1916: Massillon 16, Canton Central 9

M. H. S. Beats Canton, Claims State Scholastic Title

High School Closes Its Season Without Defeat by Trimming Canton, 16 to 9

Fighting an uphill battle from the first quarter, Massillon high’s unbeaten orange and black eleven Saturday afternoon defeated Canton high, its ancient rival, 16 to 9, at League park Canton, in the season’s scholastic grid classic, and closed its 1916 schedule without a defeat, winning 10 straight games, totaling 318 points to 36 for its opponents.

The victory gave the youthful Tigers the Stark county title, but Coach John Snavely immediately after the game claimed state scholastic honors for his gridders, and is now attempting to arrange a post season game with one of the other leading high school aggregations in Ohio.

Saturday’s victory was a successful termination of a very successful season. It stamped the orange and black as one of the greatest scholastic teams in the state, and the local warriors deserve all the praise that can be given them.

They fought a game battle, Saturday. While they did not exhibit the dash and well drilled attack that they did in other struggles, still it was good enough to win. Keyed to the highest pitch and fighting with a stubborn determination to win, they came back with the punch in the second quarter after Canton had scored its lone touchdown in the first 15 minutes of play, and carried off the victory.

Canton never proved dangerous after the first period. The red and black fought with might and main to keep Coach Snavely’s gridders from crossing their goal line, but fight as hard as they would the orange and black would not be denied, and carried the ball from its own 25 yard line across Canton’s goal for its first touchdown.

Red and black rooters were frantic when Canton scored its touchdown. They thought it was going to be a repetition of the 1915 game, when Canton won 7 to 6, but their hopes were soon pulled from the high pinnacle down to the abyss of gloom.

Canton played its best game of the season Saturday. There is no doubt about that. The players watched McLaughlin and Thomas, Massillon’s two stars, very closely, and although neither gained as they did in former battles, there was another man in the backfield who tore Canton’s line to shreds time after time. That was fullback Edwin Stults. Stults played a wonderful game, both on offense and defense, and his punting was excellent. He ripped through the red and black line time after time for substantial gains.

In the first quarter the orange and black was facing a strong wind and was handicapped. The advantage lay with Canton, and near the close of the period, Stults punted to Canton’s 50 yard line. Boldt, who by the way was Canton’s star, received the punt and by some fine dodging and running returned the ball to Massillon’s five yard line, and on the next play carried it over the line on a delayed pass and cross buck. He kicked goal.

Massillon had possession of the ball on its 25 yard line when the second quarter commenced. It was here the Youthful Tigers began their victorious march down the field. Four straight first downs and Thomas went over for the first touchdown. McLaughlin and Stults made a first down, Thomas and McLaughlin made another, Stults ripped through the line for 11 and another first down, and McLaughlin hit off left tackle for 20 yards and Thomas then carried it over from the four yard line. McLaughlin kicked goal.

Canton fought hard to keep Massillon from scoring more points, and a few minutes later Stults punted out of bounds on Canton’s five yard line. The red and black fumbled on the first play and Ertle pounced on the ball for Massillon. Two smashes at the line by McLaughlin and he went over for the second touchdown. He kicked goal. Canton rooters began to realize that their team was in for a beating. Massillon’s two remaining points came just before the quarter ended. Canton was held on its 10 yard line and forced to punt. Boldt missed a bad pass, the ball rolling over the line. He recovered, but was downed before he could reach the line, giving Massillon a safety and two additional points.

Neither team came close to scoring in the last two quarters. Canton scored its safety in the last quarter when a poor pass got away from Stults and the leather bounded over the line. He fell on the ball, but Canton annexed two points through a safety.

During the last five minutes of play, the red and black made a frantic effort to score and tie the count. The east enders tried pass after pass, but only one proved successful, a long heave from Swarts to Wiseman, which was good for a 35-yard gain and brought the ball up to Massillon’s 30 yard line, but Bischoff intercepted the next pass and the danger was over.

Massillon outplayed Canton. It made nine first downs to Canton’s four, but was forced to punt 12 times to Canton’s 11. The orange and black did not complete a single forward pass, in fact, McLaughlin relied mostly on line plays and end runs to make Massillon’s gains. Canton had two successful forwards.

Although without the aid of its captain, Rowland Harrold, who was on the sidelines with a broken collar bone, the orange and black’s playing was decidedly superior to that of Canton. The line played well, Bischoff, Stults and Zepp playing strong defensive games. On offense Massillon excelled, gaining more ground than Canton, which had only one man who did any gaining, left halfback Boldt.

FINISHING RIGHT

Massillon – 16. Pos. Canton – 9.

Ertle le Strang

Chayney lt Volzer

Stoner lg McAnany

Zepp c Walter

Oberlin rg Bow

C. Archbold rt Swartz

Bischoff re Wiseman

McLaughlin qb Schneffer

Thomas lh Boldt

Converse rh Rate

Stults fb Melbourne
Substitutions: Canton – Negley for Strang, Cameron for McAnany, McCarel for Cameron, Phillips for Melbourne. Massillon – H. Archbold for Chayney, Underwood for Stoner, Johnson for C. Archbold, C. Archbold for Johnson, Wittmann for Converse.

Touchdowns – Boldt, Thomas, McLaughlin.
Safeties – Boldt, Stults.
Goals from touchdown – Boldt 1, McLaughlin 2.

Score by periods:
Canton 7 0 0 2 – 9
Massillon 0 16 0 0 – 16

Referee – Snyder, of Harvard.
Umpire – Coombs, of Hiram.

Time of periods – 15, 15, 12 ½, 12 ½.