1903: Massillon 0 Canton Central 8

CANTON H.S. – 8,
MASSILLON – 0.
High School Football Team Beaten

OUTWEIGHED BY MANY POUNDS

Showing of the Massillon Team Was Fine Considering Handicap Which They Were Forced to Give in Weight
A Touchdown, Goal and Safety Responsible for the Score

Although defeated by the Canton high school by the score of 8-0 in the game at Meyer’s Lake Friday afternoon the Massillon high school football team has every reason to feel proud of the showing made, in view of the great disparagement in the average weight of the two teams.  After having held the heavy Cantonians to a 5-0 score on the Massillon high school grounds last Friday, the local students were inclined to feel that with more coaching and practice they would defeat their heavier opponents in the second game.  It was impossible, however, for the lighter linemen of this city to push aside the heavy guards, center, tackles and ends of the Canton team for any substantial gains.  On the other hand Canton was forced to abandon the end running game and resort to line bucking where their weight soon told on the light Massillon forwards and a touchdown was made, not, however, until after a stubborn resistance of every inch of territory on the part of Massillon’s plucky team.  The touchdown was followed by a goal.  Previously, the Canton team had carried the ball almost to the goal line of the Massillon players, where they were held and the ball went to Massillon.  On a few attempted line plunges the locals were unable to score and were forced back for a safety, probably the first instance of the kind in this vicinity for several years.  A safety counts two points for the opposing team, and this with the touchdown and goal made the score 8-0, all in the first half, no scoring being done in the second half.

For Massillon Wert, Albright, Myers and Smith played the star game and were ably supported by the entire team.  For Canton, there was no particular stars, the entire team playing steady, consistent football.  No great variety of plays were tried, the Canton team contenting itself with line plunges, principally the “tackles over” formation, which was a good ground gainer.  For Massillon, the quarterback tricks, end runs and line plunges were but partially successful.  Wert and Kirchhofer ran the team in good shape at quarterback and easily out-generaled the captain of the other team, whose judgment was somewhat poor at critical times in the selection of plays.  For the Massillon high school Smith, who has been playing left tackle, showed promise of developing into one of the most valuable men on the team.  He was in every play, and showed that quality of “nerve” which is required in a successful football player.

Captain Albright, of the local team was also a star in many of the plays.  It was his tackle in the first half which prevented another touchdown, after Canton’s right half had circled the end for a forty yard run, and was almost over the line.  In line plunging Albright was at his best; although he is still inclined to hit the line a little high, his form was otherwise good.

For Canton, Captain Buckwalter, at quarter, ran his team in good shape, but was guilty of considerable fumbling at critical times.  It is this feature which in all probability saved the locals from a higher score.  The visitors had weight enough on the line to run up a much higher score under favorable circumstances, but lacked the spirit which characterized the play of the Massillon boys.

Line-up:

CANTON                      Pos.                MASSILLON
Lowman                          L.E.                              Smith
Marsh                             L.T.                          Limbach
Winger                            L.G.                             Stoner
Gibson                              C                              Tucker
Brambaugh                     R.G.                         Hollinger
Holl                                 R.T.                         Burkhart
Williams and                    R.E.                               Wert
Lowenstein
Buckwalter (capt.)          Q.B.                      Kirchhofer
Gould                             R.H.                            Kaylor
Kennedy                         L.H.                         Schnierle
Robb                              F.B.                Albright (capt.)

Officials:
Canton – Unfair.
Massillon – Markel; Willenborg; and Harrison.

NOTES OF THE GAME

In the last half it took the combined efforts of Chief Ertle and Officers Wittmann and Wissmar to keep the crowd back.

When Wert broke through the crowd in the last half it looked good for a touchdown, but he stumbled over the feet of Buckwalter, whom he had “stiff armed,” and fell.

Benny Gans, who was on the grounds ready to line up with the high school team, was barred by the vigorous kicking of Captain Buckwalter on the grounds that he was not a bona fide student of the school.

With Gans at the other end of the line to Wert, the Canton team would never have had a ghost of a show to score on ends runs.

About four hundred people witnessed the contest and evinced the utmost excitement at times.  The principal “rooters” were the girls from Massillon and Canton high schools, who formed into “rooters” bands with horns and made considerable noise.