’ overall record 3-2 under rookie Coach Fred Conti.

Massillon, undefeated in 5 games, has now won one more than in all of last season. The game ended a 5-game home stand for the Obiemen who will travel to Altoona, Pa., for a game against the Mountain Lions (4-0) who are idle this week.

Niles beat the Bengals in the statistical department but not on the scoreboard as the Bengals had it in the clutch, calling on that great Tiger tradition as they have so many times in the past.

“We beat a very good football team with a fine backfield tonight,” Seaman said, “we won a helluva lot of games on statistics last year, but not on the scoreboard. This time we won where it counted.”
* * *

CONTI, by no means dejected in defeat, said, “A couple of breaks killed us. I’m real proud of these boys. They’re a young bunch but we fought them down to the wire.”

He added, “We have only one regular returning back. When your team gives a performance like ours did in Tiger stadium, you’ve got to be proud. Massillon has a good team, but we did everything but beat them, gave them everything they wanted.”
The key to the Tigers’ success was a shift in thinking at halftime.

“We ran outside the first half but couldn’t break away,” Seaman explained. “We came back and played football in the second half, running at them. We brought Mark McDew back into the formation.”

Marvelous Mark, junior right half or wingback, ran only once in the first half, picking up 5 yards, but carried 10 times in the second, netting 42 yards and a touchdown, while running to the right where his ability is at its best.
* * *

QUARTERBACK Trevor Young did some good work on the keeper to pick up key yardage. Tailback Jim Smith did his usual bull-like job from the tailback slot with the aid of some good holes.

On the other side, junior fullback Lou Tabor, senior halfback Roger Jones led the way behind some fine blocking.

The Tigers mounted the first offensive, a 26-yard first quarter affair which ended when senior halfback Joe Gayonski intercepted a Young-to-McDew sky shot from the Dragons’ 34 on second down. Gayonski landed in the end zone for a touchback.

Niles got going in the second period, moving 71 yards to the Tigers 7 before fumbling with Russ Fenton, Bengal end, diving on the ball at the 20. Tabor combined 14 and 15-yard runs with 2 personal foul penalties to spearhead the drive.

The Bengals monopolized play for almost the entire first half of the third quarter, taking the kickoff and moving 71 yards with the help of a 23-yard jaunt by Smith, a 10-yard run by McDew and an 8-yarder by Reggie Moore but lost the ball on downs at the Niles 26.
* * *

TWO PLAYS LATER, tackle Tom Houser batted a pass into a fly ball. Moore intercepted and the Obiemen had a first down on the 26. After Young had scampered 13 yards for a first down on the 12, Smith cut back against the grain off left tackle for a touchdown with 5:02 left. Moore dove over right tackle for an 8-0 lead.

Then it was the Dragons’ turn roaring back 74 yards with Jones, Tabor and Gayonski taking turns blasting away at the Tigers’ line. Gayonski’s 21-yard runback started the trouble while Jones added to the Bengals’ misery with a 14-yard run for a first down at the Massillon 40.

Gayonski finished things by catching a 9-yard fourth down pass from quarterback Lou Lukz on the one and falling into the end zone with 9:50 showing on the clock in the fourth quarter. McDew intercepted a pass intended for John Ziegler to thwart the conversion try.

The Obiemen then drove 55 yards in short bursts with McDew and Young toting the pigskin and getting a personal foul penalty thrown in. Smith picked up a key first down on the 25 by vaulting over a steep pile in the middle of the line. McDew ran around end for 18 yards to the one and then off right tackle for the score with 5:17 left.

Young tried to run for 2 more points but failed to skirt the right end.
Houser uncorked a 60-yard punt into the end zone for a touchback with 1:49 seconds left to cap a good night of kicking by himself and Moore but Niles still wasn’t through. With Ziegler switching to quarterback and doing some fancy running in bursts of 11 and
15 yards and Tabor adding 14, the Dragons had second and 13 from the Tigers’ 41.

But Young, inserted at safety, picked off a pass at the Bengals’ 10 and ran back 19 yards as the game was about to end.

NILES – 6
Ends – Ziegler, Joseph, Campbell, Kay, Reigle.
Tackles – Goodhart, Limongi, Klenoviv, Bohach.
Guards – R. Salerno, J. Salerno, Sypert.
Centers – Gaut, Pappada.
Quarterbacks – Lukz, Gales.
Halfbacks – Gayonski, Henry, Lucariello, Jones.
Fullbacks – Tabor, J. Sartiangelo.

MASSILLON – 14
Ends – Houser, Dampier, Richards, Robinson, Spencer.
Tackles – Snowball, Ricker, Laase.
Guards – Ertle, D. Gipp, Doll, Whitfield.
Centers – B. Moore, Skelton.
Quarterbacks – Young, Malinowski, Shumar.
Halfbacks – Smith, Fenton, McDew, Autrey.
Fullbacks – R. Moore, Simon.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING
Massillon
Player Att. Net. Ave.
Smith 17 84 5.1
Young 10 45 4.5
McDew 11 42 3.9

Niles
Player Att. Net. Ave.
Tabor 18 67 3.7
Jones 15 69 4.6
Gayonski 8 36 4.5
Ziegler 8 30 3.8

Niles 0 0 0 6 6
Massillon 0 0 8 6 14

Touchdowns:
Massillon – Smith (12-yard run); McDew (one-yard run).
Niles – Gayonski (10-yard pass-run from Lukz).

