Tigers Beat Akron South 33-0
Massillon Defense Outshines
Offense In
Football Opener
By
CHARLIE POWELL
The jitters…missed…tackles…missed blocking
assignments…fumbles…off-the-beam passes…he zigged when he should’ve zagged…all were
evident as the Massillon Tigers blew the lid on a new football season at the
stadium Friday night.
Very, very conspicuous also was a Tiger victory –
their 11th straight opening triumph – with the count being 33-0 over
an out-manned but scrappy Akron South team.
The better part of over 10,000 fans (9,621 paid)
toasted the Tigers after they completely outplayed the enemy.
But the orange and black had to work, work, work
every inch of the way in a maiden gridiron voyage that was just about as
typical as any of them.
Despite the fact that they hit for five touchdowns,
three of them by hurryin’ Ivory Benjamin, the home town boys were not too
impressive. They simply were not a good
offensive football team. Their longest
sustained drive of the night was only 35 yards and they never made more than
three first downs in any one series of plays but a mixture of long-distance
strikes and a fairly soft South defense let them come home without being
subject to too much pressure.
* * *
COACH LEE TRESSEL,
whose team some time ago indicated that it was far better fixed defensively,
had little to say about the offense.
“A look at the statistics reveals quite a difference
but it really didn’t seem like we moved the ball that much,” he said.
To this we add that the statistics were
deceiving. Before subtracting losses,
the Tigers made 305 yards by rushing.
But two runs by Benjamin accounted for half of that total.
Tressel was not satisfied with the quarterbacking
and it looks like there will be a lot of work ahead for the trio which took
their turns guiding the club last night.
Starter Bob Getz, Mark Anthony and Joe Sparma had looked like fine
passers in pre-season scrimmages but weren’t consistent in their first real test. Tressel found fault in the blocking department
and answered “could be” when somebody reasoned that the offense might have been
sharper had not injuries and sickness kept the team from practicing as a unit
more often.
* * *
THE TIGER TUTOR
smiled when the talk shifted to defense.
Anchored by the line-backing of Chuck Beiter and
Roger Reese, the Tigers limited the Cavaliers to two first downs over land and
a net total of 38 yards.
“We’ll know who did the jobs after we see the
movies,” Tressel said.
It might be said, too, that the Bengals appeared to
let down after clicking for two quick touchdowns…both gifts after South fumbled
the ball away deep in its own back yard.
With only about two minutes gone, Benjamin scored
the first of his three TDs. It came
three plays after Reese recovered a fumble at the Cavalier nine.
Beiter, limited to light work because his asthma
took the wind out of his sails early in the evening, tallied the second
touchdown with just two seconds remaining in the first
period – eight plays after he had recovered a South
bobble at the enemy 35.
* * *
THE SCOREBOARD
timer showed only six seconds left in the first half when Benjamin winged his
way 74 yards and clinching touchdowns were added in the third and fourth
quarters – by Benjamin on a 10-yard run midway in the third frame and by Ron
Williams, the big right end, on a 37yard pass play with Halfback Gene Stewart
on the gunning end on the first play of the final stanza.
The final quarter was a real comedy of errors. Massillon had two passes intercepted but
hauled in four South forwards.
Another look at the figures and we find that
Benjamin gained 153 yards in 15 carries while Stewart lugged 10 times for 55
yards and Beiter seven for 54.
Corky Pledgure, who has been waging a battle with
Stewart for the right half job, came up with the second longest jaunt of the
evening when he raced 50 yards to the South 30 in the last quarter. However, the nice run was wiped off the
books by an in motion penalty against the locals.
South was not the worst team ever to appear
here. The Cavaliers got themselves in
hot water right off the bat and never completely recovered. Otherwise, the battle that was predicted
might have materialized.
* * *
ON THE THIRD play
of the game Halfback Willie Gray fumbled, Reese recovered, and the Tigers had
possession on the South nine. After
Benjamin lost a yard on a sweep, Stewart came back with six at the middle and
then on third down, Benjamin found a hole at right tackle and followed Beiter
through and into pay dirt. Sophomore
Hase McKey tried the extra point but the ball hit the left upright and bounced
back.
South received again and made one first down before
wingback Henry Adams, the team’s hardest runner, fumbled on a double reverse
attempt. McKey covered the oval this
time but after four plays picked up 19 yards, the Tigers lost the ball on an
interception.
Bob Getz’s toss was short at the South nine and Rudy
Bell, defensive halfback, grabbed the pigskin and returned to the South
34. Adams recovered his own fumble at
the line of scrimmage before Quarterback Bill McFrey’s fumble was recovered by
Beiter at the Invader 35.
Beiter made 21 yards on two runs and Stewart got
four before a three-yard loss put the ball on the 13. Then Mark Anthony went to
the air. With South converging on a
short man, end Clyde Childers went deep and snagged the ball, fighting his way
to the one from which point Beiter smashed over right guard for a score with
only two seconds left in the quarter.
