Tiger defense is superb
in heat bath
By CHUCK HESS, JR.
Independent Sports
Editor
It was anything but
weather for football.
It was as hot as
billie blue blazes on the Tiger stadium gridiron, the pressbox was even more uncomfortable
and the defending Ohio AAA champions made it unanimous by putting on the heat
in the first half. However, their after
–burner was cooled off following the intermission, by backs unable to hold unto
the football and to many penalties.
The result was a
32-0 Massillon victory over Cleveland Heights with 26 points coming in the
first 24 minutes before 12,677 toasted fans.
* * *
THE
HEAT was a factor which worked
against Heights with the temperatures standing at 77 at the kickoff. But the Washington high team seemed to shrug
it off, especially the
hard – hitting
defense. Longtime fans couldn’t
remember a hotter temperature for an opener.
“We wore out four or
five kids,” first year Heights Coach Carl Wilson said. “Rafael Rehamin is the best center in the
state, but the heat got to him. We had
to play him one way. With him in their
both ways we would have been more effective.”
Tiger Coach Bob
Commings and trainer Mike Internicola both agreed the heat hampered the Orange
and Black a little, with the WHSers getting iced down at halftime – something
not available in Heights.
“We also played a
lot of kids,” Commings said. “We used
two nose men, three tackles, four ends, two tailbacks and five guards all the
way.”
The skipper was
happy with a great defensive team effort which held Heights to zero yards,
rushing in the first half, 91 total yards for the game and five first
downs. One came in the first half and
three during the final five minutes, when Heights made its deepest penetration
– to the Massillon 33.
* * *
THE
DEFENSE continually held Heights
in its own territory and provided some nice field position for the offense.
A fumble by tailback
Willie Spencer on the Massillon 45 and another by fullback Don Perry on the
Heights’ 47 in the third quarter were recovered by the visitors’ Rahamin and
Brian Sague. A holding penalty on the
latter drive didn’t help either. A
holding call tacked onto a clip almost aborted a fourth period scoring jaunt.
And offside jumps by
three different middle guards because Heights was going on a long count didn’t
help either.
However, Spencer and
Perry, the 200-pound battering rams, did some great running, helped by some
outstanding blocking, after the Tigers got over what Commings called early
trouble picking up linebackers. Both
Spencer and Perry scored twice while Hank Nussbaumer got the other tally and
quarterback Scott Dingler the conversion.
Perry missed keeping
a drive going shortly after the opening kickoff when he rumbled 18 yards to the
Heights’ 45 only to have a clip nullify his effort.
Spencer claimed 126
yards in 12 carries.
The Tigers got their
first score when punter Jim Corrigan missed the ball, according to Wilson and
Steve Studer got possession at the Heights 34.
* * *
JUNIOR
WINGBACK Terry Edwards took off
for 19 yards around right end on fourth and 15 from the 20. Spencer blasted over right guard with 5:48
remaining in the first quarter. Dingler
bootlegged the conversion.
A holding penalty
almost gimmicked things up in the second quarter after one of junior Tom
(Flash) Hammon’s several groovy punt run backs for 17 yards and Spencer’s
36-yarder through
the middle to the 22. Then came the
15-yard infraction setback.
But Dingler faded on
third and 21 from the 33 and deposited one in the arms of Nussbaumer, playing
split end instead of tailback, Hank raced in on the left side with 9:45
left. Tailback Larry McLenndon just
missed the conversion.
A bad fourth-down
snap from the Heights’ 28 by Rahamin sailed to the one where Corrigan hopped on
it, but junior end Dari Edwards hauled him down in a hurry. Perry scored over left tackle with six
minutes left. Junior Don Muhlback had
to run with Steve Studer’s high snap and didn’t make it.
Hannon started a
scoring drive with a 20-yard punt return to the Heights’ 27. Six plays later and helped by a face mask
penalty, it was first down on the three, setting the stage for Perry to blast
through the middle with 2:30 left.
Dingler’s kick was no good.
Senior halfback Art
Thompson intercepted a pass on the Tigers’ 26 to stop a Heights’ drive just
before the half ended.
IN THE third period, Massillon almost had another
TD on a Dingler-to-Nussbaumer combination that would have been a real “Hum
Dingler,” but halfback Tom Wasson got a hand into the act and thwarted the long
aerial.
The Orange and Black
had problems getting their final score.
The clip and holding penalties negated a 20-yard Dingler-to-split end
Joe Matie effort to the Heights’ 34, but Dingler hit tight end Bob Stephan for
13 to the 41. Spencer ran 17 to the 41
and Hannon, 10 to the 14 from where Spencer scored around left end, with 5:07
left in the game. Hannon failed on the
conversion attempt.
Commings summed
things up with, ‘We were penalized 85 yards and lost three fumbles. You can’t do that against a good team.”
He lauded Hannon’s
punt returns and explained that Nussbaumer had been used on two pass plays
because he runs good deep cuts.
Wilson felt his team
started slowly, but came along and then missed some opportunities because of
penalties and dropped passes.
“I hope there’s a
little better future ahead of us,” he said.
“It will take a good club to score on Massillon.”
HEIGHTS – 0
Ends – Vinocur,
Deering, Sague.
Tackles – A.
Stallworth, Siegel, Kirk, Allen, De Baggis, Kovatch.
Guards – Freedman,
Faerber, Sorin, Johnston, Shewman, Thomas, Gutin, Burlin.
Centers – Rahamin,
Lohwater, Coco.
Quarterbacks –
Lipman, Visci, Wasson.
Halfbacks – M.
Stallworth, Marinelli, Toomey, Mintz, Corrigan.
Fullbacks – Metcalf,
Spigutz.
MASSILLON –
32
Ends – Stephan,
Matie, Vogt, D. Edwards, Nussbaumer.
Tackles – Weirich,
Andre Heath, Peters, Green Geiser.
Guards – Heck,
Graber, Mayles, Guiffre, Keller.
Centers – Studer,
Cocklin.
Quarterbacks –
Dingler, Muhlbach.
Halfbacks – Spencer,
T. Edwards, McLenndon, Thompson, Andy Heath, Wonsick, Nussbaumer, Weise,
Jackson.
Fullbacks – Perry,
Hannon
MASSILLON 8 18 0 6 32
HEIGHTS 0 0 0 0 0
SCORING
SUMMARY
M – Spencer, 20 run (Dingler run);
M – Nussbaumer, 33 pass from Dingler (run
failed);
M – Perry, 1 run (kick failed);
M – Perry, 3 run (run failed);
M – Spencer, 14 run (run failed).
GRID STICK
M
H
First downs, rushing 16 2
First downs, passing 2 3
Total first downs 18 5
Yards gained rushing 279 66
Yards lost rushing 16 55
Net yards gained, rushing 263 11
Net yards gained, passing 70 80
Total yards gained 333 91
Passes completed 4-8 7-21
Passes intercepted by 1 0
Yardage on passes intercepted 41 0
Kickoff average (yards) 5-44.3 1-39.0
Kickoff return (yards) 16 96
Punt average (yds.) 3-32.3 9-29.0
Punt returns (yds.) 59 6
Had punts blocked 0 1
Fumbles(lost) 4(3) 2(0)
Yards penalized 9-85 7-58
Touchdowns rushing 4 0
Touchdowns passing 1 0
Total number of plays 49 58
OFFICIALS
Referee – Jack
McLain.
Umpire – Alex
Rubins.
Head Linesman –
Irwin Shopbell.
Field Judge – Dr.
Henley Freeman.
Back Judge – Robert
Walker.