State Champions (Massillon) Archives - Page 2 of 3

1950: Massillon 33, Canton McKinley 0

November 18, 1950July 6, 2017
by Eric Smith

22,000 See Tigers Smash McKinley Bulldogs 33-0
Massillon Gridders Win Third Consecutive Ohio Football Championship

By LUTHER EMERY

The ambitions of a coach and football team were realized in Tiger stadium Saturday afternoon as 22,000 fans saw the Washington high school Tigers beat down the challenge of Canton McKinley’s Bulldogs by the impressive score of 33-0 to win their third consecutive state championship and their first Ohio conference crown.

Today Coach Chuck Mather was in possession of his first untied and undefeated seasons in his coaching career and the Tigers were able to boast that they had defeated Canton McKinley by more points than any other Massillon team had been able to measure the Bulldogs in the 55 games that have been played between the two teams since they first met in 1894.

Then too, the Tigers can have the additional honor of being the team that caught up with Canton McKinley. The series is all even now, each school having won 25 games, while five resulted in tie scores. There was a bit of personal pride for the 20 senior members of the squad too – they closed their football careers by having played on three state championship teams.

Not many boys in Ohio have been able to make that kind of boast. In fact only in Massillon have boys played on championship teams during their three years in high school. No other school has been able to win three in a row but Washington high since the Associated Press originated its organized football poll. The Tigers won seven in a row from the season of 1935 through 1941.

While the Tigers will not be officially crowned champions until the Associated Press announces the final standings in its poll this week – there’s no doubt as to how it will turn out – and the Tigers should be a unanimous choice for the title. Anyone voting otherwise will be voting sentiment and not sense for the Massillon team has been on top in the pool from the very first week of the football season.

It is the only time in the history of the poll, according to Fritz Howell, the originator, that one team has held the top rung every week of balloting.

In winning the Ohio Scholastic conference crown the Tigers beat all other teams in the conference.
* * *
THE TIGERS were magnificent in victory – the Bulldogs game in defeat.

There was no question as to the local team’s superiority. It is shown not only in the score but throughout the statistics, and while the Tigers could easily have won by several more touchdowns (they lost the ball three times on fumbles inside the 20-yard line) there also were anxious moments, particularly early in the third quarter when McKinley moved the ball deep into Tiger territory, only to lose it on the 22 when Tom Zeller pounced on Sam Parks’ fumble. It was one of two times the red and black were able to penetrate the danger zone.

The other was in the final period when Lou Mariano uncorked the most brilliant run of the game as he traveled some 100 yards in moving forward 41, ran out of steam and out of bounds on the Tigers 29.

Bill Stoner ended that threat on the next play when he made a brilliant interception of George Ramsayer’s pass on the 18. These two maneuvers accounted for 83 yards of Canton’s 165 net yardage.

The Tigers on the other hand rolled up 432 net yards, all but 54 through rushing. The 54 were made by the completion of two of 11 forward passes. McKinley made all but four of its yards by rushing, completing only one of nine passes for four yards. First downs were 14 to 7 in Massillon’s favor.
* * *
THE GAME ran true to form, and Canton’s hopes of overcoming Massillon power with spirit failed. The Bulldogs though still fighting as the game ended, were as badly a beaten team as ever limped off the field in a Massillon-Canton engagement.

With many of them called upon to play defensive and offensive football in contrast to the two-platoon system used by the Tigers, hardly a play was run off the last seven minutes without time being taken out for one or more exhausted McKinley players. Two of them, Ronald Wilds, who played a great game and who was virtually walking on his knees throughout the second half, and Chuck Gelal were taken to Mercy hospital Canton after the game for observation but were found not to be seriously hurt.

It was Wilds who caused the Tigers most of their trouble. They never knew where he would be – over the center or off to the side and as a result were unable to trap him successfully. Because of his wandering tactics he messed up many a Tiger play. After the game Coach Chuck Mather paid him the tribute of being among the best linemen the Tigers have faced all season.
* * *
THE LOCAL gridders escaped without a serious injury – in fact they haven’t had one all season – and it was their gratitude for this, that before they began celebrating the fruits of victory, they locked themselves in their squad room and before Coach Mather or assistants knew what was going on, were on their knees with one of their number, Ray Lane, leading them in a prayer of Thanksgiving. Voluntary, unrehearsed and coming from the heart, it goes down as a red letter page in their championship history.

You can name your own individual starts. We’ll take both platoons as our champions and not single out anyone for special honors. Fred Waikem, Bob Howe, Lane and Ernie Russell made the touchdowns. Waikem two of them, but without the assistance of the big Tiger line, the blocking of their teammates and the ability of the defensive platoon to throw back McKinley’s challenge to gain ground, the glories of victory might not have been attained.

Every player made his contribution to seeing that the Tigers won the title. Tom Zeller flopped on a couple of Canton fumbles at the right time, Stoner and Bob Khoenle pulled down Bulldog passes to regain the ball for the Tigers, Jerry Krisher booted three points from placement after touchdown, Wilfred Brenner caught one pass and Russell another with Fred Close doing the pitching as well as handling the ball like a magician from his
T-quarterback position. Frank Gibson, Glenn Tunning, Jim Reichenbach, Jim Schumacher and Cliff Streeter beat down the McKinley line time and again to open touchdown avenues for the ball carriers, and always there was that fine defensive line of Allen Murray, Jim Geiser, Rudy Grunder, Dick Woolbert, Tom Zeller, and Jack Strobel to smash the charge of the Bulldogs so that the line backers Chuck Vliet, Joe Gleason and Lane could lower the boom with head-on tackles. There are three line backers Coach Mather and Elwood Kammer, his secretary of defense, wouldn’t trade for any other three boys in the state.
* * *
THE BRUNT of the ball carrying was shared by Howe, Russell and Waikem. Big Bob lugged it 21 times for a net of 126 yards, while Russell and Waikem each had it 13 times for net gains of 139 and 100 yards respectively.

Mariano’s long run of 41 yards gave him the edge over parks in the ball carrying department for the Bulldogs. Each carried 17 times, Mariano gaining 83 net yards and Parks 45. Leuby Popoff plunged for 33 in six carries.

Seldom has a Massillon-Canton game been played under a more favorable setting. Sunshine and a temperature that was not too cold made it pleasant for both fans and teams.

Only a strong breeze interfered with the game, passers having difficulty throwing against it and receivers misjudging the carry of the ball as it rode the wind right out of reach of their outstretched arms.
* * *
THE TIGERS had set as their point objective – to beat McKinley by a greater score than any other Massillon team. They succeeded by a point but failed by two points from reaching the greatest point difference of 35, set by the Canton McKinley team of 1942 which shellacked the Tigers 35-0.

The Massillon team the following year, 1943 was undefeated and untied and this season is the first perfect one since that time. The 1945 eleven was undefeated, but was tied five times.

Ever since he began coaching at Brilliant in 1937, Chuck Mather has never had a perfect season. He has been undefeated on several occasions but always there was a tie to spoil the mark of perfection. He wound up with a perfect record at Leetonia one year, but stuck his neck out in a post-season game with Salem which ended in a tie.
* * *
THE TIGERS had hoped to score a touchdown the first time they got the ball against the Bulldogs but failed to do so and had to await a second chance. Then they marched 68 yards for the marker and crossed the Bulldog goal after seven minutes and 36 seconds of the first period had expired.

They score again in the second quarter after Zeller covered a Canton fumble on the Bulldog 39, and wound up the game in grand fashion by pushing over three T.D.’s in the final period on drives of 42 yards, 47 yards and 71 yards.

Seldom have seen a ballgame in which the ball was lost so many times on fumbles. The Tigers fumbled four times and lost the ball on three of them, while Canton lost the ball on all of its five fumbles. In other words one of nine fumbles made by the two teams was recovered and that by Massillon.
* * *
UNFORTUNATELY the game got a bit rough in the last period which resulted in two players being ejected by the officials. Had the officials asserted their authority earlier they might have prevented some of the punches that preceded the expulsion.

The hardest any ball carrier hit a player here this season occurred late in the game when Bob Howe ran over Mariano. The latter gamely picked himself off the ground shaken but uninjured.

The Tigers lost the toss and McKinley elected to receive. The Bulldogs gained nine yards and advanced the ball to the 28 in three attempts from which spot Ramsayer punted to Stoner who caught the ball on the 50 but was dropped in his tracks. Waikem went for two yards and Howe 11 for a first down on the 37. McKinley drew an offside penalty, putting the ball on the 32. Russell added a yard. Two passes went for naught and Howe stumbled and lost a yard.

Canton took over the ball on its 32, Mariano and Parks gained eight yards on three attempts and Stoner returned Ramsayer’s punt two yards to his 32. The Tigers broke Howe loose for a 45-yard run. Out in the clear, he was caught in a diving, desperation tackle by Parks who managed to snag one heel, enough to throw Howe off balance on the 23. Howe went for six more to move the ball to the 17. Close picked up a Tiger fumble, eluded two Bulldog tacklers, then sped around left end for a first down on the seven. Howe put it on the three and Waikem went the last three on a quick opener. Krisher’s attempted kick was wide of the uprights and the Tigers led 6-0.
* * *
NEITHER TEAM was able to gain an appreciable amount of ground in the remainder of the first period and in the first half of the second quarter until Zeller pounced on Parks’ fumble on the Bulldog 39. Howe and Russell gained but three yards in two attempts and the Tigers drew a five-yard penalty after Waikem had gone for what would have been a first down. He struck right back, however and in two plays took the leather to the 27. Close was tossed for a loss of three but Waikem was running hard and picked up 13 for a first down on the 17. He went for another eight to the nine and Howe exploded through his left guard from that point for the touchdown to give the Tigers a 13-0 lead.

The Tigers made two more bids for touchdowns in the same period. After Khoenle had gotten the ball for the Tigers by intercepting a McKinley pass, Waikem missed a first down by inches on the 19 and Canton took over.

The longest pass of the game, a 45-yard peg to Russell produced a first down on the 16 but Waikem fumbled on third down and the Bulldogs covered the ball on their 14 to end the threat.

The Tigers received at the start of the second half and got seven yards over the midfield stripe before stopped by Canton which forced Reichenbach to punt. He got off a good kick but it bounced back 15 yards to the McKinley 34.

The McKinley offense, which gained but one first down the first half, flashed for the first time during the afternoon and the Canton stands had good reason to shout with joy. It was Mariano for 11 yards, Parks for 12, Mariano and Parks for a first down on the Tiger 29. Mariano for four more and then a fumble by Parks that the Tigers covered on their own 22. The fumble was one of many bad breaks received by the Bulldogs throughout the day. It stopped what looked like a sure touchdown drive.
* * *
THE TEAMS took turns punting and fumbling the rest of the period. Zeller covered one Canton fumble on the Bulldog 22, but the Tigers obliged when Howe fumbled on the 13 and Canton covered. On the next to the last play of the quarter Stoner covered Parks’ fumble on the Canton 42. Howe reeled off 13 yards to end the period and set the Tigers in forward motion.

Waikem ran for 12 more and a first on the 17 but the drive petered out when Wilds bounded in to cause Close to fumble a hand off, Gelal covering for McKinley. Stopped with a net gain of three yards on as many plays, Ramsayer punted poorly to the Tiger 29. On the first play Russell went through left tackle for a touchdown and Krisher’s extra point made the score 20-0.

The Tigers fourth touchdown came soon after Mariano’s brilliant 41-yard run to the Massillon 29. Almost every Tiger player got a hand on him it seemed, some of them taking two shots at him as he headed for the west sidelines then reversed his field and shook off tacklers until he went out of bounds.

On the next play Ramsayer fired a long pass that Bill Stoner knocked down with one hand and grabbed with the other on the 18. It was mostly Waikem the rest of the way down the field. He ran 27 yards to his 45, and after Russell had moved it over the midfield stripe, too off on a 47-yard jaunt to the Promised Land.

The final touchdown came after Ramsayer had punted out on the Tiger 29. Close’s pass to Brenner gained nine yards and Waikem ambled for nine more. Howe went for four, Russell eight, and a 15-yard penalty inflicted on Canton for unnecessary roughness put the ball on the 26. Howe cut the distance by 19 yards on a jaunt around right end and lane went the last seven through the left side of the line.

State Champions

MASSILLON
ENDS – Murray, Zeller, W. Brenner, Streeter, B. Brenner.
TACKLES – Geiser, Grunder, Gibson, Schumacher, Strobel, Mitchell.
GUARDS – Gleason, Woolbert, Tunning Reichenbach, J. Howe.
CENTERS – Krisher, Dowd, Martin.
QUARTERBACKS – Stoner, Close, Francisco.
HALFBACKS – Khoenle, Russell, Waikem, Grier, Lane.
FULLBACKS – Vliet, Howe, Stewart.

McKINLEY
ENDS – Killins, Gelal, Zander, Singleterry, Poole.
TACKLES – Dempsey, Ruble, Winderl.
GUARDS – Wilds, Price, Edwards, Shaffer.
CENTER – Dividio.
QUARTERBACKS – Ramsayer, Schrade.
HALFBACKS – Parks, Mariano, Horner, Prophet.
FULLBACKS – Popoff, Cast.

Score by periods:
Massillon 6 7 0 20 33

Statistics
Mass. Canton
First downs 14 7
Passes attempted 11 9
Passes completed 2 1
Had passes intercepted 1 2
Yards gained passing 54 4
Yards gained rushing 414 181
Total yards gained 464 185
Yards lost 32 20
Net yards gained 432 165
Times punted 4 7
Average punt (yards) 22 28
Yards punts returned by 44 8
Times kicked off 6 1
Average kickoff (yards) 44 35
Yards kickoffs returned by 12 66
Times fumbled 4 5
Lost ball on fumbles 3 5
Times penalized 4 3
Yards penalized 40 25

History

1949: Massillon 6, Canton McKinley 0

November 19, 1949June 28, 2017
by Eric Smith

Tigers Blast Bulldogs 6- And Claim State Title
Massillon Gridders Battle Big Canton Team To Standstill

By LUTHER EMERY

Massillon today hailed the Washington high school champions of Ohio as fans still recounted and praised the deed of the gallant orange and black team in its 6-0 victory over Canton McKinley at Fawcett stadium Saturday afternoon in what was one of the most bitter and hardest fought contests in the 55-year-old series.

Fifty-four games have been played since the schools first met in 1894 and the Tigers’ triumph Saturday whittled the McKinley advantage for the series to one game. Massillon has now won 24, Canton 25, while five ended in tie scores.

“Still champs!” were the words chanted by Tiger supporters as they milled around the stadium after the game and headed for Massillon in what seemed to be an endless horn blowing parade.

The defensive battle – a direct opposite of the offensive duel the teams were expected to wage – was marked by hard play from the opening kickoff until the final gun.

No one was certain of victory until the final gun sounded.

Tiger fans nervously watched the seconds, which seemed like hours, being ticked off by the clock, wondering if the Tigers could preserve the six-point lead they had gained in the third quarter.
* * *
CANTONIANS were under the same tension, only the clock seemed to be moving too fast for them as each second meant less time for their Bulldogs to catch up with the Tigers. The Bulldogs never did, and as hearts pounded like tom-toms in accompaniment to the heat of battle, the gun sounded, ending hostilities and signaling an outburst of enthusiasm such as only a traditional rivalry of this kind can develop.

Fans leaped the walls and made a race for players, hoisting them to their shoulders. Other members of the team grabbed Coach Chuck Mather and carried him out. The parade of victory had started and the locker room rang with enthusiasm as fans swarmed in to extend greetings.

The Tigers deserved all honors heaped upon them for they had just conquered a heavier opponent and had in the eyes of Massillonians and most sports writers present retained the state championship that was voted them after their 21-12 defeat of the Bulldogs in 1948.
* * *
EVERY MEMBER of the squad shared in the glory, but Irvin “Ace” Crable, was given the biggest pat on the back for having scored the only touchdown of the game and for having prevented a Canton McKinley touchdown with a hard driving tackle that caused Louis Mariano, the Bulldog ace, to fumble on the four-yard line where End Don Slicker promptly pounced on the ball for Massillon.

It was the Bulldogs’ only threat of the game, but would have meant a tie score or possibly a Canton victory had Crable not caught the hard running Canton halfback.

In scoring the only touchdown, Crable set some sort of a record for himself for he was the only Tiger to cross the goal line a year ago. He scored all three of Massillon’s touchdowns in the 1948 finale.

Congratulated after the game “Ace” modestly replied, “I couldn’t have done it without the help of the other 10 guys.”

The touchdown came like a bolt out of the blue. Somehow or other Massillon fans felt that sooner or later one of their backs would break through – they had come close so many times, with just a tick by one Canton player stopping what would have been long touchdown runs. But the hopeful fans feared for the worst for there seemed to be one Bulldog always left to get the ball carrier when a runner was on the loose.
* * *
THE PAYOFF came on the 35-yard line with fourth down coming up and three yards needed for a first down. The play was called by Quarterback Don James as the Tigers elected to carry the ball instead of punt. It was handed off to Crable who shot through his left tackle and streaked for the north sideline. Don Slicker threw the key block on Don Killins of McKinley and not a hand was laid on Crable as he raced for pay dirt with the roar of 23,000 fans ringing in his ears.

Then came the try for the extra point. It was won and lost Canton games on occasions in past years and older Massillon fans, remembering these one point decisions, were apprehensive when the wind blew Jerry Krisher’s boot wide of the cross bars. It was a good kick. The ball had started out all right but insufficient allowance had been made for the strong gale.

It was only the middle of the third quarter and few folks had expected the six points to stand, but they got bigger and bigger as the game grew older and stood imposingly on the score board as the second hand completed its last circuit.

The Bulldogs, in fact, never made a serious threat to tie the score. Only once did they get over the 50-yard line, thereafter a fourth period effort moving the ball to the 38 where the Tigers braced, threw them backward and forced them to punt with six and one-half minutes remaining to be played.
* * *
THOSE LAST six and one-half minutes were the ones that seemed like time eternal.

