TIGERS TURN BACK BIG RED 31-0 BEFORE 14,000 GRID FANS MASSILLON LINEMEN GALLANT IN VICTORY
Largest Crowd Of Season Treated To Great Gridiron Show With Steubenville And Washington High Bands Strutting Color
By LUTHER EMERY
The Big Red wave of Steubenville, washed up from the Ohio river Friday evening and splashed harmlessly against a granite Massillon wall that would not allow as much as a touchdown to trickle through.
When the Red Tide receded after 48 minutes of hammering, the Massillon record built on three state championships, was strengthened with the sixth straight victory of the season, a 31-0 triumph. Record Crowd Gets Real Treat An immense crowd which school officials estimated at between 13,000 and 14,000 fans, saw the Tigers produce an open exhibition of sensational football as they throttled all offensive efforts of the Big Red and tore it apart for six touchdowns.
They saw a dazzling performance by two high school bands, who will take their hats off to no other musical organizations in the state and they witnessed a gridiron festival, the like of which has made this 1938 season the biggest and best in the history of Washington high school.
From the moment the Tiger band took the field before the game until it again swept triumphantly down the gridiron after the final whistle, the evening was filled with activity and between half entertainment such as caused one ticket purchaser to request “two reserved seats for the floor show please.” No Blocking For Stubs As expected the Big Red brought to Massillon a hard tackling team, but one that failed to put into use the important fundamental of hard blocking. Without blocking the Stub’s offense was stagnant and they only gained the sum total of four first downs and a net of 49 yards.
The superiority of the Tigers was shown not only in the score but in the statistics as well. They were credited with 17 first downs and a net total of 361 yards, 146 of which were made on the completion of nine forward passes.
Seven blocks of granite you could have called the Massillon line last night as it withstood the wash of the Red Wave.
Seven blocks of granite they were and the line can be given a whale of a lot of credit for the victory. Standing out defensively were Lynn Houston, Horace Gillom, Jim Russell and little Bud Lucius. Lucius played a great game and time and again his 142 pounds circled the giant 260-pound George Straka, Stub tackle before the latter could get in motion.
From Lucius to Bill Croop, who swept through in the late stages of the game to drop a Big Red runner for a 15-yard loss, the Tiger wall stood out last night. There is reason to rejoice over it, for all season the principal weakness of the Massillon team has been its defense. Coach Paul Brown set out to strengthen this department last night and how well he succeeded the statistics show. Henderson Plugs Gap Red Henderson, plugged the gap left vacant by the injured McMichael in worthy fashion, McMichael sitting on the bench throughout the game, felt good that he would have a worthy successor when he graduates next June. Earl Martin never made a bad pass from center and so jammed things up in the middle of the line that the Big Red could never find anything but a pileup when they struck that spot.
But out of the joy and glory that goes with victory, there comes gloom that may and again may not be forgotten in a few days.
Getz who has improved with every ball game and who came out of last night’s contest as the leading scorer with 13 points, sustained an injury to his right leg that caused coaches some concern. It may be another charley horse and a charley horse goes particularly bad with a ball carrier. Then too, Fred Toles, who was a big part of the Tiger defense, suffered a shoulder injury which may handicap his defensive play for a couple of weeks. Freddie was taken out of the game. He may not have been seriously hurt, but football injuries frequently do not show up until the next day.
The most serious casualty of all was a dislocated shoulder suffered by Ernest Carducci, 140-pound Steubenville end. The injury will put him out of service for several weeks.
Few there were who thought the game would approach the one-sided proportions it did.
There were those who picked the Tigers winners by two and three touchdowns but the fellow who said 32-0 in a certain cigar store before the game was called plumb crazy. He only missed it by a point. Score In Every Period The Tigers took the kickoff and as Massillon teams have been accustomed to doing, did not give up the ball until they crossed the Big Red goal. They scored a second touchdown in the second period, another in the third and two in the fourth.
The Big Red failed to threaten. In fact it never got the ball inside the Massillon 41-yard line. But in defeat the Stubs had their stars. One was Eddie Mike, a substitute back who had been kept on the bench all season. Eddie tackled and ran better than any other Stubber and threw the only two Big Red passes that were completed.
Cartledge apparently came out with the intention of playing a defensive game, punting on third down, hoping to hold the Tigers and capitalize on breaks. His strategy did not work. There were no breaks save for penalties that halted two Tiger touchdown marches and the Big Red could not hold. The Tigers picked out the Stubs 260-pound co-captain. George Straka as one of the weak spots in the Big Red line and time and again his belly was dented with Rocky Red Snyder’s head.
Cartledge substituted frequently in an attempt to halt the touchdown parade and even called upon those players he had benched last week because of their failure to give a satisfactory performance. It was Massillon’s night, however, and there was nothing Steubenville could do about it.
It was evident from the opening kickoff that the Massillon eleven was determined to even the series with the Big Red at two games each, by avenging the 68-0 licking the 1931 Tiger team took at Steubenville.
Winning the toss, the local team elected to receive at the north goal and a touchdown march began when Snyder took Hank Zawack’s kickoff on the 15-yard line and ran back to his 32 where Rogers and Wallace downed him. Tigers Score Early Getz ripped for two, Snyder made two more and with third down coming up and six to go, Getz raced around his left end for 15 yards and a first down on the Stub’s 49-yard line. Slusser put his trusty right arm into play. He whipped the ball to Zimmerman who gathered it in on the 40-yard line and ran beautifully along the sideline to a first down on the Stub’s eight-yard line. Bob Mike threw Getz for a four-yard loss on the next play and Toles was stopped for no gain on an end around play. The Stubs were offside on the play, however and a five-yard penalty moved the ball up to the seven-yard line and Snyder took it over in two hard cracks at the line. Getz kicked the extra point to make it 7-0.
The Tigers worked the ball into Big Red territory again in the closing minutes of the quarter, but the Stubs’ held for downs on the 35 when Gillom tried to run from punt formation.
Lucius’ recovery of Golembeski’s fumble when he was tackled as he attempted to pass, gave the Tigers the ball on their own 43 and set the stage for the second touchdown. Snyder and Getz took turns at ramming the ball through the Stub’s forward wall for two first downs as they reached the 10-yard line. Slusser moved it up to the five, but when Getz was thrown for a five-yard loss, the Big Red became the victim of a penalty for offside that put the ball on Steubenville’s one-yard line. Getz went over for the touchdown but missed the kick for the extra point.
The Tigers struck again in the closing minutes of the second period and carried the ball to the two-yard line where a five-yard penalty for too many times out ended their threat.
They had no intention of taking time out at the spot and no one knew exactly how it happened. Slusster thought Snyder had called time out and shouted to Red, asking if he had. The referee heard it, thought Massillon was taking time out and a five-yard penalty was the result. It would have been a costly mix-up in a close game. Statue Of Liberty Scores Michigan’s old Statue of Liberty produced the third touchdown early in the second half. All evening the Big Red ends had been rushing Slusser and the Massillon quarterback was patiently awaiting the opportunity to cross them up. He had put the ball on the 20-yard line with a twisting 24-yard dash through tackle and he was rushed hard as he passed to Roscoe Clendening in the flat for a two-yard gain.
That was enough. Out came the Statue of Liberty and as Slusser faded back for what appeared to be another pass, Getz took the ball off his outstretched arm and sped around the left side of the Big Red flank. The Big Red ends had rushed as usual and Getz was by them running hard, 18 yards for a touchdown. His kick for the extra point went to the right of the uprights.
The same play worked again in the fourth quarter with Getz running to a first down on the six-yard line. A 15-yard penalty, for failing to hesitate on the shift, throttled the touchdown attempt and it was not until the middle of the last quarter that the Tigers could again score.
The drive began when Snyder was tackled on the Stubs’ 35 just as he caught Stauffer’s punt. A 15-yard penalty for clipping put the ball back on the 50. A 15-yard pass to Getz and a 28-yard toss to Gillom took the ball to the one-yard line where Slusser went through a big hole at right tackle, standing up.
The sixth and last touchdown came cheap. Trying desperately to score, Charley Albritten threw a short pass from behind his own goal line which Foster, substitute Massillon end, gathered in on the 10-yard line and raced over the payoff stripe. An attempt to plunge the extra point failed. The game ended on the following kickoff.
As the crowd streamed out of the stands, the Tiger band marched triumphantly down the field in recognition of its team’s victory. That band is helping to pack them in. The investment the athletic board risked in buying new uniforms and instruments has come back many fold. Present New Routine A new routine, in which the young musicians were on the move every minute during their share of the intermission period, kept the fans away from the refreshment stand. A series of quick maneuvers spelled the words “Big Red” and ended with a capital S in front of the Steubenville stands. Back to the Massillon side of the field the band came to form an M while the alma mater was being played. “Obie” the Tiger was introduced from the goal posts. He scampered over the field to pick up Miss Margaret Busse, acrobatic cheerleader, who did 11 back flips to the roll of the band’s drums.
Steubenville’s state champion band, marching in militaristic step, likewise maneuvered brilliantly, writing Stub on the field and forming a Tiger head in front of the Massillon stands. The Big Red band is an excellent playing band and finished second in a national contest last year.
The crowd was the largest that has witnessed a football game here with the exception of the 1934 and 1936 Massillon-Canton games. Additions the past two days have increased the seating capacity of the field from 14,000 to 15,000 and most of the seats were filled. School officials estimated the crowd at between 13,000 and 14,000.
The game was relayed by two telegraph sets and a P.A. telephone system to Steubenville where three different football parties were held. Several thousand attended one of the parties held in the open air.
Six In A Row Massillon Pos. Steubenville Toles LE Balkun Lucius LT Mike Russell LG Dunkle Martin C Wallace Houston RG Rogers Henderson RT Straka Gillom RE Williams Slusser QB Gaich Getz LH Golombeski Zimmerman RH Stauffer Snyder FB Zawacki
TIGERS DEFEAT ALLIANCE 19-6 BEFORE CROWD OF 10,000 TWO PERFECT PLAYS BRING VICTORY HERE
Capt. Red Snyder and Ray Getz Dash For Touchdowns As Every Player Gets His Man; Alliance Scores On Forward Pass In Third Period
By LUTHER EMERY
The Washington high Tigers plowed on toward the Ohio scholastic football title before an overflow crowd of 10,000 fans at Mt. Union stadium, Friday evening and executed two perfect plays to defeat Alliance’s up and coming Aviators 19-6.
It was Alliance’s first lost in five games and the Tigers fifth successive triumph of the season and their eighth in a row. Perfect Plays Win Game Two lightning like first period thrusts gave the Massillon eleven its first period margin and it can thank its lucky star that Alliance had not encountered any strong opposition in previous games.
The lightning struck on the second play of the game and the Alliance line, not knowing what it was to be hit, was flattened to the ground by the Tiger forwards as Capt. Red Snyder dashed 70 yards for a touchdown.
Lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same place, they say, but when “Horse” Gillom intercepted an Alliance pass on the third play after the following kickoff, the Alliance linemen again found themselves looking up at the stars while Ray Getz dashed 77 yards for another touchdown. Alliance Fights Back Those first two came cheap, but the fire sale ended then and there when the Aviators took time out and decided they must charge. And charge they did, from there on to the final gun, to battle the Tigers on even terms.
Touchdowns were hard to get after that. The Massillon eleven capitalized on Red Henderson’s recovery of a fumble in the second period to shove over a third touchdown from the Alliance 24-yard line, but found it impossible to roll back the Aviator defenses for any more scores. Once they were stopped by inches on the one-yard line and again they lost the ball by less than a foot on the 10-yard stripe.
It was a terrific struggled, with the Tigers showing the effects of the body beating they took at Sharon last week and Alliance, playing an inspired game that bottled the Massillon offense.
Hillis Hume, ace of the Aviator bombers, was all that they said of him. He didn’t break loose for a touchdown dash as he had done in every previous game this year but he was dynamite every time he carried the ball and dangerous until Tiger tacklers brought him to earth.
He tossed the pass that gave Alliance its only touchdown in the third period and he threw a lot of others that would have hit their mark were it not for an alert Massillon secondary.
It was on the fourth play of the second half, following Eugene Grimes’ recovery of a Massillon fumble on the Tiger 35-yard line, that Alliance scored. Stopped once in an attempt to carry the ball, Hume faded back and fired a perfect pass to August Palozzi, who streaked through the Massillon secondary to snare the ball in a leaping catch inside the five-yard line and race into rainbow land.
Save for that, Alliance never got close to the Tiger goal.
The touchdown pass was one of two completed and Alliance made both; Hume tossing another to Palozzi for 28 yards in the closing minutes of the game. Massillon Relies On Running Alliance presented a well guarded secondary with which the Tigers took no chances. Though the forward pass has been Massillon’s most potent weapon this year, it was kept undercover last night. Only once did George Slusser pitch and the ball was too high for Gillom to catch in the flat.
Save for their two perfect play executions in the first period and their ability to keep Hume from crossing the goal where others had failed, the Massillon team possessed little in the way of superiority over the Aviators. First downs were 14 to 13 in its favor and Gillom had the edge on Hume in punting.
With low level press box and the crowd standing on chairs on the sidelines, nearly one-half the field was invisible to reporters and it was impossible to collect other statistics on the game. From the middle of the first quarter on to the final gun, the two elevens gathered approximately the same yardage.
