Maybe seven years ago it would have been an inviting matchup between the Massillon and Youngstown East Golden Bears.
But Friday night in Paul Brown Tiger Stadium before 8,975 fans, it was no contest.
The Tigers scored early and often and crushed East by a 63‑6 count, their final regular season game before next Saturday’s battle against arch‑rival McKinley.
Massillon has won its first nine regular season games for the first time since 1982, the last time the Tigers played in the state championship game.
That Massillon team featured junior two‑way starter Chris Spielman, now a starting linebacker for the Detroit.
“It’s great to be part of a Massillon team that has the same record as one that had Chris Spielman on it,” said defensive tackle B.J. Payne.
“There’s no greater feeling than being 9‑0 heading into the McKinley game,” added quarterback Mike Danzy.
Danzy downplayed skeptics who said the Massillon schedule is not as rugged as in past years, especially with the absence of Cincinnati Moeller.
“People might say we don’t play anybody because we’ve beaten teams by a lot of points,” he shrugged. “But you have to understand we’ve beaten some teams that were supposed to have success this year.
“Look at (Youngstown) Rayen. They were supposed to be a playoff team. Then the (teacher’s strike) happened and they had a hard time recovering. They also lost their good runner (Herman Benson).
“We’ve also beaten teams that have had success against us in the past.”
East, however, has not been one of those teams. The Golden Bears, whose strike abbreviated record reads 1‑4, were tamed handily by the Tigers in the five meetings since the series resumed in 1988.
The closest score was 24‑0 in 1989, followed by 45‑7 in 1990, 76-26 in 1991 and 55‑20 last fall.
Selling the Tigers on East wasn’t the easiest task for the Massillon coaching staff. But Jack Rose was pleased with how the team concentrated on taking it one game at a time.
“The seniors also knew it was their last game on their home field,” said the second‑year Massillon mentor. “They came out and played hard. So did the other kids.”
Despite the final margin of victory, the Tigers were tested by East.
“They have great team speed,” said Rose. “They had a good option scheme. They were more disciplined.”
“Their linebackers blitzed us from the backside and gave us some problems,” Danzy added.
Whatever problems East presented, the Tigers were able to answer with smash‑mouth football.
Massillon kept the ball on the ground most of the game, as the line fired out and controlled the line of scrimmage. The Tigers finished with 434 rushing yards.
“You don’t put the ball in the air too much, when you average 13 yards a carry,” Rose noted.
Massillon scored on its first nine possessions, with maximum efficiency.
When fullback Jeremy Fraelich plowed off tackle into the end zone from five yards out with 3:44 left, it was only the 44th play the Tigers had run from scrimmage.
“We just came out and fine tuned everything,” said running back Ali Dixon. “We wanted to be sure we’re ready for the next game.”
Dixon was ready for East and gave the partisan Tiger fans an indication of what would transpire on Massillon’s first play from scrimmage.
He ran an isolation play up the middle, turned outside and raced to the end zone for a 49-yard score as Massillon led 7‑0 at the 9:51 mark of the first quarter.
Danzy faked a dive play into the line and optioned left for a six‑yard touchdown run at the 6:07 mark of the first quarter and it was 14‑0.
Maybe seven years ago, the Golden Bears would have been able to slug it out with the Tigers. The 1986 East team fashioned a 9‑1 regular season record, defeating Youngstown Ursuline, Boardman and a Youngstown South team that paddled McKinley 27‑10.
While the 1993 edition struggled most of the contest, East managed a sustained drive in the opening quarter. Quarterback Leartis Day, similar in size to Danzy, completed a 12-play, 65‑yard march with a 7-yard touchdown strike to tight end Michael Claytor and it was 14‑6 at the 1:18 mark.
Massillon, however, was undaunted and tacked on another score on its next series to stifle any East comeback hopes. Dixon raced 48 yards for the touchdown and the Tigers moved ahead 21‑6 with 10:51 left until halftime.
Junior Leon Ashcraft, who has shared the halfback spot with Dixon this season, burned East with a 51‑yard touchdown run on a trap play at the 7:54 mark and it was 28‑6.
Kevin Buckland’s 17‑yard punt return to the East 30 set up the fifth and final Massillon first‑half touchdown. It was Ashcraft who did the honors on a six‑yard scamper with 2:41 to go as the Tigers lead swelled to 35‑6.
Fullback Jake Laughlin, running back Courtney Herring, and Fraelich scored in the second half.
Herring, a 5‑10, 169‑pound junior, led the Tigers in with 154 rushing yards and was a workhorse on the team’s 84‑yard scoring drive. His 2‑yard burst off left tackle at the 9:33 mark of the fourth quarter was his 11th carry of the drive.
“This was a big win,” said Danzy. “The 1991 team kind of looked ahead in the ninth game and (Akron) St. V got them.”
The Tigers now have scored 425 points this season. The school record is 483 by the 1935 team. Danzy thinks the key to the McKinley game is offense.
“We have put points on the board (against McKinley) like we did against other good teams we played like Mansfield, (Akron) Garfield and (Austintown Fitch),” he said.
“Now,” smiled Rose, “we can turn our thoughts to McKinley.”
MASSILLON 63 EAST 6 M E First downs rushing 17 4 First downs passing 1 3 First downs penalty 1 0 Total first downs 19 7 Net yards rushing 434 73 Net yards passing 26 77 Total yards gained 460 150 Passes attempted 4 17 Passes completed 3 5 Passes int. by 2 0 Times kicked off 10 2 Kickoff average 40.8 49.0 Kickoff return yards 58 119 Punts 0 5 Punting average 0.0 23.0 Punt return yards 69 0 Fumbles 1 1 Fumbles lost 0 0 Penalties 4 6 Yards penalized 52 40 Number of plays 46 50 Time of possession 24:41 23:19 Attendance 8,975
EAST 6 0 0 0 6 MASSILLON 14 21 14 14 63
SCORING SUMMARY
FIRST QUARTER M ‑ Dixon 49 run (Endsley kick) M ‑ Danzy 6 run (Endsley kick) E ‑ Claytor 7 pass from Day (kick failed)
SECOND QUARTER M ‑ Dixon 48 run (Endsley kick) M ‑ Ashcraft 51 run (Endsley kick) M ‑ Ashcraft 6 run (Endsley kick)
THIRD QUARTER M ‑ Laughlin 1 run (Pribich kick) M ‑ Herring 18 run (Pribich kick)
FOURTH QUARTER M ‑ Herring 2 run (Pribich kick) M ‑ Fraelich 5 run (Weirich kick)
The Massillon, Tigers smashed visiting Youngstown East 55‑20 Friday and declared themselves ready for McKinley.
The Tigers have scored 38, 44 and 55 points during what has become a three‑game winning streak. If they continue to escalate the scoring next week, there is liable to be an all‑week party in downtown Massillon.
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While the odds are against that‑happening, the Tigers are probably as ready as they can be for McKinley in a season that included a four‑game losing streak. They have responded to the skid by outscoring the subsequent three foes 137‑20.
McKinley, which will visit Paul Brown Tiger Stadium one week from today, takes a 7‑1 record into tonight’s game against Boardman, 4‑4, at Fawcett Stadium. The Bulldogs have lost four straight Week Nine games, but Tiger head coach Jack Rose predicted “They’ll win” against Boardman. McKinley’s talent and consistency led him to say that.
As for his 5‑4 team, Rose said, “We played real well at times. At times we were real sloppy. But we won and for the most part we avoided injuries, which was one of the main concerns.”
Andre Stinson, the Tigers’ leading rusher all season, made a few hearts skip beats when he stayed on the turf after getting tackled in the second quarter. Stinson jogged off the field but did not play any more. At that point, he had gained 70 yards and scored two touchdowns.
“Andre’s all right,” Rose said, indicating Stinson suffered a bruised thigh. Team doctor Robert Erickson said Stinson should be ready to practice Monday.
The Tigers blew out to a 21‑0 lead. “We blocked real well at the point of attack,” Rose said. East head coach Jerron Jenkins wasn’t about to argue. “They outmanned us up front,” Jenkins said.
An East assistant said Massillon’s line is “easily the best we’ve faced.” Jenkins nodded in agreement. East, 2‑7, would have had to play its best game of the year to stay with the Tigers.