The Tigers took Palumbo’s short punt on their 27 and marched the ball up the field with Don James tossing to Don Slicker for a first down on his 38 and Jacobs fumbling forward and recovering for another first down on his 49. The Tigers charged forth to what would have been another first only Gene Laps was charged with holding and a 15-yard penalty set them backward. Even so Crable nearly got away on a fake kick, the last man again getting him. Jacobs, with a minute and 50 seconds of the game left, was forced to punt. Rogers returned the ball 10 yards to his 25. The Bulldogs moved forward to a first down on their 41, smartly running the ball out of bounds each time to stop the clock.

They had a minute left now. Quarterback John Rogers tried a pass to Killins that Slicker knocked down. Fifty-five seconds remained. The Canton quarterback tossed a screen pass to End Elijah Lipkins that gained three yards and he ran out of bounds to stop the clock with 34 seconds left to play. Rogers threw another pass that Joe Gleason knocked down and the clock showed 30 seconds to play and fourth down coming up.

In another desperation pass, Rogers tried to hit Killins again, but Slicker tipped the ball and Jacobs cutting over, caught it and brought it to midfield. It was all over for McKinley for only 15 seconds were left, and James following out the orders of Coach Mather took the pass from center, held it and kept backing up until the gun sounded, ending the game.
* * *
WHEN THE FIRING was over, the Tigers, much to the surprise of fans, were the stronger team. Canton, heavier and deeper in reserve strength was expected to wear down the Tiger Massillon team, but the Bulldogs were getting up slower than the local boys after fourth period scrimmages, with one or two being injured on almost every play.

None was seriously hurt, however. In fact, Jim Reichenbach, Tiger guard, possibly received the hardest blow of anyone, a rap on the head early in the game. He did not regain his senses until near the end of the contest, sitting out the greater part of the last three periods on the bench and in the locker room.
* * *
WHIILE the Bulldogs only got by the 35-yard line once during the game, the Tigers were playing in Canton territory much of the time. They crossed the midfield stripe twice in the first quarter but didn’t get far. Early in the second quarter, however, they marched to the 19 where Jacobs missed getting a first down by inches and Canton took over.

At this point the Bulldogs launched their only prolonged drive of the day, as they reeled off four first downs in a row before Mariano shook himself loose for the 18-yard jaunt that left only Crable between him and the goal line. His fumble of the ball when tackled viciously by Ace, ended the threat and before the quarter was over the Tigers had again carried the ball over the 50 and were down to the 25-yard line on a first down when a desperation pass with 32 seconds left was intercepted by Don Killins in the end zone.
* * *
THE MASSILLON gridders took the kickoff at the start of the second half and starting from their 25, whereas Jacobs almost got away, marched to the Canton 25 where Crable lost the ball on a fumble with what appeared to be a clear field ahead of him. Petroff covered for Canton.

Jim Schumacher covered a Bulldog fumble on his own 46 that set off the Tigers’ touchdown drive. Johnson toured left end for seven yards and Jacobs made it a first down around right end on the Canton 42. Jacobs went for three and Johnson raced well for a first down only to have the ball called back and the Tigers penalized five for offside. Johnson and Jacobs gained nine yards and with the ball on the 35 and fourth down coming up with three to go, Crable broke through for the touchdown.

The Tigers got into Bulldog territory once in the fourth quarter but were stopped on a
15-yard penalty holding and forced to punt.

But while the Tiger offense was reeling off a net gain of 279 yards the teams’ defense was surprising everyone by holding the Bulldogs in check and limiting them to the net sum of 166 yards, fewer than most of the locals’ opponents registered during the season.

Coach Mather and staff devoted considerable time to their land and air defenses and both proved successful. A big hunk of credit should be given to the three line backers, Dick Shine, Ray Lane and Joe Gleason, who worked behind the forward wall composed mostly of Don Studer, Jerry Krisher, Jim Reichenbach, Jim Schumacher and Clarence Johnson. When Reichenbach was injured in the first half of the contest, Leland Stanford replaced him.

Slicker, teaming in the secondary with Crable and Jacobs, did a good job on pass protection, with the latter two each intercepting a Canton pass to take the ball away from the Bulldogs.
* * *
MATHER USED only a few substitutes. Aside from his usual exchange on defense, Mike Turkal and Glenn Tunning got a shot at defense, and little Gene Laps took over for the injured Reichenbach and did a whale of a job bumping the heavier Bulldogs out of the way.

The locals came up with several new plays, including a flake kick and a delayed trap with Crable carrying the ball, and a pass by Johnson off a reverse, all of which worked for sizeable gains. They only attempted six passes, completed three and had two intercepted.

As shown by the statistics they beat the Bulldogs at almost every turn, making 14 first downs to eight, out gaining them both on the land and in the air, and had a slightly better average for punting, 34 yards to 32 yards, for their two punts. The Bulldogs punted six times.

They held Canton’s two offensive starts, Mariano, and Sam Parks, well in check. Mariano got away to a couple of 18-yard runs but his average for the day was 5.7 while that of Parks was only 2.3.

Leading ground gainer, of course was Crable who averaged 8.5 yards per try and made one beautiful 32-yard return of a punt in which he reversed his field to outrun every Cantonian save Rogers who made the tackle. Crable carried the ball 16 times, while Jacobs had it 19 times and averaged 4.2 yards per try. His best run came on a 34-yard jaunt, the first time he carried the ball. Johnson had a five-yard average for the five times he carried the ball. It would have been much better, except that twice he had good gains called back because of offside penalties. James carried the ball on a quarterback play, the first time it was tried this season, and gained five yards. He also took it on the last play of the game, to finish with an average of two yards.

The start of the game was delayed for several minutes when Coach Mather got into an argument with officials over the coin toss. The officials grabbed off Massillon co-captains and held the toss without Mather’s knowledge. Canton won the toss and chose to receive. The Tiger co-captains forgetting about the high wind, chose to defend the west goal because they considered the east goal their lucky goal line. As a result the Bulldogs had all the advantage at the start, receiving with Massillon kicking into the wind. Krisher saved the day by getting off a booming kick and Mariano helped out by fumbling the ball long enough to enable the Massillon backs to get down and nail him to the turf without a return.

As it turned out, it was all right for the Tigers had the wind to their backs at the end of the game. But Mather still argued the officials were wrong for holding the coin toss without saying anything about it to him or without asking him who was his captain. He naturally would have advised his captains to defend the east goal and kick with the wind.
* * *
THE TIGER victory spoiled another possible undefeated record for McKinley’s coach Bup Rearick but with nine victories and a loss he still has possibly the best record of any high school coach in the state over his period of coaching years.

Bup has only lost one game a year since taking the gridiron helm at McKinley.

Canton missed a possible undefeated season by one tackle and that of Irvin Crable and yet on the same last man tackle basis, the Tigers could just as well have won by three or four touchdowns – considering the number of times local ball carriers were felled by the last Bulldog between the runner and the goal line.

Massillon Tigers proclaimed this year’s Canton team as the toughest aggregation they faced all season. “No doubt about it,” local players commented in the dressing room after the game. The thought Parks and Mariano to be hard runners and were particularly complimentary to the hard play of Henry Palombo, Ernest Ghezzi and Tom Weber, Canton linemen.

Our Champs

MASSILLON
ENDS – SLICKER, GLEANSON, Studer.
TACKLES – KRISHER, SCHUMACHER, Tunning, Stanford.
GUARDS – SHINE, REICHENBACH, Laps.
CENTERS – PATT, Turkal, Vliet.
QUARTERBACK – JAMES.
HALFBACKS – JACOBS, JOHNSON, Lane, Grier.
FULLBACK – CRABLE.

McKINLEY
ENDS –KILLINS, LIPKINS, Mozzacco.
TACKLES –GHEZZI, WEBER.
GUARDS – PALOMBO, JIM KOSTAS, John Kostas, Gelal, Wildes.
CENTER – PETROFF.
QUARTERBACKS – ROGERS.
HALFBACKS – PARKS, MARIANO, Popoff.
FULLBACKS – STOSIC.

Score by periods:
Massillon 0 0 6 0 6

Touchdown:
Massillon – Crable.

Referee – Brubaker.
Umpire – Russ.
Field Judge – Lindsay.
Head Linesman – McPhee.

Statistics Of The Game
Mass. McK
First downs 14 8
Passes attempted 6 10
Passes completed 3 4
Had passes intercepted 2 2
Yards gained passing 49 45
Yards gained rushing 274 150
Total yards gained 323 195
Yards lost passing 7 0
Yards lost rushing 28 29
Yards lost punting 9 0
Total yards lost 44 29
Net gain offense 279 166
Times punted 2 6
Average punt (yards) 34 32
Yards punts returned by 49 21
Times kicked off 2 1
Average kickoff 43 57
Yards kickoffs returned by 22 1
Fumbles 4 2
Lost ball on fumbles 2 2
Times penalized 4 5
Yards penalized 30 33

History

1948: Massillon 21, Canton McKinley 12

November 20, 1948June 28, 2017
by Eric Smith

Tigers Beat Bulldogs 21-12 To Win State Championship
Massillon Gridders Outclass Heavy Canton Eleven All The Way

By LUTHER EMERY

The old adage “ox cannot lick tiger” was proved conclusively again Saturday afternoon in Tiger stadium before a crowd of 22,000 spectators as the Washington high school Tigers defeated the Canton McKinley Bulldogs 21-12 to win the mythical Ohio high school football championship. Today still found Massillonians and students celebrating the fruits of victory.

Hats off to Chuck Mather and staff and their Tiger football players! Battling against tremendous odds in weight they out generaled and out charged the McKinley Bulldogs as they sped to their ninth victory in 10 games, their first victory over Canton since 1943 and their first state championship since that same year.

Rolling to touchdowns in three of the four periods, and narrowly missing a couple of others, the Tigers demonstrated to the spectators their right to claim the state title as they handed the vaunted McKinley team its first loss of the season. The Bulldogs were ranked No. 1 in the Ohio scholastic football poll last week and Massillon No. 2. The order should be reversed this week.

It was asking a lot and it took hearts on the part of the Tiger players to overcome the 15-pound per man weight advantage of the Canton team, but the Massillon gridders played courageous football and dented the anatomies of the Bulldogs as they beat the Cantonians to the charge.

Just for example, little Bill Morrow a 153 pounder was pitted against 200 pound John Kostas and moved him around at will most of the afternoon. And there was Pat Ebbert , 155 pounds, getting a head start on every defensive play, smashing through the center of the Bulldog line from his line-backing position to stack-up McKinley ball carriers.

Booster Club
Rally Tonight

Bob Willison, president of the Tiger Booster club, has called a meeting of all Booster club members for 8 o’clock tonight in the Washington high school auditorium to celebrate the Tigers 21-12 defeat of the McKinley Bulldogs Saturday and the winning of their first state championship since 1943.

Coach Chuck Mather will be present at the meeting and will show motion pictures of the game.

In fact, a couple of pinch-hitters, Ebbert and Irvin Crable were most important cogs in the Tiger victory. Pat went in to fill limping Jack McVey’s shoes on defense and Crable replaced the injured Clarence Johnson at right halfback and roared to all three of the Tigers’ touchdowns.
* * *
BUT YOU couldn’t pick any two guys out of Saturday’s game and say they carved the bacon. Give credit to the whole team, and to Capt. Al Brown, who played his heart out in what was the greatest game of his three years of football, and who fell hysterical on the sidelines when removed in the last minute of the contest. Al and the other seniors wanted to have a victory over Canton McKinley written in the records of their high school athletic careers and they gave their all to accomplish it in their last chance Saturday. That goes for Mike Takacs, Bill Paul, Ben Roderick, Joe Jones, McVey, Jack Houston, Jack Hill, Art James, Eddie Bush, Jim Campbell, Chuck Crone and other seniors who didn’t get into the contest, but who wound up their high school football careers with the defeat of Canton and the winning of a state championship.

No wonder hysteria broke loose in the Tiger dressing room after the game. It began when substitutes at the crack of the final gun streamed from the bench to the playing field to embrace other members of the squad and join them in hoisting Coach Mather to their shoulders and carry him to the dressing room. You could hardly get into the room as fans streamed in – proud fathers to congratulate their sons; Boosters with broad smiles and hoarse voices; old alumni, including many former Tiger players now in college; as well as former Massillon men who are coaching in other cities and who arrange their schedules so that they can be home for the annual Canton-Massillon classic. Signs reading “state champs”, printed in advance, were hoisted immediately in the dressing room to resounding cheers.

It was an outpouring of spontaneous enthusiasm such as this city hasn’t seen in a long time and a deserving recognition to a great team.
The classy Tiger gridders were into the game up to their necks every minute, but as it turned out, they had the victory all the way. They controlled the ball, rolled up more yards, made more first downs, scored more points, gave Canton McKinley but two scoring opportunities both of which the Bulldogs cashed in on, and they were hammering at the red and black’s goal line all afternoon, narrowly missing two other touchdowns, one by a step and the other by a trip.

As Dave Stewart, who himself coached Washington high to a state championship in 1922, said after the game, “That’s one of the finest Massillon teams it has been my privilege to see.” Dave came over from Sharon, Pa., for the contest.
* * *
MOST OF all the victory was a tribute to the coaching of Chuck Mather and his assistants, Paul Schofer, Carl Schroeder, Lauri Wartiainen, and Dave Putts, who have scouted McKinley every game, who figured out the Bulldog’s weaknesses and how to take advantage of them both on offense and defense.

They met Canton’s vaunted power with a four-man line which looked like a five-man line with Ebbert as a crashing line backer, who got a head start on most every play.

They went through the Bulldog defense through the execution of reverses and trap plays that drew the red and black out of position and permitted ball carriers to get into the secondary time and again.
* * *
THE TIGERS won without the ball carrying services of Clarence Johnson, their leading ground gainer of the season who has averaged almost three more yards per try than McKinley’s John Colceri, who likewise was unable to lug the leather because of injuries. Johnson got in only to kickoff a couple of times and boot the Tigers’ three points from placement.

McKinley undoubtedly would have had more offense with Colceri in the backfield, but whether he would have made any difference in the outcome of the game is a subject for folks to debate the next 12 months of the year.

The breaks of the game were fairly even. The Tigers recovered two McKinley fumbles and intercepted on pass, but the Bulldogs got the biggest break of all when Ben Roderick after leaping high in the air to snare a pass, came down with a foot out of the end zone that cost the Tigers a fourth touchdown.

The local gridders lost what might have been a couple of others when in the second quarter with the ball on the 13-yard line, Crable tripped over Jack Hill’s foot on a statue play and fell with an open field ahead of him on his left flank. Again in the third period he picked up a bounce fumble of his own and ran 25 yards to the McKinley 17 where he was ticked on the leg by a Canton tackler that threw him just enough off balance to cause him to stumble and fall. No one was between him and the goal posts.
* * *
THOUGH STATISTICS were 18 first downs to 11 in the Tigers’ favor and yards gained 317 to the Bulldogs’ 185, the outcome was hanging in the balance until the Tigers’ scored their third touchdown with only one minute and 36 seconds left to play.

The air was tense when the Bulldogs struck back after each Massillon touchdown to match the Tiger’s goal line efforts, and Massillon fans grew uneasy while Canton partisans’ hopes were buoyed as Quarterback John Rogers pitched a fourth-down touchdown pass to End Elijah Lipkins to bring the score to 14-12.

Coach Mather sent in his offensive substitutes but before doing so wrapped a big arm around Capt. Brown. “Al, you gotta hold that ball. Anytime Canton gets it we might lose this game. You gotta go all the way, Al, all the way.”

Here the Tigers demonstrated their greatest courage of the game. Against a suddenly inspired McKinley team they took the kickoff on their own 20 and methodically pounded all the way to their third touchdown. They used up six minutes and 47 seconds in the drive, and crossed the Bulldog goal with only a minute and 36 seconds remaining to be played.

That last touchdown drive was a clear cut demonstration of the championship caliber and determination of the Massillon team.

There were those at the half who thought Bulldog power and weight would surely be a deciding factor before the end of the contest, but in the Tigers final march to points, they actually beat the Cantonians down to their size and appeared the stronger team at the final gun.
* * *
DESPITE the hard play of members of both teams, none was seriously injured. Members of the local eleven came out of the contest in as good a condition as they entered it.

Dick Jacobs took as hard a beating as anyone, and several times was the victim of a pileup that knocked the wind out of him.

Both teams were strictly offensive minded all afternoon and as a result each punted only once. The Bulldogs in their desperation to catch the Tigers were thrown back once on fourth down when they failed to make yardage on the Tiger 39. But on another occasion while back in their own territory and 11 yards needed for a first down, they caught the Tigers napping and fired a long pass that started them on the way to their second touchdown.
* * *
THE TIGERS appeared tense when the game got underway. They won the toss and elected to receive, but the Canton kickoff bounced around through the Massillon team and Capt. Brown fumbled on his first attempt to pick up the ball. When he finally did get it, Canton tacklers were upon him and he was downed by Mariano on the two-yard line.

Massillon folks breathed heavily, but Al on second down got out to his 13 for a first down which at least gave Jacobs some room to punt when the Tigers gained only seven yards. Dick, booting against the wind, got the ball to his 39-yard line where it rolled dead.

Then the Tigers got a break that made up for Al’s fumble of the kickoff. Mariano, on first down fumbled and old reliable Mike Takacs pounced on the ball for the Tigers.

The Tigers launched their first touchdown march. After Brown got but two yards at right end, Hill dropped back and shot a long pass that Ben Roderick took to the Canton 38. Jacobs came right back to circle his right end for another 13 yards and a first down on the Canton 25, McKinley took time out but it did no good, for on the next play Jacobs again wormed through for a first down on the Bulldog 12. Crable got four, but Brown failed to gain. Then the Tigers came up with their double reverse that has thrown other opponents out of position this season. It worked perfectly and Crable, led by a wave of blockers, cut to his left and raced down the sideline for six points. Johnson went into to blast over the extra point.
* * *
THE BULLDOGS took the kickoff and came roaring back for six points themselves. With Mariano and Tony Ranalli doing most of the leather lugging, they started from their 33 and 12 plays later were on the one foot line as the quarter ended.

Came the second period and on the first play, Rogers bucked the ball through center for six points. Ernie Ghezzi tried to kick the extra point but missed and the Tigers led 7-6.

