Tigers
Defeat
Toledo Central 35-0
If
the outcome of all the rest are like the one last night there will be a lot of
happy people in Massillon – and Coach Lee Tressel will be able to toss his aspirins
into the nearest trash can.
But
before the 1956 edition of the Washington high Tigers had applied the finishing
touches to their one-sided 35-0 conquest of an out-manned but stubborn Toledo
Central Catholic grid team those who root for the good old Orange and Black
were starting to think about the more troublesome obstacles which lie ahead.
* * *
CANTON LINCOLN is next and the Lions will be a different story. That’s what they were saying and apparently
no truer words have ever been spoken.
Toledo
Central had a spunky, hard-hitting outfit, one that probably kept the score
down by controlling the swineskin.
Those 35 points looked awfully good but they fail to tell the story. Only once did the Tigers put on a sustained
drive, they were out-first-downed and without a couple of long gainers they
would have been on the short end of total yardage.
The
blocking stands improvement and we think it will be better. Ditto for the defense, which was somewhat
off color in the tackling department.
But there were some outstanding overtures played by the Tigers, who made
it a romp before a goodly-sized turnout (10,257) considering a good many
things.
* * *
BIGGEST THING in Massillon’s favor was its explosiveness. The three regulars operating out of the “hands” of Quarterback
Bob Rinehart – Halfbacks Ivory Benjamin and Mike Hershberger and Fullback Chet
Brown, with one big assist from sub fullback Chuck
Beiter
– were the difference. Perhaps the
energetic Benjamin came up with the more spectacular jaunts but the three
others did man-sized jobs and although the Fighting Irish really acted tough on
occasions, the mixture of speed and power put them on the
ropes
– then knocked them off.
Hershberger,
righthalf and co-captain, tallied two touchdowns on runs of seven and 20 yards,
caught a pass for 10 more and in 11 trips with the mail averaged over seven
yards per try. Benjamin carted nine
times for an average of seven yards per and it was his
58-yard
scamper, longest run of the night, which went for another Tiger TD. He also caught an aerial for a gain of 36
yards. Line-bucking Brown averaged over
six yards in nine carries and Chet got into the scoring act on a six-yard
smash. Beiter, impressive in his brief
role as a line buster, scored the other touchdown on a 21-yard sock up the
middle.
OUT
FRONT of these lads was a line, which blew “hot and cold.” The opener staged in near-perfect football
weather probably helped them a great deal and undoubtedly they will get better
with each game. After all, the fact
that none of them had ever before started a varsity scuffle must be considered.
Incidentally,
the same holds true for the backfield – including Hershberger who sat out the
1955 season because of an injury.
Benjamin
got the Orangemen headed goal ward midway in the first quarter when after an
exchange of punts he grabbed another Toledo kick on his own 32. Cutting to the east sidelines he moved in
the clear at the 40 and apparently was going all the way but the last defender
standing a chance to stop him did just that.
However, Massillon was in business at the Central 27 and in short order
the Tigers’ first touchdown of the year was flashed on the scoreboard.
HERSHBERGER lost three at the left side and a Rinehart pass was incomplete but Bob,
showing considerable poise, twirled again and this time Hershberger made a
leaping catch at the 24 and toted four more yards. On the next play the same Hershberger, on a
quick-hitter,
hit pay dirt after tearing away from one Toledo player, then outrunning two more.
Little
Dave Richardson, who doubles as a student manager and place-kicker, came in and
calmly split the uprights. And he did
the same after each touchdown that followed.
Only
two minutes, 32 seconds remained in the quarter and Massillon didn’t reach
touchdownland again but the speedy, shifty Benjamin brought the crowd to its
collective feet and got the Bengals knocking at touchdown door again.
The
Centralites stalled and Quarterback Bob Stearns punted from the 17 to Ivory,
who grabbed the leather on the 48 and zoomed to the Irish 38. The Tigers were on the prowl after being
held at bay the last two plays of the period.
On
the first play of the second quarter Rinehart ran to his left, fired the ball
to Benjamin on the 42 and the Tiger righthalf made it to the 11 after neatly
reversing his field in front of the Central bench. Ivory was bounced for a loss of two but Hershberger got six
before taking a pitch out, wheeling left and fighting his way to the end
zone. Richardson converted at 10:07.
