Tigers Fight Back
For
27-18 Victory
As Orange
Racks Up Its 5th
It
was five down and five to go for the Washington high school gridders after a
Friday night donnybrook in which our Tigers proved they have all the
ingredients of a true champion.
Rallying
behind a determined defense and their quick-hitting offense, featuring speed
afoot, nimbleness, headiness and just plain high-octane power, the Orange and
Black outlasted a Cleveland Benedictine club which lived up to expectations,
and then some, by a 27-18 tune.
Some
13,000 fans, including 12,556 paid, were in Tiger stadium for the big battle
and few Tiger followers, if any, held high hope for a fifth straight victory
after the first two minutes and 18 seconds of play. It took the Bengals from the lakefront just that little bit of
time to wheel out a 12-0 lead.
But
this inexperienced Massillon club, outweighed, out-passed and minus tackle and
co-captain
Dick Whitfield, was only momentarily stunned by the order of events – an
85-yard
kickoff return, an intercepted pass and then a 40-yard aerial for a second
touchdown.
Showing
their mettle and living up to their reputation as an outfit content to parlay
short gainers into gold-dust, Lee Tressel’s hustlers came roaring back. With 4:26 left in the opening chapter they
hit pay dirt for the first time and with 4:22 remaining in the second period
and they barged ahead.
The
first drive involved 11 plays and 68 yards, the second 20 plays, 79 yards, two
vital gambles and a 15-yard penalty. So
it was Massillon by the margin of Mike Hershberger’s conversion at
intermission.
* * *
THE TIGERS received the second half kickoff and went on the prowl again. The drive fizzled out at the enemy 15 but
the next thing Benedictine knew was that Fancy-Dan, Ivory Benjamin hit
them. His 50-yard TD jaunt on a punt
return widened the gap and Massillon pulses returned to normal after a 72-yard
march paid off early in the final quarter.
Benedictine
battled back for another score but it meant nothing. In fact, it came as Coach Tressel was dotting his lineup with
reserves.
When
the Tiger celebration in their dressing room died down, Tressel and Co. started
thinking about their next foe, the Tygers of Mansfield.
This
may sound like a broken record but the Orangemen are facing a fourth straight
toughie. If you don’t believe us, ask
the local scouts who have put a “tougher than Benedictine” tag on the Tygers.
Before
Tressel’s mind turned to next Friday’s road opponent, the Tiger tutor directed
a verbal bouquet toward his charges.
“I
guess I can’t say much about the first couple of minutes. Everybody knows what happened. But our boys were tremendous after
that. It shows you what desire can do,”
he said.
The
Massillon mentor, whose personal win streak now stands at 39, declared it a
team victory – “there were no real standouts” – and said the three boys who
fitted into things as replacements for the rugged Whitfield; Bruce Bixler, Al
Slicker and John Halter, indicated by their performances that the coaching
staff may have little to worry about as long as Whitfield is out.
* * *
WHITFIELD, WITH HIS injured foot encased in a special shoe, was suited
up in case of an emergency and Tressel was happy because he didn’t have to call
on the spunky senior co-captain.
Dick
received the foot injury Wednesday but said nothing about it. He couldn’t walk Thursday morning and X-rays
taken yesterday morning showed a chip in the large bone of his right foot.
When
Whitfield will be able to return to action is a real question. Tressel is hopeful he’ll be available in a
couple of weeks.
The
Tigers, with the “5-man” backfield of Bob Rinehart, Benjamin, Hershberger, Chet
Brown and “Chuck” Beiter shining all the way, held the upper hand in most
phases of the statistical department.
They made 17 first downs to Benedictine’s nine and ground out 257 yards
rushing to a total of 123 for the Bengals.
The
Clevelanders enjoyed an edge in the passing game as Quarterback Paul Hriske,
who doubled as a fine defensive performer, lived up to his press notices. The Bengals hit on seven of 13 for 102 yards
while the locals connected on two of five for 61 yards. And both of Rinehart’s pitches helped no end
– the first completion of 17 yards setting up Massillon’s second touchdown and
a strike good for 20 aiding the drive that led to the fourth.
Another
bright spot for the Tigers was in the ball-handling department. They fumbled only once, and recovered
same. They had one pass intercepted
with that interception paving the way for Benedictine’s second quickie.
Benedictine
won the toss and elected to receive.
The decision was just right for the Bengals as Halfback George Sefcik,
sturdy and swift, hauled it back for a touchdown that rocked the locals on
their heels. Sefcik eyed an alley up
the middle, cut to his right and away from a couple of would-be tacklers and
after getting free at the Tiger 22, zipped into the end zone, past the final
stripe to wind up an 85-yard return.
His placement sailed to the left but the Orangemen were trailing 6-0
with only 11 seconds gone.
Benjamin
returned the ensuing kickoff from his 15 to the 24 and after Brown picked up a
guard, Dame Fortune turned a cold shoulder on the Tigers. Rinehart’s pass intended for childers at the
enemy 40 was the target for Childers, Benjamin and Sefcik. Ivory got a hand on the ball but it came to
rest in Sefcik’s and the Bendictine scooter got to the Tiger 43.
* * *
AFTER GARY HANSLEY, right half, made three yards at right tackle, Hrisko
and Hansley clicked for a second Bengal TD.
Hansley was all by his lonesome at the 25 and when he grabbed the pass
at the 25 and raced into the end zone, Massillon was really in trouble.
Sefcik’s
placement was again wide. Then the
Tigers got plenty mean.
