Tigers Smash Mansfield

33-7 Before 13,200 Fans

Inspired Massillon Gridders Come From Behind To Win Game

 

By LUTHER EMERY

 

A spirited Washington high school football team regained its prestige in Ohio scholastic football circles at Mansfield Friday evening by walloping a highly regarded Mansfield Tyger 33-7 before 13,200 fans, the largest crowd ever to witness a football game in the Richland county seat.

 

It was an aroused Massillon Tiger that disposed of that of Augie Morningstar former coach, who transferred his football knowledge to Mansfield two years ago.

 

The local eleven, far from the passive team that dropped a 14-0 decision to Alliance last week clawed its way to victory in what was probably the cleanest game ever played between teams of the two schools.  In fact the hard, gentlemanly play by members of both teams and the conduct of fans of the two cities vindicated the confidence of those individuals in the ability of the schools to carry on friendly relations after they had been almost strained to the breaking point last fall.

 

Mansfield, leaning over backward to be friendly and a good host, gave one of the finest half-time shows ever seen on any gridiron and showed Massillon what a well-lighted field looks like.

 

The Tigers, after trailing Mansfield 7-0 for one and two-thirds periods, scored two touchdowns in the last four minutes of the second quarter to lead 13-7 at the half.

*  *  *

MANSFIELD was not out of the ball game by any means when intermission was over, but Clarence Johnson broke its spirit in the first Massillon play from scrimmage in the third period when he ran 76 yards for a touchdown.

 

Morningstar’s team was never the same after that.  It was broken in spirit, fought on, but weakened as the game progressed while the local gridders, sensing victory played harder ball with every passing minute.

 

They scored two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter to roll up a bigger score over their Mansfield opponents than any of their most loyal followers had ever dreamed of.

 

It was a case similar to that which took place at Alliance last week, only this time Massillon was the team that was fighting high, and Coach Morningstar said after the game, “I think you could have beaten anyone tonight,  I hope you can stay right up there and win the rest.”

 

Augie tore across the field after the final gun to congratulate Coach “Chuck” Mather, who was being carried off the field on the shoulders of his players.

*  *  *

THE MASSILLON dressing room was a contrasting sight to that of last week.  Instead of players sitting with their chins between their knees, there was singing in the shower room and everyone was happy.  Quite a few fans barged in to congratulate players and coaches, who in winning the 13th game played between the two schools since 1936 had likewise shaken off the old hex number.  The record in 13 games now stands at 10 Tiger victories and three ties.  Mansfield has yet to win a game from the Tigers.

 

The local eleven was able to coordinate its offensive efforts for touchdown drives last night, though at first it appeared that the jinx would continue when the first couple of maneuvers were partially blocked by penalties.  Once the Tigers got rolling, however they rolled off considerable yardage, most of it between the tackles, where scouting reports showed Mansfield to be weakest.

 

The ball carriers had a night for themselves but only Clarence Johnson and Irvin Crable were able to score.  Fans have waited long for Clarence to come forth with a performance such as he did last night, and it was just as long a wait for him, but he ran as he is capable of running and got away for touchdown jaunts of 40 yards, 76 yards and 22 yards all on different types of plays.  The first came on a statue, the second on a burst right through the middle of the Mansfield forward wall and the third on a double reverse.

 

Crable scored one from four yards out and the other from nine.  Dick Jacobs returning to the backfield for the first time this season after having been sidelined with injuries, helped make the Tigers a better team.  He ran well, punted, and played good defensive ball.

*  *  *

HIS LONGEST run of the game, a jaunt of 35 yards, set up the fourth touchdown with a first down on the nine-yard line, but he was knocked out when tackled.  Fans feared for the worst but the blow only knocked Dick out of his head and by the end of the game he was begging Coach Mather to put him back in.  So was Capt. Al Brown who was knocked out early in the second quarter by a similar blow and who did not play thereafter.  Little Eddie Bush and Ray Lane carried on during the absence of the two players and did creditable pieces of work.  In fact Bush almost got away for one touchdown jaunt.

 

The Tigers’ offense was effective and beat Mansfield in both score and statistics.  First downs were 15 to 8 in the local teams’ favor and it also gained 461 yards from scrimmage to 190 for Mansfield.

 

Morningstar’s team made nearly half of its yardage on its first touchdown drive of 81 yards which was launched the first time it came into possession of the ball.

 

The Tigers had received the opening kickoff, had two first downs and would have had a third first down on the Mansfield 37, had they not been illegally in motion.  Mansfield stopped the march, forced Dick Jacobs to punt, Tommy Tucker being downed with the return on his own 19.

With big Charles Jenkins doing most of the ball carrying the Tygers slammed their way to five straight first downs as they ripped apart the center of the Massillon line to gain a first down on the 15.  The locals threw their opponents back to the 19 but on third down Joe Miller whipped around his left end for the touchdown and Howard Tipper kicked the extra point.

*  *  *

MANSFIELD had moved so early through the local team that no one would have bet the touchdown was the Tygers’ last of the evening.

 

It gave them a 7-0 lead at the quarter, but the locals plugged the leak, and got a break on the last play of the period when Ben Roderick flopped on a punted ball fumbled by Tucker on the 24.

 

Three plays netted a first down on the 13 and when Jack hill attempted to pass on first down, Jenkins intercepted the ball near his goal line and charged back to the 50 where he was pulled down.

