No joy in
By STEVE
DUNGJEN
Independent
Sports Editor
Visiting
The Rams, a serious
contender for their City Series League title, dominated the game in most areas.
Head coach William McGee’S 2-0 squad outgained the
Tigers by a wide 238-151 margin in total offense. More telling, though, was the time of
possession, which showed
Garfield’s defense –
well-rested in the second half – proved a stingy lot, holding Massillon’s Mr.
Versatility, Chris Spielman, to just 18 yards rushing
on eight carries.
The one-two punch of
Garfield’s Charles Gladman and Eric Finn accounted
for 196 yards rushing offense. Gladman finished with 105 on 24 totes and Finn with 91 on
23.
“I’m still sore,” Gladman said. “I
didn’t care if I got 50 yards so long as we won. We can’t be beat now.”
Mistakes proved the culprit
for
Massillon (1-1) came storming
right back, mounting a seven-play, 64-yard drive that culminated in a 20-yard
TD run by Craig Johnson, who finished the game with 78 yards on 13
carries. Bronc
Pfisterer added the PAT for a 7-6 lead.
The Tigers averted what
appeared to be sure trouble when Spielman intercepted
a pass at the
Entering half time the
Tigers held a slight 7-6 edge, but the Rams took the second half kickoff
downfield, scoring when Finn bulled over from the one to cap a 10-play, 63-yard
drive. A fake kick for the extra point
ended in a two-point play when Morse caught a pass from Mike Beane.
On
“That was the biggest play
of the game,” a subdued Currence said. “No one heard a whistle. I went out for an official’s conference and
he threw a flag on me.”
“How can I get his
attention? Hell, there’s
14,000 people out there and how can I hear him?” Currence
said.
The play in question
centered around an apparent fumble by Gladman. The “loose
ball” was picked up and rambled to pay dirt by a
However, the play was ruled
dead by the game’s officials.
Right after
The Tigers scored early in
the final quarter when Pfisterer drilled home a
21-yard field goal, but
“It’s never easy,” said
McGee. “I stand aside, you have to talk
to these (the Rams’ offenseive and defensive
coordinators) guys.”
“I don’t know what the stats
were, but they were lopsided in the number of plays in the second half,” said
Ram offensive coordinator Ron Amedeo.
“We just played our basic
defense. We didn’t change one bit,” said
defensive coordinator Mardeo Rossi. “We felt our speed could match up with
theirs.”
The playoff picture may have
been clouded somewhat for the Tigers, but Currence
isn’t about to throw in the towel.
“We have to lose another one
to be out of it,” Currence said. “We just have to get ready for the next game
and come back.”
The Tigers will host Warren
Harding next Friday night for their next game.
STATISTICS
M G
First downs rushing
7 10
First downs passing
2 2
First downs by penalty 0 0
Total first downs 9
14
Yards gained rushing 127 207
Yards lost rushing 10
12
Net yards rushing 117 195
Net yards passing 34
43
Total yards gained 151 238
Passes attempted 14 7
Passes completed 6 3
Passes int. by 2 1
Yardage on pass int. 56 0
Times kicked off 3 3
Kickoff average 48.3 43.3
Kickoff return yards 51 57
Punts 3 2
Punting average 36.7 18.5
Punt return yards
7 0
Punts blocked by 0 0
Fumbles 2 1
Fumbles lost 1 0
Penalties 6 3
Yards penalized 49 15
Touchdowns rushing
1 2
Miscellaneous touchdowns 0 0
Number of plays 41 63
Time of possession
19.11 28.49
Attendance
14,171