Extra points: Massillon – Moore 2 (run).

THE GRIDSTICK
Massillon Niles
First downs – rushing 11 12
First downs – passing 0 1
First downs – penalties 1 1
Total first downs 12 14
Yards gained rushing 197 238
Yards lost rushing 14 26
Net yards gained rushing 183 212
Net yards gained passing -2 21
Total yards gained 181 233
Passes completed 1-3 2-7
Passes intercepted by 2 1
Yardage on passes intercepted 26 0
Kickoff average (yards) 3-56.0 2-40.0
Kickoff returns (yards) 5 35
Punt average (yards) 4-39.0 4-33.8
Punt return (yards) 20 0
Had punts blocked 0 0
Fumbles 2 2
Lost fumbled ball 0 1
Penalties yards 3-27 2-20
Touchdowns rushing 2 0
Touchdowns passing 0 1
Touchdowns by interception 0 0
Miscellaneous 0 0
Total number of plays 49 60

OFFICIALS
Referee – George Ellis.
Umpire – Harold Rolph.
Head Linesman – Jack McLain.
Field Judge – Chet Destefano.
Back Judge – Russ Kemper.

Ron Ertle
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

1966: Massillon 12, Niles McKinley 20

Tigers’ 32-Game Streak Ends

By CHUCK HESS, JR.

As the sense of feeling returns when the dentist’s shot of Novocain wears off, so the numbness in Tigertown has subsided today. Players and fans are back to reality.

The 32-game unbeaten streak is gone. Any chance for a third straight gridiron title has been considerably dimmed. So have chances for a fourth straight All-American High School league title.
* * *

Program Cover

TIGER GRIDDERS have started their preparation for this Saturday’s invasion by Altoona, Pa., knowing that despite a last quarter breakdown which cost them a 20-12 loss at Niles Saturday night, they played some excellent defensive football. The Bengals also know the REAL Tiger fans are still solidly behind them as they “Carry on for Massillon.”

There is still a lot of football left in 1966. The Washington high eleven still must uphold the honor of Ohio football against Altoona, still has a chance to play spoiler for such
still-undefeated teams as Upper Arlington and Steubenville.

As Coach Bob Seaman put it, “We lost the game but we didn’t deserve to get beat. Massillon is still the No. 1 team as far as I’m concerned. I wouldn’t want to be the next team to play Massillon.”

The game boiled down to a case of some breaks, some poor officiating mechanics and some short-comings on the part of the Tigers. With the season half over, it has become painfully apparent that the Bengal offense is not getting the job done, thereby putting added pressure on the defense. The Tiger defensive secondary is also having its troubles – with pass coverage.

The Niles McKinley Red Dragons took a page out of the Tigers’ comeback Saturday night before a capacity crowd of 12,500 at Riverside stadium. The Dragons must be given-credit for being a great team to execute the type of comeback they did.
* * *

THERE IS some question as to whether they actually won the game. Junior end John Ziegler made a desperation diving catch of senior quarterback Bob Leonard’s 34-yard down-the-middle pass at the goal line with 38 seconds left.

No official was near the play at the time. From the pressbox, it looked like the catch had been made, but several Tiger players charged field judge John Holzback, hotly debating his ruling of a touchdown.

Niles had taken over the ball on its 31 with 1:36 left. Two passes to Ziegler and an option pitch, which had given the Tigers trouble throughout the night, set up the winning play.

About 5 minutes earlier it had appeared the Obiemen were about to break a 7-year unbeaten home streak for Niles with a 12-0 victory.

Senior linebacker Will Foster and junior halfback Trevor Young had brought Niles senior halfback Martin Henry down on the Massillon one on fourth down after a 53-yard Dragon drive.

But disaster struck with first down on the 12. Tiger Foster fumbled and Niles defensive end Pat Ryan recovered. Leonard passed to senior end Dick Clapp at the goal post with 4:50 remaining. Senior end Lance Cullembine couldn’t catch Leonard’s pass on the conversion attempt.
* * *

NILES EXECUTED a perfect onside kick as Leonard booted instead of Clapp. Junior halfback Larry Trimbitas grabbed the ball out of the air on the Massillon 42.

Four plays later – after good runs off the option pitch and a handoff by Henry and senior halfback Bruce Simeone, senior fullback Gary Bletsch took another option pitch on first and 9 and went in around the left side with 3:48 showing on the clock. Ron Hallock, a senior reserve fullback, failed to convert on another pitch.

The Tigers could get no further than their 39 on the next series. Harley Dickinson punted out and then came the fateful Niles TD drive followed by Leonard’s keeper conversion.

