Bengals Claw Mansfield
For
7th Win
By
CHUCK HESS, JR.
The late Al Jolson had a pet phrase, “You ain’t seen
nothin’ yet.” The Massillon faithful in
the group of 13,539 fans who sat in on the Tigers’ seventh game of the season
Friday night at Tiger stadium found out Jolson had something there.
The contest was complete with the Tigers’ greatest
defensive show of the season, some weird fumbles, side-of-the-foot punts, the
Bengals behind for the first time this season, the unveiling of a toe the likes
of Lou Groza and one of the oddest touchdowns in a long time.
For the fourth week in a row the Bengals stopped a
here-to-fore undefeated and ranked team.
This time it was Mansfield which felt the claws of the Tiger, 34-6.
It could have been an even higher score but for some
breaks which didn’t go Washington high’s way.
As Coach Leo Strang said, “We were bound to have a night like this one
of these times.”
* * *
ALSO HAD Massillon been
able to crack its offense into high gear in the first half, the story would
have been different. “Our offense was
rusty and listless,” said Strang. “Our
timing was off, and we bobbled the ball all over the place.”
“Part of our touble stemmed from their stunting,”
the Tiger pilot continued. “They seemed
to be jumping into the right spots. It
took us time to adjust to this, but when we did, we broke through well.”
In commenting on his defense Strang said, “It
certainly helped make our touchdowns.”
The Massillon defenders set up four of the five TD’s. “Red Dogging,” or crashing linebackers the
Bengals held Mansfield to 84 yards on the ground and nothing in air. The Tygers had a minus five yards rushing in
the second half. Massillon intercepted
two of Mansfield’s five aerials and 62 yards on the ground caused the Tygers to
lose.
While this was going on Massillon rolled to 321
yards rushing and 19 passing for 340 yards on offense. Quarterback Jim Alexander wasn’t as sharp as
usual, completing only two of seven passes.
Part of Alex’s trouble was in the Tyger’s rushing
him consistently and covering the deep receivers well. Outstanding defenders were the “floater” or
“monster,” Jim Wareham, Middle Guard, Ron Keplinger, End Wendell Bell and Safety
Bill Mitchell.
* * *
THE TIGERS rushing
of passers was a sight to behold. They
covered receivers well. No single man
was responsible for the fine defensive showing. They all helped out. The
Bengal blitz also stopped many runs before they got started.
In all fairness to Quarterback Don Cole it must be
mentioned that his favorite target, End Elroy Allen, was hobbled with an
injured leg. Allen, had caught nine TD
passes before Friday’s game. But with
the rush the Tigers had on and their coverage of receivers, it is doubtful that
even had Allen been in top condition, that this would have made much
difference.
Mansfield got into Massillon territory early four
times during the game, twice in the first quarter and twice in the second. They were stopped at the 47 once, the 33 and
the 24-yard line.
The other invasion was when speedster Henry Weaver
ran the opening kickoff back for the game’s first score. Showing why he was the state 100-yard and
180-yard low hurdles champ last spring.
Weaver grabbed Co-Captain Ken Ivan’s second boot (the first went out of
bounds) on the Tyger 12 and cut to his left down the sideline, outdistancing
Massillon defenders, who underestimated his speed, for the score with only 15
seconds gone in the game. Wareham’s
kick for the conversion was no good.
Tom Henson kicked off for Mansfield, making the
third such boot in such a short time, something rarely seen. But for a fumble on the return, an even
odder situation would have cropped up.
Bob Baker gathered in the ball on his 15 and started
up the right side. He had clear sailing
for a score. However, he was bumped
hard at the Massillon 48 and the ball squirted out of his hands and across the
sideline.
The Tigers got their first touchdown six plays later
when Alexander passed to Ivan on the down-and-out pattern from the Mansfield
six at 10:06 to put the cap on a 52-yard drive.
Fullback Fred Philpott paved the way for the score
with a 35-yard jaunt around left end from the 45 to the 10. A last minute shove by Don Cole, who
alternated with Mitchell at safety, knocked Philpott out of bounds.
* * *
IT LOOKED
as if trouble was brewing when Co-Captain Charlie Brown picked up only five
yards on the next three plays. But
Alexander and Ivan teamed up for the fourth down TD pass and the score.
Junior Will Paisley booted the first of four extra
points for the Tigers to put Massillon in the lead 7-6. The kick was from the 15 due to a delay
penalty.
Mansfield appeared to be off to the races
again. Bill Mitchell, another speedster
grabbed Ivan’s kickoff on the 14 and lugged the ball to his 22.
Weaver took off around right end with a pitchout and
raced 26 yards on the next play for a first down. This was his next to last big run of the night. By the second half the Massillon defense had
worn him to a frazzle.
Allen punted when Mansfield was halted three plays
later, and Massillon took over on its 18.
A 49-yard drive in nine plays and two first downs took the Bengals to
the Tyger 33. A fourth down play failed
to click and Mansfield took over.
The Tygers controlled the ball for two series during
which Weaver had a fine 12-yard run off tackle, and Mansfield employed the
“shotgun” or spread offense to no avail.
The Tygers tried this maneuver several other times but could generate
nothing off of it.
* * *
RON SCHENKENBERGER,
usually very sticky fingered, suffered the first of three fumbles, two of which
proved costly, when Allen punted on fourth down. Schenk bobbled on his 21 just after the second period had
started, but recovered and ran to the 27.
When this series fizzled on the 42, Alex dropped
back to punt, but hit the ball with the side of his foot. The pigskin went out of bounds on the
Mansfield 36.
The Tygers had the ball for three more series before
they failed to make a first down.
Massillon ultimately took over on its 32.