The heat of the struggle could be traced on the faces of players after the game. The Tiger eleven which has been wading through the toughest schedule ever arranged for a Massillon team, had additional stripes whipped on top of those sustained at Sharon. Bruised lips and swollen eyes told a painful story in the dressing room. Bill McMichael, right tackle was the most serious casualty. He sustained a charley horse that forced him to the bench for a rest and may cause him more trouble before the season is over.
Injuries kept two Massillon players, Jim Russell, sophomore guard and Bill Zimmerman, blocking halfback, from starting the gamer.
Zimmerman never got in at all but Russell was rushed into the breach when Alliance showed signs of getting dangerous in the fourth quarter.
The crowd had no more than eased back from the thrill of the kickoff when it was shocked by the first two Massillon touchdowns. Every Player Gets His Man The plays were so perfectly executed that they are worthy of repetition. It was second down, 10 to go with the ball on the 30-yard line. Snyder’s signal was called. He drove to the line with perfect blocking in front of him. Each of his 10 teammates took out an opponent and Snyder had only to outrun the safety man and that he did in his 70-yard touchdown dash. The Alliance line fell as one on the play as though it were knocked over backward. In reality most of the Aviator players were prone on the ground with only the stars to look at.
The second touchdown was executed with the same precision. Hume nearly got loose on the kickoff as he raced the ball back from his own 15-yard line and reversed the field to the Massillon 47. When he tried a forward pass, however, Gillom was on the job to gather in the ball on his own 23-yard line. On the very next play Getz ran 77 yards for a touchdown with 10 Alliance men on the ground and one making a futile effort to catch him.
Alliance braced after that and the Tigers had to fight for every yard.
The Aviators’ courage was bolstered when they recovered a Massillon fumble to end another touchdown threat on the 17-yard line.
Play was confined to each eleven’s respective section on the field until the last five minutes of the second period when the Tigers advanced the ball to a first down on the Alliance 25. Wood covered a Massillon fumble on the 24-yard line but on the very next play, Hume fumbled and Henderson pounced on the ball to regain it for Massillon on the 25.
Getz and Snyder rammed to a first down on the 15-yard line and after Snyder and Slusser had picked up four, Fred Toles circled his right end for five more and Snyder rammed through for a first down on the two-yard line. The redhead rammed the ball over the goal on the next play.
That ended Massillons scoring. Getz placekicked the first point through the bars but missed on his last two attempts. Alliance Scores On Pass The half ended at 19-0 but Alliance made the most of a break on the opening kickoff of the second half to score. Snyder brought the kickoff to the 35, but a fumble on second down with eight to go was covered by Alliance’s Grimes on the Massillon 35. Hume picked up five yards and on second down backed up and shot the ball to Palozzi for the touchdown. Two Massillon men were near the Alliance end when he snared the pass but they were off balance and couldn’t’ get to the ball. Two steps and he was over the goal after the catch.
The Tigers struck right back with a terrific drive that carried the ball to the four-yard line. where they lost it on fourth down by inches.
Alliance worked it right back up the field to the Massillon 43 before it was required to punt. Then back came Massillon to carry the ball from its own 15 to the Alliance 14 where again it lost the pigskin by inches.
An exchange of punts and Alliance unleashed its last bid, a long pass that Hume threw from the 32-yard line to Palozzi who caught it on the Massillon 40. A five-yard penalty and a bad pass from center, sent the Aviators reeling back to their own 35 where the game ended.
Call the last three periods what you may, a let down on the Massillon team or an inspired Alliance eleven bottling the Tiger offense and making it look bad, the game was worthy of the patronage it received.
The crowd was the largest that ever saw a football game in Alliance, exceeding the previous record attendance of 1932 when Alliance won its last victory over the Tigers.
Alliance capitalized on this game every two years and the lust for finances resulted in the stadium being oversold. So much so in fact that persons who plunked down their 75 cents for a seat stood throughout the game and many of them could only see one-half the field.
A large section of the crowd was composed of Massillon fans. The Massillon-Alliance Rd., was one continual string of autos from 6 p.m. until game time and cars were bumper to bumper on the return trip. Give That Band A Hand The Tiger band was splendid as it went through its best exhibition of the season. A tin soldier number, with the young musicians acting the part brought down the house. Then too the band, maneuvering quickly and without hesitation, formed an airplane, with rolling drums indicating the roar of the “motors”. Persons situated in the top of the stands declared it one of the best formations they have ever seen. Block letters were also formed in front of the Alliance and Massillon sections.
Too much praise cannot be given the young musicians for their performance, the result of tireless work, five nights a week.
Praise for the band was not confined to Massillon fans alone but to Alliance spectators as well. They joined the local delegation in giving the young musicians a tremendous cheer during their maneuvers and when they walked off the field.
The Alliance band also gave a pleasing drill between halves, with two acrobatic girl drum majors in the lead. The Alliance band is handicapped with lack of time and a place to practice.
The young Massillon musicians were accorded rather rough treatment on their return trip through Canton. Jubilant over their team’s victory, their cheers were met with a barrage of tomatoes and garbage.
A Hard Battle Massillon Pos. Alliance Toles LE Cironi Henderson LT Taylor Lucius LG Zupanic Martin C Dawson Houston RG Chester McMichael RT Chernikovich Gillom RE Grimes Slusser QB Hume Getz LH Murari Clendening RH Wood Snyder FB Koch
TIGER GRIDDERS DEFEAT SHARON 37-20 IN THRILLING GAME MASSILLON’S PASSES BEWILDER OPPONENTS
Aerial Fireworks Save Game For Local Team; There Will Never Be Another Like It, 10,000 Fans Say Today
By LUTHER EMERY
A courageous band of Washington high school Tigers, wrote pigskin history with skill and speed before 10,000 people Friday evening as they raced through the fog at Sharon to a 37-20 victory.
Ox cannot lick Tiger, the old adage goes and history repeated itself last night in one of the finest football games anyone could ever hope to witness. Best Game in Tiger History There have been none like it in Washington high school history and you may never see another. There have been sensational finishes such as the 7-6 triumph over Shaw in 1922, but never have four quarters been packed with more offensive football and thrills than the 48 minutes of last night’s game.
The Massillon Tigers won because they had a passing attack, knew how and when to use it and out-smarted their opponents. Using brains and speed to overcome a tremendous advantage in weight, they came back fighting after two bad breaks, to wrest victory out of turmoil that completely exhausted both teams.
So tired were both elevens that they went through their maneuvers in “slow motion” fashion the last few minutes of the game. Roscoe Clendening looked line a 10-second man among the tiring players when he replaced Zimmerman in the fourth quarter. Yet he is one of the slowest of the backfield squad – but a honey in a pinch.
It was an offensive game from the start, beginning like the big game with Canton in 1934, but maintaining the pace throughout the four periods. Neither Team Would Quit The elevens tossed touchdowns at each other with reckless abandon. The Tigers picked off two before the teams had hardly got warmed up, only to have Sharon make the most of two breaks and the score at 13-13 in the second quarter.
The blow was enough to crack the heart of any player but the Massillon eleven struck right back in the dying minutes of the first half with two passes, shoved over a third touchdown to flaunt a 19-13 lead at the intermission.
The third period began right where the second left off. Some 2,000 Massillon fans who went by auto and special train to Sharon, were fearful lest their team fade in the third quarter as it had done on three previous occasions this year. But the Tigers quickly relieved their apprehensions and struck back with another scoring march that hoisted the lead to 25-13.
That gallant Sharon team wouldn’t give up, however. Harold Matthews, had not yet done what he wanted to do to close his athletic career in a blaze of glory. Hs turn was coming and he found it in a hole in the right side of the Massillon line though which he raced 54 yards to Sharon’s third and last touchdown of the game. It and the following point after touchdown narrowed the margin to 25-20 and again made Massillon hearts pound, but the Tigers struck right back as only a good ball team can and chalked up two more touchdowns to shove their margin of superiority to 17 points. Thanks For Passing Massillon should give thanks for its passing attack. Without it the score might have been different. Anyone who saw the game can tell you. They saw how the smaller Tiger gridders had to virtually block their opponents to the ground to gain yards from scrimmage. They saw Fred Toles snare two consecutive passes, one an almost impossible catch to wipe out the 13-13 tie. They saw Horace Gillom go high in the air to pull down another behind the goal after Sharon had crept dangerously close in the third quarter. They saw Ray Getz haul down another to put the ball in position to score.
Without a passing attack to keep the Sharon secondary from crowding the line of scrimmage, the Tiger ball carriers would have had an even harder time of it. But George Slusser’s accurate right arm kept the Pennsylvanians on the alert and the Tiger backs were able to pick up three and four yards before they could meet up with the play.
“Massillon has a great team,” said David B. Stewart, smiling through disappointment after the game. “Your team can do anything and that’s what licked us. It was an excellent game.”
Paul Brown, who played quarterback for Washington high when Stewart coached here 13 years ago, was pleased with the courageous spirit of the team. “You could see for yourself we were badly outweighed. We had to knock them down to get anywhere. They were two tired teams when that final gun popped. Did you ever see such a game before. I didn’t.”
“Nor I,” piped up Hugh McGranahan, assistant coach, who himself went into action in the third period when a spectator edged in on the Massillon bench and took a swing at Pizzino, a sub-fullback. “P, (P is for Paul), you can send me away scouting after this. I won’t be able to stand another like that.”
And McGranahan expressed the sentiments of practically every Massillon fan there.
Both teams were so “high” that neither would quit under pressure that would make most elevens surrender.
They had seasonal and traditional records to preserve and gave every effort toward that end. Today the Tiger record of having lost but one game in 34 still existed, but Sharon’s string of 15 straight was broken. It was the Pennsylvanian’s first loss in 19 games. Statistics Favor Tigers Not only the score but the statistics in general were with Massillon. The forward pass made the difference.
The Tigers rolled up 13 first downs to Sharon’s four and not one did the latter team get in the last half.
The local eleven made 191 yards rushing to Sharon’s 174 and gained 123 yards passing to none for Sharon.
The Pennsylvanians had a slight edge on running back punts and kickoffs and owned a margin in punting. Penalties were the same.
To pick out an outstanding player would do an injustice to other members of the Massillon team. From end to end and throughout the backfield each individual gave everything he had.
The same can be said for Sharon, though the defensive playing of O’Brien and Wolansky and Matthews’ ball carrying ability demanded attention.
Two Tiger players went out with injuries. Jim Russell, who injured an ankle in practice Wednesday evening, was forced out early in the first half and was replaced by Red Henderson, sophomore, playing his second game. Henderson was hurt in the McKeesport game and had not played since. Bill Zimmerman aggravated an ankle injury in the second half but hobbled around on it for 10 minutes before he got another bump that put him out. Clendening took his place.
The game was packed with the unexpected, recovery of fumbles, long runs for touchdowns and sensational passes. Tigers Score Early Joe Cvelbar fumbled on the second play of the game and the alert Freddie Toles flopped on the ball on the Sharon 37-yard line. There began your first touchdown drive. Red Snyder ripped through for nine yards at right tackle and Ray Getz cut through left tackle for a first down on the 21-yard line. Snyder and Slusser running hard made it first down on the seven-yard line. Snyder moved the ball three yards nearer the goal, but a stubborn Sharon defense, ganged up on Fred Toles when he tried to circle on an end around play and Wolansky tossed him for an 11-yard loss. On the very next play, Getz swept the left flank and carried to the two-yard line before being downed. With fourth down and two yards needed for a touchdown, Capt. Snyder, head down, smacked the center of the line and went through standing up. Getz kicked the extra point and it was 7-0.
Sharon received and when three downs lacked a yard and a half of a first down, Wolansky punted to Capt. Red Snyder. The red head caught the ball on his own 20-yard line and almost doing a tight wire act as he raced along the line, ran straight up the field 80 yards for a touchdown without a hand being laid on him.
The play came so fast that few saw Snyder’s interference form as a screen between the Sharon players and the Massillon ball carrier. Little blocking was needed for before the Sharon gridders could get to him, Snyder was past them and traveling at top speed in midfield. Massillon fans were hilarious. It was the signal for a rout and would have resulted in just that were it not for the stout hearts of Dave Stewart’s boys. They fought back after Getz missed the extra point from placement, took the kickoff and worked the ball to midfield where Freddie Toles intercepted Cvelbar’s pass to give Massillon the ball. Sharon Scores After Fumble Both teams stopped each others’ scoring efforts until early in the second quarter when Wolansky got off a good punt which bounded in front of Capt. Snyder. Red tried to pick it up on the 15-yard line but the ball rolled out of his hands and Cvelbar recovered for Sharon on the Tiger one-yard line. On the first play Wolansky crashed through center for the touchdown and Cvelbar kicked the extra point. It was a tough break for Massillon and Shaorn made the most of it.
Another break went to Sharon after the following kickoff. The Tigers marched the ball to midfield where Slusser was tackled hard while attempting to pass. He fumbled the ball and O’Brien recovered for Sharon on the Massillon 31.
The Tigers apparently stemmed the attack until a five-yard penalty for offside moved the ball up for Sharon to third down on the 26-yard line. Wolansky and Matthews made a first down by inches on the 21.