Instead, the Golden Bears committed these pigskin sins, all in the first quarter: Penalty for too many men on the field. A 15‑yard penalty against an assistant coach who hurled profanities at an official. Three weak punts that enabled the Tigers to begin scoring drives on the East 22‑, 35- and 33‑yard lines. A screen pass thrown into triple coverage. An illegal‑man‑downfield penalty.
Following the poor punts and good returns by Dan Hackenbracht and Kevin Buckland, the Tigers scored on their first three possessions, on a combined 17 plays covering a combined 88 yards.
Stinson opened the scoring with a three‑yard run in which. he spun off a pile and trotted into the end zone. Jason Brown’s kick made it 7‑0 with 8:18 left in the first quarter.
The second touchdown was set up on a nice. running pass from quarterback Mike Danzy to Alonzo Simpson along the right sideline. It covered 21 yards. Stinson scored from a yard out, Brown made the kick, and it was 14‑0 with 3:09 left in the opening period. East’s third consecutive three‑and‑out possession gave Rose cause to smile about the defense. “We did some nice tackling,” Rose said. “They had a couple A plays that could have gone for something, but our defense reacted well.”
The offense kept taking, advantage. Dan Hackenbracht’s 5‑yard TD run and Brown’s kick made it 21‑0 with 10:30 left in the second quarter.
East, 2‑7, flaunted its speed moments later when junior quarterback Anthony Mixon play‑faked, then found Darnell Johnson wide open for a 63‑yard touchdown. A two‑point conversion made it 21‑8 with 10:12 left in the second quarter.
However,. the Tigers would wind up scoring on all five of their first‑half posssessions. They answered the East touchdown with a 69‑yard drive capped by Ali Dixon’s 6‑yard TD run. Dixon scored moments after replacing the injured Stinson . A 26‑yard Danzy‑to‑Todd Peters pass helped. Brown’s kick made it 28‑8 with 7:39 left before the band show.
The defense kept humming, East wound up with two first downs in the first half, and minus‑8 yards rushing ‑ and the offense added a 68‑yard drive. Danzy scored standing up from a yard out, Brown made the kick, and it was 35‑8 with 38 seconds left in the half.
The Tigers built a 42‑8 lead on an 11‑yard TD run by Danzy, who for the third straight week left the game after the first series of the third quarter.
Massillon previewed some of its running attack of the future via a 13‑yard TD run by Leon Ashcraft and a 21‑yard scoring run by Dixon. Both of their brothers were starting Tiger running backs during the Lee Owens era (Falando Ashcraft and Lamonte Dixon).
East scored two more TDs against backup Tiger defensive units. Dixon, a 5‑foot‑7, 144‑pound junior, was the Tigers’ rushing leader with 75 yards in 10 carries. The Tigers wound up with a 436‑182 lead in net offensive yards.
Massillon senior Marty Gigov intercepted a pass, giving him three pickoffs in the last two weeks. The Tiger rushing attack racked up season highs of 26 first downs and 389 yards.
No crowd figure was given. Estimates put it in the 7,000 range. Add at least 10,000 to arrive at next week’s crowd figure. The Bulldogs are coming to town.
Obie photo day
Tiger fans are invited to “Obie XXIII photo day” Sunday at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.
The Massillon Tigers’ mascot can be photographed from 1‑3 p.m. Sunday, handler Ed Annen said. Enter the stadium through the south gate.
M E First downs rushing 26 4 First downs passing 2 2 First downs by penalty 0 1 Totals first downs 28 7 Yards gained rushing 393 103 Yards lost rushing 4 20 Net yards rushing 389 83 Net yards passing 47 99 Total yards gained 436 182 Passes attempted. 8 9 Passes completed 2 3 Interceptions 0 1 Times kicked off 9 4 Kickoff average 38.9 32‑3 Kickoff Mum yards 46 90 Punts 0 4 Punting average 00.0 31.5 Punt return yards 42 0 Fumbles 2 2 Fumbles lost 0 1 Penalties 7 8 Yards penalized 50 54 Number of plays 77 26 Time of possession 34:34 13:26
East 0 8 0 12 20 Massillon 14 21 7 13 55
M ‑ Stinson 3 run (Brown kick) V ‑ Stinson I run (Brown kick) M ‑ Hackenbracht 5 run (Brown kick) E ‑ Johnson 63 pass from Mixon (Smith pass from Mixon) M ‑ Dixon 6 run (Brown kick) M ‑ Danzy 1 run (Brown kick) M ‑ Danzy I I run (Brown kick) M ‑ Ashcraft 13 run (Brown kick) E ‑ Fitzgerald 37 run (pass failed) M ‑ Dixon 21 run (kick failed) E ‑ Perdue 5 run (pass failed) I
Tigers call off the dogs in 2nd half, overwhelm East 76‑26
By STEVE DOERSCHUK Independent Sports Editor
Quarterback Nick Mossides, who played in only the early part of Massillon’s 76‑26 victory over Youngstown East, had ice on the knee that kept him out of a football game four weeks ago.
He also had a smile on his face when asked if his playing status might be jeopardized for next Friday’s big game against Akron St. Vincent‑St. Mary.
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“No way!” he said.
It was the same answer to the following question: Was there anything East could do to slow down the Tigers in the first quarter?
There was nothing. Nothing at all.
The Tigers led 14‑0 after four minutes were played, 42‑6 at the end of one quarter. The 42 points in one quarter is believed to be a Massillon record.
Luther Emery, editor emeritus of The Independent, recalled a 94‑0 victory over Akron North in 1922 but didn’t think there were 42 points after a quarter. There was a 90‑0 win over Barberton in 1959, but the Tigers hadn’t reached 42 at the quarter stop.
Time elapsed on Massillon scoring possessions, which were all of them in the first half, weren’t measured in minutes, but in seconds.
It took 104 seconds before Travis McGuire scored on a 28-yard counter play.
Falando Ashcraft’s 15 yard TD run on a cut to the outside ended a 67‑second possession.
Ashcraft scored again, from 5 yards out, to finish a 50‑second drive.
If you’re still keeping score, there was 4:48 left in the first quarter when McGuire ran 6 yards for a TD. The drive took 105 seconds and pushed Massillon’s lead to 28‑6 (East did have some good players, including junior Charles Perdue and quarterback Darnell Bracy, who hooked up on a 70‑yard sideline pass that went for a TD moments before McGuire’s 6yard TD bolt).
East left a side of the field unprotected and Jason Brown’s kickoff went there. Massillon recovered then used 52 seconds before McGuire broke loose on a counter and gave East defenders Leon Gayles and Eric Bostick a ride into the end zone at the end of a 33‑yard run.
East’s next play was a Bracy passing attempt to the sidelines ‑ but it was a backwards pass, a lateral. The throw was nearly picked off by Dana Wofford. It was a live ball when Troy Burick picked it up and ran 27 yards for a Tiger touchdown. The play covered 8 seconds.
Jason Brown’s P.A.T. kick made it 42‑6 with 3:02 left in the first quarter.
Massillon’s remaining touchdowns in the first half came on possessions that lasted 130, 12, 33 and 165 seconds.
The touchdowns were scored by Ashcraft (22‑yard pass from Mossides), backup quarterback Michael Danzy (22‑yard run), Ashcraft (5‑yard run) and Ashcraft (15‑yard run).
It was 69‑6 when the gun sounded to end the first half, at which point Massillon head coach Lee Owens sought out East head coach Jerron Jenkins.
“I told him (Jenkins) that our first string was finished for the night,” Owens said. “I offered to keep the clock running in the second half. When we approached the officials they said there was nothing in the rules that allowed them to keep the clock running.”
One East assistant coach spent the post‑game loudly grousing about Massillon running up the score, using the “onside kick” (where Brown booted to the unprotected part of the field) and a fake punt in the third quarter.
Jenkins protested, too, albeit more mildly.
He indicated he was upset by “the fake punt and some other things.”
Owens said he thought the Tigers went an extra mile and then some to keep the score down. He was unhappy to hear about the displeasure in the East camp.
“He (Jenkins) can’t be sore about anything,” Owens said “We were kind to him.”
It was mentioned to Owens that the Tigers might have reached the 100‑point mark.
“Without any trouble,” he said.
As for the fake punt in the third quarter, Owens blamed poor execution by East, which he said did not line up as do most teams in an alignment to guard against a fake.
