DOVER FURNISHES LITTLE OPPOSITION

FOR TIGERS

AND IS BADLY DEFEATED

MASSILLON GRIDDERS

SCORE 46 POINTS

IN SATURDAY’S CONTEST

 

By LUTHER EMERY

 

BIG Bob Willison, piloted his Washington high Tigers over a quiet sea at Dover Saturday afternoon, and the Crimson wave that was expected to block his progress, was parted in twain as the Massillon bark rode to a 46-0 victory and a tie for the N.E.O. league title.

 

Played under the threatening skies that at intervals seemed ready to drench spectators and gridders, the game from a standpoint of open enthusiasm was the most listless contest in which the Tigers have played this year.

 

Tigers on Touchdown Spree

Dover, apparently beaten from the start, lacked spirit while touchdowns appeared to come so easy for Washington high that the Massillon fans took them as a matter of routine and did not bellow forth with the lusty cheers that the brand of play put forth by the orange and black deserved.

 

The play of the Massillon gridders was anything but listless, and though Dover had little and gave less, the local team showed an offensive attack that smashed the Crimson front line batteries into bits.

 

Injuries Hit Both Teams

Hampered by injuries, the teams started the game with revamped lineups.  Washington high had Bordner, Hess and Roderick on the bench.  Dover was even harder hit, four of its linemen being either too ill or too badly used up by past opponents to take part in the team’s hardest game of the season Saturday with Washington high.

 

There is little doubt but Washington high was the strongest eleven faced by the Crimson this season.  The score proved that but never-the-less only a small crowd turned out for the game, Massillon’s delegation being none too representative for this city.

 

Starting off in convincing fashion, the Washington high team drove to a touchdown in the first two minutes of play, and threatened continually the remainder of the game.  Another was scored in the second period and several other touchdowns might have been tallied had not 70 yards of penalties in the first half interfered with the Tigers attack.  In those first two periods Dover had the ball in its possession for only a couple of minutes, and then was forced to play in its own backyard.  Once the Crimson managed to get up to its own 40 where the Tigers held, forcing a punt. 

 

Crimson Swamped In Second Half

The score at the end of the first half, 14-0, forecast what could be expected in the next two periods and it came with a bang.  It was kind of a Thanksgiving game for the Tigers anyhow, so they fattened themselves on points, boosting their total by 26 in the third period and then polishing off the day’s work with a lone touchdown in the final period of play.

 

It was in this fourth period that Dover flashed its only offense of the day, registering two first downs in succession and carrying the ball to the 18-yard line.  But those first downs were as useful to Dover as tails on a dress suit, and the rally came to an abrupt end when Singer intercepted a pass on the 15-yard line and dashed back to the Massillon 45-yard stripe before his legs were pulled from beneath him.

 

Against Dover’s two first downs, the Tigers rolled up 23 of those 10-yard distances and might have made many more had not Coach Elmer McGrew elected to use a set of reserve backs during a large portion of the second half.

 

Dover Strong On Ends

Dover presented a scrappy team which looked strong on the flanks, Smith and Kelker playing a commendable game.  In fact Dover’s defense was weakened considerably when Kelker was taken out of the game with injuries for in most instances during the afternoon he had succeeded in turning in the charges around his end or sifting through the interference to nab the runner.  Smith even outshone Kelker on the other wing, and was found under most every play.

 

The loss of Hartman, who although ordinarily a fullback was used at center Saturday, also was felt by Gus Peterka’s team.  In fact before more than half the game was over, Washington high was playing a Dover team made up largely of reserve players.  Peterka took no chances with his gridders Saturday.  As soon as a player showed signs of an injury he was yanked from the game since Dover has a far more important contest 10 days in the future – the annual battle with New Philadelphia for the Tuscarawas county championship.  McGrew likewise spared his regulars as much as possible Saturday, filling the ranks freely with substitutes many of whom were given their first taste of varsity football competition.

 

Will Share N.E.O. Title

In defeating Dover, the Washington high gridders at least earned a tie for first place in the N.E.O. Big Ten football league.  Alliance and Salem, league teams are still undefeated.  They meet Thanksgiving Day.  Should they tie, then Washington high will have undisputed possession of first place in the league.  Otherwise the winner will share the honor with the Tigers.  Wooster, which was reported last week as having a chance for the title, is out of the running, for a defeat suffered at the hands of New Philadelphia, was overlooked when the standings were drawn up.