There Matthews was turned loose and he carried one tackler after another until he was finally downed with six on his back on the 14-yard line. Wolansky, Matthews and Izenas got a first down on the nine-yard line and here Sharon was faced with a problem. The big Pennsylvania backs had to fight for every yard. In three downs they got to the one-yard line. Matthews was given the ball on fourth down. He moved forward, the lines piled high, but the officials found the ball had gone over by a few inches. There was tumult in the Sharon bleachers. The score was tied 13-13. Wolansky tried to sneak the extra point over but was met by a fast charging Massillon line.
Only two minutes of the half remained when Wolansky kicked off to Gillom. He got back 11 yards to his 41 when downed. Slusser dropped back and protected this time by his fellow backs fired a long pass to Freddie Toles. A Sharon player was there to get it but Freddie went over his head to pull down the ball o n the Sharon 30. Back Slusser dropped for another pass. This time Toles cut diagonally across the field, snared the all on the 10-yard line and went over. The touchdown came so quickly that 10,000 spectators watched in silence a moment, then let loose with a terrific blast of groans and cheers.
Getz’s attempt to kick the extra point was wide of the uprights but the Tigers were ahead 19-13 and Sharon could run but one play before expiration of the first half. Another March Begins Both teams came out strong the third quarter and neither threatened until mid-way in the third period when Snyder on a 10-yard return of a punt was forced out of bounds on his own 40-yard line. The local eleven didn’t look particularly dangerous then, but quickly launched its longest offensive of the evening.
Stopped on a sweep around right end, Slusser hurled a long pass to Gillom for a first down on the Sharon 43. A pass to Getz was a little too high and Slusser and Getz moved the ball within a foot of a first down. Snyder banged through for extra yards and a first down on the 31.
There the Massillon eleven pulled the old Michigan Statue of Liberty out of the bag. With the ends crashing in to block Slusser who dropped back to pass, Getz circled behind him took the ball off the palm of his hand and pranced to a first-down on the Sharon 20. Slusser hit for seven yards, but after Getz was thrown for no gain, Snyder tore through center and ran to the three-yard line before being downed. On the next play he plunged for the touchdown, Getz’s kick was wide of the post.
That hoisted the Massillon margin to 25-13 and it looked safe enough until Sharon took the kickoff, moved up the field to its 46-yard line where Matthews found a hole in the left side of the Tiger line and ran 54 yards for a touchdown. Cvelbar placekicked the extra point and the score in two minutes had changed to 25-20.
Sharon was too close so Slusser began throwing again after the kickoff. He fired a long one to Getz who caught the ball on the Sharon 30 and ran to the 18-yard line before being tossed out of bounds. Two line plays only gained two yards and Slusser’s pass to Getz on third down dropped into the end zone. With fourth down and eight to go, Slusser dropped back for another pass. He looked toward Toles cutting diagonally across the field, then turned and fired to Gillom who was moving diagonally the other way. It was a wobbly pass but Gillom sprang into the iar at the right time and hauled down the ball behind the goal line while a Sharon player made a frantic effort to block it.
Slusser tried to carry the ball over for the extra point this time but was stopped. Clendening Starts Drive Both teams were tiring rapidly as the fourth quarter began to wane. Then Clendening, sent in to replace the injured Zimmerman, took Wolansky’s punt and ran hard down the east side line to the Sharon 22-yard line. He did not know he stepped out of bounds on the 22 and raced on across the goal with tackler after tackler bouncing off him.
Snyder found a hole at right guard and ran to a first down on the two-yard line. Slusser went through the same spot for the sixth and final touchdown. Again the kick for the extra point was wide.
You would have thought that would have finished the Sharon team, but Stewart coached teams are typically courageous elevens and Izenas, sub-fullback, took the kickoff and ran to the Massillon 22-yard line where he was tackled from behind by Getz after being out in the clear. The Pennsylvanians in four downs only advanced the ball three yards and the Tigers took the pigskin and kept it until the game ended, three plays later.
The two elevens dragged themselves off the field and the Massillon gridders were too tired to rejoice over their victory. The 10,000 spectators flooded the gates, piled into their autos and immediately there was a traffic jam.
Massillon fans who drove to the game feared a heavy fog on their way home. It was already descending on the field in the third quarter but apparently centered on the hill top. Little fog was encountered elsewhere until Canton was reached.
It was a fine night for the return trip. A bright moon made driving easy and fans who had expected to grope their way in fog were treated instead to a brilliant display of the Aurora Borealis.
The special train which conveyed the band and 200 fans to the game arrived in Sharon ahead of schedule and reached home shortly after 2 a.m.
And did the Massillon band click! Sharon has no small band, it won the state championship last year. Sharon sports writers were unusually enthusiastic over the performance put on by the Massillon musicians. “Why that’s better than you see in most of the big universities,” they said. “Boy how they can swing it.”
The bands appeared simultaneously on the field. The Sharon musicians wearing orange and black cadet uniforms took position on the field and the Massillon band marched through the ranks both playing in unison.
The Massillon spectators took big appetites with them. The “sold out” sign was hung up in many restaurants. Schoolboys were sitting three deep on the stools in one hamburger shop.
Miss Margaret Busse, Massillon’s acrobatic cheerleader, covered up last night. It was a bit too frosty for the tights. The drum major lassies strutted as usual but made good use of blankets when off the field.
Occasionally fists flew in the stands and police found it necessary to escort a fan to the gates now and then, but all in all this crowd was unusually orderly, especially considering how tense the game was and Massillon people returned home praising the sportsmanship of fans and police of the Pennsylvania city.
One In A Million Massillon Pos. Sharon Toles LE Wild Lucius LT Dunn Russell LG Bruno Martin C Sasala Houston RG Lysohir McMichael RT Kalwarski Gillom RE Colclaser Slusser QB Wolansky Getz LH Marstellar Zimmerman RH Matthews Snyder FB Cvelbar
CROWD OF 12,000 SEES TIGERS DEFEAT WARREN HIGH 21-0 MASSILLON TURNS TO POWER PLAYS TO WIN
Ball Carriers Shove Over Three Touchdowns When Visitors Spread Defense Over Passing Zone; Game Abundant In Color
By LUTHER EMERY
A driving offense that gained yardage the hard way, kept the Washington high Tigers into the top spot of northeastern Ohio football Friday evening as they stemmed the invasion of the battling Presidents of Warren before a crowd of 12,000 cheering fans.
Thrice the Tigers plowed their way to touchdowns and thrice the toe of Ray Getz, sophomore halfback sent the ball spinning between the bars for a 21-0 triumph in a game that has never been surpassed in color here. Color and Class Fully 12,000 fans poured into Massillon field, which already has been enlarged to a 13,000 seating capacity. The packed stands formed a colorful back drop for the green stage and one of the finest football shows ever put on.
Both teams had its performers, but in the entire cast there were none more dangerous or more sparkling than the Johnson brothers, Mackey and Levi, Warren’s fleet and dangerous halfbacks.
Their dazzling sprints, the skillful maneuvers of the 81-piece Warren band, the snappy new drill of the Tiger musicians, the princely marching of the Ohio champion American Legion drum and bugle corps and the downright determination of both teams to battle to the final whistle completed a show that sent losers as well as winners home talking. Warren Primed For Game As expected, Warren was loaded to the guns. Several thousand President supporters drove the 70 miles to Massillon and another several thousand gathered around public address systems at home to see and hear their team in one of northeastern Ohio’s most important football games of the year.
It was billed as a game that would go a long way toward determining the northeastern Ohio champion and it did just that.
Warren came to Massillon with an uncrossed goal line, but went back home with three touchdowns shoved over it.
The first followed the kickoff to Massillon and a Tiger drive of 80 yards that ended with Ray Getz lashing through a stubborn left tackle for one yard and a touchdown.
Another bristling drive that started from the Tiger 29-yard line late in the first period and took up a third of the next quarter produced the second score with Capt. Red Snyder diving over from the one yard line after the visitors had twice stood their ground.
An intercepted pass on the Warren 40-yard line and a drive that moved forward with the aid of a 15-yard penalty produced the third touchdown in the fourth quarter with Freddie Toles winging his way around right end from the four-yard line.
Those three touchdowns briefly sum up Massillon’s offensive efforts for the evening. Warren Always Dangerous Warren with two backs in the Johnson boys, who were faster and who could twist and squirm better than any of the Tiger ball carriers was dangerous at all times.
Again and again Mackey or Levi would break through the Massillon line as though fired from a cannon, but there was always a Tiger somewhere handy to haul them down before they could reach the Promised Land.
Once it was Red Snyder who leaped on Levi’s back after he was on his way down the sidelines. Again Mackey was carrying the mail up the middle with four men ahead of him for interference and no one to be taken out of the way when Bill Zimmerman gathered himself off the ground and took the fleet Negro from behind.
The Johnson boys’ runs with one exception were the only long ones of the evening, the Tigers gathering virtually all of their yardage in power plays through the line or hard sweeps around the ends. Visitors Defense Bothered Tigers The Warren defense which continually shifted from a five-man to a six, seven and even eight man line, confused Tiger linemen on their blocking assignments and frequently resulted in Massillon ball carriers being stacked up without gain.
But troublesome as it was, Warren’s defense was pierced for 254 yards and 15 first downs while the visitors were held to 163 yards and seven first downs.
Warren, however, did succeed in stopping the Tiger passing attack to a fair degree of success. Carefully guarding their secondary, the Presidents only allowed two completed passes, one figuring in the second touchdown drive.
Using a 6-3-2 defense, the Tigers likewise guarded their secondary and only allowed the completion of one Warren pass while intercepting three, one of which started the final touchdown drive.
Though it broke occasionally and allowed the Johnson brother to tear through, the Tigers forward wall gave a creditable performance and out charged the visitors for three periods. By gaining the first foot of ground Toles, Houston, Russell, McMichael, Gillom, Martin and Lucius made it possible for their ball carrying teammates to smash through for gains which though not long, paid off in the end. Tigers Score After Kickoff The Tigers won the toss and received at the north end of the field. It was slam-bang from then on. Mackey Johnson booted the kickoff into the end zone and Massillon took the ball on its own 20. The going was tough with two and three downs being necessary to get the required first down. With Getz, Snyder and Slusser alternating at carrying the ball the Tigers rolled up six first downs as they moved down the field. They got a first down on their 32, their 46, the Warren 44, the 25, the 12 and Snyder finally rammed through for a first on the one-yard line. It took two plays to get it over from there, Getz carrying it across and kicking the extra point. The drive consumed half of the first quarter.
When Warren failed to gain after the following kickoff, Lindsey booted the ball to Snyder who came back to the visitor’s 46. There was second touchdown drive was launched despite two 15-yard penalties for holding. A fake kick from which Snyder ran 33 yards to a first down on the Warren 29-yard overcame the penalty losses. It was Massillon’s longest run of the game.
The mouse trap with Toles carrying the ball gained 11 yards and brought a first down on the one-yard line and Snyder went over after Warren had twice stopped thrusts at the line.
The visitors flashed their first offensive late in the second period when the Johnson boys got hot feet and carried the leather to the 15-yard line. There on fourth down, Zimmerman and Getz dumped Mackey hard after he had taken a lateral from Exler and Warren lost the ball. Warren Takes Initiative The third quarter was all Warren. Not a first down did the Tigers make in that frame while Warren came through with three in two unsuccessful bids for touchdowns. Once Levi Johnson raced through to the Massillon 31-yard line where Snyder charged over to the sideline to stop him. Warren only got two yards its next four plays and lost the ball on the 29.
They charged back again, however, and were well on their way with a first down on the Tiger 32-yard line when Manus fumbled the ball and Getz recovered for Massillon to end the threat. Came the fourth quarter and the tide again turned in favor of the Tigers. In a desperate effort to score, Warren opened up with passes into a secondary that was closely guarded by Massillon. Horace Gillom went up into the air to pull one down on the Warren 40 and got back five yards before being downed. Slusser in two plays ran to a first down on the 19-yard line. As he was tossed out of bounds, an over anxious Warren player piled in on his legs and a 15-yard penalty was stepped off. It advanced the ball to a first down on the four-yard line. On the first play, Toles swept wide around his right end, outrunning Edwards of Warren to get the touchdown. Getz for the third time blasted a perfect shot between the uprights for the extra point.
The victory was the Tigers’ third and their hardest game of the season. Apparently they came out of it in better shape than either the McKeesport or Mansfield games and will point for Sharon next week.
The coaching staff of Miami University viewed the game from the enlarged press box and were amazed at the show put on. “We can see now how you can draw crowds of 12,000 at your football games,” was their comment.
They were particularly interested in the Massillon band. “Better than most college bands,” they said.
Maestro George Bird had his musicians primed for a new number and transferred the scene to the old Chicago Fair and “little Egypt’s gyrations”. It case you don’t know Pep Paulson was inside the skin. Warren Band Impresses The Warren band presented a fine drill between halves and an acrobatic drum major in Miss Helen Johnson. She knows here “taps” too so they say. The Warren male drum major who did such fancy baton twirling is one of the four Keller brothers, a family of drum majors.
The Warren band paraded the streets late Friday afternoon and marched to the Washington high gymnasium where members were served a lunch by the Band Mother’s club. Members of the Massillon band were on hand to greet the visiting musicians.
The Legion drum and bugle corps put in its annual football appearance before the game. The corps usually participates in the opening night exercises but was on its way to Los Angeles this year when the Tigers opened their season with McKeesport.
The Ohio champions and the 10th best corps in the United States were given a great ovation as they left the field.
