Warren Harding Archives - Page 7 of 8

1941: Massillon 21, Warren Harding 0

November 1, 1941June 9, 2017
by Eric Smith

BLOCKED PUNTS WIN HARD GAME

Massillon Gridders Score Touchdowns In First Second and Fourth Periods To Win Important Game Before 10,000 Rain-Soaked Fans

By Luther Emery

The films are undeveloped and so is the Warren football team when it comes to matching the skill of the Washington high Tigers. They went over the Hill on a muddy road to a 21-0 victory Friday evening before 10,000 rain soaked, thrill choked fans in Warren Harding stadium and thereby surmounted one of the big obstacles in their bid for a seventh consecutive state championship.

It was Massillon’s 40th game without a defeat, and it was earned the hard way – by making breaks and taking full advantage of them. It was Warren’s first loss of the season.

Warren Had Drive and Power

Playing on a slippery field that after a few minutes made it practically impossible to identify players unless you could pick them out from their positions, the Tigers found themselves pitted against a spirited Warren team that had drive and power.

Don’t take anything away from Pierre Hill’s Presidents. In the rain and mud, they looked the best eleven the Tiger have faced this season and they were out to win.

Both teams had their minds set on victory. So high were they keyed that they literally jumped at each other the first quarter, leaping offside so often that the officials twice had to call them together and urge the captains to take it just a little easier to so as not to delay the game.

A Thrilling Game

To the folks who sat at home and followed the game by radio and special wire it must have been a thriller; to the fans whose faces were washed with rain all evening it was a killer-diller.

The boys played for keeps on both sides, but there was none of the episode of flying fists that so many fans had anticipated.

In fact fans who didn’t get tickets, were probably only too glad to stay home, while those who did, were so drenched and cooled off by the rain that they kept their hands in their pockets. There was no reason for anything otherwise and more grumbling was heard among Warren general admission patrons who paid 83 cents to stand ankle deep in mud at the ends of the field, than was voiced by anyone else.

It was a football game from start to finish, just as so many other Massillon-Warren games have been. The Tigers looked the smoother team and had more speed, but they couldn’t use it on the sloppy gridiron, fumbled frequently and had a hard time moving their heavier opponents who ganged them on the line of scrimmage because they knew a wet ball made passing practically prohibitive.

It was more of a game than the score would indicate. Only twice all evening did the Tigers actually carry the ball over the middle stripe – they got it in Warren territory on other occasions, through three blocked punts and punt exchanges. Likewise they were in the hold the greater part of the second period with their backs twice against the goal as a result of fumbles.

Tigers Seize Opportunities

The difference in the two teams was that the Tigers took advantage of their scoring opportunities while Warren lacked the power to shove across a touchdown and on one occasion showed poor judgment in accepting a penalty when a decline would have left them in possession of the ball on Massillon’s one and one half yard line.

Two blocked punts and a brilliant 80-yard run by Capt. Fred Blunt produced the Tigers three touchdowns.

The game was only a few minutes old when on the first exchange of punts, big Joe De Mando got his carcass in front of Charley Scarpaci’s punt on the 80-yard line and blocked the ball so hard that it bounded across the goal line. De Mando dove for the ball lost it, but Karl Paulik stretched himself across the leather for the touchdown. As offside penalty on the attempted point for touchdown put the ball on the one yard line where Chuck Holt banged through for the extra point.

The Tigers were fighting hard to hold their seven-point lead and Bob Graber had twice punted them out of danger when Fred Blunt suddenly electrified the fans with the feature touchdown run of the evening, midway in the second period that saw him shake himself loose from Don Byrnes, who almost nailed him for a five-yard loss, he ran 80 yards up the sidelines behind fine blocking, without another hand being laid on him. This time Graber rammed the extra point over to make the score 14-0.

The thrills weren’t over with yet, for the Tigers developed a bad case of butterfingers and Warren recovered two fumbles on the nine and 10-yard lines. Both times the vaunted Tiger line bristled like a Halloween cat and smashed the attempts of the Presidents to legislate a touchdown.

They were helped by a bit of poor judgment on Warren’s part on the second effort when Capt. Scarpaci preferred a second down on the five yard-line to a third down on the yard and a half line. He wound up by losing the ball, and it was Warren’s last serious bid.

Blocked Punt Again

A blocked punt by Bob Wallace in the fourth quarter that Massillon recovered on the Warren 16-yard line paved the way for the last touchdown. Blunt ripped around his left wing for eight yards and hit a man for a first on the three-yard line. Graber turned loose a power play at right tackle and carried the ball himself for the touchdown. He struck for the extra point.

That in brief describes the scoring plays but it only touches on the performance of a few of the players. Though mud and rain games usually result in two teams locking themselves in a grunt and groan match in the middle of the field, nothing of the sort took place last night and there were thrills every minute.

Never will you see a better punting duel than that put up in the second period between Scarpaci and Graber and there wasn’t a Massillon fan who wouldn’t have taken his shirt off his back and given it to Graber were it not for the fact that Graber had no need for two wet shirts.

Once Scarpaci punted dead to the one-yard line. The Tigers were battling to hold a seven-point lead then, and the seven looked small enough. In the fact of a hard charging Warren line, Graber fell back into the end zone and kicked the ball out to the 45-yard line where Larry Larson scooped it up and came back to the 34. The Tigers held, and Scarpaci again pointed his toe at the coffin corner and angled the ball out on the two-yard line. Once, more Graber dropped back and sent the ball spiraling from behind his goal to the 45-yard line, this time with no return. The next time Scarpaci kicked into the end zone, the Tigers got the ball on their 20, and Blunt came though for his 80-yard touchdown dash. After having seen their team in such deep trouble its no wonder the Massillon fans went nearly hysterical and drank large portions of raindrops as they shouted in glee.

Then there followed the brilliant goal line stands by the Tiger forward wall in which every man from one flank to the other had to do his everlasting best.

In Trouble Often

It seemed as though the local team would never get out of trouble. The first setback came when Blunt fumbled a none too good pass on the 33-yard line and the ball rolled back to the nine where Bill Lahto recovered for Warren. Tony Marcarello and Mike Georges wound up two attempts with exactly nothing gained and Don Armour and Blunt batted down passes behind the goal on the third and fourth downs to take possession of the ball.

Less than a minute remained to play, and the Tigers elected to carry the ball and not make any effort to gain ground, hoping to stall out the half. On the second play, however, Dallas Power, who was sent in as a substitute, lost control of the greased pigskin and Frank Superak recovered for Warren on the 10-yard line.

Scarpaci’s pass was grounded but Marcarello ran hard to the one and one-half yard line. Massillon was offside on the play, and Scarpaci took the penalty in preference to the ball which left him possession of the leather on the five-yard line. He picked up one yard at right tackle, but the Tiger linesmen stopped Marcarello in his tracks and knocked down his pass on fourth down. The half ended one play later.

For the most part, play in the third quarter was confined to the back yard of each team. Late in the period, however, Graber made a brilliant 25-yard return of Scarpaci’s punt to lug the leather past midfield to the Warren 38. Here the Presidents held, and for some reason or other the Tigers tried to run for seven yards on fourth down, and lost the ball on the Warren 43. Then it was the President’s turn to invade Tiger territory and they came over the midfield stripe to the Massillon 41, where Wallace broke through and partially blocked Scarpaci’s kick to take the ball on the Massillon 24.

At the outset of the fourth quarter the Tigers threatened when Blunt intercepted one of the eight passes attempted by Warren and raced from his 45 to the Warren 25. He fumbled on second down, Georges recovered for Warren to end the threat.

It’s Wallace again

On the following sequence of plays, Wallace broke through to block Scarpaci’s punt and set the stage for the Tigers third and final touchdown.

Statistically, the difference between the two teams wasn’t as great as the 21 points. Were it not for Blunt’s 80-yard dash, the number of yards gained from scrimmage would have been almost the same. The Tigers gained a net total of 167 to Warren’s net total of 81. Each team made three first downs, a penalty helping Warren to one of its trio.

Neither team tried a whole lot in the way of passing. Warren tossed eight and completed one for a loss of two yards, while Massillon’s two passing attempts were unsuccessful.

Warren held on to the ball far better than the Tigers and as a result did not get itself into difficulty because of fumbles. The Tigers had seven bobbles and lost the ball four times, while Warren had but one fumble and recovered.

With the exception of Don Armour, the Massillon gridders emerged from the game in good condition. He injured a knee early in the fourth quarter after having played a good defensive game. The extent of the injury could not be determined last night but it appears as though it might be serious.

Many Massillon fans are of the opinion that the Tigers would have run away with Warren on a dry field. Hazarding a guess at such a score would be second guessing and it must be remembered that a wet field also hampered the Warren offense, especially in the department of forward passing.

Warren packed a good wallop in its power plays and usually had men ahead of the ball carrier.

Joe De Mando who entered the game with a severe cold was brought home and placed in the city hospital, just to make certain that he would receive careful attention.

Well, the films will be mailed back to Warren again. The two rolls of movie film taken from Warren scouts when they attended the Cathedral Latin game here last month will be returned to Warren shortly.

The films were given back to Warren 10 days ago, but Warren mailed them back to Massillon again. L.F. Kemp principal of Washington high has them in his possession but will return them shortly.

Sweet Victory

Massillon Pos. Warren
Bray LE Georges
Paulik LT Superak
Wallace LG Byrnes
Fuchs C Kujala
Hill RG Kelson
Weisgarber RT M. Graham
De Mando RE Lehto
Cardinal QB McKinney
Graber LH Larson
Blunt RH Scarpaci
Holt FB Marcarello

Scores by period.
Massillon 7 7 0 7 – 21

Substitutions – Massillon: Adams, lh, White, rh; Dolmos, rt; Miller, lg; Armour, le; Kanney, rg; Jasinski, lt.
Warren: Palchik, le; Meholik, lt; Slak, rg; Ludwick, le.

Touchdowns – Paulik, Blunt, Graber

Points after touchdown – Holt three plunges

Referee – Brubaker
Umpire – Lobach
Headlinesman – Richardson
Field Judge – Allison

History

1940: Massillon 59, Warren Harding 0

September 27, 1940June 9, 2017
by Eric Smith

GILLOM AND TOM JAMES IN ROMP

Massillon Gridders Hand Warren Its Worst Defeat In History With First Team Only Playing Two Periods Of Game

By LUTHER EMERY

Greased lightning was turned loose by Coach Paul Brown in Tiger Stadium Friday evening and the thunderbolts struck fast and furiously to blast a 59-0 victory out of the Warren Presidents, the 26th in a row.

While a crowd of between 13,000 and 14,000 fans looked on, another football pageant of sensational touchdown runs, music flag waving, and marching splendor was unfurled.

Show Makes Up for Lop-Sided Score

It was a one-sided victory for Massillon, as many had expected it to be, but those that came for the show, were treated to the best yet, and they began to leave shortly after the start of the third period.

