Tigers Win First Game
In Three Years
From Akron South
DEFEAT RUBBER CITY TEAM
10-6
IN HARD FOUGHT GRID BATTLE
By LUTHER EMERY
That old adage “the third time’s the charm: has once more
withstood the attack of the unbelievers.
Eleven husky boys wearing the blue and white of Akron South, tried
vainly to break down the reliability of the old saying Saturday afternoon and
now the Washington high gridders are gloating over their 10 to 6 victory, the
first registered over a South high team in
three years.
But the Akron
team was not charmed into a mystic state of coma Saturday afternoon. In fact it was very much awaken, so much so
that the Cavaliers dug their cleats into the turf of Massillon Field and played
their best football of the year. This
will be attested by Akron
fans.
Tigers Score Early
Uncorking a fierce offense with the initial kickoff, the
Tigers swept 38 yards down the field for a touchdown before four minutes of the
game had expired. It was an inspired Massillon team that lined
up for the kickoff after that sudden rush and another drive began for the
opponent’s goal. It was then that the
unexpected happened and the luckiest break that is possible in football today
gave Akron a
touchdown. A Massillon
man fumbled on the Akron 38-yard line, and Akron player grabbing it
before it touched the ground and racing unmolested 54 yards across the local
team’s goal line.
The break awakened the spirit of the Rubber City
gridders and they came back to put on a great battle and display their best
football of the season. Had they not had
that stimulant it is altogether probably that they would have been swamped
under a heavy score by the orange and black.
With a team equally as heavy if not a
little more so than the Massillon
eleven. Doc Wargo
brought his Cavaliers to this city Saturday hoping for a victory. Smarting under a defeat handed it by Wooster high the previous week the Akron aggregation was primed to the limit for
Saturday’s battle with the Tigers. But
the Washington high team tossed a monkey
wrench into the Akron machinery right off the
bat when it recovered the fumbled kickoff on the Akron 38-yard line and then waded through for
a touchdown which added to the extra point, would have been sufficient to have
beaten the blue and white.
15 First Downs
Offensively “Doc” Wargo’s team had
nothing. It scored two first downs in
the first period after the grand awakening but from then on found its plays
smothered by Tiger linemen with very few yards gained. On the other hand the local team showed sufficient
offensive strength to score three or four touchdowns, producing 15 first downs,
four of which were registered in each of the first, second and fourth periods
and three in the third.
Though the local team crossed the Akron goal line but once
it was within the shadow of the visitors’ cross bar on two other occasions, a
fumble spoiling one chance to score and the final gun, another.
An October sun that penetrated the jerseys of the athletes
and a screen of dust that gathered in clouds over the field made playing and
visibility difficult. As a result time
was called out Saturday more frequently than usual for injuries and brief rest
intervals.
The Washington
high band appeared in uniform for the first time this season, and drilled on
the field between halves with the Akron South band. The local band still lacks sufficient
uniforms to pass around to all its members.
Attendance Poor
Saturday’s attendance was not up to expectations. Akron was not
accompanied by a very large delegation which is probably due to the fact that
the Rubber City team has not gone very far on the
gridiron this fall. However, the turnout
of Massillon
fans also was small, probably no more than 1,500 attending.
Akron’s
touchdown came as a result of the luckiest possible break. A fumble this year is dead at the point where
the opposing team recovers the ball, providing the ball touches the ground
before recovered. It is only on rare
occasions that a fumble is caught in mid air, but such was the case Saturday
when the ball flew into Hickman’s arms, and with the Massillon team massed on the right side of the line, he had a
clear field ahead for a touchdown.
The touchdown gave the Akron
team more fight and the addition of Huth, playing
with a broken nose to the center of the line, strengthened the visitors defense and gave the Tiger ball carriers more than
a battle.
First Quarter
Massillon kicked off to start
the game, but South fumbled and a Massillon
player recovered on the 38-yard line. Toles was
injured when he was caught under a pile of Akron players when diving for the free
ball. He had to be carried from the
field. Getz took his place, Williams and
Kester hit for nine yards. A Massillon
pass was incomplete but South was penalized five yards
for being offside giving the locals a first down on the 24-yard line. Williams hit for seven yards, and Clendening failed to gain at right end. Williams slipped through for a first down on
the 13-yard line, Kester reeled off five yards at
right end and Williams followed through with a plunge to the one-yard
line. He went across on the next
play. Clendening
kicked goal with Kester holding the ball. Score: Massillon 7; South 0.
Gabalac kicked off to Blatz who returned to the 42-yard line. Williams plunged for a first down on the Akron 46-yard line in two
attempts. On the next play a Massillon man fumbled after crossing the line of scrimmage
and Hickman grabbed the ball before it could reach the ground and raced 54
yards for a touchdown without a Massillon
player laying his hand on him. Keller’s
attempted forward pass for the extra point was incomplete. Score: Massillon 7; Akron 6.
Gabalac kicked off to Williams who
returned to the 45-yard line. Kester tried a long pass, Hickman intercepting on his own
30-yard line. Gabalac
made a first down in three dashes. Stark
went out of bounds after a two-yard gain.
Gabalac failed to gain but Mihalic
passed to Keller for a first down on Massillon’s
43-yard line. Gabalac
made three yards, Feiling two and Stark bucked for
three more but Gabalac lacked a foot of making a
first down and the ball was surrendered to the Tigers on the 33-yard line, the
nearest they ever came to the Massillon goal.