McKey’s placement this time was low and to the right.
Massillon indicated that it was going to get tougher
the first time the Tigers had possession in the second canto. From the 26 Benjamin got six and Stewart
three before the slippery Ivory, helped by Tom Heine’s fine block, rambled for
27 to the South 38. But after Benjamin
came back with two and Beiter lost four on a sweep, the ball went over to the
blue and white clad forces again.
* * *
GETZ HIT Williams down the
middle but after pulling a juggling act, Williams fumbled (after a 15-yard
gain) and South recovered. South
couldn’t move the Orange forward-wall and had to punt but the local lads
relinquished possession again on another pass interception.
Then came Massillon’s best defensive performance of
the night. As a pass, Johnny Williams
to Adams, was good for 25 yards the visitors moved to a first and 10 goal
situation at the five. Adams was held
for no gain and Gray got three on a dive play, then the same lad was stopped at
the line of scrimmage two more times and the Tigers assumed command at the two.
They moved out, with Beiter making 10 on a trap and
Stewart nine on an off-tackle slant, and were on the 26 when Benjamin took it
off the right side. Given nifty
blocking, he hit the jackpot – twisting away from one defender and then giving
another a hip. One Akron boy appeared
to be catching up around the Cavalier 30 but Ivory just shifted into overdrive
and went in unmolested. There were only
six seconds remaining in the half when McKey booted the extra point to make it
19-0.
The Tresselman received the third period kickoff and
advanced from their own 17 to the 47 but were forced to punt. During this effort Benjamin raced for 11 on
an option play, for 10 off tackle and Beiter got 10 up the middle.
* * *
CHILDER’S PUNTED
41 yards to the South 12 and the Cavaliers got back to the 33 before fumbling
again. This time Leaman Williamson, the
defensive left end, recovered at the South 27.
Steward whizzed for 17 before Benjamin followed his
blockers beautifully for 10 yards and his third six-pointer. At 4:33 Jim Hershberger, another sophomore
kicker, came in to convert.
On the last play of the quarter Bill Woodard’s punt
was grounded on the South 37.
On the first play of the final session the
Stewart-Williams combination wound up the scoring. Stewart took the ball on a reverse and as he was hit, threw far
into the right corner. Williams made a
nonchalant catch at the two and stepped past the final stripe at 11:52. Hershberger again converted.
A lot could be said about the rest of the game but
all the action was meaningless. Neither
side could work up anything resembling a sustained drive. It was in this period that the Tigers intercepted
four South passes – two by safety man Cornelius Clark, one by middle guard Noan
Taylor, and the other by big Bill Zorn after Taylor had batted the ball.
Second and third stringers played most of the
quarter.
The summary:
MASSILLON
ENDS – Childers, Williams, Snavely, Zorn, Hagan,
Pierce, Mitchell, Dean.
TACKLES – Slabaugh, A. Slicker, Donat, Karrenbauer,
Brownlee, Bordner.
GUARDS – Haine, Heimann, McKey, Taylor, J. Kasunick,
Cook.
CENTERS – Swartz, Williamson, Shilling, Reese.
QUARTERBACKS – Getz, Anthony, Sparma.
HALFBACKS – Benjamin, Stewart, Pledgure, Snively,
Clark, Garcia,
Young, Hershberger.
FULLBACKS – Beiter, Kanney.
AKRON SOUTH
ENDS – Toomer, Wims, Scott, Bell.
TACKLES – Woodard, Bioniarz, Slater, Ivey.
GUARDS – Green, Pearson, Burrell, Spencer.
CENTERS – Power, Nicolinio.
QUARTERBACKS – McFrye, Campbell, Williams,
Carruthers.
HALFBACKS – Haynes, Owens, Stradwick, Smith,
Gsellman, Bell, Gray.
FULLBACK – Adams.
Score by quarters:
Massillon 12 7 7 7 – 33
Akron South
0 0 0
0 – 0
OFFICIALS
Referee – Leo Less, Youngstown.
Umpire – John Russ, Youngstown.
Head Linesman – Ed Corsi, Shaker Heights.
Field Judge – Andy Moran – Berea
Scoring plays: Massillon
First period – Benjamin, 4-yard run; Beiter 1-yard
plunge.
Second period – Benjamin 74-yard run.
Third period – Benjamin 10-yard run.
Fourth period – Williams (pass from Stewart),
37 yards.
Extra Points: Massillon – McKey (placement);
Hershberger 2 (placements)
STATISTICS
First
downs, penalties 1 1
First
downs, total 15 7
Plays 57 49
Rushing
yardage 305 45
Yards
lost, rushing 24 7
Net
yards, rushing 281 38
Passing
yardage 76 82
Total
yardage 356 120
Passes
Attempted 12 23
Passes
Completed 4 5
Passes
had intercepted 4 4
Fumbles 5 10
Own
fumbles recovered 3 5
Punts 1 2
Punts,
average 41 20
Penalties 7 2
Yards
penalized 55 10