State’s
No. 1 Team Falls Before 21,384 Fans After Second Half Surge Ties Score
Desperation Pass
Puts
Massillon Back In Running for Title
By
CHARLIE POWELL
The pass was
slightly wobbly.
The catch was miraculous,
one you have to consider lucky.
But it was the best
darn pass Massillon has seen for a long, long time.
It was unfurled by a
gutty sophomore Joe Sparma by name, third string quarterback. He threw it some 46 yards and time ran out
as it was in the air, for only four seconds remained when the play started.
The Horatio Alger
was Clyde Childers senior, first string left end. This kid can do just about anything in big league fashion when he
makes up his mind. He streaked past the
secondary to the two yard line and as he saw the pigpelt wasn’t going to catch
up to him, retraced his steps back to the four. Simultaneously he and Willie Jones, defensive halfback for the
erstwhile state leaders, leaped into the air.
Big Clyde stretched his 6 ft. 4 frame but managed to get only one hand
on the ball.
His paw deflected
the ball a bit and he jumped up again at the three-yard line.
He was more than a
match for Jones this time. He latched
his mitts on the ball – and by instinct, wheeled around and churned off the
three most important yards of his young life.
Massillon 20, Warren
14,
Absolute pandemonium
reigned at Tiger stadium. Like bees
swarming to a hive, the fighting Tigers, their coaches and a couple hundred
fans rushed toward the vicinity of the south goal where Childers, then Sparma,
then Coach Lee Tressel were mobbed.
* * *
THERE WAS NO opportunity for an attempt at the extra point and for the moment, nobody
was giving it much thought.
If you just gasped for
breath and your eyes were glassy, you weren’t alone. If you screamed and yelled and raved and even shed a few tears of
joy, you weren’t alone.
Today, perhaps you
can’t remember what you said or did – but brothers and sisters, you aren’t
alone.
The tumult and the
shouting lasted long after the players got to the locker room. As it started to die down, the Tigers came
back on the field, headed for the south goal and amid the din looked around for
a football, an opposing team – anything.
They wanted to try for the 21st point.
Nothing happened for
a couple of minutes and back they went for the usual post-game prayer and then
much more celebrating. Those who had
been in the conflict viewed by 21,384 fans grew more tired. Those who watched from the sidelines worked
up more than a sweat. They really
whopped it up.
* * *
THE
CELEBRATION was reminiscent of a
blast following a state championship victory over arch-rival McKinley.
Out on the field and
then in the officials’ room, Warren Coach Gene Slaugher, some of his assistants
and a few fans, were showing their ire.
Their argument kept
things around the big place humming long after most fans were homeward
bound. They claimed that Massillon got
an “extra minute” in the late stages of the battle.
They argued that the
scoreboard timepiece after reaching the minute mark in the final period, showed
1:59 to go.
There was 2:35
remaining when Massillon got possession of the ball the last time. Time was out at 1:29 after a first down pass
was incomplete and fourth down was coming up.
After a pass from Halfback Gene Stewart to Halfback Ivory Benjamin made
connections, they had to measure for a first down. Time was out at 1:09. The
Tigers got the stick mover by a couple inches and here is what happened after
that:
* * *
QUARTERBACK
BOB GETZ threw a screen pass to
Roger Reese, who was in at fullback.
The ball was partially deflected by a Warren player but Reese caught the
ball as he was falling. It was a
six-yard loss back to the 44. At 0:40
Getz hit Childers on a seven-yard gainer.
Stewart passed again
with the effort intended for end Ronnie Williams on about the 10. Three Panthers outfought Williams for the
grab and the scoreboard read “0:04.”
Childers made the
sensational catch and touchdown and just about everybody in the house went off
their “rocker.”
Slaughter and others
talked the situation over with the officials and Massillon coaches. It was brought out that through a quirk on
the part of the scoreboard the figure one flashed back one while the last 59
seconds were ticking off.
However, the “one”
was not showing with 40 and four seconds remaining.
Slaughter was a
gentleman through it all. After being
assured that it is impossible to set the time back, he asserted that he was not
disputing “the honesty of anybody.”