Hershberger
returned the kickoff seven yards to the 32 and then teamed with Benjamin, Brown
and Beiter for two first downs to the Bengal 41. Brown put the ball in scoring position via a 36-yard blast
featuring some sharp blocking and Chester’s fancy footwork. Benjamin made three and Hershberger one
before Mike banged the middle to make it a
12-6
ball game. It was still that way after
his placement was blocked.
Benedictine
had to punt two minutes later and on the last three plays of the quarter the
Tigers moved from their own 21 to the 35.
Controlling the ball as Rinehart, the two halfbacks and the two
fullbacks carried the load, the locals used up 17 plays and over seven minutes
for the tying touchdown. Benjamin’s
10-yard sweep and Beiter’s 13-yard buck up the middle helped place the pigskin
on the one from where Benjamin tallied at right tackle. This time Hershberger’s kick was good and it
was Massillon 13, Benedictine 12.
Twice
during this drive the locals gambled, and won.
On a fourth and four situation Benjamin got off his 10-yarder and with
fourth and one at the four, Hershberger slammed off tackle for three.
Besides
all this action, the Tigers were halted momentarily by a 15-yard clipping
penalty.
During
the remaining time neither team mustered a threat.
The
Tigers marched 48 yards after receiving the second half kickoff. Hershberger’s 14-yard scamper was the chief
gainer as they moved to the 15 before an offside violation put a crimp in their
hopes for a third touchdown.
* * *
HOWEVER, MASSILLON chalked it up just a few seconds later. Benedictine had to punt but actually
Benjamin didn’t get the chance to get on the go until Guard Joe Chapon punted
three times.
The
first time Benedictine was offside and the Tigers elected to have the Bengals
punt again and the second time the visitors were offside and Massillon was
called for clipping on Hershberger’s return.
Finally there was nothing to wipe out the play – for which Tiger fans
were happy.
Benjamin
fielded Chapon’s boot at midfield, faked a handoff, and shifted into high
gear. He was in “daylight” at the
Bengal 35 and the rest of the chore was easy for the
swivel-hipped
halfback. Hershberger again converted
to make it 20-12 at 4:41.
Benedictine
got to the Massillon 28 before Benjamin broke up a fourth down pitch by Hrisko
and from that point the Tigers moved goal ward again. After Brown made 11 (he would have been long gone had not the
last defender tripped him), Hershberger slipped and fell for a one-yard loss
but sub halfback Jimmy Bivings sneaked behind the secondary, grabbed Rinehart’s
toss and the 20-yard gainer put the oval on the Bengal 18 as the final period
got under way.
Beiter
gained two, Brown nine, Ivory four and Hershberger lost one before Beiter,
moving to left half, cracked tackle for the score from the four. Once again Hershberger booted the
point-after.
After
Benedictine’s drive was stopped at the Tiger 31 the Orange had to punt and from
their own 29 the Clevelanders went all the way as Hansley (once for 21 yards)
and Sefcik (once for 16) ran for the needed yardage and Hrisko hit on three
straight passes, the last one a 3-yarder to End Tom Pacl for the six-pointer.
Massillon
made one first down and then lost 10 on a fumble before the contest came to an
end.
The
Tigers came out of the clean-played encounter with some bumps and bruises while
Benedictine’s chief injury was Center Frank Kozlevchar’s twisted ankle.
The summary:
MASSILLON – 27
ENDS
– Brenner, Elavsky, Wells, Childres, Mays, Hagan.
TACKLES
– Mercer, Bixler, Halter, A. Slicker, Brownlee, Slabuagh.
GUARDS
– B. Brown, Meldrum, Heine, Heimann.
CENTERS
– Krier, Kiplinger.
QUARTERBACKS
– Rinehart.
HALFBACKS
– Benjamin, Hershberger, Washington, Bivings, Pledgure, Stewart.
FULLBACKS
– C. Brown, Beiter, Reese.
BENEDICTINE – 18
ENDS
– Pacl, Mayher, Marek.
TACKLES
– Skufca, Jakubowski, Zmarsly.
GUARDS
– Sczurek, Chapon, Pusateri, Misencik.
CENTERS
– Halasz, Kozlevchar, Naymik.
QUARTERBACK
– Hrisko.
HALFBACKS
– Hansley, Sefcik, Davis.
FULLBACKS
– Kuretz, Kucera.
Scoring by quarters:
Benedictine 12 0 0 6 18
Massillon 6 7 7 7 27
Massillon scoring:
Touchdowns – Beiter (4-run); Hershberger (1-run); Benjamin 2 (1-run, 50-yard punt
return).
Extra points – Hershberger 3 (placements).
Benedictine scoring:
Touchdowns – Sefcik (85-kickoff return); Hansley (40-pass from Hrisko); Pacl
(3-pass from Hrisko).
STATISTICS
Mass. Opp.
First downs rushing 16 5
First downs passing 1 4
First downs by penalties 0 0
Total first downs 17 9
Yards gained rushing 257 123
Yards lost rushing 24 6
Passes attempted 5 13
Passes completed 2 7
Yards gained passing 61 102
Net yards gained 294 219
Times kicked off 5 4
Average kickoff return 8.8 30.6
Yards kickoffs returned by 35 153
Times punted 2 3
Average punts (yards) 33 32
Yards punts returned by 50 -5
Had punts blocked 0 0
Total fumbles 1 1
Times lost ball on fumbles 0 0
Penalties 3 4