Massillon hammered East 45-7 a year ago. The teams have an agreement to play the next two years.
“Right now, we’re under contract,” Owens said. “They have some athletes, and if they get it together, they could be competitive. They’ve just fallen apart the second half of this season.”
In the second game of this season, East beat Boardman, which later defeated defending state champion Warren Harding. A week ago, East trailed unbeaten Youngstown Chaney just 6‑0 at halftime.
Concluded Jenkins, “If it’s going to be like this, I don’t know if I want to come down here any more.”
Jenkins said he has nothing to do with the schedule, which, he said, is handled by the athletic director.
Owens also defended his decision to play his starters the entire first half. Normally, he said, the starters would play the first half and one series in the second half in order to stay sharp for the following game.
“There’s no way to simulate game conditions, and it’s important for the players to be in the game,” Owens said. “You also have to remember that these guys who are seniors on our team and have earned positions only have so many games left in a Massillon Tiger uniform. They don’t want to hear in the locker room at halftime that they’re finished for the night.”
McGuire and Ashcraft got in a night’s worth of yardage in one half.
McGuire rushed nine times for 151 yards and now has 972 on the year. Ashcraft picked up 134 yards in 16 carries to swell his 1991 total to 932.
East used big plays to score three touchdowns in the second half. The Golden Bears’ first string offense was operating against second‑ and third‑team Massillon players the entire time.
Pat McVeen scored Massillon’s only second‑half touchdown on a one‑yard run in the fourth quarter.
The theme of the week in the Massillon camp was to get better as a team instead of taking a breather against a foe that was obviously outgunned.
Mission accomplished, Mossides said.
The quarterback motioned to assistant coach Greg Gillum and said, “These guys kept pounding it into our heads to stay focused.
“I think we did a good job of executing. We got after it and worked really hard.”
Mossides said his knee was “a little sore but nothing serious.”
Added defensive end Jason Woullard, “Last week we slipped back a little bit, but this week we took some steps forward. We weren’t on the field for many plays tonight, but I thought we went to the ball a lot better when we were.
“We knew we play sloppy this week. We have two tough opponents coming up.”
The Tigers came close to hitting their season average in total offense per game by the end of the first half, when they led 369‑119 in net offense.
They led 296‑11 in rushing yardage at that point.
Ashcraft finished with five touchdowns. Only five Massillon players have ever scored more than five TDs in a game. The record was set in 1922 when Dutch Hill rang up eight TDs in that 94‑0 win over Akron North.
EAST 26 MASSILLON 76
M E First downs rushing 19 3 First downs passing 5 6 First downs by penalty 1 2 Totals first downs 25 11 Yards gained rushing 494 136 Yards lost rushing 16 15 Net yards rushing 478 121 Net yards passing 108 280 Total yards gained 586 401 Passes attempted 11 21 Passes completed 8 10 Passes int. by 2 1 Yardage on pass int. 9 0 Times kicked off 11 4 Kickoff average 45.0 39.0 Kickoff return yards 64 112 Punts 1 3 Punting average 41.0 14.0 Punt return yards. 17 0 Fumbles 0 3 Fumbles lost 0 3 Penalties 6 4 Yards penalized 52 24 Number of plays 71 52 Attendance 10,243
East 6 0 14 6 26 Massillon 42 27 0 7 76
M ‑ McGuire 28 run (Brown kick) M ‑ Ashcraft 15 run (Brown kick) M ‑ Ashcraft 5 run (Brown kick) E ‑ Perdue 70 pass from Bracy (pass failed) M ‑ McGuire 6 run (Brown kick) M ‑ McGuire 33 run (Brown kick) M ‑ Burick 27 interception return (Brown kick) M ‑ Ashcraft 22 pass from Mossides (kick failed) M ‑ Danzy 23 run (Brown kick) M ‑ Ashcraft 5 run (Brown kick) M ‑ Ashcraft 15 run (Brown kick) E ‑ Perdue 67 run (pass failed) E ‑ Gayles 81 pass from Bracy (Smith pass from Bracy) M ‑ McVeen I run (Payne kick) E ‑ Perdue 1 run (pass failed)
Half a loaf was better than none for the Massillon Tigers Friday night.
Heck, half a loaf was better than butter compared to what Steubenville got last week.
The Massillon Tigers baked up a first half that was savory as could be en route to a 24-0 high school victory over Youngstown East in front of 10,458 fans at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.
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The second half left some of the Tiger coaches looking like they had just bit into burnt toast. The Tigers out-gained East just 75-65 in second half yardage after a first half in which the numbers were 204-71.
But what the heck. This was the same East that had made like yeast seven days earlier in stunning Steubenville (1988 Division II state runner-up) 12-7.
And, even though one coach said, “The teams that get to Columbus are the ones that put teams away,” isn’t week two maybe too early to be perfect.
If the first half wasn’t perfect, it was at least a 9.9 on the Bo Derek scale. The offense scored on all four of its possessions. The defense didn’t give East a sniff of the 50-yard line, much less the goal stripe.
The passing game clicked.
“Their defensive backs were playing really far off us and we took advantage,” said senior flanker Troy Manion, who seemed unfazed by a hyper-extended knee in catching four passes for 28 yards in the first half.
“I was a lot more relaxed tonight,” added senior wide receiver Rameir Martin, whose first-half numbers were three catches, 71 yards, and one touchdown. “I was pretty tense last week. It was my first game of my senior year.”
“We’d heard they had the best talent of anybody we play this year,” said quarterback Lee Hurst, whose first half included eight completions in 10 throws for 107 yards. “We just came out and we were ready for them.”
“The first week the offense tried too hard. All the captains felt we had to get everybody ready and we got too high ourselves.”
All three players agreed the Tigers lost their touch in the second half.
That’ll be the topic of locker room discussion throughout the coming week.
Meanwhile, next week’s game at Middletown looks less imposing than it once did in the wake of the Middies’ 34-6 loss Friday at Cincinnati Princeton.
But it’s safe to suppose perennially strong Middletown, whose home opener will be against the Tigers, will be jacked up for Massillon where Middie head coach Jim Place lived when he was playing football at Central Catholic High.
Like everyone else on the team Owens was disappointed in the second half.
“But the thing to do, I think, is to emphasize the positive things that happened in the first half,” he said.
Ownes was talking to the players at halftime when he said. “That’s got to be the best half of football I’ve seen the Tigers play. Then (tight end) Dough Harwig said, “Better than St. Joseph last year?” He had a point. Those two halves were close.”
The game plan called for the Tigers to run left and throw right. That combination kayoed East early, working to perfection on the game’s opening drive when Massillon used 11 plays to drive 62 yards. Pass plays netted 7, 6, 11 and 16 yards. Runs went for 5, 7, 10 and 2 yards.
The 2-yard run punched the ball to the 3, from where fullback Ryan Sparkman followed the blocks of Ray Kovacsiss, Mike Silverthorn and Lou LoCoco into the end zone. Gary Miller’s PAT kick made it 7-0.
East punted and the Tigers drove again, this time 72 yards in only seven plays. The big one came in one of the many formations the Tigers used to confuse the Bears. Three receivers flooded the right side with Hurst standing over an unbalanced line. Martin took off deep, but defensive back Elwen Freeman hung with him.
Hurst had plenty of time to loft a bomb to the right sideline. The 6-foot-3 Martin went up with the 5-8 Freeman, wrestling the ball away at the 11, spinning as Freeman fell, and racing into the end zone on a nifty 43-yard gain. Miller’s kick made it 14-0 with 2:27 left in the first quarter.
It was Hurst who was the extra-point kicker last year, but he has given up those duties. He remains, however, as the kickoff man (he was superb in that role Friday) and the guy who tires any long field goals. He got his first chance in the latter category and delivered a 42-yard field goal that soared high and sneaked over the crossbar to make it 17-0 with 7:55 left in the first half.
The first of two Keith Rabbit interceptions set up a 34-yard touchdown mini-march capped by Sparkman’s 1-yard blast with 2:10 left in the half.
Rabbitt had an amazing average of one interception a game in sophomore and junior varsity action. He is ahead of that pace as a varsity player with three thefts in two games.
The key to the shutout, though, was stopping the likes of East tailback Steve Woodberry.
