The Garfield G-Men football team will enjoy being undefeated to start the season for at least one week. The G-Men conquered Warren John F. Kennedy 37-28 in their season opener last Thursday evening at JAG Stadium.
“It is a good win for us,” said Coach Mike Moser. “Warren JFK is a good football team.,They are going to win a lot of games this year, so I was proud of the way our guys responded. We saw some adversity and fell behind early, but we hung in there.”
It marks the first time that the G-Men (1-0, 0-0) won consecutive games against Warren JFK, as the teams have traded wins and losses since the 2022 season.
On Friday, Garfield averted disaster late in the fourth quarter when the Eagles recovered an onside kick at the G-Men’s 48 in the final minutes of regulation.
The Eagles had just scored a touchdown, trimming the Garfield’s to 37-28 and had a chance to further cut into the lead.
“You practice those things but that is the first time that we have rolled it out there under the lights. We have to do a better job of that moving forward,” acknowledged the 13-year coach.
The Eagles advanced the ball to the G-Men’s 33 but faced a third-and-15. Sophomore quarterback/defensive back Al Howard flipped a shovel pass to junior tailback/linebacker Nick Branca for a 13-yard gain but Garfield’s defense forced a fumble. Senior running back/linebacker Logan Sell recovered the ball at the G-Men’s 20 with under a minute remaining.
Moser called Sell’s fumble recovery a great sign of the team responding to a high-pressure situation early in the season.
The G-Men sealed the victory with a dominant second half, sparked by gaining momentum near the end of the first half. After Warren JFK tied the game 14-14 on a 5-yard touchdown run by the 5-foot-10 Branca, Garfield used the remaining seconds to engineer a four-play, 37-yard drive to go ahead 17-14 on a 20-yard field goal by senior kicker Hannah Timmons.
Garfield ran three consecutive rushing plays starting from its own 46, and senior tailback/defensive back Devin Bates, senior quarterback/defensive back Collin McGranahan, and junior running back/linebacker Ryder Cain each gained significant yardage to bring the G-Men to the Warren JFK 8.
After the Eagles were issued an illegal substitution penalty, the 5-foot-8 Timmons drilled her first career field goal, pushing the G-Men ahead at the half.
“They sat back and were playing soft, looking for us to throw it deep so we tried a couple of runs. We got a couple to pop and once we started getting down there close, we started thinking we have a shot at this thing,” noted Moser.
In the second half, Garfield scored on back-to-back drives, stretching the lead to 30-14 as the 5-foot-11 McGranahan scored on a one-yard touchdown run then threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver/running back/defensive back Nate Baczkowski, pushing the G-Men to a comfortable lead.
Garfield was paced by the 5-foot-11 Cain, who ran for 177 yards on 16 carries, and the 6-foot Bates, who collected 104 yards and one touchdown on 12 carries.
After Warren JFK responded with 12-play, 61-yard touchdown drive cutting the G-Men’s lead to 30-22, Bates and Cain recorded big runs on the ensuing drive to stem the tide.
Cain burst free for a 31-yard run, followed by a 19-yard touchdown run by Bates.
“Honestly, it felt as if we didn’t score there, it could have been a lot longer a game than it was. It could have gone more down to the wire. It was win at all costs and try to get myself to the end zone,” said Bates.
According to Cain, he and Bates form a lethal two-pronged rushing attack in Garfield’s backfield and expressed his confidence of the G-Men duo delivering big runs when it mattered most.
“We know when it comes down to it, I am getting the ball or he is getting the ball,” Cain said.
Garfield’s strong offensive night was hampered with defensive miscues, including missed tackles that allowed the Eagles to stay in striking distance.
“We had that same problem last year against Edgewood in week one,” Cain added. “Too many missed tackles; that is what lost us the game, but we pulled it through here.”
Garfield will hit the road and take on Portage County rival Crestwood at Jack Lambert Stadium in Mantua on Friday night at 7 p.m.