Six plays and two first downs later it was TD No. 2
for the Bengals, even though they were set back 15 yards for an illegal shift
along the way. They also picked up 15
via the personal foul route.
The score came at 4:20 when Schenkenberger scored on
a reverse from a backs-over formation, going from short to long side. The run was 52 yards. Paisley’s boot was good, the ball sailing
clear over the north end zone bleachers.
Mansfield had the ball for practically the rest of
the quarter with two exceptions. The
Tigers got the ball on the visitors’ 49 after a punt, but Brown fumbled on the
next play. Schenk fumbled a punt on his
26. John Brooks recovered on the 29.
* * *
COLE TRIED
to pass on the next play. But the
aerial was picked off and turned to the Massillon 41. An illegal shift penalty, caused by poor timing kayoed another
drive as the first half ended.
The Tigers were unable to score on a 44-yard drive
from their 31 to the Mansfield 25 following the second half kickoff. The drive was stopped after 10 plays and two
first downs.
Massillon had two opportunities in the series that
got sidetracked. Schenkenberger was all
alone on a reverse on second down from the 28 when the ball popped out of his
hands, the Bengals losing 10 yards in the process.
Two plays earlier Philpott went through the center
on third down from the 47. He was just
about in the clear when a Tyger on the ground reached a hand back over his head
and just managed to trip the Bengals’ leading scorer up.
Mansfield had two series and Allen went back to punt
with the ball snapped from his 26.
Charlie Whitfield and Willie Poole broke through to bring him down on
the 17, not giving Allen time to punt.
* * *
MASSILLON HAD
its third score six plays and a first down later when Brown shot between the
outside tackle and long side end from the three with 1:38 seconds remaining in
the third canto. Charlie failed to
score the conversion with a run between the tackles.
Mansfield had three more plays before the period
ended, the opportunities coming after the kickoff. But Weaver was on the wrong end of a bad handoff, the ball was
bobbled, and Joe Snively recovered on the Tyger 43.
Massillon started another drive. But an illegal shit penalty cost them
again. After driving to the 13 in 11
plays and two first downs, the Bengals failed to pause one second and suffered
the consequences. Set back to the 28 on
third down and needing 28 yards to score, Alex tried to hit Ivan in the end
zone. But the short side end’s diving
try for the catch of the overthrown pass was in vain. A fourth down run was short.
The march, which started near the end of the third
stanza, carried to midway in the fourth.
The Tigers’ next tally was set up by a pass interception.
Snively hauled in a second down aerial on the Tyger
45. Before he was tackled he got down
to the 25. He almost got loose for a
score.
On the first play sophomore Wingback Bill Blunt,
playing his first game, scored on a reverse.
The time was 3:21. Paisley’s
boot made the score 27-6.
* * *
BUT THE WIERDEST
touchdown possibly ever scored at the stadium was still to come. Allen dropped back to punt from his two near
the end of the contest. The snap was
bad. Poole came charging in at
Allen. The senior end’s punt went
straight up into the air. As it came
down, Jim Ehmer tipped it toward his cousin Larry and Ivan. After a struggle for possession between the
two, Ivan finally ran the ball over from the three at 1:36.
Paisley’s kick raised the tally to 34 and sent the
Dad’s night crowd home happy as the Tigers got their seventh straight win of
the season.
Mansfield Coach Bill Doolittle commented on the
Tigers thusly after the game. “They’ve
got a tremendous team. It’s very well
balanced. They’ve got good running and
passing. This makes it difficult to
defense them. They’ve got too many ways
to hurt you. We just couldn’t contain
them enough.”
Lucky
7th Win
Mansfield
Ends – Pratts, Allen,
Beckwith, Bell and Baker.
Tackles – Russell and
Shasky.
Guards – Atwater, bucher,
Dunson, Henson, Potter and Winbigler.
Center – Keplinger.
Backs – Brooks, Cole,
Mitchell, Phillips, Schroeder and Weaver.
Massillon
Ends – Ivan, L. Ehmer,
Garland and Pierce.
Tackles – Maglischo,
Spees, J. Ehmer and Mercer.
Guards – Clendenin,
Whitfield, Poole, Radel, Paisley and Migg.e
Centers – Strobel and
Bradley.
Backs – Alexander,
Schenkenberger, Brown, Philpott, Blunt, Toles, Swartz, Dean, Snively, Baker and
Getz.
Score by Quarters
Mansfield 6 0 0 0 6
Massillon 7 7 6 14 34
Mansfield
Touchdowns –
Weaver (88-yard run).
Massillon
Touchdowns – Ivan (six-yard pass from Alexander);
Schenkenberger
(52-yard run);
Brown
(three-yard run);
Blunt
(25-yard run);
Ivan
(three-yard punt return).
Conversions –
Paisley 4 (place kicks)
OFFICIALS
Referee – Bill Holzwarth.
Umpire – Clarence Rich.
Head Linesman – Jim Langhurst.
Field Judge – Russ Kemper.
STATISTICS
Mass. Mansf.
First
downs – rushing 12 6
First
downs – passing 1 0
First
downs – penalties 1 1
Total
first downs 14 7
Yards
gained rushing 330 146
Yards
lost rushing 9 62
Net
yards gained rushing 321 84
Yards
gained passing 19 0
Total
yards gained 340 84
Passes
attempted 7 5
Passes
completed 2 0
Passes
intercepted by 2 0
Times
kicked off 7 2
Kickoff
average (yards) 45.0
44.0
Kickoff
returns (yards) 47 129
Times
punted 2 6
Punt
average (yards) 26.0
27.3
Punt
return (yards) 8 0
Had
punts blocked 0 0
Fumbles 4 2
Lost
fumbled ball 2 2
Penalties
5 5