The game differed from the heated battles of past years. Not that it was tame, for there was plenty of jabbing in the pileups, but it was more one-sided than Massillon-Warren games of other years.

Warren was whipped from the start. Its line literally exploded when struck by the Massillon forward wall. It was riddled twice on consecutive plays, in the first series of the game when Tom James after being denied a 46-yard touchdown jaunt for both teams being offside, came right back to race through the same opening on another 46-yard run that produced six points.

Here’s A Run For You

The touchdown cracked Warren; two more by James, one from the one-yard line, and another from the 18 did their morale no good, but the straw that broke the camel’s back was a 75-yard dash by Horace Gillom. Rumming from punt formation, he was practically on his own after he got by the line of scrimmage. Tacklers bounced off him. He shook others from his legs and body and with a lithe twist, sent another whirling through the air, to get himself in the open. Then with only the safety-man between him and the goal posts, he turned on that extra speed he always seems to have and outlegged his opponent to the goal. It was one of the finest runs ever seen here, a great performance by a great football player.

There were five more touchdowns, three by young Johnny Pizzino, and one each by Junior White and Charles Holt, and there could have been more had not Coach Brown kept his first team on the bench the entire second half.

Warren writers scratched their heads and said they couldn’t remember when a Warren team had been beaten so badly. Certainly it was the largest score the Tigers had ever won by though back in 1922 they defeated Warren 48-6.

Warren newspapermen had anticipated a thumping, however, and questioned whether Brown would pull his punches after an argument before the game with Pierre Hill, Warren coach, over the color of the ball.

The two had it out at Warren last year and hasty things were said. It was renewed by telephone this week and reached a peak on the gridiron before the game when Hill protested the color of the Tiger jersies as not providing sufficient contrast for the ball.

The referee asked the Warren coach if he would consent to a white ball. He refused.

After the game, the referee, R.W. Fensterwald, explained that he had made up his mind that if Hill had agreed to accept the white ball and if Brown had refused to do so, he would have insisted that Massillon wear white sweaters and play with the brown ball.

Argument A Boomerang

The argument was a boomerang to Hill for the Tigers are adept at hiding the ball, and with an orange background to work with, even the fans looking down on the plays from their positions high in the bleachers, had a hard time finding the leather.

It wasn’t the ball however, that was accountable for Gillom’s long run, nor for many of the sparkling dashes that Tom James, Dick Adams and Junior White reeled off. They were hit by plenty of tacklers but squirmed, wiggled and wormed around so as not to let an opponent get their hands set on them.

Some of the visiting writers described the Massillon backs as the fastest beings they have ever seen, but they overlooked Booker Williamson, one of their own, who twice dashed through the line and almost got away. With a big Tiger forward wall and good blocking in front of him, he could make any of them step.

Mention of the Tiger line raises the question if it has ever had a peer in Washington high football circles, especially defensively. It hasn’t yielded a score to an opponent yet, and Warren, without any offense to speak of, was unable to even penetrate inside the Massillon 45-yard line.

True the visitors made six first downs, more than either Cathedral Latin or Weirton, but they were chalked up largely against the second team.

The Tiger linemen played a whale of a defensive game, one group submarining, another stacking them up to smother plays on the line of scrimmage.

With line play like this in front of them, backs naturally can go places and the Tiger ball carriers frequently got away to long gains.
End Around Stopped

Warren had one play scouted thoroughly. It was the end around play that worked so successfully against Weirton a week ago. Gillom tried it once and was tossed behind the line of scrimmage. Keve Bray also attempted it, and he too was dropped in his tracks, while Robinson running from end, grounded a pass in order to escape being thrown for a 10-yard loss.

The Presidents varied their defense from time to time, using an eight-man line when backed into the shadow of their goal posts.

Brown had anticipated a “cock-eyed” defense, but his line had the power to beat it down.

The statistics as a whole favored the Tigers. They made 10 first downs to Warren’s six and gained a net total of 434 yards from scrimmage to Warren’s 43 yards.

The locals’ passing attack showed improvement over last week, completing eight of 17 for 154 yards in gains.

The spot punting of Gillom and Adams also brought applause from the fans. Gillom hoisted a beauty out of bounds on the five-yard line and Adams planted one dead, three yards short from the goal.

There were few penalties. The Tigers lost 40 yards, for rule infractions. Warren wasn’t penalized in yards, but the Tigers refused several penalties against the Presidents, preferring to take the down instead.

James got away from his first touchdown jaunt on the third play after the kickoff. Warren adopted a bit of strategy at the start and kicked out of bounds rather than chance having some Tiger ball carrier leg it up the alley. It was a poor kick, however, the ball going out on the Massillon 46-yard line.

James Gets Away

Ray Getz broke the ice with a nine-yard run and James pegged a long pass to Gillom which the latter might have caught had he not slowed down or misjudged the ball. It went over his head with a clear path to the goal line.

James blasted through right tackle on the next play for a 46-yard touchdown sprint but the ball was brought back when both sides were declared offside. So little Tommy hit the same spot again, found a great big hole, ran around the Warren secondary and reached pay dirt. Ray Getz kicked goal.

Fans had hardly settled back in their seats until the Tigers struck again. Taking the kickoff back to the 24-yard line, Eddie Exler tried to punt on third down with Bill Wallace on the loose. Bill gave a perfect exhibition of how to block a punt and recovered the ball. When the pileup was removed he was hugging the leather on the Warren five-yard line. Getz moved it up four yards and James went inside his right tackle for the touchdown. Again Getz kicked goal and it was 14-0.

Warren did a better job of defending its goal and stopped the next two Tiger thrusts. Gillom hoisted a beautiful spiral 50 yards and out of bounds on the five-yard line to shove the Presidents in a hole. Williams booted it back to his 42 and on the first down, Blunt tossed a short pass to Gillom, who flipped a Warren tackler over his head and ran for a touchdown. The officials, however, ruled that the play had stopped on the 32-yard line so the ball was brought back. Another pass, Blunt to Gillom took the leather to the 22. Getz moved it up four yards and James on a spin to the weak side, so completely faked handling the ball that he was practically unmolested in his dash for six points. This time Getz missed the goal and the quarter ended 20-0.

Parade Continues

Points came just as rapidly the second period. Williamson opened it with a 23-yard run that gave Warren its initial first down and brought a big ovation from the crowd. He was turned loose again on the next series and carried the ball to the Tiger 47. The brief rally ended there and Scarpaci punted to Tom James who was dropped on his 21. He moved the ball up four yards, in a formation that brought Gillom into the backfield. Running deep, the latter on the next play got the ball, ran up the sideline, dodging tacklers, shaking them off, and at the same time watching the line so as not to step out of bounds. He got away for 75 yards and a touchdown. Getz kicked goal to make it all the better.

The Tigers kicked off, but after one play, Scarpaci fumbled and Herman Robinson promptly threw himself on the ball on the Warren 18. Pizzino pegged the ball to Gillom for a first down on the four-yard line and after Getz had moved the leather to within a yard of the goal, Pizzino took it over. Getz’s kick for the extra point was wide.

A 54-yard drive produced the next touchdown and the last of the half. Getting the ball on his 46, James passed to Gillom for a first down on the 27. A Pizzino pass to Gillom gained three more, and Getz picked up two on a spin. James hurled to Robinson for a first down on the four-yard line and Pizzino took one play to get over. Getz kicked goal to put the score at 40-0 at intermission.

The Tigers received in the third quarter, but were forced to punt. Here Dick Adams lofted a beauty to the three-yard line where it was grounded. Scarpaci punted back to Adams who reeled in the yards until he got to the 10-yard line. It only took Pizzino two cracks to slip it over from there. His kick was wide but the score was 46-0.

Frustrated once by a penalty after they had advanced the ball to the seven-yard line, the Tigers got the ball on the Warren 48, and without delay, Adams passed to White, who ran for the touchdown.

The game was practically over and third stringers were in the lineup when the Tigers scored their ninth and last touchdown. Stopped on a fumble that Warren recovered on its own two-yard line, the Tigers eventually turned the effort into a touchdown when Holt intercepted Scarpaci’s pass on the 15-yard line and scored.

The first attempt to buck the point over for the extra point was good but Massillon was offside and drew a penalty of five yards. Holt tried it again but was thrown less than a yard short of the goal.

The game wound up with practically a third team on the field for Massillon.
Statistics Of The Game
Mass. Warren
First downs 10 6
Yards gained rushing 296 37
Yards gained passing 154 17
Total yards gained 450 54
Yards lost 16 11
Net yards gained 434 43
Passes attempted 17 9
Passes completed 8 9
Passes grounded 9 6
Passes intercepted 0 1
Times kicked off 9 2
Average kickoff (yds.) 51 29
Times punted 4 11
Average punt (yds.) 39 30
Fumbles 2 2
Lost ball on fumble 1 1
Yards penalized 40 0

26 In A Row

Massillon Pos. Warren
Robinson le J. Johnson
Cardinal lt Hoffman
Wallace lg Henry
Appleby c Andress
Russell rg Parker
Broglio rt Dixon
Gillom re Gorges
Kingham qb Williams
James lh Scarpaci
Getz rh Larson
Blunt fb Exler

Score by points:
Massillon 20 20 13 6 – 59

Substitutions: Massillon – Oliver, t; Pizzino, fb; Adams, hb;
F. Cardinal, qb; White, hb; Erdley, hb; P. Getz, g; Kanney, e;
Weisgarber, t; Power, fb; Bray, e; Hill, g; Fuchs, c; Stout, c;
Graber, hb; Paulic, g; Dolmas, t; Holt, fb; Miller, g;
Henderson, t; De Mando, e.

Touchdowns – James 3, Gillom, Pizzino 3, White, Holt.

Points after touchdown – Getz four, Pizzino 1 (placekicks)

Referee – Fensterwald.
Umpire – Jenkins.
Headlinesman – Wrobleski.
Field judge – Lobach.
Massillon Shows Harding 11
Why It Rates As Ohio’s Best

Playing about as well as was expected against one of the most powerful Massillon High teams in the history of an institution that makes a business of annually turning out powerhouse machines, Harding High’s Presidents absorbed their worst defeat in modern years last night at Massillon before a crowd of more than 13,000 when the Tigers rolled up 59 points in a one-sided massacre.

Warren fans were warned ahead of time that the present Massillon club is rated as the best ever turned out by Coach Paul Brown – today they believe all of the stories and can even add a few for good measure. Few football fans in the Mahoning Valley area ever saw a team that could score so many points in such a short time as Massillon did last night and has in all games thus far.

There isn’t any question but that the score could have been much higher had Coach Brown decreed but he yanked his first stringers at the start of the second half and used nothing but second and third team players thereafter.

However, the varsity rolled up 40 points in the first two quarters, 20 in the first and 20 more in the second, and the second and third teams added 19 more to the total.

