The Garfield G-Men football team may have played one less game than usual this season, but the senior class will graduate with a near perfect home record over the last four years, as the G-Men downed Conneaut 48-14 in the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division V Region 17 quarterfinal last Friday evening at JAG Stadium in Garrettsville.
“If you fight all year and make the playoffs, earning the right to host a playoff game is even bigger,” noted Coach Mike Moser. “I know those kids did not want to lose at all, but they certainly did not want to lose on their home field, so it was nice to get to play one more time on their home field and go out the right way there.”
It marked the seventh straight season that the G-Men (11-0, 7-0) have secured a postseason victory. They will appear in the OHSAA Division V Region 17 semifinal for the second consecutive season and third time in four years, taking on top-ranked Perry at Alumni Stadium in Lake County on Friday night at 7 p.m.
“They have a great team,” said the 14-year coach. “There is no doubt about it, they have all kinds of weapons, and they are undefeated and have a great coaching staff so it will be a test. We know that but our kids have worked hard to have this opportunity, so we look forward to having a great week of practices and letting it go on Friday.”
On Friday night, it started out as a back-and-forth battle as the teams traded touchdowns at the beginning of the game. After Garfield scored the game’s first touchdown, the Spartans responded with a touchdown drive.
After the first quarter, the G-Men held a 14-7 lead, but Conneaut engineered another touchdown drive in the second period, evening the score at 14-14.
“They threw the ball a lot,” said Moser. “A lot of short stuff and then a couple of deeper ones. The quarterback was Wyant Dobran, he is an elusive player, a left-hander and did a nice job at getting out of the pocket and rolling around and putting some nice runs together so it was a mixed bag of everything.”
After Conneaut tied the game, the G-Men seized control by continuing to advance the ball with its lethal rushing attack.
After junior tailback/linebacker Ryder Cain and senior running back/wide receiver/defensive back Nate Baczwkoski each scored a touchdown, the 5-foot-11 Cain took control, scoring the next five offensive touchdowns, including scoring two straight touchdowns to end the half, pushing the G-Men ahead 28-14.
Cain scored another touchdown on Garfield’s opening drive of the second half, extending the lead to 35-14.
The Garfield junior was once again the leading rusher, recording 248 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 23 carries.
According to Moser, although Cain has shouldered more responsibility in the rushing game this season due to several injuries at the position, he has continued to be a reliable option.
“You would like to be able to spread things out a little more but running backs want the ball too. He has done a great job of being available and putting together some nice games,” he added.
Garfield’s rushing attack was unstoppable, recording 478 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 48 carries. Moser said that the G-Men’s continued success at running the ball once again demoralized their opponent after the game was tightly contested at the beginning.
“We had a lot of carries on the night so usually if we are carrying the ball that many times, good things are happening to us,” he said.
The G-Men’s defense stifled Conneaut’s offense, surrendering no points in the second half. Since the opening game of the season, Garfield’s defense has not surrendered more than 14 points in its last 10 games.
“They did a great job,” noted Moser. “They put the clamps on them and let us take control of the game.”
It marked the final home game for the graduating class of 2027, and the seniors finished their varsity football careers with a home record of 22-3 in four years.
Moser acknowledged that after a regular season in which the G-Men only played four games at home due to scheduling conflicts, it was nice to see the seniors receive one more home game.
“It was cool to be able to come out those doors one more time and put on a black jersey and play at home again,” he said. “I am sure it meant a lot to them.”