The Massillon gridders took the kickoff and struck back into Bulldog territory. Starting from the 34, Jacobs went for 10 yards and a first on his 44. When two plays gained but a yard, Hill pitched the ball to Jacobs for a first down on the McKinley 44. Brown went through on the next play for another first on the 32 and Jacobs on a trap went on to the 20. Hill lost four yards when a play backfired, but Jacobs went to the 13. With third down coming up and three yards to go, the stage was set perfectly for a statue play. The entire Bulldog team was sucked out of position, but in the handoff, Crable tripped over Hill’s foot and fell for a seven-yard loss. Not discouraged Hill shot a pass to Roderick in the end zone on fourth down that Ben took in a leaping catch, but when he came down his foot was out of the end zone and the Tigers had lost a touchdown.
* * *
McKINLEY took over on the 20 and got by the midfield stripe before Crable intercepted Rogers pass on his own 31. Three plays later the Tigers had a first down on their own 45 and when two plays only gained five yards, Brown passed to Eddie Bush for a first down on the Canton 22. The Tigers thought a double reverse might fool McKinley more than a forward pass in the final seconds but Crable was caught as the half ended.

McKinley received to open the third period, Mariano making a great return of the kickoff and almost getting away to take the ball to the Tiger 48. Three plays gained seven yards and the Bulldogs tried to run the ball on fourth down. The Tigers were equal to the occasion, however and Ranalli was thrown before he could make the necessary yardage.

Taking the ball on their own 39, Crable went for eight yards and Brown made it first down on the Canton 43. Crable dribbled the ball but picked it up and got to the Canton 17 where the safety man barely ticked his foot enough to throw him off balance and he fell with an open field ahead. The Bulldogs threw the Tigers back two yards on the next four plays and took over on the 19. The locals held and forced Mariano to punt. Jacobs caught the ball on the run and made a fine 22-yard return to the Canton 23-yard line. Roderick was stopped without gain, but Crable was turned loose for a touchdown and Johnson kicked the extra point to make the score 14-6.

Canton took the kickoff and assisted by a 15-yard penalty and a 10-yard run by Mariano got to its own 42 where Rogers’ fumble was recovered by the Tigers. On fourth down, Brown got loose for a first down on the Canton 21, but the Tiger attack was stopped again by the Bulldogs who took over on their 24 and began a touchdown drive of their own. They got up to their 44, where they were stopped cold for three downs. Behind by eight points, they gambled on fourth down with 11 yards to go and won. Rogers shot a long pass to Louis Scrimo who got to the Tiger 29. Mariano immediately got loose to the six-yard line and the Tigers put eight men on the line of scrimmage. The Bulldogs failed twice on line plays and a pass was batted down. On fourth down, however, Rogers tossed quickly over the line of scrimmage to Lipkins for the red and black’s second touchdown. Ghezzi again failed to kick the extra point and the Tigers led 14-12.
* * *
EIGHT MINUTES and 23 seconds of the game remained to be played when Mariano kicked off to Massillon. Brown brought the ball back to his 20 and the Tigers began their determined and deliberate 80-yard touchdown march. Crable went for six yards and Jacobs moved for 18 to a first down on his 44. Crable made two and Brown bulled his way to a first on the Bulldog 43. Jacobs got eight yards at center and then piled through for three more and a first on the Canton 32. Crable made eight at left tackle and t hen was freed through center for a first on the McKinley 19. Hill, Crable and Brown carried to another first down on the nine-yard line.

The Massillon captain struck for five more to put the ball on the four-yard line and hit again only to have the ball called back and the Tigers penalized five yards and back to their nine for being offside.

That didn’t stop Brown. Mather had said, “all the way” and that’s the way it was going to be. He smashed through for four yards and on the next play Crable ran his right end for the final touchdown of the game.

Johnson missed his first try for the extra point but Canton was offside so he booted it over in a second attempt to bring the final score to 21-12 with a minute and 36 seconds remaining to be played.

Krisher kicked off to Canton’s Sam Parks who came back to his 31. Rogers tossed to Scrimo for a first down on the 50, but another attempt was grounded and he was hit hard by a flock of Tiger tacklers for a 13-yard loss when he tried another pass. He tossed one to Scrimo on his 42 as the last seconds of the game expired.

State Champs

MASSILLON
ENDS – RODERICK, HOUSTON, Slicker.
TACKLES – KRISHER, TAKACS, Jones, Schumacher, A. James, Campbell.
GUARDS – MORROW, REICHENBACK, Paul, Ebbert.
CENTER – McVEY.
QUARTERBACKS – HILL, D. James.
HALFBACKS – JACOBS, CRABLE, Johnson, Bush, Crone.
FULLBACKS – BROWN, Shine.

McKINLEY
ENDS – WEBER, LIPKINS, Mozaco.
TACKLES – GHEZZI, O’BROVAC, McCullough, Scrimo, Ripper.
GUARDS – JOHNS and JIM KOSTAS, Byers.
CENTER – PUCCI.
QUARTERBACKS – ROGERS, Prandine.
HALFBACKS – RANALLI, MARIANO, Parks.
FULLBACKS – STOSIC, Palombo.

Score by periods:
Massillon 7 0 7 7 21
McKinley 0 6 0 6 12

Touchdowns:
Massillon – Crable 3.
McKinley – Rogers; Lipkins.

Points after touchdown:
Massillon – Johnson 3 (placekicks).

Referee – Titus Lobach.
Umpire – C.W. rupp.
Head Linesman – Verlin Jenkins.
Field Judge – Ralph Shafer.

Statistics Of The Game
Mass. Canton
First downs 18 11
Passes attempted 6 6
Passes completed 3 3
Had passes intercepted 0 1
Yards gained passing 59 52
Yards gained rushing 285 164
Total yards gained 344 216
Yards lost 37 31
Net yards gained 317 185
Times punted 1 1
Average punt (yards) 20 32
Times kicked off 4 3
Average kickoff (yards) 47 51
Yards punts returned by 22 0
Yards kickoffs returned by 39 70
Times fumbled 1 2
Lost ball on fumble 0 2
Times penalized 3 1
Yards penalized 25 2

INDIVIDUAL
MASSILLON
Carried Gained Lost Net
Brown 22 105 1 104
Jacobs 11 90 10 80
Crable 17 112 10 102
Hill 3 3 5 -2
Roderick 2 1 0 1
_____ _____ _____ _____
TOTALS 55 311 26 285

CANTON
Mariano 16 93 1 92
Ranalli 11 46 0 46
Rogers 5 11 0 11
Stosic 4 18 3 15
____ _____ ____ ____
TOTALS 36 168 5 164

History

1943: Massillon 21, Canton McKinley 0

November 20, 1943June 19, 2017
by Eric Smith

Tigers Wallop Bulldogs 21-0 For Undefeated Season

SPECTACULAR WIN GIVES MASSILLON 8TH STATE TITLE

Bulldogs Put Up Good Fight But Are Outclassed By Massillon’s Great Defensive Performance And Brilliant Offensive Plays

By FRED J. BECKER
Independent Sports Editor

Fame IS fleeting, is it not?

Well, yes, if you do not possess the necessary qualifications to keep your name in the headlines. No one hangs around at the top of any endeavor very long unless they are the best and can convince the rest of the universe that they are. And in this day and age it takes a lot of convincing, brother.

Now take “Football City” or should we simply say Canton, for instance. Canton and its McKinley high school accomplished a feat a year ago that carried the name of Canton around the world. And just less than a week ago our neighbor to the east found a place in the sun though an article published in a magazine of national circulation. But “Football City” held its place in the sun just four days. Today what is left of the ruins has been quietly interred in Fawcett stadium, Canton, turned in the space of two short hours last Saturday afternoon, from a gridiron to a graveyard.

Tigers Regain State Honors

The snows will fall and the winds will howl this winter over the final resting place of “Football City.” The interment might have been quiet but the thing that led up to it was anything but.

And so today Massillon and the rest of the universe proudly hail the mighty Tigers of Washington high, undisputed schoolboy football champions of Ohio for the eighth time in nine years and without an equal anywhere in the country. A happy city pays tribute to a group of boys, champions every one of them, who had what it takes to make good, who came though with flying colors when the chips were down.

Great Football Team

An overflow crowd of more than 22,000 spectators in Fawcett stadium Saturday afternoon saw a truly great Tiger football team administer a 21 to 0 lacing to the Bulldogs of Canton McKinley in a remarkable demonstration of football power.

It was Massillon’s 10th straight victory of the 1943 campaign and its first undefeated or untied season in three years.

There might have been some in that great crowd who doubted the Tigers’ ability to whip the sturdy Bulldogs before the game began, but there was not one in that gathering who was not convinced when it was over that they had just sat through a performance by a football team that through its brilliant display of power, courage and ability had very amply proved its right to lay claim to a mythical Ohio scholastic championship, or even a national title.

Once would have to hunt far and wide to find a team that could come close, let alone equal, the Washington high school Tigers of 1943. There was something else in that Tiger team this season beside power, courage and ability. It was spirit – Massillon football spirit – and that can’t be matched anywhere.

Last year Canton McKinley came to Massillon and defeated an injury riddled Tiger team 35 to 0 for its first victory over the orange and black in eight years. Saturday the Tigers of 1943 gained revenged for that reverse of a year ago. They proved once again that Massillon football is just a little different than any other football and they did it in a very convincing manner.

It was a great battle Saturday that clash between two undefeated schoolboy aggregations in an atmosphere of rivalry that has existed and grown steadily over a period of nearly 50 years. The Tigers entered that all important fracas with a string of nine straight victories. The Bulldogs came up to their final 1943 struggle with eight triumphs and one tie.

Statistics
McK Mass.
First downs, rushing 4 8
First downs, passing 5 3
First downs total 9 11
Yards gained, rushing 99 150
Yards gained, passing 99 101
Yards gained, total 198 251
Yards lost 15 21
Yards gained, net total 183 230
Passes attempted 14 14
Passes completed 7 5
Passes incompleted 6 7
Passes intercepted by 2 1
Punts 7 6
Punts, average yardage 25 37
Penalties, yardage 0 30
Fumbles 1 1
Own fumbles recovered 1 1

Stirring Contest

It was truly a battle of gridiron Goliaths. It was a stirring contest from start to finish, jammed with almost as many thrills as there were persons jammed into Fawcett stadium. It kept the spectators on the edge of their seats throughout and many a heart worked harder Saturday than it ever has before. Nerves were strained to the breaking point and it was not until the game was almost over that Massillon supporters became certain of a victory and Canton adherents gave up their hopes for a second straight triumph over the Tigers.

Credit must be given to the Bulldogs for the great battle they made of it. Coach Herman (Bup) Rearick’s boys played and fought their hearts out but they just couldn’t match the fighting spirit and playing ability of Coach Elwood Kammer’s orange and black clad kids. The Bulldogs need not feel too badly about that because no one could have matched that old Tiger spirit last Saturday. You either have it or you don’t. Massillon had it, large gobs of it, and Canton simply couldn’t match it.

While Massillon rolled up 21 points on the red and black through three touchdowns, one in the third quarter and two in the fourth, the score hardly indicates the intense battle waged out there on the Fawcett stadium gridiron. The statistics show that the game was a much closer affair than the point total would lead one to believe.

It was a whale of a ball game with Canton always a distinct threat until after the Tigers had scored their second touchdown early in the fourth quarter. From there on Canton’s spirits began to droop and the Bulldogs became a thoroughly beaten outfit.

Both teams possess great offensive ability. Canton with a fine backfield composed of Joe Pujazon, Hank Smith, Tony Rotunno and Dick Kempthorn, was always a threat, loaded with offensive dynamite that might have exploded at any time. The only reason it didn’t was because the Tigers pulled the fuses and rendered the Canton dynamite harmless long before it had a chance to reach the explosive stage.

The Tiger backfield and ends put on an offensive display that was beautiful to watch and so daring at times that it simply stunned the pop-eyed spectators.

Tigers Shoot the Works

The Tigers knew before they went into the ballgame that Coach Kammer’s strategy called for them to gamble for points. They were instructed to shoot the works, to forget about playing a conservative game, to go all out for a convincing victory and haul out of their bag of tricks everything that was in it.

This they did. Massillon’s great backfield, and every one should be convinced by now that is a truly great backfield, of Captain Bob Wallace, Romeo Pellegrini, Henry Mastriann and Glenn Keller, gave a brilliant demonstration of offensive power. Wallace and Pellegrini slashed off tackle or around the ends in spectacular fashion. Keller blocked, ran interference and caught passes like a demon. And Mastriann – what a full back he is. There was nothing Canton possessed that could stop that boy Saturday. You can let your money ride on him anytime.

Out on the flanks Tom Jasinski and Don Willmot helped the Massillon offensive picture by some spectacular catching of passes thrown by Pellegrini who never gave a better demonstration of passing accuracy than he did Saturday. Canton went quite nutty over the passing ability of Pujazon and he is quite an adept thrower but good as he was Saturday, Pujazon was overshadowed by the remarkable performance given by Massillon’s swarthy, little backfield star.

And now we get right down to the meat of things, right down to where that ballgame was won by Massillon and where it was lost by Canton. Right down there, boys and girls, on the line, on that forward wall where we had a hunch, and so expressed it last week, the decision would be rendered.

Say what you want but you can’t get away from this one thing – that ball game was won by Massillon because its defensive performance so completely smothered the Bulldogs that they really never had a chance to get rolling. Their vaunted speed availed them but little because most of the time they were smacked and smacked hard by some energetic Tiger before they could really get under way.

Defensive Efforts Won Game

Massillon’s great defensive efforts won that football game, won it because the first two Tiger touchdowns resulted from Massillon’s great defensive playing and both touchdowns were scored by linemen. The first set of Tiger counters came on a blocked punt, the second on a pass interception behind the Canton line of scrimmage on a pass interception right in Canton’s own backfield.

There’s no disputing the fact that Massillon’s great line blasted the Bulldogs apart. The line, backed up by a secondary defense that never missed an opportunity to nail a Bulldog if he got that far, bottled up so completely every Canton offensive thrust that the Bulldogs didn’t have a ghost of a chance. The red and black never got inside Massillon’s 20 yard line.

All of the defensive qualities of Massillon’s team stood out prominently. Only two touchdowns were scored against the Tigers all fall. It did not take an expert to see that Massillon’s chances to climb back to the football throne rested largely upon its ability to stop opposing teams through its great defensive qualities and then hammer those same opponents into the dust through the assistance of a fine and dependable line.

All season we have watched two great linemen perform efficiently and spectacularly for the Tigers. They were Bob Williams and R.D. (Dick) Arrington. They are a great pair of football players and they proved it quite convincingly Saturday.

Arrington Is Star

It was Arrington who smashed his powerful and rugged body though the Canton line to block Joe Pujazon’s punt in the third quarter and gave Massillon it’s first touchdown. It was Arrington who smashed through into the Canton backfield to grab the ball when it was knocked from Pujazon’s hands as he was about to pass and then race 61 yards far in advance of every Bulldog pursuer for Massillon’s second touchdown. If that doesn’t make him one of Massillon’s greatest all time tackles then nothing will.

And who was it who smeared Canton ball toters all over the lot all afternoon, in as brilliant a display of defensive playing it has ever been any one’s privilege to see? No one else but Bob Williams, big tall husky Bob, another great football player, if there ever was one.

From the vicious manner in which he tackled and the speed with which he raced through Canton’s line one would never have known that on the very first play of the game he sustained a painful knee injury and that it bothered him continually, one time forcing him to take time out. You can put his name right up there with the rest of the Tiger immortals.

And then there was tow-headed quiet Bill Gable. He was in that ball game up to his neck all afternoon. It was Gable who was through the line when Arrington blocked Pujazon’s punt and grabbed up the ball and lugged it across the goal line. Put him on your list of heroes.

Then there was Julius Tonges. He was very much in that ball game too, and it was Tonges who hit Pujazon so hard when he attempted to pass, the ball popped right out of his fingers into the waiting mitts of “never-miss-an-opportunity” Arrington who a second later was scampering away for a touchdown.

And don’t forget Larry Berger and Dick Belch, who replaced him for a short time. They were in there all the way, ripping Canton’s line to shreds and tackling with real Tiger viciousness.

Secondary Plays Well

Wallace, Keller, Pellegrini, Mastriann, Willmot and Jasinski also covered themselves with glory, for their defensive performances. Those boys in the secondary had a big job on their hands. They knew Canton had speed and they knew Canton had a first class passing attack. It was their job to nail Canton’s speedsters if they got by the line and they did a few times. It also was their task to stop Canton’s aerial attack. They handled both assignments and handled them well.

Cantons’ backs, particularly Hank Smith and Joe Pujazon, were fast and shifty but never fast enough to get through the Tiger secondary. Pujazon and Gordon Cook, Bulldog right end, made a fine passing combination but Cook, who made some spectacular catches, seldom moved very far from where he caught the ball before being nailed by a Tiger and that Tiger most of the time was Pellegrini. Had Romeo missed, Cook several times might have been off on touchdown gallops but Romeo never missed. When he hit Mr. Cook the Bulldog pass receiver hit the gridiron with a thud.

The Tigers were that kind of a team Saturday. Heroes every one of them. And before we forget, wasn’t that some punting exhibition big, affable Tom Jasinski put on? He really laid the leather to the old pigskin Saturday and his punting was beautiful to behold, long, high, boots, several of which sailed over the head of the Bulldog safety-man. And don’t forget the artistic kicking performance of Mastriann who three times added points to the Tiger total by brilliant place kicks following touchdowns.

The statistics show that the Tigers excelled the Bulldogs in all departments of the game. The Tigers made 11 first downs to nine for Canton, not a wide margin but enough to show their superiority. Eight Tiger first downs came on rushing, three on passes. Canton made four on rushing and five on passes, holding a 6-5 edge on the Bengals at half time.

Each team tried 14 passes, Massillon completing five for 101 yards and Canton seven for 99 yards. The Bulldogs intercepted two Massillon passes, the Tigers intercepted one Canton pass. Seven of Pellegrini’s heaves failed while Pujazon missed on six of his.

Tigers Hold Edge

The Tigers made 150 yards on rushing to 99 for Canton. The Tigers lost 21 yards on rushing to 15 for Canton and Massillon had a net gain for all types of plays of 230 yards while Canton had 183. Each team fumbled once and recovered its own fumble. Jasinski’s six punts averaged 37 yards, giving him a wide margin over Pujazon who punted seven times for an average of only 25 yards a kick.