Standing out head and shoulders over all other players and completely dominating the play during the time he was in action was Horace Gillom, brilliant end of the Tigers.

Massillon has sent some great footballers against Warren teams in past games but never has it had one player that could do everything as well as Gillom. He punted, passed on several occasions, ran with the ball, backed up the line on defense, kicked the ball five times on kickoffs for an average of 55 yards and put on a one man display that will long be remembered by the Warren fans.

Warren’s offense clicked at odd times but the Massillon linemen generally nailed the runner before he got started and if he did manage to break thru the line, then Gillom took care of him at that point with a vicious tackle. There isn’t any tag tackling for Gillom, when he hits the ball carrier knows all about it.

Warren’s Best Gains

The Presidents had Booker Williamson, speedy Negro halfback, in the open twice on reverses that had Massillon puzzled and he made 21 yards on one play and 11 on the other for the longest Warren gains of the evening.

It took exactly two plays for Warren to realize that it was in for a tough evening.
J. Johnson kicked out of bounds on the Massillon 46 on the kickoff and the ball was brought out at that point. Getz made nine at left tackle. James gathered in the pigskin on the next play, slashed thru right tackle and raced 46 yards to cross the goal line only to have the ball called back, both teams offside. That didn’t bother the speedy redhead a bit for he repeated the play on the next scrimmage and Massillon was ahead 7-0 when Getz’ placement split the crossbars.

From then on, Warren had a bunch of busy fellows attempting to stop ball carriers who ran like demons with long, high-stepping strides that bounced would be tacklers all over the place and counted up 40 points in 24 minutes of play.

Touchdown No. 2 came after four minutes of milling when Scarpaci attempted to quick-kick from his own 24 but Wallace, Massillon guard, broke thru, blocked the kick and recovered it on the Warren five. Getz plowed thru tackle to the one-foot stripe and James stepped over on the next play. Getz’ placement made the score 14-0.

Late in the quarter, Gillom punted out of bounds on the Warren five and set the stage for touchdown No. 3. F. Williams punted back to the Warren 42. Blunt passed to Gillom on the Warren 32. Gillom picked up James’ pass on the 22, snagging the ball just before it hit the ground. Getz made it a first down on the 18. James took the oval on a delayed spinner, the play went to the left, James hesitated and then darted around right end for the touchdown. Getz’ placement was wide but Massillon had a 20-0 lead at the quarter.

Gillom Runs 75 Yards

Gillom tallied Touchdown No. 4 early in the second frame when he took the ball in punt formation on his own 25 and shook off half the Warren team in a spectacular 75-yard touchdown run. No less than seven Warren tacklers hit him during the run but they bounced off like water off a duck’s back. Getz’ placement made it 27-0.

Two plays later, the Tigers were in the scoring zone again. Scarpaci fumbled and Robinson recovered on the Warren 16. Pizzino passed to Gillom on the four. Pizzino plunged over left tackle for the marker. Getz’ placement was wide.

The Tigers took to the air for Touchdown No 6 in the fading moments of the half.
F. Williams punted out on the Tiger 46. James tossed a high pass to Gillom on the Warren 27. Gillom reached high in the air for another that was good for three yards. James tossed a short forward to Robinson on the four and Pizzino hit guard for the touchdown. Getz’ placement made the count 40-0 at the half.

The remaining touchdowns came with the second stringers in the game.

Pizzino tallied touchdown No. 7 after Adams had taken Scarpaci’s punt on the Massillon 45 and threaded his way to the Warren 10. Pizzino skirted left end to the one-yard stripe and then went over two plays later. This placement was wide, score 46-0.

Touchdown No. 8 came in the same period after Scarpaci had punted out on the Warren 48. Adams whipped a pass down the middle to White and he outran two Warren backs in a 30-yard sprint for the goal line. Pizzino’s placement made it 53-0.

Score on Interception

Warren donated touchdown No. 9 in the closing minutes of play when Scarpaci tried a pass from his own 18 but Holt intercepted on the 25 and ran down the sidelines for the touchdown. The try for point was good but Massillon was offside and Warren took the ball on the second attempt.

That’s the complete story of the nine touchdown defeat and it only serves as a warning to Massillon’s future foes that they can expect the same thing. Massillon’s present team is one of the most powerful ever to represent northeastern Ohio and it should be able to romp over all opposition, including Canton McKinley.

MASSILLON WARREN
Robinson L.E. J. Johnson
L. Cardinal L.T. B. Hoffman
Wallace L.G. E. Henry
Appleby C Andress
Russell R.G. Parker
Broglio R.T. Dixon
Gillom R.E. Georges
Kingham Q F. Williams
James L.H. Scarpaci
Getz R.H. Lasson
Blunt F Exler

Score by quarters:
Massillon 20 20 13 6 – 59

Substitutions: Massillon – F. Cardinal, q; Pizzino, f; White, hb;
P. Getz, g; Kanney, c; Weisgarber, t; Adams, hb; Power, t;
Bray, e; Hill, g; Oliver, t; Stout, e; Graber, hb; Paulic, g;
Holt, f; Miller, g; Henderson, t; Yelic, g; Fuchs, c; De Mando, t.
Warren – B. Williams, hb; Maccarello, f; Miles, g; Marzulta, hb;
Comanescue, e; Lyons, g; Lohto, c; McKinney, qb; Williamson, hb.

Touchdowns – James 3, Pizzino 3, White, Holt.

Points after touchdowns – Getz 4, Pizzino (placements).

History

1939: Massillon 33, Warren Harding 0

September 30, 1939June 1, 2017
by Eric Smith

TIGERS CRUSH WARREN 33-0 BEFORE CAPACITY CROWD
SUPERIOR CONDITION OF LOCAL ELEVEN WINS

Presidents Unable To Withstand Battering Of Great Massillon Line and Hard Hitting Backs; Bands Stage Spectacle

By LUTHER EMERY

The Warren Presidents are no longer candidates for the state high school championship. Their ambitions were smothered under a deluge of five touchdowns Friday evening as the Washington high Tigers pounced into Harding high stadium to extend their victory streak to 16 games and strengthen their position in 1939 Ohio football circles.

The score was 33-0, but the score does not tell the kind of game it was, a rough and tumble affair that had the overflow crowd of 9,000 fans, the largest that has ever attended a football game in Warren, seething with excitement for the first three periods of the game.
Touchdowns Hard to Get
Though the Tiger was superior throughout, touchdowns were hard to get and it was
slam-bang for two and one-half periods before the Warren Presidents finally wilted under the terrific hammering and did not choose to run any longer.

The Tigers, who had scored one touchdown in the second period to lead 6-0 at the half, piled two more on top of them in the last five minutes of the third period and made a complete run-a-way in the fourth as the local eleven’s superior condition had the Warren players dragging.

The charge of the line was terrific. Even though outweighed, the Tiger forwards moved the Warren linemen backward and opened huge holes for the backs to romp through.

And defensively – well, it can be best summed up by saying the Presidents might just as well have thrown their forces against the Maginot line as to have tried to pierce the Tiger forward wall last night, their net gain was five yards.
Games are won and lost on the line, so they say and Messrs. Ray Getz, Gil Pedrotty, Jim Russell, Earl Martin, Gene Henderson, John Swezey and Horace Gillom, gave a remarkable exhibition. Most fans watch the ball carrier, but the ball carriers, can’t move without a charging line and good blocking in front of them.

Ex-Local Coach
Praises Tigers

Sidney Jones, former Washington high school football and basketball coach and now probate judge of Trumbull County, of which Warren is the county seat, was among the 9,000 spectators who saw the Tigers run rampant over the Warren Harding Presidents last night.

And Judge Jones really was impressed.

“Massillon had the greatest high school football team I have ever seen,” said the judge, following the game.

“We all thought we had a great team in Warren. We do but that Massillon team really has what it takes.”

Judge Jones coached at the local school back in 1912 and 1913 when scholastic football was far from being the sport it is today.

Vicious Blocking
The Tigers had both last night. The blocking was vicious, Warren newspaper reporters commented on it after the first couple of plays and the ball carriers plunged and sidestepped with more than ordinary ability.

Heading the scoring was George Slusser and Red James, each with two touchdowns. Fred Blunt also reached the Promised Land in the short time he played.

It was long runs by Slusser, one for 71 yards and James, one for 32 yards, with surprise sneaks by Bob Foster and some hard plunges by Roscoe Clendening that finished the fireworks for Massillon fans. Prettiest of all, was a brilliant 75-yard return of a punt by Red James that was not allowed because Referee Russell Rupp called unnecessary roughness on Capt. Martin.

There was more drama in the game than most of the fans could appreciate. Only the players knew what was going on. They knew the importance of the game and its bearing on the state championship and they knew that each team had been pointed to the limit to win.

The Presidents went into the melee keyed to the limit and made a hard fight of it for two and one-half periods, only to wilt before superior conditioning. Save for an injured ankle suffered in the second period by Bill Zimmerman, the best ground gainer in the early minutes of the game, the local squad emerged unscathed and raced to the bench when removed for substitutes in the third and fourth quarters.

On the other hand, the Warren gridders, beaten and bruised, limped to the sidelines, disappointed, but not disgraced for fans knew they were beaten by a superior team.
Tigers Superior Every Way
Yes, the Tigers had all the better of it in virtually every department of the game, 15 first downs, to Warren’s two. They completed three of seven passes for 29 yards and intercepted one of Warren’s five attempts.

They gained 409 yards by rushing to Warren’s 27 and they finished with a net offensive gain, passing and ball carrying of 418 yards to Warren’s five yards.

They stopped Mackey Johnson, ace ball carrier of the Presidents and Tom Decavitch, a quick cutting runner, in their tracks. Give Horace Gillom a lot of credit for keeping Mackey behind the line of scrimmage. When all figures are added up, Mackey lost three more yards than he gained. He carried the ball six times, gained six yards and lost nine.

The Tigers in one department, forward passing, failed to function as they have in previous games. Warren met them with a 6-2-2-1 defense. The Presidents line up with a five-man line, but hopped a sixth into the expected point of combat. The Presidents covered Tiger pass receivers closely and only short tosses into the flats worked.

Not only did the Tigers out-man the Presidents, but they also out-smarted them. They gambled and won. Take the closing minutes of the first half as an example. It was fourth down with 18 yards to go and the ball on the Warren 44-yard line. Gillom dropped back to punt, but around came James to take the ball off his back stretched hand and race to a first down on the Warren 21-yard line. The gun stopped the Tigers’ on the five-yard line in this touchdown bid or they might have had a more comfortable lead at the end of the first half.
First March Fails
The Tigers made a touchdown bid after the opening kickoff. They lugged the ball from the 20-yard line to the Warren 18, Zimmerman missing a first down by inches. Warren came back to gain 12 yards in two attempts and one of its two first downs of the game. It got the other on a penalty.

