Jim Smith’s night
as Tigers win
30-6
By CHUCK HESS,
JR.
It was Jim Smith’s show
Friday night at Tiger stadium.
Aided by fine blocking –
especially down field – the big senior tailback ran wild as the Washington high
eleven downed a bigger Cuyahoga Falls eleven 30-6.
The non-league win, before
11,277 on Dad’s night, represented a comeback from last week’s loss at
six-game winning streak.
*
*
*
THE BLACK Tigers were without the services of their outstanding senior fullback
Doug Root from the third play on, when he injured an ankle. A sprain is suspected but X-rays were taken
after Falls arrived home last night because a break
wasn’t ruled out.
So the big back battle never
materialized but Smith went on to his finest performance of his career, picking
up 179 net yards in 22 carries, to account for all but eight of his team’s
ground total. He scored three of the Tigertowners’ four touchdowns – all on beautiful, long runs
and added a two-pointer.
Normally,
However, the Tigers had
their best night in the air with 91 yards to roll up more total yardage.
Smith had 125 of his total
in the first half but Falls made some alterations
during the intermission and held him to 54 yards thereafter. Coaches Bob Seaman of Massillon and Terry
Ross of Falls differed on the reason with Ross picking the firing of his
linebackers more often and Seaman tabbing the inability of his line to pick up
the inside stunts.
* * *
WHILE SMITH was displaying his foot fireworks, the Tigers’ defense couldn’t keep Falls from mounting long drives. But once inside the 20, in Seaman’s words,
“Our defense got tough.”
Twice in the second period
senior safety Chuck Stoner picked off Falls’ passes to
half possible scoring drives and put
Falls had second and 10 on
the
On the fourth and 10 on the
Quarterback Marc Malinowski’s attempted pass to wingback Mark McDew for the conversion failed but he had two other key
catches on the night.
* * *
TIGHT END Mike James may get credit for key blocks on both TD runs when the
movies are graded.
McDew’s first big catch caught everybody by surprise when Malinowski
passed on first down from his own 29 in the first quarter. McDew completed the
“M & M Special” with a running catch on the Falls
40 and went the rest of the way for the 77-yard score.
Smith converted off right
tackle.
He got his final score after
McDew had caught a 14-yard third down, fourth quarter
pass to give the Tigers a first down on the Falls
30. Three plays later, Smith went 33
yards off left guard on a handback trap to make it
28-6 with 5:56 remaining in the game.
Malinowski skirted left end for the conversion.
* * *
THE TIGERS’ other score came on a first quarter safety. Keith Autrey
blocked a punt from the end zone, sending it behind the goal post. A snap over the punter’s head and into the
end zone on the fly from the 29 was the break the Tigers needed. The time was 0:28.
Falls’ tally came on a
10-play drive aided by the 15-yard personal foul and five-yard illegal
procedure penalties. Larry Valentine,
converted from a quarterback to a fullback last week, scored off left tackle
from the one with 11:19 left in the game.
McDew knocked down Prunty’s pass intended for
Valentine on the PATs attempt.
“I thought our down field
blocking was real good,” Seaman said.
“The running wasn’t too bad either.” Ross also felt the Tigers’ down
field blocking was “great.”
“We came back real strong
tonight,” Seaman said. “Those early
scores and especially that long pass to McDew
helped.”
“We missed our big boy,”
Ross commented. “It changed our game
plan. I think we would have scored a few
more times if we had had him. Once he’s
gotten into the open, those guys wouldn’t have caught him. We would have controlled the ball well with
him in there.”
FALLS
– 6
Ends – Caldwell, Wiant, Parker, Mercer.
Tackles – Lipinski,
Richardson, Vujanov.
Guards – Weahry,
Ray, Heideman, Wasnac,
Whitney,
Hannan.
Centers – Saylor, Meyers,
Kuhn.
Quarterbacks – Prunty, Chaboudy.
Halfbacks – R. and K.
Parsons, Farabee, Neiman, Phillips,
Kaser,
Ispan.
Fullbacks – Root, Valentine.
Ends – Dampier, James,
Robinson, Engler, Cline, Conley,
Couto, McLin.
Tackles – Laase, McGeorge, Harris, Dorman, Midgley, Doll.
Guards – Whitfield, Harig, Hout, Indorf, Arnott,
Miller, Fichter.
Center – Cocklin.
Quarterbacks – Malinowski, Fromholtz, Lombardi.
Halfbacks – Smith, McDew, Shumar, K. Autrey, Stoner,
Hodgson, Sheaters, Gamble.
Fullbacks – M. Autrey, Streeter, Johnson.
Falls 0
0 0 6 – 6
Touchdowns:
McDew (77-yard, pass-run from Malinowski).
Falls – Valetine (one-yard run).
Extra
points:
Safety – K. Autrey blocked punt in end zone.
INDIVIDUAL
RUSHING
Player Att. Net. Ave.
Malinowski 8 -5 0
M. Autrey 2 8 4
Smith 22 179 8.1
McDew 1
-3 0
Streeter 2 8 4
Falls
Player Att. Net. Ave.
Root 3 20 6.7
Neiman 13 33 2.5
Phillips 14 62 4.4
Valentine 20 67 3.4
Parsons 5 21 4.2
OFFICIALS
Referee – Harvey Hodgson,
Jr.
Umpire – Ross Kemper.
Head Linesman – Del Groezinger.
Field Judge – Hugh Davis.
THE
GRIDSTICK
M F
First downs – rushing 8 14
First downs – passing 2 1
First downs – penalties 0 2
Total first downs 10 17
Yards gained rushing 218 209
Yards lost rushing 31 6
Net yards gained rushing 187 203
Net yards gained passing 21 20
Total yards gained 278 223
Passes completed 2-7 3-17
Passes intercepted by 2 2
Yardage on passes
intercepted 79 15
Kickoff average (yards) 4-42.5 2-19.5
Kickoff returns (yards) 19 70
Punt average (yards) 4-31.8 6-31.0
Punt return (yards) 15 2
Had punts blocked 0 1
Lost fumbled ball 0-2 0-1
Yards Penalized 5-44 3-25
Total number of plays 47 79