Out of the past
Gunners shot down all but one (This the first of two columns on the 1940 Masontown High School football team, which set an all-time defensive record for county schools, on the way to winning the WPIAL-B championship. The second part will appear next week).
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Think back – away back, that is – to the years when the Pittsburgh Steelers were dominating the NFL and winning Super Bowls under the leadership of Chuck Noll.
Remember when the Steelers would go to the other side of the ball, and the crowd would start the repetitive yelling, “Deeeeeee-fense.”
And the Steelers were dominant in that phase of the game. Defense was a strong point in winning four Super Bowls.
But many of those in the stands exhorting the “Deeeeee-fense” to take charge hadn’t even been born yet, or were still in school, when Gene Franks and his Masontown High football players were showing the football world what “Deeeeee-fense” was really all about. They defined the word to within six points of perfection for that was all the Gunners would eventually allow, as they set a defensive record that has never been equaled by any team in Fayette County, maybe the WPIAL for that matter. No records can be found to argue otherwise.
Masontown finished 11-1, with 11 shutouts, outscoring the opposition 188 to 6, and closing the season by winning the WPIAL-B championship. Ironically, the only game they lost was a dose of their own medicine, 6-0, to North Union.
Back in 1940, Masontown was heading into another year in the long, successful tenure of “The Old Fox” as head football coach. The Gunners were on the rebound from a 4-4-2 season, with seven returning regulars to build around.
Unfortunately, papers of that time didn’t issue pre-season tabs like today, or list rosters, etc., and no names could be found for the returning players. Another trend of that time was not using first names in game stories, except on a few occasions.
One note, prior to the opening game, said “Coach Gene Franks has been keeping his club pretty well under cover this year. So don’t sell the Gunners short. They are just about due for another good year.”
That “good year” started Sept. 13, with a 19-0 win at Bentleyville. MHS drove to the two in the first quarter, Zimmerman scoring. In the second, Ed Medved scored from the six and Zimmerman ran the PAT, and in the fourth, Bill Morabito returned a pass theft 25 yards.
A 6-0 win over South Union was a defensive battle that wasn’t decided until the fourth quarter. Masontown took over on the SU 40, with Morabito going 15 on a reverse, Zimmerman 15 on two line bucks, and Medved 6, 3, and 1 to score. SU took the kickoff and drove to the M-8 where the game ended.
Masontown 25, Centerville 0 – The post-game story called the win “one of the biggest upsets of the early season. The Gunners went into action anticipating a close battle but once their steamroller attack got under way, it was just a question of the score, with Centerville failing at any time to threaten the goal.” Midway in the second, MHS took over at the C-49 and drove from there, Medved around right end the final yard. Later in the period, the Gunners drove from their 32, Morabito the last two. In the third, a bad snap from center was recovered by tackle Charles Wallace on the C-3 and Morabito (2) and Zimmerman (1) got the TD. In the fourth, the Gunners drove from the C-46, Medved for the last yard.
On Oct. 4, Point Marion dedicated its new football field, with a parade and speeches, Cong. J. Buell Snyder the main speaker. District WPA administrator Lyell Buttermore of Connellsville made the field presentation to school board president Frank M. Bowers. Principal J. Earl Roberts was MC. Then Masontown rained on the party with their fourth shutout, 33-0, holding PM to two first downs. MHS drove 56 yards in the second, Medved the last six. In the second, Morabito (8), Zimmerman (pass int.), and Morabito (51) got a 26-0 halftime lead, and in the third Kasinic passed 33 to Lowe for the score.
Masontown 26, Mapletown 0 – The Gunner defense ceded just two first downs and 52 yards. MHS got single scores in each period, by Medved (2), Morabito (3), Zimmerman (1) after Chellini blocked a punt and Wallace recovered at the one, and Morabito 27.
Masontown 7, Georges 0 – In the second, Medved returned a punt from the Georges 44 to the 23, and Zimmerman scored from the seven, Morabito running the PAT. The deepest Georges drive was to the M-19 in the fourth.
Then came the North Union game, where a crowd of 3500 watched the Steve Furin-coached Rams not only score the first points of the season against the Gunners, but hand them their only loss as well. In the first quarter, Masontown was held at its own 31 and elected to punt on third down, but the Ram line swarmed in and blocked the kick, McLaughlin recovering. Three plays netted six yards, and a fourth down George Zimmerman to Ed Zimmerman pass got first down at the 11. Four plays later, George Zimmerman swung right end from the seven. Then the defenses took over.
Masontown 20, Perryopolis 0 – Both had trouble moving in the mud, Perry leading in first downs, 3-2. In the second, Chellini recovered a fumble at the P-1 and Medved scored, and then Morabito ran a pass theft 65 yards for a 14-0 halftime lead. A blocked kick set up Bosnick’s 10-yd. run in the third.
Masontown 13, Marion (Millvale) 0 – Masontown stayed unbeaten in the “B” division in this game at Fairhope, and led in first downs 13-2. After a scoreless first half, Masontown led 6-0 in the third, driving 65 yards, Zimmerman getting the last one. In the fourth, MHS recovered a fumble at the home 15, and four plays later Zimmerman scored again, Morabito adding the PAT.