Miss Margaret Busse, Massillon’s acrobatic cheerleader was given a big hand.
There was one fight, but the fan who took the pass at one of the Massillon ‘coppers” regretted it. He was not locked up however, but was put out of the field.
Good Plunging Massillon Pos. Warren Toles LE Edwards Lucius LT Hoffman Russell LG Brownlee Martin C Canzonetti Houston RG Hyde MacMichale RT Lindsey Gillom RE Holmes Slusser QB Henry Getz LH Manus Zimmerman RH Johnson Snyder FB Layton
Score by periods: Massillon 7 7 0 7 21
Substitutions: Massillon – Lechleiter, le; Foster, le; Fabian, fb. Warren – L. Johnson, fb; Exler, lh; Leutsch,; E. Wilson; Thompson; Terrell; Mustas; R. Wilson; Webster; Lohret; Mrus.
Touchdowns: Massillon – Getz; Snyder; Toles.
Points after touchdown: Massillon – Getz 3 (placekicks).
Referee – Jenkins. Umpire – Rupp. Head Linesman – Hetra. Field Judge – Ensign.
Game Statistics Massillon Warren First Downs 15 7 Yards rushing 254 163 Yds. Lost rushing 14 13 Net yards rushing 240 150 Yards passing 22 18 Total Yds. Gained 262 168 Passes attempted 7 7 Passes completed 2 1 Passes incomplete 5 3 Passes intercepted 0 3 Times punted 5 3 Av. Punts (Yds.) 37.4 37.6 Yards penalized 65 35
TIGERS BEAT MANSFIELD AND TURN ATTENTION TO WARREN IMPROVEMENT SHOWN BY MASSILLON’S GRIDDERS
Passes Produce Second Straight Victory: “Too Fast For Us,” Says Mansfield Coach; Warren Has Not Been Scored On
By LUTHER EMERY
Having clawed Mansfield 33-7 Saturday for their second straight victory, the Washington high Tigers will be put through a brief workout this afternoon, as the first bit of preparation toward stemming the invasion of Warren Friday evening.
Improve in both offense and defense they will face their hardest assignment yet in Warren, a team that has not been scored upon. Cleveland Holy Name and Cleveland Heights have fallen victims to the Battling Presidents, who make no secret of the fact that they are holding their punch in an attempt to knockout the Massillon state champions. Large Crowd to Follow Warren From 2,500 to 3,000 Warren fans, convinced their team has a good chance to do just that will follow the Trumbull county eleven to Massillon, so fans are advised to buy their tickets early for another capacity crowd is expected if the stars twinkle.
A crowd which Mansfield officials estimated at 8,000 sat in trees, squatted on the sidelines and filled every inch of space in the Mansfield stadium to see Tiger meet Tyger. Improvement Shows Hopes for a repetition of the 1937 surprise when Mansfield came through to tame the Massillon Tigers in a 6-6 tie, attracted more than the usual number of Richland county fans while 2,000 to 3,000 Massillon rooters drove the 60 miles to see revenge attained in a very satisfactory manner. Tigers Faster Team What advantage Mansfield possessed in weight was more than offset by the speed of the Massillon gridders, who for the second straight week used their forward passes as a scoring weapon.
All five touchdowns were a direct result of taking to the air. One pass put the ball on the six-yard line in position for the first score. Two more were scored on George Slusser’s long throws to Horace Gillom, while the other two came the easier way, on interceptions, one by Freddie Toles and the other by Slusser.
While the last two touchdowns were cheap, they made up for three the Tigers lost the hard way, through fumbles and penalties.
Coach Paul Brown was more satisfied with the performance of his team Saturday than in its opening game with McKeesport. “I think we showed definite improvements,” he said, “We have many things to iron out, but we are on the way up as we should be.”
Russell Murphy, the Mansfield coach, declared Massillon had too much speed for him. “Your ends got by my secondary before they knew it,” he said. “Your forward passes beat us. You didn’t have a whole lot on us on the ground, but those passes. That Slusser fellow is a good thrower. I think Brown has a good team.”
The statistics show the Tigers were superior on both rushing and passing, though first downs do not reveal any great margin of superiority. That’s because most of the touchdowns were not the results of sustained drives, but came about with a lot of yardage gathered on one play. First Downs 11 To 8 Massillon made 11 first downs to Mansfield’s eight, gained 177 yards rushing to Mansfield’s 68 and gained 185 yards in passing to Mansfield’s 79.
All the touchdowns came on fly by night plays when least expected, two after 15-yard penalties. It looked like the old 1936 team in action – when a 15-yard penalty usually meant a touchdown on the next play.
Take the first one for instance. Ray Getz had just ripped off a fancy dash of 25 yards around his left side to the goal line when the ball was called back and a 15-yard penalty for holding inflicted on the local team. On the very next play, Slusser stepped back and pegged a 37-yard toss to Gets who was downed as he caught it on the three-yard stripe. Slusser went over on second down from the one-yard line and Getz kicked the extra point.
The other three we’ll tell you about later. Slusser Given Great Protection There was little to choose in the way of outstanding players among the Massillon gridders. While Slusser’s passes sparkled, the line and other backs protected him so thoroughly that he had loads of time to pass and in the end were just as much responsible for the success of the touchdown plays as the passer and receiver who always hold the attention of the fans. Honors in carrying the ball w ere evenly divided, but the fans noted improvement in Getz’s footwork.
With Mansfield’s secondary crowding the line, the Tiger running attack had difficulty moving forward at times. It was then that Slusser, with the secondary sucked in, fired the ball over the heads of the Mansfield players into the hands of the fast moving Massillon ends. No Score First Quarter The Tigers did not score in the first quarter, but they lugged the ball once to the six-yard line where a fumble set them back and helped Mansfield hold them for downs.
A first down and a fine kick by Capt. Rich Nagle, apparently put Mansfield out of danger, but the Tiger ball toters dug in their cleats and went to work.
They lugged the ball to the Mansfield 25 where Getz got away for what would have been a touchdown dash had not a 15-yard penalty for holding, set the locals back to the 40. On the next play, Slusser let loose a long pass that Getz took over his head on the three-yard line. A Mansfield player was close enough to dump him in his tracks. Red Snyder picked up a couple of yards and Slusser on the second down carried the ball across. Getz kicked the ball neatly between the uprights and the score was 7-0.
Another Massillon drive moved to the 20-yard line where McMullen covered Slusser’s fumble to end the threat and the second period was three-quarters gone with neither team threatening any further when Capt. Nagle, trying desperately to tie the score before the end of the half, tossed a pass from his 38-yard line. Slusser was Johnny on the spot, scooped it up and romped away for a touchdown. Getz’s try for the extra point was wide of the posts this time. Pass Gets Another Mansfield received, failed to gain and Bill Zimmerman brought back Nagle’s punt five yards to his 45-yard line. With only a minute left to play, Slusser on the first down stepped back and shot the ball 40 yards to Gillom who ran the remaining 15 yards. Just to show it could be done again, he passed the ball to Gillom in the flat to the right for the extra point.
Martin covered McMullen’s fumble after the following kickoff and Snyder heaved a 22-yard peg to Toles for a first down on the 10-yard line. A 15-yard penalty brought the ball back but before the referee could step off the yardage the half ended.
Mansfield came out with more pep in the third quarter and pushed over a first down on the 41-yard line. Then up jumped Freddie Toles to intercept Schwaner’s pass just as Hershey was about to gather it in his arms. Toles, running as though he were in a 100-yard dash raced 55 yards for the fourth touchdown.
The interception apparently aroused Mansfield and it came back with its best offensive efforts of the day. Tossing passes and relying on Hershey and Nagle for gains, the Tygers marched straight up the field to a first down on the Massillon six-yard line. There an eight-man line threw back everything that headed for the goal and the local team took the ball on the four-yard line. Mansfield Scores Gillom punted back safely to Hershey but the Mansfield safety man wormed his way to the 22-yard line before he was downed. “Ike” Smith who had an epileptic fit in the early part of the game but came right back after a period of rest, carried the ball twice and made a first down on the nine-yard line. Toles grounded Smith’s pass and the Tigers slipped into an eight-man line again. Nagle shot a short pass to Hershey who caught it between the secondary and line and went wide to his left to cross the goal line. Schwaner placekicked the extra point.
The Tigers began a touchdown drive after the following kickoff and marched the ball from their 36 to a first down on the Mansfield 20 when the third period closed.
On the second play of the fourth quarter Getz dashed to the Mansfield goal only to have the ball called back as the referee stepped off 15 yards for holding. It was Slusser’s cue and he shot the ball to Gillom 35 yards on the next play for a touchdown.
The pace slowed down the rest of the quarter as both coaches substituted freely and took five-yard penalties for it. Fans thought for a moment that Corrigan was in town but it was only Bud Lucius. He ran the wrong way after intercepting a Mansfield pass but another Mansfield player made the mistake of heading him off and tackling him.
Little Red James, the smallest of the Tiger players, got his chance to carry the ball in the fourth quarter and made nine yards on one attempt. More will be heard of him later in the season. Fumble Ends Threat The Tigers threatened in the last minute of the game when Slusser heaved a 20-yard pass to Roscoe Clendening, substitute back. Clendening fumbled, however, when tackled on the eight-yard line and Mansfield recovered.
The way the Tiger secondary stopped Mansfield’s passes was pleasing to Massillon fans. Where Mansfield completed 14 of 21 passes against Akron West in its opening game it only completed nine of 21 Saturday for a gain of 78 yards. Six of the 21 were intercepted.
The Washington high band was on hand and brought fans to their feet with “Hold That Tiger” and its revolving “M”. Mansfield cameramen were particularly interested in the Tigers and drum majors and had their cameras clicking throughout the drill.
The band proudly marched up and down the field after the game and to the school house where members boarded their busses for the return trip.
The booster club’s caravan, which many thought would never get to Mansfield in time for the game, arrived 20 minutes before the kickoff. Some 200 machines in the lineup were whisked through traffic lights and over the highway at a fast clip by state highway police.
One youngster on the outskirts of Mansfield caused a lot of comment. He held up a daubed sign reading “Massillon Boo” as each Massillon machine passed by.
Dave Stewart, whose Sharon team will oppose Massillon in two weeks, was in the stands. “Looks like you have a great team there at Sharon, Dave.”
“And I suppose these are a bunch of pantywaists here,” was his reply.
Warren scouts also were on hand to get first hand information on Massillon.
Better This Year Massillon Pos. Mansfield Toles LE Dugger McMichael LT Lehr Russell LG Phaler Martin C Gallagher Houston RG Goettle Lucius RT Schwartz Gillom RE Horvath Slusser QB McMullen Getz LH Smith Zimmerman RH Schwaner Snyder FB Nagle
In a setting of color on Massillon Field that exceeded all expectations, the Washington high Tigers whipped a stubborn McKeesport, Pa., eleven 19-7 here Friday evening before a crowd of between 8,000 and 10,000 spectators.
A hard fought game and a thrilling finish combined with a musical demonstration and tumbling cheerleaders, it was a faster show than many a college game for which fans pay three times the admission price. Passes Did It Two well executed passes gave Massillon the margin of difference and started the Tigers on their way to what they hope will be a fourth consecutive state championship.
“They played like a college team,” said McKeesport sports writers after the game and let it be said in return that the spirit of the visitors’ second half offensive in many ways tells why McKeesport was undefeated in two consecutive years.
It was a ding-dong battle from start to finish, marked by hard tackling and sparkling passes.
The Tigers scored all their touchdowns in the first half on perfect plays. With his linemen blasting a huge hole in the visitors’ forward wall, George Slusser romped 28 yards for the first Massillon score in the opening period. He was tackled just as he slid over the goal line. Passes Net Two Passes from Slusser to Freddie Toles in an unprotected secondary, produced the other two scores. Freddie caught one 25-yard heave on the five-yard line and scampered over. He took the other, another 25-yard pass on the 10-yard stripe and raced across. Only seven seconds of the first half remained after the third touchdown. A peg to Horace Gillom produced the extra point.
McKeesport, which never threatened the first half, altered its offense the second period and sparked by a substitute, Ralph Herrera, moved the Tigers backward when it came into possession of the ball.
Mixing passes with Herrera’s end sweeps from his quarterback post and “Casey” Ploszay’s line smashe, the visitors marched the ball 71 yards across the Massillon goal in the fourth period, a sneaker pass over the line, Herrera to Mull, netting the touchdown. Herrera dropkicked the extra point neatly between the uprights.
Briefly, that tells the story of the scoring.
It was a game such as you seldom see in an opening engagement. It was what high school officials had bargained for.
In fact McKeesport had more than Coach Paul Brown and his staff had expected. They returned from the Pennsylvania city last week, wondering whether McKeesport knew any more football than it showed in beating Follansbee, W. Va., 20-0. Present Versatile Offense The answer was given last night. Running to the weak as well as the strong side, sweeping the ends and tossing passes, the Pennsylvanians produced the kind of football that would have tripled the score against Follansbee.
They brought everything out of the bag in the second half, including laterals off passes and had the Tigers up in the air as they drove to their touchdown. A second march was throttled on the Tiger 36-yard line and the visitors never got their hands on the ball thereafter, the game ending with Massillon in possession of the leather, first down on the five-yard line, the result of another of those well directed passes, Slusser to Toles.