“Our goal was to stop the running game and we did that,” Rabbit said. “We looked at them as a real strong team and it was nice to get a shutout against them.”
Woodberry was held to 18 yards in 14 carries. Several times, it looked as though the Tigers knew what the play would be as well as the East players did.
First-year East head coach Jerron Jenkins, the same age as Owens at 33, was puzzled about the first half.
“Tackling? There wasn’t any,” he said. “We did not come to play. They passed on us all night, even though we knew they were going to try to pass.”
“I don’t understand it. We pounded Steubenville from the start. I’ll tell you one thing, though. We’re going to find out what the problem is and do some serious work to fix it.”
Hel’’ have to work fast. The Bears face Austintown Fitch next week.
“We’ll find out how good East is next week,” Owens said.
As for the Tigers’ game at Middletown next week?
“Our team will have to be together,” Owens said. “We’ve got to make sure everything’s together.”
Meaning he wants the rest of that loaf.
A rundown of each drive Friday:
Mas – Start with opening kickoff on own 38; drive 62 yards in 11 plays; Sparkman 3-yard TD run; Miller kick. Big play, 16-yard Hurst-to-Martin pass on second-and-15. Tigers 7-0 East – Start on own 24; five plays, 15 yards, punt. Mas – Start on own 28; drive 72 yards in seven plays; Hurst 43-yard TD pass to Martin, Miller kick. Tigers 14-0 East – Start on own 23; six plays, 12 yards, punt. Mas – Start on own 34; drive 41 yards in seven plays; Hurst 42-yard field goal. Big play, 31-yard Sparkman run on fake punt. Tigers 17-0 East – Start on own 20; six plays, lose ball on interception by Rabbitt. Mas – Start on East 38; eight plays, 38 yards; Sparkman 1-yard TD run; Miller kick. Tigers 24, East 0. East – Start on own 20; six plays, 23 yards; end of first half.
▪ ▪ ▪ East – Start with second-half kickoff on own 25; eight plays, 43 yards ; lose ball on interception by Rabbitt. Mas – Start on own 15; four plays, 24 yards; punt. East – Start on own 41; eight plays, 28 yards; lose ball when quarterback Regal Reese is sacked for 11-yard loss. Mas – Start on own 31; seven plays, 25 yards; lose ball on interception by Aldrige Jones. East – Start on own 25; three plays, zero yards, punt. Mas – Start on own 38; three plays, 7 yards; fake punt on with Kevin McCue completing pass for first down to Joe Pierce; “illegal participation” penalty on East over-rides play; three more plays, punt. East – Take over on own 10; three plays, punt; Tigers run out clock.
MASSILLON 24 YOUNGSTOWN EAST 0
STATISTICS M E First downs rushing 7 5 First downs passing 6 3 First downs by penalty 2 1 Totals first downs 15 9 Yards gained rushing 149 98 Yards lost rushing 37 44 Net yards rushing 112 54 Net yards passing 167 82 Total yards gained 279 136 Passes attempted 16 16 Passes completed 12 6 Passes int. by 1 2 Times kicked off 5 1 Kickoff average 55.8 45.0 Kickoff return yards 23 51 Punts 2 4 Punting average 24.5 42.0 Punt return yards 30 0 Fumbles 1 2 Fumbles lost 0 0 Penalties 2 8 Yards penalized 20 56 Number of plays 57 45 Time of possession 23:13 24:47 Attendance 10,458
East 0 0 0 0 00 MASSILLON 14 10 0 0 24
M – Sparkman 3 run (Miller kick) M – Martin 43 pass from Hurst (Miller kick) M – FG Hurst 42 M – Sparkman 1 run (Miller kick)
Tigers Beat Youngstown East While Eyeing McKinley Massillon Eleven, Under Wraps, Wins 20-7; Canton Bulldogs Trim Lakewood
By LUTHER EMERY
The Washington high Tigers defeated Youngstown East 20-7 in Rayen Stadium Saturday afternoon but that is old news and of secondary importance now. What matters most this week is that the Tigers will tackle Canton McKinley’s once beaten and once tied Bulldogs in Tiger Stadium at 2 o’clock next Saturday afternoon in a continuation of one of the oldest and most heated football rivalries in the state.
The Bulldogs defeated Lakewood 13-7 Saturday, and like the Tigers looked bad doing it, but one might well believe that Bulldog Coach “Bup” Rearick like Tiger Coach “Bud” Houghton, was holding his punches and trying to get by just as easy as he could.
Such was the case at least at Youngstown, Saturday where Houghton started four players who had never previously started a Tiger football game, and likewise twisted his defense continually throughout the game so as to even confuse Massillon fans as to what he was trying to do.
New faces in the Tigers’ starting lineup were Bill Edie at left tackle, Bob Angstadt at left guard, Wayne Krisher at center and Jack Houston at right guard. Regulars Jim Young, Merle Darrah and Dan Byelene, and Dave Dowd who might be classed as a regular since he has started the last several games, didn’t play a second of the contest. Tony Uliveto was in for only two defensive and two offensive plays and Tom Brooks was used sparingly.
Houghton, in fact, used 22 players in the contest, substituting freely and mixing everything up after his Tigers had roared to all of their 20 points in the first period and a half of the game. * * * THIS IS NOT intended to imply that the Tigers did not try to score more than three touchdowns. They did, but in the second half they looked just like the great 1940 team did on the same gridiron when Paul Brown pulled his regulars after running up 26 points in 16 minutes, and then couldn’t get another point, regulars and all.
In fact, East scored one touchdown, had a second called back and threatened on two other occasions after Houghton started his program of substitution, but the final score showed Massillon the winner by a score of 20-7 which was one-half of the afternoon’s objective. The other half was to get through the game without any serious injuries, and that was accomplished too. Most seriously injured was Morrie Eberhardt who had the web torn on his hand between the first and second finger, necessitating six stitches, but Morrie had it sewed up, bandaged and even went back into the game to try it out. Otherwise there were no injuries.
The game was used to test the physical fitness of Gene Krisher and Julius Wittmann, first and second string tackles, who handled the right tackle post, as well as Paul Cary, who started the season as the first string quarterback but who was cut down by injuries in the second game. Cary twice held the ball for Al Brown to kick points from placements, then went into the game to quarterback the team for a few minutes. He carried the ball once for a sizeable gain and announced that his leg was O.K. and would be ready for service next Saturday. He hopes to see a lot of action against McKinley. * * * THE EAST GAME was not only used as a testing ground for the Tigers for McKinley but preparations for the Bulldogs went forward immediately after the contest when all players were given “conditioning” pills to keep them in good health for the forthcoming all important battle.
Back in Massillon after the contest, the squad was not dismissed until after a pep talk by Houghton and an outline of plans for this week’s work. That work began Sunday when the players took a two-mile walk, an annual custom followed on the Sunday preceding the Canton game…MORE.
Tonight the squad will begin a week of secret practice which is scheduled to end Friday afternoon when a few limbering up exercises are expected to hone the team’s precision and physical condition into a fine edge.
A start against McKinley, such as the Tigers made in the East game would gladden the hearts of Massillon fans. * * * IT ONLY required as much time as it takes Gene Zorger to run 85 yards to get the first touchdown. He grabbed Larry Ciolli’s kickoff on the 15 and ran along his right sideline without a hand being laid on him. Twice before this season Zorger has gotten by everybody but the safety man on kickoff plays. Saturday he went the route behind perfect blocking. In fact a hasty survey of the field showed but four East players on their feet and they were on the far side of the field.
With Zorger holding the ball, Brown missed an attempted placekick for the extra point.
The Tigers scored again in the second period after twice losing the ball on fumbles. Getting the ball through a punt on the East 46, they moved it up five yards and again turned Zorger loose through left tackle. He cut sharply to his right as he caught the East secondary off balance and outran them to the goal line 41 yards away.
Cary was sent in to hold the ball for Brown and Al kicked the extra point with as dead center a boot as is possible to make.
An intercepted East pass on the Youngstown 49 set the Tigers in motion for their third and final score with Brown tossing nine yards to Zorger who caught the ball in the end zone. Brown kicked the extra point. * * * EAST SCORED its only points in the same quarter after being stopped in one attempt when Earl Johnson intercepted Joe Malmisur’s pass behind the goal and ran it out to the six. The Youngstowners started from their own 45, drove and passed their way to the Tiger four, where Mancuso plunged through left tackle for the touchdown. Al Bucci kicked the extra point.