Massillon was penalized 30 yards, most of the penalties coming because of backs in motion. The game was very well handled by Dr. David B. Reese of Dayton as referee. Earl Gross of New Philadelphia, as umpire, and A.B. Long of Newark as headlinesman, and T.B. Lobach of Akron as field judge.

Neither team was able to hit pay dirt in the first half, Canton because it did not have the offensive power to get within striking distance, Massillon because luck was riding against it rather than with the Tigers. If breaks had gone the right way on three first half passes the local lads attempted and they most certainly all would have been good for touchdowns. Despite this the Tigers late in the second quarter stormed right inside Canton’s 10-yard line but failed to score because of a pass interception.

The breaks of the game decided the battle in Massillon’s favor but the breaks were well earned and were made by an inspired Tiger team that was always on its toes and never missed a chance to smear the Bulldogs. The breaks came through Massillon’s great defensive performance and were responsible for two touchdowns.

Then just to prove that they also had it in an offensive way the Tigers took the ball on their 18 and in 11 plays marched 82 yards without a stop for their third touchdown. That should convince Canton fans that the Tigers were just too good for their Bulldogs defensively or offensively.

Canton received and worked the ball from its 35 to Massillon’s 39 before the Tigers checked them. A 20 yard pass from Pujazon to Cook was responsible for most of the yardage.

The Tigers got the ball on their 20 following Pujazon’s punt but were held and then Jasinski booted the ball way down to Canton’s 22 on a beautiful kick. Canton made two first downs in a row on runs and plunges by Pujazon and Smith before the Tigers again checked them.

Touchdown Lost

Pellegrini took Pujazon’s punt and was downed on Massillon’s 12. Wallace, Mastriann and Pellegrini made Massillon’s first down of the game in three plays, going to the 26. Wallace on a reverse reeled off another first down to the 37. And then Massillon lost its first chance for a touchdown. Pellegrini dropped back to pass, was hit by a Canton tackler but got away from him and then cut loose for a long heave. Down the field, in the clear, was Don Willmot, but Don had slowed up just a trifle when he saw Pellegrini hit and the ball sailed over his head. Had he been just a few feet farther on he would have snagged the leather and it would have been a certain touchdown because no Bulldog was near.

Jasinski then punted and the Bulldogs came storming back on an 18-yard gain on a pass from Pujazon to Cook. Their spurt, however, was shortlived and Pujazon punted to Willmot who returned from his 22 to the 31 as the quarter ended.

The Bulldogs once again checked the Tigers and Jasinski punted to Canton and once again a Pujazon-Cook pass was good for 16 yards. Smith and Pujazon made another first down in three plays to Massillon’s 29 but this time the Bulldogs couldn’t do it, and they had to surrender the ball to the Tigers on Massillon’s 26.

Then another Tiger scoring opportunity was lost. Pellegrini on second down dropped back and heaved a long one down the center of the field. Ahead of the Canton safety man raced Jasinski and the ball nestled into his outstretched hands but Tom, generally a sure fire pass receiver, muffed this one. The ball dropped out of his hands and another touchdown chance went glimmering.

But this didn’t discourage the Tigers, particularly Pellegrini. On the next play he faded back and pitched a strike to Keller out in the flat. This one worked and it was good for 15 yards, taking the ball to Massillon’s 39. Once again Pellegrini faded back and once again he shot the ball to Keller out in the flat and this time it was good for 11 yards.

Pellegrini’s next one, a long heave to Jasinski, was incomplete. But Mr. Pellegrini is a hardy little soul who never gives up. Not in the least daunted he faded back on the next play, running far to his right. Racing down the left side of the field was Don Willmot. Pellegrini turned and heaved a long one, 27 yards it was to Willmot, who snatched the ball and raced 31 yards more before being brought to earth on Canton’s nine yard line by Pujazon. It was an overall gain of 58 yards.

Tigers Checked Again

This time it looked as if the Tigers couldn’t miss on a touchdown – but they did. Mastriann cracked right tackle for three to the six. Then the Tigers decided to gamble on another pass. Pellegrini threw a perfect pass, intended for Willmot out in the flat, but the ball never reached Don. Bob Swan, Canton guard, came from nowhere to spear the leather and race it back 16 yards to Canton’s 18 before being downed.

Pujazon punted after three plays had failed and Massillon took the ball on its 37 after an out-of-bounds kick. On the first play Willmot came around from his end to heave a long pass that was knocked down by Pujazon. Then Pellegrini went into action again and this time connected with Bob Wallace for a gain of 22 yards, taking the ball to the Canton 15. Pellegrini passed again, this time to Keller for four but his next attempt was intercepted by Pujazon on the Canton five. Canton attempted one line thrust before the quarter ended.

It didn’t take the Tigers long to convince everyone at the start of the third quarter that they were really going to town. Wallace took Pujazon’s opening kickoff on his 11 and raced it back 31 yards to the Tigers 42. He almost broke into the clear. A Massillon first down took the ball to Canton’s 31 but here the Tiger attack went into reverse for a bit, Wallace losing 11 at left end and Pellegrini being tossed for a five yard loss at right end. Then after a pass from Pellegrini intended to Wallace had been knocked down by Pujazon, Jasinski punted to Pujazon who dropped the ball but recovered it and was tackled on Canton’s 15. Williams and Keller halted Pujazon after a three-yard gain and Berger smacked down Smith for a loss of two.

Then it happened. With the ball on Canton’s 14 Pujazon dropped back to punt. As the ball was passed a flock of snarling Tigers tore through the Canton line. At least three of them bore down on the startled Pujazon who quickly tried to punt but the ball never got over the Canton line. Dick Arrington’s broad chest got in front of the ball and it hit him with a thud. Bounding off to Arrington’s right and toward the Canton goal. Like a hawk Bill Gable swooped down on it, picked it up and taking about three steps was over the goal line for the game’s first touchdown. Bedlam broke loose in the stands but Mastriann calmly kicked the ball between the uprights to add the extra point.

An amusing episode occurred a few minutes later. The officials asked Canton if it would grant a time out while Bob Wallace changed his pants. They just wouldn’t stay up any longer and the Massillon captain decided he had better have another pair. So while his teammates gathered around him on the sideline. Bob switched pants with another teammate.

Neither team threatened during the remainder of the third quarter and the fourth period opened with Massillon in possession of the ball on its 27 with second down coming up. Jasinski two plays later punted to Pujazon who returned eight from his 30 to his 38. Pellegrini knocked down a pass from Pujazon intended for Cook and then Arrington tossed Pujazon for a loss of five but this was nullified when Massillon was penalized five for being offside. Pujazon passed to Cook who caught the ball, then fumbled it. Keller fell on the leather but it slide out from under his body and Canton recovered on Massillon’s 40. Pujazon made five yards in two plays and then lightning again struck.

Mr. Arrington Again

Pujazon dropped back for another pass. As he lifted his arm he was hit hard by Julius Tonges. The ball flew out of his grasp and up into the air. When it came down there stood Mr. Arrington all ready to take it and set sail and he did just that. The Tiger colored star grabbed the ball and never hesitating set out at full speed for Canton’s goal line, 61 yards away. And he made it, leaving his pursuers far behind.

Once again Mastriann came through with a perfect place kick. Well, if Canton didn’t know they were beaten before that second touchdown they certainly did after it was recorded on the board.

After the kickoff the Bulldogs launched a desperate attack that took them from their 42 to Massillon’s 23 before they were checked and forced to surrender the ball to the Tigers.

Then it was that the local boys decided to show the east enders they could score through their own offensive powers and opened up with a march that did not end until the ball was planted back of the Canton goal. It took 11 plays and the march was good for 82 yards.

Highlighting the advance was a brilliant 43-yard dash off left tackle. Mastriann roared through again for a first down on Canton’s 23. Wallace skirted left end for two and Pellegrini passed to Jasinski for five. Wallace then raced around left end to the Canton 13 for another first down. Mastriann hit through right tackle for three and on the next play bucked and squirmed his way for 40 yards and a touchdown. He kicked his third goal from placement to give him a perfect day in this department.

Coach Kammer, his face wreathed in smiles, then waved his regulars off the field where they had done a swell job. The only substitution up to that time had been Dick Belch for Berger.

The second team went in and kicked off and the game ended before the Bulldogs could run off a play.

After it was over a group of Massillon fans and players hosted Kammer on their shoulders and carried him to the Tiger dressing room entrance. It was a fine tribute to a coach who has come a long way since he saw his first Tiger team smeared by the Bulldogs 35 to 0 a year ago.

Champions Again

Tigers – 21 Pos. Bulldogs – 0
Willmot LE Herdlicka
Arrington LT Tucci
Tonges LG Swan
Williams C Infantiedes
Gable RG Kurzinsky
Berger RT Belding
Jasinski RE Cook
Keller QB Kempthorn
Pellegrini LHB Smith
Wallace RHB Rotunno
Mastriann FB Pujazon

Score by quarters:
Massillon 0 0 7 14 – 21

Touchdowns – Gable, Arrington, Mastriann

Points after touchdowns: Mastriann 3 (placekick).

Substitutions: Massillon – Belch, Sedjo, Profant, Pedrotty, Webb, Clark, Richards, Luke, Turkall, Heltzel, Ielsch.
Canton – Korosedes, J. Corbett, Harting, Parks, Bundy, Kistler.

Referee: Reese (Dayton).
Umpire: Gross (New Philadelphia)
Headlinesman: Long (Newark)
Field judge: Lobach (Akron).

Tiger Boosters To Honor Coach

Massillon football fans celebrated that 21-0 Tiger conquest of Canton McKinley far into the night Saturday but all the celebrating is not yet over.

There’ll be more tonight when the Tiger Booster club holds its final Monday night meeting of the season in the Washington high school auditorium at 8 o’clock. It will be an open meeting and all fans are invited.

Tonight it will be coach Elwood Kammer’s night and the Boosters will pay tribute to the Tiger mentor who has just closed his second year at the helm of the orange and black with a record of 19 wins in 20 games, 10 of them in a row this fall to again make the Tigers state scholastic champions.

“Kam” has done a great job and will be deserving of all the tribute paid him tonight.

George Bird also will have his Tiger swing band at the meeting.

History

1941: Massillon 32, Canton McKinley 0

November 22, 1941June 10, 2017
by Eric Smith

DEFEAT CANTON BY 32-0 SCORE

Bulldogs Speared With Passes As Tigers Record New Margin of Victory Over Ancient Foe And Boost Record to 43 Games Without Defeat

By Luther Emery

Orchids to Bud Houghton and his Washington high Tigers.

The team that didn’t have a chance at the start of the season is still champion of Ohio, and you can write it in the records—seven consecutive state titles—undefeated in 43 games.

While 25,000 fans blinked with amazement the Tigers blasted their way to the seventh title in Fawcett stadium, Canton, Saturday afternoon, to knock Canton McKinley out of the picture with a 32-0 triumph, the largest margin of points on record for a Massillon team in a game with Canton.

Passes Baffle Bulldogs

Stunned by the suddenness of an unexpected aerial assault, the Bulldogs were never able to recover long enough to organize a protection against the Massillon air forces.

They had concentrated on stopping the Tigers by land and sea as evidenced by their refusal of the tarpaulin, but their gamble that Massillon could not use the air, backfired and the strategy went out with the exhaust.

Tiger coaches had anticipated it. They knew in their own hearts that the Massillon passing attack had not looked good all year, so they set out the past two weeks to improve it, did, and when the bulldogs tossed an eight-man line against them on the first play, and crowded the three-man secondary against it, the Tigers had the necessary weapons to fight with.

Passes Did It

Tail-backs Bob Graber and Dick Adams, just rared back and let fly, and far out in the Bulldog secondary, the receivers bobbed up to haul in the ball with little or no interference.

It was Graber to Fred Blunt for 37 yards and a near touchdown; Graber to Keve Bray for 12; Graber to Blunt for 36 and a touchdown; Adams to Bray for 32; Graber to Joe De Mando for 44; Adams to Bray for 34; Graber to Bray for 49; Adams to Fred Cardinal for 22; and Adams to Tom Jasinski for five.

There you have the list that shows the potency of the Tiger attack, nine completed passes in 17 attempts for one direct touchdown and 271 yards. While passes only accounted directly for one touchdown, they set up all the others and might have produced two more scores, had not the receivers lost their balance after working themselves in the clear in tremendous efforts to catch the ball.

That is one-half of the passing game.

The other half is the defense set-up by Houghton and his staff to stop the Bulldogs in the air. The Massillon coaches, using a 6-3-2 defense instead of their usual seven diamond, guarded the secondary carefully. They were willing to give the Bulldogs from two to three yards on the line as long as they could prevent any long shots. The strategy was successful. Canton hurled 27 passes but only completed 10, and only one of the 10 gained any great distance. Four passes were intercepted. The Bulldogs did gain considerable yardage on the ground, but only once did they get within scoring distance, that effort coming in the last minute when they lost the ball on downs on the nine-yard line.

The Tigers were in the pink. Smartly quarterbacked from the opening minute to the final gun; they surveyed their opponents’ weaknesses, and struck at the opportune moment.

Sweeps Bring Touchdowns

They showed no mercy with a vicious running attack once passes had placed them in a position to score, and in powerful sweeps, Keve Bray, John Hill, Joe De Mando, and Fred Cardinal would lead Graber, Blunt, and Adams to touchdowns. One by one, you could see the Bulldog ends and secondary chopped down as Tiger blockers cleared the way for their ball carrier.

Sweeps were the only weapon the Massillonians had on hand. The Bulldogs had so thoroughly concentrated on the off-tackle and spinner plays, that Capt. Fred Blunt, Chuck Holt, and Bob Graber found it next to impossible to move. Blunt, who has been the big ground gainer all season, was virtually stopped all afternoon, but he did get loose for one of the touchdown sweeps.

The Tigers, in their new defensive setup, prepared especially for this game, found Tom Harris, but Bulldog fullback, the hardest of the Canton ball carriers to bring down. Canton built its whole attack around him. He carried the leather 19 times and tossed most of the 27 passes. A spinner with Dominick carrying the ball was the red and black’s best ground gainer.

The Bulldogs used three different defenses going from an eight to a seven to a six-man line, but the Tigers outguessed them most of the way and tossed passes when the secondary was least protected.

You will be looking for heroes, but you need not hunt. Take all 11 of them into your arms. The linemen from tip to tip played fine football and every member of the backfield put in his contribution.

Bray’s Greatest Game

Don’t overlook Keve Bray; who played his greatest game; and don’t forget little Dave Miller, the 140-pounder who went in when Bob Wallace came out with an injury. The way he submarined when the Canton power drives were turned loose through center was terrific. Only a stout heart could do it. That’s it! That was Houghton’s first comment after being carried to the dressing room by his players. “They were a great bunch of goys. They fought their hearts out this afternoon.”

They did. They carried out the promise made by Capt. Blunt as he dashed out of the pre-game huddle and ran to the Massillon bench while his teammates took their positions on the field. “Don’t worry coach, we’re going to lick them this afternoon. We’ll win this one for you,” he said, and how!

Wow!

How the Massillon passes clicked. Fans who had seen the Tiger aerial game sputter all season couldn’t believe their eyes. All efforts to jam in the Tiger backs and receivers and keep them from getting into the open, failed, and you must give the linemen, Don Fuchs, Vernon Weisgarber, Karl Paulik, and Bob Wallace, plenty of credit for keeping the Canton linemen from sifting through while Graber and Adams picked out their receivers. The latter had plenty of time to throw, something they have lacked all year, and they tossed the ball as though they were shooting a rifle. And the receivers held on to it.

There was no dropping the pigskin. Everything that was close was caught and in most instances the receivers were beyond the secondary when they took the leather.

Because the passes were completed for long gains, the first down total is not commensurate with the 32 points. Each team made 11. Yardage gained tells the story better, 431 to 109.

The Tigers gained 189 yards on the ground and lost 29 for a net total of 160. Leading ground gainer for the Tigers was Dick Adams who gained 113 of the 189 yards himself. He made the longest run of the game, 59 yards and was hauled down from behind. He raced 26 yards for a touchdown on another occasion.

Great Punting Exhibition

And while you are still thinking in terms of heroes, don’t overlook the tremendous punting of Graber, especially the 51-yard boot from his nine-yard line that took the Tigers out of a hole early in the third quarter. Graber actually was behind his goal line when he kicked the ball. It soared 60 yards over the McKinley secondary.

The average of 43 yards per punt would be a compliment to any college kicker.

The Tigers scored in all but the third period. They got their first touchdown in the middle of the opening quarter, as you would expect by now – through passes, two of them in a row, a 12-yarder to Bray and a 36 yard toss to Blunt, who raced across the goal with no one near him. Graber was the thrower.

They scored two touchdowns in the second period. A 44-yard peg from Graber to De Mando took the ball to the Canton 15. Big Joe could have made the rest of the distance had he not lost his balance reaching out to catch the ball. He stumbled along for 10 yards before he finally went down in a heap. But it only took one play to get the remaining 15. Bray, Hill, and Cardinal blasted the right flank of the Bulldogs to pieces as Graber swept his end for the score.

Dick Adams’ 34-yard pass to Bray, set the stage for the third with a first down on the nine-yard line. And again Adams circled the right end for the touchdown while his teammates threw everything but the goal posts at Canton tacklers to clear each and every one out of Dick’s path.

Tigers Score Two More

The fourth touchdown came early in the fourth quarter after Canton had had a bit of an edge in the third period. A 49-yard peg from Graber to Bray produced a first down. The Tigers powered their way the rest of the distance through the most determined resistance put up by the Bulldogs all afternoon. Chuck Holt smashed his way for a first down on the one-yard line, but he couldn’t get it over in three attempts and came up fighting once when everyone piled on. It was left to Capt. Blunt to score and with everyone expecting another smash by Holt, Blunt circled his left end behind the same great blocking that had accompanied Graber and Adams and crossed the Bulldog goal.

The extra point that had previously been missed through two kicks from placements and an attempt to carry the ball, was made good this time by Graber who hammered his way through right guard.

The final Massillon score followed two completed passes, a 22-yarder from Adams to Cardinal, and a five-yard toss to Jasinski that took the ball to the 26-yard line. There Adams struck through a hole at right tackle opened by De Mando, Blunt, and Cardinal and behind fine blocking led by Hill and Holt, stepped 26-yards to the promised land. Holt went over for the 32nd and final point of the game.