After an exchange of punts, Slusser recovered a Warren fumble in midfield and there, in the closing minute of the first period, began the first successful touchdown march. After James had lost a yard at end, Slusser picked up seven yards and Zimmerman plunged for a first down on the Warren 40. Slusser and Zimmerman in three attempts carried to a first down on the Warren 28. There little Red James set up the touchdown, racing around left end on a double reverse to the six-yard line. Zimmerman put the ball on the one yard line but Warren was offside and penalized five yards which took the ball to the same spot. Slusser hit his right tackle for the touchdown and Getz kicked the extra point.
Two plays after the following kickoff, Zimmerman was injured and removed from the lineup for the rest of the game. He was replaced by Clendening who did a great job of filling his shoes. An exchange of punts and Warren worked its best offensive maneuver of the game, an intended lateral pass, but the ball traveled forward instead of laterally and the play was not allowed. It would have gained 18 yards.

Taking the ball on their own 39-yard line, the Tigers launched another drive with Clendening plunging for 14 yards and James getting away for some fancy stepping off the fake kick formation, but with first down coming up and the ball on the five-yard line, the gun cracked, ending the half.

The third period was full of thrills. The Tigers were stopped in midfield after taking the kickoff and were forced to punt back to the Presidents. Warren opened up with laterals and passes but went backward. Decavitch hoisted a beautiful punt that James picked up near his goal and raced back through nearly the entire Warren team before being downed on the 24-yard line. It wasn’t allowed because of a roughing penalty and Warren got the ball on first down on its 47-yard line.

Gillom did his best to make up for it on the next play, however, when he leaped high in the air to intercept Decavitch’s pass on his own 40 and carry the ball back to the 44-yard line.

There another successful touchdown drive was launched. Foster fooled his opponents as he sneaked through guard and cut around the secondary for a 36-yard gain to the 20-yard line. Slusser on the next play smashed through to the 11 and James completely crossed up his opponents as he slipped around his left end for the 11 yards and touchdown. Getz’s
attempted placekick for the extra point was wide of the posts and the score was 13-0. That touchdown signaled the breaking point of the Warren morale and when after an exchange of punts, James romped 32 yards for his second touchdown of the game, the rout was begun. Getz kicked the point this time and the quarter closed after the following kickoff.
Warren Crumbles
Warren had little left the last period. It couldn’t gain ground and its defense crumbled before the Tiger charge. Failing to move the ball more than eight yards after the kickoff, the Presidents punted to the Massillon 24. Clendening moved the ball to the Massillon 29 and there Slusser on a cutback play ran 71 yards for a touchdown. Getz kicked the 27th point of the game.

Pokey Blunt was sent in and more trouble loomed for the Presidents. Getting the ball on a punt, the Tigers moved it up to the 15-yard line and there Blunt slipped around his left end and fought his way over the goal. Getz’a attempts kicked for the extra point was blocked and it was the signal for a complete new Massillon team to take the field. There was no further scoring, neither team as much as threatening.

Warren tried to work a fake kick in the remaining minutes but Price, the ball carrier, was tossed for an 11-yard loss.

The game was staged in a riot of color with the field completely surrounded with spectators. The Warren band with 32 majorettes and the Tiger band with eight majorettes, participated in a flag raising ceremony before the game. They were back again between halves, each with a fine show. The Tiger band gave a complete new performance that featured an Apache dance by Obie the Tiger and the “Alma Mater Massillon” ran across the field with spectators joining in the singing.

The Warren band formed a flag, with the 32 drum majorettes as the staff and while in this formation played “God Bless America.” A couple of the Warren majorettes gave a tap dance during another number on a platform beneath which was placed the microphone of the public address system.

Members of the bands renewed acquaintances prior to the game when entertained at dinner in Warren. Massillon musicians were loud in their praise of the hospitality they enjoyed in Warren.

The crowd was the largest that has ever attended a football game there. More than 9,000 were present, according to estimates. When no more could be accommodated the ticket booths and gates were locked. More than 2,000 Massillon fans were included in the group. Two thousand tickets were sold here and many more who were unable to buy tickets, went to Warren early and sat in the general admission section. Warren kept its promise and held the Massillon section for Massillon patrons. Massillon fans who rode the special train and there were 538 of them, found seats awaiting them when they reached Warren. They arrived in plenty of time for the game and praised the train as the finest ever provided for a football game.

Though the sky was overcast with clouds, not enough rain fell to dampen the sheepheads of the drums.

And that was a surprise to Massillon fans, particularly those who rode the special train. The train was in a downpour all the way from Barberton to Newton Falls, but by the time Warren was reached, the rain had stopped and the threatening skies only dumped a few buckets full during the last minute of the first half.

The game was originally scheduled for 8 p.m. was moved back to 8:15 by Warren officials.

You probably saw Coach Paul Brown and Coach Pierre Hill of Warren arguing between halves of the game. Brown insisted on using the brown ball, while Hill wanted to use the white ball the last half. Brown objected because Warren was wearing white jerseys.

Mackey Johnson, the Warren backfield ace wore a leather guard on his face. He had three teeth knocked loose two weeks ago.

A Real Victory
Massillon Pos. Warren
Getz LE Crognale
Pedrotty LT Hoffman
Russell LG Mrus
Martin C Canzeonetta
Henderson RG Deutsch
Swezey RT Dixon
Gillom RE Holmes
Foster QB Henry
Slusser LH Decavitch
James RH M. Johnson
Zimmerman FB Layton

Score by periods:
Massillon 0 7 13 13 33

Substitutions:
Massillon – Clendening, fb; Kingham, qb; Fabian, lh; Blunt, rh; Pizzino, fb; Moody, re; Croop, rt; Cardinal, rg; Appleby, c; Broglio, lg; Wallace, lt; Kester, le.

Touchdowns:
Massillon – Slusser 2; James 2; Blunt.

Points after touchdowns:
Massillon – Getz 3 (placekick).

Referee – Rupp (Lebanon Valley).
Umpire – Jenkins (Akron).
Head Linesman – Ensign (Ohio Wesleyan).
Field Judge – Lobach (F. & M.)

History

1938: Massillon 21, Warren Harding 0

October 1, 1938June 1, 2017
by Eric Smith

CROWD OF 12,000 SEES TIGERS DEFEAT WARREN HIGH 21-0
MASSILLON TURNS TO POWER PLAYS TO WIN

Ball Carriers Shove Over Three Touchdowns When Visitors Spread Defense Over Passing Zone; Game Abundant In Color

By LUTHER EMERY

A driving offense that gained yardage the hard way, kept the Washington high Tigers into the top spot of northeastern Ohio football Friday evening as they stemmed the invasion of the battling Presidents of Warren before a crowd of 12,000 cheering fans.

Thrice the Tigers plowed their way to touchdowns and thrice the toe of Ray Getz, sophomore halfback sent the ball spinning between the bars for a 21-0 triumph in a game that has never been surpassed in color here.
Color and Class
Fully 12,000 fans poured into Massillon field, which already has been enlarged to a 13,000 seating capacity. The packed stands formed a colorful back drop for the green stage and one of the finest football shows ever put on.

Both teams had its performers, but in the entire cast there were none more dangerous or more sparkling than the Johnson brothers, Mackey and Levi, Warren’s fleet and dangerous halfbacks.

Their dazzling sprints, the skillful maneuvers of the 81-piece Warren band, the snappy new drill of the Tiger musicians, the princely marching of the Ohio champion American Legion drum and bugle corps and the downright determination of both teams to battle to the final whistle completed a show that sent losers as well as winners home talking.
Warren Primed For Game
As expected, Warren was loaded to the guns. Several thousand President supporters drove the 70 miles to Massillon and another several thousand gathered around public address systems at home to see and hear their team in one of northeastern Ohio’s most important football games of the year.

It was billed as a game that would go a long way toward determining the northeastern Ohio champion and it did just that.

Warren came to Massillon with an uncrossed goal line, but went back home with three touchdowns shoved over it.

The first followed the kickoff to Massillon and a Tiger drive of 80 yards that ended with Ray Getz lashing through a stubborn left tackle for one yard and a touchdown.

Another bristling drive that started from the Tiger 29-yard line late in the first period and took up a third of the next quarter produced the second score with Capt. Red Snyder diving over from the one yard line after the visitors had twice stood their ground.

An intercepted pass on the Warren 40-yard line and a drive that moved forward with the aid of a 15-yard penalty produced the third touchdown in the fourth quarter with Freddie Toles winging his way around right end from the four-yard line.

Those three touchdowns briefly sum up Massillon’s offensive efforts for the evening.
Warren Always Dangerous
Warren with two backs in the Johnson boys, who were faster and who could twist and squirm better than any of the Tiger ball carriers was dangerous at all times.

Again and again Mackey or Levi would break through the Massillon line as though fired from a cannon, but there was always a Tiger somewhere handy to haul them down before they could reach the Promised Land.

Once it was Red Snyder who leaped on Levi’s back after he was on his way down the sidelines. Again Mackey was carrying the mail up the middle with four men ahead of him for interference and no one to be taken out of the way when Bill Zimmerman gathered himself off the ground and took the fleet Negro from behind.

The Johnson boys’ runs with one exception were the only long ones of the evening, the Tigers gathering virtually all of their yardage in power plays through the line or hard sweeps around the ends.
Visitors Defense Bothered Tigers
The Warren defense which continually shifted from a five-man to a six, seven and even eight man line, confused Tiger linemen on their blocking assignments and frequently resulted in Massillon ball carriers being stacked up without gain.

But troublesome as it was, Warren’s defense was pierced for 254 yards and 15 first downs while the visitors were held to 163 yards and seven first downs.

Warren, however, did succeed in stopping the Tiger passing attack to a fair degree of success. Carefully guarding their secondary, the Presidents only allowed two completed passes, one figuring in the second touchdown drive.

Using a 6-3-2 defense, the Tigers likewise guarded their secondary and only allowed the completion of one Warren pass while intercepting three, one of which started the final touchdown drive.

Though it broke occasionally and allowed the Johnson brother to tear through, the Tigers forward wall gave a creditable performance and out charged the visitors for three periods. By gaining the first foot of ground Toles, Houston, Russell, McMichael, Gillom, Martin and Lucius made it possible for their ball carrying teammates to smash through for gains which though not long, paid off in the end.
Tigers Score After Kickoff
The Tigers won the toss and received at the north end of the field. It was slam-bang from then on. Mackey Johnson booted the kickoff into the end zone and Massillon took the ball on its own 20. The going was tough with two and three downs being necessary to get the required first down. With Getz, Snyder and Slusser alternating at carrying the ball the Tigers rolled up six first downs as they moved down the field. They got a first down on their 32, their 46, the Warren 44, the 25, the 12 and Snyder finally rammed through for a first on the one-yard line. It took two plays to get it over from there, Getz carrying it across and kicking the extra point. The drive consumed half of the first quarter.

