1909: Massillon 9 Oberlin Academy 0

LOCALS
DEFEATED OBERLIN ACADMEY
Outplayed the Collegiate’s in Every Department.
SCORE – MASSILLON   9,     OBERLIN   0

The Visitors Were Fairly Bewildered
With Massillon’s Exhibition of Fast, New-Style Football
Oberlin Made First Down but Once Through Massillon

Displaying perhaps the greatest exhibition of fast and open football witnessed on a Massillon gridiron, the local high school defeated the Oberlin Academy, Saturday afternoon on the high school grounds by the score of 9 to 0, before two thousand people, by far the largest crowd that ever surrounded the North street field.

The Massillon team worked together like a machine and playing individually like so many Carlisle Indians, outplayed the visitors in every department of the game.  Oberlin arrived, backed by a successful season and expecting to win handily, but departed in no way dissatisfied with itself at being able to hold so well against the quality of football displayed by the Massillon team.  Although at no time during the game did they have a ghost of a show through Massillon’s stone wall defense, they fought doggedly to the last to keep Massillon’s offense from carrying them altogether off their feet.  Not until the situation became hopeless in the latter part of the last half did they lose heart.

The local high school is still the undefeated claimant of the state title.  The team in every game this season has played up to and just above the strength of its opponents.  Such was the case against Oberlin and to what bounds the limit of its possibilities extend no one is able to guess.

The game proved every player on the Massillon team an individual star, yet it would be almost impossible, by any comparison, to place one above another.  Team work won the game.  It was team work that held the Massillon line against Oberlin’s constant attack, and it was team work each time which carried the ball within striking distance of the goal.  As long as team work was needed the Massillon machine was on the spot and when circumstances called for individual playing each man called upon stepped up and delivered the goods.  Coupled with an invincible determination which has become a habit with the locals, Massillon had to win.  There was no choice.

Oberlin’s offense showed form, but was clearly faded by the Massillon defense, which did not allow the Academy to make first down more than once.  This was when Boger, the quarterback, broke around Massillon’s left end in a desperate run of fifteen yards.  Oberlin, feeling from time to time the sting of defeat, tried to become desperate but with this exception Massillon smothered its passionate aspirations easily.  Once in a great while Oberlin would make an unexpected gain of a few yards but never enough in succession to make first downs.  Punting was their only game and although not as strong as Heyman in this department the Oberlin kicker was very shrewd in placing the kicks out of reach of the Massillon backs.  Massillon never lost the ball although it touched the ground often.  Time after timer the Oberlin quarter called forward passes but so keen were the Massillon smashers in getting to the runner that the ball was never in the air once.  Aside from these forwards Oberlin tried but once to break into tricky football but so effectually was the play stopped that Massillon could not decide what the trick was supposed to be like.

Massillon’s offense at need could undoubtedly have battered the Oberlin defense to smithereens and won the game on straight football, but as it was, the game was won on tricky and skillful team work, directed by good headwork on the part of Atwater in mixing up Massillon’s almost unlimited repertoire of irregular formations and triple passes.  These plays, all new in this vicinity and mostly original, have been given to the team one at a time by Coach Fugate and worked out to perfection.  Massillon fairly bewildered the visitors with their ever changing front and tricky formations.  The plays were mixed just enough to keep the Academy guessing and wondering what new thing would come next.  Time and again double passes into the line would throw the Academy ends off their guard and allow a Massillon player to skirt the end alone for a substantial gain.  The first touchdown was made on a double pass into the line from a fake punt formation, twenty-five yards from goal.  Blackburn kicked goal after it successfully put out to Wagner.  Massillon’s other three points were made by a freak drop kick made during the second half.  The ball which started low struck Sonnhalter in the back and rose in a high arch over the cross bar.

When line plunging was the order of the day, the Massillon backs tore through the Oberlin line at will.  Blackburn plunged through on cross bucks and Sonnhalter marched down the center for several yards each time.  Miller, at left end, besides playing a good defensive game, carried the ball often for gains.  Ellis on the other wing, played a great smashing game and received forward passes.  Erb and Wagner at the tackles, were as usual, the mainstays of the line, opening large avenues for the backs to march through.  Clay, on the defensive, held his position like a stone wall.  Heyman, besides playing his usual strong game at guard, beat Oberlin each time on an exchange of punts, driving the spheroid far into the enemy’s country on long, high spirals, which the Massillon ends could get down under and nail.  Leahy played his usually first class game at center.  Captain Hopkins at left end, Boger at quarter and Neill at center, played well for Oberlin.

Line-up and summary:

Oberlin – 0                      Pos.               Massillon – 9
Kelner                               le                 Miller
Heller, Barr                        lt                 Erb
Andrus                              lg                 Heyman
Neill                                  c                 Leahy
Robbins                            rg                 Clay
Bellows                             rt                 Wagner
Graham                             re                 Ellis
Roger                               qb                Atwater
Hopkins                            lh                 Wells
Stiles                                 rh                 Blackburn
Gray                                 fb                 Sonnhalter

Touchdown:
Massillon – Wells.

Goal from touchdown:
Massillon – Blackburn.

Goal from field:
Massillon – Blackburn.

Referee and umpire, alternating:
Wittmann, of Massillon
Bedortha, of Oberlin.

Head Linesman – Bast.

Timekeeper – Merwin.

Time of halves – 25 and 20 minutes.