The Bulldogs got on the march twice, once at the end of the first half, and once at the end of the game.

In their first half effort they moved the moved the ball from their 35 to the 18 where the gun ended play with fourth down coming up and a foot needed for a first down. Passes gained 19 of the yards.

At the end of the game they marched the kickoff back from their 36 and aided by a 38—yard pass, Tom Harris to Pickard, planted the ball on the 12-yard line for a first down. Four plays only gained three yards from there on, however and the leather was lost on the nine-yard line.

The game was officiated better than any we have seen this season including Big Ten contests. Dr. David Reese and his officials kept the contest moving, called only two penalties both against Massillon for being in motion. Canton took five yards on the one but refused the other penalty and accepted the down.

The game brought to a close the first year of Houghton as coach, and he did what none at the start of the season expected him to do, retain the state title for Massillon a seventh straight year.

Others may claim it. Martins Ferry, Mansfield, Toledo Libbey, but none has beaten the champ and if they analyze the record, they will join in the admission that Massillon is still on top.

Never before has a Massillon team beaten McKinley by as many points as Houghton and his Tigers rolled up on Saturday. Last year’s previous margin of 28 points was topped by four. Canton still has the high score for the series, however, a 43-0 walloping handed the Massillon team in 1907. The Bulldogs likewise have an edge in the series that began way back in 1894, but the Tiger team has whittled it down to a game now. Canton has won 22. Massillon 21 and three have ended in tie scores.

You could go on and on writing about the game, but why use all the metaphors this year. Seven of the 11 starters will be back next season. None was seriously injured.

Still Champions

Massillon McKinley
Bray LE Parks
Paulik LT Parshall
B. Wallace LG Zimmer
Fuchs C Cook
Hill RG Schuster
Weisgarber RT Smith
De Mando RE Pickard
Cardinal QB Williams
Graber LH Dominick
Blunt RH J. Harris
Holt FB T. Harris

Score by periods
Massillon 6 12 0 14 – 32

Substitutions – Massillon: Willmot, rg; Adams, lh;
Miller, lg; Power, qb; Edwards, rt; Dolmos,lt; Stout,c;
Gibson, fb; Jasinski, re; Robinson, le; White, rh;
Armour, le.
McKinley: Haverstock, le; Jordan, rt; Lombardi, lt;
Coulas, rt; Wernet, c; Simms, rh.

Touchdowns – Blunt 2, Graber, Adams 2.

Points after touchdown – Graber, Holt (carried)

Referee – David Reese (Dayton)
Umpire – Earl Gross (New Philadelphia)
Headlineman – A.B. Long (New Philadelphia)
Field Judge – Titus Lobach (Akron)

Boosters Have Open Meeting

Do you want to celebrate Saturday’s 32-0 triumph over Canton McKinley high school?

Then turn out at Washington high school tonight, Booster member or not, and let off steam. The club is holding an open meeting tonight to give every Massillon citizen, men and women, boys and girls, an opportunity to celebrate. The program starts at 7:30 p.m.

MASSILLON’S TIGERS turned Ohio’s most famous high school football rivalry into a shambles Saturday afternoon when they handed Canton McKinley’s Bulldogs a pitiless
32-0 larruping before 20,000 not too astonished customers at Canton’s Fawcett stadium.

The defeat was the seventh straight the Bulldogs have absorbed at the hands of their deadliest rivals. McKinley last whipped the Tigers in 1934 and recently they haven’t even been able to make it close in this traditional battle.

The triumph yesterday merely continued the amazing saga that is Massillon’s. The Tigers now have gone through 43 successive games without tasting defeat, their last setback having come at the hands of New Castle, PA., in 1937.

For William “Bud” Houghton the decisive Massillon triumph meant a great season in his first year as Paul Brown’s successor. The youthful Tiger mentor took a green eleven at the start of the current campaign and wielded it into a machine that won nine of 10 games. Mansfield tied the Tigers, 6-6, although badly outplayed by Massillon.

Yesterdays’ game was decided in the air, for on the ground, the Bulldog line showed up surprisingly strong.

But McKinley had no semblance of defense against the passes of Bob Graber and Dick Adams. The two Massillon passers had all the time they needed to get set and their receivers found no trouble at all in eluding the McKinley secondary defense.

The Tigers pitched 17 passes and completed 10 of them for the amazing total of 266 yards. To appreciate just how helpless the Bulldogs actually were against the Massillon passes, one had to see the game. Mere words won’t describe it.

On the ground, the Tigers had far too much speed for their rivals. The crisp, deadly blocking which has always marked Massillon play was still there, especially on two of the touchdown gallops.

McKinley equaled the Tigers in rolling up first downs, each team making 11, but still the Bulldogs failed to make a serious threat. McKinley outgained the Bengals rushing, 187 yards to 128 and completed eight of 24 passes for 69 yards.

McKinley put itself in a hole right at the start when its two safety-men played far too shallow on a punt by the Tiger’s Bob Graber. The boot went over their heads with the Bulldogs finally winding up on their seven-yard line.

MASSILLON VS. CANTON
Mass. Can.
First downs 11 11
First downs rushing 4 7
First downs passing 7 3
First down penalties 0 1
Net yards rushing 128 187
Yards gained passing 266 69
Total yards gained 394 256
Passes attempted 17 24
Passes completed 10 8
Passes intercepted by 2 3
Number of punts 5 8
Average of punts 43 31
Number of kickoffs 5 3
Fumbles by 2 1
Opponents’ fumbles recovered 1 1
Yards lost by penalties 5 0

History

1940: Massillon 34, Canton McKinley 6

November 16, 1940June 11, 2017
by Eric Smith

TIGERS WHIP BULLDOGS 34-6

33rd Straight Victory

TIGERS MUZZLE BULLDOGS, 34-6

Parade to 33rd Straight Victory After Scored Upon First Time This Season

By Alex Zirin

MASSILLON, O., Nov. 16 – They still have the nation’s best scholastic football team living here, as Canton McKinley must reluctantly admit.

Massillon Washington’s Tigers, a dream come true, today added another glowing chapter to the remarkable gridiron history of the city.

Smashing the Bulldogs, 34-6, in their 45th meeting, the Tigers recorded their 33rd straight victory.

It was their tenth and final triumph of the season and brought a sixth consecutive Ohio championship.

Also, it was the sixth victory in a row over the Bulldogs, who haven’t won since 1934, and nine seniors closed their schoolboy careers with the distinction of never having been in a losing game.

Not since October of 1937, when New Castle, Pa., turned the trick, have the Tigers suffered a defeat.

A howling crowd of 22,000 – at least – sat through bitter cold to pay tribute to Paul Brown’s splendid machine.

Not even the presence and advice of Jim Thorpe, Mr. Football himself, could help the Bulldogs today.

They were in the game during the first half, but were helpless before the blocking might of the Tigers in the final periods.

Thorpe, hero of the great Canton Bulldogs in 1915-21, was almost unnoticed.

The Bulldogs held a 6-0 lead for a few minutes in the second period after having become the first team to cross the Tigers’ line since the 1939 Canton team turned the trick.

Athie Garrison, McKinley’s splendid back, scored on a 33-yard gallop to boast his scoring total for the season to 152. He leads the state.

But a great play by Tom James and Horace Gillom soon tied the score and, when Ray Getz booted the first of four extra points, the Tigers left the field at half time holding a 7-6 advantage, and they weren’t bothered after that.

Gillom added another spectacular touchdown in the second half, and he was joined by Getz, James and Herman Robinson.

Two touchdowns came in each the third and fourth periods.

The first part of the opening period was fairly even, but the Tigers drove to the Canton 27 shortly before the gun. They lost the ball on downs at that point, but recovered on the 33 when Garrison fumbled and Gordon Appleby recovered.

But, on the third play of the second period, a maneuver went haywire and a wild pass from the Massillon center was captured by Frank Reale on the McKinley 37.

Matt Brown, Tom Harris and Garrison worked to the 33 and then came the touchdown.

Breaking over his left end, Garrison cut back, picked up the interference that formed in a few seconds and ran over the line unmolested.

Neal Rubin came in to try for the point, but his effort was low.

The tying touchdown was the thriller of all thrillers.

With first down on their 45, the Tigers decided on a pass.

Aerial Blitzkrieg

Fading back to his 35, James fired a tremendous forward to his right. Gillom, leaping over the head of Brown on the Canton 25, tipped the ball with one hand, caught it with the other, stiff-armed Brown, broke loose from Ed Snyder and hot-footed down the sidelines for the score. Getz booted the placement and the Bulldogs, although they wouldn’t show it, were licked.

Some 30 seconds later, Gillom almost scored again. He intercepted a Harris pass on the Canton 45 and reached the 14 before a side block and his own momentum drove him to his knees just as the gun sounded.

Gillom’s tremendous second half kickoff forced the Bulldogs into a hole. Garriosn returned deep from his end zone out to his 20. Canton couldn’t gain and James returned the ensuing punt 10 yards to the Canton 30.

In five plays Massillon had its second touchdown. The honor this time went to James, who had alternated with Blunt in bringing the ball to the 3. Getz was accurate and the toll was 14-6.

More Razzle Dazzle

Eighteen plays later, Massillon countered again. The break this time was a blocked punt by Russell that Blunt recovered on the Canton 43. James, Getz, and Blunt used straight football plays to come to the 17 and then the Tigers shot the works.

Getz lateraled to James, who lateraled to Blunt, who lateralted to Robinson, who fired a forward pass to Gillom, standing alone in the end zone.

Getz kicked and the score was 21-6.

Gillom’s mighty catch of a James’ pass sparked the next touchdown, in the fourth period. This time, a spread formation, featuring a triple lateral, brought the ball to the 9, from where Getz ran left end for a touchdown. Getz again was right and it was 28-6.

James’ 61-yard rush though center enabled the scoring of the last touchdown. Robinson climaxed the show by taking a pass away from three Canton guards on the 8 and cutting over the line. Getz finally missed ,but who cared?

There was one big difference between the teams. That was blocking.

MASSILLON CANTON
WASHINGTON – 34 McKINLEY – 0

Robinson L.E. Chabek
Henderson L.T. Reale
Wallace L.G. K. Williams
Appleby C Beck
Russell R.G. Sirk
Broglio R.T. Smith
Gillom R.E. Pickard
Kingham Q Snyder
James L.H. Harris
R. Getz R.H. Garrison
Blunt F Brown

Canton 0 6 0 0 – 6
Massillon 0 7 14 13 – 34

Substitutions: Massillon – Pizzion, f; Cardinal, rg; White, lh;
P. Getz, rg; Adams, rh; Hill, lg; Oliver, lt; Armour, le; Fuchs, c.
Canton – Staudt, re; Winters, le; Rubin, re; Hooper, lh;
Crider, lh; Pappas, lg; Conroy, lg; Parshall, lt; Chessler, rg;
C. Williams, lg.

Touchdowns – Garrison, Gillom 2, James, Getz, Robinson.

Points after touchdown – Getz 4 (placement).

Massillon-Canton
SATISTICS
Massillon Canton
First downs 14 9
Yards gained rushing 276 146
Yards gained passing 121 59
Yards lost, net 11 17
Passes attempted 6 19
Passes completed 4 7
Passes intercepted by 2 1
Yards lost on penalties 25 6

Tigers, Trailing For First Time This Year,
Prove Title Claims

Take Advantage Of McKinley Defect To Score Touchdowns That
Give Coach Brown His Greatest Team

BY HARRY YOCKEY
Repository Sports Editor

A true champion is one that can overcome all conditions, and Massillon’s terrific Tigers were still perched on the Ohio scholastic football throne today because they proved to the complete satisfaction of 22,000 shivery fans that they had the spirit and ability to stage a comeback after being scored upon for the first time this season.

Looking at the picture from the Canton angle, a weakness that was evident throughout the season defeated the Bulldogs. They just couldn’t throttle Massillon’s aerial attack and that, along with the Tigers’ tricky offense, spelled the difference.

Even Paul Brown, coach of the Tigers, admitted he was worried just a little when Athie Garrison skirted left end for 32 yards and a touchdown. That fine bit of running by the Bulldog star, put the Tigers in a hole for the first time this season and gave Brown an opportunity to learn whether he was going to have the greatest team since he took over the Massillon reins in 1932.

Tigers Take Lead

The Tigers supplied the first part of the answer when Tom James, with the wind to his back, tossed a long aerial to Horace Gillom who went 25 yards for a touchdown with only 45 seconds of the first half remaining. When Ray Getz kicked the extra point he enabled the jubilant Tigers to leave the field with a one point lead.

If the Bulldogs had been playing more alert football, the Tigers probably would have gone scoreless in the first half and the psychological effect on Massillon may have made a great difference in the outcome.

Playing a safety position, Garrison, who must be credited with a note worthy performance, made the mistake of trying to intercept the ball instead of batting it down. The ball went through his fingers and into the hands of Gillom who packed it across the goal line. The play was obvious from the start as only a few seconds remained before the half time gun would have ended Massillon’s chances of scoring. If the McKinley backfield had been playing deeper it could have prevented completion of the pass or at least nailed Gillom before he could slip away.

Fail To Stop Play

Instead, the Bulldogs suffered a blow from which they were unable to recover throughout the last half. Forced to punt against the wind at the opening of the third period, the Bulldogs saw Massillon take the ball on its 30-yard line, plough through for a touchdown and kick the extra point.

That gave the Tigers a more comfortable margin but not a lead that was impossible for the Bulldogs to overcome. But the state champions for the sixth consecutive year resorted to another aerial play that McKinley should have broken up but didn’t. When Getz ran deep with the ball, two Bulldogs were close on his heels but failed to nail him before he had tossed the ball to Herman Robinson who quickly heaved it to Gillom. The latter made a beautiful catch in the end zone.

Incidentally, that particular play had been tried by Massillon on numerous occasions during the season but Saturday marked the first time it paid off.

Gillom again was on the receiving end of an aerial that gave Massillon a first down on the Canton 10 and paved the way for the third touchdown. Garrison was running beside the Massillon star when he caught the ball but was unable to knock the ball down and didn’t nail Gillom until he had registered a 29-yard gain. Getz took the ball across on the next play.

Watch Robinson Score

Failure of three McKinley backfield men to cut down Robinson on a pass play gave Massillon its last touchdown late in the third period. The Bulldogs hit Robinson as he took the ball from James and, thinking they had knocked him out of bounds, watched him run 10 more yards across the goal line to have the officials signal a touchdown that meant little as far as a victory was concerned.

Massillon completed only four passes, but three of them went for touchdowns and the other one paved the way. That, in a few words, is the story of the Canton-Massillon game of 1940.

The Tigers played championship ball against a team that refused to give up until the final gun. But the Bulldogs were playing a rival that Coach Brown after the game labeled as “the greatest team I’ve had the pleasure of coaching.”

The Tigers have been famous for their precision and they committed few mistakes yesterday despite conditions which made ball handling doubly hard. They tackled, blocked, ran and passed in a manner that leaves no question as to their championship ranking.

MASSILLON STORMS BACK AFTER CANTON CROSSES GOAL FIRST

By JACK MAXWELL

TIGER STADIUM, MASSILLON, Nov. 16 – Massillon’s famed Washington High Tigers laid undisputed claim to their sixth Ohio scholastic football championship here this afternoon by turning back their traditional rival, McKinley High school, before a record crowd of 22,000 fans.

The score was 34-6.

By winning Massillon stretched its amazing winning streak to 33 games and its consecutive victories over Canton to six. It was the first defeat of the season for the Bulldogs who had won eight games and tied one.

The victory also helped Massillon move a step nearer an even split with Canton on the 45 games in which the two schools have been matched. The score now stands: McKinley 22, Massillon 20 and three games tied.

At game time it was announced that the stands were filled to capacity and that the crowd would exceed 22,000.

Matthew Brown, fullback, was named acting captain for McKinley, Gillom and Getz, right end and right half respectively, were serving as co-captains for the Tigers.

McKinley won the toss and elected to defend the south goal.

In the initial kickoff Garrison booted the ball over the Tiger goal line and it was brought out to the 20. Advancing the ball seven yards in three tries Gillom punted on the fourth down. Brown fumbled but Garrison recovered on the McKinley 34.

Bulldogs Begin Drive

McKinley began to roll when Harris clicked off three yards around right end and Brown rammed 15 yards to a first down through right guard. An offside penalty on Massillon advanced the ball five more yards, four of which were erased when Garrison was brought down short of the line in an attempt at left end.

Brown picked up three at center. A pass, Harris to Garrison, accounted for 16 more yards. Massillon took the ball when Robinson intercepted a pass from Harris on the Massillon 16.

Massillon made it a first down on its own 30 with Blunt, James and Getz finding holes in the McKinley line. On the next play James cut through right tackle for another first down on the Massillon 48.

Blunt picked up nine yards in two tries through the line and then Getz skirted left end for a first down on the McKinley 39. A four-yard smash by James through left tackle and a
six-yard drive through center by Blunt gave Massillon another first down on the
Bulldog 29.

McKinley Line Stiffens

Here the McKinley stiffened and the rambling Tigers found it tough going. Blunt picked up two at center and then two more thrusts at the line were stopped. McKinley took the ball on the 29 when a pass, James to Gillom, was incomplete.

Brown picked up four at right end and then McKinley lost the ball on Garrison’s fumble, which was recovered by Appleby. Blunt hit center for two as the quarter ended.

SCORE: McKinley 0, Massillon 0.

Massillon picked up nine yards on two plunges by Getz and Blunt before McKinley took the ball on its own 37 when Reale covered a fumble by James.

Here McKinley started a scoring drive that was climaxed by a 32-yard run around left end by Garrison. Perfect blocking by his teammates plus ability to evade tacklers in the open enabled him to cross the goal line standing up. Rubin’s place kick for the extra point was low. Score: McKinley 6, Massillon o

Garrison’s kickoff was taken by Gillom who was brought down hard on the Massillon 27. On the next play Snyder intercepted a pass on the Massillon 44. Brown was stopped at center and then made two yards on a short pass from Harris.