Massillon got another chance on the kickoff but got no further than its 40 as the clock ran out while Bengal players tried frantically to call timeout with 7 seconds left and fans beginning to stream on to the field. The gridiron was the scene of a wild Niles victory celebration at the conclusion of the contest.

It is unfortunate that the Tigers couldn’t have capitalized on all of their 3-fumble recoveries in the first period. Sherrett picked one up on the Niles 20. Junior linebacker Ron Ertle got another on the 19 after which Foster capped a 9-play drive, going in over center on fourth and one but the Bengals were in motion and ran out of downs. Senior quarterback Craig Maurer set up the hoped for TD with a 10-yard pass to Sherrett on the right sideline.
* * *

SENIOR co-captain and “monster” back Ron Muhlbach got another Niles fumble on the 8. On the second play following, Foster went through the middle from the one after taking the ball to the one on a pitch right on first down. There was 1:27 left in the quarter as Maurer was unable to hit tight end Tom Liggett in the left corner of the end zone on the conversion attempt.

The Tigers didn’t get any further than their 31 until the third period when they punted from the Niles 35 on fourth down. Senior guard Greg Russell downed the ball on the Niles 2. Three plays later a Niles punt rolled dead on the Dragons’ 38.

Foster broke through the right side on first down, taking several would-be tacklers with him as he finally got in for the touchdown. Big Will, rapidly becoming one of Massillon’s all-time great backs, missed through the center on the conversion but his running

high-lighted the Tiger attack. The clock showed 2:47 left in the period as Massillon led
12-0.

The Tiger defense came to the fore several times in the second period, led by senior linebacker Hoyt Sketon. Senior end Jim Sterling picked up a Niles fumble on the Bengal 7 after senior end John Isoldi of Niles had partially blocked a Tiger punt. But Massillon fumbled right back with Ryan giving Niles control.

Senior end Mike Kraft covered a Niles fumble on the Massillon 19 during the second stanza. Foster intercepted a pass in the end zone and might have been off to the races except he slipped in cutting.
* * *

BOB SHAW, Niles coach, summed up his feelings with, “It was a great victory. I’m real proud of the boys. Bob Seaman deserves a lot of credit for bringing a team here that was supposed to get trounced but which played like the Tigers did. It’s a shame what they’re doing to him in Massillon.”

Massillon’s record is 3-1-1, Niles 5-0 and leads the All-American league with Massillon third.

AAHFL STANDINGS
W L
Niles 2 0
Warren 1 0
Massillon 0 1
McKinley 0 2

MASSILLON – 12
Ends – Smith, Liggett, Moyer, Gallion, Sterling, Griffin.
Tackles – Sherrett, Houser, Snowball, Ricker, Campbell.
Guards – Neago, Russell, Porrini, Beiter, Hauenstein, Ertle.
Centers – Senften, Kraft, Sketon.
Quarterbacks – Maurer, Young.
Halfbacks – James, Simon, Fenton, McFadden, Muhlbach, McDew.
Fullbacks – Foster, Moore
Punter – Dickinson.

NILES – 20
Ends – Mille, Clapp, Isoldi, Ryan, Cullembine, Ziegler.
Tackles – Rossi, Bottiglieri, McMahon.
Guards – Santangelo, Costarella, Law.
Centers – Johnson, Catlin.
Quarterbacks – Leonard, Kines.
Halfbacks – Simeone, Henry, Gayonski, Mawby, Trimbitas, Lenham.
Fullbacks – Bletsch, Hallock

Massillon 6 0 6 0 12
Niles 0 0 0 20 20

Touchdowns:
Massillon – Foster 2 (one and 36-yard runs).
Niles – Clapp (13-yard pass); Bletsch (9-yard run); Ziegler (34-yard pass).

Extra points – Niles – Ziegler 2 (run).

OFFICIALS
Referee – Ted Humphrey (Youngstown).
Umpire – Russ Kemper (Cincinnati).
Head Linesman – Al Wildman (Sharon, Pa.).
Field Judge – John Holzbach (Youngstown).

Attendance: 19,500

THE GRIDSTICK
Massillon Niles
First downs – rushing 3 8
First downs – passing 1 6
First downs – penalties 0 0
Total first downs 4 14
Yards gained rushing 143 151
Yards lost rushing 12 18
Net yards gained rushing 131 133
Net yards gained passing 13 159
Total yards gained 144 292
Passes attempted 3 15
Passes completed 2 8
Passes intercepted by 1 0
Yardage on passes intercepted 8 0
Times kicked off 3 4
Kickoff average (yards) 58.3 39.5
Kickoff returns (yards) 53 28
Times punted 6 4
Punt average (yards) 24.8 18.0
Punt return (yards) 0 17
Had punts blocked 1 1
Fumbles 2 8
Lost fumbled ball 2 5
Penalties 4 1
Yards penalized 20 5
Touchdowns rushing 2 1
Touchdowns passing 0 2
Touchdowns by interception 0 0
Miscellaneous 0 0
Number of plays 48 30

Will Foster
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

1965: Massillon 22, Niles McKinley 8

Tigers Turn Back Niles Threat 22-8
All Points Scored In 2nd Quarter

First Place Berth Enhanced

By CHUCK HESS, JR.