When Warren failed to gain after the following kickoff, Lindsey booted the ball to Snyder who came back to the visitor’s 46. There was second touchdown drive was launched despite two 15-yard penalties for holding. A fake kick from which Snyder ran 33 yards to a first down on the Warren 29-yard overcame the penalty losses. It was Massillon’s longest run of the game.

The mouse trap with Toles carrying the ball gained 11 yards and brought a first down on the one-yard line and Snyder went over after Warren had twice stopped thrusts at the line.

The visitors flashed their first offensive late in the second period when the Johnson boys got hot feet and carried the leather to the 15-yard line. There on fourth down, Zimmerman and Getz dumped Mackey hard after he had taken a lateral from Exler and Warren lost the ball.
Warren Takes Initiative
The third quarter was all Warren. Not a first down did the Tigers make in that frame while Warren came through with three in two unsuccessful bids for touchdowns. Once Levi Johnson raced through to the Massillon 31-yard line where Snyder charged over to the sideline to stop him. Warren only got two yards its next four plays and lost the ball on the 29.

They charged back again, however, and were well on their way with a first down on the Tiger 32-yard line when Manus fumbled the ball and Getz recovered for Massillon to end the threat.
Came the fourth quarter and the tide again turned in favor of the Tigers. In a desperate effort to score, Warren opened up with passes into a secondary that was closely guarded by Massillon. Horace Gillom went up into the air to pull one down on the Warren 40 and got back five yards before being downed. Slusser in two plays ran to a first down on the
19-yard line. As he was tossed out of bounds, an over anxious Warren player piled in on his legs and a 15-yard penalty was stepped off. It advanced the ball to a first down on the four-yard line. On the first play, Toles swept wide around his right end, outrunning Edwards of Warren to get the touchdown. Getz for the third time blasted a perfect shot between the uprights for the extra point.

The victory was the Tigers’ third and their hardest game of the season. Apparently they came out of it in better shape than either the McKeesport or Mansfield games and will point for Sharon next week.

The coaching staff of Miami University viewed the game from the enlarged press box and were amazed at the show put on. “We can see now how you can draw crowds of 12,000 at your football games,” was their comment.

They were particularly interested in the Massillon band. “Better than most college bands,” they said.

Maestro George Bird had his musicians primed for a new number and transferred the scene to the old Chicago Fair and “little Egypt’s gyrations”. It case you don’t know Pep Paulson was inside the skin.
Warren Band Impresses
The Warren band presented a fine drill between halves and an acrobatic drum major in Miss Helen Johnson. She knows here “taps” too so they say. The Warren male drum major who did such fancy baton twirling is one of the four Keller brothers, a family of drum majors.

The Warren band paraded the streets late Friday afternoon and marched to the Washington high gymnasium where members were served a lunch by the Band Mother’s club. Members of the Massillon band were on hand to greet the visiting musicians.

The Legion drum and bugle corps put in its annual football appearance before the game. The corps usually participates in the opening night exercises but was on its way to Los Angeles this year when the Tigers opened their season with McKeesport.

The Ohio champions and the 10th best corps in the United States were given a great ovation as they left the field.

Miss Margaret Busse, Massillon’s acrobatic cheerleader was given a big hand.

There was one fight, but the fan who took the pass at one of the Massillon ‘coppers” regretted it. He was not locked up however, but was put out of the field.

Good Plunging
Massillon Pos. Warren
Toles LE Edwards
Lucius LT Hoffman
Russell LG Brownlee
Martin C Canzonetti
Houston RG Hyde
MacMichale RT Lindsey
Gillom RE Holmes
Slusser QB Henry
Getz LH Manus
Zimmerman RH Johnson
Snyder FB Layton

Score by periods:
Massillon 7 7 0 7 21

Substitutions:
Massillon – Lechleiter, le; Foster, le; Fabian, fb.
Warren – L. Johnson, fb; Exler, lh; Leutsch,; E. Wilson; Thompson; Terrell; Mustas; R. Wilson; Webster; Lohret; Mrus.

Touchdowns:
Massillon – Getz; Snyder; Toles.

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

Referee – Jenkins.
Umpire – Rupp.
Head Linesman – Hetra.
Field Judge – Ensign.

Game Statistics
Massillon Warren
First Downs 15 7
Yards rushing 254 163
Yds. Lost rushing 14 13
Net yards rushing 240 150
Yards passing 22 18
Total Yds. Gained 262 168
Passes attempted 7 7
Passes completed 2 1
Passes incomplete 5 3
Passes intercepted 0 3
Times punted 5 3
Av. Punts (Yds.) 37.4 37.6
Yards penalized 65 35

History

1937: Massillon 23, Warren Harding 6

August 4, 1937May 22, 2017
by Eric Smith

TIGERS COME FROM BEHIND TO DEFEAT WARREN HIGH 23-6 RECORD CROWD CHEERS MASSILLON COMEBACK
Power Plays Wipe Out Warren Touchdown After Tigers Trail for First Time in Three Years; 10,000 Fans See Game

By LUTHER EMERY

The Tigers have what it takes! They picked themselves off the floor after being knocked down in the first three minutes at Warren Friday evening and came back to triumph 23-6 and convince 10,000 spectators they have a fine football team.

It was the largest crowd that ever attended a football game in Warren. More wanted to get in but there wasn’t room to put them.

Tigers Prove Themselves
The green turf, flanked on the side by a new concrete stadium, on the other by wooden stands and enclosed at the ends by temporary bleachers, was a proving ground for the Tigers who last week tied 6-6 by Mansfield for the first time in 22 games.

Whether the Tigers were overrated or whether they were under par in their engagement with Mansfield last week were questions to be answered.

For five minutes the Massillon eleven looked like the team of a week ago. Tigers’ fumble on the first play after the kickoff gave Warren the ball on the Tiger 36-yard line. A ruling of interference on a pass moved it 10 yards nearer the Massillon goal.

From the 26-yard line, Bartholomew, Warren fullback, amazed Tiger fans as he punctured the Massillon line in two plays to drive to a first down on the four-yard line. Davis banged straight through center for the touchdown, but his attempted kick for the extra point was wide.
Trailing 6-0 for the first time in three seasons, the Tigers snarled and the turf began to fly.

Tigers Take Lead
They couldn’t tie it up the first quarter but they punched the ball to the 34-yard line where they missed first down by a foot.

They penetrated again to the one-yard line where Warren again stood its ground, but the withering attack of Bob Glass and Warren Wyatt, combined with an 11-yard pass from George Slusser to Don Snavely, tied the count early in the second quarter, Glass going over from the 10-yard line. Glass’ well aimed placement kick gave the local eleven a one point advantage and Massillon was the better ball team the rest of the way.

A long and high 57-yard punt to Junie Davis, who Wyatt dropped in his tracks on the Warren eight-yard line, set the stage for a safety. When two plays gained but three yards, TOtterdale dropped back to punt; Snavely broke through, blocked the ball and Bud Lucius dove on it just as it skidded out of the end zone. It was an automatic safety for Massillon. Had Lucius got to the ball a moment sooner, it would have been a touchdown.

A little stalling on the part of Warren might have saved the two points, for the Tigers ran but one play after the following kick before the half ended.

Glass’ toe went to work the third period and drove the Presidents backward until the Tigers finally got the ball by midfield. There they struck again, Wyatt and Glass carrying the ball for a first down. Just as the attack appeared to bog, Wyatt broke loose and dashed 24 yards to the four-yard line. On a delayed back, Glass went over the goal and kicked the extra point from placement.

Glass Over Again
The fourth period opened with the Tigers in midst of another touchdown as a result of Lucius; recovery of a Warren fumble on the latter’s 33-yard line.

Once more Glass and Wyatt alternated at lugging the leather, Glass finally bounding over through his right tackle from the 10-yard line.

The game slowed down in the fourth period with both coaches alternating their lineups. The Tigers got down to the 38-yard line but lost the ball on an intercepted pass. Warren spurted in the last minute to chalk up two first downs and save for a first down granted by penalty, it was the first time the Presidents had made their yardage since their touchdown. They made two first downs in their touchdown drive, one by penalty to the third period and the two at the end of the game.

The Tigers on the other hand made 15 first downs, four in the first period, three in the second, five in the third and three in the fourth.

It was a different Massillon team last night, more versatile, more aggressive.

Slusser Comes Through
Sophomore Slusser, stepped into the breach in the first quarter and proved himself the find Coach Brown has been looking for. He tossed five passes, completing three of them for 43 yards and did a nice bit of work to in his safety position.

The hardest played game of the past two seasons, the Tigers showed the effects. Alvin Greenfelder received a bad charley horse the first period and was only able to hobble around on one leg last night. Snavely and Wyatt suffered sprained ankles. Junior Andreson sustained a split lip and the eleven as a whole took a battering.

Warren absorbed punishment also as a large number of times out will attest.

It more ways than one, the game was a proving ground.

It not only brought out Slusser’s possibilities but enabled Coach Brown to make another experiment. In the fourth quarter he moved Wyatt back to guard a position he played last year and inserted George Fabian into the backfield. Fabian made a number of gains but neither team scored while the new combination was on the field.

From end to end and around the backfield, the Tigers played fine football.

Glass’ Punting Outstanding
Glass’ punting was more sensational than his ball carrying and continually kept Warren on the defensive. They improvement of Wyatt was pleasing to the eye and the defensive work and blocking of Snyder was outstanding.

The fact that Warren failed to earn a first down from its touchdown to the last minute of the game attests to the defensive game put up by Martin Anderson, Gus Peters, Lucius, Houston, Howard and Snyder. They stopped most everything thrown at the line and ripped openings for Glass and Wyatt to tear off yardage.

The Massillon backs gained most of their ground between tackles. Totterdale bottled up the right end smashes. He was hard to take out. A delayed buck was Glass’ best weapon, while Wyatt gained most of his yardage through “Hogan’s alley.”

The 10,000 spectators completely circling the field formed a spectacular setting for the game. The stands appeared filled when the Tiger special arrived, five minutes after the game started, but the Massillon delegation marched in behind the Washington high band to take seats reserved for them.

Most of the 500 fans who rode the special missed Warren’s touchdown. Their ears flapped out as they approached the stadium and heard the wild shout that went up when Davis plunged over the goal.

There couldn’t be enough Massillon fans to make all that noise and the vanguard made a wild rush for the entrance to learn what it was all about.

Massillon Cheers Last
When the Tigers tied the score the Massillon fans made so much noise as to cause one to wonder if the spectators were not almost equally divided.

Warren officials, however, estimated that Massillon had some 2,000 spectators at the game. In addition to the 500 who traveled the special train, many hundreds drove.

The special returned at 1 a.m.

