Mansfield Plays Familiar Role
As Massillon Spoiler
By
CHUCK HESS, JR.
The Massillon Tiger is a proud creature by
tradition. He is not prone to put his
tail between his legs and slink away in the face of adversity. Instead, he bares his fangs and fights back
all the harder.
The Bengals have come back 3 times before after
having win streaks stopped by Mansfield to win state titles. The scoreless contest Friday night before
10,000 at Arlin field in Mansfield need not be the end. It can be the beginning of another string of
Orange and Black conquests.
* * *
THE 30-GAME win
streak stretching back to 1963 and starting with a 38-0 win over Mansfield is
gone. But the unbeaten skein is still
there.
Paul Brown’s 1937 Bengals had a 20-game affair ended
via 6-6 entanglement with Mansfield but went on to an 8-1-1 season and a state
title. Bud Houghton’s 1941 Obiemen had
a 38-game string stopped 6-6 by Mansfield but went on to a 9-0-1 season and a
state title, winning 13 more games before bowing in the 1962 finale under
Elwood Kammer.
Chuck Mather’s 1948 team won a state championship
with a 9-1 record and his 1949 squad, after having a 10-game streak stopped
16-12 by Mansfield, went on to a 9-1 season and a state title. His 1951 team and Tom Harp’s 154 units won
crowns with 9-1 records. Leo Strang got
one with a 10-1 slate in 1960.
For Mansfield, which will start its league season
against Fremont next week, its effort Friday could send the Tygers on to a
Buckeye conference title.
“This is the greatest team effort I’ve ever seen
from any team in the country,” Gary Prahst, Tyger mentor, said. “We’re real happy. We consider it a win. I
thought our team was just an average one going into this game. But this will make us. Massillon is a great team!”
* * *
MASSILLON COACH Bob
Seaman said, ‘We had enough yardage to win – 50 more than last week – but 20
less points. We did a good job both
offensively and defensively. Mansfield
played a good game. They shut us off when
they had to. Their pursuit killed us.”
Seaman wasn’t one to offer alibis but when a team
has only one first string back in top condition, its attack is somewhat
blunted. Quarterback Craig Maurer was
on the sidelines with an ankle injury.
Halfback Greg Evans is scheduled for surgery on a knee injury Monday in
Massillon city hospital. Halfback Tommy
James played with his hip still sore from an injury.
* * *
MANSFIELD’S
tailback and top scorer, “Butch” Jefferson also was out with an ankle sprain.
“With him we could have gotten outside better,”
Prahst said.
The Tigers out-gained Mansfield 190-95. Neither team threw much, missing on 3 passes
each. Mansfield intercepted 2 Tiger
aerials both late in the game.
“We gained 143 yards the first half and seemed to be
moving the ball well so I felt we didn’t have to throw,” Seaman explained.
“We had planned on throwing the ball more but our
defense held them. (We didn’t want to
take any chances throwing the ball),” said Prahst.
* * *
BECAUSE NEITHER team
threw often, a lot of time was used up as the Obiemen’s Will Foster and
Mansfield’s Floyd Davis and Mike Swarn took turns pounding the tackles and
guards for short yardage. There were
almost no long punt returns as Massillon’s Jim Krenzer and Mansfield’s Dave
Hallabrin took turns putting their opponents in the hole.
The furthest the Orange and Black got into Mansfield
territory was the 29 after a 20-yard run by Foster. But time ran out in the first half.
Mansfield got to the Massillon 28 with 25 seconds
left in the game. Swarn’s field goal
attempt was wide left.
The Tygers had gotten there largely through the
efforts of Shawn Madison, defensive halfback.
He intercepted a 32-yard pass by Foster to 6-7 tackle Mike Sherrett on a
tackle-eligible play and ran back to the Massillon 37.
Tigertown quarterback Kevin Henderson tried a
desperation heave to sophomore halfback Mark McDew, taking Evans’ place, on the
game’s final play. But halfback Jeff
Koroknay intercepted the 28-yarder.
* * *
THE TIGERS
had 2 costly 15-yard penalties. Both
came in the second quarter. One set the
Tigertowners back to their 42 from the Mansfield 43 when it looked like the
Bengals were gaining momentum. The
other put them on their own 16 with 1:50 left.
Both were clipping infractions and came after good runs.
Twice Mansfield fumbles rolled ahead up to 8 yards
and were recovered by the Tygers for first downs. Once, however, tackle Tom Houser picked up a bobble on the
Massillon 42 to stop a thrust by Mansfield which got out of its own territory
only once in the first half and got no further than the Tiger 37 in the second,
except on the pass interception.
Massillon got out of its homeland only once in the
second half, but 3 of 4 times it had the ball in the first.
Next stop for the Tigers on the road schedule, which
has 2 games remaining, is Hartshorn field in Alliance next Friday.
The Bengals’ record is 2-0-1, Mansfield’s is the
same.
MASSILLON – 0
Ends – Moyer, Smith, Sterling, Liggett, Gallion.
Tackles – Campbell, Snowball, Houser, Sherrett,
Ricker.
Guards – Porrini, Russell, Neago, Hauenstein,
Beiter, Ertle.
Centers – Senften, Kraft.
Quarterbacks – Henderson, Young, Malinowski.
Halfbacks – James, Simon, Fenton, McFadden, Evans,
Hannon,
Muhlbach, McDew.
Fullbacks – Foster, Moore.
Punter – Krenzer.
Ends – Alexander, Fraley, Blakley.
Tackles – Davis, Socea, Adams.
Guards – King, Shulko, Lowe, Gorrell.
Quarterbacks – Hallabrin, Wright.
Halfbacks – Madison, Koroknay, Johnson, Swarn.
Fullback – Davis.
Massillon 0 0 0 0 0
Mansfield 0 0 0 0 0
Referee – Stan Orzech (Cleveland),
Umpire – Clyde Newell (Westlake).
Head Linesman – Bill Holzwarth (Louisville).
Field Judge – Andy Moran (Berea).
Attendance –
10,000
STATISTICS
Massillon Opp.
First downs –
rushing 10 7
First downs –
passing 0
0
First downs –
penalties 0 2
Total first downs 10 7
Yards gained
rushing 200 117
Yards lost rushing 10 22
Net yards gained
rushing 190 95
Net yards gained
passing 0 0
Total yards gained 190 95
Passes attempted 3 3
Passes completed 0 0
Passes intercepted
by 0 2
Yardage on passes
intercepted 0 18
Times kicked off 1 1
Kickoff average
(yards) 32.0 26.0
Kickoff returns
(yards) 0 38
Times punted 0 7
Punt average
(yards) 31.2 35.0
Punt return (yards) 0 13
Had punts blocked 0 0
Fumbles 2 5
Lost fumbled ball 0 1
Penalties 3 1
Yards penalized 35 15
Touchdowns rushing 0 0
Touchdowns by
interception 0 0
Miscellaneous 0 0
Total number of
plays 34 32