Long Gainers Push Tigers Past
Benedictine
30-6 WIN IS NO. 5
Sparma-Herring
Pass, Big Gallops By Wood, Hastings Repel Benies
That
Massillon Tiger trademark of yesteryear – the long, explosive type play that
can take the starch out of the opposition in a jiffy – again held forth at
Tiger stadium Friday night and the orange and black knocked off the invading
Cleveland Benedictine forces, 30-6, before 11,920 fans.
The
Tigers used three of the long gainers as a spring-board to their fifth
consecutive victory of the season and the win over the big, determined but
outclassed Benies coupled with Warren Harding’s reversal of form undoubtedly
will provide the Leo Strang-coached gang with a tighter grip on their No. 1
state ranking.
Warren,
upset by East Liverpool, 14-13, has been Massillon’s arch rival for the top
spot in the Associated Press poll. Now
it seems as though Springfield, Lorain or Toledo DeVilbiss will assume the
runner-up role.
The
Panthers can’t be counted out. The
season is far from being over and a Tiger loss will send their hopes for that
elusive crown right down the drain.
THE
GAME of the year still looms for Friday the night of Oct. 30.
* * *
BEFORE WARREN comes Mansfield (next Friday night at Tiger stadium) and Coach Strang
will be happier if the Bengals can present a more consistent attack against the
Mansfielders.
“I’m
glad it’s over,” Strang said over telling locker room well-wishers about a
“frustrating” night.”
“It
went about the way I expected …we would have to go from a long way out and
that’s what we did.”
“It
was as frustrating ball game as we’ve played, mainly because we did not move
the ball consistently. Of course, we
should give credit where credit is due.
They had me worried and we had our hands full trying to block them,” he
commented.
He
said that several of his players told him that a few of the Benie linemen ‘had
to be held” – they couldn’t be moved to either side of the hole.
“We
knew Benedictine had a tough team and would come down here all hopped up. They have my respect. And you can ask the boys, they rate on a par
with Alliance or Steubenville,” Strang said.
The
Benie pilot, a downcast Auggie Bossu, was reluctant to talk but claimed the
Tigers are a good ball club – “as good and probably better than your teams of
the past few years.”
“Yes,
it was a good game…for Massillon. Yes,
we played hard…but we didn’t win,” the usually mild-mannered mentor rasped
before excusing himself to see about an injured player.
* * *
BOSSU POINTED out that his team’s best runner last night, Joe Miano, previously was a
second stringer. And he said that his
punter, Bob Jambor, was averaging 42 yards per kick, going into last night’s
game.
Against
the Tigers, Miano averaged over five yards a carry with his longest jaunt of 30
yards setting up Benedictine’s only touchdown.
Stocky Paul Rini showed ability to gallop in the open field at times.
On
more than one occasion the ball carrier had found a hole at the line but it was
quickly closed by Massillon’s linebackers and deep backs.
The
Benies took to the sky 13 times but only four made connections and three were
intercepted.
However,
the Tigers’ inability to muster a sustained drive and Jambor’s amazing punting
(an average of 47.2 yards for five kicks) made it a pretty dull affair except
for the long striking plays.
The
long gainers were turned in by Art Hastings, on a dash of 62 yards which set up
the Tigers’ second touchdown, a 41-yard pass play from Joe Sparma to Bob
Herring and a
69-yard
sprint by Jim Wood.
These
crowd-pleasing antics helped the Orangemen out gain the visitors by 339 yards
to 182. Massillon netted 257 yards on
the ground to 136 for the Benies.
* * *
NEITHER TEAM’S passing attack was nowhere near sensational but the aerial game was real
prominent for the hometown lads.
The
talented Sparma was right on the button with his fling to Herring which paved
the way for the third TD of the evening and the defensive backs hauled in no
less than three Benie forwards.
An
interception by Martin Gugov, who incidentally started his second game on
offense as Lefthalf Bill Finney was kept out of uniform due to an injury, put
the Tigers in position for their first score.
Prior to the Sparma-Herring payoff pitch-catch it was Herring who
intercepted a pass.
Nick
Daugenti, the defensive back and punt return specialist, made the first
interception on the third play of the encounter but his effort went for naught
as the Tigers were forced to punt.
Daugenti, who did not play the second half because of a sprained ankle,
caught the ball after it was deflected by Art Hastings.
The
first time Daugenti returned a punt he wheeled from the end zone out to the 20
and Massillon was on the move in a hurry.
Sparma threw down the middle to Wood who made a diving catch at the
Benie 39 but four plays later End Tony Palmieri recovered a fumble by
Gugov. However, the latter made amends
when he intercepted a toss by Dennis Andrews and from the Benie 24 the orange
and black reach pay dirt in four plays.
Gugov
picked up six and Hastings four before Gugov added two. Then Hastings slicked off the left side and
went in standing up. Gugov bulled
across for two more points and the Tigers led 8-0 with 16 seconds remaining in
the quarter.
Four
plays into the second period Herring returned a Benie punt seven yards to the
25 and Hastings had the Tiger fans emitting superlatives on the very first play
from scrimmage. He hit off left tackle,
did a tight-rope act down the west sidelines and aided by a beauty of a block
by Virg Bukuts, zipped 62 yards to the Clevelanders’ 13. On the next play Gugov barreled through
right tackle for six, Wood swept end for the PAT and it was 16-0 at 9:36.