Mansfield and Steubenville scouts who looked on from the sidelines, made note of the combination.
In Toles, they saw an end who goes down so fast that once he catches up with the secondary, he is almost certain to pass it.
He raced straight through the McKeesport secondary to grab his touchdown passes and this in no small way can be laid to the visitors’ defeat.
“I had a pair of green halfbacks out there and they let him get by,” said Coach John Stinson after the game. “Massillon has a fine team. We were outplayed, but we came out of it without any serious injuries. I am convinced we have already met our strongest opponent of the season. We only have three boys on the team who were classed as starters last year, but I think as the season progresses we will develop into a pretty good football team.”
Massillon is ready to say that in its opinion McKeesport already has a top-notch eleven and in “Casey” Ploszay, Ed Herrera, Joe Carr and Mull, a quartet of footballers who should do credit to any school. Two Real Threats As you have already been told, Ploszay and Herrera were the offensive sparkplugs but as widely different in their running tactics as their size. Ploszay propelled his short, powerful legs and 15- pounds into the forward wall with trip-hammer driving force, while Herrera wheeled it around end and hurled his passes in the face of a roughing, with 130 pounds of dynamite.
The Tigers showed promise. In Slusser and Toles they may have another Byelene-Anderson combination that brought fans out of their seats two years ago.
Slusser was the chief ground gainer last night and he carried the ball more than any other member of the backfield. Ray Getz and Red Snyder carried it sufficiently, however, to show the fans they too could lug the mail when called upon. Only once did Bill Zimmerman sneak through with it. He made several yards on the play.
The backfield was given good support by the line, which from end to end gave a good account of itself for an opening game. Linemen, with the exception of the ends, Toles and Gillom usually escape unnoticed, but they take a bruising in the course of the game. Bill McMichael and Red Henderson were on the tackles last night, Jim Russell and Lynn Houston at the guards and Earl Martin at center.
Henderson came out with a bruised lip and sore knee, while Capt. Snyder twisted an ankle. After the game both boys expressed the belief their injuries were not serious. Few Substitutes Only four substitutes were made by Coach Brown and that tells the story of McKeesport’s strength. When Henderson was injured, Bill Croop and Bud Lucius broke into the lineup. George Fabian replaced Snyder when the captain limped off the field and “Kappy” Lechleiter took Gillom’s place in the fourth period.
Victory was not alone on the Tigers’ side. So were the statistics. The Massillon eleven made 18 first downs to McKeesport’s 10. The visitors made eight of their 10 in the last half while the Tigers tallied nine each half.
The local team made 343 yards from scrimmage to 187 for McKeesport. Included were 120 yards gained by passing to 57 yards for McKeesport.
Massillon was penalized 55 yards to 25 yards for the visitors.
Ploszay’s quick kick which caught the Tigers asleep in the first period was one of the slickest plays of the game. Standing on his own 36-yard line less than five yards behind the line of scrimmage, he booted the ball over the Massillon secondary which was drawn in close in expectation of a pass. The ball rolled to the very edge of the goal line, just touching it for a touchback which placed it in play on the 20.
Getz had the honor of booting the opening kickoff to Lauris who was downed on the 12-yard line. However on a fake kick, Smith raced through to the 30 before the Massillon secondary got him down. Somebody had to check the drive and Jim Russell took account of the situation and dropped Ploszay for a nine-yard loss. That stopped the opening threat and when Snyder gathered in Ploszay’s punt on his own 35 and raced back 23 yards to the McKeesport 42, the Tigers were on their way.
Snyder and Slusser in two dashes went to the 27 yard line. Getz lost a yard the next down but helped open a yawning hole for Slusser on the next play and the Tiger quarterback cut through for a touchdown.
Ploszay’s quick kick on the next series of plays nearly stymied the Tigers on their goal line, but the ball was brought out to the 20 and the Massillon eleven drove right back to the McKeesport 18 where Slusser’s pass was intercepted in the flat by Ploszay.
Aided by a 15-yard penalty, the visitors got back to their 42 but had to punt again, Snyder racing back 28 yards with the return to his 43. It was a shot of T.N.T. for the Tigers. Slusser pegged the ball to Getz for a seven-yard gain and carried it himself for a first down on the 30. The secondary came in and Toles went out to snare Slusser’s long pass in the clear and race to the second touchdown.
The visitors passed up a scoring opportunity after Mull covered Snyder’s fumble on the Tiger 19-yard line. They gained but four yards in four downs and lost the ball. Another Touchdown An exchange of punts and Getz flopped on Lauris’ fumble on the visitors’ 35. On the first play Slusser caught the Pennsylvanians asleep and pegged the ball to Toles who again caught it in the clear and raced for the third touchdown. A pass to Gillom got the extra point this time and time expired before the teams could lineup for the kickoff.
A Massillon drive after taking the second half kickoff ended on the 25-yard line when Rubenfield covered Toles’ fumble. Another rush, started in the closing minutes of the third period, took the ball to the 29-yard line where the drive bogged down as a result of a five-yard penalty. It was then that McKeesport’s counter attack boomed.
A lateral off a forward gained five and Herrera worked his sneak around end for a first down on the Massillon 49. He pitched one over the line to Mull for another first down on the 36 and helped Ploszay carry it to the 21. A five-yard sweep around right end and Herrera again fired over the line to Mull who gathered it into his arms five yards from the goal and stepped across.
McKeesport got up steam again but blew a valve on the 36-yard line from which the Tigers launched their final drive which probably would have meant another touchdown had not the timekeeper shot off the end of the game with the ball on the five-yard stripe and first down coming up.
School officials argued over the size of the crowd but generally estimated it as between 8,000 and 10,000 people. It included a large delegation of McKeesport patrons, between 800 and 1,000. They brought their band with them to help in the musical demonstration between halves and did a good job of it.
How did you like the Massillon Tiger? The athletic board got the idea at Pittsburgh, where the big university has had a panther romping over the field for many a year.
The Massillon Tiger was introduced while the band blared, “Hold that Tiger.”
And the tumbling cheerleaders added a new touch of skill to the show.
It’s Mansfield next week and Tiger against Tyger again. The difference in the spelling will help fans to identify the two teams.
A Good Start MASSILLON POS. McKEESPORT Toles LE Carr Henderson LT Sowko Russell LG Rubenfield Martin C Carrazzo Houston RG Wiater McMichael RT Laughlin Gillom RE Mull Slusser QB Thompson Getz LH Laurie Zimmerman RH Smith Snyder FB Ploszay
TIGERS OVERPOWER BULLDOGS 19-6 TO CLAIM STATE TITLE STATE HONORS GO TO MASSILLON GRIDDERS THIRD STRAIGHT YEAR Orange and Black Surprises Canton Foe With New Offense Especially Prepared for a Slippery Gridiron; Wins by Decisive Margin
By LUTHER EMERY
The Washington high Tigers today laid claim to their third successive state scholastic football championship. Out of the thunderous ovation that greeted their 19-6 triumph over Canton McKinley Saturday afternoon on Lehman field, Canton came recognition. They had soundly trounced the undefeated team that would have been crowned with the mythical title had it beaten the Tiger.
But the Tiger was not to be beaten Saturday. It clawed and fought with cunning as it had never done this season and backed up a stubborn Bulldog over an icy gridiron for three touchdowns.
Once the Bulldog struck and like a surprise air-raid in the night, caught the Tiger off its guard and scored a touchdown while the latter was feasting on six easily earned points. That was in the first period.
From there on the Tiger played heads-up football and after an even first half, unleashed its power to score touchdowns in the third and fourth period and leave no doubt as to it being the better team on the field.
Overflow Crowd Sees Rout of Bulldog An overflow crowd of between 12,000 and 13,000 strictly partisan fans, shivered and shouted as the two 175-pound lines smashed each other on a slippery field. The Massillon trenchmen hit the harder and the quicker and tore apart the Canton forwards for All-Ohio Bobby Glass and Red Snyder, the new found hero, to romp through. Give the line credit. Its play was superb. Messrs. Fred Toles, Gus Peters, Bill MacMichael, Earl Martin, Lynn Houston, Junior Anderson and Don Snavely, were in the thick of the battle every minute. They held the Bulldog running attack to a net gain of 51 yards and drove back the Canton linemen when on the offense.
It was the last game for Anderson, Peters, Snavely and Glass and the victory was a grand diploma for each.
Snavely’s defensive work was superb. In the face of a severe and almost constant roughing, he made tackle after tackle to stop the charges of the Canton backs. Once he had to take time out because of an injured knee, but he shook out the kink and continued in the game was did every other Massillon player from the opening whistle to the finish. It was the second straight that the Tigers had played through an entire game without a single substitution.
33 Points against Canton As for Glass, he had an honor that few other Massillon backs can claim, that of scoring on Canton in three successive years. He did it in 1935 when the Tigers won 6-0. He pushed two over in 1936 and Saturday he scored two more. In addition he kicked four points from placement. Thirty-three points against Canton in three years – that is his record.
But it was not all Glass in a ball carrying way Saturday as it had been so many times this season. The Tigers uncovered a new ball carrier in Snyder, that likable red head from the west side who is ready to try his hand at anything.
Red blocked all last year and all this year until a week ago when he carried the ball for the first time against Barberton.
He ran right over his interference then and fans shook their heads uncertainly. Not Saturday, Red was on his way like a streak of lightning and when his interference clogged he circled it and kept going. He carried the ball 31 times for an average of 4.3 yards on each play and in this average, even out shown Glass who in 32 attempts averaged 3.7 yards.
Bill Zimmerman who had confined his work of the afternoon to blocking, lugged the leather only once, in next to the last play of the game. He did not gain, but it mattered naught; he had turned in a great job of blocking as did Sammy Doroslov, the blocking quarterback.
Tigers Superior The Massillon gridders were superior in every department with the exception of forward passing and punting. They out rushed the Bulldogs 252 yards to 51 yards and they made 13 first downs to Canton’s eight. The Bulldogs on the other hand, gained 152 yards from passing which included the touchdown pass of 70 yards and Charles Rotar averaged 47 yards on his punts compared with Bob Glass’ 34 yards. Rotar, however did virtually all of his punting with the wind at his back and kept the ball in the center of the field, while Glass punted only once with the wind and on virtually every occasion kicked it out of bounds. Because Glass hoisted the ball out of bounds, Rotar as safety man was able to return his punts only a total of 10 yards, while Snyder returned Rotar’s punts 40 yards. While in the business of heaping praise on the Massillon team, the performance of one Canton ball carrier, Tip Lockard, should not be overlooked. Carrying the ball seven times, he gained 33 yards for an average of 4.7 yards, the best average of any ball carrier on the field.
Lockard, by the way, formerly lived in Massillon.
Did the Tiger coaching staff outsmart John Reed and crew?
That practice behind closed gates here last week meant on thing – a new offense. Yes, Massillon had worked on defense but Coach Paul Brown had also equipped his team with a new offense, a series of sharp cutback plays directed both inside and outside of tackle, especially useful on a muddy field. The theory behind it all was to get the Bulldogs moving one way, then suddenly dash the opposite direction, figuring the Bulldogs in their surprise would be caught flat footed in the mud and would not be able to shift back in time to stop the ball carrier. The theory worked time and again.
Score Touchdown Early The new offense revealed itself the first time the Tigers came into possession of the ball and they marched 40 yards for a touchdown, Glass going over. Canton came right back with a dazzling pass, Biasella to Roman for 70 yards and a touchdown, and it looked like a great offensive game was in the making.
Better defensive play and great punting by Glass and Rotar staved off any further scoring the rest of the half. The Tiger power could not be denied, however, and two drives in the last two periods, one of 61 yards and another of 29 sealed the verdict. Glass and Snyder carried the ball over and Glass placekicked the extra point after the last touchdown.
It was the fourth time in five years that the winning team had scored three touchdowns. Canton made three in defeating the Tigers in1932, 1933 and 1934 and Massillon scored three last year.
The game was played in a flurry of snow. It was fluttering over the field when the two teams lined up for the opening kickoff. Snavely had won the toss and elected to defend the west goal.
Canton received. Glass toe dug heavily into the leather, the ball rode and the wind and the game was on. Lockard only came back to the 11-yard line. The Bulldogs made a daring play as Biasella tossed a pass that was grounded. Fearing a fumble, Rotar dropped back and booted the ball to his own 40 where it was grounded without return.
Tigers Score The Massillon steamroller began moving. Revealing a new offense consisting of sharp cut-back plays, Snyder and Glass ripped through the Bulldog line. On the very first play the red head rammed through for 14 yards and a first down on the 26. Glass smashed through for one yard; then nine. Snyder lost a yard but Glass hammered hard on fourth down and got his first down on the 12-yard stripe. Snyder picked up two, Glass got two more and then on his old pet lugged the leather straight down the alley for eight yards and a touchdown. A yawning hole was opened up for him and he went over with yards to spare. It was the same play Heine Krier used to score on the Bulldogs in 1934. Glass made one on it in 1935 too. His attempted kick for the extra point went wild.
Feasting on the six points, the Tigers were caught asleep immediately after the next kickoff to Lockard who got back to near the 30. A sleeper was trotted out to the opposite side of the field to catch a pass. The attention of the Massillon backfield was directed toward him and at the very instant the Bulldogs snapped the ball, Roman headed straight down the sideline, got by Doroslov who slipped as he stepped backward to block the pass. Roman caught the ball, cut sharply across the field and with fine interference scampered 60 yards for a touchdown. A sigh of relief was heard from the Massillon rooters when Fife’s attempted kick was wide of the posts.
