1932: Massillon 0, Canton McKinley 19

FANS MAKE MERRY AS DOGS TRIUMPH 19-0 IN FOURTH QUARTER

By LUTHER EMERY

GIVEN their first opportunity to “rub it in”, in four years, Canton McKinley football fans continued to make merry today over their successful 19-0 conquest of Washington high before 4,000 fans on Massillon field, Saturday afternoon.

Wearing down the lighter Massillon team by its superior weight advantage, McKinley earned its victory in the fourth quarter when it outplayed the fighting Tigers for the first time in the game. True, McKinley had a 7-0 lead throughout the first three periods, but it was more the result of dame fortune than downright football ability that a blocked pass bounded into the hands of Jim Huff, McKinley end, allowing him to scamper 18 yards unmolested for a touchdown, in the first three minutes of the game.

Tigers In Great Defense Stands
That gave Canton the jump on the Tigers and the seven points looked all the larger to Massillon players as well as fans as the teams battled furiously through the remainder of the period and the next two quarters with neither enjoying any material advantage.

The fourth quarter McKinley rally which resulted after three of Massillon’s best defensive men had been removed from the game because of exhaustion could not entirely eclipse the brilliant defensive exhibition displayed by the Tigers the first three periods of the game. During much of the second period and throughout the third quarter, the light Bengals not only stopped Canton’s crack offense dead, but frequently carried the game to the red and black. In the second and third periods they had a shade on the visiting Bulldogs, but their early efforts sapped their strength and the fourth period found them without sufficient vitality to continue to hold the red and black in check.

Then it was that Coach Brown was forced to remove two of his heaviest men, Willie Bray, end and Henry Krier, fullback, and then it was that McKinley began to ride to victory.

Canton Scores Twice
Perhaps it was the sight alone of these two boys leaving the field that inspired the Bulldogs to new heights but whatever it was, the invaders began to click for the first time in the game and mowed down the Tigers for two touchdowns before the final gun ended hostilities with Canton the victor for the first time in four years, 19-0, and incidentally the largest score ever made by the red and black in a Massillon-Canton game.

The first touchdown of the fourth period came with lightning rapidity. In the closing minutes of the third period, Knowlton’s pass was intercepted on the Canton 40-yard line, Shipley and Frye managed to gain five yards between them before the period came to an end with the ball on Canton’s 45-yard stripe.

Massillon fans were not worried. Their team would easily force Canton to punt; but not this time. Shipley, who had lost more ground than he had gained, was suddenly turned loose around left end. Behind a wave of interference he moved out to the line of scrimmage. The end was brushed aside and he opened the throttle wide as he tore by the secondary and down the east side of the field toward the south goal. But little Andy Heben was on the 22-yard line as safety man and on the 22-yard line Shipley stopped, the victim of as pretty a tackle as you’ll ever see. It was the second time during the afternoon that the little safety man had prevented a touchdown and he nailed the Canton runner a third time before the end of the game.

Frye Scores
With the ball on the 22-yard stripe, McKinley took on new life. Kopache hit for three yards and Frye picked up three more. A shovel pass gained a first down on the 12-yard line. Kopache, sent back into the game at the start of t he fourth period plunged for eight yards through the center of the line and Frye drove over for a touchdown on the next play. Birkish blocked Ondrejas’ attempted place kick with his nose and Canton was out in front 13-0.

The Tigers received and attempted to open up with an aerial attack but found every receiver covered, forcing Knowlton to punt on third down to Doll in midfield. Again Shipley swept the Massillon right flank and again was stopped by Heben on the 26-yard line. Aided by a five-yard penalty inflicted on Massillon for too many times out, the red and black carried the ball to the eight-yard line where the Tigers braced and recovered the pigskin on downs, but Heben’s punt against the stiff wind only traveled to the 35-yard line, leaving the red and black in position to score a third touchdown.

Kopache plunged for a first down on the 25-yard line and Shipley skirted left end for eight yards, leaving Kopache to plunge through for another first down by inches on the 15-yard line. Frye wormed his way through for three yards. Doll aimed a perfect pass to Shipley which would have meant a touchdown but the Canton player juggled the ball and it fell to the ground incomplete. Kopache with knees working like a trip hammer plowed through to the four-yard line for a first down. Frye made a yard and Kopache placed the ball within inches of the goal line, leaving it to Frye to take over for the touchdown. A swarm of Massillon players again blocked Ondrejas’ attempted placekick.