Williams lost two yards but made it up on the next play. South partially blocked a Massillon punt but the Tigers recovered
without gain. Kester
then got off a good punt to the 32-yard line, where the Akron
safety man signaled for a fair catch but was tackled by a Massillon player. A 15-yard penalty was the result. Gabalac lost two
yards and Stark failed to gain. Kester intercepted Keller’s pass on the Massillon 48-yard line. Clendening made
three yards and Kester slipped around right end for a
first down on the Akron
40-yard line as the quarter came to an end.
Second Quarter
Clendening picked up three yards
but failed to gain on a double pass. The
play, however, was called back and South was penalized
five yards twice on successive plays for being offside, giving the Tigers a
first down on the 27-yard line. Williams
made a yard and Kester three more at right end. Clendening broke
through right tackle for a first down on the 14-yard line. Williams failed to gain on a spinner, and a
double pass was fumbled on the next play.
Mihalic recovering on the 20-yard line.
Sir Louis, who replaced Gabalac,
lost two yards in two plunges and then punted to Clendening
who was downed with the ball in midfield.
Clendening lost two yards but came back to
gain nine on the next play. After
failing to gain, Kester punted over the goal
line. The play, however, was called back
and South penalized five yards for offside giving the Tigers a first down on
the 38-yard line. Williams gained four
yards in two plunges and Kester got two more on a
lateral pass. Kester’s
pass on the fourth down was incomplete and South took the ball on the 32-yard
line. Sir Louis gained four yards and
then was thrown for a two-yard loss. Feiling could get but two and Sir Louis punted to the
45-yard line. Clendening
and Williams made six yards but a fumble resulted on the next play, Huffle recovering for Akron. Willison tossed Feiling for a seven-yard loss. Mihalic’s pass was
grounded. He lost four yards on the next
play, and Sir Louis punted out of bounds on the Massillon 45-yard line. Two plays gained but two yards as the half
ended.
Third Quarter
South kicked to Blatz who returned
to the 36-yard line.
Rice picked up six yards, but Clendening lost
two. Kester
punted to South’s 22-yard line. Sir
Louis gained six yards in two plays and then punted to Clendening
on the Massillon
49-yard line. Williams made a yard and Clendening four more on a double pass. Kester carried the
ball out of bounds after a gain of a yard.
Kester made two yards, but Clendening
lost it. Kester
punted out of bounds on the 23-yard line.
Sir Louis gained two yards but a penalty for offside set South back five yards.
Sir Louis punted to Clendening on the 37-yard
line. Clendening
reeled off six yards and Rice got a couple more. Clendening then
found his way through for a first down on the 27-yard line. Rice picked up four yards and Clendening carrying the ball three times in succession made
it first down on the 15-yard line. He
plunged for two more and Kester slipped through for
three. Williams made two yards on a spin
play. With the ball on the eight-yard
line, Kester called for a placekick, and Clendening dropped back to boot the pigskin between the
bars, the ball striking the crossbar but luckily bounding over. Score: Massillon 10; South 6.
Kester kicked off to the 13-yard
line; Williams making the tackle. Stark
lost two yards and the quarter ended with the ball on the 11-yard line.
Fourth Quarter
Feiling could gain but a
foot. Gabalac
punted to Clendening who returned to the 40-yard
line. Kester
made a yard but lost seven on an end play.
When Clendening failed to gain; Kester punted out of bounds on the 21-yard line. Stark failed to gain. Gabalac failed to
fain and punted out of bounds in midfield.
Three plays netted the Tigers six yards and Kester
kicked to the 19-yard line. Two plays
netted South four yards and Gabalac punted to the
10-yard line, Clendening permitting the ball to roll,
but suddenly grabbing it up and returning it to the 28-yard line. Williams hit for five and Rice made four more
at left end. Williams plunged through
for a first down on the 41-yard line. Kester gained four yards and Clendening
slipped through for a first down on South’s 46-yard line. Williams and Kester
worked together for another first down on the 36-yard line. Clendening pulled
down four yards at left end and Kester got two and
Williams made it first down on the 25-yard line as the game came to an end.
Line up and summary:
Massillon Pos. Akron South
Toles LE Amrein
Willison LT Hickman
Herman LG Vargo
Lewis C Eichalberger
Pfister RG Huffle
Blatz RT Zela
Houriet RE Keller
Kester QB Mihalic
Clendening LH Gabalac
Knowton RH Stark
Williams FB Feiling
Score by periods:
Massillon 7 0 3 0 10
Akron South 6 0 0 0 6
Substitutions:
Massillon – Getz for Toles; Rice for Knowlton.
Akron South – Smith for Huffle; Sir Louis for Gabalac; Huth for Eichelberg; Howiler for Feiling; Popodide for Smith; Porter for Mihalic;
Gabalac for Sir Louis; Feiling
for Howiler; Huffle for
Vargo; Kazac for Popodide.
Touchdowns:
Massillon – Williams.
Akron South – Hickman.
Point after touchdown:
Massillon – Clendening (placekick).
Field goal:
Massillon – Clendening (placekick).
Referee – Shafer (Akron).
Umpire – Gross (Marietta).
Head Linesman – Shearer.
Time of periods – 12 minutes.