With the score tied 6-6 the teams battled furiously the remainder of the period and throughout the second quarter.
Once the Tigers hammered down to the 15-yard line, but Kark broke through and tossed Glass for a five-yard loss to end the threat. It was the closest either team was able to get the remainder of the half. Rotar’s booming punts keeping the Tigers in safe territory throughout the second period.
Launch 61-yard Drive The second time the Tigers got their hands on the ball in the third period they launched a 61-yard drive from their 39-yard line. Roughing of Snavely seemed to fire the Massillon team to the attack. Glass circled his right end for eight yards and Snyder picked up 11 more for a first down on the Canton 42. Glass hit for five and Snyder picked up seven for another first down on the 30. They took turns hammering Canton’s right tackle for four yards and Glass smashed for a first down on the 18.
Snyder ran hard and wide around his left end and got way down to the five-yard line but he slipped out of bounds on the 12. He smashed through to the eight and a first down by inches.
The going was hard from there and it seemed like the Bulldogs might stem the attack when they held Glass and Snyder to six yards in three downs. They massed their defense in the center probably expecting another thrust at the line, but Snyder had one play in the bag he had not used and he brought it out at the right time. His line shifted to the left and the backs to the right and Glass running hard, circled wide around in his right end, nearly the width of the field to cross the Canton goal. The pass from center rolled on the ground and the attempt for the extra point failed.
Fred Toles who waited until Saturday to play his best game of the season and only his second as left end and defensive right halfback, paved the way for the Tigers third and last touchdown.
It was early in the fourth quarter and the Bulldogs, making a desperate bid to catch up, flung a pass from their 27. Toles left his feet to snare the ball before it could get to the receiver and got clear back to the 19-yard line before being put down.
Snyder rammed for four and Glass carried to within a foot of a first down. They were looking for Glass to make that extra foot but instead Snyder took the ball and smashed straight through to the three-yard line in two attempts he went over for a touchdown and this time Glass sent a perfect kick between the bars.
On the following kickoff the Bulldogs made their longest sustained march of the day. Starting from their 20 after Glass had booted the ball out of the end zone, they tossed passes which mixed in with an occasional good gain by Lockard and Jack Barthel, carried the ball to a first down on the 16-yard line.
Motley grounded a pass behind the goal. Barthel failed to gain and the second pass in the series was intercepted behind the goal. It gave the Tigers the ball on their own 20.
On the first play Glass broke loose for the longest run of the day from scrimmage, a dash of 26 yards. The Tigers failed to make a second first down however and Canton took the ball on its 44 only to lose it when Biasella’s pass hit an ineligible receiver. The game ended with the Tigers still holding the ball.
Into the dressing rooms the two teams rushed, the Tigers beaming with victory, but white from the cold and fatigue of a hard game. They slapped each other on the back and got slapped by several close friends who poured into the dressing room after them. It was their third straight victory over McKinley. It enabled them to lay claim to their third straight Ohio championship. It was their third straight Stark county title and it was equal to eye for an eye revenge for the three straight defeats the Bulldogs had handed them back in 1932-34.
Someone stepped up with the remark, “Nice game, Fred, I knew you had it in you.”
“Yes, Freddy, why didn’t you turn that loose long ago?” said Wyatt.
But before Freddy could answer, Charley piped up, “Because I told him so; didn’t I, Freddy? Didn’t I tell you to hold everything until today?”
Freddy looked around to see if anyone was looking and nodded, yes.
Charley expects to finish school this year and would like to go away off somewhere and play football. He admitted he would like to have old Mike Byelene tossing the ball to him. “All I had to do was say, ‘Charley, jump,’ and Mike always had the ball there for me.” Mike is on the freshman eleven at Purdue.
The game was the last the two schools will play in Lehmans’ stadium. Canton expects to have its new stadium completed by next year. With the addition of temporary seats it will accommodate nearly twice the crowd that attended Saturday’s game.
A TASK WELL DONE, TIGERS! MASSILLON Pos. CANTON TOLES LE ROTAR PETERS LT KAMP MacMICHAEL LG RYAN MARTIN C FIFE HOUSTON RG MOTLEY ANDERSON RT KARK SNAVELY RE ROMAN DOROSLOV QB BIASELLA SNYDER LH BARTHEL ZIMMERMAN RH FEHN GLASS FB LACKARD
Score by periods: MASSILLON 6 0 6 7 19 CANTON 6 0 0 0 6
Substitutions: Canton – Long, e; Miller, c; Robertson, t.
Touchdowns: Massillon – Glass 2; Snyder. Canton – Roman.
Points after touchdown: Massillon – Glass (placekick).
Referee – Reese. Umpire – Finsterwald. Head Linesman – Graf. Field Judge – Jenkins.
Game Statistics Mass. Can. First downs rushing 13 2 First downs passing 0 5 Total first downs 13 8 Yards gained rushing 265 61 Yards lost rushing 13 10 Net gain rushing 252 51 Yards gained passing 0 152 Total yards gained 252 203 Passes attempted 1 15 Passes completed 0 7 Passes incomplete 1 6 Passes intercepted 0 2 Times penalized 1 3 Yards penalized 5 35 Times punted 5 6 Average punt 35 47 Returned punts (yards) 40 10 Times kicked off 4 2 Yards kickoff returned 19 36 Fumbles committed 2 1 Fumbles recovered 2 1
Ball Carriers Statistics Player Times Gained Lost Av. Snyder 31 131 1 4.3 Glass 32 131 12 3.7 Zimmerman 1 0 0 0 Lockard 7 33 0 4.7 Barthel 10 21 2 1.9 Fehn 4 7 8 -.2
TIGERS BEAT BULLDOGS TO WIN STATE TITLE MASSILLON TEAM ENDS UNDEFEATED SEASON BY TAMING OLD RIVAL 6-0
Bob Glass Plunges Over Canton Goal From Three-yard Line in Third Period To Score Only Touchdown of the Game; 12,000 See Battle
By LUTHER EMERY
The Tigers are champions! Champions of Stark County! Champions of Ohio! Only two teams can challenge their title, Steubenville and Sandusky. Both have refused post season games. The Tigers are champions.
The role of David and Goliath was re-enacted Saturday afternoon before 12,000 fans who crowded Lehman stadium, Canton to the corners, when the Tiger eleven, picked from an enrollment of 1,100 rose up and slew the Canton Bulldogs selected from a school of 5,000.
Waited Four Years for Victory Four years, Massillon fans had waited for that moment and when fullback Bob Glass, in the third quarter, poked his 176 pounds through the Bulldog line for the one and only touchdown of the game, pandemonium broke loose in the Tiger stands and a shout went up that could be heard miles away. A disappoint sigh followed a moment later when Jake Gillom was hit hard in an unsuccessful left end sweep for the extra point, but it mattered not in the end, for those six points were sufficient to beat Canton and victory was what Massillon fans had been waiting for.
They swarmed out of the bleachers at the end of the game, kept their hands on the horn button the eight-mile stretch to Massillon, fell in behind the Tiger band as it marched down Lincoln Way and shouted and blew horns again with delight as the band marched round and round the public square.
Their Tigers were champions. The county championship was their first in 11 years. The undefeated season was their first since 1922 and it was their first state championship in 13 years.
It was the 14th knot the Tigers had tied to the Bulldog’s tail since 1909, five more than Canton and most pleasing of all it conquered the jinx Lehman field has been to Massillon teams. Never before had a Massillon eleven won on that gridiron.
Game Hard Fought It was a battle from start to finish, the Tigers glorious in victory, the Bulldogs gallant in defeat.
Old grads scratched their heads afterward and wondered if the scrap had ever been duplicated. It was a vicious game, charged with an undercurrent of bitter rivalry that electrified teams and spectators.
Never did the Bulldogs play as they did Saturday. Oak Park and Steubenville beat Canton, but Oak Park and Steubenville didn’t play the same team the Tigers defeated Saturday. It was a fighting eleven super charged with the pointing of Coach Jimmy Aiken and the latter at the conclusion of the game, heaped words of praise on his boys. “They even surprised me,” he said, “I never saw them fight that way before.”
Cold figures even game the Bulldogs an edge in offense. They made more first downs, gained more yards from scrimmage and staged the longest sustained drive, 75 yards, but the Tigers, playing a conservative game, braced when the Bulldogs ripped into dangerous territory and repulsed both of its attempts to score.
The eight-man line did it. Massillon fans booed when Coach Brown yanked his second stringers and put in his first string men to stop New Philadelphia’s goal line thrust two weeks ago. He did it for experimental purposes with an eight-man line. It turned back New Philadelphia and it beat Canton Saturday, turning the Bulldogs back twice, once on the seven yard line and once on the three-yard stripe.
Tigers Capitalize on Break Favored to win by two or three touchdowns, the Massillon eleven took no chances with the slippery ball and treacherous field. Denied a touchdown in the opening minutes of play when Jake Gillom was downed two inches from the goal the Massillon team capitalized on its second break of t he game early in the third period when Charley Anderson, alert and steady, pounced on Sabin’s fumble on the 21-yard line. Jake lugged the leather around right end for three yards and Dutton drove through for two at left tackle. Then the ball was given to Glass. It was only the fifth time in the game that he had been given the pigskin.
He plowed through for five yards and a first down on the Canton 11. Again Glass took it and this time went four yards forward to the seven-yard line. Dutton hit his left tackle for two and it was third down with the ball on the five-yard line and four yards needed for a first down. Glass was the logical choice and he bored at the Canton line again and put the ball on the three-yard line; fourth down, three yards to go for a touchdown and the Canton secondary hugging the line of scrimmage.
What to do was Quarterback Howard Dutton’s problem. He had faced the same problem earlier in the game and thought he would cross the Bulldogs up by sending Gillom through right tackle. The strategy had failed. He decided to shoot Glass through the center once more on a power play and called upon every man to give that extra energy necessary for this one big push. It was a perfect play. Glass’ line charged and the Tiger ball carrier pumped his feet into the ground and drove his way over the goal by a foot.
Jake Gillom was tackled viciously as he unsuccessfully tried to sweep left end for the extra point.
In the lead by a slim six points and nearly half the ball game yet to be played, the Tigers remembered the counseling of their coaches who told how a great undefeated Massillon team in 1915 was whipped 7-6 by Canton on an intercepted forward pass.
A conservative game was ordered by General Dutton, as he scrapped his forward pass which has been 50 percent of the Massillon offense this season.
Canton Scares Fans Relying on a running attack, the Massillon eleven set about to successfully protect its lead, but not without one big scare that carried the Bulldogs to the seven-yard line.
It was toward the close of the third period that Canton got a break somewhat similar to that which paved the way for the Massillon touchdown.
Stopped on their own 40-yard line when Pete Ballos in an almost super human effort dove over Eddie Molinski and tackled Charley Anderson for a two-yard loss just when it appeared Charley would get loose, the Tigers were forced to punt. Big Don Scott smashed through and threw himself at the ball just as it left Dutton’s toe. He blocked the kick and pounced on the ball, back on the Tiger 25-yard line. It was McKinley’s big moment and it appeared the Bulldogs would make the most of it when Bill Adams passed to Jack Young for a first down on the Tiger six-yard line.
Tigers Check Advance Massillon went into its eight-man line. Sabin whirled off tackle but failed to gain. Adams tried to circle left end but he too was stopped without gain. Here the period ended and the crowd at the west-end of the field which got more breaks than both teams together for most of the play was in that section of the lot, had a chance to see the Bulldogs’ make their last desperate onslaught.
Sabin tried to carry again, but this time the Massillon eleven moved in on him and set him down for a one-yard loss. It was evident that McKinley could not gain through the Tiger line. A pass was the only thing left, for it was fourth down. Risoliti faded back and threw toward the left corner. Two Tigers were there to bat down the ball, but Schultz slipped, the ball hit the ground and the Bulldogs’ last thrust was repelled.
The Tigers took possession of the ball and hammered their way to three consecutive first downs and would have had another had not a 15-yard penalty for holding stopped the effort. In that last march, Dutton again demonstrated his generalship. The ball was on the 28-yard line, it was fourth down and a yard to go. To control the ball and consume time was his bet. He couldn’t afford to punt and give Canton the ball furthermore the kick might be blocked. He gambled and taking no chances, carried the leather himself, right through left tackle to a first down.
Two long runs by Ballos and Sabin put Canton in the ball game again and brought the pigskin to the 30-yard line where the Bulldogs went into a spread formation and Risoliti passed to Scott to the 15-yard line, but Canton was offside on the play and punted on fourth down. The Tigers drove back from their 20-yard line and were traveling past midfield at the final gun.
Players Exhausted After such desperate goal line stands and smashing offensives, it was no wonder that the teams at the end moved somewhat in slow motion like the fatigued boxer who can hardly lift his arms dangling at his sides. It was no wonder that Ed “Echo” Herring, who entered the game in the last two minutes nearly got away twice and it was no wonder that when the final gun released the tension and brought relaxation that several players of both teams crawled up the steps to their dressing rooms on hands and knees, completely exhausted from their efforts.
That is why the game ranks with the greatest Canton-Massillon games ever played – a swift moving panorama filled with hard football capably officiated and dramatic in excitement and color.