The Tiger band made Massillon fans proud with its music and maneuvering on the field. A large “M” was formed in front of the Massillon stands while the band played “Alma Mater Massillon.” Reversing the field the band appeared before Warren in the shape of a large W and played Ohio State’s battle song.

After the game the band reflected Massillon’s joy by marching back and forth across the field while admiring spectators stood in the stands, cheering and applauding.

The Warren band, dressed in flashing scarlet suits, gave a great exhibition between halves. With a young miss who struts and does acrobatic dancing serving as one of the drum majors, the Warren band was one of the snappiest high school outfits Tiger fans have seen.

Lineup and summary:
Massillon Pos. Warren
Howard LE Totterdale
Peters LT Brutz
Houston LG Camp
Martin C Canzonnata
Greenfelder RG Hyde
Anderson RT Wareham
Snavely RE Fetchko
Snyder QB Henry
Glass LH Davis
Toles RH Johnson
Wyatt FB Bartholomew

Score by periods:
Massillon 0 9 7 7 23
Warren 6 0 0 0 6

Substitutions:
Massillon – Slusser, rh; Macmichale, rt; Lucius, rg; Fabian, fb; Wyatt, rg.
Warren – J. Marzulla; H. Bartlett; A. Bugzayick; N. George.

Touchdown:
Warren – Davis.
Massillon – Glass 3.

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

Referee – V. Jenkins (Akron).
Umpire – R. Rupp (Lebanon Valley).
Umpire – J. Hetra (Westminister).
Head Linesman – S. Ensign (Ohio Wesleyan).

History

1932: Massillon 0, Warren Harding 12

August 8, 1932May 19, 2017
by Eric Smith

WARREN WHIPS TIGERS 12-0
TWO WELL EXECUTED PASSES OPEN WAY FOR TOUCHDOWNS

By LUTHER EMERY

TWO well executed passes off the same formation, coming when passes were expected, enabled the Presidents of Warren high school to down the Washington high Tigers in the second half of Saturday afternoon’s 12th encounter between the two schools by a score of 12-0. The victory was Warren’s fourth in the 12 years of rivalry. Massillon has won the other eight.

Their string of victories brought to a halt at Alliance a week ago, the Tigers did not play with the same old snap Saturday that character-have taken something out of them, something which they must regain if they have any hope of winning Friday’s battle at Dover and the following traditional classic with Canton McKinley Saturday, Nov. 19.

Warren Disappointing
From the spectators’ standpoint the Warren team was a disappointment. Hailed as a powerful football outfit by virtue of its perfect record save for the one defeat by the Martins Ferry juggernaut, Warren looked slow and sluggish, Saturday, anything but a fast and alert football team. Furthermore there was little deception in its attack.

Had Massillon met Warren earlier in the season and Warren played the type of ball it did Saturday, the Tigers would have won. The light Massillon team, however, has depended almost entirely on deception to overcome its lack of weight and from game to game opposing coaches have gotten wise to the Massillon system, information has been exchanged and as a result the Tigers have little left with which to fool the enemy and lack the power to force their plays for gains.

It is difficult for a team of light weights to stand up under a training grind week after week and take a battering on successive Saturdays without a breather and that probably accounts for the lack of zip and alertness shown by the Tigers Saturday.

First Half Quiet
There was nothing to pant about in the first half. Massillon never got nearer than the Warren 40-yard line and Warren could only work the pigskin five yards nearer the Massillon goal. Play was largely confined to midfield as a result of poor punts, Sierra getting off two poor kicks for Warren and Knowlton booting one laterally for the Tigers.

The battle continued in no man’s land throughout most of the third period until Warren finally angled for a position, got it and marched to a score through a long forward pass.

A penalty that set the Tigers back to the one-yard line set the stage for the Warren touchdown. Heben was downed with a punt on the 10-yard line, but Schimke was caught using his hands on the next scrimmage and the Tigers were set back to the one-yard line. Heben standing on the end zone line had to kick quickly and hoisted a high one that only traveled out to the 11-yard stripe where it was downed by the Tigers. Davis tried to circle right end but was stopped without gain. Noland hammered center for a yard. H. Hartlett squirmed through to the five-yard line. Davis on the fourth down struck through right tackle for a first down on the one-yard line but the play was called back and Warren penalized 15 yards for holding.

Noland Scores
A forward pass seemed a certainty but the Tigers were caught asleep and Gisseralli was left wide open to snare Davis’ pass and was stopped a yard short of the Massillon goal, a first down by 18 inches. On his first attempt to carry the ball over, Noland was thrown for a one-yard loss. He went over the second time, however crashing through the left side of the Massillon line. Bray blocked Steele’s attempted drop for the extra point.

Warren scored again early in the fourth quarter. Backed up to his goal line, Knowlton punted to Davis who ran the ball out of bounds on the Massillon 35-yard line. Noland made two yards at right guard and Davis four more but Warren was declared offside and penalized five yards. Davis circled his right end for a 12-yard gain missing a first down by inches. Noland plunged through center for a first down on the 24-yard line. Noland lost a year on an end run but picked up seven on a spinner. Davis made three more but Warren was declared in motion on the play and was penalized five yards. Davis hurled a pass to Gisseralli for a first down on the 13-yard line. Noland waded through his left guard for two yards. H. Bartlett made four on a reverse. Davis lost a yard at right end. On the fourth down Davis hurled a pass to H. Bartlett who caught the ball on the goal line in the northwest corner of the field and fell over for a touchdown. Steele’s attempted drop kick for the extra point was low.

The Tigers opened up with a pass attack after the second Warren touchdown and succeeded in completing two before the alert hands of a Warren back intercepted one of Knowlton’s passes and the final gun found Warren again hammering away at the Massillon line, 17 yards short of the goal, third down and eight to go.

Massillon never had an opportunity to score. It never got closer toe the Warren goal than the 40-yard line and then only through a recovered fumble in the early minutes of the game. Warren’s pass defense completely stopped the Tigers overhead game on all but two occasions, two flat passes being completed, one for a gain of 18 yards.

Warren showed little more than a straight running attack depending principally on Noland for yards. Davis, however gained his share of ground for the visitors. Massillon made but three first downs during the afternoon while Warren made the distance 13 times. Massillon was penalized 25 yards, Warren 55 yards.

Line up and summary:
Massillon Pos. Warren
Lohr le Zoba
Burkish lt March
Ripple lg Hutchko
(Rest of line not available)

History

1931: Massillon 0, Warren Harding

November 6, 1931May 18, 2017
by Eric Smith

Warren Drubs Washington High Tiger Gridders
Completely Outclassed by Old Rival

By LUTHER EMERY

A neat lesson in football and a severe and painful beating was administered to Washington high school at Warren last night when Harding high of that city thumped the Tigers 18-0.

The hard hitting Warren team tore the Tiger lines to shreds as it rolled up 19 first downs to Massillon’s three and the hard battering of the red and white backs and the determined charge of their forward wall left many a Tiger on the field at the end of scrimmages.

The Massillon team returned from Warren last night badly crippled and badly used up, for the red and white went to the limit of the rules in roughing up the local players.

Lineup Juggled
The score just about represents how much Massillon was outplayed by the victors, though Warren twice was stopped within the shadow of the locals’ goal posts, once on the
three-yard line.

Coach Elmer McGrew presented a revamped lineup in an effort to stop the red and white last night. Williams was taken from his fullback position and inserted at a tackle. Buhecker held down the end usually handled by Brunker, and Shrake was tossed into the gap in the backfield left vacant by Williams’ removal.

Warren was held scoreless the first half though it twice threatened the Massillon goal line. In the third period, however, it got down to business without delay and with Burkhart, Davis and Romig carrying the ball, the red and white had little difficulty knifing its way through the Massillon line and showed exceptional skill at skirting the Tiger ends. Well developed interference preceded the ball carrier and nearly always cut down would be tacklers to advance the runner beyond the line of scrimmage.

Burkhart Shining Light
Too much Burkhart was the big reason for the Massillon defeat. After grumbling in the first half and pulling another boner or two which seemed to make of him a goat with the Warren fans, he came back in the second period to run at will through the Massillon team. He scored three touchdowns, going over on the first from the three-yard line after a 65-yard march down the field. The second time he ran 15 yards for a score after Romig had recovered Clendening’s fumble on the 34-yard line. The third touchdown, tallied in the last period, was pushed over from the one-yard line by Burkhart who was instrumental in advancing it to that point from the 37-yard line where Warren had gained the ball when Mayberry intercepted Clendening’s pass.

Warren couldn’t get any of the extra points, however. Burkhart and Davis twice tried to carry it over but were brought to earth before they could cross the goal line. Alexander attempted a dropkick after the second touchdown but the ball hit the goal posts.

Massillon never was able to work the ball into Warren territory. Clendening alone appeared capable of advancing the pigskin but he was a marked man last night. In fact the Tigers on every kickoff inserted the Massillon player at some different position on the field hoping that he would receive the ball, but Warren always kicked it to the opposite side of the field.

Warren presented a flashy 85-piece band to the crowd of 3,000 spectators. The musicians drilled between halves forming a large W and the Warren fans roared their approval. They formed an M and then the Massillon fans applauded – both of them.

Lineup and summary:
WARREN Pos. MASSILLON
Alexander le Getz
Koski lt Hoyman
Dixon lg Adams
Hunter c Schott
Sfarro rg Singer
Surby rt Williams
Dowdell re Buhecker
Mayberry qb Kester
Bartlett lh Shrake
Burkhart rh Clendening
Romig fb Foster

Score by periods:
Warren 0 0 12 6 18

Substitutions:
Warren – Davis for Burkhart; Fuller for Dowdell; Burkhart for Davis; Davis for Romig; Canzonetta for Davis; Marsh for Alexander; Spahr for Dixon.
Massillon – Knowlton for Shrake; Krug for Williams; Brunker for Buhecker; Amic for Adams; Schimke for Amic; Williams for Krug; W. Monroe for Schott; Heisler for Brunker; Porter for Clendeing; Price for Williams; Gump for Heisler; Ames.

Touchdowns:
Warren – Burkhart 3.

Referee – Harr (Geneva).
Umpire – Forbes (Geneva).
Field Judge – Van Hill.
Head Linesman – Maurer (Wooster).

History

1930: Massillon 27, Warren Harding 0

November 10, 1930March 13, 2022
by Eric Smith

WASHINGTON HIGH SHOWS POWER IN CRUSHING WARREN UNDER 27 TO 0 SCORE
LONG DASHES ROUTE VISITORS IN FOURTH PERIOD OF HOT DUEL

By LUTHER EMERY

THAT teeter totter game of football that Washington high school and Warren was expected to play when the two teams got together Saturday on Massillon field, just didn’t develop, the Tigers completely outbalancing the visitors with their superior play with the result that Warren was up in the air throughout the game. The score was 27-0 in favor of the Tigers.