“Satisfied – real satisfied.”

So goes the old cheer and so go the thoughts of Massillon football fans today. They’re satisfied that their Tigers showed Niles McKinley high which of the 2 teams plays the tougher football in the state with a convincing 22-8 victory Friday night at Tiger stadium.

After their second victory in as many years over the Red Dragons following a 29-year lapse in play between the 2 schools, the Washington high team hopes that Niles fans are also satisfied – satisfied that their challenge hurled at the Tigertowners has been answered.

Program Cover

* * * * *
THE BIGGEST CROWD of the season – 16, 533 – saw Massillon score 3 times in the second quarter on the legs of senior quarterback Dave Sheegog and then hold the Red Dragons at bay with a tremendous defensive performance. And when you hold a powerful team like Niles, undefeated in 4 games, to one touchdown, you’re doing something!

Twice in the third quarter the Orange and Black had promising drives stopped by penalties. Sheegog lost his footing in the first quarter on fourth down, bringing a third drive to a screeching halt. A fumble stopped a fourth down try in the second period.

Credit must be given to the Niles team which didn’t give up at halftime and fought back to hold Massillon scoreless after the intermission. Meanwhile Red Dragon senior quarterback Ray Muche made it a unanimous night for signal-callers in the scoring department with a last period touchdown on one of Niles’ only 2 real drives of the night.

Massillon’s fifth straight victory of the season, 23rd straight since 1963 and 23rd straight at home since 1962 put the Tigers into a tie for first place with Warren in the All-American High School football league. Niles and Canton McKinley are tied for second in the 4-team circuit.

But lest his charges become too complacent after getting their boss his 38th straight victory including this year’s all-star tilt, Tiger Coach Earle Bruce cautioned, “Now we must prepare for a fine Steubenville team.” The skipper was well aware that the trip to Big Red country next week could see a long ride back if the Orangemen aren’t careful.

“Niles really fought back,” Bruce continued. “I’m proud of the Tigers’ efforts against them. This was the fist time we were up all season.”

Bruce went on to pat senior halfback Walt Lemon on the back for his fine running which picked up long yardage several times right when it was needed. He thought junior Will Foster, playing fullback in place of the injured Terry Manson after only 3 days practice, showed well, especially in faking into the line. Bruce was happy with junior defensive tackle Mike Sherrett’s play and thought Sheegog played well again. But Bruce also emphasized that this was another fine “team effort.”

The only thing that discouraged Bruce was that “we’ve dropped too many passes.”

* * * * *
A DISCONSOLATE Bob Shaw said, “I’m proud of the way our boys came back in the second half after being down 22-0 and completely dominated play. We had 5 or 6 juniors in there all the time and they were tremendous under pressure. But we made too many mistakes. Massillon has a fine team which made its own breaks and didn’t give us room to operate in the first half.”

After forcing Niles to punt following the Dragons’ reception of the opening kickoff, the Tigers moved from their 40-yard line to the Niles 9, a distance of 51 yards, using up 12 plays, all on the ground, and 7 minutes on the clock. Sheegog went off the left side on fourth down but slipped on the wet turf and failed to get the necessary yardage by only inches.

The Bengals got the ball again on the following punt with 36 seconds left in the period. Sheegog hit Lemon down the middle with a 13-yard pass to the Niles 33 for a first down. Foster picked up 21 more off guard to the 13 for another first down to end the quarter.

Tommy James took the ball to the 11 to open the second stanza. Sheegog then cut off left tackle and out to the left side for the score with 11:20 remaining. Lemon ran the conversion on a fake to Foster and pitchout to the right.

Minutes later Sherrett hopped on a fumble at the Niles 21. After a loss to the 24, Paige picked a Sheegog aerial out of 3 Dragon defenders’ hands at the 7 for a first down. Foster ran to the 4. Sheegog faked to Foster and went around right end with 8:35 remaining. Foster converted on a pitchout to the left.

Shortly thereafter Paul Marks pounced on a Niles fumble on the Dragon 47. Lemon ran 20 yards but Jim Kines came up with a Massillon bobble on the 23.

After an exchange of punts, the Bengals took possession on their 37. Lemon was off again, this time through the center, and almost broke away but tripped at the Niles 44 after a fine 19-yard run. Sheegog ran 20 yards to the 20, going around right end and back into the middle.

A face mask penalty gave Massillon the ball on the 10, third down. Lemon shot to the 2 and Sheegog went through the middle into pay dirt. Foster didn’t quite make the end zone on a pitch to the right on the conversion run.

When the first half ended, Massillon had rolled 218 net yards to Niles’ 46 and 13 first downs to the Dragons’ 1. Niles got out of its own territory only once, with the help of a penalty.

* * * * *
FINAL FIGURES showed Massillon with 298 yards to Niles 149 and 15 first downs to the Dragons’ 7. Niles out-gained the Obiemen in the second half but not by much, 103-80 yards.

The Tigers received to start the second half and on the third play Lemon rocketed off right tackle, got away from a would-be tackler at the Niles 45 and raced to the 16. But 2 delay penalties and an incomplete pass stopped the drive after a first down on the 5.