Massillon won because it had the better team, not as superior Saturday as many Tiger fans had wagered, but still good enough to beat the Bulldogs who in one afternoon had climbed to super heights.
Massillon won because it had the stronger defensive team and because it had the punch when it needed it. The breaks were even, but the Tigers capitalized on theirs while the Bulldogs failed.
While statistics show the Bulldogs made more yards from scrimmage and more first downs than the Tigers, the conservative game of the local eleven checked its own offense. Only three passes were attempted. Two were completed for gains of seven and two yards while one was batted down.
Canton used a shovel pass to success and gained 33 yards. Two passes were intercepted and six others batted down or grounded.
Tigers Get Kickoff That both teams were in there to hand out punishment was evident from the start. Capt. August Morningstar won the toss and elected to receive, defending the east goal.
Adams kicked to Anderson, who headed up the alley but was tackled in a big pile up on the 29-yard line after a 19-yard return. Gillom made five at center. Glass hit for four and Gillom made it first down on the 42-yard line. Dutton picked up two yards and Gillom on a delayed buck only got one. Gillom barely picked up a scant three on a right end sweep and Dutton kicked a beauty out of bounds on the 14-yard line.
Ballos plunged for two yards, but when he tried to go through Buggs he was stopped without gain. Risolitie dropped back to punt and Don Voss broke through, blocked the ball and recovered it on the Canton nine-yard line. Dutton failed to gain on a spinner, but Gillom got five yards on a right end sweep. Dutton carried the ball to the one yard line and it was fourth down and a yard to go. Dutton decided to send Gillom to the right. Jake ran hard but the Bulldogs ganged him at the goal line. At first Referee Dave Reese raised his hands to signal a touchdown, but Head Linesman, Hummon said that the ball did not go over and when the pile was uncovered the nose of the sphere was two inches short of the chalk line.
That bolstered McKinley and temporarily upset the Tigers and the red and black got a break a moment later when Gillom fumbled Risoliti’s punt and Sabin recovered on the Canton 34-yard line. Massillon took time out. Ballos made four at left tackle and Sabin four at right tackle. Ballos plunged for a first down on his own 47. Adams made a yard at left tackle and Sabin three at right end. Third down and six to go and Gillom intercepted Adams’ pass on the 38. Gillom made three at center, but lost a yard at right end. Dutton lost two at right end. Dutton punted to Sabin, who slipped and fell after catching the ball on the 16-yard line.
Ballos made one-half yard at center. Morningstar charged through and put Ballos down for a three-yard loss as the quarter ended with the ball on the 13-yard line.
Second Period Risoliti kicked, Sabin downing the ball on the Canton 41-yard line. Gillom passed to Dutton for seven yards. Glass made a yard at center and Dutton bucked for a first down on the Canton 31-yard line. Scott knocked down Dutton’s pass intended for Anderson who was 10 yards in the clear. The pass, was short. Glass failed to gain. Gillom made six at right end. Fourth down and four to go and Gillom missed a first down by a yard on the 22-yard line and Canton took the ball.
Sabin found a big hole at right tackle and wormed through to a first down on his 38-yard line. Adams made five at left tackle and Ballos four at center. Adams got through for a first down on his own 49. Sabin made a yard. Risoliti’s pass to Ballos was grounded. The Tigers took time out. A shovel pass to Sabin gained a first down on the Massillon 40-yard line. Adams failed to gain. Sabin got through right tackle again for a first down on the Tiger 29-yard line. Ballos made four yards and the Tigers were penalized 15 yards when Molinski roughed Ballos on the play. It gave Canton a first down on the 12-yard line. Sabin hit right tackle for two yards. Sabin broke through the same spot for six yards and put the ball on the four-yard line. The Bulldogs needed but two yards for a first down and had two chances left. Ballos hit the line but failed to gain. He got barely a yard the next time and the Tigers took the ball on their own three-yard line.
Dutton kicked back to Sabin who carried from the Tiger 43 to the 32-yard line. Ballos made three at center. The Bulldogs tried a pass, but Canton was offside and a Massillon player interfered with the receiver. Risoliti tried to pass again but the ball was grounded. Sabin made five at tackle and Adams attempting to plunge for a first down was stopped with a one-yard gain.
The Tigers took the ball on their own 22-yard line. Dutton made two yards at right end. Glass picked up three. Gillom made a yard and there the half ended with the ball on the Massillon 28-yard line, fourth down coming up.
Third Period Glass kicked off to Sabin who fumbled but recovered on his 13. Ballos made four yards at right guard. Sabin swept right end for three yards. Sabin was given the ball again but he fumbled and Anderson and Buggs hopped on the pigskin on the Canton 21-yard line.
Gillom whirled around right end for three yards. Dutton made two at left tackle. Glass went through for five yards and a first down on the Canton 11. Glass plunged through left tackle for four. Dutton hit the same spot for two. Glass put the ball on the three-yard line. Glass went over for the touchdown. Gillom failed to make the extra point on a wide end sweep. Score: Massillon 6; Canton 0.
Glass kicked off to Adams who caught the ball on the 21 and brought it back to his 29-yard line. Ballos made three at left tackle. Ballos picked up two at right tackle. A shovel pass, Risoliti to Sabin netted a first down on the Canton 45. Ballos hit center for two yards. Morningstar batted down Risoliti’s pass and nearly intercepted. Adams lost a yard at left end. Risoliti kicked to Gillom who returned six yards to his own 32. Dutton made eight yards at left end. Anderson on an end around play was thrown for a two-yard loss by Ballos in a remarkable tackle. Glass got two yards at center. Scott blocked Dutton’s pass and recovered on the Tigers’ 25-yard line.
Sabin failed to gain at right tackle. Ballos drove through for five yards. Ballos failed to gain; Adams passed to Young for a first down on the six-yard line. Sabin failed to gain and Adams running from a triple reverse was stopped without gain as the third period ended with the ball still on the six-yard line.
Fourth Period It was third down and goal to gain. Sabin coming around the right side of his line was tossed with a one-yard loss, being hit hard by Buggs. Risoliti’s pass to Schultz hit the ground and it was Massillon’s ball on the seven-yard line.
For the only time during the game, Molinski hit center for three yards. Gillom picked up two and Glass rammed through left tackle for a first down on the 18-yard line. Dutton ran over Held for four yards and Glass followed the big Tiger lineman through for two more. Dutton hit to his right for three yards and it was fourth down with a yard to go. Gambling, Dutton carried again and easily made his yardage, a first down on the 29. Anderson picked up eight on a reverse around right end. Glass plunged behind Woods for three yards and a first down on the 40. Dutton barely missed a first down on a left end reverse. Gillom drove past midfield but the ball was called back and the Tigers penalized 15 yards for holding. It put the ball on the Massillon 37-yard line. Dutton made two yards. When Gillom failed to gain, Dutton wisely kicked out on the Canton 37.
Ballos was 15 yards to the Tigers 48. Sabin raced through for 13 more and first down on the Massillon 35. He was tackled by Glass, Sabin failed to gain and a check of time showed five minutes left to play. Adams made five yards on a shovel pass taking the ball to the 30-yard line. Canton tried a spread formation and a pass was completed to Scott who had hopped into the secondary, but Canton was offside on the play and was penalized five yards. Risoliti’s pass was grounded. Risoliti got off a pretty punt that went over the Tiger goal line by a couple of inches and Massillon took the ball on its own 20.
Herring substituting for Gillom, made one at right guard. Dutton made five at left tackle and Glass three more. Dutton kicked out on the Canton 40. Canton attempted a spread formation. Risoliti’s pass to Schultz was grounded. Sabin made five at right end. On the third down, old Jim McDew dropped back with Schultz and ended Canton’s hopes by intercepting Risoliti’s pass intended for the Bulldog left end. Herring made two yards and then raced around left end for seven more. Glass plunged for a first down on the Canton 44 as the ball game ended.
It would be difficult to pick an outstanding star on the Massillon team. The line from Capt. Morningstar on one end to Anderson on the other played a great game, while the backfield struck when a big push meant points.
Ballos A Great Player Pete Ballos was the outstanding performer offensively and defensively for the Bulldogs. Little Ray Sabin, played a fine game at halfback, gained many yards, but unfortunately his fumble in the third period was costly.
Both coaches relied on their first stringers to carry on. Coach Aiken didn’t make a substitution, while Coach Brown made two. He sent Mike Byelene in for one play in the second period when he took Dutton out to give him advice and he put Herring in Gillom’s place in the last two minutes of play when the first string halfback was exhausted.
There were no injuries on either team, something unusual for a Massillon-Canton game. Though hard played, it was cleanly contested with but few exceptions. Massillon was penalized twice for 30 yards; Canton once for five yards.
The game definitely closed the season for the Tigers. They will not play a post season game. The Massillon eleven had received an offer of $5,000 to meet New Castle at Youngstown, but the game fell through. Akron North’s championship ambitions having been blasted by Toledo Devilibiss Saturday, only two logical post season game contenders remain, Steubenville and Sandusky, and neither will play.
Quiet Saturday Night It was quiet in Massillon Saturday night. Students and townspeople trod the streets looking for a celebration but there was none to be found.
The only celebration was that staged by the Tiger band after the game when the young musicians climbed out their buses at the top of Lincoln Way East hill and marched through the business district, stopping at Lincoln Way and Erie to drill.
The football team dressed in Canton and returned to Massillon to have dinner at the Silver Maples. Exhaustion did not check the boys’ appetites and they were a happy bunch of fellows. Capt. August Morningstar lost no time getting to Referee Reese after the game. He wanted the ball and got it. He turned it over to Coach Brown who carried it around all evening like a pet poodle. The ball will be lettered and placed among the souvenirs.
The Washington high band staged a colorful drill before the game and at the intermission. The young women drum majors carried large bouquets of yellow mums, the gift of Kester Bros. The Canton band likewise gave a fine exhibition.
Among the spectators was B.F. Fairless, president of the Carnegie-Illinois Steel Corporation who came from New York for the game.
There was a scuffle in front of the Canton bench late in the game that few Massillon fans could see. Jim McDew tackled Sabin hard and tossed him into the lap of Coach Aiken. Aiken shoved McDew off, rather roughly, the Massillon player throught and he and Anderson cocked their fists, but before anything came out of it other Tiger players pulled back their teammates and no blows were struck. It was only an outgrowth of the great tension of the game.
Massillon fans, unaccustomed to the Canton bleachers dropped many blankets on the ground. The McKinley management, however, had made provision for such instances and had men ready to pick up all fallen blankets and place them in a room in the Lehman school. At the end of the game, there must have been 100 in the pile. Blankets were returned as rapidly as identified.
The game will be played and replayed tonight at the Tiger Booster club meeting in the Washington high school. It probably will be the biggest meeting of the year. Plans also will be discussed for the annual football banquet Dec. 11 at the Republic Steel office building. Noble Kizer, Purdue coach will speak.
The Tigers Rule Massillon Pos. Canton Anderson RE Schultz Held RT Scott McDew RG Angelo Voss C Rice Woods LG Virdo Buggs LT Wortman Morningstar LE Young Dutton QB Risoliti Gillom LH Sabin Molinski RH Adams Glass FB Ballos
Referee – Dr. David Reese (Denison). Umpire – C.J. Graf (Ohio State). Head Linesman – J. M. Hummon (Wittenberg).
Game Statistics McKin. Mass. First downs, rushing 10 8 First downs, passing 1 0 First downs, penalties 1 0 Yards gained, rushing 151 143 Yards gained, passing 13 6 Yards lost 5 8 Yards gained, total 159 141 Passes attempted 9 2 Passes completed 1 2 Passes incomplete 6 1 Passes intercepted by 0 2 Punts 6 6 Punts, average yards 33 33 Punts blocked by 1 1 Punts returned by 11 10 Fumbles 1 1 Own fumbles recovered 0 0 Opp. Fumbles recovered 1 1 Kickoffs 1 2 Kickoffs, average yards 50 43 Kickoffs returned 11 20 Penalties 5 30
First Undefeated Season For Tigers Since 1922
By FRED J. BECKER Independent Sports Editor
Undefeated in 10 games, with a record of 483 points to their credit and only 13 scored against them, the Tigers of Washington high school today can lay claim to the scholastic football championship of Ohio. Few there are, who will dispute their right to be recognized as the best school boy gridiron aggregation within the borders of the buckeye state.
The crowning achievement to the most successful football season Washington high school has had since way back in 1922 came last Saturday afternoon at Lehman stadium, Canton, when the rampaging Tiger, hungry for just one more victory, smacked down its perennial enemy, the Bulldogs of Canton McKinley, 6 to 0, in one of the greatest scholastic contests ever witnessed by the 12,000 shouting fans who packed every available inch of space in the Canton enclosure and the hundreds of others who hung from windows in buildings, tree tops and telephone poles in the immediate vicinity of the battle ground.
When husky Bob Glass, 185-pound Massillon fullback, cracked through the center of the Canton line late in the third quarter and drove across the goal line for the touchdown that eventually brought victory to the orange and black he brought joy to the hearts of thousands of local fans who were in the stands and despair to the thousands of Canton supporters who had prayed and hoped that their beloved Bulldogs would be good enough to come through with another victory over the old enemy.