That sums up the scoring, and what happened in the second half; Massillon would just as leave forget. The Tigers were badly outplayed the last two periods, and only because East was in motion the score might have read 20-14, for Ken Queener got loose for a brilliant dash in the fourth quarter that carried him 58 yards and over the Tiger goal. The ball was called back, however and East was penalized five yards. Even in the face of this disappointment, East moved the ball to the 13-yard line before losing it on downs.
The Tigers never threatened seriously in the second half. They got to the 25 once when the ball was lost on an intercepted pass and they were on the 20-yard line when the game ended.
From the statistical columns you would believe East the winner. It made 14 first downs to the Tigers six and ran up a net total of 264 yards from scrimmage to the Tigers 230 yards.
Zorger’s two long touchdown dashes, belie all other statistics, however and give Massillon the advantage in the column that counts most points scored. * * * THE STATISTICAL columns reveal, however that the Tigers left much to be desired in the way of defense, and this department undoubtedly will receive more attention than ever this week as the local team prepares for the Bulldogs.
Ralph Pucci, the Bulldogs’ great back, runs between the tackles where the Tigers have appeared weakest all season.
Lakewood was fairly successful in topping Pucci Saturday. He was held scoreless, save for a point after touchdown.
You can’t gang up your secondary on the Bulldogs to stop Pucci either, for the Canton team has a good passing attack. In fact Lakewood learned the folly of concentrating too heavily on a stop Pucci movement, for Canton’s two touchdowns were scored on passes from Pete Spera to Nick Stevenson.
Pete, who quarterbacks the Canton T, is an accurate passer and will bear just as much watching as Pucci.
Lakewood, however, demonstrated as several of the McKinley opponents have this year – that the Bulldogs are vulnerable. The Lakewood eleven powered its way over the goal line in the third quarter for one touchdown and threatened again later in the game.
The lineups and summaries: Massillon Pos. East Zeller LE McKeown Edie LT Carderelli Angstadt LG J. Massaro W. Krisher C Sulick Houston RG Santillo E. Krisher RT T. Massaro Eberhardt RE Ciolli Brown QB Maimisur Giloff LH Casey Zorger RH Queener Yost FB Mancuso
Score by periods: Massillon 13 7 0 0 20 East 0 7 0 0 7
Points after touchdown: Massillon – Brown 2 (placekicks). East – Bucci (placekick).
Referee – Paul Avery. Umpire – Denny Schill. Head Linesman – A. Lindsey. Field Judge – K. Soller.
Statistics Massillon East First downs 6 14 Passes attempted 8 12 Passes completed 2 6 Had passes intercepted 1 4 Yards gained passing 38 124 Yards gained rushing 211 183 Total yards gained 249 307 Yards lost 18 43 Net yards gained 230 264 Times kicked off 4 2 Average kickoff (yards) 47 44 Kickoffs returned (yards) 95 27 Times punted 4 2 Average punt (yards) 28 37 Punts returned (yards) 0 13 Times penalized 10 4 Yards penalized 80 30 Times fumbled 4 5 Lost ball on fumbles 3 3
McKinley Pos. Lakewood Winn LE Yuhas Snyder LT Lestock H. Wetzel LG Bender Bourquin C Sopka E. Cobett RG Webster O’Bravic RT Stoyanoff Stevenson RE Ostlund Spera QB Courtney Hamilton LH Kadar Pucci RH Bristow B. Wetzel FB Sanders
MASSILLON – Capitalizing on four pass interceptions and a fumble, the Massillon Tigers defeated a rangy Youngstown East team 39-12 before 9,000 fans Saturday in their last 1941 appearance in Tiger stadium.
The big East team proved to be no breather for the Tigers, scoring more points and making more first downs than any Massillon opponent to date. Coach Bud Houghton kept his first team in the game until late in the final period to insure the eighth victory of the season.
The Youngstown team could get nowhere playing straight football but in the second quarter resorted to a passing attack which netted them 131 yards and both their touchdowns. Dunlevy heaved most of East’s 25 passes with Lou Gabriel doing some effective receiving.
The Tiger line again proved its worth by stopping the Oriental ball carriers cold while their own backs were able to pick up 319 yards. Blunt provided the most spectacular run of the day when he streaked wide around his own left end 64 yards for the third touchdown early in the second quarter.
Adams Scores Opener.
Bob Graber, a junior, played one of his best games, intercepting two passes to set the stage for touchdowns and scoring another himself. Chuck Holt, another junior back, was the first quarter hero, covering a fumble on the second play of the game to provide the break for the first Tiger touchdown. He also intercepted one of Dunlevy’s passes a few minutes later and twisted 29 yards for the second score.
As had been their custom the Tigers wasted no time in scoring. Holt recovered Wayland’s fumble on the East 24 and six plays brought the ball to the two from where Dick Adams took it through right tackle for six points. His kick for the extra point was no good.
Holt’s touchdown came shortly afterward when be intercepted a pass on the East 29 and went over. Adams converted.
Blunt Runs 64 Yards.
Massillon scored again early in the second quarter when Graber intercepted an Oriental pass on his own 36. On the next play Blunt swept end for his 64 yard run and Massillon’s 19th point. Holt made the extra point.
A moment later Graber intercepted another pass. Holt carried to the East 19 and a pass, Graber to Cardinal, took it to the one, where Cardinal hurdled the line for the score. Holt’s kick was no good.
The first Youngstown touchdown came as a result of a drive from their own 35. A pass, Dunlevy to Gabriel, was good for 24 yards and another pass to Gabriel in the march.
The Orientals showed their respect for the Tiger line by not trying to buck their way the remaining four yards. Instead they tried four passes, all of which were grounded, and Massillon took the ball.
East got it back a moment later, however, by covering Blunt’s fumble on the 12-yard line. This time the visitors were not denied. Dunlevy threw a perfect strike to Vicarel, who fell over the goal after catching the ball. Wayland was thrown back trying to carry the ball over for the extra point.
Neither team threatened seriously until the last half-minute of the fourth quarter, when Adams intercepted an East pass on the 39-yard line. The ball was moved up to the 30 where Adams threw over the secondary to Junior White, who caught it in the end zone. The game ended as soon as the Tigers completed their try for the extra point, Adams kicking it over.
The Tigers had the edge in statistics, making 12 first downs to East’s nine and gaining the net total of 343 yards to East’s 148. East made 131 of its net yards on forward passes, while the Tigers made 48.
The locals attempted nine passes and completed two while East tried 25 and worked 10 of them.
Robinson Gets In
The game marked the appearance of Herman Robinson, veteran left end, for the first time this season. He played the last couple of minutes but still favored the injured knee that has kept him on the bench all season.
Enough for the East-Massillon game. The fans have forgotten it already anyway. They are thinking of the tilt at Canton Saturday and so are the Tigers.
They will work out behind closed doors this week with all spectators barred from the field. The Massillon boys emerged from the East game without suffering any injuries, and John Hill, right guard, a contact man on practically every play will be O.K. for the McKinley game. He has been kept out of the last two games because of an injured leg, but it is strong as ever now.
The coaches broke up the squad into groups Sunday and each took a hike as a limbering up process. Serious workout for Saturday’s encounter will begin tonight.
It will be the 46th meeting between the teams since 1894. Canton has won 22 games, Massillon 20, and three have resulted in tie scores. The Tigers have won the last six encounters, a streak that started in 1935 after three years of domination by McKinley.
As the teams go into their final week of practice, the game looks like a tossup, despite the better showing made by the Tigers against two of four common opponents.
Both Tied Mansfield
Both teams tied Mansfield, Canton playing a scoreless tie, Massillon battling to a 6-6 score. The Tigers defeated Steubenville 58-0, Canton won 58-8. The Tigers defeated Warren 21-0, Canton lost to Warren 13-7, with breaks and blocking punts playing an important part in both games. The Tigers defeated Alliance 46-6, when the latter virtually quit in the second half, while Canton edged Alliance 18-13.
The game looks like a tossup despite the latter two scores, because scores frequently have meant so little in past Massillon-Canton game performances.