After a punt, the Tigertowners moved from the Niles 45 to the 30 but a motion penalty on a fourth down play on which Tommy James made the first down, kayoed the drive.

Niles took over on Massillon’s 39 and used up the next 7 minutes and 16 plays to get its lone score. Muche and junior fullback Gary Bletsch did most of the carrying. Bletsch went over on fourth down from the 2 with 7:32 remaining in the last quarter. Muche went through the center on a broken play for the conversion.

The Orange and Black stopped on its next series and when a fourth down delay penalty had Rick Healy kicking from around his 15, Bruce “thought this might be disastrous.” But Healy kicked well to the Niles 39.

Muche ran back to Massillon’s 39 for 22 yards. The Dragons drove to the Massillon 3 with a key play being a 15-yard pass from the 22 to the 7 and a first down via end Larry Cella from Muche.

Muche tried to go around the right end on fourth down but junior monster Ron Muhlbach and senior end Bill Williams hauled him down for no gain.

Bruce commented, “That was a marvelous goal line stand!”

Healy was forced to boot from the end zone on the next series and got the ball to the Massillon 49. The clock ran out 3 incompleted passes later.

NILES – 8
Ends – Kay, Ryan, Cella.
Tackles – Zobitz, Lukz, Samu, Rossi.
Guards – Fuda, Law, Pirigyl.
Center – Johnson.
Quarterbacks – Muche, Kines.
Halfbacks – Owen, Dunningan, Henry, Button, Mawby, Simeone, Gresley.
Fullbacks – Brutz, Bletach, Hilty.

MASSILLON – 22
Ends – Paige, McGuire, Williams, Gallion, Griffin.
Tackles – Hartley, Campbell, Neago, Sherrett.
Guards – Whitfield, Richards, Rose, Kraft.
Centers – Marks, Williams.
Quarterbacks – Sheegog, Doolittle.
Halfbacks – Lemon, James, McFadden, Muhlbach, Healy, Smith.
Fullback – Foster.

Score by quarters:
Niles…………….. 0 0 0 8 – 8
Massillon……….. 0 22 0 0 – 22

Touchdowns: Massillon – Sheegog 3 (11, 4 and 1-yard runs).
Niles – Muche (2 yard run).

Extra points: Massillon – Lemon 2, Foster 2.
Niles – Muche 2.

Statistics
Mass. Opp.
First downs—rushing 12 5
First downs—passing 2 2
First downs—penalties 1 0
Total first downs 15 7
Yards gained rushing 281 115
Yards lost rushing 16 15
Net yards gained rushing 265 100
Net yards gained passing 33 49
Total yards gained 298 149
Passes attempted 9 13
Passes completed 3 5
Passes intercepted by 0 0
Yardage on passes intercepted 0 0
Times kicked off 4 2
Kickoff average (yards) 54.5 31.5
Kickoff returns (yards) 9 60
Times punted 3 6
Punt average (yards) 34.0 30
Punt returns (yards) 22 40
Had punts blocked 0 0
Fumbles 1 4
Lost fumbled ball 1 3
Penalties 5 1
Yards penalized 35 8
Touchdowns rushing 3 1
Touchdowns passing 0 0
Touchdowns by interception 0 0
Total number of plays 60 55

OFFICIALS
Referee – Howard Wirtz (Cincinnati).
Umpire – Harold Rolph (Ironton).
Head Linesman – George Ellis (Akron).
Field Judge – Chuck Hinkle (Canton).

Attendance – 16,533.

Dave Whitfield
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

1964: Massillon 14, Niles McKinley 8

Winning Tigers Replace Niles On ‘Cloud 9’

Record 28,169 Watch 48-Game Streak End

By STEVE HAPANOWICZ

Cloud 9, the nimbus heaven reserved for great moments, lost its most recent occupant today as the Massillon Tigers began preparing for Friday’s game against the Mansfield Tygers at Mansfield.

The Tigers reached the heights Saturday night in defeating Niles McKinley 14-8 at the Akron Rubber bowl. Massillon came from behind to dump last years state champions and snap a Red Dragon 48-game undefeated streak started in 1959.

The crowd, a record 28,169 attendance for a high school game, sat throughout a tense and bruising battle and watched as Niles threatened to tie and possibly go ahead with 2:21 remaining. But the Tigers held, and again lived up to a rich and proud tradition of being the best in Ohio schoolboy football.

“I’ve seen it so many times before,” said a visiting newspaperman, well-acquainted with the Tigers. “Your boys come up to the BIG game with poise and confidence, no matter how much of an underdog they happen to be.”

And the 1964 Tigers had plenty of both as they halted the Niles streak that threatened to beak the 52-game undefeated streak compiled by Massillon in the late 30’s and early 40’s.

************

Program Cover

BOTH TEAMS had the ball twice in the first quarter with the Tigers losing it the first time on a fumble at the Niles 28. Niles was unable to move the ball past its 38 and punted to the Massillon 33. The Tigers, who wound up with a minus 2 yards in the first quarter, booted out to the 32 after failing to make a first down.