Warren was “up in the air” in more ways than one, and so was the referee, more disputes taking place and petty grievances breaking out in Saturday’s game than have ever developed in Massillon-Warren jousts of past years.

Officials Impartial
But what ever the errors of the officials amounted to they were not the result of partiality, for both sides gained and lost in the decisions. Warren coming to Massillon with a so called military shift that had accomplished wonders in several past game, found itself confronted with a stubborn Tiger defense that would not yield advances to the moleskin clad soldiers of Pierre Hill. Neither would the officials yield seconds to the red and white on their shift, and this started a controversy that delayed the first kickoff several minutes.

Massillon scouts had seen Warren in action several times this season and before the start of the game, Coach McGrew in the presence of the Warren coach, asked the officials to pay particular attention to the Warren shift and make certain that the team paused sufficiently long before passing the ball.

Argument Follows “Touchdown”
The game finally got under way, both teams battling through the first quarter, without either scoring although the Tigers once carried the ball to the one-foot line where it was lost on downs. Play was in Warren’s territory the greater part of the period and the second quarter opened with the orange and black launching another attack from the Massillon 20-yard line. They carried the ball to the 35-yard line where Kester punted over the goal line. Getting the ball on the 20, Warren charged back and gained a first down on the 30-yard line, but on the next play, Burkhart fumbled and the ball bounded into the air and into the arms of Getz, who raced across the Warren goal line. The officials at first awarded the Tigers a touchdown and Clendening kicked goal. Then the big argument started. Hill objected to the referee’s decision. It so happened that Ricker blew his whistle after the start of the play, intending to penalize Warren 15 yards for illegal shifting. Ricker claims he blew the whistle after Getz had scooped up the fumble and while the Massillon player was racing toward the Warren goal line. He reversed his decision eventually, disallowed the touchdown and gave the Tigers the ball on the 27-yard line, the point where Ricker said Getz was when the whistle was blown. Hill, however, contended and rightfully so, it seems, that Massillon should not have been given the ball but that Warren should have been penalized 15 yards for the illegal shift and allowed to retain possession of the ball.

Sfera Put Out of Game
That started things. The Warren players riled at the decision, lost control of themselves and on the next play, after the whistle had blown, jumped upon Kester from every direction to stop his five-yard gain. The referee without hesitation stepped off 15 yards for piling up, giving the Tigers the ball on the seven-yard line. Kester took it across for a legal touchdown on the next play. While Kester was making points, Sfera, Warren guard lost his temper and tied into Monroe, Washington high guard with both fists. Sfera was ejected from the game by the referee, and Warren was penalized half the distance to the goal line on the try for point after touchdown. Fortunately, the disputed seven points for three quarters, came back in the last period with a crushing attack that produced three touchdowns in rapid succession. Really only two of the goals were worked for, since the third was scored as a result of poor football on Warren’s part.

With the first half ending 7-0, the orange and black went into the third period determined to increase their margin. They threatened several times and were always dangerous, but Warren thwarted a score when the Tigers neared the goal. Once a penalty stopped the Massillon advance, and again an injury slowed up the local team. So the period went by without any points being made.

Score On long Runs
The fourth quarter found the orange and black again driving toward the Warren goal, but the red and white checked the attack on the seven-yard line. It looked like a lost opportunity until Clendening grabbed Bartlett’s fine punt on the Massillon 45-yard line and raced 55-yards for a touchdown and the most sensational run of the year for a Tiger player. He likewise kicked goal.

That was the straw that broke the camel’s back, for Warren after receiving the kickoff, carried the ball back to midfield where it was lost on downs and a few moments later, Williams hit through the right side of the line for a gallop of 37 yards and a third score. Clendening’s kick was wide of the goal. Warren gave the orange and black its fourth and final touchdown of the game. Willison kicked off, the ball landing on the 20-yard line and bouncing over the goal. A Warren player followed it back and hesitated picking it up, apparently undecided as to whether or not it was a free ball. And while he was making up his mind, Bill Worthington pounced on the pigskin for a Massillon touchdown. Williams bucked the ball across for the extra point.

Tigers Make 15 First Downs
There was no doubt as to the Massillon team’s superiority Saturday. The Tigers made 15 first downs to Warren’s five and never allowed the visitor’s to threaten. In fact the red and white only succeeded in passing the 50 yard mark on two occasions and for the most part were confined to a space between the 20 and 40 yard stripes.

Talk about the devil and he’ll appear.

Past Warren games have always been finished with the friendliest feelings between players and spectators, and this noble feature was heralded in pre-game publicity. But Saturday most everything happened including a battle of fists, both in and out of the game, the ejection of a player and disputes over officials’ decisions.

Some might walk a mile for a camel, but it is doubtful if Sfera will walk across a football field anymore for a swat in the jaw. After Williams had been removed from the game in favor of a substitute, late in the fourth quarter, Sfera, Warren guard, who was put out in the first period for slugging, slunk away from his team’s bench, and trailed the Massillon fullback to the clubhouse. “Want to fight?” said Sfera, at the same time making a pass at Williams. “Sure,” was the reply. And that was that. A crowd gathered around but there was no more fist throwing and the Warren player was escorted to his team’s bus.

Tie For Title Seen
The victory was an important one to Washington high for it practically assured the Tigers of a tie for the N.E.O. Big Ten Championship. Only Dover stands in the way of the Massillonians and there is no reason why the local gridders should not take the measure of the crimson next Saturday at Dover.

The Tigers’ forward passes were useless again Saturday. Six were attempted, one being intercepted and one completed for a gain of three yards. Warren failed to connect in three attempts.

The visiting school was escorted by a large and well drilled uniformed band that gave a demonstration of its skill between halves.

Line up and summary:
Massillon Pos. Warren
Getz LE McKay
Willison LT Gouldner
Worthington LG Sfera
Hoyman C Chandler
Monroe RG Hilston
Price RT McKinney
Hess RE Alexander
Bordner QB Burkhart
Kester LH Mayberry
Clendening RH Bartlett
Williams FB Rogers

Score by periods:
Massillon 0 7 0 20 27

Substitutions:
Warren – Johnson, lg; Serbu, rg; Davis, lh; Guarent, lt; Wright, lh; Dahringer, qb.
Massillon – Singer, qb; Snodgrass, lg; Foster, lh; Mudd, rg; Shattuck, le; Suttle, rt.

Touchdowns:
Massillon – Kester; Clendening; Williams; Worthington.

Points after touchdown:
Massillon – Clendening 2 (placekick); Williams (line buck).

Referee –Ricker (Akron).
Umpire – Weiss (Wooster).
Head Linesman – Henderson (California).

History

1929: Massillon 9, Warren Harding 13

August 8, 1929May 10, 2017
by Eric Smith

Warren Scores First Victory Over Tigers In Eight Years
PASSES ENABLE RED AND WHITE TO BEAT HIGH GRIDDERS 13-9

By LUTHER EMERY

Just because it had an inefficient defense for the forward pass, Washington high school today is lamenting over its third loss of the season, and the first defeat suffered at the hands of a Warren high school team since 1921. Warren won, fair and square, 13 to 9, because it played better football than the Tigers in the second half of the game.

Given a touchdown in the second quarter largely as a result of poor judgment on the part of the Warren captain, the orange and black led 7 to 0 at the end of the first half. But Warren came to life in the third period, solved the Tigers’ weakness and began an air attack that brought two earned touchdowns and threatened to score a third.

Warren Defense Strong
Out weighed by their opponents, the Tigers found their offense stopped throughout the game by the Warren backs. No Massillon player got away for a gain of more than seven yards carrying the ball, while only one forward pass was completed and that for a gain of 22 yards.

Beaten seven consecutive times by the Massillon Tiger, Warren set out to conquer the jinx Saturday and accomplished its purpose. The red and white line checked the charge of Massillon forwards, and orange and black ball carriers were dropped in their tracks, frequently for losses.

Clendening, star halfback of the local team was of no value Saturday, for the red and white kept an eagle eye on him all the time and he lost more yards from scrimmage than he could gain. Williams was the only member of the Tiger lineup who could gain ground and what advances were made Saturday were the result of his crashes through the line. Kester’s punting likewise was a high spot in the orange and black’s defensive play.

Local Team Scores
The Tigers held the upper hand during the first half, and Warren’s efforts to advance the ball were made pitiful by the Massillon line. Massillon threatened once in the first period, but that was all.

Late in the first quarter the Tigers worked the ball to the 36-yard line where a pass was grounded on the fourth down. However, a Massillon man was found guilty of holding, and the Warren captain asked for the 15-yard penalty rather than the ball which set the Tigers back to their own 49-yard line. Kester punted and the ball went outside on the 18-yard line. When Latimer attempted to return the kick, the punt was blocked and Blatz recovered on the eight-yard line. Kester made a yard as the quarter ended and the first three plays of the second period with Williams carrying the ball each time, gave the orange and black a touchdown. Clendening place kicked the extra point.

Warren scored in the third period, passes taking the ball from midfield to the three-yard line, from which point Grizzerelli carried the pigskin across. The attempted passer for the extra point was tackled but the officials ruled that Massillon was offside and the point was awarded to Warren.

Triple Pass Wins Game
Passes and a 15-yard penalty placed the ball on Massillon’s 22-yard line in the fourth period, and a triple pass Latimer to De Santis to McKinney was good for a touchdown. An attempted line buck for the extra point was stopped dead.

Warren made eight first downs to the Tigers’ four, and completed six passes in 11 attempts for a gain of 81 yards. One of the seven passes attempted by the orange and black was completed for a gain of 22 yards.

Standing out head and shoulders above the rest of the players on the field was Kelly Latimer, Warren’s 190-pound fullback, who did a lot of Warren’s ground gaining, tossed and received passes and was right in the midst of things on defense, intercepting one of the Tigers’ forward passes. Warren was penalized a total of 70 yards while the orange and black was set back 25 yards.

Ward Young, assistant Canton McKinley football coach, umpired the game.

First Quarter
Titus kicked off to the Tigers, the ball being downed on the 33-yard line. Williams made a first down in three plunges on the 45-yard line. Two plays failed to gain and Kester punted out on the Warren 30. When Latimer fumbled, Willison recovered for Massillon on the 35-yard line. After losing two yards on three plays and penalized an additional five for offside, Kester punted out on the 15-yard line. Latimer punted to Worthington who was downed on the Warren 40. Williams and Clendening negotiated a first down on the 30-yard line. Clendening tried a pass but the receivers were covered and he was downed for a loss of five yards. Two more plays gained but four yards, and a Massillon pass was grounded. The ball would have gone to Warren at this spot, but the red and white captain accepted a 15-yard penalty rather than the ball and the Tigers were given a chance to punt near midfield. Kester punted outside on the 18-yard line. Latimer made a yard at right end, and the Massillon ends broke through and blocked his punt. Blatz followed the ball toward the Warren goal and falling upon it on the eight-yard line. Kester made a yard as the quarter closed.