A beautifully placed punt by Staudt who entered the game merely to kick, set Massillon back on its seven yard line after Garrison had dropped a long pass from Harris. Gillom, standing behind his own goal line, punted 54 yards to Garrison who returned to the Massillon 45. After two tries at the line by Garrison and Brown and a short pass, Harris to Brown, had yielded nine yards Garrison punted out on the Massillon 20.

James made it a first down on the Massillon 31 on a dash around right end and a slash through right tackle. Three more plays by James and Getz gave Massillon another first down on the Massillon 45.

Gillom Scores On Pass

On the next play James faded back and heaved a long pass which Gillom picked out of the hands of Garrison on the 25 and then rambled on across the goal line to score. The ball traveled 55 yards. Getz place kicked for the extra point. Score: McKinley 6, Massillon 7.

Garrison returned Gillom’s kickoff over the goal line to the McKinley 20. Garrison, Brown and Harris were dragged down for small losses before Harrison punted to James who returned to the McKinley 30. Blunt picked up eight around left end on a deep reverse and then James made it a first down on the McKinley 17 at right end.

Blunt rammed center and cut back to reach the McKinley 5. James went over to score through right tackle and Getz place kicked the extra point. Score: McKinley 6, Massillon 14.

Kick Over Goal Line

Gillom kicked over the goal line and McKinley took the ball on its 20. Two plays short of 10 yards by Garrison and an offside penalty on Massillon gave McKinley a first down on its punt. His kick was partially blocked by Russell and Massillon took the ball on the McKinley 43.

Here Massillon started another scoring drive with James, Getz and Blunt alternating on off tackle smashes and culminating with a dazzling end around pass from Getz to Robinson to Gillom for a touchdown. Getz place-kicked the extra point. Score: McKinley 6, Massillon 21.

Garrison returned Gillom’s kick to the 27 and Brown picked up a yard at right end as the quarter ended. Score: McKInley 6, Massillon 21.

As the fourth quarter opened Harris passed to Garrison for eight. An offside penalty gave McKinley a first down on its 42. Two passes from Harris to Brown and Garrison gained six yards. Harris failed to gain and Staudt came in to punt out of bounds on the Massillon 30. James went back to pass and then elected to run for a first down on the Massillon 47. Blunt hit right guard for six.

James picked up eight yards at right tackle and then passed to Gillom for 29 yards and a first down on the McKinley 10. A 15-yard penalty put the ball back on the 25. On the next play James ran it up to the McKinley 10 and Getz skirted left end to score. Getz place kicked the extra point. Score: McKinley 6, Massillon 28.

McKinley made another scoring threat late in the fourth period when Staudt, called in for a punt, passed to Garrison who galloped 24 yards to the Massillon 27.

Massillon scored again in the closing minutes of play when Robinson took a pass from James on the McKinley 9 and went over for a touchdown. Getz failed to place kick.

M’KINLEY BOWS TO VAUNTED FOE IN SECOND HALF

Scores First Touchdown
And Then Collapses;
Massillon Denomination Complete

By JACK MAXWELL

Massillon’s mighty Tigers scaled new heights Saturday and today retained a domination of Ohio scholastic football that was almost incredible for its completeness.

Unleashing the full fury of a perfectly coordinated attack in the second half, the talented charges of Coach Paul Brown swept over a courageous but badly out classed McKinley High school team 34-6 at Tiger stadium in Massillon Saturday afternoon.

Accomplished before a capacity throng of 22,000 amid all the color that only a long and intense rivalry can produce, the triumph was a glorious one on so many counts that jubilant Massillon fans were consulting the records today to make sure they missed nothing in their prolonged celebration.

Unbeaten in 33 Games

The victory enabled the Tigers to clinch their sixth consecutive state championship, lengthened an amazing winning streak to 33 games, marked the sixth straight conquest of their most bitter rival and was the most decisive Canton defeat in the 45 contests of an inter city series that began in 1894.

Combining perfect timing, great blocking, deadly passing and spirited defensive play in a manner that was an eloquent tribute to the coaching genius of their mentor, the Tigers drew away with a four touchdown barrage in the second half after leading an aroused McKinley eleven on 7-6 at the intermission.

Although sub-freezing temperature and a chill wind made the role of spectator none too comfortable, the battle was fought under excellent playing conditions. A field that had been protected for nearly a week by a tarpaulin afforded secure footing and each team was able to use its full repertoire of plays.

Bulldogs Fight Stubbornly

Even though they suffered a setback of unforeseen proportions, the previously unbeaten Bulldogs of Coach Johnny Reed did nothing to disgrace the school or city, which they represented. On the contrary, they battled their hearts out from opening whistle to final gun, but their best simply wasn’t good enough.
McKinley fought the Tigers on even terms for the entire first half, and scored the lone touchdown made against Massillon this season on a scintillating 31-yard gallop by Athie Garrison in the second quarter.

The Bulldogs received a disheartening blow with 30 seconds left in the first half when a long pass from Tom James to Horace Gillom clicked for 55 yards and a touchdown.

When Ray Getz converted on an accurate placement, the McKinley gridders trailed 7-6 when they went to the dressing room at the intermission instead of holding command.

In the face of a Massillon onslaught terrific in its intensity, the Bulldogs never were able to reveal their true form in the second half and were on the defensive most of the time.

Pass Defense Vulnerable

A faulty pass defense that had been the major McKinley weakness all season made the difference between an extremely close duel and a lopsided Massillon victory. The Tigers attempted only seven passes, but of their four completed ones three went for touchdowns and the other advanced the ball deep into Bulldog territory.

As always, deception and crushing blocking were the twin keys to Massillon success. McKinley stopped the Tigers’ straight running attack frequently, but each time the danger seemed past the Tigers pulled a tricky reverse, a wide sweep behind a wave of interference or a pass to continue their drive.

Worst previous Canton defeats in the ancient rivalry were 24-0 in 1922 and 31-6 in 1929. Otherwise three touchdowns were the largest margin of victory for Massillon. Canton triumphed 44-0 in 1907 to inflict the most crushing defeat of the series in which Canton still leads, 22 wins to 20. Three games ended in ties.

Gillom And James Star

Achievements of the Tigers have come through teamwork, and yesterday’s victory naturally was a group proposition.

Yet Horace Gillom, brilliant Negro end closing a star studded scholastic career, and diminutive Tom James, another senior, were the spark plugs of a powerful machine.

Gillom caught three passes, two for touchdowns, averaged 46 yards on two punts and made tackle after tackle. James directed the offense in fine style, threw all but one of the completed aerials and broke loose repeatedly in the second half, once on a 61-yard gallop. He finished as the leading ball carrier in the fray with an average of 9.2 yards.

Fred Blunt carried the brunt of the offensive burden in the first half, and Ray Getz also reeled off several long runs in addition to scoring one touchdown and kicking four extra points in five tries. Jim Russell and Bill Wallace at the guards were defensive bulwarks and Herman Robinson, Gene Henderson, Gordon Appleby, Eli Broglio, and Dick Kingham all were superb. Only Blunt and Robinson return next year.

Garrison, Brown Sparkle

Heroic in defeat were Athie Garrison and Matthew Brown. Although watched closely by the Tigers, Garrison boosted his season scoring total to 152 points, drove with tremendous power and certainly must be labeled the greatest running back in McKinley history. He averaged 3.8 yards for 11 ball-carrying attempts.

Captain and field general, Brown was the heart and soul of the Bulldogs, both on offense and defense. He carried the ball 14 times for a 2.9 average, had a hand in most of the tackles and still was trying with might and main when the final seconds ticked away. Frank Reale, a rugged tackle; Ed Snyder, a sophomore quarterback, and Don Sirk, veteran guard, were other McKinley main stays.

McKinley forced the Tigers to punt after the opening kickoff and proceeded to institute a march that carried to the Massillon 16 before it was stopped by Robinson’s interception of Tom Harris’ pass.

Reale Recovers Fumble

On the third play of the second quarter, James fumbled and Reale covered for McKinley on his own 37. With a 14-yard pass from Harris to Brown as the big advance, the Bulldogs pushed to the Massillon 31. Garrison then sprinted around his left end, cut back behind deadly blocking and dashed for a touchdown. Neil Rubin’s place kick was low.

A few minutes later, James faded back from his own 45 and passed deep to Gillom, who was covered by Garrison. Garrison leaped to catch the ball but it slanted off his fingers into the hands of Gillom, who caught on the McKinley 25 and romped for a touchdown. Getz booted the conversion.

Massillon needed just four plays to stretch its lead in the first five minutes of the third period. James ran for 13 yards, Blunt for five and again for three, and James knifed through right tackle on a reverse to score. Getz’ place kick again split the up rights.

The third Tiger touchdown came after the Bulldogs had thrown back three running plays short of a first down on the McKinley 17, Robinson came around from left end, took the ball from Getz and started around the right end behind a wall of blockers. But he stopped short of the line, dropped back and shot a perfect pass in the end zone to Gillom, who made the catch unmolested.

A 29-yard pass from James to Gillom, and a 14-yard sprint by James that nullified a holding penalty set up the next touchdown early in the last quarter. Getz circled left end from the 10 for the tally and kicked the conversion.

After Garrison had twisted 24 yards on a screen pass to the Massillon 27, the Tigers braced and took the ball on their own 20. James smashed through right tackle and broke clear for 61 yards to the 19, where he was dragged down from behind by Garrison. Blunt and Getz were stopped, but Robinson took James’ pass away from three McKinley defenders near the sideline on the 9-yard stripe and went over for the last touchdown. Getz’ place kick was just a trifle wide.
McKinley Pos. Massillon
Chabek LE Robinson
Reale LT Henderaon
K. Williams LG Wallace
Beck C Appleby
Sirk RG Russell
Smith RT Broglio
Pickard RE Gillom
Snyder QB Kingham
Harris LH James
Garrison RH Getz
M. Brown FB Blunt

Substitutions for McKinley – Rubin, c; Staudt, e; Winters, e;
Chessler, t; C. Williams, t: Pappask g; Conroy, g; Crider, hb;
Hooper, hb; R. Brown, g; Parshall, t.
For Massillon – Pizzino, fb; L. Cardinal, t; Oliver, t;
F. Cardinal, g; Fuchs, c; Adams, hb; White, hb; Hill, g;
Holt, qb; Bray, e; Demando, e.

Touchdowns: Garrison, Gillom 2, James, Getz, Robinson.

Points after touchdown: Getz 4.

McKinley 0 6 0 0 – 6
Massillon 0 7 14 13 – 34

Referee – Dave Reese, Dayton.
Umpire – Verlin P. Jenkins, Akron.
Head linesman – Earl D. Gross, New Philadelphia.
Field judge – A.B. Long, Newark.

STATISTICS
Mass. McK.
First downs, rushing 13 5
First downs, passing 1 3
First downs, total 14 8
Yards gained, rushing 283 113
Yards gained, passing 123 78
Yards lost 25 18
Yards gained, net total 381 173
Passes attempted 7 21
Passes completed 4 10
Passes intercepted 2 1
Passes incompleted 2 9
Fumbles 1 3
Own fumbles covered 1 1
Own fumbles recovered 0 2
Penalties, yardage 30 0
Punts 2 6
Punts, average yardage 46 21.7

22,000 See Tigers
Win State Toga

Bulldogs Collapse After Trailing
By 7-6 Score At Half

By BOD EDDIOTT

MASSILLON, Nov., 16 – All the devastating power of Massillon high school’s brilliant football team exploded with every inch of its fury in the faces of Canton McKinley’s Bulldogs here today and the Tigers roared to an amazing 34-6 conquest in the 43rd renewal of Ohio’s bitterest scholastic grid fuel.

Massillon’s victory was expected, but nobody looked for the disaster, which struck McKinley after the half time intermission.

As a shivering but thrilled crowd of 22,000 fans watched the peerless Tigers riddle every semblance of a defense the Bulldogs possessed, the charges of Coach Paul Brown completed their greatest season.

The victory was Massillon’s 33rd in a row extending over a four-year period. It was their sixth straight conquest of the Bulldogs and gave them their sixth consecutive undisputed state championship.

Mere words won’t suffice to tell of Massillon’s second half outburst, which netted four touchdowns and turned what looked to be an even game into one of the worst routs in the long Canton-Massillon rivalry.

For those Bulldogs of Coach Johnny Reed were tough for two entire periods. In fact, to an unbiased observer, it looked as if McKinley was the better ball club for almost half the game.

Still Champions

Score by periods:
Canton 0 6 0 0 – 6
Massillon 0 7 14 13 – 34

History

1939: Massillon 20, Canton McKinley 6

November 18, 1939June 1, 2017
by Eric Smith

TIGERS BEAT BULLDOGS 20-6 TO RETAIN STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
CANTON GIVES LOCAL TEAM HARDEST GAME

Bulldogs Threaten Upset By Scoring One Touchdown And coming Close To Another; Slusser And Gillom Shine For Massillon

By LUTHER EMERY

A fighting band of red and black grid warriors played their hearts out at beautiful Fawcett stadium, Canton, Saturday afternoon but bowed 20-6 before the lightning thrusts of the Washington high Tiger.

The victory kept the state championship and the Stark county title in Massillon a fifth straight year and extended the Tiger winning streak begun in 1937 to 23 games.
Hardest Fought Game Since 1935
While 22,000 fans filled every inch of the stadium and sat on the slope at the northwest end, the Tiger and Bulldog elevens waged their hottest duel since the terrific game of 1935 when a 6-0 victory started the string of five straight triumphs the Tigers have recorded against their Canton opponents.

Keyed with a new spirit and equipped with a new double wing-back offense, the Bulldogs tackled and blocked as they never did before this season and played a brand of football that would have sent them into the game an undefeated team.

It’s tradition that the underdog plays over his head and the favorite tightens up in a Massillon-Canton game and that was what took place Saturday.
The Bulldogs were over their heads compared with past performances this season, but perhaps they were only playing the brand of ball of which they were really capable to producing.
Canton Changes Strategy
They adopted a first half strategy of consuming as much time in the huddle as possible to purposely delay the game with the hope of keeping down the score and possibly capitalizing on a break.

But when George Slusser crossed the Bulldog goal from the one-yard line in the second quarter and tossed a 21-yard pass to Tom James for another the Bulldogs, trailing 13-0, changed their strategy at halftime and came out to shoot the works in a do-or-die attempt to win.

Massillon fans who had eased back in their seats at the start of the third period feeling perfectly secure on a 13-point lead, were struck speechless when like a bolt out of the sky, Andy Marantides, game little Canton halfback, shot a 20-yard pass to halfback Matt Brown, who caught the ball over George Slusser’s head and ran another 21 yards for a touchdown.

What was apprehension became downright fear for Massillon fans when the Bulldogs came right back with another rush in which officials and the Bulldog backs carried the ball to the Tiger 15-yard line. Here the local eleven held for downs, thanks to a great job of pass defense work by Halfbacks Bob Foster, who batted down what looked like another perfect touchdown pass from Marantides to Brown.

Taking the ball on their own 15-yard line, the Tigers roared back with a drive to their own 49. There the Massillon linemen blasted a big hole in the Bulldog forward wall and on the slickest play of the day and a consistent ground gainer, Slusser took the ball from Bill Zimmerman on a fake spin and ran 51 yards for a touchdown. He cut hard to his right as he crossed the line of scrimmage and circled Bill Goodman, the McKinley safety man.

The touchdown eased the tension of Massillon fans, but the Bulldogs were not yet beaten. They wouldn’t quit as so many teams have done in the face of the Tiger charge, but came back fighting with another touchdown bid that would have reached the two yard line had not Halfback Goodman stepped out of bounds on the 30. It was the last scoring threat of either team and the game ended with the Tigers moving forward with the ball in midfield.
Tigers Had Drive When Needed
The statistics which favor Canton in first downs and Massillon in yards gained from scrimmage show little difference in both teams. Yet that little difference amounted to a big difference – the Tigers could get yards when needed, while the Bulldogs as in so many games the past season, moved the ball between the 20-yard lines but lacked the drive to put it over.

With a few ifs Canton might have gotten a tie out of it. Had not Foster been alert and timed his leap to a split second to knock down Marantides’ pass to Brown on the two-yard line, the Bulldogs would have had another touchdown. And they might have scored a third, had not Goodman walked the sideline in the last period after taking a pass from Marantides.

It was in the air that Canton gained most of its distance and what yards it made on the ground were gained around the Tiger ends.

Coach Johnny Reed gave his team a new double wing back offense for the game, hoping to spread the Tiger defense with the extra wing back and run fast breaking plays through the center of the Massillon line.

John Swezey, Red Henderson, Gil Pedrotty and Jim Russell, rose to the occasion, however and bottled up the Bulldog backs, while Horace Gillom, playing his greatest high school game, backed up the line with tremendous power. Swezey was particularly outstanding and the Tiger coaches were loud in their praise of his work after the game.
Slusser Best Runner
Offensively, Slusser, was the shining light for the Tigers. He gained more ground than any other player on the field, carrying the ball 22 times for an average of 7.2 yards, scoring two touchdowns and tossing the pass to Tom James for the third.

James and Foster also played good ball and because of his all around judgment Saturday, James will be first choice at calling signals next year. Foster gave an outstanding exhibition of pass defense work and was in on many a tackle.

Gillom’s punting was on a par with his great defensive play. He averaged 40.6 yards from scrimmage on his punts and kicked one ball 60 yards on the fly.

The Tigers had a series of plays with Gillom carrying the ball. They tried one on the second play after the kickoff, but when Horace fumbled when tackled, it was decided to play safe and continue the ball carrying to boys who were accustomed to lugging the leather.

Big Nick Rotz was outstanding on the Canton line. He was almost too strong for end Ray Getz to handle. Marantides was outstanding in the Bulldog backfield, doing most of the running and all of the punting and passing.

Still Champions
Massillon Pos. Canton
Getz LE Ryman
Pedrotty LT Reale
Russell LG Mack
Martin C Haines
Henderson RG Sirk
Swezey RT Rotz
Gillom RE Dugger
Foster QB Chabek
Slusser LH Marantides
James RH Goodman
Zimmerman FB Brown

Score by periods:
Massillon 0 13 7 0 20
Canton 0 6 0 0 6

Substitutions:
Massillon – Clendening, fb; Croop, lt; Blunt, rh.
Canton – Inman, le; Rubin, rt; Ryman, fb; Williams, qb; Stillianos, lt; Kopf, le; Verheyen, rg; Papas, rg; Kessler, lg.