When he first took
up the argument he said he planned to lodge a protest regarding the
matter. Later he iterated his
statement, saying he was going to call H.W. Emswiler, commissioner of Ohio high
school athletics, this morning.
* * *
LONG
AFTER most fans were on their
way home, Tiger Faculty Manager Roger Price manned the operating system for the
scoreboard.
The time piece was
started twice.
Instead of reading
0:59 the first time, the figure one flashed one and a minute and 59 seconds
ticked off. But on the second test,
everything went normal. After the board
showed 1:00 it read 0:59, 0:58, and so on.
A mechanical
malfunction.
Apparently Slaughter
saw the light but still wasn’t entirely satisfied. The young,
good-natured mentor
whose team lost a heart-breaker, laughed and remarked, “You’d
better get that
thing fixed” as he turned and headed for the Warren team bus.
* * *
AFTER
COACH Tressel, who was in bed
all day Friday, (the flu bug is catching up to him) caught a second breath he
commented:
“We were real good
the first half and they were good the second half. They have a real good team.
They moved the ball that second half.
Our offense bogged down.”
“I thought our
tackling was good all night. I guess
the boys had the desire.”
He might have added
that the Tigers appeared to be a tired bunch the last quarter. They were hitting hard – and getting hit
hard.
While the offense
shined the first half, it was the Orange and Black defense which came in for a
giant bouquet the last two periods.
Late in the second
period the local hustlers stopped a Panther bid at the nine. After Warren tied the score in the last
stanza, the defensive units of both sides took charge.
After Tackle John Pietela’s
placement made it 14-14 with 10 minutes and 20 seconds remaining, each team had
the ball three series before the Tigers got it a fourth and
game-winning time.
Until Massillon
gained possession the last time, neither team made a first down. All three times each was forced to punt.
With four minutes
left, some fans sent up a howl as the Tigers punted from their own 40. It was fourth and one and apparently they
were worrying about the time.
* * *
WARREN
HAD to kick from its 39 and
Benjamin returned from his 29 to the 38.
Ivory and Jerry Allen made a first down at the Panther 48 before Sparma,
with his pass receivers covered, was felled for a nine-yard loss. However, Benjamin zipped for nine on a
cross-buck and the
Tigers still were in business.
With 1:40 left
Stewart’s pass to Childers was too hot to handle but Benjamin took a throw from
Stewart for 10 yards and the first down that set the stage for the big
developments which gave the Tigers their fifth triumph in six starts.
The win surely will
hike Massillon’s stock in the state grid polls. Undoubtedly, Cleveland Benedictine, which has been second after
topping Massillon, will move into the No. 1 slot next week.
The championship
race could turn out to be a lulu. Much
will hinge on the Tigers’ remaining games with Barberton (there next Friday),
Akron Garfield (here Nov. 8) and McKinley (at Fawcett stadium Nov. 16).
Massillon fans, used
to seeing their team get behind in the first half, were gratified with last
night’s early developments that gave the Orangemen the jump.
Warren received and
after making two first downs, was forced to punt. The Tigers, for the first time this season, put on a punt rush
and Bob Sims, Warren’s main threat in the ball carrying department, was forced
to hurry his kick from the Panther 34.
* * *
THE
PIGSKIN sailed out of bounds at
the Warren 47 and the Tigers clicked on all cylinders. After Benjamin gained three, they pulled off
a running pass good for 19 yards with Stewart doing the tossing and Benjamin
the catching.
Benjamin, Stewart,
Chuck Beiter, (who was slowed up by a pulled leg muscle) and Corky Pledgure
carved out two first downs to plant the ball on the four.
From that point
Benjamin, on a “belly” play, cracked off the right side and tallied standing
up. Sparma came in and booted the PAT
to make it 7-0 at 4:10.
Before the quarter
was history, Massillon hit pay dirt again.
Again, Warren failed
to get a first down after the kickoff and again Sims was hurried on a punting
situation from the 29. This time the
ball went out of bounds at the 42.