Won 10 Straight In 1922 Way back in 1922 a team of mighty Tigers, coached by David D. Stewart, now football tutor at Sharon, Pa., high school, roamed the scholastic gridirons of Ohio sweeping aside all opposition to travel undefeated through a 10 game schedule, winding up with a magnificent 24 to 0 conquest of Canton.
From 1922 until this fall Washington high has had some prosperous years on the gridiron and some that were quite lean but not until 1935 was it able to turn loose another football juggernaut able to sweep everything before it and finish unbeaten and untied.
For three years, prior to this fall, it bowed in defeat before the devastating attack of powerful Canton McKinley machines.
But this year Massillon came back into its own. A dashing gallant and courageous band of youthful gridiron giants stormed the heights to glory. When they started their campaign back in September they were aiming for an undefeated season but more than anything else they wanted to defeat Canton.
Every day on the practice field and in every game they played prior to last Saturday that thought was uppermost in their minds. “Beat Canton!” That was their goal and they achieved it. Now they are contest.
The young man who last Saturday watched the machine that he and two able assistants had fashioned through hours of hard work, crash through to its greatest triumph, was a football pupil under the coach who gave Massillon its undefeated team in 1922.
“Kids” Come Through That young man was Paul Brown, who has completed his fourth year as football tutor of the youthful Tigers and who Saturday saw the “kids” score their first victory over Canton since Jimmy Aiken was brought to the east end city from Toledo to pull Canton McKinley out of the football mire.
The game Saturday was the 25th in the series between the ancient scholastic rivals since 1909. Of those 25 battles 14 have been Massillon victories, nine have gone to Canton and two ended in ties.
Prior to Saturday Canton had won three straight times. The last beating a Tiger team administered to a Bulldog outfit was in 1931 by a 20 to 6 count, being the third in a row for Massillon. But from then on until this fall, McKinley reigned supreme, winning 19 to 0 in 1932, 21 to 0 in 1933 and 21 to 6 in 1934.
But the reign of the Bulldog was snapped Saturday and to Massillon at least, the 1935 Tigers of Washington high are the scholastic champions of Ohio.
The victory over Canton was a fitting climax to a brilliant season but it was not achieved without a struggle – a desperate struggle all the way in which individual brilliance and equally brilliant team play on the part of both aggregations made it one of the games that long will be remembered.
Thrills Aplenty Three great goal line stands, one by Canton and two by Massillon provided the great outpouring of fans with enough thrills to last them until another football season rolls around.
It was a break of the game that decided the issue in Massillon’s favor. A fumble by Sabin of Canton on McKinley’s 22-yard line paved the way for the Tiger touchdown march.
Earlier in the first quarter the battling Bulldogs stopped the Tigers inches away from the goal but this time the orange and black was not to be denied and steadily it marched toward the Canton goal never to be halted until Bob Glass plunged through for the points.
Canton fans probably will gain some measure of solace from the fact that a fumble paved the way for Massillon’s victory. But it was Massillon’s hard, clean tackling and the alert manner in which every member of the local team followed the ball that made it possible for the local lads to pave the way for that break and then cash in on it for all that it was worth.
Such breaks occur in every football game but they mean nothing to a team unless it has the punch necessary to put the ball back on an opponent’s goal line. The Tigers had that punch and that’s why they won.
Twice Canton was inside Massillon’s 10-yard line. Once it got there through a march that came after blocking a Massillon punt. The other time it reached scoring territory by a brilliant and steady 72-yard march down the field but neither time was Canton able to cash in on its opportunity. When disaster threatened those Tigers just dug their cleats a bit deeper into the frozen turf and tossed back the Bulldogs with ferocious charges and deadly tackling.
Massillon fans expected the Bulldogs to put up a sturdy battle and they were not disappointed. In fact the Bulldogs played their greatest game of the season. Followers of the sport who had seen Canton in action before last Saturday declared the Bulldogs Aiken trotted out against the Tigers played better football than at any time during the campaign.
Inspired Canton Team That was to be expected. Aiken, one of the shrewdest high school coaches in the state, knew how to prime his boys for the Massillon conflict and it was an inspired team that trotted out to meet the rough riding boys from Massillon. The 11 Canton boys who started the game were in there at the finish, not one substitution being made for the red and black. Massillon made three. Byelene was sent in for Dutton just as the second quarter needed but after the first play in the third the clever Massillon quarterback was rushed back into the fray. Near the end of the game Herring replaced Jake Gillom.
A few Massillon fans; probably, may be a bit disappointed because the Tigers did not win by a larger score. Days before the game some of he more enthusiastic Massillon supporters were predicting a local victory by two, three, four and even more touchdowns.
But in making their predictions they didn’t take into consideration this one important fact: never attempt to predict a Massillon-Canton game on the basis of what the two teams have done prior to that all-important contest. It just can’t be done with any degree of accuracy.
Massillon won – and that is all that is necessary. One of the greatest Tiger teams in local history conquered a worthy, hard fighting foe, an enemy that resisted stubbornly to the last and one that had its moments of greatness.
The Tigers received their stiffest test of the season Saturday – and they came through. Victory is the thing. Points are secondary. A triumph by six points is just as sweet as one by 20 or 30.
The Tigers conquered their old rival. They finished their season undefeated. They are as good, if not better than any high school football team in the state.
All the glory that comes to an undefeated team belongs to those stalwart lads and their coach, Paul Brown and his assistants, C. Widdoes and Hugh McGranahan.
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.
CANTON WINS STARK GRID TITLE AS FORWARD PASSES DEFEAT TIGERS 21-0 MASSILLON UNABLE TO SOLVE BULLDOGS’ FINE AERIAL ATTACK
By LUTHER EMERY
A master passing attack that split the Tiger defense with its unerring accuracy carried the Canton Bulldogs through the air to a 21-0 victory over Washington high Saturday afternoon at Lehman field before a capacity crowd of 10,000 spectators.
In defeating the Tigers, the Bulldogs won their first Stark county title in years. From 1928 until 1932 they had not been able to beat either Massillon or Alliance. Canton was not emphasizing football.
Canton Now Stressing Football A year ago, however, Canton decided to stress athletics and with the appointment of Jimmy Aiken as coach began to build its football machine. It succeeded in defeating Massillon 19-0 but was deprived of a county title when beaten by Alliance.
Additional material was recruited for this year’s team and the Bulldogs blossomed out with the finest eleven that has represented Canton on the football field in 13 years. It won nine of its 10 games and Massillon and Alliance, Stark county’s two leading Class A teams were numbered among its victims.
Now that McKinley has finally won the Stark county title it seems destined to retain it for a long time and why shouldn’t it?
Canton Should Continue to Rule If Massillon, in addition to its own material, had Alliance, Barberton, Dover, New Philadelphia and Niles to choose from, it would have an even chance to defeat its own rival. The cities combined would have a population equal to that of Canton.
Sour grapes? Not exactly. It is a situation Massillon and Alliance will have to face year in and year out, for if McKinley continues to emphasize football at the present rate, an annual duplication of that which took place on Lehman field Saturday can be expected.
There will be an occasional off year when either Massillon or Alliance will wage a successful revolution but Canton with four times the talent to draw from should rule Stark county football in the future.
Massillon was simply outclassed Saturday as the Bulldogs set about to play their best game of the season. They did everything right and at the right time and played near perfect football. There wasn’t a bad punt. They fumbled but once and their great defense held the Tigers to one first down.
Passes Beat Tigers But had it not been for the great aerial attack of the Canton team, the game might have ended somewhere in the victory of a scoreless tie. That Massillon would not be able to score was clearly demonstrated from the start of the game to the final whistle, but it is a question if Canton could have scored without the aid of a forward pass in advancing the ball.
Accurate pegs helped put the Bulldogs in position for two of their three touchdown drives and nearly produced a fourth score when Huff stepped out of bounds on the one foot line after snaring a pass in the fourth period. It was fourth down with goal to go and so McKinley lost the ball.
The Tiger line put up a fine defensive game. It stopped Wilson Frye, McKinley’s ace ball carrier on most occasions and probably would have been even more successful had not the Bulldogs passing attack drawn the secondary back to a point where it was too many steps away from the line of scrimmage to be out of great value in backing up the forward wall.
Stop Touchdown Drives The line, however, made many a valiant stand during the afternoon when backed up to its goal posts. Three times it hurled back the Canton challenge, twice on the one foot line. However, the local forwards were out-charged by their heavier adversaries when on the offensive and this largely accounts for the Tigers inability to gain ground.
The Canton tackles and guards zoomed forth with the passing of the ball while the ends laid back and smeared the hard off tackle smashes which Massillon hoped would bring it victory.
Martin Gylog, who plays left end for McKinley on defense was in Henry Krier’s way all afternoon. Only once did Krier gain ground and that contributed to the Tigers only first down. Running from punt formation, he found a hole in the left side of the Canton line that yielded nine yards. McCants in two attempts made it a first down by plunging through center. Only two other gains of any consequence were made by Massillon players. Shrake on one occasion dashed through Canton’s right tackle for six yards while Dutton passed three yards to Lohr in the closing seconds of the game. Lohr fumbled after making the catch, however and Canton recovered as the gun ended the game. It was Massillon’s only completed pass in six attempts. Two passes were intercepted. Canton on the other hand completed nine passes in 18 attempts for a total gain of 146 yards.
Canton Scores Early Canton scored in the first six minutes of the game. Krier bounced the kickoff to Jurkovic who was downed on the 18-yard line after a three-yard return. Three plays advanced the ball six yards and there followed two exchanges of punts that left Canton in possession of the ball on Massillon’s 46-yard line. On the very first down, Jurkovic passed 27 yards to Halter who was downed on the 19-yard line. Frye crossed up the Tigers and ran his right end behind beautiful interference for a touchdown. Frye carried the ball across for the extra point.
The Bulldogs got the Tigers in another hole early in the second period when Haas recovered a fumble on the Massillon 27-yard line. The red and Black hammered to the eight-yard line but here its attack failed and McCants batted down Jurkovic’s pass in the end zone. The Tigers got the ball on their 20 and punted back to their 46 when they failed to gain. Again Jurkovic faded back and shot a 31-yard pass to Halter for a first down on the 15-yard line and once again the Tigers rallied and knocked down a pass in the end zone to end the threat. The local team secured the ball on the 20 and Frye immediately intercepted Krier’s pass on the 35. Jurkovic once more hurled the ball to Halter for a first down on the 16-yard line. Three running plays only gained two yards, but on the fourth down Jurkovic shot the ball to Huff who caught it on the goal line and fell over for a touchdown. Jurkovic placekicked the extra point and it was 14-0 in favor of Canton. The half ended with the ball in midfield.
McKinley scored its last touchdown in the third period after being thrown back once by a tight forward wall. Abdulla started it when he intercepted Shertzer’s pass on the Massillon 46-yard line. Here the red and black showed its best running attack. Abdulla made four yards, Frye 13 and Abdulla 19 more for a first down on the 10-yard line. Frye wormed through for six yards and then the Tigers braced. Halter got a yard, Abdulla two yards, but a shuttle pass to Abdulla failed to gain on fourth down and Massillon took the ball.
Krier was hurried on the punt and kicked back to the 19-yard line. Again Canton attacked. Frye made two yards and Abdulla was turned loose for a 14-yard sprint to the three-yard line. Halter placed the ball on the one-half yard line and Abdulla carried it over. Huff’s placekick produced the extra point.
Tigers Make Only First Down Following the next kickoff Massillon made its only first down of the afternoon. Shrake brought the ball back to his 44-yard line. Krier made nine yards through right tackle and McCants plunged for a first down on the Canton 44-yard line. It was the first time in the game that Massillon was able to work the ball into Canton territory. There the attack ended, for Canton took the ball when Massillon clipped while the ball was in the air on a punt and a near touchdown resulted shortly thereafter. A pass to Huff made it first down on the Massillon 31. Frye after losing four yards was turned loose around his right end for a dash to the Massillon four-yard line. He was knocked out by McCants on the play, but continued to play after being revived. Halter was tossed by McCants for a six-yard loss. Lohr knocked down Jurkovic’s pass and Frigley gained but three yards at center, so Jurkovic stepped back and fired another pass at Huff who caught the ball on the one-foot line but stepped out of bounds, thus failing to make a touchdown. It was fourth down with goal to goal. Massillon took the ball and there ended Canton’s last threat.
It was the last game for four Massillon players, Bob Shrake, Fred Heisler, Carl Porter and Willis Monroe. All performed nobly, especially Heisler and Porter who played fine defensive games.
Against Massillon’s one first down, Canton made 15, three in the first period, six in the second, four in the third and two in the fourth.
Canton had 12 men on the field most of the afternoon. When it wasn’t an extra substitute it was Jimmy Aiken. The latter kept a steady stream of new blood flowing into his lineup throughout the last half of the fourth quarter.
Though bands do not win football games, Massillon can have the satisfaction in knowing that its musical organization performed every bit as good as the Canton band Saturday.
Both bands drilled on the field before the game and between halves and Myron McKelvey, Tiger drum major had it all over the Canton leader.
Lineup and summary: McKinley Pos. Massillon Huff LE Lohr Wyandt LT Birkish Gylog LG Porter Shopbell C Monroe Allen RG Snavely Haas RT Buggs Lancaster RE Heisler Jurkovic QB Shertzer Frye LH Krier Halter RH Shrake Frigley FB McCants
History 