Touchdowns:
Massillon – Slusser 2; James.
Canton – Brown.

Points after touchdown:
Massillon – Getz 2 (placekick).

Referee – Jenkins.
Umpire – Gross.
Head Linesman – Bacon.
Field Judge – Lobach.

Game Statistics
Mass. Canton
First downs 9 11
Yards gained rushing 248 111
Yards lost rushing 11 24
Net gain rushing 237 87
Yards gained passing 51 164
Total yards gained 288 251
Passes attempted 8 23
Passes completed 2 11
Passes incomplete 6 10
Passes intercepted 0 4
Times penalized 4 3
Yards penalized 40 15
Times punted 5
Average punt 40.6 23.6
Punts returned yards 0 42
Kickoffs 4 2
Average kickoff 28 48.5
Kickoffs returned yards 36 10
Fumbles 2 1
Lost ball on fumble 1 1

INDIVIDUAL BALL CARRYING
Massillon
Times Yards Yards Av.
Player Carried Gained Lost Gain
Slusser 22 159 1 7.2
Zimmerman 9 39 0 4.7
James 8 28 7 2.6
Foster 3 19 0 6.3
Getz 1 2 0 2.0
Clendening 1 1 0 1.0
Gillom 2 0 3 -1.5
____ ____ ____ ____
Totals 46 248 11 5.2

Canton
Marantides 19 58 3 2.9
Goodman 10 34 21 1.3
Brown 8 17 0 2.1
Chabek 1 2 0 2.0
____ ____ ____ ____
Totals 38 111 24 2.3

History

1938: Massillon 12, Canton McKinley 0

November 19, 1938June 1, 2017
by Eric Smith

TIGERS BEAT BULLDOGS 12-0 TO WIN STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
CROWD OF 18,000 GETS THRILL AT MASSILLON DEFENSE ON GOAL LINE

Bulldogs Turned Back Three Times In Bid For Touchdowns; Snyder And Zimmerman Score For Massillon; Band Sparkles In Snappy Drill

By LUTHER EMERY

The Ohio scholastic football championship stays in Massillon for a fourth straight year and any of the 18,000 or more fans who saw the Massillon high Tigers put another twist in the tail of the Canton Bulldog Saturday will tell you here is where it belongs.

Two powerful offensive marches in the second period moved forward over the Canton goal to give the Massillon gridders a 12-point lead and they protected it with three gallant goal line stands in the second half that could never be surpassed for sheer courage and grit.

Four In a Row Over Canton
The 12-0 triumph was the 10th of the season for the Tigers, their fourth in a row over Canton McKinley, their 13th straight triumph and their 47th in their last 50 games. They were last beaten by Canton in the finale of the 1934 season and after undefeated years in 1935 and 1936, finally dropped a game to New Castle and were tied by Mansfield in 1937.

This fine record and the music and pageantry of Saturday’s classic is another reason why Massillon is recognized as the capital of Ohio scholastic football, even though the state has several other undefeated high school teams.

There was no doubt as to the Tigers’ superiority Saturday. They had three opportunities to score, all in the first half, made good on two and lost on the other on two unfortunate breaks.
Canton had three opportunities to score, all in the second half, but failed each time, because it could not penetrate a Tiger line that summoned super-human courage when forced back to its goal.
Praise the Line
Every credit is due the backfield but give extra praise to the linemen, who too often are forgotten when the praises of victory are sung.

The Massillon trenchmen badly out charged the Bulldog forward wall the first half. They stopped Canton’s famed Marion Motley, something no other team has done this year and they refused to back up any further when thrice the Bulldogs advanced the ball to within the eight-yard line.

Those three courageous goal line stands were the climax of the ball game. Massillon fans didn’t think they could do it and Canton fans couldn’t understand it, but the greatly outweighed Tiger linemen had 12 precious hard earned points to preserve and they smote down everything that came their way.

The Bulldogs did not have Motley to hurl into the Tiger forward wall on any of their touchdown bids. He was a party to the first march that began in midfield, but Lynn Houston tackled him so viciously on the 10-yard line that Motley left the ball game, never to come back again. Tip Lockard, who learned his first football at Longfellow junior high before moving to Canton, carried the ball to the three-yard line in two plays, but on fourth down Marantides tried to flip a pass over the center to Nick Roman and found Freddie Toles was where Nick should have been and Canton’s first touchdown effort ended with Massillon getting the ball on the 20-yard line.

The Bulldogs, who produced all the offense of the second half, charged back twice more in the fourth quarter. A pesky shovel pass, Marantides to Athie Garrison that sent the latter through the weak side, bothered the Tigers throughout the second half and was good for 23 yards and a first down on the Massillon eight-yard line.

Hope rose in the breasts of Canton fans and Massillon hearts beat heavy as the Tigers moved into an eight-man line to stop the threat.

Marantides tried to skirt his right end but wound up five yards behind where he had started. The Bulldogs tried to cross the Tigers with another shovel pass, but this time Garrison was flopped without gain.
Toles Bats Pass Down
Marantides faded back and fired a long pass to the southeast corner of the field. Tony Fehn was out there trying to get it and got behind Toles, the defending halfback, but Freddie leaped at the right time and tipped the ball just enough to knock it out of Tony’s reach. It would have been a touchdown had he caught it. A Massillon fan was so elated at Toles’ deflecting the ball that he reached out over the guard rail, grabbed Toles and patted him on the back, until Freddie finally broke away and got into position for the fourth down.

Marantides tried the only thing he could, another pass, this one intended for Nick Roman, his lanky end, but the ball was batted down and the Tigers took it on their 14-yard line, six yards back from where Canton started.

The Bulldogs still weren’t through. Whatever kind of a “pep-hyp” Coach Johnny Reed shot into his boys between halves, was lasting and the closing minutes of the fourth quarter again found them knocking at the Massillon goal.

Two well executed passes, a 21-yard circus catch by Roman followed by a 33-yard toss to Fehn, gave the Bulldogs a first down on the Tiger five-yard line.

Here the Massillon forward wall gave its greatest demonstration of courage. Lockard smashed through center for three yards and put the ball on the two-yard line. He hit the same spot again, but little Bud Lucius, who covered himself with glory, submarined under the pack, grabbed all the legs he could get hold of and was found hanging on to one of Lockard’s when the pileup was finally untangled. Tip only advanced the ball a yard on the play but was within a yard of the goal with two downs still to make it in.

Again Lockard was given the ball. This time he tried to dive over the line, but Sophomore Gene Henderson rose up to meet his flying body and smite him down for a loss of one-half yard.

Still another down remained and the ball was only a yard and a half away. This time the Bulldogs sought to work a cutback with Garrison carrying the ball. The Tigers were not to be fooled, however and Athie was thrown for a one-half yard loss and the Tigers took possession of the pigskin. Horace Gillom punted out to the 20-yard line and when Marantides tried to pass on third down, Capt. Red Snyder hauled in the leather behind the goal for a touchback.

That is why Canton failed to make good on its opportunities.
Tigers Have Extra Punch
Where Canton dominated the offense the second half, but lacked the punch to cross the goal, the Tigers summoned the same extra courage and strength that enabled them to shove over two touchdowns the first half to collar and stop the Bulldogs in the last two periods.

It took only a few minutes after the kickoff for the Tigers to show they really meant business. Stopped after receiving the kick for a net gain of eight yards on three downs, Gillom lofted a beautiful high punt that Motley took on his 20-yard line. When Bud Lucius met him as soon as he caught the ball and single-handed flopped him for no return, it was evident that Motley was in for a bad afternoon. The Dogs couldn’t gain and punted back to Capt. Snyder, who returned 17 yards to the Canton 47. Slusser and Getz were tossed backward five yards in two plays and the Bulldog fans were jubilant.

Into his bag of tricks reached Capt. Snyder for what is known as a delayed deep weak side reverse. The ball sent to Slusser and he swept wide to his right. As he cut in toward the line of scrimmage, however, Slusser slipped the ball backward to Getz who swept hard toward the left. Getz just got up momentum when he bumped into Referee Dave Reese. The collision spun him around but he kept on going. Tony Fehn took after him but was leveled to the ground by Jim Russell. Motley tried to reach him, but found Toles in the way and when Nick Roman tried to down him, he was met by Earl Martin.

Getz was finally bumped out of bounds on the 18-yard line after a run of 34 yards. He probably would have reached the goal line had he not bumped into the referee. It was an error for which Referee Reese apologized not only once but many times after the game. But why blame him when 11 members of the Canton team and most of the crowd of 18,000 didn’t know where the ball was?

Slusser smashed for eight yards and Getz on a cut back, the same play that fooled Canton a year ago, ran to the four-yard line where he fumbled when tackled and of all players, Bill Lee, a former member of the Massillon squad recovered for Canton.

That ended the Tigers’ first threat and after an exchange of punts they came hammering back again. Snyder brought a punt back to the Massillon 44 from which point the march started. Getz, Slusser and Snyder in turn carried the ball to a first down on the Canton 45.

Getz lost a yard on a mouse trap, but on the next play caught the first pass thrown by Slusser for a gain of 17 yards and a first down on the Canton 27.

To the disappointment of those folks at the north end of the field, the quarter ended here. It took four hard smashes at the Bulldog line to get another first down on the Canton 14. Snyder had made it on his fourth try, but Canton was offside and a five-yard penalty advanced it a couple of yards nearer the goal than it otherwise would have been.

Slusser in two plays made nine yards and Zimmerman sneaked through for another yard and a first down on the Canton line.
Snyder Goes Over
Here the Bulldogs dug their cleats into the goal line and the Tigers summoned the extra courage and punch the Canton gridders could not collect in their second half efforts. It was Red Snyder three times in a row. He gained two yards and the first time, another yard the second and with the ball a yard short of a touchdown dug his head into the tummy of Emil Kamp, while his line moved forward to send him sprawling over the goal. A terrific roar went up from the Massillon stands. The Tigers were ahead 6-0.

They had the Bulldogs fooled completely on the try for point, but Slusser was off balance and couldn’t reach Snyder’s pass into the end zone. Nobody was near him.

Getz kicked off to Motley who got back to his 27-yard line where Toles met him solidly. Getz tossed Jackson for a nine-yard loss and after Motley had gained but two yards at right end, Getz broke through again to toss Roman for a 10-yard loss after he had taken a lateral from Motley.

Roman tried to cross the Tigers up and run the ball form punt formation with fourth down coming up and some 27 yards to go. He got back 23 yards but was dumped on the 31-yard line where the Tigers took over the pigskin. In four plays they failed to make a first down by a yard and Canton got it on the 22.

On the very first play, Motley was hit so hard that he fumbled and Toles was Johnny on the spot and covered the leather on the Canton 27.

Slusser shot his second pass of the day and Horace Gillom made a sensational catch between two Canton secondary for a first down on the 15-yard line.

It was slam-bang from there on. It was Snyder for four yards. Getz for three, Getz for two and Snyder for a first down on the four-yard line.

Getz tried a left end sweep but was downed without gain. Then came Bill Zimmerman’s big moment. The blocking halfback who seldom carried the ball, but sacrifices stardom and showmanship to help his fellow backs gain ground and the limelight took the ball on a sneak play and went through left guard with such momentum that he hurtled over the goal line with a yard or more to spare. It was his first touchdown and what a spot for it. When Getz tried to kick the extra point, the Bulldog line broke through to block the kick and the score remained 12-0.

In fact that’s where it stood the rest of the half and the game.

Garrison brought the kickoff after the second touchdown back to the 42-yard line and Tip Lockard broke through on a fake kick to carry the ball to a first down on the Tiger 46. It was the Bulldogs’ first, first down of the game and the first time they had penetrated into Massillon territory. The half ended three plays later with Canton in possession of the ball on Massillon’s 42-yard line.

The play was so one-sided the first half that few expected the Bulldogs to comeback with the offensive rush they showed the last two periods.
Massillon Protects Lead
Their ability to penetrate into Massillon territory immediately after the third period kickoff, kept Massillon in dangerous territory and when the Tigers did have the ball they were afraid to play anything but straight football. Canton knew that and moved its secondary close to the line of scrimmage. In possession of a 12-point lead, the Massillon eleven would not take any chances with forward passes and with the Bulldog secondary massed near the line of scrimmage, the ball carriers were unable to gain ground. Coach Brown had warned his team not to get reckless with passes unless it gathered a
three-touchdown lead.

Well, the Tigers never got that far ahead so they played it safe the second half and preserved their 12-point lead. Furthermore, their passer, George Slusser was forced out of the game in the third period when he was bumped in the head while tackling Motley head on. Zimmerman, Slusser and Toles were binged in a row by Motley, but only Slusser was injured seriously enough to force his removal from the game. He didn’t know what it was all about even after the final whistle. He’s all right today, however and he will be back again next year.

When Motley, in the second half began trying to butt the boys out of the ball game with his head, it spelled trouble for him.

He only got rid of Slusser, but binged Toles and Zimmerman badly. He barreled into Gillom too along the east side line and the Tiger end whispered into his ear that it had better be the last time.

But before Gillom could get revenge, Lynn Houston met Motley squarely on the 10-yard line. It was a terrific low tackle that the Bulldog ace never got over. He limped off the field and was lost to Canton for its three pointless drives.

The Bulldogs’ second half rush enabled them to tie the Tigers in the matter of first downs. Each team made nine.

The Massillon eleven out gained the Bulldogs rushing but Canton gained the most yards passing and totaled more yards from scrimmage than the local team, 174 to 146.

Gillom gave a beautiful exhibition of punting. Only a misplaced coffin corner kick that was only good for two yards, kept his average below that of Nick Roman. Gillom’s punts, however, were lofty and gave the ends plenty of time to get down under them. As a result only 13 yards were made by Canton in returning punts.

The Tigers received a 15-yard penalty once when Lucius dropped Marantides after the latter had signaled for a fair catch. Bud didn’t see the Canton safety man put up his hand as a signal.
A Clean Game
All in all, it was one of the hardest fought yet cleanest Canton-Massillon games ever played. The lines fairly rattled when they crashed together and yet not a penalty was called for unnecessary roughness, holding, clipping or roughing the kicker. The Tigers were penalized three times, for a total of 25 yards and Canton twice for 10 yards.

It would have been interesting to have seen how well the Massillon passing attack would have worked had the Tigers cut loose as they have in many other games this season. They only attempted two from scrimmage and completed both for a gain of 30 yards. A third one on a try for extra point was grounded.

Canton tried 18 passes of all varieties and completed nine for a gain of 106 yards. Many of these yards were picked up on a shovel pass from Marantides to Garrison or McFarland. The Tigers had set up a defense for just such a pass, but the Bulldogs didn’t run it at the same spot as in past games and shot it inside of Martin. The one time Garrison ran to the usual spot and that was near the goal line, Martin smeared the play for no gain.

Trying to pick an individual star is hardly justifiable to the other 10 boys on the team. Every fan had his favorite. The spectacular work of Lucius, 142-pounder and the smallest man on either team, had many tongues a wagging. Time and again he smashed through to drop Motley and other ball carriers for no gain and losses and frequently he was the first player down under punts.

But don’t overlook the other linemen, Bill Croop, for instance. He went into the game at Henderson’s tackle to give more weight to the Tiger line. He not only had the weight, but he played a brilliant game. Nothing came through his side and he helped in the softening up process.
Henderson Stops Lockard
Henderson was sent in for the last two goal line stands, however and the way he rose up to smite Lockard down in Canton’s last great effort must have caused some proud father to swell his chest and say, “that’s my boy.”

The Tiger line was like a stone wall. Jim Russell, Lynn Houston and Earl Martin smashed and tore with all they had in them. On defense Ray Getz played a great game and his ball carrying was of the best. He and Gillom caught the only two passes thrown by Slusser. Gillom and Toles were in the thick of the backing up and saw to it that no one got loose. Toles was hurt when Fehn got around him to snare a pass from Marantides for Canton’s third touchdown bid, but he was on the job two other times and intercepted one pass and knocked down another that had points written all over them for Canton.

Not a poor pass did Martin make all day and the performance of Slusser and Zimmerman inspires high hopes for next season, for both will be back.

As for Rocky Red Snyder, it was his last game and that’s one thing for which every Massillon fan is sorry and every Canton fan glad. It was the third straight year that Capt. Snyder had played every minute of the Canton game and the Tigers won all three years. He gained more ground than any other player, 62 yards, was never thrown for a loss and made most of them the hard driving way.

Only three substitutes were used by Coach Brown. George Fabian replaced Slusser in the third quarter and though he didn’t do much offensively played a good defensive game and intercepted a Canton pass near the goal line just as the game ended.

Henderson replaced Croop at the start of the fourth period and Bill McMichael, who had not played a minute since laid low by a charley horse at Alliance, Oct. 14, was put in with two minutes of the game to play.

How well the Tigers stopped Motley, the statistics show. He gained 35 yards and lost seven for the net total of 28. Lockard was the Bulldogs’ best ball carrier. He gained 33 and lost one for a total of 32. Getz with a gain of 41 yards was second only to Capt. Snyder.

It was the last high school game not only for Snyder but for Toles, Lucius, McMichael and Houston. The other boys including the substitutes will be back again next year.
Band Gets Big Hand
There was color and humor to the game.

That Massillon band was given almost as big an ovation as the touchdowns. Canton fans were liberal in their applause of the Tiger musicians. They folded into a block like the bellows of an accordion and came out of it into an McK. They did the “Bugle Call Rag,” the “Lambeth Walk,” “Flat Foot Floogie,” and the “Parade of the Wooden Soldier,” to special dance steps that brought loud applause.

Assisting them in their performance was Pep Paulson as Obie the Tiger, who donned skirt and hat for the Flat Foot number. The band’s performance was concluded with the singing of “Alma Mater Massillon” by the fans and with their team 12 points ahead, they really made themselves heard.

The Canton band gave a military drill, forming McK, a ring, a large M and spelling Tiger. The bands were liberal with their music throughout the game.

Both schools presented acrobatic cheerleaders. The Massillon youngsters had more opportunities to cheer and do their flip-flops as a result of their team’s two touchdowns.

B.F. Fairless, president of the United States Steel Corp., was among those who sat on the Massillon bench. He made it his business to shake hands with Coach Brown after every goal line stand.

