The Garfield G-Men were not about to let their football season end on their home turf for the second straight season. The G-Men responded in a big way and countered 17 unanswered points from St. Clairsville, beating them 48-31 in the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division V Region 17 quarterfinal last Friday evening at JAG Stadium.
“They showed a lot of character,” said Coach Mike Moser. “That is a really good football team, and we started off really well. We hit a little bit of a lull, fell behind and the kids responded, and I am really proud of them.”
Garfield (9-2, 6-1) will face top-ranked Cardinal Mooney in the OHSAA Division V Region 17 semifinal at Youngstown State University’s Shambaugh Stadium on Friday at 7 p.m.
“We will enjoy this win on Friday night and get to work on Cardinal Mooney in the morning,” noted the 13-year coach. “We have played them a few times in the past and we know what kind of a program that it is so we know what we are up against.”
It is the second time in three seasons that the G-Men have advanced to the Division V Region 17 semifinal. For the first time in school history, Garfield enjoyed a bye week in the first round of the playoffs as a new format provides that the top four seeded teams in each region receives an automatic bid to the regional quarterfinal.
On Friday night, after the G-Men raced out to a 13-0 lead, St. Clarisville countered with 17 unanswered points, paced by senior tailback/wide receiver Ollie Muhly, who scored on a 24-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and then erupted for a 49-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, pushing the Red Devils ahead 17-13.
The G-Men appeared on the verge of falling into a deeper hole as they went three-and-out on the ensuing drive but found new life when senior wide receiver/tailback/defensive back Brandyn Bogucki recovered a loose ball after a Red Devil player failed to scoop up sophomore tailback/linebacker Ryder Cain’s punt.
The 5-foot-10 Bogucki recovered the ball on St. Clairsville’s 1 and senior quarterback/defensive back Jack Neikirk charged into the end zone on a 1-yard touchdown run, propelling the G-Men ahead 20-17.
“At first I didn’t realize it hit him,” acknowledged Bogucki. “Then I heard all of our coaches yell ‘Get on it!’ and there was nobody there and I was able to get down on it at the 1.”
Garfield’s resurgence continued by forcing a Red Devils’ punt on their next drive and engineered a five-play, 38-yard drive capped off by a 12-yard touchdown run by senior tailback/linebacker Devin Bates, extending the lead to 27-17.
St. Clairsville responded with a quick three-play, 76-yard touchdown drive that was sealed with a 1-yard run by the 5-foot-7 Muhly, trimming the lead to 27-24, but Bogucki returned the favor by delivering an 89-yard kickoff return touchdown, stretching the G-Men’s lead to 34-24.
“That’s been Brandyn’s whole career,” said Moser. “He has been a four-year starter for us, and I can’t even count how many big plays he has made but when you need him, Brandyn is there.”
Bogucki only had five rushes for 32 yards and one reception for eight yards but had several momentum-swinging plays, including two interceptions, a kickoff return touchdown and a fumble recovery on the punt coverage team.
After forcing a Red Devils’ turnover on downs at Garfield’s 20, the 6-foot Bates scored his second touchdown on the game, galloping into the end zone from 68 yards out increasing Garfield’s advantage to 41-24 in the fourth quarter.
According to Moser, as explosive as the Red Devils’ offense was, Garfield’s defense challenged them to keep pace with it by speeding up senior quarterback Sam McLean by generating more pressure from the defensive line.
“Coach Jarrod Lewis made a lot of good defensive adjustments for us on our defensive line,” said Bates. “It helped the secondary execute more on the running plays.”
Although Muhly ignited St. Clairsville’s offense throughout the game, the Red Devils lacked depth in the rushing game behind him while Garfield had a stable of tailbacks it could turn to, including Bates, the 5-foot-9 Cain, junior running back/defensive back Collin McGranahan, Bogucki and even the 6-foot-2 Neikirk.
“It is definitely a good thing to have as many backs as we do,” said Bates. “Playing against a team like them, running up tempo, making everybody exhausted, getting a couple of plays here and there when we are on offense is a big help by helping to keep our stamina up.”