Benjamin got five,
then came back on a smash through the middle for seven. A pass was incomplete and Benjamin made only
one but on third down Stewart wound up again.
His pass went into
the end zone where Childers made a fine over-the-shoulder catch. Hase McKey came in this time for the
placement. He made it 14-0 at 1:48 and
the joint was really jumping.
* * *
IN THE
SECOND period the invading
outfit, which had won its first six games, never threatened. The Tresselmen threw them for losses
amounting to 25 yards.
But the Tigers did
no damage as the Panther defense tightened and allowed only two first downs.
Massillon had to
punt after Fullback Scott Kanney ripped for 11 as the third period got under way
and Childers kicked dead at the Warren 30.
Warren went all the
way with the pile-driving Sims featuring runs of 17 and 27 yards. Sub Halfback Larry Dotson scored from the
four on a double reverse. He just made
it past the final stripe on the fourth and four set-up. Pietela converted at 6:01.
Massillon received,
had to punt, and the boot by Childers was grounded at the Warren 38.
On the last 10 plays
the Panthers advanced to the Tiger 24 with the big gainer being a
10-yard pass play,
Quarterback Joe Malone to Sims.
* * *
ON THE
FIRST play of the last panel
Dotson picked up five. Malone passed to
Sims who fought his way to the seven.
Halfback Bill Miller, who had a tough time shaking loose all night, swept the left side for five before
hitting center for the touchdown at 10:20.
Pietela’s perfect placement knotted the count and put everybody on pins
and needles.
The statistics
showed the closeness of the rip-snorter.
Warren had 12 first downs, Massillon made 11. By rushing the Panthers gained 199 yards, the Tigers 145. Warren completed four of nine passes for 40
yards and the Tigers hit on seven of 16 for 108 yards.
Stewart completed
three for 58 yards and on TD, Getz had two-for-two for 13 and Sparma got one
only one pass – but you know what happened.
Benjamin, with 58
yards, was the leading ground gainer for the Bengals. Not to be overlooked were some timely jaunts by Beiter (who did
not practice all week), Allen, Pledgure, Stewart and Kanney.
MASSILLON
ENDS – Childers,
Snavely, Zorn, Hagan, A. Pierce, Mitchell, Dean.
TACKLES – Slabaugh,
A .Slicker, Halter, Donat, Bronwlee, Bordner, Karrenbauer.
GUARDS – Heine,
Heimann, McKey, Bendar, J. Kasunick, Cook.
CENTERS – Swartz,
Williamson.
QUARTERBACKS – Getz,
Anthony, Sparma.
HALFBACKS –
Benjamin, Stewart, Allen Snively, Pledgure, Clark.
FULLBACKS – Beiter,
Kanney, Reese.
WARREN
ENDS – Apple, Smith,
F. Romig, Fowler.
TACKLES – Pietela,
Rudolph, Johnson, Tutich.
GUARDS –
Hammercheck, Thompson, Rieser, Windle.
CENTERS – Perfetti,
Maggiano.
QUARTERBACKS –
Malone, Brown.
HALFBACKS – Szuch,
Miller, Jones, Dotson, DeCavitch, Warfield.
FULLBACK – Sims.
Score
by quarters:
Massillon 14 0 0 6 20
Warren 0 0 7 7 14
Touchdowns – Benjamin, Childers (2).
Dotson, Miller.
Extra
points – McKey, Sparma.
Pietela (2).
STATISTICS
M W
First downs, rushing 6 10
First downs, passing 4
2
First downs, penalties 1
0
First downs, total 11 12
Yards gained, running plays 145 204
Yards lost, running plays 20 26
Net yardage running plays 125 178
Passes attempted 16 9
Passes completed 7 4
Passes had intercepted 0 0
Yards gained, passing 106 40
Total yardage 233 218
Number of punts 6 6
Total yardage on punts 218 157
Average length of punts 27.2 26.1
Number of penalties 0 3
Yards lost on penalties 0 35
Number of fumbles 2 1
Own fumbles recovered 1 1
Ball lost on fumbles 1 0