Before
the half it was 21-0.
BENJAMIN HAULED in a pass by Pete Kessler, sub for Stearns, and rambled from the Tiger
44 to the Central 42. It required the
hosts six plays to make their third six-pointer. It was sub halfback Larry Washington for six, Benjamin three,
Hershberger for the first down at the 32, Brown to the 21 and then Beiter,
finding a big hole at center, buzz-sawing his way the last 21 yards. At 5:04 Richardson kicked the point. That’s the way it stood at intermission
which arrived shortly after Hershberger halted a Central bid which reached the
Tiger 23. Mike intercepted a throw at
the three, cut back to within inches of his own goal line, and raced to the
35. With a couple of good blocks he
might have gone the distance. It
wouldn’t have counted through, as Massillon was penalized back to the 20 for
clipping. Two plunges netted seven, two
passes failed and the teams took a rest.
A
poor kick which squirted off End Bill Compton’s foot and went out of bounds 15
yards away at the 35, paved the way for the Tresselmen’s third period
touchdown.
After
Brown got two and Beiter churned for five, Benjamin got on his “horse” once
again. Hitting off the right side, he
quickly burst into the clear and without a hand touching him, hot-footed it 58
yards to the Promised Land. Needless to
say, Richardson booted it through to make it 28-0 with 8:45 remaining in the
session.
THE
IRISH of Tom McHugh followed with their best effort, which went from their own
44 to the Orange six. Two runs, two
passes made it third and six at the six when Stearns unleashed an aerial
intended for Halfback Dick Courturier.
Instead Benjamin was the catcher.
From the six-inch line he scooted up field and with Tackle Jim Mercer
throwing the key block, reached midfield.
For a moment the play spelled touchdown but two Toledo boys had an angle
on him.
Apparently,
the back-fire took the wind out of the visitors and the Tigers got rambunctious
again. On the last play of the quarter
Hershberger gained three and as the final round got under way the drive kept
moving.
Cutting
away from one enemy and stiff-arming another, Hershberger raced 12 and came
back for 18 after Benjamin picked up four following a Rinehart pass, which was
bent for End Don Elavsky, but broken up by Irish Halfback Ron Bueter. End Bob Brubaker nailed Rinehart before Bob
could get his bearings, for a deficit of seven, back to the 20 but Brown
barreled to the nine and Benjamin got six and with fourth and three on the
board, the husky Brown hit over the left side and was hit by a brace of Irish
at the two. But they failed to stop him
and Chet just made it past the final stripe.
At 8:39 Richardson’s kick wound up the scoring.
TRESSEL began to make more frequent use of his reserves and the Scarlet got the
chance to advance the pigskin once more.
Martin Grosjean, Bob Vetter and Kessler ran to the 19 and a pass,
deflected by sub tackle Gary Ortiz, was caught by halfback Charley Miller who
reached the 10. Two plunges got only a
yard and on the last play of the encounter Kessler passed again. His throw sailed into the end zone and
Fournier was set and waiting but defensive halfback “Corky” Pledgure came out
of nowhere and batted the ball away.
Tressel
was a very happy coach, “It’s always nice to win your opener,” he smiled.
Pointing
out that Central controlled the ball a considerable amount of time (over five
minutes at one stretch) the new Tiger tutor went on to say that this might not
have been if his team’s tackling had been sharper. “Out-standing, I thought, was the fact that we didn’t fumble and
were penalized only once.”
The
coach emphasized that the attempted to keep his first unit intact over three
quarters “because we need the work.”
STATISTICS
Mass. Opp.
First downs rushing 8 10
First downs passing 1 4
First downs by penalties 0 0
Total first downs 9 14
Yards gained rushing 227 152
Yards lost rushing 35 11
Passes completed 2 4
Passes intercepted 2 0
Yards gained passing 46 47
Net yards gained 231 188
Times kicked off 6 1
Average kickoff return 14 12
Yards kickoffs returned by 14 82
Times punted 1 3
Average punt (yards) 40 28
Yards punts returned by 55 0
Had punts blocked 0 0
Total fumbles 0 2
Times lost ball on fumbles 0 1
Penalties 1 0
Yards penalties 15 0