The Tigers looked like winners by half a dozen touchdowns two years ago, but they were glad to settle for a 20-6 triumph. Last year they trailed up to the last two minutes of the half when a well executed pass put them ahead 7-6. They eventually won 34-6, by routing the Bulldogs the last quarter.
Last year’s 34 points were the most made by either team since Canton whipped Massillon 45-0 back in 1907. In all the years of rivalry, the victor has on but six occasions scored more than 21 points.
Each team has had five opponents cross its goal this season. Six touchdowns have passed over the Tiger payoff stripe, while Bulldog opponents have scored 10 touchdowns on them.
Five of the six touchdowns chalked up against Massillon were scored on passes. Only once was the ball run across, that coming on the return of a kickoff in the Marblehead, Mass., game. Canton has scored 268 points for the season to its opponents’ 66 points, while the Tigers have scored 282 points to their opponents’ 32.
Following is a record of Massillon-Canton rivalry since 1894 and the scores this year:
YOUNGSTOWN, O., Nov. 9 – Paul Brown’s classy Massillon Tigers struck with devastating force to pile up a 26-to-0 victory over a surprising East High eleven here today.
A crowd of 13,000, largest to witness a scholastic game here for the last decade, saw the Tigers stride four times for drives of 53, 5, 72 and 78 yards to gain its tallies in the first half-time intermission. It was Massillon’s 32nd straight and eighth of the season.
Ray Getz returned Diane’s opening kickoff to the Massillon 28 and the Tiger machine went into high gear, scoring in eight plays with Blunt going over from 3 yards out. Getz added the point from placement.
Gilllom kicked off to Fabian on the goal line and Fabian returned to the East 20. Two running plays and a pass gained nothing and Fabian punted to James on the Massillon 47.
Gillom Scores
On the first play James tossed a 40-yard pass to Gillom on the 20 and the lanky All-Ohio end skipped the remaining yards unmolested.
Getz missed the placement for the point.
Talmadge Jackson sparked his team to life with an 18-yard return of Gillom’s kickoff to the East 23. Al Pert reeled off an 18-yard run and Jackson added 5 to make it first down on the East 35. Jackson gained 3 more and Pert whisked off tackle for another first down on the East 44.
Jackson and Powis each gained 1 and East resorted to the aerial game but without success as Robinson intercepted Fabian’s pass on the Massillon 44 and again the Tigers went on the march.
Pass Fails
James reeled off a 12-yard jump for a first down on the East 42, Robinson sprinted 28 for another first down on the 14. Gillom lost 5 and Massillon was set back 15 yards for clipping. Robinson’s pass to Gillom was knocked down. James gained 7 in two tries and on fourth down his pass intended for Gillom fell incomplete in the end zone.
Pert went to a first down on the East 41 as the quarter ended. Two running plays netted 8 and Powis’ pass failed. Fabian kicked out of bounds on the Massillon 17. Here the Tigers marched 83 yards in 9 plays for their third score with Tom James cutting inside East’s left end for 52 yards.
The final Massillon tally came in the waning minutes of the second period. Taking the ball on its 22, Massillon needed but three plays to do the trick. James gained 3. Gillom passed to James for 17 and a first down on the East 42. James then passed to Getz on the 30 and Getz romped the remaining distance for the touchdown. Getz place kicked the point.
East seriously threatened the Tigers uncrossed goal line in the third period.
Taking the ball on their own 20, after Gillom’s kick went into the end zone, for an automatic touchback, East punched 66 yards down to the Massillon 14 before a last down fumble gave the Tigers the ball.
MASSILLON YOUNGSTOWN Gillom L.E. Lanzi Henderson L.T. Mestichelli Wallace L.G. Massacco Appleby C Hash Russell R.G. Direnzo Broglio R.T. Diane Robinson R.E. Laskin Kingham Q Fabian James L.H. Pert Getz R.H. Jackson Blunt F Powis
Massillon 13 13 0 0 – 26
Substitutions: Massillon – Armour, Demando, ends; Oliver, Weisgarber, tackles; Hill, L. Cardinal, guards; Fuchs, c; Adams, lh; White, rh; Pizzino, f; F. Cardinal, q. East – Kraayck, e; Pilusi, t; Ciolin, c; Andrews, q; Berger, rh; Delmark, lh; Wayland, f.
Touchdowns – Blunt, Gillom, James, Getz.
Points after touchdowns – Getz 2 (placements)
Statistics:
MASS. YOUNG. Yards gained rushing 214 104 Yards lost rushing 12 34 Yards gained passing 102 11 Net gain from scrimmage 304 81 First downs rushing 8 6 First downs passing 1 1 First downs penalties 1 1 Total first downs 10 8 Passes attempted 7 6 Passes completed 2 2 Opponents passes intercepted 2 1 Number of punts 3 7 Average distance of punts 37 26 Number of penalties 5 2 Total yards lost penalties 55 10 Number of fumbles 1 2 Opponents fumbles recovered 2 1 Number of kickoffs 5 1 Average distance of kickoff 38 37 Average yardage returning kickoffs 11 15
TIGERS TURN IN 32ND STRAIGHT TRIUMPH ON FIRST HALF ASSAULT
Bengals Held Scoreless In Last Two Quarters By Aggressive Rival
By SAM FOGG Repository Staff Writer
YOUNGSTOWN – After hurling over four sudden scores in the opening half, Massillon was held scoreless for the remainder of the game as the Tigers whipped a fighting Youngstown East eleven 26-0 for their 32nd consecutive victory at Rayen stadium Saturday before 12,500.
Benefiting from a lull resulting between Tiger contests with Toledo Waite and Canton McKinley, the Youngstown gridders stole the second half show as they throttled the Massillon running assault and launched a determined drive that threatened the Tiger goal in the third period. The victory margin was the lowest for Massillon this season.
Content With Victory
The brilliancy of Tom James, Horace Gillom, Ray Getz and Fred Blunt in the first two quarters insured a decisive Massillon triumph and the Stark county team was content to avoid injury and play defensive football the rest of the day. After halting a Youngstown drive on its own 12-yard line, the Massillon starting eleven left the game at the end of the third period.
STATISTICS Massillon Youngstown First down, rushing 12 7 First downs, passing 1 1 Total first down 13 8 Yards gained rushing 303 96 Yards gained passing 128 18 Yards lost 2 27 Net yards gained 429 87 Passes attempted 9 11 Passes completed 3 2 Passes intercepted 3 1 Passes incompleted 5 6 Fumbles 1 2 Opp. recovered 1 1 Own recovered 0 1 Penalties 55 10 No. of punts 2 5 Aver. Yardage of punts 39.5 46
The East lineup maintained a fighting attack throughout the game as Jack Perl and Bob Wayland, a pair of driving backs, pounded at quick holes opened in the Tiger line. Running hard from spinners and quick deceptive reverses, the two Indian runners picked up small but effective gains to compile eight first downs.
Blunt, James, Getz and Gillom each scored for Massillon as two touchdowns went over in the first period and two in the second. James again led the way for the Tiger scoring as he raced 52 yards for one tally and tossed long passes to Getz and Gillom for two other touchdowns. In the opening half, Massillon had possession of the ball six times and produced four touchdowns.
Three Passes Connect
Statistically, the Tigers compiled a huge advantage as they ran for 13 first downs, gained 303 yards from rushing and 128 yards on three completed passes. East netted 96 yards from rushing and 18 yards from passing.
The opening Tiger touchdown came three minutes after the kickoff on a sustained 73-yard march. From the 27-yard line, Getz piled through for five yards and Gillom crashed to the 47 for a first down on a spread formation. James shifted through tackle and traveled 32 yards to the East 21 and a moment later, ripped through a wide hole for 15 yards to the Youngstown 3. Getz was pulled down on the one-foot line and Blunt drilled over. Getz kicked the point.
East failed to gain after the kickoff and Massillon scored on one running play. Downed on the Tiger 47, James faded a pass to Gillom, who had broken loose behind the Youngstown secondary on the 17, and the score was 13-0. A penalty blocked the third Tiger advance as the quarter ended.
In the second period, Perl kicked out on the Massillon 17. Getz, John Pizziono and James carried the assault to the Tiger 47. James on his patented double threat, passing-running play broke down the sideline, escaping a net of tacklers and protected by a ring of blockers ran 53 yards to score. Five plays later, the Tiger scoring was completed. East punted out on the Massillon 21. Getz drove for three yards and took a pass from James for 16 yards. Again Getz slipped by the Youngstown aerial defense and grabbed a pass from James to race for a 59-yard touchdown.