Canton Scores On Blocked Pass
These were Canton’s earned touchdowns. The first seven points were scored only a few minutes after the start of the game. Canton made a break for itself the first time the Tigers gained possession of the ball when Heben’s punt was blocked by Huff and Miday recovered for McKinley on the Massillon 18-yard line. Frye in two attempts made a first down on the seven-yard line. Here the Tigers showed their courage just as they did time after time during the game by stopping the McKinley ball carriers and recovering the pigskin. A stiff wind was blowing, however and Heben, punting from the end zone found the ball stopped by the gale on the 17-yard line. Twice McKinley tried to gain but found itself pushed back two yards in the attempts. Then it was that doll stepped back and aimed a pass at Huff. The Massillon secondary was on the job, however and knocked the ball down, but Huff scooped it up before it could touch the ground and scampered along unmolested for a touchdown. Ondrejas placekicked the extra point. It was a lucky break for Canton and although it did not discourage the Tigers at the moment, its effect became disheartening the longer the game progressed.

Play was largely confined to what might be called no man’s land throughout the rest of the first period and the second quarter, but in the third period the Tigers backed Canton into its own territory and had much the better of the argument, scoring two first downs and stopping the McKinley offense dead. McKinley had the wind in its favor in the fourth period however and this helped the Bulldogs in their touchdown drives.

Massillon threatened but once, that in the first period when Monroe recovered a Canton fumble on the 25-yard line. A five-yard penalty for offside advanced the ball to the 20-yard stripe, but Massillon was offside on the next play and the ball was brought back. Forward passes failed and Knowlton’s punt rolled over the goal line and stopped a foot beyond the stripe.

McKinley Defense Strong
The McKinley defense presented a stiff problem to the Massillon ball carriers; Huff, colored end, playing an exceptionally brilliant game for the red and black. Heben and Knowlton did most of the ball carrying. Knowlton getting away for 15 yards the longest run of the game from scrimmage for Massillon.

Wilson Frye rated himself a place on the All-County team by his fast cutting off-tackle slants. Only once did he get loose but Heben was on the job to cut him down before he could get a clear path to the goal. The heavy field slowed up his brilliance, but then again it also hampered the Tigers’ open play.

Canton presented a fine assortment of plays but found most of them stopped by the alert Massillon defense. Krier and Hoyman were on the job to turn back the spinner and off tackle thrusts while Bray stopped practically everything around his flank and more than once slipped over to help out Monore, tackle, who likewise was exhausted and taken from the game as the Canton attack got underway.

Schimke Plays Great Game
Aside from Bray and Krier, there was another member of the Massillon squad whose defensive performance was worthy of note Saturday. Anyone who attended the game need not be told who this lineman was. It was Louis Schimke, 148-pound guard, who time and again worked his way through the McKinley line to nail the ball carrier for a loss. Schimke was exceptionally brilliant in the first half. In the second period he was blocked out more successfully, all because Jimmy Aiken, Canton coach, went after his linesmen with loud and vehement words during intermission for allowing the Massillon youngster to break up his plays before their deceptive methods could be executed.

All told Canton made 16 first downs to Massillon’s six. Each team made six first downs the first three periods, but McKinley reeled off the 10-yard distance 10 times in the last period while the Massillon gridders failed to gain a single time.

Massillon’s passing attack was stopped completely, six being grounded and three intercepted while McKinley completed three including two shovel passes for a total of 23 yards. Two were intercepted and another knocked down. Each team was set back 50 yards in penalties.

The crowd was probably the smallest to witness a Massillon-Canton game in years. Cold weather, heavy field and price of tickets were all advanced as reasons for the small attendance. Perhaps 4,000 saw the game, 3,500 in the field and 500 or more on the outside.

The mud prevented the bands from maneuvering on the field and they had to content themselves with music from the stands.

Line up and summary:
Massillon Pos. Canton
Lohr le Huff
Birkish lt Miday
Snavely lg Shopbell
Hoyman c Ostergard
Schimke rg Wildman
Monroe rt Wyandt
Bray re Ondrejas
Knowlton qb Doll
Heben lh Frye
Schenke rh Shipley
Krier fb Kopache

Score by periods:
Canton 7 0 0 12 19

Substitutions:
Massillon – Amic, fb; Jones, t; Brunker, e; Williams, c; Hutsell, hb; Williams, fb; Swihart, e; Critchfield, g; Ripple, t; Chovan, e.
Canton – Abu, fb.

Touchdowns:
Canton – Huff; Frye 2.

Point after touchdown:
Canton – Ondrejas (placekick).

Referee – Howells.
Umpire – Shafer.
Head Linesman – Barrett.