Nearly 10,000 words on the game were sent out form the press box over four telegraph wires. Station WHBC with Vic Decker at the microphone, also gave a play-by-play description to an unseen audience which undoubtedly numbered many times the thousands who actually witnessed the game.

The Tiger Booster club served the newspaper guests hot chocolate and sandwiches between halves. “That’s more than you get at most college games,” one Cleveland scribe announced.

A telegraph operator, who incidentally was from Canton, got so excited on one of the goal line stands that he spilled his hot chocolate over his instrument, shorted it, and had to send out a call for another.
Crowd Exceeds 18,000
Schools officials estimate the crowd was between 18,000 and 19,000. More inches per person were allowed spectators this year than two years ago, which accounts for the crowd not being as large as some of former years. However, if you include those standing on the hills and the usher force, the crowd probably reached 19,000.

As it was the field was dry, thanks to the thoughtfulness of those who had it covered early last week with a tarpaulin. The last strip was removed an hour before the game and nature cooperated by not drenching it with any more rain.

As a whole, the crowd was orderly and well handled – congratulations to Earl Ackley and Russell Zepp, to whom the Massillon-Canton game is one big headache. It is their job to look after the many little details and see that everything moves along without a hitch. It did and they can now breathe a sigh of relief.

The Massillon victory will be celebrated by the Tiger Booster club tonight. Coach Paul Brown will be present and will tell of preparations his team made for the game. Brown did not attend last week’s booster meeting since it is not customary for him to do so the week before the Canton game.

The booster will also discuss plans for their annual banquet, Dec. 12 at the Swiss club. Lou Little, Columbia university coach, will be the principal speaker.
Dramatic Finish
Massillon Pos. Canton
Toles LE Fehn
Lucius LT Kamp
Russell LG Rotz
Martin C Lee
Houston RG Prusser
Croop RT Mack
Gillom RE Roman
Slusser QB McFarland
Getz LH Goodman
Zimmerman RH Motley
Snyder FB Lockard

Score by periods:
Massillon 0 12 0 0 12

Substitutions:
Canton – Ondo for Mack; Savage for McFarland; Jackson for Goodman; Mack for Ondo; Marantides for Jackson; Garrison for Fehn; Zugrave for lee; Fehn for Garrison; Garrison for Motley; Lee for Zugrave, Savage for Garrison; Zugrave for Lee.
Massillon – Fabian for Slusser; Henderson for Croop; McMichael for Henderson.

Touchdowns:
Massillon – Snyder; Zimmerman.

Officials:
Referee – Reese (Denison).
Umpire – Jenkins (Akron).
Head Linesman – Graf (Ohio State).
Field Judge – Lobach (F. & M.)

Statistics
Mass. Canton
First downs 9 9
Yards gained rushing 137 98
Yards lost rushing 21 32
Net yards gained 116 68
Passes attempted 2 18
Passes completed 2 9
Passes intercepted 0 3
Yards gained passing 30 106
Total yards gained 146 174
Punts 6 4
Average punts yards 31 44
Punts returned yards 51 13
Kickoffs 3 1
Yards returned kickoff 23 50
Times penalized 3 2
Yards penalized 25 10
Fumbles 3 4
Lost ball on fumble 1 1

INDIVIDUAL BALL CARRYING
Massillon
PLAYER GAINED LOST TOTAL
Snyder 62 0 62
Getz 41 0 41
Slusser 24 6 18
Zimmerman 10 0 10
Toles 0 10 -10
Fabian 0 0 – 5
Totals 137 16 116

Canton
Motley 35 7 28
Lockard 33 1 32
Roman 20 8 12
Marantides 8 7 1
Goodman 2 0 2
Jackson 0 9 9
Totals 98 32 68

Tigers Showed Real Courage
Tough Break For Official
Little Bud Lucius Real Hero

By FRED J. BECKER
Independent Sport Editor

And what did you think of Saturday’s football game?

So do we.

And how about those three goal line stands in the third and fourth quarters.

Pretty nifty, eh ! Quite an exhibition of red-blooded courage, or something, if you ask us! Great opportunity there for some one with a pen that drips high sounding adjectives to write a thrilling story about how those Tiger kids, with their backs to the wall, three times repulsed a big, touchdown hungry foe. And how they repulsed them! What did you say Canton?
* * * *
One guy we really felt sorry for during that ball game was Dr. David Reese, Dayton dentist and former Massillon man who ranks as one of Ohio’s best football and basketball officials. It was unfortunate that he had to be in the way when Ray Getz, fleet-footed halfback, took the leather early in the first quarter and set sail for Canton’s goal. It looked like the perfect touchdown play and probably would have proved so had not that unfortunate collision between Reese and Getz occurred back of the line just as the Tiger flash took the ball on as brilliant a reverse play as we have ever seen.

Dr. Reese probably didn’t know that play was coming any more than Canton and one can’t blame him too much for being right in the middle of it. Look what it did to those 11 Canton boys. It certainly pulled them right away from the spot where Getz was going to run and had he not been slowed up momentarily by that collision Getz probably would have romped unmolested across the Canton goal. Bumping into the referee threw Getz off stride just long enough to permit Canton’s secondary to get its bearings and scamper back across the field to knock him out of bounds on the Canton 18-yard line.
* * * *
Despite that unfortunate occurrence we still believe Dr. Reese is the best qualified official available in Ohio to officiate at such an important contest as a Massillon-Canton battle. He knows the game from A to Z. He is absolutely impartial and he never lets the game get away from him. And don’t forget that officiating in such a contest as Saturday’s is a responsibility If you don’t believe it try it sometime. Dr. Reese has been referee in the last four Massillon-Canton shindigs and Massillon has won them all. The work of all the officials was first class and the game, as hard fought as it was, was remarkably free of dirty work.
* * * *
Dr. Reese said after the game that in all years he has been officiating he only has been bumped by players on three occasions. Two of them occurred here Saturday. The first was the collision with Getz, the other came a few minutes later when Fred Toles, on a wide sweep around end, smacked into the official. In case you don’t know it, Dr. Reese is a former Massillon high football and basketball star and while attending Denison University was one of the state’s outstanding football centers and basketball forwards.
* * * *
Better blocking, charging and tackling probably have never been put on display by any Tiger team than those Washington high lads showed Saturday. When they blocked out a Canton foe he stayed blocked out. Teeth shattering blocks is about as good a description for them as any. The tackling also was hard at all times and that orange and black line out charged the Canton forward wall so fast, especially during the first two quarters, that those in the stands thought the Bulldogs were spiked to the ground.
* * * *
And now a few words about the gentleman who has made all those Massillon victories over Canton possible. We mean Coach Paul Brown. We know we are covering a lot of ground and we may have to eat our words but somebody will have to do a lot of convincing to make us retract the statement that the Washington high school football mentor is the most successful coach, in either high school or college, in the state of Ohio. Any man who can turn out football teams such as the one which mopped up on the Bulldogs Saturday knows football from every angle and knows how to impart it to his athletes. We were for “Brownie” long before he was named coach at the local school and we’ve been for him ever since. He’s only a kid himself but he knows how to teach football – the kind of football that wins games. How long we’ll keep him here is a question. The Booster club might organize a vigilance committee to shoo away any strangers coming to town making inquiries about the Tiger mentor.
* * * *
But Brown is not alone in deserving credit for Massillon’s splendid scholastic football record over the last four or five years. Paul has instituted the system that produces the athletes you see romp over Canton McKinley each fall but he has been aided by some very capable assistants. Take those three gentlemen who spend their week days helping Brown coach the Tigers and then never see the team play a game until the final of the season, because they are out on the road scouting future opponents. We mean C.C. Widdoes, Hugh McGranahan and Fred Heisler. They not only do a lot of mighty fine coaching but they also know their business when it comes to scouting a future opponent.
* * * *
And then don’t forget the boys who are handling football in the junior highs. That’s where the Tiger stars of today were given their initial training and that’s where the future Tiger stars will come from. The junior high coaches are Elwood Kammer and James Hollinger at Lorin Adnrews, Bud Houghton and Roy Woods at Longfellow and Mel Knowlton and Francis Baxter at Edmund Jones. They are teaching their boys the football system Brown uses at the senior high school and it’s no wonder the boys know what it is all about when they get down to Washington high.
* * * *
Oh yes, we almost forgot – or did we – about that Tiger band. Did they march and play Saturday? What do you think? They’re the nuts and no fooling.

With Paul Brown turning out football teams and George Red Bird turning out bands what more could you want?
* * * *
And who would you nominate as the outstanding hero of Saturday’s game?

Well our vote goes to Bud Lucius, as game a little fighter as one would want to see. Weighing only 142 pounds, soaking wet, this little Tiger lineman was in the thick of every play. He was a decided pain in the neck to Mr. Marion Motley, Canton’s ace backfielder, all during the time Motley was in the game and when the big Negro limped off the field in the third quarter he probably was thinking anything but kind thoughts of Lucius and Lynn Houston. It was Houston who nailed him out in the open just when Motley thought he was going somewhere – said somewhere being in the general direction of Massillon’s goal line. And did you notice that in about 75 per cent of the pileups the last guy to be dug out from the entwined arms and legs was little Bud. No wonder those Tigers couldn’t be beat – not with a kid with that kind of fight in him in the line up.
* * * *
Those Massillon goal line stands were really beauties. Canton, after looking woefully weak in the first half, came out with a real display of fight and this combined with its great advantage in weight slowly but surely took its toll on the lighter Massillon team but the Tigers never quit fighting. They might have been pushed around a bit in midfield and they might have been mystified for a time by Canton’s shovel passes, the Bulldogs’ best play, but when it came right down to the point where the Tigers had to dig in and show their stuff to escape being scored upon they had what it takes and plenty of it. In fact they had so much that on the last stand inside the five yard line one almost gained the impression that Canton realized it couldn’t get the ball over that final white line and was ready to run up the white flag of surrender.

History

1935: Massillon 6, Canton McKinley 0

November 23, 1935May 21, 2017
by Eric Smith

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

Massillon 0 0 6 0 6

Touchdowns:
Massillon – Glass.

Substitutions:
Massillon – Byelene, qb; Herring, lh.
McKinley – none.

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.

Our hats are off to them.

Long may the Tiger rule!

History

1922: Massillon 24, Canton McKinley 0

November 25, 1922May 16, 2019
by Eric Smith

CANTON BOWS TO ORANGE AND BLACK, 24 TO 0

LOCAL ELEVEN ENDS CAMPAIGN WITH TEN STRAIGHT TRIUMPHS

Chalk up for Massillon another athletic triumph over its ancient rival, Canton. It happened last Saturday when the great orange and black football team of Washington high school vanquished its perennial foe – McKinley high, of Canton – 24 to 0 in the annual fracas between the two schools staged on the Pearl street gridiron before the largest crowd that has seen Coach David B. Stewart’s wonder eleven in action this fall.

Chalk up also for the local team a season finished without a defeat and a string of 10 straight victories over the strongest high school aggregation in Ohio. Massillon’s claim to scholastic championship honors of the Buckeye state became rivet bound Saturday when Coach Stewart’s lads trimmed the east enders. But in addition to their championship claims and their 10 straight triumphs the orange and black also established another record in that hectic duel. They registered the largest score that has ever been made in the history of athletic relations between Massillon and Canton since their resumption in 1912, beating by three points the 21 to 0 victory Massillon scored over Canton in 1919.

Coach Stewart’s lads said they would do it and they did even though they had to wait until the fourth quarter before they finally pierced the defense of the Canton eleven and scored their first touchdown. For three quarters the east enders fought with all their strength to hold the orange and black in check. And favored by the breaks they succeeded in halting Coach Stewart’s lads during the first 45 minutes of the struggle even though the local team several times was within the shadow of the Canton goal posts.

But in the fourth quarter Massillon’s attack found a vulnerable spot and when Captain “Tink” Ulrich, playing his last game with the orange and black smashed off Canton’s right tackle and ran 28 yards over the snow covered gridiron for the first touchdown, Canton’s fighting morale was broken and from then on the local team drove its steamroller through the east enders almost at will.

Canton Plays Hard

To Canton must be given the credit for putting up a stiff fight. In comparison Massillon held a big advantage. So much so that the east enders appeared defeated even before they stepped upon the battle field. But they showed a fighting spirit that fought with untold fury until Captain Ulrich made that first touchdown. Then it disappeared.

From the way it played McKinley appeared to realize that it could not defeat Massillon. But it hoped for a scoreless tie and that’s what it was playing for. Had it succeeded in bringing the game to an end without either team scoring it would have registered a moral victory for it would have accomplished something that no other team had been able to do all season.

But Canton’s hopes were to be blasted. After that first touchdown had been recorded the orange and black piled up three others in rapid succession and came very near scoring a fifth but for “Dutch” Hill who carried the ball to Canton’s one foot line late in the fourth quarter only to fumble it when tackled.

Snow Covers Field

The game was played on a snow covered field. It snowed steadily during the contest and a wintry wind which blew fiercely, numbed the hands of the struggling warriors and made it exceedingly difficult to hold the slippery oval. Under such conditions neither team was able to resort to an open attack. Straight football for the most part predominated although each team attempted several forward passes but none of them were completed.

Team Plays Well

Massillon had no outstanding hero Saturday. The entire team played brilliantly and kept on fighting manfully even though Canton had all the best of the breaks during the first three quarters. Those lads of Coach Stewart had been through too many heated battles before to lose heart in that final tussle. They just kept on plunging, waiting for their big opportunity and when Captain Ulrich brought it by his brilliant 38-yard dash the orange and black machine started off under full steam and never stopped until the whistle ended the big contest.

On the line the work of Salberg and Edwards stood out prominently. This pair of tackles stopped many a Canton drive. Pflug, Kallaker and Miller also were in the midst of every clash while the ends saw to it that few gains were made by the east enders or runs around the wings. On offense Ulrich, Hill and Define were Massillon’s chief ground gainers.

End Runs Gain

Massillon’s best attack Saturday was the end runs in which Ulrich and Define made big gains in the third quarter. Hill played consistently but until the fourth quarter could not gain much as the Canton defense, coached to stop him, watched the big fullback like a hawk. But Hill showed them his driving power by scoring three touchdowns in the last 10 minutes of play.

Canton never threatened to score. It did not once get inside Massillon’s 30-yard line. It made but two first downs during the entire game. Massillon smashed its attack like an egg shell, stopping Kirk and Johnson, Canton’s best backfield bets, time after time without gain. And Canton by no means placed a team of weaklings on the field. It had a big rangy aggregation of lads but they simply were outclassed by Coach Stewart’s well drilled team every man of which had a part to play and played it well.

19 First Downs

Massillon made 19 first downs, 11 coming in the last quarter. Three were registered in the first quarter, one in the second and four in the third. Penalties inflicted by the officials hurt the orange and black in the first half and several times kept them from scoring. The officials probably knew what they were doing but it looked as if more competent men could have been secured to handle a game so important as a Massillon-Canton clash.

In the first quarter Massillon worked the ball within Canton’s 30-yard line and was marching steadily through the east enders when a 15-yard penalty for holding spoiled its chance to score. Another 15-yard penalty before the quarter ended did not help Massillon’s chances any.

In the second quarter Ulrich grabbed a Canton punt and returned it for a gain of about 30 yards before he was tackled but the ball slipped out of his grasp and bounced right into a Canton man’s arms.

Breaks Favor Canton

Another unfortunate break in Canton’s favor came right at the start of the third quarter when Edwards kicked off to Kirk who fumbled and Edwards covered the ball on Canton’s 10-yard line. A touchdown seemed inevitable but after Hill had taken the ball to the five-yard line the officials ruled Massillon had been offside and the ball was taken back to the 15-yard line. Then Ulrich was thrown for a loss of 9 and on the fourth down Edwards dropped back to the 28-yard line to try a drop kick. Again fortune favored Canton for Bill’s kick was headed straight between the uprights but it struck the cross bar and bounded back into the field. Another inch and it would have gone over.

These breaks all helped to keep up Canton’s spirit and the east enders were beginning to have visions of holding the Massillon eleven in check when the fourth quarter opened. Ulrich and Define made several big gains around Canton’s ends ending up on the east enders’ 30-yard line. Then he went skimming around Canton’s left end for 20 talking the ball to the 10-yard line. Hill plunged into the Canton line three times and the ball was over for the third touchdown. Jamison had his eyes open also and when he covered a Canton fumble on the Canton 25-yard line he paved the way for another touchdown. Thomas took the ball to the 15-yard line and then Hill crashed into the Canton line and went over for his third touchdown.

Just shortly before the game ended, Broda attempted to punt from his 20 yard line but the pass was bad and he was downed on the 10-yard line and Massillon gained possession of the ball, it being fourth down when Canton tried to punt. Hill made 5 on his first plunge and was on his way to another touchdown when he was tackled near the goal line and fumbled. Reno covering for Canton. Canton punted but before Massillon could start a play the game ended.

A Clean Slate

Massillon – 24 Position Canton – 0
Potts LE Borda
Edwards LG Whipple
Kallaker LT Gibson
Roth C Huffman
Pflug RG Fellows
Salberg RT Reno
Jamison RE Dimino
Thomas Q Asboom
Borza LH Reiner
Mercer RH Kirk
Hill F Johnson

Score by quarters:
Massillon 0 0 0 24 – 24

Substitutions: Massillon – Ulrich for Mercer, Weirich for Potts
Rohr for Jamison, Boerner for Thomas, Miller for Kallaker,
Define for Borza, Jamison for Rohr, Potts for Weirich,
Shaidnagle for Pflug, Eschliman for Salberg, Hax for Ulrich.
Canton – Collier for Whipple, Meeks for Collier, McConnell for
Dimino, Farrell for Reiner, Arnold for Kirk, Valmer for Asboom.

Touchdowns: Hill 3, Ulrich.

Referee – Litick, Miami.
Umpire – Kumweiler, Zanesville.
Healinesman – Brannon, Wooster

Timers – Rider and Bietner

Time of quarters – 15 minutes

Tag: <span>State Champions (Massillon)</span>

Tigers Beat Bulldogs 21-12 To Win State Championship Massillon Gridders Outclass Heavy Canton Eleven All The Way

Tigers Beat Bulldogs 21-12 To Win State Championship
Massillon Gridders Outclass Heavy Canton Eleven All The Way