Niles took possession of the ball and started a 15-play, 68-yard touchdown drive that extended into the second quarter. With Mel Dixon and Cee Ellison, the 215-pound, honorable-mention All-Ohioan fullback carrying and quarterback George Infante connecting with passes of 16 and 11 yards to Dixon and McQueen, respectively, Niles moved to the Massillon 6 at the end of the first quarter.

Ellison cracked the Tiger line for 3 yards and tried a second time for no gain. Dixon then took the ball to a foot from the goal line. With fourth and inches to go Ellison went over his left guard to score for Niles with the clock showing 10:12 in the second quarter. Ellison ran the 2 points on a pitchout around his right end, shaking off a neck tackle, to make the score 8-0 in Niles’ favor.

Massillon took the kickoff on its 15 and Dave Sheegog, junior, quarterback, ran it back to the 38. Ed Herring advanced it 3 yards to the 41, Jim Lawrence, who rejoined the team last week, moved the ball another 3 to the 44. Halfback Bob Hewitt picked up another 3 but the Tigers were forced to punt. While the series of plays did not gain much yardage it was important in one phase. The Tiger backfield found its timing, something it lacked in its first game against Cleveland East. Kanner punted to the 30 to end the drive.

Niles picked up a first down in 3 plays and then got 2 more on the ground before Infante had 2 incomplete passes with safety-man John Frieg breaking up the second. Infante, punted to the Massillon 28 from where Sheegog ran it back to the 39, and the Tigers were on their way.

************

KANNER THREW a quick 13-yard pass to end Rick Paige for a first down on the Niles 48. Herring slashed into the Niles line for 7 yards to the 41and Hewitt picked up 3 more to the 38 for the first down.

On the next play, Lawrence started wide around his left end, evaded 2 Niles tacklers at the line of scrimmage and set sail down the sidelines for a 38-yard touchdown run. The last Niles defender was cleared out of the way at the 2 by a jolting block thrown by 160-pound guard Tom Whitfield. Hewitt picked up the 2 extra points over his right side to tie the score at 8-all with 2:52 remaining.

Massillon’s Dave Paul booted to the 12 and Niles brought the ball out to the 25. The Dragons picked up a yard as the Massillon defense held on. With second and 9, Ellison started around the Tiger left end. Wes Goodnough grabbed onto the big fullback’s elbows and as more Tigers hit him Ellison fumbled and the ball bounced loose on the 27 where linebacker John Muhlback and safety John Frieg recovered.

A quick pass to Paige from Kanner for 5 yards. Lawrence hit into the line for a first down on the 16. Kanner then found Paige all alone in the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown. A run for the extra points by Herring was short and the Tigers were ahead 14-8 with 59 seconds in the half.

The third quarter found both teams shoving each other between the 30-yard lines. Massillon fans had a few anxious moments when the Tigers went for a 4th and 1 situation on their own 47 and failed to make the yard. Niles tried 3 straight passes and all were incomplete. A short kick gave Niles the ball on their own 44 after the Tigers failed to move. Halfback Phil Ziegler picked down with an 8-yard pickup. Ellison got 8 and Dixon 4 more for another first down on the Massillon 33.

************

THE TIGERS DEFENSE stiffened as 2 tries at the Massillon line yielded 5 yards. On a 3rd and 5 situation Niles tried a pass that was incomplete. Niles relied on Ellison with 4th and 5 but he was able to get only a yard against the Tiger defense.

With Sheegog replacing Kanner at quarterback after the senior signal caller suffered leg cramps, the Tigers held the ball (unreadable) plays and picked up 3 first downs in moving to the (unreadable). With 4th and 7, Sheegog was thrown for a 6-yard loss, giving the Dragons the ball on their own 33 with 4:26 remaining.

In 3 plays Niles had a first down on their 47. A 6-yard run by Zielger moved the ball to the 46. Two incomplete passes made it 4th and four. Infante found Mel Dixon all alone up the middle for a 22-yard gain, the Tiger secondary bringing the speedy back down on the 24 with 2:21 remaining.

Ellison picked up a yard and Dixon gained 7 to the 16. Dixon picked up a first down to the 13. Niles tried the pass up the middle and almost made it but the ball was a little too high for the receiver.

With second and 10, Infante went back to pass but found tackle Jim Binge looming in front of him and tried to run to the left where Larry Larsuel knifed through and dropped him for a 5-yard loss to the 18, with 1:28 left in the game. Niles tried 2 more passes, both of which were incomplete and Massillon took over on its own 17 and ran out the clock for its second win of the season.

************

THE MASSILLON dressing room was a scene of bedlam when Tiger fans and well-wishers were admitted after the game. Coach Earle Bruce, whose first Massillon team hurdled the defending state champs in the second game of the season, said he felt “like somebody gave me a million dollars.” Bruce termed Lawrence’s touchdown run the key play of the game and said the Tigers stopped the powerful Niles running attack by hitting hard.