(After this game, the Gunners had to make an adjustment in their schedule to accommodate the WPIAL-B playoffs, then getting under way. Next week’s column will pick up there).
(This is the second of two columns on the 1940 Masontown High School football team, coached by Gene Franks, that established a still standing defensive record by allowing just six points all season, while finishing 11-1 and winning the WPIAL Class “B” championship).
(Second of two parts)
Defense has always been the prime factor in winning football games, and that was never more exemplified than in 1940 when Masontown High School was on its way to winning the WPIAL-B championship.
There were some who used to joke that “Defense” was the middle name of Gene (The Old Fox) Franks, who coached Masontown to its greatest years in football, and when the 1940 season ended there was more truth to that observation than there was kidding around.
The Gunners were 8-1 heading into the second week of November with that lone loss coming to North Union, 6-0, in the only touchdown the defense had surrendered to that point. Along the way they outscored the opposition 149-6, and stayed unbeaten against Class “B” opposition. Masontown often stepped out of its class to get opponents, and the NU loss was against an “A” team.
On November 8, the Gunners went to Marion High (Millvale) and won 13-0, leaving two games on the slate, both against traditional rivals, Fairchance on Nov. 15, and German Twp. on Thanksgiving Day.
But the WPIAL stepped in at this point and said that since Masontown was in the “B” playoffs, those games had to come first, ahead of regularly scheduled games.
So, the Fairchance game was cancelled, and Masontown was paired with undefeated Bridgeville, in their WPIAL opener, at the Charleroi Field. And for those who still buy tickets in advance, consider this pre-game announcement in the Morning Herald: “Tickets will be on sale in Masontown before the game at 35-cents each. The price will be increased by 15-cents at the gate.”
You can’t buy a candy bar for that price today.
In the end, the Masontown defense had another A-Plus on its report card, in a 6-0 win. Bridgeville got only three first downs the entire game and never crossed the M-20. In the second period, Bridgeville reached the M-48, and on fourth down tried to sneak a yard for first down. But the Gunner defense jammed the play, and took over right there.
From there (no first names were listed) Zimmerman went five over right guard, Medved two at left guard, and Zimmerman ahead to first down at the B-40. Then, Morabito went left on a reverse, and as it was noted in the game story “got some great blocking and went all the way to score.”
That was all Masontown needed to reach the finals against Millvale at the Etna High Field.
It was no contest. Masontown’s defense was in charge from the start, allowing only five first downs (13 for MHS), while the offense wrapped up the 26-0 championship clincher with 19 in the fourth quarter. In the first, the new champions drove 66 yards in 13 plays, ending when Zimmerman plunged in from the two, then ran the PAT.
That 7-0 lead held into the fourth, when Medved went 14 to score and Zimmerman ran the PAT, Morabito scored from the 25, then wound up the title drive with a 15-yd. burst off a triple reverse to end the final drive.
Fayette County actually had two champions that year. Brownsville was scheduled to play Altoona, in a match of “AA” unbeatens. But when Altoona declined to play any post-season games, Brownsville was declared the champion.
There was a big celebration in Masontown, but the players themselves delayed any festivities, for they still had one big task ahead – Thanksgiving Day against old rival German Twp.
Six members of the championship team would be playing their last game – ends Lowe and Leasure, tackles Wallace and Chellini, QB Kastner, and RB Morabito.
Eleven “Iron Men” played the entire game for Masontown, with the Herald reporting, “Conditions of the field worked against anything spectacular. It was just good old-fashioned power.”
That was evident in the second quarter when the Gunners were held and punted, the game report noting “Lozar took the kick for German, but was blasted by Masontown’s all-county tackle Charles Wallace. He fumbled, and Leasure recovered.”
After first down at the G-20, an offside penalty put the Gunners back five. Morabito ran 24, and Zimmerman got the final yard. Morabito ran the PAT, and that was it.
The 7-0 win was Masontown’s 11th in 12 games – 11 shutout wins – a WPIAL championship, and they outscored the opposition 188 to 6. Ironically, the only loss was also a shutout, the opposite way!! Overall, the Gunners established a defensive record that still stands in Fayette County, and could well be an all-time WPIAL record as well – at least until available figures can prove otherwise
Not only was there rejoicing in Masontown, interest in this last game spread all the way to New York City. The game report related “Dr. Andrew Franks, brother of Masontown coach Gene Franks, called this newspaper office from New York to get the final score.”
It was later reported that the Masontown school board voted to give coach Franks “a substantial increase in salary for the 1941-42 year in recognition of his team’s achievements.” No figures were listed at the time as to how “substantial” that pay hike was, but one later report said he would be hiked from $1,240 per year – for both teaching and coaching – to $1,600.
Compare that to what coaches get today just for coaching alone, never mind their teaching salaries, and they get that pay without ever winning a championship. Or having a winning record, in some cases.
But in 1940, those figures didn’t mean a thing to the Gunners. They had something that nobody could ever take away from them – an all-time defensive record and a championship season.