The Garfield G-Men football team will have to wait another year to make it to the Ohio High School Athletic Association regional final. Garfield’s postseason ended when it lost against the top seeded Perry Pirates 42-14 in the Division V Region 17 regional semifinal last Friday night at Maple Heights Stadium.
“Everything we did not want to do to start the game we did,” said Coach Mike Moser. “We fell behind early and got behind the sticks, had a couple of botched snaps and took ourselves out of our momentum. That is a really good football team. We knew our margin of error was slim, but they had so many weapons to hurt you.”
Although Garfield (12-1, 7-0) qualified for the regional semifinal for second time in three seasons, Moser acknowledged that there is still room to grow before the G-Men can return to the regional final for the first time since 2016.
“You don’t want it to end the way that it ended,” the 11th-year coach added. “I feel bad for the seniors that have to go out like this but like I told them, I think we will look back at this and think about playing in week 13 and qualifying for the playoffs all four years they were in school, and I think they will be pretty proud of what they did.”
The Pirates set the tone in the first quarter, engineering a nine-play, 62-yard drive capped off by a 3-yard touchdown run by senior wide receiver/tailback/linebacker Owen McKoon, pushing Perry ahead 7-0.
Garfield’s offense could not respond as some promising drives were derailed by bad snaps and penalties, putting the G-Men behind the chains for most of the first quarter.
“We came out a little flat in my opinion,” said senior quarterback/tailback/defensive back Eric Geddes. “We fought and that is all you can ask for at the end of the day, fight and be smart and that is what we did.”
The Pirates continued rolling, aided by some stellar punt returns by senior tailback/defensive Brayden Richards, who recorded 47-yard and 38-yard returns, setting Perry up with prime field position, and a 3-yard touchdown run by senior running back Jayden Studio and an 11-yard touchdown reception by McKoon increased Perry’s advantage to 21-0 in the second quarter.
It was not the first time this season the G-Men had surrendered a touchdown on the opposing team’s opening drive but unlike the previous times, Garfield’s offense was stuck in neutral.
Moser said the explosive plays that ignited Garfield were not there and credited the Pirates’ defense for staying disciplined.
“I would say they did a really good job,” he added. “They were prepared and did really well. They tackled well and made us go the long route with every drive and even though we had drives going, they were able to snuff them out or we snuffed them out ourselves.”
In addition to not finding the big play, the G-Men’s running game was stifled by Perry’s defensive line as the Pirates took away the edge, forcing Garfield runners to go between the tackles.
“They did a good job,” acknowledged the 6-foot-3 Geddes. “They forced us out and kept sliding to the sideline and we either had to cut it up or try to get the edge. That was a well-coached team.”
With Garfield’s running game struggling, the G-Men tried to spark the offense with the passing game, but Geddes’ third pass of the game was intercepted by junior wide receiver/defensive back Admani Chiappone and he returned it to the Perry 37.
The Pirates needed only one play to cash in on the turnover with Studio scoring his second touchdown of the game, this time on a 63-yard run, pushing Perry’s lead to 28-0.
The G-Men’s defense generated a turnover when sophomore wide receiver/tailback/defensive back Brandyn Bogucki picked off Perry junior quarterback/defensive back Walter Moses on a deep shot, setting up Garfield at its 42.
Garfield finally scored, ignited by a 13-play, 58-yard drive, finished off by a 2-yard touchdown run by senior tailback/linebacker Keegan Sell, trimming the lead to 28-7.
After shutting down the Pirates on their final drive in the first half, the G-Men had a chance to cut Perry’s lead in half by receiving the ball in the beginning of the third quarter, but the Pirates’ defense recorded another takeaway, this time when junior wide receiver/defensive back Luke Sivon intercepted Geddes at midfield.
Studio propelled Perry to go on a 14-0 run, scoring on a 12-yard touchdown catch and then a 56-yard touchdown run to push the Pirates ahead 42-7, triggering the running clock in the fourth quarter.
It marked the final game for the senior class, who graduate as the winningest senior class in school history, posting a 42-6 record, having made the postseason all four years and being regional semifinalists in two seasons.
“I would not trade it for anything,” said Geddes, an Ohio Dominican University baseball commit. “The coaches that we have were just incredible. The teammates and the community, I just loved them so much and am so thankful for the opportunity.”