Penalties Aid East
As play resumed in the final half, East took possession on the 20 when Gillom punted into the end zone. Wayland, a sophomore, pounded for three yards and the Youngstown offense began to move. Assisted by 25 yards in penalties, two completed passes and the smashing drives of Wayland and Perl, East drove to four first downs to the Tiger 22. Perl hit for a yard at guard and shot a seven yard-pass to Ray Delmark. Wayland plunged for a yard to the 12 but on fourth down fumbled and recovered to end the longest advance recorded against Massillon this season.
Caoch Paul Brown inserted his second eleven in the fourth period and the two teams battled on even terms. The Tiger reserves missed fire on a scoring opportunity late in the quarter when Dick Adams fumbled on the East 10 after he had covered a Youngstown fumble on the 4.
The Washington High swing band again kept customers in their seats following the contest as they combined forces with the Youngstown East band to offer a brilliant musical display. At half time, the Tiger musicians offered maneuvers in swing time and cast Obie the Tiger as a clarinet-playing, top-hatted Ted Lewis.
Massillon Pos. Youngs. East Robinson LE Lanzi Henderson LT Diana Wallace LG Venglarcik Appleby C Cioli Russell RG Massocco Broglio RT Mestichelli Gillom RE Laskin Kingham QB Fabian James LH Perl Getz RH Jackson Blunt FB Powis
Score by periods: Massillon 13 13 0 0 – 26
Touchdowns – Blunt, Gillom, James, Getz.
Points after touchdown – Getz 2 (placement).
Substitutions: Massillon – F. Cardinal, g; Pizzino, fb; White, hb; Getz, g; Weisgarber, t; Bray, e; Hill, g; Oliver, t; Armour, qb; Fuchs, c; DeMando, e. East – Delmark, hb; Berger, hb; Hosa, g; Wayland, fb; Krayac, e.
Tough Youngstown Game Just What Tigers Needed To Keep Them On Edge For Annual Battle With Canton This Week
By LUTHER EMERY
Having emerged virtually unscathed from their 26-0 victory and 32nd consecutive triumph in Youngstown Saturday against a stubborn East high school team, the Washington high Tigers sharpen their fangs this week for the Ohio grid classic of the season, the annual battle with undefeated Canton McKinley in Tiger Stadium.
This is not being written for the purpose of drumming up a crowd. All tickets are sold, have been sold for a week, and those noble souls who spend their time selling tickets while others watch the game, will themselves have an opportunity to see a kickoff Saturday. All windows will be locked.
Escape Injuries
The Tigers were fortunate to escape Saturday’s stiff melee at Youngstown without injury and without being scored upon. They found themselves stacked against one of the roughest and toughest teams they have played this season, and the pro-East tempo was terrific.
When the East fans learned early in the game that they could not expect a victory, their hopes, dwindled to an intense desire to be the first to score on the Tigers and in the face of 26 points, gave their team more support from the stands than any high school eleven in these parts has had for years. Washington high students can well take a lesson.
The appeal reached the ears of the East gridders and with the assistance of three penalties, each of which helped them to a first down, they nearly accomplished their purpose as they drove to the Tiger 11-yard line. There the ball was lost on a fumble on fourth down when a yard would have meant a first down.
But East did chalk up more first downs against the Tigers and hold them to fewer points than any other team this season, two reasons why the Youngstown school was perfectly satisfied.
From a Massillon standpoint it is a compliment to win by 26 points and have your opponent consider itself a moral victor.
East Never Quit
The East eleven deserves praise for its performance. Though beaten down by a relentless Massillon attack that produced one touchdown, and three perfect plays that produced three others, the Youngstowners never ceased handing it back, and showed the Tigers more offense than they have looked at this season.
The Tigers were able to stop East’s colored star, Talmage Jackson, but Al Perl, Jack Powis and a substitute fullback, Art Wayland, punctured the Massillon forward wall for 96 yards while two passes which accounted for 18 yards, and a number of penalties enabled the Barrettmen to register nine first downs. The Tigers made 13, gained 273 yards from rushing and 131 by passing.
All of Massillon’s points were scored in the first half, 13 in each period.
The local gridders never looked better than they did in the first half, their first daylight game of the season. Ray Getz lugged the kickoff back 17 yards to the 26-yard line and there a drive was launched that did not end until Blunt slashed through right tackle for the last foot of ground. A 22-yard run by Horace Gillom from a spread formation and a 26-yard dash by Tom James were included in the touchdown march.
The next time they came into possession of the ball, James took it on a reverse from Getz and heaved a long pass to Gillom who was far beyond the East secondary when he gathered in the leather. It was good for 54 yards and a touchdown.
A 15-yard penalty for clipping helped to stop the next Tiger drive after Herman Robinson had gotten the ball on an almost unbelievable leaping one-handed pass interception.
Statistics Of Tiger Victory E M First downs 9 13 Yards gained rushing 96 273 Yards lost rushing 49 12 Passes attempted 11 9 Passes completed 2 3 Yards gained passes 18 131 Number of penalties 2 5 Yards penalized 10 55 Number of punts 5 3 Averages yards punts 44 32 Number of kickoffs 1 5 Number of fumbles 4 2
In the second quarter, however, the Tigers secured the ball on their own 18, advanced to their 49 where they turned Tom James loose around his right end for a brilliant 51-yard touchdown run. As James, nearly bottled up along the sideline, cut back toward midfield, Gillom tossed him a block that took out the last two tacklers on the 35-yard line and Tommy had nothing left to do but run.
Two minutes later, and the next time the Massillon boys got the ball, James fired a pass that Ray Getz, running full-steam ahead, took on his fingertips on the 35-yard line and raced over the goal. The play was good for 58 yards.
That finished the scoring the first half and the scoring of the game. Getz kicked two points from placement in the four attempts.
No Meeting Of Booster Club
The Booster club will not meet this week until Friday evening when it will hold a torch light parade and bonfire rally to give vent to its enthusiasm over the Massillon-Canton game.
East Begins Stall
What happened the second half? Massillon fans who remained at home were greatly concerned. It didn’t bother those who attended the game.
East played for a low score the second half. It consumed a maximum amount of time in the huddle and was penalized once for it. The Youngstowners used up nearly all of the third period as they bided their time while pushing back the Tigers from their own 20-yard line to the Massillon 11-yard line where the locals recovered a fumble on fourth down and a yard to go. In the march the Tigers were penalized three times, 15 yards for unnecessary roughness and five yards twice for being offside. One gave East a first down, the other two helped out on first downs.
The Tiger lashed back with a ferocious attack and traveled 49 yards on two plays. There the quarter ended and Coach Paul Brown not desiring to take any further chances against injury to his players, sent in the second team which played the entire fourth quarter.
The second team battled the East first team on even terms throughout the period but neither could score. The Massillon scrubs lost a golden opportunity in the dying moments of the game when Jack Oliver pounced on an East fumble on the four-yard line.
Dick Adams lashed through tackle to the one-yard line but the ball was squeezed out of his arms when tackled and Perl recovered for East.
Just What Tigers Needed
The game kept the Tiger eleven on edge for its battle with McKinley next week. They encountered enough resistance in East to make them scrap for every yard, and they found how troublesome one player can be when they tried to keep Lou Mestichelli out of the Massillon backfield. The boy played a fine defensive game for East.
The Massillon eleven returned home to find Canton McKinley had defeated Mansfield 38-7, and a serious look immediately spread over the Tiger faces, for they had only defeated Mansfield 38-0.
A man-sized job is cut out for the Massillon eleven this week if it is to defeat the Canton Bulldogs. No Massillon team has ever finished the season without its goal line being crossed. The 1940 team has an opportunity to establish a new record here. To date it has kept its goal line clean. Can it keep Athy Garrison, Matt Brown, Ray Hooper, and other McKinley backs or ends from reaching the end of the rainbow next Saturday?