* * *
A MOMENT later the Tigers were penalized for illegal substitution but the ball
was placed at the original spot after a hurried discussion by the
officials. After the kickoff Massillon
defensive subs took the field…all nine of them. The penalty was stepped off, then retracted, because it was not a
case of substituting. Everything
was “jake” after two more players
entered the lineup and the defense forced Benedictine to punt.
The
ball changed hands in a hurry. Gugov
lateralled as he was tackled and Sparma and Palmieri wrestled for
possession. Palmieri had the final say
at the Tiger 25. With second and 14,
Andrews’ pass was intercepted by Herring at the 15 and he got out to the 37.
Hastings
pounded 22 yards in three tries before Massillon scored again.
From
the Benie 41, Sparma hit Herring who had slipped behind the secondary at the Benedictine
five. The mite halfback snagged the
ball, was hit, but fell across the zero stripe. Gugov’s run was short but the Tigers led 22-0 and that’s the way
it was at intermission.
Midway
in the third round Halfback Tom Kosewic recovered a Tiger fumble at the
Massillon 29 but the Tigers held and took over at the 31 as Captain “Sluggo”
Bednar batted down a fourth down aerial.
The
most peculiar play of the night resulted on the first Tiger try from scrimmage.
Sparma
went back to pass, was hit, and the ball floated out to the 35 where big Tony
Gibbons, a tackle, cradled it and churned goalward. Gibbons, however, coughed it up as he was tackled and Tiger
tackle Don Appleby recovered at the 29.
After
Gugov gained two, Wood winged 69 yards to put the Massillonians ahead by
28. The speedy halfback went through
the left side, found himself in the clear at the 40 as the Benies looked around
for the guy with the ball, and outran Rini to the end zone. Sparma passed to End Bob Zumbrunn in the end
zone for two more markers.
Early
in the final heat Jim Houston, Tiger guard, recovered a fumble at the Tiger 49
but aftre Wood wheeled 22 yards the attacked bogged down.
Benedictine,
playing against a sub-studded lineup, marched 79 yards for its only
six-pointer
in a dozen plays.
* * *
ON THE FIRST play Miano scatted 31 yards and three plays before the TD, a pass, Joe
Bujak to End Al Grigaliunas, resulted in a 24-yard gain. On third down at the one, the Massillon
defense ganged up at the middle but Miano hit off the left side all by his
lonesome and it was 30-6 at 1:55 with 1:55 remaining. The same Miano was stopped short on the PAT attempt.
Benedictine
had the ball for 54 plays as compared to Massillon’s 42 tries but the long
strikes and the Tiger defense (led by Bednar, Hase McKey, Houston, Gary Wells,
Frank Midure, Jay Willey and Don Appleby) proved to be more than enough.
Outside
of Miano’s 24-yarder in the final quarter, the blue’s biggest rushing gain
amounted to only eight yards.
In
the third frame the Tigers had the ball for only four running plays but with
the help of Wood’s 69-yard effort, netted 82 yards.
Hastings,
the workhorse of the attack, twisted and fought his way for 130 yards in 13
carries while Wood made 96 yards in seven trips and Gugov gained 30 in eight
tries.
The
loss was the second in five starts for the Benies who now trail the Tigers in
the series, 4-1.
MASSILLON
ENDS – McKey, Barkman, Zumbrunn, Bodiford, Oliver, Royer.
TACKLES – Appleby, Bukuts, Wells, Haines, Herbst, Herndon, Paul.
GUARDS – Willey, Bednar, Midure, Houston, Brugh, Anzalone, Crenshaw, White,
Whitfield.
CENTERS – Snodgrass, Snyder, Demis.
QUARTERBACKS – Sparma, Larson, Null, Smith.
HALFBACKS – Finney, Wood, Daugenti, Gugov, Herring Kurzen.
FULLBACKS – Hastings, Hershberger, Dean, Toles.
BENEDICTINE
ENDS – Grigaliunas, Forgach, Watson, Torda.
TACKLES – Phile, Jason, gibbons, Zahorsky.
GUARDS – Marcin, Tyrdik, Palmieri, Janiak, Wojas, Labuda.
CENTERS – Siath, Kestner.
QUARTERBACKS – Bujak, Andrews, Kolenich.
HALFBACKS – Rini, Malinak, Farro, Kosewic, Brock, Jambor.
FULLBACKS – Miano, Tollis, Schepis.
Scoring by quarters
Massillon 8 14 8 0 30
Benedictine 0 0 0 6 6
Touchdowns:
Massillon – Hastings (12, run); Gugov (13, run); Herring (41, pass); Wood (69,
run).
Benedictine – Miano (1, run).
Extra points: Massillon
– Gugov (run);
Wood (run); Zumbrunn (pass).
OFFICIALS
Referee
– Andy Moran.
Field
Judge – Andy Lindsey.
Head
Linesman – Harvey Hodgson.
Umpire
– Horace Rainesberger.
Mass Bene.
First downs – rushing 9 6
First downs – Passing 2 2
First downs – penalties 0 0
Total first downs 11 8
Yards gained rushing 265 145
Yards lost rushing 8 9
Net yards gained rushing 257 136
Yards gained passing 82 46
Total yards gained 339 182
Passes attempted 13 13
Passes completed 3 4
Passes intercepted by
3 1
Kickoff average (yards) 35.8 33.0
Kickoff returns (yards) 43 57
Times punted 3 5
Punt average (yards) 29.3 47.2
Punt returns (yards) 68 21
Had punts blocked 0 0
Fumbles 3 4
Lost fumbled ball 3 2
Yards penalized 0 20