 

Besides Dover, Washington high has defeated both Barberton and Warren in league play.  Barberton was swamped 20 to 0, while Warren was even handled more roughly, the red and white losing by a 27-0 score.  Warren has filed a protest on that game with State Athletic Commissioner Townsend, charging that the referee, Ricker, was incapable.  A copy of the protest has been sent to the president of the N.E.O. league.  It is doubtful, however, if Warren’s protest will in any way affect the standing of the league, for though the red and white may have a right to argue one decision made by the referee there was no question as to Massillon being the superior tam on the field.

 

While Washington high may have shown Dover how to play football, the latter school showed the Massillonians how to put a band on the field.  The Dover band, twice the size of that of the local school and uniformly dressed furnished the only color to the game with peppy music and a drill between halves.  While Washington high has been struggling along from year to year trying to find enough interested students to form a band, Dover has built up a fine organization that is a credit to a school of its size.

 

Fumble Leads To Touchdown

A recovered fumble was responsible for the orange and black’s first touchdown Saturday. 
The local team had kicked off and a Crimson player muffed the ball on the first play.  Worthington and Getz recovering it on the Dover 31-yard line.  Clendening ripped through left tackle for eight yards and Kester cut in for eight more and a first down on the 15-yard line.  Williams picked up four yards on a fake and Kester got a yard at left tackle.  Clendening hit for six and in two more plays Kester carried the ball across for a touchdown.  Williams plunged for the extra point.

 

The second scoring march was launched from the Dover 45-yard line where the Tigers got the ball on a punt.  Three drives at the Crimson line netted a first down on the 32-yard line.  Kester slipped through for a dash to the 21-yard line.  The teams changed locations at the end of the quarter and the Tigers continued their spurt.  It took two plunges by Williams to make a first down on the 11-yard line and three more lunges through the right side of the Dover line for a touchdown.  Clendening kicked the extra point.

 

On the next kickoff the Tigers crossed up the Crimson by successfully working a short kick, but penalties ended the local team’s bid for a touchdown.  Schott, Massillon center, and Seibert, Dover tackle, were ejected from the game by the referee.

 

On Scoring Spree

The slaughter took place in the second half.  A poor punt by Dover carried out of bounds on the 10-yard line.  Four plays were necessary to score, Clendening going over for the touchdown.  His kick was wide of the posts.

 

Williams did most of the ball lugging to bring the fourth score of the day.  He started things when he intercepted Godfrey’s pass on Dover’s 47-yard line.  Straight football with Williams carrying the ball three out of four times, took the pigskin to the three-yard line from which point the Massillon fullback plunged across.  Smith fumbled the next kickoff.  Getz recovering for Massillon on the Dover 18-yard line.  Clendening and Kester got a first down in two plays and two plays later he went over for the touchdown.  Clendening kicked goal.

 

Passes were responsible for the next.  Kester to Getz gained 35 yards and a first down on the 18-yard line.  Another brought a first on the seven yard line, Kester plunging across for the touchdown.  Clendening missed the kick.

 

The last touchdown was scored by the Tiger subs.  Singer ended a Dover rally by intercepting a pass on the 15-yard line and carrying it back to the Massillon 45-yard line.  Clendening got loose for a dash to the 36-yard line and Singer and Foster in three attempts got a first down on the 25-yard line.

 

The same two boys kept plunging away until Foster succeeded in plunging over for a touchdown.  Clendening’s kick was wide of the goal.

 

Line up and summary:

Massillon                   Pos.                       Dover

Getz                           LE                         Smith

Willison                      LT                       Selbert

Snodgrass                  LG                          Horn

Hoyman                      C                      Hartman

Monroe                     RG                     Herman

Price                          RT                      Gordon

Singer                        RE                       Kelker

Kester                       QB                     Godfrey

Clendening                 LH                       Sauers

Foster                        RH                      Maurer

Williams                     FB                         Fautz

 

Score by periods:

Massillon              7       7     26       6           46

 

Substitutions:

Massillon – Mudd for Snodgrass; Worthington for Singer; Singer for Foster; Schott for Hoyman; Assmus for Schott; Foster for Williams; Toles for Monroe; Shattuck for Kester; Suttle for Price; Richardson for Toles; Buhecker for Shattuck; Nelson for Getz; Appleby for Suttle; Heisler for Worthington.

Dover – Espenschied for Hartman; Archinal for Seibert; Graves for Kelker; Mason for Sauers; Lindamood for Kaurman.

 

Touchdowns:

Massillon – Kester   2; Williams  2; Clendening  2; Foster.

 

Point after touchdown:

Massillon – Clendening  3 (placekick); Williams (linebuck).

 

Officials:

Watkins (Harvard).

M’Haffey (Cornell).

Kuffini (Oberlin).