In the Niles dressing room, Coach Glenn Stennett, who took over when Tony Mason left for the University of Michigan, was downcast as were his boys. Stennett said, “Massillon played a great game. We have no excuses. Our kids played a good game, but not good enough. My congratulations to Massillon.”

While the Massillon victory was really a team effort, there were several standout performances as the game films showed. Co-captain John Muhlback earned the player-of-the-week award by getting his man 72 per cent of the time. On defense Muhlback made 13 individual tackles and had 5 assists.

Lineman honors went to guard Larry Larsuel who got his man 65 per cent of the time and who on defense freed Muhlback by handling the Niles tackles. Backfield honors went to Bob Hewitt for his blocking and running.

The movies also showed guard Tom Whitfield as one of the out-standing 2-way players. Dave Whitfield came in for a share of the honors on defense as did Jim Binge. Terry Manson and Ed Herring also did well on blocking assignments and Herring kept up the fine running he displayed in the East game. Offensive tackles Dennis Rambaud and Dennis Morgan also were praised.

BRUCE ALSO credited Sheegog and Gene Biddle for the job they did in replacing injured regulars. Sheegog played quarterback after Kanner went out with leg cramps and Biddle took over at linebacker when Paul Marks also left with leg cramps.

Special credit went to the sophomore team which last week ran the Niles offensive and defensive patterns in scrimmage.

Saturday’s game was the fifth meeting between the schools. Massillon has won all 5, scoring 160 points to Niles 14.

STATISTICS
Mass. Niles
First downs—rushing 6 8
First downs—passing 3 3
First downs—penalties 0 1
Total first downs 9 12
Yards gained rushing 150 132
Yards lost rushing 20 15
Total number of plays 45 61
Net yards gained rushing 130 117
Net yards gained passing 48 67
Total yards gained 178 184
Passes attempted 5 19
Passes completed 4 5
Passes intercepted by 0 0
Yardage on passes intercepted 0 0
Times kicked off 2 2
Kickoff average (yards) 46 46
Kickoff returns (yards) 36 36
Times punted 4 4
Punt average (yards) 30.3 32
Punt returns (yards) 31 0
Had punts blocked 0 0
Fumbles 2 3
Lost fumbled ball 1 2
Penalties 1 2
Yards penalized 15 10
Touchdowns rushing 1 1
Touchdowns passing 1 0
Touchdowns by interception 0 0
Miscellaneous 0 0

MASSILLON – 14
Ends – Garcia, Franklin, Gilmore, Paige, Goodnough, Williams, McGuire.
Tackles – Morgan, Binge, Paul.
Guards – Larsuel, T. Whitfield, D. Whitfield.
Centers – Muhlback, Rambaud, Biddle.
Backs – Kanner, Sheegog, Pribich, Frieg, Manson, Marks, Schenkenberger,
Herring, Lawrence, Conti.

NILES – 8
End – Miller, Gibson, Fasanelli, Cella, Courtney, Petrella.
Tackles – Corrado, Sprague, Berenics, Ferro.
Guards – Krok, Lukz, Morrison.
Center – Watterson.
Backs – Infante, Dixon, McQueen, Zielger, Rowbotham, Butto,
Murray, Croft, Biviano, Ellison, Brutz.

Massillon………….0 14 0 0 – 14
Niles……………….0 8 0 0 – 0

Scoring:
Niles – Ellison (run, 6 inches).
Massillon – Lawrence (38-yard run), Paige (16-yard pass from Kanner)

Points after touchdown:
Niles – Ellison 2, run.
Massillon – Hewitt 2, run.

Officials
John Agnone (Youngstown) referee.
Joe Romano (Mansfield) umpire.
Jim Langhurst (Williard) field judge.
John Holzback (Youngstown) head linesman.
Bill Shaughnessy (Akron) back judge.

John Mulbach
Massillon Tigers Black Letter Logo History

1933: Massillon 13, Niles 0

WASHINGTON HIGH DEFEATS NILES 13-0 FOR SECOND STRAIGHT GRID VICTORY
SUBSTITUTIONS AND FUMBLES KEEP SCORE FROM BEING LARGER

By LUTHER EMERY

Having chalked up their second straight victory of the season with a 13-0 triumph at Niles Saturday afternoon, the Washington high school Tigers this week will prepare for their invasion of Wooster, a team that held Dover to a lone touchdown in a homecoming game last Saturday.

Coming out of the Niles encounter in good shape despite several hard knocks absorbed by members of the team the Tigers barring injuries in training this week will be in A-1 condition for their third combat of the season Saturday.

Must Stop Fumbling
What Coach Paul Brown must correct more than anything this week is fumbling. Massillon fans were pleased with the showing of the Tiger forward wall Saturday when it held Niles to one first down and that a direct gift by a five-yard penalty. The backfield, however was somewhat of a disappointment in many respects because of its inability to coordinate its attacks.

Time after time the Tigers launched into threatening offensives only to have a fumble or some other misplay end the attack. Most everyone expected a slaughter but there were three big reasons why the Tigers failed to make a killing as impressive as Canton McKinley’s 67-7 triumph over Akron South.