Second Quarter
Williams hit for one yard, then three yards and then a touchdown. Clendening kicked goal with Kester holding the ball. Willison kicked off to Gizzerelli who caught the ball on the 15-yard line and returned to the 30. Three line plays gained but little and Latimer punted to the 30-yard line where Clendening touched the ball but failed to get hold of it and chased it back to the 10-yard line where he was downed with the pigskin. Williams made a yard and Kester punted back to his own 48-yard line, Warren gaining some 25 yards on the exchange. Dahringer passed to Latimer for a gain of 28 yards. A line plunge failed and a pass was incomplete and Warren was set backward on penalties totaling 20 yards. Kester intercepted Roger’s pass on the 20-yard line. Kester punted back to the Warren 36-yard line. Rogers gained seven yards but Dahringer lost the same amount. Latimer punted to Worthington who was tackled on his own 40-yard line. Williams made a yard but Clendening lost three. Kester punted out of bounds on the 20-yard line, gaining 16 yards on the exchange. Latimer punted to Clendening who returned the ball to midfield before the end of the half.
Third Quarter
Williams returned Titus’ kickoff to the 37-yard line. Clendening made two yards and Williams a yard but Clendening lost four on the next play. Kester punted out of bounds on the 33-yard line but the play was called back and Warren penalized five yards, giving the Tigers a first down on the 40-yard line. Two plays failed to gain, and Houriet went down fast under Kester’s punt to tackle Grizzereli without return on the 30. After two plays had gained seven yards Latimer punted to Clendening who fumbled the ball, Titus recovering on the 25-yard line. De Santis’ pass was grounded and Rogers was stopped without gain. Another pass was incomplete and Warren was penalized five yards when it had two successive incomplete passes. Failure of another pass brought another five-yard penalty. Latimer punted out of bounds on the 15-yard line. Kester returned the kick to midfield. Latimer circled his left end for a first down on the Massillon 40-yard line. Rogers made two yards, and a triple pass, Rogers to De Santis to Latimer, gained six more. Rogers circled his left end for a first down on the 20-yard line. He made a yard on the next play and De Santis tossed a pass to Gizzerelli for a first down on the three-yard line. Latimer picked up two yards and Gizzerelli sneaked through for the touchdown. A pass was called for the try for point but the passer was smothered. However, Warren was allowed the point when the officials ruled that a Massillon player was offside. Williams returned Titus’ kickoff to the 40-yard line. Three plays netted nine yards and Kester punted out of bounds on the 28-yard line. Two plays gained but little and Latimer returned the punt to the Massillon 40-yard line. The third quarter ended with the score tied at 7-7.

Fourth Quarter
Latimer punted to the goal line. Clendening attempting to run with the ball and fumbling but luckily recovering. Kester, standing behind his goal line, booted the ball back to the middle of the field. Latimer passed to De Santis for a first down on the 37-yard line and a penalty carried the ball to the 22-yard line. A triple pass, Latimer to De Santis to McKinney gave Warren a touchdown. An attempted line buck failed. Score Warren 13; Massillon 7.

Blatz returned Titus’ kickoff to the 42-yard line. Kester passed to Williams for a 22 yard gain. Two incomplete passes drew a five-yard penalty, and Kester punted out of bounds on the two-yard line. Latimer’s kick was blocked, but the ball bounded back over the fence for a safety. Score Warren 13; Massillon 9.

Latimer punted to Willison who returned five yards to midfield. Latimer intercepted Kester’s pass, on the 20. When he failed to gain, Latimer punted to Rice who returned the ball to the Warren 35-yard line. Latimer intercepted one of Kester’s passes again; and the red and white kept possession of the ball until the end of the game.

Line up and summary:
Massillon Pos. Warren
Getz LE Davis
Blatz LT Mills
Herman LG Ripple
Lewis C Titus
Pfister RG Hilston
Willison RT McKinney
Houriet RE Humphries
Kester QB Dahringer
Clendening LH Rogers
Worthington RH Gizzerelli
Williams FB Latimer

Score by periods:
Warren 0 0 7 6 13
Massillon 0 7 0 2 9

Substitutions:
Warren – Canzonetta for Ripple; De Santis for Dahringer.
Massillon – Rice for Clendening.

Touchdowns:
Massillon – Williams.
Warren – Gizzerelli; McKinney.

Point after touchdown:
Massillon – Clendening.
Warren –

Safety:
Warren, blocked punt.

Referee – Newman.
Umpire – Young.
Head Linesman – Van Hill.

History

1928: Massillon 12, Warren Harding 0

August 8, 1928May 10, 2017
by Eric Smith

MASSILLON GRIDDERS SPRING SURPRISE SATURDAY AND TROUNCE WARREN 12 TO 0
OUTCLASS VISITORS IN EVERY QUARTER; HESS SCORES TWICE

Digging their cleats into the soggy turf of Massillon Field the Washington high gridders played their best game in two years Saturday afternoon and put to route the highly touted Warren high crew by a score of 12 to 0.

And in spite of the fact that the victory surprised even the most optimistic Massillon fans, the score does not even indicate the margin by which the youthful tigers outplayed the invaders from the Trumbull county city. It might have been an off day for Warren but nevertheless the visitors played hard and used practically every trick formation they knew in an effort to overcome the Massillon team. But the Washington high gridders were awake for a change, and they did not play as though they wore steel shoes. They were out to best Warren and this they did in a most decisive manner.

They had four other chances to score and had crossed their opponents goal line a third time, but the ball was brought back when both teams were declared offside. Warren worked the ball into Massillon territory but once during the entire game, the visitors advancing the ball to the two-yard line, where a forward pass failed to make first down by a few inches and Massillon gained possession of the oval.

Scoring honors for the day went to George Hess, who after three weeks of ineligibility returned to the lineup to score both touchdowns, one on an 85-yard run after taking the kickoff at the start of the second half and the other in a dive over the goal from the two-yard line.

Warren came to Massillon Saturday in high spirits and expected to score its second victory over Massillon in seven years. Backed by an excellent record for the season, with Akron East and Sharon, Pa., two of its victims, the visiting eleven was a heavy favorite to defeat the orange and black. And the Warren team at times flashed an attack that seemed deadly but the rallies quickly flickered out while the Massillon offense was ablaze the greater part of the time. Warren’s offense clicked smoothly and faultlessly, but it was turned back by the Massillon line quite often for losses.

In spite of the fact that the victory was pleasing to Massillon fans the Washington high team should not become so satisfied with the result that it will be caught asleep in its game with Barberton next Saturday. Some of the Warren followers blamed over-confidence for the defeat of their team and even though an excuse does not seem probable, yet the youthful tigers should guard against just that sort of thing by drilling all the harder this week for Barberton and Canton McKinley which will put in its appearance here next week.

Carrying the ball deep into their opponents’ territory several times during the first two periods, the local eleven was turned back as it neared the Warren goal and the first half ended without a score being made. Play, however, was decisively in favor of the orange and black, Warren not working the ball into Massillon territory on a single occasion.

The second half, however, opened dramatically. Even though their team had shown a good punch in the first two periods, Massillon fans were still doubtful when Puegner, Warren end, and former Massillon boy, kicked off to George Hess to start the third period. And with that kick came the fireworks of the game. Hess took the ball on his own 15-yard line, and ran in about as straight a line as any surveyor could lay, for the Warren goal. His teammates got busy and the Warren tacklers hit the turf when they attempted to get close to Hess. “Ike” Lewis took out two men who stood between Hess and the goal line, and with two or three players chasing him, Hess galloped across the Warren line. Largely due to the superior interference accorded him by his teammates, scarcely a hand touched him during the entire run.

It was the kind of spectacular play that always bobs up in a Warren game, and as usual took the heart out of the Warren boys. It was two similar long runs by Vince Define five years ago that upset Warren and three years ago two intercepted passes followed by long runs by Laughlin and Kammer defeated the Trumbull county boys. Thus they had a right to become discouraged after they saw Hess waltzing away for a touchdown.

The second score came in the same period, and although Hess made the points, the entire Massillon team, and especially a punt by John Kester, made the score possible.

The local eleven had the ball on the 39 yard line when Kester stepped back and kicked the ball outside on Warren’s nine-yard line. Latimer returned the punt but it went outside on the 25-yard line. Hess struck for a yard. Buttermore crashed through for six and made two more on his next attempt. Schnierle carried the ball to the 10-yard line for a first down. Buttermore went over on the next play but both sides were declared offside and the ball was put in play on the two-yard line. Hess then drove through for a touchdown. Kester’s kick was wide just as Schnierle’s was after the first touchdown.

Kester missed a hard luck touchdown just before the third period ended when he struck off right tackle and by clever running carried the ball across the Warren goal after a run of 28 yards. Both teams, however, were declared offside on the play and the ball was brought back. The local eleven soon was headed for another touchdown but the threat was spoiled by a 15-yard penalty. In transferring the ball at the end of the third period, the officials made a mistake. The period ended with the ball on the 19-yard line, but the officials put the pigskin in play on the 21-yard line when the fourth quarter opened.

The orange and black made a dozen first downs to Warren’s five and was penalized 70 yards to 65 yards for Warren.

The local team completed its first two forward passes of the year for gains Saturday, one bringing seven yards and another 10. Three passes were incomplete and two intercepted. Warren completed three passes out of 10 attempts for a gain of 43 yards. Seven were incomplete.

The American Legion drum corps helped to entertain the small crowd by participating in the raising of the colors, and drilling on the field between halves. It was unfortunate that the day was not a brighter one and that more fans were not in the bleachers to see the drum corps go though its maneuvers. The drum corps was the third musical organization at the game, both Warren and Washington high schools being represented by bands.

One of the features of the game was the punting of John Kester. His boots traveled long when punting from his own territory, but when in the land of the enemy he placed his punts out of bounds anywhere from the one-yard to the 15-yard line.

Lineup and summary:

Massillon Pos. Warren
Potts LE Puegner
Buttermore LT Afills
Garland LG Canzonetta
Lewis C Dahringer
Fisher RG Mock
Goodman RT Schatzel
Houriet RE Titus
Worthington QB Boyd
Kester HB De Santis
Watkins HB Rogers
Hollwager FB Latimer

Score by periods:
Massillon 0 0 12 0 12

Substitutions:
Massillon – Hess for Worthington, Schnierle for Hollwager, Blatz for Fisher, Geis for Goodman, Mann for Garland, Slinger for Buttermore, Buttermore for Watkins, Fisher for Geis.
Warren – Dick for Mock, Ott for Boyd, Chance for Latimer, Latimer for Chance, Howell for Titus.

Touchdowns – Hess 2.

Referee—Barrett.
Umpire—Maurer.
Headlinesman—Kirk.

Tag: <span>Warren Harding</span>