Tigers Easily Beat
Akron
Garfield 36-0
Tight Bengal Defense Repels Presidents
For A Minus One Yard
“Have
football, will travel” seemed to be the theme song of the Massillon Tigers as they
propelled the pigskin through, over and around Akron Garfield in a remarkably
easy 36-0 romp at chilly Tiger stadium Friday night.
The
Bengals gained 309 yards over land and 132 via the airways, made 22 first downs
and the Presidents to a pair of stick-movers and – get this – a net of minus
one yard.
More
of the same – that’s what all good Tiger faithful are wishing now. The big one comes up next Saturday afternoon
and this, of course, is the traditional tussle with Canton McKinley’s Bulldogs.
“BEAT
McKINLEY!”
Ye,
that’s the cry and we will hear that cry, constantly to say the least, and
perhaps in our sleep, for the next seven days.
* * *
THE 1958 FOOTBALL season of the Tigers has brought forth fruits of
victory and pangs of disappointment but the most pleasing result of all could
only be a prized triumph over the team to the East.
This
year’s Massillon-McKinley game will have no pot of gold or state championship
riding on the final outcome, but it still is a banner attraction. The stands will be packed, as just about
everybody hereabouts realizes that anything and everything can happen when the
Tigers and the Bulldogs start clawing away.
With
the Bulldogs experiencing a lean year, they know that by beating Massillon they
can make amends for past failures.
The
Bulldogs have a new coach in Jimmy Robinson, the former Lehman boss, a raft of
speedy backs, a veteran quarterback and several hard-nose stalwarts on the
line. It will be a case of everything
to gain, nothing to lose for them.
All
seats have been sold for the encounter.
Because temporary bleachers have been placed in front of the stands,
there will be no available standing room.
* * *
THE TIGER Booster club will get the
ball rolling for “Beat McKinley Week” at its meeting in the high school
auditorium Monday night.
The
old home-town will dress up as per usual and all merchants are being asked to
fly their Tiger flags all week long.
The
Washington high warriors will enter the battle with a record of seven wins, one
loss and a tie. McKinley was 4-4 going
into this afternoon’s skirmish with Cleveland John Adams at Fawcett stadium.
The
lop-sided win over Garfield was Massillon’s seventh in a row over a President
array.
The
Prexies lost to the orange and black 30-0 last year and 35-0 the year before
but their representatives on the field last night actually had very little
semblance in the 1956 and 1957 clubs.
They
stayed in their pitching but the Tigers had too much of everything.
* * *
BEHIND FINE blocking, Jim Snively, Art Hastings, Dave Dean, Jerry Allen, Jim Wood
and Martin Gugov ran with abandon. Joe
Sparma and Bill Finney shared the passing role and their strikes to Bob Vogel,
Bill Zorn, Jerry Mitchell and Allen were very instrumental.
The
defensive dandies, protecting the top record among “big time” schools in the
state, did not allow Garfield a first down in the first half. On the third play of the second half the
invading team made their fist of the night and their second, and last, came
after a
delay-of-game
penalty against Massillon aided them late in the final period.
Garfield
reached Tiger territory only twice all evening and never came close to pay dirt
as the Bengals racked up their fifth shutout of the season.
Nearest
the Presidents got was the Tiger 47-yard line after Halfback Bob Price, their
star punter, intercepted a pass early in the game. However, four plays later the visitors had to punt from their own
46.
The
score, which was Massillon’s highest output of the year, might have been more
one-sided
had it not been for Price’s booming punts or the fact that the Tigers
temporarily ran out of gas after going inside the 15 twice in the third
quarter.
* * *
PRICE KICKED seven times for an average of exactly 40 yards per punt, his best
effort being at 51-yarder. On the other
hand, the orange punted only once with a fourth quarter “line drive” by Sparma
carrying 54 yards.
Offensively,
the Leo Strang coached forces treated the crowd, which included 8,579 paid, to
much fireworks in the very first period.