In the first place Coach Brown did not choose to trample over his opponent after he had him down. Instead, he pulled his first stringers shortly after each touchdown and allowed his subs to carry on the work. A running story of the game shows that the Massillon first string team played less than one-half the game and was pulled just when the attack became most vicious.

In the second place, Niles had more of a team than the Tigers and Massillon fans had expected. Instead of a team weighing 150 pounds as reported by its coach, Niles had an outfit that weighed fully 160 pounds and was exceptionally strong defensively.

First Downs Tell Story
In the third place the Tigers themselves muffed many chances to score by fumbling the ball at critical moments.

While the 13-0 score is anything but impressive, it does not furnish a real picture of the exact supremacy of the Massillon team, for the Tigers threatened throughout. Their 17 first downs to Niles’ one with the subs playing more than half the game better describes their superiority.

There was nothing flukey about either the local team’s scores.

Tigers Score In First Period
After twice being stopped within the 15-yard line, once on an intercepted pass and again on a 15-yard penalty, the Tigers late in the first period took the ball on their own 40-yard stripe and launched a drive that netted a touchdown.

McCants picked up eight on a spinner and made seven more and a first down on the
25-yard line on a fake reverse. Another seven-yard smash by McCants caused Niles to take time out, but the rest was of no good, for on the next play the big colored boy circled his left wing for a touchdown. Krier attempted a placekick for the extra point but the ball went wide of the goal posts.

The Tigers began another march in the second period that ended when Scanlon intercepted Shertzer’s pass on the 18-yard line.

Midway in the third period the second touchdown was scored. It was only the second time in the period that the Tigers secured possession of the ball. Shrake started the works by grabbing a punt on his own 40-yard line and returning the ball five yards. McCants slanted through left tackle for five yards and Schrake circled his right wing for 11 more and a first down on the 39-yard line. Again Shrake ripped off seven yards through left tackle and McCants made it first down on a spinner on the 27-yard line.

Tigers Score Again
The Tigers took time out for a few minutes and renewed their offensive. Shrake sifted through left tackle for three yards and picked up three more at left end. McCants was stopped without gain, but on the fourth down Krier circled right end and carried the ball to a first down on the 17-yard line. McCants made two yards at center and Shrake struck out around left end for a 15-yard touchdown run. This time Krier kicked the extra point.

An entire new Massillon team faced Niles at the next kickoff. The Massillon subs once had the ball on the 12-yard line but lost a chance to score when a fumble set them back seven yards. They came back again to the 25-yard line but lost the ball on downs. Once again they drove back to the 10-yard line when another fumble set them back 10 yards and at the end of the game they were hammering away only six yards from Niles’ goal line.

Massillon showed the only offense of the afternoon, for the Tigers completely stopped every effort of the Niles team to carry the ball. Niles made its only first down early in the first period. Infante recovered a Tiger fumble on the 35-yard line and the Tigers were penalized five yards for being offside on the next play. Gales in two plays made it first down on the 25-yard line and that’s as far as Niles got with the ball.

Stop Niles Threat
Other than that, Niles threatened but once. One of Gales’ punts rolled near the goal line. Since the end zones are not deep at Niles, Massillon was granted five yards by Niles to give it sufficient room to punt. McCants got off a poor one, however, the ball going out of bounds on the 14-yard line.

Niles immediately took the five yards back it had previously given the Tigers, which placed the ball on the nine-yard line. Three plays only advanced the pigskin six yards, however and an attempted pass on the fourth down was grounded behind the goal line to end Niles only real scoring threat of the game.

Perhaps the most sensational dash of the game was that Mellinger in the fourth period when after apparently being stopped 10-yards back of his goal line, he shook off half a dozen or more tacklers and dug his shoes into the sod in a fast dash along the sideline. It had the fans a screaming, but Niles had the last laugh for Mellinger fumbled when tackled after a run of 30 yards and the opponents recovered the ball.

McCants’ first two punting efforts were fine boots but he dubbed the next two. Chovan, sub wingback got off several pretty punts.

Niles watched Krier closely and the 175-pound halfbacks gained very few yards. McCants and Shrake were the most dependable ground gainers Saturday.

At least half of the crowd of 3,000 that attended the game must have been Massillon fans. It gave the local school a fine cheering section.

Line up and summary:
MASSILLON Pos NILES
Lohr LE Lewis
Birkish LT Pavalik
Porter LG Regazzo
Monore C Litvin
Snavely RG Matteo
Buggs RT Tricomi
Heisler RE Dixon
Shertzer QB Infante
Shrake LH Horniak
Krier RH Reese
McCants FB Gales

Score by periods:
Massillon 6 0 7 0 13

Substitutions:
Massillon – Mellinger, rh; Wolf, lt; Mansbury, fb; Chovan, lh; Dutton, qb; J. Schimke, g; G. Schimke, e; Cary, e; Dietz, e; Hutsell, lh; Molinski, rg; Smith, lg; Morningstar, c; Peters, rt.
Niles – McMurray, g; Brutz, g; Waters, e; Korance, hb; Scanlon, c.

Willis Monroe