 

Mansfield got as far as the 30 where it lost the pigskin on downs and the Tigers took over to launch a 70-yard touchdown drive.  They found a weakness in the Mansfield line and began making the most of it.  Jacobs, Johnson and Crable carried for five first downs and put the ball on the four-yard line where Crable took it over on third down.  What looked like an important point was lost when Johnson’s attempted placekick was blocked by Norbet Shibinski.

*  *  *

THE TIGERS only needed two minutes to score another as a result of a break in the game.  Two plays after the kickoff, Roderick covered a fumbled lateral to Joe Miller on the Tygers 22.  The Tigers were set back 15 yards for clipping but Johnson, taking the ball from Hill on a statue, went 40 yards for a touchdown and kicked the extra point to make the score 13-7 at the half.

 

An attempted on side kick went into the hands of a Mansfield player on the latter’s 48 as the second half got underway.  The locals’ defense stiffened and forced the Tygers to punt, Crable bringing the ball back to his 24.  On the first play Johnson exploded through the Mansfield line and given some good blocking ran 76 yards for a touchdown.  He missed the kick for the extra point.

 

The teams exchanged punts and the Tigers got the ball on their own 20 just as the third period ended.

 

It was Johnson to his 33, Crable to the Mansfield 49, Jacobs to the nine-yard line and Crable around right end for the touchdown.  Johnson’s extra point made it 26-7.

 

The final march began from an out-of-bounds punt on the Mansfield 48.  A 37-yard pass to Don Slicker overcame a 15-yard clipping penalty and put the ball on the 37.  Crable made it first on the 26 and Bush went to the 7.  Hill was thrown for a big loss, but Johnson made up for it by loping in with a touchdown on a double reverse.  He kicked this point too, the last of the game.

*  *  *

THE TIGERS’ defensive efforts to stop Miller, Tucker and Jenkins succeeded well in the case of Tucker, but both Miller and Jenkins ambled away to good gains.

 

Tucker gained a total of 14 yards and lost seven in six ball carrying attempts for a net gain of seven yards.  Miller gained 44 and lost four for a net gain of 40 in seven attempts, while Jenkins rolled up 104 yards and only once was tossed for a loss of two.  He played a great offensive game and carried the ball 17 times.

 

Johnson reeled off 207 yards for the Tigers in 14 tries.  Crable 97 yards in 14 tries; Brown nine yards in four tries; Jacobs 92 yards in seven attempts and Bush 21 yards in two.  Jack Hill made 15 yards the only time he went forward.  He was twice tossed for losses of 13 and nine yards while attempting to pass.

 

Mather started off the game by playing a six man line for the first time this season but after Mansfield rammed through its touchdown, the Tigers dropped back into a five which throttled further efforts to score.

 

The victory was the local team’s fifth in six game.  Warren, Toledo Waite, Barberton and Canton McKinley will be taken on in order for the next four weeks with all but the Waite game to be played here.  The Booster club has chartered a special train to convey fans to the Toledo game.  The Baltimore and Ohio railroad has promised to furnish air conditioned coaches.  The fair will be $5.41 round trip including round trip bus tickets between the railroad station in Toledo and the football field.  The tentative schedule calls for the train to leave at 3:30 p.m.  Since it will be operating most of the way over the railroad’s main line, it is scheduled to arrive in Toledo not later than 7 p.m.

 

Good Rebound

 

MASSILLON

ENDS – RODERICK, HOUSTON, Slicker, Gleason, Studer.

TACKLES – KRISHER, TAKACS, James, Schumacher, Campbell.

GUARDS – MORROW, REICHENBACK, De Walt, Leinenveber, Ebbert.

CENTERS – McVEY, Patt.

QUARTERBACKS – HILL, D. James.

HALFBACKS – CRABLE, JOHNSON, Jacobs, Bush, Crone.

FULLBACKS – BROWN, Lane.

 

MANSFIELD

ENDS –CARVER, B. WEAVER, Jordan.

TACKLES – T. WEAVER, SHIBINSKI, Lindsay, Gruber.

GUARDS – TIPPER, JIM MILLER, Taddeo.

CENTERS – MAURER, Russell.

QUARTERBACKS – FERGUSON. 

HALFBACKS – JOE MILLER, TUCKER, Latizia, Gregorio, Bailey.

FULLBACKS – JENKINS, Osbun.

 

Score by periods:

Massillon          0          13        6          14        33

Mansfield         7          0          0          0          7

 

Touchdowns:

Massillon – Johnson  3; Crable  2.

Mansfield – Joe Miller.

 

Points after touchdown:

Massillon – Johnson  3 (placekicks).

Mansfield – Tippen (placekick).

 

Referee – Gross.

Umpire – Brown.

Head Linesman – Schaffer.

Field Judge – Jenkins.

 

Statistics Of The Game

                                                                     Mass.                Man.

First downs                                                        15                      8

Passes attempted                                                  9                      6

Passes completed                                                 1                      2

Had passes intercepted                                         1                      1

Yards gained passing                                          20                    19

Yards gained rushing                                         441                  171

Total yards gained                                            461                  190

Yards lost                                                           24                    17

Net yards gained                                              437                  173

Times punted                                                        3                      4

Average punt (yards)                                          32                    35

Returned punts                                                   41                    30

Times kicked off                                                   6                      2

Average kickoff (yards)                                      43                    44

Times fumbled                                                      0                      2

Lost ball on fumbles                                              0                      2

Times penalized                                                    8                      4

Yards penalized                                                  80                    20