Garrison is the Bulldog’s big shot this season. The red and black had Pete Ballos when they played here in 1936. The Tigers stopped him. They had Marion Motley in 1938. The Tigers stopped him. This Saturday they come to Massillon with Garrison. Can he be stopped? One fellow who will have a lot to say about it is Horace Gillom. Backing up the line, as he does, he will meet Garrison frequently on off tackle thrusts. So will Herman Robinson and Pokey Blunt who cover the flats in a 6-3-2 defense. They have a big job cut out for themselves next Saturday afternoon.
It will be the last game of the season for nine of the 11 players, Co-Captains Ray Getz and Gillom, Jim Russell, Eli Broglio, Bill Wallace, Gordon Appleby, James, Dick Kingham, and Gene Henderson.
Not a one of these boys has played on a defeated high school team. For that matter, not a member of the entire Tiger squad has played on a defeated Massillon team. If they beat Canton Saturday, these seniors will have established a record for themselves—three years of varsity competition without a defeat.
Johnny Reed juggled his Bulldog lineup Saturday to get more of an offensive punch in the backfield. The shift produced the desired benefits, for Matt Brown, moved from end to fullback romped for three of the Canton touchdowns and Garrison three others. The Bulldogs scored 25 of their points the first half.
32nd Triumph
Massillon East Robinson LE Laskin Henderson LT Mestichelli Wallace LG Massocco Appleby C Hosa Russell RG Pelusi Broglio RT Diana Gillom RE Lanzi Kingham Q Fabian James LH Perl R. Getz RH Jackson Blunt F Powis
Massillon 13 13 0 0 – 26 East 0 0 0 0 – 0
Touchdowns – Blunt, Gillom, James, R. Getz.
Point after touchdown – R. Getz 2 (placekicks).
Substitutions: East – Krayac, re; Venglarcik, rg; Ciolli, c; Delmark, rh; Berger, lh; Wayland, fb; Andrews, qb. Massillon – L. Cardinal, lt; Armour, le; Weisgarber, rt; Oliver, lt; P. Getz, rg; Hill, lg; DeMando, re; Adams, lh; Pizzino, fb; White, rh; F. Cardinal, qb; Fuchs, c.
Referee – John Hetra (Westminister) . Umpire – Harry Weick (Indiana Normal). Headlinesman – Denny Shill (Baldwin-Wallace).
YOUNGSTOWN EAST HOLDS WASHINGTON HIGH TO 6-6 SCORE IN GRID OPENER JOHNNY ZBAN STARS FOR INVADING TEAM; KESTER TIGER ACE
By FRED J. BECKER Independent Sports Editor
Just because a football team fails to win a game during an entire season is no indication it will meet the same fate the following year. East high of Youngstown had a very lean year in 1930 in football, going through the entire campaign without winning a contest. But then Youngstown East did not have Johnny Zban on its squad a year ago and from the way young Johnny stepped around on the gridiron at Massillon Field Friday night Youngstown East is going to pay dividends in the way of some football victories before the 1931 campaign closes.
The Mahoning county gridders invaded Massillon last night to inaugurate Washington high’s season in a nocturnal battle and as it turned out the Youngstown team put on the party, throwing somewhat of a surprise into Coach Elmer McGrew’s lads and several thousand fans by holding the youthful Tigers to a 6 to 6 tie in 48 minutes of rousing football combat. There was nothing of the weakling about Youngstown East last night. Paced by the clever Zban, the eastern Ohio boys gave the Massillonians quite a lesson in football.
Zban Destined for Stardom Moral victories never show up in the football ledger of games won and lost but East had a right to go home last night feeling that its feat of holding the Tigers to a tie score earned them a moral triumph at least. Considering that they hadn’t won a game last year and the touchdown they scored in the third period last night was their first since the middle of the 1930 campaign they had a right to feel justly proud of their accomplishment.
It’s our humble opinion that young Johnny Zban is going to make a whale of a football player before he hangs his war togs up for keeps. Just a sophomore, this youngster, ran the Massillon boys right off their feet by his spectacular dashes on sweeping runs around the Tiger flanks. And he kept it up the entire evening. Rare were the occasions when he was stopped without a gain and more often than not his dashes carried him through the Massillon team for gains of from five to 38 yards.
Kester Flashes But Johnny was not alone in the limelight when it came to showing a clean pair of heels to opposing tacklers. Massillon also had a youngster making his debut as a Tiger regular, who is going to be heard from quite a bit as the campaign grows older. This lad is “Bo” Kester, another member of that Kester family which has turned out some pretty good athletes in its day and “Bo” seems to be another chip off the old block.
Johnny also has a well educated set of dogs and his sprints through the Youngstown team’s forward wall along with Glenn Williams’ bulldog smashes into the line were the bright spots in Massillon’s offense. Although the tie score was a disappointment in a way, yet it should not detract from the possibilities in the Massillon squad. The Tigers need plenty of coaching, especially on defensive play. They just couldn’t seem to build up any defense to stop Zban’s running attack and tackles and ends were sucked in time after time on Youngstown’s wide end plays.
But practice and experience should eliminate this fault and it’s certain Coach McGrew next week will be ironing out the faults which appeared in Friday’s performance.
Even though Zban nearly ran the Tigers out of their shoes, Massillon might have won had it not been for a disastrous fumble late in the third quarter. The Tigers, after keeping play in East’s territory during the entire first period finally shoved over their one touchdown near the close of the first 12 minute stanza.
East Scores in Third Then East bucked up, flashed strong on offense in the second period and crashed through to its touchdown early in the third. Massillon, however, came right back and was within scoring distance a few minutes later but lost the chance when a fumble was recovered by East.
On the opening kickoff, Clark of East fumbled and Krug covered for Massillon on East’s 38-yard line. The Tigers went right to work and reached the 15 yard line before losing the oval on downs. East punted but the Tigers marched right back to the 12-yard line before a 25-yard penalty for holding erased the chance to score.
East, however, couldn’t gain and punted to Clendening who raced the kick back 25 yards to East’s 33. Kester went off right tackle for 12.
He made two more and Williams smacked a hole in the line for nine and another first down. Clendening made one and Williams lugged the ball to the one yard line from where he went over on the next play. Clendening’s attempted place kick for extra point was blocked.
Brilliant March East seemed to find itself in the second period and began to give the Tigers a sample of what they were destined to endure during the rest of the game – Johnny Zban’s end runs. The visitors turned Zban loose with a vengeance and Johnny clicked like a well oiled machine. He was relieved on the end running business occasionally by Hanna who also proved hard to stop.
The East offense flashed when the visitors gained the ball on their 28-yard line when Clendening fumbled. They began a march which carried them to Massillon’s 10-yard mark before being halted. It netted four straight first downs before Massillon held and took the ball within the shadow of its goal posts. Foster immediately punted out of danger as the period ended.
But Zban was not to be denied. On the first play after the kickoff in the third period, Johnny dashed around Massillon’s left end and down the field for 38 yards before being pulled to earth on the Tigers’ 18 yard mark. Two line plays and Zban again dashed around end for another first down on the three yard line. Then East decided to give Johnny a rest and went to bucking the line. Four times the invaders smashed away at the center of the line, gaining a little ground each time until on fourth down they had the ball within an inch of the line. This time Santor took it and went over for the touchdown which tied the score. Zban tried to dash around end for the extra point but was nailed before he could make it.
Fumbles Hurt The Tigers came back with a rush and Mr. “Bo” Kester turned loose his speed in a brilliant 33 yard dash to East’s 30-yard line to set up hopes of another Tiger touchdown. Clendening and Williams made a first down in two plays and the ball was on East’s 20. Two offside plays hurt Massillon but Kester made good on another dash around end for 11 yards to plant the ball on the eight yard mark. Williams crashed the line for six. Then disaster overtook the Tigers. With a touchdown in sight Kester dropped the pass from center and lost five. On the next play Williams fumbled and Ferraro, East center pounced on the ball on the nine-yard line and the visitors punted out of danger.
Before the quarter ended Massillon punted and Hanna fumbled on an end play, Singer covering on East’s 30. Hope flamed anew but it was dashed when Massillon was set back 15 yards for holding.
From then on until the end of the game neither team was able to accomplish much.
Score: Massillon – 6 Pos. Youngstown – 6 Getz LE Clark Price LT Joseph Mudd LG Bugg Hoyman C Ferraro K. Monroe RG Gardner Adams RT Garibaldi Krug RE Pugh Singer QB Santor Kester LH Hanna Clendening RH Zban Williams FB Sannartino
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