The
second time they had the pigskin they rolled 60 yards in seven plays with
Snively whizzing the final 34. Four minutes later they made a second TD with
Allen hitting across from the three after seven plays had covered 53 yards.
On
the first thrust, Massillon started from its own 40-yard line. A 15-yard pass play with Mitchell taking a
Sparma throw, and short chunks by Snively, Hastings and Dean planted the ball
at the Garfield 34 before Snively got loose.
He banged through a hole at left tackle, did a cutback at the 25 and was
gone. At 5:38 he hit off the right side
to make the score
8-0.
* * *
GARFIELD was forced to punt after the kickoff and Bob Oliver returned to the
Tiger 44. After an incomplete pass, Snively
got off another nifty run, this one for 22 yards, and then Allen, Dean and
Hastings alternated in toting the oval to the enemy three from which point
Allen tallied through a giant-sized hole on the right side. A bad exchange in the backfield ruined the
try for two extra points.
A
40-yard run by Snively went for naught early in the second frame but the second
time the Tigers had the ball in that session they didn’t stop until they
changed the score to 20-0.
They
advanced 86 yards in nine plays with a pair of aerials accounting for the last
35 yards.
Dean
and Allen were the running stickouts as Massillon moved to the Garfield
35. Then Sparma threw out into the
right flat. The pass was wobbly but
carried right to Mitchell, sitting down on the 13. On the next play Sparma and Zorn made connections on a jump pass
with big Bill catching the ball at the four and falling across. A run for the extra points was short.
* * *
NEAR THE END of the quarter McKey blocked a punt with Zorn catching the ball at the
Garfield 37. Sparma twirled to Vogel
who made a nice catch to help gain 23 yards but on the last play of the half,
Price bobbed up to intercept a Sparma toss.
Thus it was 20-0 at intermission.
Garfield
came out for the second half a more determined ball club but after picking up
one first down, a screen pass thrown by Ronnie Tate was deflected by McKey and
Zorn gathered it in at the President 37.
On
the very next play, Massillon scored again.
This time Sparma got off another jump pass and it was caught by Vogel
after being deflected by Price. Vogel
juggled the ball for an instant at the 24 and then had a straight shot to the
end zone. Sparma passed to Zorn for two
more points with eight minutes left in the quarter.
* * *
McKEY RECOVERED a fumble at the Garfield 36 three plays later but after Finney passed
to Zorn for 15 and sophomore Gugov got 12 yards in two tries, Massillon fumbled
with Taylor recovering at the Garfield two.
But
Garfield had to kick again and Massillon went from the visitors’ 44 to the 14
before the big fizzled out. During this
drive, which was hurt by a holding penalty, Gugov ran twice for 11 yards, Allen
once for 13 and Finney passed to Allen for seven yards.
Following
a punt early in the final canto, the Tigertown team drove 43 yards in eight
plays. Allen ran well in this scoring
overture, going for 11 once and for 18 on another trip before he bulled the
last four yards at 6:49. Gugov hit off
tackle for the extra points.
STATISTICS
Mass. Gar.
First downs, rushing 17 2
First downs, passing 5 0
First downs, penalties 0 0
Total first downs 22 2
Number of rushing plays 64 37
Yards gained, running plays 334 48
Yards lost, running plays 25 49
Net yardage, running 309 -1
Passes attempted 17 7
Passes completed 7 0
Passes had intercepted 2 1
Yards returned, intercepted
passes 0 21
Yards gained, passing 132 0
Total net yardage,
running and passing 441 -1
Number of kick-off returns 1 6
Yardage, kickoff returns 8 74
Average length of kickoff returns 8 12.3
Number of punt returns 6 0
Yardage, punt returns 43 0
Average length of punt
return 7.1 0
Number of punts 1 7
Total yardage on punts 54 280
Average length of punts 54 40
Number of penalties 4 4
Number of fumbles 5 4
Own fumbles recovered 2 1