The Garfield G-Men football team may have played their final home game of the season but they clinched their eighth consecutive postseason berth by overpowering Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Grey Tier rival Newton Falls 50-14 last Friday evening at JAG Stadium.
“We played well in the first half. Things get a sloppy in the second half sometimes in games like that, but I was pleased with the way our kids came out and were focused and executed,” said Coach Mike Moser.
Since Moser took the helm, the G-Men (8-0, 5-0) have qualified for the playoffs in nine of his fourteen years as head coach. Since the 2019 campaign, Garfield has not missed the postseason. That streak will continue for at least one more season.
“That is something that we are proud of,” noted the 14-year coach. “That is something that is not easy to achieve. Somewhere down the road we will definitely look back at that but in the moment, everything is year-to-year. You just have to focus on what is right in front of you.”
On Friday, Garfield enjoyed a quick start by scoring 29 points in the first period against Newton Falls.
Senior quarterback/defensive back Collin McGranahan scored on a 12-yard touchdown run, threw a 50-yard touchdown pass and a five-yard touchdown strike to senior wide receiver/defensive back Oliver Walker. Senior wide receiver/tailback/defensive back Nate Baczkowski capped off the G-Men’s big first quarter by recovering a fumble on a Garfield kick-off and returned it for a 14-yard touchdown.
Moser said that the that 5-foot-11 Baczkowski’s kickoff fumble recovery touchdown was the perfect way to close out the opening period.
“Things start rolling your way and then they just go big-time. That is exactly what happened,” he added. “There were a couple of turnovers and a pick-six or a fumble recovery for a touchdown in the first quarter and a pick-six in the second quarter.”
Garfield added a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter, as the 5-foot-11 McGranahan connected with senior tight end/defensive back Henry Veccia for an 18-yard touchdown reception and senior wideout/defensive back Max Bultrowicz scored on a 48-yard interception return, extending the lead to 43-0.
According to Moser, the bigger victory for the G-Men was the return of McGranahan, who left the week seven contest against Liberty at halftime due to a back injury.
In his return to the gridiron, McGranahan completed five of five passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns while recording 23 rushing yards and one touchdown on two carries.
Moser said that McGranahan was a gametime decision but cleared all the hurdles required to satisfy the coaching staff that he would be ready to return to the field.
“You can’t be much sharper than that I guess,” said Moser. “These guys are seniors, they don’t want to miss games, and we have a lot of tough kids. If they can play, they want to play. It kills them to be sitting over there watching things from the sidelines.
Although the G-Men have now guaranteed a playoff spot in the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division V Region 17 tournament, Mose said that they still have a lot of unfinished business to take care.
They sit in first place of the MVAC Grey Tier but have yet to face second-place Brookfield, who only has only one league loss. The G-Men will likely have to finish out the season with a perfect MVAC Grey Tier record to wrap up sole possession of the conference banner in their final season as members of the league before moving to the Greater Portage Athletic Conference next year.
To do so, the G-Men will have to remain as sharp as ever on the road, as they have played their final regular season home contest of the season.
Moser said that the team is battling to secure a top four seed in the playoffs which would earn the G-Men a first-round bye and a return to JAG Stadium for at least one more game in the postseason.
“It is a little tricky for those seniors to only get four home games this year,” he noted. “It is just the way that the schedule worked out, and it would be nice if we could wrap something up so we could get a home game in the playoffs. That would be nice.”
The G-Men will go on the road and face MVAC Grey Tier foe Crestview at the Crestview Football Field in Columbiana on Friday at 7 p.m.
