Once again, the Garfield G-Men football team is at the front of the pack for the Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Grey Tier banner. The G-Men remained focused, shutting out league foe Newton Falls 56-0 to remain tied for first place in the conference last Friday evening in Trumbull County.
“We started fast and played well from the beginning and credit goes to the kids for staying focused in a week like that,” said Coach Mike Moser. “It would have been easy to get off focus for what is ahead of us, but they came out and took care of business.”
The G-Men (7-1, 5-0) will welcome MVAC Grey Tier rival Crestview to JAG Stadium in Garrettsville for a decisive battle that will ultimately determine the league champion for the second consecutive year on Friday at 7 p.m.
“I am sure Crestview is a confident team,” noted the 13-year coach. “Both of us have earned a right to play in this football game. We just hope for a good clean football game with no injuries and let the kids go out and decide it on the field.”
On Friday, Garfield wasted little time seizing control before it ran a single offensive play from the line of scrimmage. It took a 6-0 lead on a punt return touchdown by senior wide receiver/tailback/defensive back Brandyn Bogucki in the first quarter.
Coming on the heels of a thrilling comeback road victory against Liberty on Oct. 3, Moser said it was a good sight to see the G-Men show focus and not allow themselves to fall into the easy trap of an emotional letdown.
“The defense played really well,” Moser noted. “Newton Falls is struggling a little bit but to our guys’ credit they went out and took care of business. We tackled well and held them and got a punt and got right back after it on offense again.”
Following the 5-foot-10 Bogucki’s punt return touchdown, Garfield’s defense remained stout and everything flowed on offense. Although the G-Men ran just seven offensive plays in the first half, they scored on five of them as sophomore running back/defensive back Ryder Cain scored three touchdowns, collecting 135 rushing yards on only three carries, followed by a touchdown run by Bogucki and a rushing touchdown from junior tailback/defensive back Collin McGranahan.
Garfield took a commanding 40-0 lead into the half to trigger the running clock in the second half and completed their first shutout victory of the year.
As the G-Men continued increasing their lead with explosive running plays, they did not attempt a passing play during the game with all 436 yards of total offense and seven touchdowns coming on only 14 rushes from eight different players.
“Our guys did exactly what they were asked to and expected to do,” Moser added. “You never want to kick anybody when they are down. Newton Falls is having a tough run of it. If you do this stuff long enough it can happen to anybody, so credit to their kids for hanging in there, playing and doing their best. We were just glad to get out of there healthy and get focused for this week.”
In addition to recording another league victory to remain undefeated in MVAC Grey Tier play, Moser credited the mental toughness of the team, having won seven consecutive games since falling short in a double-overtime road thriller against Edgewood on Aug. 22 in the season opener.
“It says a lot about our kids,” he said. “They didn’t hang their head after that week one game, and we were coming back those next few weeks to play some good football teams like Warren JFK and Springfield. There was no time to hang our heads and be down. Our kids did a great job showing their resolve and their character.”
As Garfield prepares for battle against the Rebels for another duel to determine the league champion, there will also be playoff implications on the line as the G-Men have almost assuredly captured a playoff berth. They can also earn a first-round bye in the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division V Region 17 playoffs if they can finish in the top four of their region.
Ultimately, Moser said that his team is focused on the task at hand, with the G-Men welcoming Crestview for a re-match of last year’s contest when Garfield rallied to top the Rebels on the road to capture the league banner.
“Both of us graduated a few guys but it is the bulk of the guys who played a one-point game last year and played a great football game,” he said. “I am sure that they are looking forward to it and that is the motivating factor for them.”
