1909: Massillon 18 Mansfield 0

HIGH SCHOOL TOOK THE SECOND GAME
Yellow and Black Were Winners Saturday.
MASSILLON,  18;         MANSFIELD,  0.

Blackburn Booted the Pigskin for Eight Points
Two Field Goals and Two From Touchdowns
by Sonnhalter and Miller
Canton Here Next

Twelve doughty pigskin chasers wearing the yellow and black of the Massillon high school covered themselves with mud and glory Saturday by defeating the strong Mansfield team by the score of 18 to 0.  Massillon outweighed their opponents to a slight degree and outplayed them the rest of the way.  The difference in weight of the two teams could hardly have been estimated at more than five pounds to the man.  That Massillon had it over their opponents was evident from the first of the game, although Mansfield held the visitors to but one goal from field in the first half and yielded the remainder of the points with slowly weakening play.  Massillon showed class from beginning to end and hung together through thick and thin while their opponents, disheartened by frequent reverses, slowly released their hold and allowed Massillon to gain with greater ease.  Mansfield was playing the first game while Massillon has been in the field for two weeks.

But for the perfect goal booting on the part of Blackburn Massillon might have come home with a far different tale.  Out of two tries from the field the trusty right guard booted the spheroid between the bars twice, once from the thirty-five yard line and once from the twenty yard line.  Both goals from touchdown were perfect.  Throughout the first half and part of the second it looked as though the game would have to be won by Blackburn’s kicking; up to the last ten minutes of play two goals from the field constituted the entire scoring.  At about this point Atwater found a hole in right tackle and pounded Sonnhalter up the field for the first touchdown.  Blackburn kicked goal.  A few minutes later Keeley Miller, on Massillon’s left end, broke away on a double pass and ran forty yards through a broken left end, broke away on a double pass and ran forty yards through a broken field for a second touchdown.  This was the end of the scoring; shortly after the game ended with the ball near the center of the field.

Mansfield played a loose game both on offense and defense for the most part, probably on account of the game being their first.  Their plays which looked to be good if worked right, were either nailed by the fast Massillon defense or bungled by the Mansfield team themselves.  Some ferocious looking line shifts and tandem plays were forthcoming time and again, but in only a few instances were they worked for gains.  Massillon’s goal was threatened but once.  In this instance the ball was carried by a series of line shifts to within twenty yards of the opponent’s goal.  Here Massillon held desperately and Mansfield called some sort of a fake kick formation.  The ball was fumbled by the fullback and Massillon landed on the play, gaining the ball on downs.  Heyman punted far out of danger.  In punting Heyman rivaled Blackburn’s drop kicking.  The last punt of the game was from Massillon’s fifty yard line to Mansfield’s fifteen, a distance of forty-five yards.  The kick, a perfect spiral, rose fully as high in the air as it went forward.

Massillon, although able to gain consistently through the line, relied mostly upon tricks for substantial gains.  A fake punt to the half backs and a double pass to the ends, gained steadily.  The forward pass was not tried once throughout the game by Massillon, although they are tolerably strong in this department of the game.  Mansfield attempted this play several times but lost each time.  Suoer at fullback; and Pollock at quarter, played the star game for the Mansfield team.

Outside of Blackburn’s kicking and Miller’s run the game was principally one of team work.  Massillon played well together, especially on the defense.  In the first part of the game Massillon played altogether a defensive game.  The line played low and with the exception of short gains or two through center, held like adamant.  In the second half Massillon woke up and played a decidedly offensive game.  Tricks were used for long distance gains and whenever a few yards were needed Sonnhalter’s line plunges seldom failed to respond.  Zintsmaster and Ellis held the two tackles down in fast and aggressive manner.  Clay replaced Ellis in the second half and waded into the game with both feet, doing considerable damage in both camps.  Wagner’s presence at right half strengthened the back line greatly.  Atwater playing back, made several tackles after Mansfield had broken over the ends and gained considerably.  Leahy played a good game at center.

The team was accompanied by Manager Gorrell; R. Fugate, official; A. Sonnhalter, timekeeper; McConnell and Moody, substitutes; and one Shorty Feller, official rooter.

Lineup an summary:

Mansfield – 0                  Pos.               Massillon  — 18
Au Schweir                       le                 Miller
McCready                         lt                 Zintsmaster
Hughes                              le                 Heyman
Judson                               c                 Leahy
Remy                                rg                 Blackburn
Schad                                rt                 Ellis, Clay
Longdorf                           re                 Dalsky
Pollock, Tappan               qb                Atwater
Scott                                 lh                 Wells
Stoodt                              rh                 Wagner
Suoer                                fb                 Sonnhalter

Time of halves:  20 minutes.

Score at end of first half:
Massillon          3;
Mansfield         0.

Touchdowns:
Massillon – Sonnhalter, Miller.

Goals from touchdown:
Massillon – Blackburn  2.

Goals from field:
Massillon – Blackburn  2.

Referee and umpire alternating – Marting and Fugate.
Head Linesman – Gorrell.
Timekeeper – A. Sonnhalter
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