East’s Errors Help Tigers Win Opener 16-0

 

Manson Scores 2 TDs On 4th Quarter Plunges

 

By STEVE HAPANOWICZ

 

 

Lady Luck smiled on Massillon Friday night after 3 quarters of frustration and fumbles to give the Tigers a 16-0 victory over a good Cleveland East football team in the opener of the 1964 season.

 

The highly favored Tigers had more than they bargained for as the invading Bombers held them scoreless until late in the fourth quarter when the Tigers moved 80 yards, with the help of two 15-yard penalties, to the East 5-yard line only to lose the ball on downs.

 

East took over on its 5, and with second and 8, halfback Tim Lee fumbled on a mix-up in the backfield.  Defensive end Wes Goodnough recovered for the Tigers on the 7-yard line with 4:39 left in the game.

 

Fullback Terry Manson, 5’9”, 188-pound junior, took it in to the 2 on the first try.  Two smashes into the line didn’t get the ball over.  It seemed like the Tigers would be foiled again.  With fourth and 2, Manson plowed over for the score, the clock showing 2:18 left.  Quarterback Steve Kanner added the extra points on a keeper.

 

Dave Paul kicked to the East 15 where halfback Bob Haynes brought it out to the 29.  On first down East quarterback Ray Holliday fired a pass that linebacker Paul Marks intercepted at the 41 and ran back to the 1 with the aid of a key block by guard Tom Whitfield.

 

MANSON THEN went over from the one for the Tigers’ second touchdown with the clock showing 1:39 left in the game.  Kanner again took the extra points over.

 

Coach Earle Bruce, making his debut as the Tiger coach after taking over from Leo Strang, whistled a sigh of relief when approached by newsmen in the Tiger dressing room after the game.  Although glad that his team had won, Bruce was disappointed in its showing.

 

“We made too many mistakes—on our offensive assignments—and our blocking was terrible.  Of course, we didn’t have the ball too often,” Bruce said before looking at the statistics sheet which showed the Tigers ran 47 plays to East’s 49.

 

“Then we threw one too many passes,” Bruce said referring to the first quarter when the Tigers moved the ball to the East 21.  Quarterback Steve Kanner was smothered by the East line when he attempted to pass fumbling the ball and East recovering.  The only other pass the Tigers tried came in the second quarter and it was incomplete.

 

“I can’t make any comment on our offense until I see the movies.  I can’t see how we made so many mistakes,” Bruce said.

*  *  *

ONE BRIGHT SPOT on offense was the running of Edgar Herring, 5’5”, 148-pound senior halfback who gained 120 yards in 16 carries, including a 42-yarder from the Massillon 26 to the East 32 in the first quarter.  It was the longest run of the night.

 

While unhappy with the offense, Bruce was fairly pleased with the defense, which allowed East only 109 yards.  “Anytime you hold a team to 109 yards without scoring, you’re not doing too badly,” he said.

 

“We have a lot of polishing to do so we can make that trip up to the Rubber Bowl,” the coach added.  The Tigers meet Niles McKinley next Saturday night in Akron in a game that has already sold almost 20,000 tickets.

 

Bruce praised East, saying, ‘They looked good. They really hit out on our linebackers.  They didn’t make any mistakes.  Joe Pledger, (the 6-foot, 195-pound East fullback) is a good boy.”  Pledger picked up 92 of East’s 109 yards in 20 carries.

 

For 24-year old Bob Madison who was making his head-coaching debut at his high school alma mater, the game was an auspicious start.  Madison sounded like an old veteran mentor when asked to comment on the game.  “What can you say about losing?” he asked.  However, it was obvious he was pleased with his team’s showing.  “We came close, closer than any other East team.”

 

THIS WAS THE third meeting of the 2 schools and the Blue bombers have yet to score against Massillon.  The Tigers have racked up 120 points against East.

 

“They (Massillon) have to go a long way offensively,” Madison said.  “Of course they were looking ahead, to a certain extent,” the Colgate University graduate said.  “We didn’t plan anything special except the fullback over guard with wedge blocking, hoping we could get them early.  Otherwise it was straight stuff.

 

Actually, we’ve only had 3 days to prepare for Massillon.  We couldn’t get into the building on Labor Day to get ready.  As for Pledger, he’s quite a boy.  There’s nothing in northeastern Ohio, at least, that will come close to Joe,” Madison said proudly of his fullback.

 

The Tigers penetrated to the East 21 in the first quarter and to the 38 in the second, losing the ball both times on fumbles.  The scoring was all packed into the last 5 minutes of the game.

 

                                 Cleveland East – 0

 

Ends – Matthews, Mixon, Exodus Lett, Taylor, Capers.

Tackles – Johnson, D. Young, Finley. Fitzgerald.

Guards – Murzynski, Badgett, R. Young, Ballentine, Ivory.

Center – Weaver.

Backs – Holliday, Lee, Ellis, George, Pledger, Simmons, Haynes, Lindsey.

 

                                      Massillon – 16

 

Ends – Goodnough, B. Williams, Gillmore, Franklin, Garcia.

Tackles – Morgan, Binge, Hartley, Stevens, Paul, Croop.

Guards – Larsuel, D. Whitfield, T. Whitfield.

Center – Muhlback.

Backs – Schenkenberger, Marks, Shanor, Herring, Manson, Kanner, Frieg, Pribich, Sheegog.

 

Massillon              0    0    0    16 – 16

Cleveland East     0    0    0      0 –   0

 

Scoring – Massillon – Touchdowns – Manson  2 (runs of 2 and 1 yard).

 

Points after touchdown – 2 (runs)

 

Officials – Harvey Hodgson, Jr. (Massillon); referee – Bill Makepeace (Cincinnati);

headlinesman – A.N. Smith (Elyria; headlinesman – Bob Strimer (Delaware) field judge.

 

 

                Statistics

                                      Cleve.

                             Mass.     East

First downs—rushing          11         9

First downs—passing            0        0

First downs—penalties          2         0

Total first downs            13         9

Yards gained rushing         223       151 

Yards lost rushing           21       41      

Total plays                  47        49 

Net yards rushing            192       109

Passes attempted               2         7

Passes completed               0         2

Passes intercepted by          1         0

Yardage on passes intercepted 40        0

Times kicked off               3         1

Kickoff average (yards)      48       45

Kickoff returns (yards)      19       62

Times punted                   2        4

Punt average (yards)         38       31

Punt returns (yards)           0         8

Had punts blocked              0        0

Fumbles                        3        1

Lost fumbled ball              3         1

Penalties                      4         5

Yards penalized              27       53

Touchdowns rushing             2         0

Touchdowns passing             0         0

Touchdowns by interception     0         0